Chapter 279. Deathblow and Bloodsoaked Crag
With the supporting warcries of her tribe members, Ealda changed the grip on the spear.
Measuring it from a distance, the spear should be about two meters from the bottom of the shaft to the tip of the weapon.
In the Chieftain's case, her hand gripped about twenty to thirty centimeters from the bottom, pushing the spear forward like in a joust between knights.
Lowering her center of gravity, she pushed her left foot forward and slightly bent her knees.
On the other end, Karvok the Carver had two longswords ready, towering around three meters tall.
His body was incomparably large when faced with Ealda, but neither of the Crane warriors seemed worried.
[Stupid wench! I'll kill, fuck, and eat you in front of your men! Then, I'll lead the rest of my subordinates to enslave your fucking camp! They will be imprisoned in our Meat Storage for us to feed for years to come!](Karvok)
In response to the provocation, the Chieftain remained calm, but something felt different than before.
Moving his Essence to his eyes, he saw a continuous stream of energy enter the golden spear, giving it a red hue.
The energy concentration was so high that even after he stopped peeking at it, the bloody red color enveloped the shaft and spear, making it visible to the naked eye.
Every Barbarian elite warrior started smacking the buts of their spears to the ground, creating an intimidating atmosphere.
Michael initially thought that it was meant to frighten and demoralize the opponent, but judging from the worried expressions of the people around him, it appeared to be something closer to encouragement for Ealda.
The Chieftain's back trembled upon hearing the reverberating sounds behind her and gripped the shaft tighter.
Shallow cuts appeared on the palm of her hand, as well as around her wrist, allowing rivulets of blood to paint the spear even redder.
[I can smell the stench of death on this one! Let blood flow!](Ealda)
[[[DEATHBLOW! DEATHBLOW! DEATHBLOW!!!]]]
Shocked at the sudden shouts, Michael frowned in incomprehension. He could vaguely discern the desperation masked by the loud voices of the Barbarians around him.
The cannibal Elite also seemed unnerved by the commotion and started charging wildly at Ealda.
To explain the image, it could only be described as a tank rushing at top speed into a small tree.
It appeared as if the conclusion was foregone.
Hearts in their throats, everyone ignored the incoming Karvok and focused solely on the Chieftain.
With the enemy only three meters away and lunging at her, both swords raised high, the one-handed woman reacted with a simple motion of thrusting.
The simple movement generated a large amount of dust, almost sending the Necromancer reeling.
There were also no further sounds, making the situation incomprehensible.
However, surprisingly, even though they couldn't see anything due to the cloud of dust obscuring the fight's resolution, the Crane warriors cheered loudly as if they had already crowned the winner.
And indeed, less than a couple of seconds later, the momentum generated by the cannibal's charge cleared the scene, exposing a ridiculous image.
With his hands still raised high, prepared to strike down the woman, Karvok the Carver had a spear passing through his forehead.
He couldn't be any deader.
'Just what the fuck just happened!? Did she one-shotted an Elite with that many modifiers? How!?'
With a brusque movement, Ealda pulled out the spear, taking away the support of the dead cannibal.
Hearing the sound of the enemy's corpse hitting the ground, the warriors began chanting their Chieftain's name while beating their chests with pride.
Only the Necromancer stood out due to his utmost confusion, but nobody seemed to pay much attention to him.
The star of the day was Ealda!
[MY WARRIORS! Fate will see us join our ancestors another day!](Ealda)
[[[YES!!]]]
[We have proven our honor. Our blood joins the elders upon these spears. Though the cannibals will still linger in our lands, they now know they face warriors who do not fear fate!](Ealda)
Blood boiling, some of the older warriors had tears in the corners of their eyes, though they were trying hard to hold them back.
This small victory wasn't only just a won fight. For them, it represented the start of a new fate, one in which they could thoroughly cleanse their ancestors' shame and rejoin the Barbarian tribes with heads held high.
It also marked the end of the sacrifices made by each generation. Hundreds of young warriors dying with hopes of clearing their names and prove their clan's worth; such a thing would no longer be needed starting today onward!
[ Side Quest complete - Fury Against Fate
Reward 1: 34,144 experience points
Reward 2: 2,650 gold coins
Reward 3: Gem Cache. ]
Opening the cache and collecting an extra 50 Gem Fragments of each type, as well as a Rare item, Michael followed behind Ealda, curious about what skill she used.
When asked, she smiled bitterly as she allowed one of her warriors to bandage her wounded hand.
[After losing my left arm, I could no longer wield weapons properly. But, as Chieftain, I couldn't wallow in self-pity as my young warriors faced certain death against the hordes of enemies we face almost daily. So I trained a single skill day and night.](Ealda)
"Deathblow..."
[Mhm. It's a skill that increases the probability of applying an Overpower as well as hitting a Critical Strike by 60%.](Ealda)
Hearing the explanation, Michael was mortified.
"Doesn't that mean that you gambled your life just now!?"
[Haha! I can see that you're still young, friend. Don't you know how many items with the Lucky Hit Chance Affix exist in our world?](Ealda)
The nearby Barbarians laughed loudly, pride evident in their eyes. Only then did the Necromancer make the connection.
With the skill increasing the odds to 60%, Ealda used items with Lucky Hit Chance to further bolster that number closer to 100%.
"But it still doesn't make sense. A skill like that seems too overpowered. Wouldn't your tribe decimate the cannibals if they all had it?"
[Haha! That's because the normal Deathblow only provides a 50% Lucky Hit Chance and 120% increased damage. In my case, after continuously training with it until I reached my Third-Class Awakening, through the mercy of our ancestors, the Sanctuary rewarded me with an improvement to the normal skill. Glir, you show him.](Ealda)
Nodding, one of the elite warriors came forward and extended his right hand to Michael.
Understanding the situation, he accepted and received the 'shared screen.'
[ Deathblow
Weapon Mastery
---------------
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance: 50%
Attempt a killing strike, dealing X [120%] damage to enemies in front of you.
If this kills an enemy, its Cooldown is reset.
*Deals Physical Damage ]
Surprised at the rather useful skill for clearing mobs, Michael still didn't comprehend how different Ealda's was.
[Now take a look at mine.](Ealda)
Accepting her wounded right palm into his, Michael looked in horror at the monstrosity that her upgraded version of the skill was.
[ Deathblow
Weapon Mastery
---------------
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance: 60%
Attempt a killing strike, dealing X [240%] damage to one enemy of your choice.
If Overpower is triggered, the damage increases three times.
If a Critical Strike is triggered, the damage increases five times.
If this skill fails to kill the enemy, the user will die.
*Deals Physical Damage ]
"..."
Michael was thoroughly floored. This was no longer gambling. It was certain death unless you had a 100% Lucky Hit Chance.
"What is the total? How high is your Lucky Hit Chance?"
[75%.](Ealda)
"What!? But you said..."
[Child, while I could grow it to 100%, that would sacrifice other Affixes that increase my damage and other stats. It's not worth it. Furthermore, the higher my base damage is, the better chance of killing the enemy I have. *Sigh* There would always be strong Elites or even Boss-level enemies my tribe has to face. If I can't take them down, many of my warriors would die in the process.](Ealda)
Parting ways after they left the Temporary Dungeon, Michael promised to meet with them again after he cleared the nearby Bloodsoaked Crag.
Ealda nodded and asked him to join them for their celebration. She also hinted at another possible request, meaning the Questline hasn't been completed yet.
Less than five minutes away from the feeding grounds of the cannibals, the Necromancer entered the final Dungeon in this southern area of the Steppes.
[ Dungeon Quest issued - Bloadsoaked Crag
Objective: Free the Prisoners (0/6). ]
Moving through the Bloodied Plateau, Michael re-experienced the fight against the cannibals, still savoring the raw feeling of fighting at the frontlines.
While his minions were also doing their part, the Necromancer had just killed an Elite with only swordplay. Not even one skill was used in the process.
Still unsatisfied after remembering the skill difference between himself and some of the Crane warriors he fought alongside, he continued training himself in this manner.
Halfway through the Dungeon, the Elixirs' duration ended, but he didn't bother drinking another for now since he would waste more time trying to get a feel for how he should fight in the future.
Another annoying thing was that all the 'prisoners' were only spirits of the Dungeon, locked in a temporal loop by the demons in charge of this place.
Unlike his previous encounter in Champion's Demise, there was no saving these people. At best, he could allow them to rest for a while.
His mood improved significantly after finding another collectible.
[ War Chief's Journal
It disgusts me to know they eat our dead. We eat Black Locust root before battle now. If we survive, the healers give us leaf to try and halt the poison. But if Brol's abominations take us, well, the meal they make of us will be their last. ]
Unsure which Brol the journal was referring to, Michael stored the little treasure away as he continued clearing mobs.
Before he realized it, he finally leveled up again.
[ Class: High Necromancer
Attack Power: 1300
Armor: 5,813
Life: 2,721
--------------
Strength: 315
Intelligence: 389
Willpower: 413
Dexterity: 370 ]
In the final portion of the Dungeon, he had to hunt for strong Elites and collect the Animus they dropped.
[ Dungeon Quest update - Bloodsoaked Crag
Objective: Collect Animus from Animus Carriers. ]
The Dungeon was vaster than normal ones, and he enjoyed moving through the plains as he fought with the cannibals left and right.
Finally, once he had reached Corpse Pass and used a zipline to cross over some cliffs, he found himself in front of the Boss Room.
Depositing the Animus into the urn, the door blocking his entrance opened, and he stood face-to-face with his final enemy.
[ Chief Marauder (Boss) - Level 53 ]
With the Boss barely taller than the average Barbarian, Michael experienced a new type of fight as he went toe-to-toe with the monster.
Its poison modifier was a pain in the ass, but fortunately, it was used four or five times during the fight.
Whatever minions it summoned were also dealt with by the Necromancer's cohort.
That way, after almost half an hour of fighting, the winner was crowned, and the Dungeon was cleared.
Satisfied, the Necromancer grabbed the Legendary item box from the ground, which surprisingly rewarded him with a weapon.
Comparing what he was currently using with the new scythe, a decision was immediately reached.
[ Flammard of Reanimation
Legendary Sword
538 Item Power
-----------------
419 Damage per Second
* [305 - 457] Damage per Hit
* 1.10 Attacks per Second
* +9.0% Critical Strike Chance
------------------
* +11% Vulnerable Damage
* +30 Intelligence
* +11% Ultimate Skill Damage
* +6.5% Damage to Shadow Damage over Time-affected Enemies.
Legendary Aspect: Your minions gain increased damage while alive up to 30% after 10 seconds. (Necromancer Only).
+8 Life on Kill (Skull slotted) ]
[ Blighted Sacrificial Scythe
Legendary Scythe
583 Item Power
-----------------
500 Damage per Second (+81 compared to the currently equipped item)
* [364 - 546] Damage per Hit
* 1.10 Attacks per Second
* +24 Life on Kill
------------------
* +15% Damage
* +50 Intelligence
* +23.0% Vulnerable Damage
Legendary Aspect: You deal 96% increased damage for 6 seconds after the Shadowblight Key Passive damages enemies 10 times. (Necromancer Only).
Empty Socket ]
There was no need for hesitation. Michael immediately swapped weapons.
"+20 Intelligence, and an overall extra 15% Damage increase. The Legendary Aspect also seems to be extremely good against Bosses and Elites with high Life Points. Ugh... what was that Key Passive again?"
Checking his skill tree, Michael found it in the last tier of available skills and re-checked its details.
[ Shadowblight
Shadow damage infects the enemies with Shadowblight for 2 seconds. Every 10th time an enemy receives shadow damage from you or your minions while they are affected by Shadowblight, they take an additional 22% Shadow damage.
Shadowblight is increased by x100% of your Shadow Damage over Time bonus. ]
Michael opened a portal and decided to return to Kyovashad, adding the use of this skill to the list of questions he should ask Natalia.
Since he still had four more quick travels for the day, he decided to visit Kratia, the Jeweler of the city, and get two new gems to add to his weapon and shield.
"The shield remained unsocketed for such a long time since I thought I'd be switching items, but... Heh! Since I can't do that any time soon, it's better to improve on what I can."