Evolution: A Warlock’s Rise To Power

Adrestia returned to Silent's side as the Plague Baron's player and soldier forces joined the undead army still assaulting the walls.

Lucan suddenly lost his connection to the shadow drake's eyes.

As he sat in the evolution pool, the tribal symbols had spread from his left hand, up his arm, over his shoulder and up his neck. They were now slowly expanding across his face and head. The moment the first symbol appeared on his face, Lucan could feel ethereal energy pouring into his eyes.

Unlike the spread of the tribal symbols which felt calming and relaxing, the energy going into his eyes was causing an intense itch. Lucan desperately wanted to scratch his eyes, but he was sure that would make things even more uncomfortable. The ordeal only lasted a few minutes and ended with a notification.

[You have gained 'Ethereal Omni-vision.]

Lucan had gained his first racial ability.

[Ethereal Omni-vision]

[Ethereal Vision (Passive): Champion can see into a single realm of your choosing.]

[Omni-vision: Champion may activate Omni-vision for 30 minutes every day. Omni-vision will allow the champion to see into every realm simultaneously.]

The warlock couldn't contain his smile. Other planeshifters could receive Ethereal Vision and use it a certain amount of times a day, but for Lucan, it was a passive ability. He was able to use it every second of the day if he decided to.

His new visual ability let him see into other realms at his current location. Imagine the various realms were painting stacked upon each other. If Lucan was in the top left corner of the ethereal realm painting and used his passive Ethereal Vision, he could see the top left corner of any other painting. When he used Omni-vision, he could see the top left corner of every painting.

He didn't hesitate to try it out. Lucan thought of the nine hells. Suddenly he was looking out across bloodied fields in hell. Countless lower level devils were training and gearing up to march towards the abyss to fight in their everlasting conflict with the demons. In the distance a bone tower rose high into the burning sky.

Lucan thought of the material plane. A pack of three horned gazelles were sprinting across a field, trying to escape a group of 20 players that were chasing them on horseback.

Next, he activated Omni-vision. At first, he felt nauseous from seeing many different images at the same time. He felt a slight pressure on his head, but the pain receded as he adjusted to the new ability. The nine hells and material plane were identical to what he had just seen, on top of that he saw into numerous other realms. He deactivated the ability and saved the rest of his remaining time.

The tribal symbols were still working there way across his head, but it seemed as if they were done with his eyes.

Little Brown and Adrestia had finished their time in the evolution pool much earlier. A few symbols had grown on each of them to quickly cover their bodies, after that, they could no longer feel the ethereal energy changing their bodies no matter how much they splashed around. Lucan decided to send them back to the shadow realm. Which wasn't hard to do, since they both had picked up the same ability.

[Ethereal Dive]

[Once per day, user can dive into a different realm carrying along any items that are worn or stored with them.]

At first Lucan was disappointed with the ability, but after considering that they were familiars and it was a free ability that he didn't have to pay for, he became okay with it and sent them on their way. It may have been the lowest rank version of a portaling ability, but it still had its uses.

The elder abomination egg sat in Lucan's lap. Tribal symbols didn't appear on the egg, but Lucan's mana vision could see that it was slowly absorbing a part of the ethereal energy in the evolution pool. The warlock excitedly waited to see what would happen.

Without much to do, Lucan began to experiment with variant spells. He still hadn't created any since he advance to intermediate spell weaver. It was not that he didn't want to, he just didn't have time. Since he was stuck in the pool until his evolution finished, this was the perfect time.

***

Silent and the eternal guard held the opening in the fortress wall against the horde of undead. The eternal guard only had minutes left in their summon time when Silent noticed a problem. In war, the bodies of players and NPCs alike took six hours to disappear. The undead bodies before her had turned into a giant mound.

It wasn't only in front of her. All along the walls where the undead were attacking, their bodies had started to form a makeshift ramp. As of now, the undead ramps only led halfway up the fortress walls, but given enough time, the soldiers would be able to climb the corpses and advance directly over the walls.

A ghoul leapt off the mound in front of her, diving towards the rogue. It was skewered and tossed aside by the eternal guard. Adrestia looked at the growing mound and realized the problem. She landed next to Silent and underwent a change.

The shadow drake rapidly grew larger, to the size of a large dog, or small wolf. The shadow drake on all fours came up to Silent's waist.

"Looks like you learned a new trick." She said to the drake.

Adrestia raised her head, opened her jaw and sent a large spray of hellfire towards the corpses in front of her. A cone of purple hellfire spread out 20 feet in front of her.

The mound of corpses and the undead in front of it caught fire. The unyielding hellfire turned them to ash and quickly burnt away the mound.

Adrestia may be bigger now but she was still small. Her sized prevented her from clearing the large ramps of corpses on the walls but at least she was able to deal with the mound in front of the person her master cared the most for.

Zombies and ghouls kept coming. The shadow drake leapt froward and bit the neck of a zombie, the drake thrashed around and clawed at the creature's chest until it was dead. Along with her size, Adrestia's strength had increased in her bigger from.

"Empress, out time is near. We await your orders in the future." Said one of the eternal guards.

With a salute, the eternal guards banged on their breast plates together and let out a call. "For the Empress!" They faded from existence, waiting to be called again.

With the guard's disappearance, several shadow elf soldiers stepped into the split in the wall to hold the line.

Silent withdrew with Adrestia and returned to the wall to get a better view of what was happening. She approached Commander Gear.

"What is the situation?"

The Plague Baron's living forces will be on us in a few moments. The undead only have a small number left, but…"

"Yes, I saw, their bodies will provide the others with access to the walls."

"Yes, the real fight is about to begin. Our people are already growing tired, their armor is damaged, and their weapons are worn or broken. The situation doesn't look good."

"Hmm, I can help with that." Said a voice from behind the two.

Silent turned around to see Sturdy Willow. She frowned; she hadn't wanted to use the Willow organization but she didn't know what else she could do.

"Do not worry." He said, after seeing her expression. "Lucan has contracted the C team and below to help hold the fortress." He said, showing the contract he had signed.

Silent felt relieved. If Lucan hired them, he must have his reasons. And hiring them would be safer than using them as an ally. This way, they still had to take orders from her and couldn't refuse.

She stepped back and let Sturdy give orders to his people while she kept watch.

Over a thousand players took to the walls and relieved the shadow elf soldiers, granting them a temporary reprieve.

Compared to the players fighting for Lucan and the Plague Baron, she could instantly see the difference. These were professional players with a dedicated command structure. They had worked together a number of times and they weren't new to large battles like this.

Sturdy gazed out over the approaching enemy. The last of the undead had been killed off and the players and soldiers were starting their advance up the ramp of undead.

***

"My Lord, the undead have been defeated. All though they did not manage to infiltrate the fortress they accomplished their mission."

The Plague Baron turned to the attendant.

When his eyes laid on the young man, boils and blisters started to appear on his skin. Open wounds spread across his body and started to weep puss.

"Ahh." The attendant fell to the ground. "Ahh, Why? What did I do?" The young man asked before his body started to rot and he died from his injuries.

"Are you stupid? We are both watching the same projection, do you think I did not understand the images I saw. Don't insult me." The Plague Baron said while kicking the corpse before him.

A player walked into the tent. "Sir, our unit stationed inside the fortress reported that Lucan Quilldrake is not here. What would you like to do?"

"Hmph, let us leave."

"Are we returning to Desolation ?"

"Order the others to pack up what they can, we will depart in fifteen minutes."