The mission was straightforward. Nearing a factory planet of the Empire was a ship from the Coalition of the Unimate, boarded by smugglers, marauders, and hostile automatons intent on infecting the automation of the planet, then looting the resulting chaos. The orders were to first board the ship and ensure not a single potential infection vector leaves, then to destroy the ship itself. When Taylor thought of a ship of bandits, he figured it was some basic transport shuttle, maybe a bigger ship to fit a cabin and a barracks. But as the transport he was in neared the massive, hovering freighter that was the Unimate's ship, Taylor found himself staring at it in awe for a moment, his heart racing as the thought of entering a base of the enemy entered his mind. He felt more at ease when he looked around to see Empire soldiers stood at attention in the shuttle with him, Taylor narrowing his eyes and looking between the humanoids standing around him. For a moment, he thought they were humans, until he noticed the reticles in their eyes, the armored reinforcements in their skin, and the almost identical frames they had, all being athletic and of an average height. "Are you, uh… human?" Taylor asked a nearby soldier, them turning their head to him as they spoke. "We are not humans, sir. We are Replicants, androids made to emulate humans. Our duty is to ensure this mission is successful at any cost." Taylor squinted his eyes, watching as the replicant turned away, not an ounce of emotion anywhere on their face. "Huh… how come the Empire never told me about these Replicants?" Taylor thought, rubbing at his chin as the shuttle neared the Unimate ship. "I guess it's kinda obvious. Probably should've figured out that Okami was some kind of android when I first saw her." The time for his pondering ended as a thickly armored, speartip-like weapon protruded from the tip of the transport shuttle. Before Taylor could react, the shuttle abruptly dashed forward and stabbed itself into the wall of the Unimate ship, leaving an opening wide enough for Taylor and the replicant soldiers to enter through. The group were immediately met by a group of cybernetic bandits, each of them wielding either laser-bladed melee weapons, or laser-firing ranged weapons. Their swollen and overly muscular flesh protruded from their cybernetic enhancements, with glowing syringes steadily pumping them with chemicals as they charged forward. Running out in the middle of the replicant soldier's formation, Taylor raised his staff, readying his newly gained skill from his Gray Mage class.
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Arcane Ward
Consumes 50 Mana to create a spherical protective field around the user, which can absorb up to 1000% of the user's Defense Power in damage before breaking.
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This field came just in time to stop a volley of laser projectiles from firing into the replicant soldiers, Taylor stepping back and keeping his staff and shield ready while the Empire's soldiers returned fire. He turned to see the melee cyborgs charging forward, them all wildly shouting and flailing their weapons around as they rapidly approached. Inhaling, Taylor readied one of his prestige skills, ice crackling from his staff as he casted it.
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Cryoseism
Consumes 200 Mana, then creates a massive glacier in front of the user, freezing any enemies caught inside of it. This glacier then explodes and spawns a wide earthquake, repeatedly dealing 150% Attack Damage to all enemies it hits.
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The Cryoseism managed to trap many of the melee cyborgs that were whacking away at the ward. They nearly broke out from the glacier, before it suddenly exploded, shaking the floor beneath them and causing their bodies to burst apart from the intensity of the attack.
[--- DRACONIC SYSTEMS ---]
Level Up! x3
Health increased by 60
Mana increased by 50
Attack Power increased by 25
Defense Power increased by 28
New Passive: "Panic Recharge"
Your Mana regenerates faster the lower health you have, up to 200%.
New Skill: "Banishing Lightning"
Consumes 35 mana, then fires out a burst of lightning which chains between enemies for 300% Attack Damage, increasing by 10% for each enemy chained. Enemies which take damage from this attack lose Mana equal to 33% of its damage.
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There wasn't a moment to spare to read through these new abilities, Taylor's eyes widening as he saw dozens more cyborgs entering the hallway, now supported by heavily armored, four-legged war robots. One of these war robots spun up both of their chainguns and rapidly fired bullets into Taylor's ward, causing it to shatter apart. The ward's destruction was followed by several of the replicant soldiers dying from the barrage of ranged attacks. Taylor quickly got out of the way of this slaughter that both sides were suffering, aiming his staff forward and creating another Cryoseism glacier, catching enough of the cyborgs and keeping them occupied long enough for him to sprint down the hallway and get some much-needed cover. The resulting earthquake from the skill killed even more of the cyborgs, but the war robots seemed to mostly ignore the attack, one aiming their weapon forward and firing a missile at Taylor. Bringing his shield forward, Taylor watched as a magical ward projected itself from it, surprising him with the sudden ability as it reflected the missile and sent it hurtling back towards the robot, blowing off its legs and sending it rolling across the ground. "Woah! Sick parry, Draconarius!" Okami chirped in Taylor's head. "I can… parry rockets?" Taylor thought, looking down at his shield, then up at another war bot aiming its chainguns at him. Once again, he brought his shield up with enough timing to parry the bullets back at the robot, stumbling it long enough for him to cast another spell from his Frost Knight repertoire.
[--- DRACONIC SYSTEMS ---]
Ice Age
Consumes 300 Mana to fire out a meteor of ice. Upon impact, this meteor will explode in a massive area, dealing 2500% Attack Damage to everything it hits. The meteor then leaves a wide-spanning field of frost in its wake, slowing enemies inside of it and dealing 50% True Attack Damage to them every second.
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The meteor exploded in a vibrant flash of white, enveloping the war bots in a crippling frost. In a last ditch effort, the war bots rapidly heated up their engines, slowly crawling towards Taylor and trying to raise their weapons at him. "Damn it… I'm low on Mana now." Taylor thought, stepping back and watching as the war bots all began to fire at him. He at first went to parry it, managing to successfully deflect some of the bullets, but not the rest, them all slashing across his body and forcing him to duck behind cover. "Taylor, you dummy! You're low on mana, but you can still switch back to your sword!" Okami teased, Taylor raising his eyebrows, pressing down on the DICE in the back of his neck and navigating to his equipment menu. There, he indeed saw the option to switch back to his Frost Knight weaponry, him quickly doing such a thing as one of the war bots turned the corner. Before it could shoot, Taylor dashed forward and stabbed his blade through its engine, a pained whirr leaving the robot as it collapsed back, leaving oil pooling across the ground. As Taylor fought on, the earlier anxiousness he felt from the violence, the apprehension he felt from Jackson's story, it was all gone. A thrilling feeling of adrenaline was all that coursed through him, a grin finding its way on Taylor's face as he slashed through the remaining war bots with the aid of the replicant soldiers.
After fighting his way through what felt like hundreds of cyborgs and weaponized automation, Taylor was finally able to survey through the halls of the ship unimpeded, with the replicants all spreading out to hunt down any stragglers. Taylor was doing the same, his grip on his weapons steady while he marched across the steel tile floor. The interior of this ship was quite similar to the interiors of the Empire's ships, the only difference between the gears and wiring imprinted as decoration along the walls and floors. An occasional gunshot followed by a scream could be occasionally heard, Taylor flinching when an especially high-pitched shriek was accompanied by a barrage of gunfire. Those screams were far more human than the dying screams of the cyborgs he was facing earlier, something which Taylor tried to ignore while he ventured throughout the ship. He stopped when he heard hushed whispering and small footsteps inside of a nearby room, Taylor slowly turning to it, keeping his shield ready as he stood in front of it. He went to open it, but the door flung open as he brought his hand forward. "Go!" An elf woman cried out, two replicant children running out of the room as this elf slashed their blade across Taylor's face.
[--- DRACONIC SYSTEMS ---]
Bestiary Entry
Elf
A race which clings to ancient, anti-democratic ideals from a distant past. They believe in supremacy for themselves and their chaotic gods above all else, and are not hesitant to slay hundreds if it means preserving one of their own.
Elves believe in a cabal of dark gods known as the Seldarine, which involve rituals such as blood orgies, sacrifices of innocents, and enslavement. They oppose freedom and all the good it entails, all for their own empowerment. The Empire has managed to successfully destroy most of these monsters, but few still remain.
Though agile and adept with magic, elves are generally more frail than other races. Softening them with ranged attacks then pursuing them with a melee attack is often the best course of action when dealing with them.
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Luckily it seemed to be a rather low Attack Power, the strike only grazing his cheek slightly, but still leaving him shocked for long enough for the elf to run forward, placing her hands on the backs of the young androids as they tried to flee away. "Hey! Stop!" Taylor ordered, the three ignoring him, instead running ahead of him. "...damn it, stupid… using 2 low mobility classes in a row…" Taylor muttered to himself, holstering his weapons and running forward, slowly catching up with the three. "Don't let them get away, Draconarius! They're gonna spread their virus!" Okami urged in Taylor's mind, Taylor huffing, nodding his head as he saw the elf trying to enter in a code on the keypad of a door. She managed to open it, pushing the two children inside of it before turning and facing Taylor. With an enraged, determined look on her face, she raised her blade up, channeling a radiant energy from its silver length and firing out a slash of smithing energy into Taylor's chest. He grunted as he felt the projectile strike him with far more power than he anticipated, stumbling for a second as he recovered from the attack. "I… I - I won't let you hurt them!" The elf cried out, her grip on her weapon trembling while Taylor stood across from her. "They're people, too! Just because they don't obey your tyrannical Empire, that doesn't mean they deserve to be exterminated like this!" "...what? They… th - they aren't people, they're… robots infected with a virus." Taylor retorted, the elf gritting her teeth and shaking her head. "You… y - you Draconarii can never understand. You're all brainwashed by the Empire, being used as a tool for their genocide without even knowing it. These replicants don't have a virus, they… they have emotions. They feel love, they feel fear, just like us." Taylor stopped for a second, feeling conflicted as he stared at the elf, seeing the genuine emotion on her face while she spoke. "No! That replicant's trying to trick you, Draconarius! She's just stalling so the infected robots can escape! Hurry, get her!" Okami urged. With a sigh, Taylor shook his head, slowly stepping over towards the elf and lowering his weapon. "...alright." Taylor mumbled, turning his head up and meeting her gaze. For a moment, the elf thought her words got through to him, sheathing her weapon and getting closer to him. "Ahh! Watch out Taylor, that replicant's about to stab you!" Okami suddenly shouted in Taylor's mind, spurring him to abruptly stab his sword forward without a second though, his blade shoving through the elf's stomach and drawing blood. "Ah…" She let out, her eyes wide as a bit of blood trickled down from her mouth and her sword fell from her side. Taylor looked down to see real viscera exiting her, stepping back and watching as she fell down on her back, holding her hands on her wound. "...w - what?! That wasn't a replicant, Okami, a - and… and she wasn't trying to attack me!" "Oh. Well, it doesn't matter, she was a dirty elf anyways. Now go in that room and clean up the bad guys!" As Taylor took a step forward, the elf woman suddenly stood back up, a powerful, red energy exiting from her wounds, this same energy enveloping her eyes as she stood tall in front of Taylor. "...n - no…" She muttered, gritting her teeth and holding her hand out to the side. "I… I might not be able to defeat the Empire. I might not be able to even defeat you, Draconarius." She began, a red, glowing set of magical twinblades forming in her outstretched hand, the elf taking them apart and holding the two blades in both of her hands. "But I won't let these innocent people come to harm. Because that's what they are. People. No matter how much the Empire demonizes them, no matter what propaganda they spread…" She looked up at Taylor, a fierce light shining out from her eyes as a set of magical red armor formed over her body, with a long, red cape draped from her shoulders. "And I'll fight to my last breath, if it means they can live a better life than me. Because that's what I, Ahren, paladin of Vandria, have sworn upon my life to do." "Woah! Watch out, Taylor! Her Attack and Defense Power just shot up super high!" Okami warned, Taylor going to respond, being stopped when Ahren suddenly dashed forward and crashed her blades against his shield. He narrowly blocked the attack, his shield nearly flinging out of his hands from the sheer force of Ahren's swing. Taylor stepped back and stayed behind his shield as Ahren nearly overwhelmed him with the fierceness of her assault. As Taylor tried to get a swing in, Ahren slid under his sword, bringing her legs around and sweeping them under Taylor's. Ahren stood up as Taylor fell to the ground, him bringing his shield up and blocking one blade, but failing to stop the other from thrusting forward and stabbing into his side. A pained grunt left Taylor as he felt the searing bite of the sword slice through his armor and into his flesh, this pain only increasing as an intense blast of radiant magic followed this strike, blasting Taylor away and sending him rolling on his side across the floor. Quickly switching to his staff, Taylor managed to cast Banishing Lightning before Ahren reached him, the blast of lightning striking her in the chest and causing her to falter back. Taylor went to cast the skill again, Ahren returning by blessing both of her blades at once, launching two beams of radiant energy at Taylor as he struck her with lightning again. The traded blows sent the both of them flying across the room, Taylor landing on his back while Ahren crashed into the wall behind her. "Be careful, Taylor! You're getting low on health! Here," Taylor stood up, looking down to see a health stim materializing in his hand. With a sigh, Taylor saw no other option, injecting himself with the syringe. His vision blurred slightly as the intense feeling of euphoria forced its way into his mind, his pupils dilating as he felt his senses and strength rise. In a new fit of agility, Taylor dashed forward and clashed blades with Ahren, the elf a bit surprised to see Taylor suddenly able to keep up with her speed. Gritting his teeth, Taylor raised his blade and slammed it down towards Ahren, bringing both of her blades up and locking them against Taylor. The two's blade lock ended as Taylor used the last of his mana to cast Cryoseism, Ahren nearly leaping away from the growing glacier, but finding her leg getting caught in the ice. Quickly pressing the advantage, Taylor dashed around the glacier and thrusted his blade up into Ahren's back, a pained gasp leaving her as the blade stabbed in through her back and came up through her stomach. As the glacier exploded, Ahren's mutilated body was knocked off of Taylor's blade and fell limply to the ground. Taylor's breathing grew labored as he stood over Ahren's body, the effects of the stimulant beginning to fade slightly, the warm and pleasuring feeling enveloping his body starting to cool. "I…" Ahren slowly stood up, holding her hand over the bleeding, gaping wound in her stomach while she turned to a surprised-looking Taylor. "I can't… d - die here… not now…" Ahren muttered, limply reeling her blade back and shambling towards Taylor. "F - Face me… you… c - coward…" Ahren ordered, coughing out a bit of blood as Taylor stepped back from her. Taylor found himself unable to speak, his heart sinking in his chest while Ahren took another step towards him. "...what..? You people can… massacre innocents… wipe out entire species… glass planets…" Ahren grunted, falling down to her knees. "But can't… fight someone… who can fight back..?" Ahren spat, her head drooping down as her weapons slid from her hands and clattered to the ground. Her magical armor faded around her, leaving her only in her battered Unimate uniform as she fell to the ground.
[--- DRACONIC SYSTEMS ---]
Level Up! x2
Health increased by 45
Mana increased by 40
Attack Power increased by 20
Defense Power increased by 25
New Skill: "Personal Barrier"
Consumes 75 mana to create a protective field either around the user or one of their allies. This field can absorb up to 500% of the user's Defense Power as damage before breaking.
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Taylor waved away the notification, only staring silently down at Ahren's body for a moment. Even past the euphoric sensation of the stimulation coursing through his veins, a powerful feeling of regret pulled at him, urging him to rethink everything he's done so far, to rethink whether the Asgorath Empire is truly good for this new galaxy or not. He kneeled down and picked up one of Ahren's magical blades, watching as a UI appeared in front of him.
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Vandria's Vigilance
Lv. 64
Attack Power - 900
Passive: Bane of Evil
Attack Power is increased by 25% when dealing damage to an Evil…
Error loading equipment status. Please bring this item to your nearest Peacekeeping Officer for inspection.
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"Remember, Draconarius." Okami's voice spoke up, Taylor flinching slightly from the sudden intrusion. "The enemy will stop at nothing to hurt us, and there's nothing below them when it comes to destroying the Empire. Don't let them play mind games with you." Taylor sighed, his grip on his sword loosening slightly as he turned from Ahren's body and towards the room she was trying to guard. Taylor opened the door, stepping in to see a group of replicants all huddled in the corner. Much of them were in an injured state, their artificial skin peeling back slightly to reveal their more mechanical innards, stained with a red liquid almost similar to that of blood. Some were children, some were women, but Taylor tried to ignore such things. Okami's calm, soothing voice, the way the stimulant in his veins made him immune to the horror, it was enough for Taylor to put his obedience above his reason and morality. "This is…" Taylor muttered, one of the replicants holding their arms protectively around the younger android as Taylor took another step forward. "This is for the good of the galaxy."
[--- DRACONIC SYSTEMS ---]
Level Up!
Health increased by 25
Mana increased by 25
Attack Power increased by 13
Defense Power increased by 15
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Days passed since the raid on the Unimate freighter, yet despite the lavish conditions of his quarters, the thrilling nature of his work, and the steady increase in levels he was gaining, Taylor felt a consistent gnawing feeling growing at the back of his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, images of the unarmed replicants he had slaughtered came to him, and the voice of Ahren dying at his hand echoed softly in his ears. He tried to tell himself that it was just manipulation, that Okami was correct in her statement that the enemy would do anything to get the upper hand, and psychological attacks were not out of the question. But the fear in those replicants' eyes, the desperation in Ahren's last stand, it all seemed too genuine to him. His thoughts were scattered, loosely focused on these conflicting thoughts, broken only when the officer standing across from him raised his voice. "Draconarius!" Taylor flinched, looking over at the military-dressed human man standing across from him. "O - Oh, uh… yeah?" "Are you feeling alright? Did you suffer some sort of head trauma from the Voidkin you faced yesterday?" The officer questioned, a hint of genuine worry in their voice while they walked around and looked at Taylor's head from different angles. "No, I'm fine, I'm just… a little tired, I guess." "Hmph. Well, you can go rest once I've briefed you on your mission for tomorrow." The officer stood tall in front of Taylor, crossing their arms as they spoke. "You, as well as several other Draconarii and a platoon of our finest soldiers, will be beamed to the planet Ios. For reasons unknown, the Hellhound has mounted an extremely fierce defensive campaign of this planet, and several of her high-priority officers are present there." Taylor nodded his head, resting his hands at his sides while he looked up at the officer. "What do you want us to do?" "You will be landing at these coordinates here…" The officer held out their pager, allowing a projected screen to display in front of Taylor, showing satellite imaging of Ios' surface. "And you will move from there to the village here," The officer dragged the map, showing a line connecting their landing zone and towards a nearby village. "Taking out any of the Hellhound's forces which you come across. Once you arrive, you are to set up a flag of the Asgorath Empire." The officer tapped his finger on the map. "Protecting this flag is vital, for it will be livestreamed for the Empire's citizens across the galaxy. Spirits are low during the anniversary of the Flames of Minas, and hopefully this will remedy that." "Alright. You got it." "Very well. Draconis Deus, Montana." Taylor nodded, returning the "Draconis Deus." before heading back to his quarters.
He stepped in to see Okami sitting at the edge of their bed, a smirk on her face while her tail slowly wagged behind her. "Welcome home, Draconarius!" Okami cheered, holding her arms out as she dashed towards Taylor, taking him into a gentle hug. "Hey." Taylor softly replied, Okami tilting her head and raising an eyebrow at him. "Huh? What's wrong, Taylor?" "N - Nothing, I'm just… kinda exhausted. Was killing borgs all day, and having to… run away from bullets kinda wears me out." Okami nodded her head, holding her hands together while Taylor switched to his bed clothes and laid down in the bed. "Oh, okay… but just know you can tell me anything you want, Taylor. Alright?" "I know." Taylor answered, watching as Okami plopped down next to him, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently rubbing along his shoulder. "To be honest, Okami, I have been… kind of thinking lately." "Hmm? About what?" Okami prodded, Taylor drawing in a deep breath before he spoke. "Do you ever think that maybe the Empire should, uh… handle things a little differently?" Okami narrowed her eyes slightly. "What do you mean, Draconarius? The Empire does everything it can to ensure our freedom." "I - I mean like… with all the people we kill, like," Taylor sighed, slumping his shoulders and laying his head on the bed's pillow. "I get that the Voidkin are all just… crazy planet-eating aliens, and some of the Unimate are drugged up criminals, but… sometimes I think the people that we kill, you know… don't deserve to die." Okami's eyebrows furrowed, her crossing her arms as she began to speak more sternly. "Don't be stupid, Taylor. The Empire only kills people that are a threat to us all. You're still new to this realm, so you don't know everything here works." "Sorry, I - " "Ugh! I knew this was gonna happen! You leveled up super fast, got that badge of honor, and now you think you know everything!" Okami accused, Taylor raising his hands defensively, watching as Okami shot up off of the bed. "Well, let me tell you something, Taylor. You don't. These monsters are killing billions of innocents every day, and you wanna sit there and talk about how maybe we should just let them keep going?" "N - No, Okami, I - I," Taylor couldn't finish speaking before Okami stormed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. With a sigh, Taylor laid back down on his bed, a frown staying on his face as he tried to fall asleep past all the tension.