Yearly Archives: 2012

Grepolis Prepares for Oktoberfest Celebrations

Grepolis Prepares for Oktoberfest Celebrations

 

 

InnoGames hast just brought the biggest worldwide festival to Ancient Greece – starting now, Grepolis celebrates Oktoberfest. In keeping with this tradition, players must ensure that there is constantly enough beer for their city inhabitants. To do this, one must gather hops and collect mugs. While mugs can be found floating in the Aegean Sea, players have to demand hops from farm villages on their island.

 

 

Devoted brewers will be rewarded with valuable incentives, such as additional resources, improved spells and fighting points. The best ones can even earn 200 gold points, and an additional culture point – which is crucial to expanding empires. These bonuses, however, are only given to those who produce at least 4,000 liters of beer. The event ends on October 1 .

Aeria Games Charts Course To Mysterious New Lands In Shaiya Expansion

Aeria Games Charts Course To Mysterious New Lands In Shaiya Expansion

 

Shaiya

 

The search for the Trinity Artifacts in Shaiya spreads to fresh and enigmatic territory with the release of the new expansion from Aeria Games. Also known to Shaiya players as the long-awaited Episode Six, Trinity Artifact unleashes an increased level cap and dangerous new zones to explore in the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).

 

 

The Alliance of Light and the Union of Fury have expanded their war to the islands of Mystra, where they hope to find more clues as to the whereabouts of the fabled Trinity Artifacts. But they get more than they bargain for when they meet the mysterious locals, the Threemas, who are embroiled in their own civil war with the sinister Risen. Players will need to secure a foothold for their faction’s chosen island and aid the Threemas if they want their help in hunting for the Trinity Artifacts.

 

 

The action heats up as the level cap rises to 80, and players will need the increased power to combat Mystra’s treacherous new monster species, many of which are the result of twisted Risen experiments. Two huge islands comprise the new zones, each housing deadly enemies and challenging new dungeons. Shaiya’s cutting-edge PvP also gets more thrilling with the addition of powerful new skills and gear sets.

Knight Age: The Era of Mounted Combat Arrives

Knight Age: The Era of Mounted Combat Arrives

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

Fighting on your mount; this is a relatively new feature on the MMORPG scene that not many titles have copied yet. And I can think of even fewer titles that have implemented it in a way that felt fluid in combat. Knight Age attempts to fix this issue by taking a different approach entirely to it. Rather than building the game around standard combat and tacking on mounted combat as an afterthought, they focus on being mounted as part of your day to day activities in-game, allowing you to be inseparable with your mount and still accomplish all you could in a normal MMORPG. I must say I really like what they’ve accomplished!

 

 

When you first create your character you can choose between four characters:

 

The almighty Knight that decided to become a hero and chops his enemies up with a sword.

The intellectual Magician, studied in the four elements of water, fire, wind, and earth.

The Archer that sets out to recover the honor of her family with her superior dexterity and skill.

And last but not least the tough Warrior that is a huge muscled giant, capable of wielding 2 handed weapons better than any challenger.

 

 

After having done the tutorial, to learn the basics of this game I was really astounded by the look. The graphics may be cartoony in style, but the artists’ attention to detail can’t be ignored. This looks more akin to the art style of a title you would see on the Wii rather than as a free to play 3D fantasy MMORPG. Now that’s not necessarily a good or bad thing, but it certainly is a refreshing change of pace from many of the glowy Asian styled titles on the market that are nearly identical.

 

 

Quest design is always a delicate process in any MMORPG; sometimes it can be a pain doing the same thing over and over again. This can be especially apparent when a title has just launched and everyone is trying to hunt the some monster or object. Luckily Knight Age dabbles in just the right amount of instancing to counterbalance this problem and make the story still have a bit of an epic feel. The game does a decent job of layering you with plenty of quests prior to entering these instances so players are forced to explore the entire instance rather than just rush to the end

 

 

For the rest of the quests you can’t do within instances, Knight Age at least implemented an astounding autowalk feature that rarely gets you stuck and is quite reliable compared to other titles on the market. I figured with the mounted design of the game this would have created issues but I was pleasantly surprised! Furthermore, you can just choose random locations on the map to meet up with friends and your character will autowalk there without hiccups.

 

 

Gameplay

The gameplay of Knight Age is really something that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. For a game that is entirely free-to-play the combat and movement is top of the line. Their design choice to focus on mounted combat and build the game around it really paid off, resulting in smooth animations, smooth controls, and an overall appeasing experience that I would normally expect on a console title.

 

 

There’s various other additions to this game that, though by themselves are small, come together as one to make for a much more enjoyable gaming experience. One such feature is the addition of your experience bar besides your level and hp/mp meters at the top of the screen, as well as the bottom middle of the screen. Another major feature that is rare to see is the ability to attack while moving on your mount, whether it be casting magic or swinging a battle axe. Players have been talking for years about how much they hate not being able to attack while moving and out of nowhere Knight Age comes in with this very thing and on mounts. I was deeply satisfied with both ranged and melee characters under this combat system and found neither to really be at a disadvantage. The cat and mouse game of kiting and chasing feels much more skill and reaction dependent than other titles thanks to this well implemented combat.

 

 

And another great feature is pets! Yes that is right there are even pets beside your trusty transportation mounts. There are all different kind of pets with different stats and uses that help each class out differently. I could tell some serious TLC went into this system due to the huge number of pets available at launch and the advanced training system available to players to customize their Pupas as they see fit. These cute little critters have enough power to sway a battle in your favor so make sure not to neglect them.

 

 

At the Job Board you can pick up a wide variety of quests for a specific level, usually these quests ask you to kill a specific monster and in return you will receive experience and some cash. This can provide a nice challenging break to the monotony of standard questing, though in the end is just another cleverly disguised form of grinding. But the glory of options is that if you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it, and if you do like it, it’s always there waiting for you.

 

 

Cooperative play with other players is heavily encouraged in Knight Age. For instance the dungeons in this game adjust their difficulty depending on the players participating in it. The dungeons also react differently depending on the actions you take during it, resulting in different outcomes each time you try them. It’s rare to see much replay value in MMORPGs but this at least provides a tiny bit to the genre. Also for those that prefer to go solo, solo dungeons exist to keep you not feeling left out on content.

 

 

If you feel like battling it out versus other players than you are in luck! There are multiple PvP modes that you can participate in, because what kind of Knight Age would it be without competitive tournaments to prove yourself?

 

 

Graphics

I have already said it but this game just looks amazing! Knight Age is really beautiful looking and sets yet another high standard for future free-to-play MMORPGs. Normally I am not a big fan of the cartoony styled graphics, but Knight Age makes it work. You can adjust some of the effects to remove glowing effects and just customize the game to your liking or increase distance draw if your PC has some power behind it. To play Knight Age you will need the following computer requirements.

 

Minimum specifications:

Pentium single core 2.4GB or higher

1GB Ram or higher

Geforce 6600 / Radeon x1600 or above

Directx 9.0c

1GB of free hard disk space

Windows XP (service pack 2) or above

 

Recommended specifications:

Pentium dual core 2.0GB or higher

2GB ram or higher

Geforce 9600 / Radeon HD 3750 or above

DirectX 9.0c

1GB of free hard disk space

Windows XP (service pack 2) or above

 

 

Just looking at the requirements I am amazed again, how can a new MMORPG from this generation that is so good looking ask absolutely nothing out of your system at all? In this I believe we see the true strength of their unique art-style in that it not only differentiates the game from its competitors, it ensures just about anyone can jump in to play! I don’t think anyone will run into any trouble trying to run this game at all, even with a computer made out of twigs and stones.

 

 

Conclusion

I have said it a few times but Knight Age really stands out in this year of sparse quality titles on the free to play side of the industry. I have seen a lot of MMORPGs launch in the past couple of months that only had one good feature or just one thing that they were specialized in. Knight Age however feels absolutely finished; it excels in every front and sets the bar really high for its competitors. When I first heard about Knight Age’s unique combat system as a selling point, I had many questions whether or not it was actually something that worked. Considering how long players have been asking for this system it’s understandable that I was skeptical if it had really arrived. I hope Knight Age sets in motion a larger array of mounted combat titles like it to breathe some new life into MMOs. Knight Age really made me a fan, and if you are in search of something free that doesn’t immediately remind you of the same old, this is probably your best pick right now.

MEAD: RIFTÂ’s Autumn Harvest

MEAD: RIFT’s Autumn Harvest

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG RIFT Reporter

 

 

 

While the new warrior soul was revealed recently I’m going to focus on something a bit more current this week. RIFT 1.10 has released, and with it has come the 1.10 event, Autumn Harvest. Unlike previous events this one only has one phase and will last through until October 10th. And so, because of that I can tell you all about the event this week.

 

 

Currencies

Most importantly to know for the next month is that there are two new currencies for the event and as this is a seasonal event you will be able to use them again next year. The common currency is Autumn Harvest Sap; you can get it from completing event quests, doing rifts and other planar fights. And the more rare currency is Autumn Harvest Signets. These come from completing certain quests.

 

 

Merchants

There are two, well arguably three merchants in the autumn event. They’re all located in the Realm of the Autumn Harvest which is accessible through faerie rings in every zone of Telara except Iron Pine Peak where an unnatural frost has formed. The primary merchants are Jeyriall who sells food and Sorel who has all of the other goods. The other merchant is a non-traditional one who has the spectral mounts which are available.

 

 

Jeyriall’s food is everything you could possibly want for your autumn feast (Thanksgiving). Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, wine…you name it he has several types of it. And all quite reasonably priced depending on how much work you put into the event.

 

 

While Jeyriall specializes in food Sorel is more of an odd bits and pieces merchant. He has companion pets old and new, a spiffy hat, three different titles and of course planar essences. All of his items are sold for sap except for the titles which require both signets and sap.

 

 

Finally there is Zoot-Toot. She is the stable master in the Autumnal Realm. And if you give her 15 signets you can get on of her four spectral mounts. She has a Crocnard, an Ash Strider, a Najmok and a Kontarula all in spectral form, so, dead.

 

 

There are several quests to do throughout the event. Most of them are obtained in the Autumn Realm but there is one in the main cities. It asks you to gather pumpkins then take them to the Autumn Realm. Most of the quests in the realm are repeatable. My personal favorite is helping out around the realm. In that quest you help out by releasing spirits, kicking lost animals back to their pins and killing any bugs you come across. There are also several quests to go out and collect a special fungus from trees and rocks in Telara that is used to make the Mead extra nice. This quest seems to get on peoples nerves because the fungus can be difficult to find and then even more difficult to get to. And of course no event would be complete without the complete rifts quest.

 

 

A reward you get from completing most of the quests is a potion of Autumn Eyes. This should only be used in the Autumn Realm and is used by Ascended to see the stashes the fae have hidden all over the realm. Different potions have different lengths and allow you to see artifacts (sparklies) hidden all over the zone. Pick up as many as you can before time runs out. These potions can also be purchased from Sorel.

 

 

Now, as I’m not one to use the app, mostly because it doesn’t seem to want to work on my phone, I never noticed before that there were new things for seasons, or maybe all events. Either way there is a new scratchcard which is called Pumpkin Patch. It seems that they mostly contain food but who knows what else there could be.

 

 

The Rift website lists a special alternate mode (Black Garden) where players are turned into monsters, ghouls and all sorts of creatures who all get new tricks. This will take place during the week leading up to Halloween. It is a magical time in MMOs.

 

 

This Autumn Telara is seeing the full range of oranges and reds as it transitions to winter. Trion has also started setting the stage for Storm Legion with just a few small hints referring to Iron Pine Peak. I’ll be taking part in this event all season long and can’t wait for the week before Halloween.

OnRPG Shotgun News 9/24: The Secret World, Mortal Online, and German Industry News

OnRPG Shotgun News 9/24: The Secret World, Mortal Online, and German Industry News

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

The Secret World Gets New Game Director

Lead Content Designer for The Secret World, Joel Bylos has taken over as the new Game Direct. Ragnar Tørnquist and Scott Junior will remain in the positions they previously held. The official announcement also gave the name of Issue 3 which is The Cat God.

 

 

Mortal Online Hosts Free Week

Mortal is hosting a free week of gameplay which started last Friday. They are inviting everyone to have a look at the changes that have been made to the game recently. The event started on Friday and will run through the week.

 

 

German Consumer Group Targets Steam

Steam has come under attack once again from a European Consumer group over its EULA which they say don’t meet the standards of local law. This time around a number of German consumer groups have gone after Steam because it does not allow the resale of digital items which by law is required. Those who opt out of the EULA find themselves unable to play any of their previously purchased games. The consumer groups have given Valve until September 26th to respond to the charges before legal action is sought.

TERA: For the Federation S3 Ep1 – Home Coming

TERA: For the Federation S3 Ep1 – Home Coming

By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Editor-in-Chief

 

 

 

Hey welcome back to season 3 of my ongoing TERA fanfic! For those not in the know I’ll lay out a brief profile of the main characters to fill you in, though feel free to check out our OnRPG TERA profile’s article list to find the full story.

 

 

The Federation:

 

Dizzy

Race: Popori (rabbit subspecies)

Occupation: Lancer

Once a studious bookworm, his life was forever transformed by a Federation program that forced him to live with Pora Elinu’s Legendary Popori Rabbit Lancer, Surmun. When Surmun and their assigned Elin sister Wulynn went missing at the Island of Dawn expedition, Dizzy outcast himself from his position as the Elin Queen’s page and set out to save his family; setting in motion the cog of which our story revolves around.

 

Wodin (Alias – Platy)

Race: Popori (raccoon subspecies)

Occupation: Mystic

A poor Popori Raccoon with a drive to discover the unknown, he joined the Federation with the hopes to earn enough money to fund his admission to the Pora Elinu Witches College. However he was declared a traitor by the Federation when he abandoned his doomed squadron in Argonia and now lives under the protection of Dizzy’s declared Queen’s Law. Having resurrected Dizzy from the dead, they share a mutual bond of survival.

 

Elleon

Race: Elf

Occupation: Slayer/Warrior; Former General of Elven Empire

Once a vicious killer for the Elven Empire, he now seeks to make amends for his violent past by fighting the Argon menace for the Federation. Charged with the leadership of the Island of Dawn expedition, he was nearly assassinated in a ploy by the Scions of Lok to use the power of the island to resurrect their dark god. He sets Dizzy on the path that lead to the death of Samael and exposure of the Scion’s conspiracy to overthrow Velika.

 

Dougal and Seir

Race: Human

Occupation: Lancers; Commanders of Velika’s Valkyon Forces

Commanders of the Valkyon Federation and human capital of Velika, their word carries great weight throughout Arborea. Having discovered Samael’s betrayal, they declared Dizzy the Guardian of Velika and now seek to use him as an instrument to bring down the Cult of Lok once and for all.

 

 

The Argons:

 

Shandra Manaya (The Argon Queen)

Race: Unknown

Occupation: Overlord

Little is known about the Shandra Manaya other than she seems to be one of the few independent thinking Argons. She commands the invasion of Arborea and is responsible for the kidnapping of Wulynn and death of Dizzy. Though Platy’s Mystical Vow of Rebirth prevented his mind from being lost into the Dream.

 

Gemie

Race: Popori-Argon Hybrid (too deformed to identify subspecies)

Occupation: Unknown;

Wulynn’s captor and mentor. He intends to turn her into a fierce Argon hybrid killing machine, openly telling her his harsh training is required for her survival, though secretly using her to torture the mind of Dizzy for unknown reasons.

 

Wulynn

Race: Elin (fox subspecies)

Occupation: Priest

The reincarnation of the Elin Goddess Elinu said to appear once every millennia, Wulynn is easily spotted in a crowd due to her vacant stare and three bright fox tails. Though a scholar in nature, she recently was forced to kill a human in cold blood after being starved by Gemie for nearly a week. Her belief in Dizzy rescuing her has begun to fade as Gemie continues to fill her mind with false truths.

 

 

The Scions of Lok:

 

Samael

Race: Human

Occupation: Berserker; Ex-General of Valkyon Forces

Deceased. Head of a conspiracy to overthrow Velika and resurrect Lok. Slain by the joint efforts of Dizzy and Dougal at the battle of Gid. Even at his dying breath he vowed he would return to seek vengeance against the Federation, believing his goal of resurrecting the dark god was vital to overcome the Argon menace.

 

Akia

Race: Castanic

Occupation: Priest; Head Cultist

A castanic that fooled Platy and Dizzy at the Island of Dawn. She holds within her possession the Lance of Gid, a mythical object said to have the catalytic power to bring a god back to life. With Samael out of the way she is the only identified unifier of the Cult of Lok, placing her top of the Federation’s Most Wanted List. Her whereabouts are unknown following the Battle of Gid.

 

Mysterious Man

Race: Unknown

Occupation: Unknown

An aged being that appeared at the Battle of Gid with the seeming power to bend space and time to his will. He seems to be vital to Akia’s plan to resurrect Lok and has shown signs of maybe even being the mastermind of the entire conspiracy. He mistakenly infused Dizzy with power wishing to recruit him following Dizzy’s defeat of his former spy Stadrian.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

S3 Ep1 – Home Coming

 

 

Despite my unexpected collapse at the ceremony, the Velika party managed to rage on for 3 entire days. I suppose the people deserved the right to such an event, having learned that their Goddess Velik was 1) Not Dead and 2) Actively Protecting the City. Still I looked on from my hospital window longingly, remembering the annual festival of flowers that I had attended with the Queen every year except the previous as our Queen had gone into meditation, claiming it unfitting of a leader to celebrate while our allies’ homes burn. I glanced over at the wall and realized the time of the festival was fast approaching. Perhaps on the anniversary of her seclusion she would return!

 

I jumped to my feet with joy and began gathering up my equipment in a frenzy. The Pegasus platform was closed for scheduled maintenance but if we snagged some horses from Valkyon command and left today we could easily arrive at Pora Elinu two days prior to the event. I giddily ran over to the door, placed my hand on the nob to turn, and, to my surprise, found the door opening in instead of out at a rapid pace.

 

 

Two massive Baraka far larger than any I had previously met in my ventures crashed into the room, one stumbling over the other resulting in furniture flying everywhere as their titanic bodies filled the room. They wore strange helms, one black and one white, that mirrored each other, making their features impossible to tell apart beyond the distinctly different armor and weapons.

 

I was smashed between the doorway and the hospital dresser as the chaos of two turtles stuck on their backs unfolded before me. I slowly crept between their outstretched legs and open door, hoping to make a clean getaway from whatever reason they had come looking for me. Unfortunately a mean spirited short little Elin stood firm in the doorway, her right fist pushed slightly against her waist as she spread her legs as wide as she could within the frame to create a living wall. Her squirrel tail swung back and forth in anticipation of my next move as her ears twitched at the slightest sounds.

 

 

She pointed a finger straight at me, saying nothing until I went to make a move. At which she flicked her finger, hitting my sensitive nose and causing me to stumble backwards into the mesh of Baraka flesh behind me struggling to regain their balance. In the end I managed to pull myself from the pile and turn to see two Baraka standing a head taller than the door, one with double-edged swords the size of my body gleaming in the sunlight, the other hoisting a battle-axe that could easily have passed for a small tree in the Queen’s garden. A whoosh of tanned light streaked over my hand as the unknown Elin landed agilely on the shoulder of the warrior baraka, her entire body not even on par in size with the Baraka’s chest. She continued to point at me without blinking.

 

 

“Um… well this is awkward.” I finally spoke up.

 

 

“Hand over your lance and no one gets hurt!” The Elin countered as if she had been holding her breath waiting for me to speak.

 

 

“My lance…? This is my Master Surmun’s famous Basilisk Spine lance!” I shouted over her.

 

 

“This is a direct command from the Mysterium!” She replied with a loud shrill voice that caused my ears to pull back in pain.

 

 

“Look I don’t know what the Mysterium is, or who you are, but this lance isn’t leaving my side.” Our showdown continued until the wild Elin lifted her hand to my face, her eyes wide and focused.

 

 

“We’re already late. Valrus, Barack, take him!” Her flat palm waved around her face slowly as she posed while saying it. I could already tell I was dealing with two of the dumbest Barakas I have ever encountered but something seemed a tad bit off with this Elin as well.

 

 

“Can’t do it boss.”

“Sorry no good boss.”

 

 

“What?! He’s alone right in front of us with no where to go.” Their bewildered leader was turning beat red with impatience.

 

 

“Not going to work. We’re stuck boss.”

“Get some butter or grease boss? We’re shoulder to shoulder and stuck against the walls of this tiny room.”

 

 

Suddenly I felt a rush between my feet as I looked down to see a small black dog whiz by. Despite its diminutive size it flew through the air and crashed straight into the Elin leader, knocking her from Valrus’ shoulder. She kicked as the dog pressed its thin spearlike legs against her chest, and then suddenly was hit by a stroke of ADD and began barking out the window.

 

 

“Boss Kitlyn didn’t feed that dog again.” Barack shook his head in embarrassment.

“Told you that Cassie of yours was going to cause trouble Kitlyn. Should leave her at home next time.” Valrus joined in Barack’s head shaking in perfect unison.

 

 

Hearing Platy’s distinct voice down the hallway I decided to slam the door shut and make a run from the three stooges that stood before me. To my surprise he held a saddle in his hands.

 

 

“A saddle? What’s happening?” I questioned the chubby raccoon.

 

 

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.. thinking about death. My death. And what I want out of life. And what I decided is I always wanted to see the Witches College of Pora Elinu during the flower festival.”

 

 

A grin filled my countenance as I realized Platy had been one step ahead of me and already made the arrangements. Suddenly the sound of metal on marble exploded behind us as the door to my hospital room fell over, with two clumsy Baraka and one angry Elin slamming into the floor along with it.

 

 

“Friends of yours?” Platy wondered aloud.

 

 

“Something like that… You packed up? Let’s get out of here asap.” I grabbed my saddle from Platy and made a hurried run for the door with Platy close on my heels. A rush of Federation guards blocked the path behind us in confusion, buying the time we needed to reach the stables and make a getaway from the Mysterium Agents hot our tail.

 

 

Half a day later we were rounding the northern edge of Velika and crossing into the dark and foreboding uncharted woods known only as the Velika Wildlands, as Baldur’s eye set behind the nearby mountains.

 

 

“It’s quiet Platy. Do you sense anything?”

 

 

“Nothing. Should I?”

 

 

“We’re deep inside Popori territory already. I would have expected at least one prankster to try to give our horses a fright by now.”

 

 

“That’s true. My brothers in Popolion can usually smell a noble rabbit like yourself coming from miles away. Something is amiss.”

 

 

Almost on que the nearby bushes began to rustle as an unseen figure rushed through them to get ahead of us. Platy and I turned to each other exchanging worried glances. The Elin Queen used to love telling stories of the Velika Wilds that would make my fur stand when I was a wee bun. Imagery was now rushing back to me and I couldn’t help but feel my mood plummet.

 

 

“You’re the one with the shield Dizzy. Go check it out! Probably just some imps or at worst a hyena.”

 

 

“Ok watch my back.” I dismounted my steed and anxiously edged closer to the bush. The rustling came to a sudden stop as the creature within realized its position had been compromised. I unsheathed my lance and pressed forward into the bush expected the sharp spines to push out anything large that might be laying in wait for me. A burst of movement knocked me on my ass as a small family of  parrots and one rabbit scattered from the bush in all directions. After the initial shock settled I turned with a relieved grin to Platy, only to immediately be faced with a sight of pure horror.

 

 

“You don’t look so good Dizzy. What’s wrong?” Platy questioned.

 

 

Without wasting time, I withdrew my lance and charged at Platy as fast as I could run. Gripping his shoulder with my free right paw, I rolled over top of him, throwing my heavily armored body against a corruption of a Popori, crushing an arm and leg and leaving it rolling on the ground helplessly from my assault.

 

 

“What the hell is that thing?!” Platy screamed. His voice echoing through the woods and returning with the sound of groans and movement in the bushes all around us.

 

 

“Oh no…” I was at a loss for words as the forest was suddenly alive.. or perhaps dead.. with a line of what I can only describe as Zompori. Mostly disfigured pieces of Popori carrying pitch forks and shovels lumbered towards us in all directions. I released my lance in preparation for battle and crouched into a stance as an unusual weight suddenly fell upon my back.

 

 

“Got you…” The words chilled my spine to subzero levels as I momentarily froze, imagining the horror that was latched onto my back, ready to pierce its fangs straight into my exposed neck.. or worse.. my massive ears. I spun quickly only to fling the Cat Elin from the Mysterium off my back, knocking her unconscious as she landed head-first on the cold forest floor.

 

 

“Dizzy we can’t fight this many alone. We need to make a run for Popolion and get answers. For all we know whatever caused this corruption is contagious!” Platy ran for the horses as I glanced around quickly trying to decipher where her useless Baraka accomplices were.

 

 

“Dizzy now!” I was brought back to reality to spot Platy saddled up and waiting in a sunny clearing not more than forty yards away.

 

 

I made an initial step to move as the soft sound of the Elin’s whimper reached my ears. I wasn’t the only one to have heard as the lumbering zopori seemed to smell the blood oozing from the rim of her eyebrow. Their lumbering suddenly quickened to a sprint as the less mutilated of the bunch made a mad sprint for the downed archer.

 

 

The first to arrive found its teeth broken in half as I smashed my shield into its skull. I hinged my shield to the back of my armor as I threw her small body over my left shoulder and extended my lance outward, slicing the skull of a second approaching zompori in half. I dashed as fast as my legs would carry, being driven by the sounds of narrow misses and gnashing teeth just behind me. Platy shook his head as I arrived in the clearing and began saddling my horse.

 

 

“First Wulynn and now her. Always a sucker for a pretty face aren’t you?” He smirked, the tension of the situation immediately lightened by Platy’s cheerful yet sarcastic attitude. Our horses didn’t even require a nudge, as they both took off in a mad sprint towards Popolion. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the two dimwitted Baraka wander into the zombie filled passageway calling out for Kitlyn. I wished them well as the swarm immediately turned to face the over-sized intruders.

 

 

Looking ahead a dark cloud hung over the normally sunny landscape of Popolion’s farm lands.

 

 

“Zombie Popori in the heart of Poporia? How has news not reached Velika yet?” I asked Platy, more so to make conversation than expect a solution.

 

 

“The Pegasus Portal is down for maintenance. The Chebika mountain range is nearly impassible to the south. Pora Elinu would need to send a messenger through the Wilds by horseback to get help from Commander Seir.” As he uttered these words, we passed a slain Popori Husky, or at least what was left of him, his bones nearly picked clean of meat.

 

 

Across his chest on a sling rested a white envelop marked with the seal of Popolion’s governor. I heeled my horse and then pulled the letter from his sling. The writing was scribbled in panic and barely legible to any not familiar with Popori scratchings. It contained incomplete sentences broken apart by line-breaks that became more illegible the further I read into it.

 

 

“To the Federation –

Popolion invaded

Vampires have turned

Virus outbreak threatens city

Defenses failing, food supply running out

Contact with Pora Elinu lost

Send help, time is running out”

 

 

A spot of blood covered the author’s signature and the remaining message seemed torn off as if by animals. I looked back at Platy and the dazed semi-conscious Elin resting on my horse.

 

 

“Should we return to deliver the letter to Seir?” Platy questioned, looking for leadership.

 

 

“No. We are the Federation now. We’ve faced the power of a god and lived. I’d never forgive myself if our home burned while we turned tail to seek help.”

 

 

“Then Popolion awaits. What a home coming this will be.. Hope I don’t have to blow off any heads I recognize.” Platy kicked his spurs as his horse took off in a sprint towards the dark town on the horizon. I hopped back onto my horse as Kitlyn unconsciously wrapped her arms around me for balance. I couldn’t help but blush as my horse disappeared as well down the steep barren slope.