Age of Dragons Online

Chapter 4: Raid

Chapter 4

Raid

            Nadran was shocked into wakefulness by a large crash accompanied by the acrid smell of smoke.  Coughing, he looked around to see one of the walls engulfed in flame.  He jumped out of the bed, noticing a corner of the bedcovers was already on fire.  He ran to the door, coughing on the accumulating smoke, and threw open the door.  He immediately stepped back as he felt the intense heat of the flames in the hallway, blocking his escape.  What is going on?  Nadran wondered in a panic.  He ran over to the one window in the room and looked out.  From his vantage point on the second floor of the small hotel, he was able to instantly ascertain the problem.

            Several buildings were ablaze, and players and NPCs were running around in a panic.  Most of the players and some of the NPCs, however, were in the middle of fighting.  Their opponents were a veritable army of creatures from the forces of darkness.  There were goblins, trolls, and ogres.  Trolls come in two types: greater trolls and lesser trolls.  Greater trolls are large, dark green giants, sometimes with weapons, and are generally about ten feet tall.  Lesser trolls are like miniature, human sized versions of the greater trolls, and almost always have weapons.  Ogres are tan colored giants and are usually 8 – 9 feet tall.  Whereas trolls have the basic human shape, ogres are usually 2/3 as wide as they are tall, and frequently have multiple heads or sets of arms.  Unlike trolls and goblins, ogres rarely use weapons, usually preferring to use their thick, meaty hands to fight.  All of these creatures were working in unison to attack the village.

            Many of the creatures were weak, but they were overwhelming the players with sheer numbers.  Meanwhile, the larger creatures were wreaking havoc, smashing buildings, setting fires, crushing players and NPCs underfoot as well as the occasional unlucky goblin.  I have to help them!  Nadran thought.

            Nadran was brought back to his own plight by the increase of smoke as his bed was engulfed in flames.  The far half of his room was entirely ablaze, and was spreading towards him.  It seems that I have no choice but to jump out of the window, he thought.  But… I’m on the second floor of the building!  I could end up getting injured by the fall!  But… If I don’t, I will burn to death in this room or die of smoke inhalation!  That can happen in this world, can’t it?  I can’t see Volzan overlooking one of the many ways you could die in the game…  But it doesn’t matter either way!  Regardless, I can still burn to death!

            Before he lost his nerve, Nadran ran to the window and jumped out of the burning building.  Surprisingly, though, he fell slowly, like he was floating to the ground.  After a few seconds, he lightly touched down onto the ground.  How did that happen?  Nadran wondered, but had no time to ponder it as he was immediately charged by a lesser troll.

            He blocked the attack and quickly slashed it across the chest, surprised when it shattered into pieces.  It was only then that he realized it was a level 1.  He heard footsteps behind him and whirled around to see two goblins and a lesser troll approaching.  He fended off their attacks, then slashed them twice in quick succession, destroying them.  He then ran through the town, attacking whenever he had the chance.  He ducked under the swiping arm of a two – headed troll, slicing its hand as he passed under.  It let out a roar and started chasing him, crushing anyone and anything in its path underfoot.  It was especially large, at about 9½ feet tall.  He took this to his advantage, running through groups of goblins and lesser trolls, letting it crush them as it pursued him.

            Why is it so mad about one cut?  Nadran thought.  Well, if I can use it to crush other monsters, I’m not complaining.  He ran into the town square, the ogre in pursuit.  He soon had an idea as he saw a [GREATER TROLL RAIDER] [Lv. 5] [GIANT] (the giant tag meaning that it was much taller than any human, and so was shared by all of the greater trolls and ogres).  Nadran ran towards the greater troll at top speed, staying just ahead of the ogre, who was surprisingly fast.  He ran between the surprised troll’s legs, then jumped to the side.  The ogre had too much momentum to stop, and careened into the troll.  Both were knocked into the flaming house behind the troll.  The troll, being hit at high speed, falling onto a burning building, catching fire, and being crushed by the ogre’s bulk, lost all of its health at once and shattered.  The ogre lost most of its health from the impact and catching on fire, as well.  Nadran quickly jumped onto the fallen ogre’s back and stabbed him in the back of the neck with both swords, depleting the rest of its health.  Nadran quickly jumped off it right before it shattered.  It was only then that Nadran noticed the victory screen.