"She is weak!" Ventus interjected with a dismissive sneer, scanning the room with an air of disbelief. "Is this the person we fear? I could incinerate her bones with a single spell!"
"Silence," Forlune's voice rumbled, curt and commanding. "Allow the elder to finish."
Elder Oom nodded in agreement, his expression turning solemn. "Her level and stats may not seem extraordinary, particularly in comparison to ours, with our dual advancement in class and species. However, it's her unique skills that pose a significant challenge."
Thorian's brow creased in intense focus, keen to unravel the enigma of the woman who had been a persistent thorn in his side. Every detail was crucial.
"The first of her abilities is known as Necronoble Appointment," Elder Oom continued. "It grants substantial power and skills to a select few, even evolving the class of its recipients to something far rarer."
Zogarth chimed in thoughtfully, "She must have used this on the two men we initially encountered. That explains their unwarranted confidence in our presence."
Meanwhile, Thorian mulled over this new information. Appointment? Interesting. It bears a striking resemblance to my Elemental Appointment. The parallels are almost eerie.
Elder Oom’s voice carried a grave tone as he unveiled the second skill. “The next ability of significance is Great Undead Summoning. She can conjure an entire legion of undead by summoning the souls she has ensnared.”
“That's a formidable power,” Aqua mused, stroking his chin in contemplation. “But how many souls does she command?”
Elder Oom's voice wavered with a mix of fear and revulsion as he spoke. “Her ring is the key – a damnable vessel holding thousands of tormented souls, their screams so harrowing, so filled with agony.”
A somber silence engulfed the council at his words, a collective sense of anger and repulsion palpable in the air.
“The souls' cries are to be expected,” Vigil said, his voice tinged with sorrow. “Her actions defy the very laws of nature. The magnitude of souls she has trapped... it’s an unfathomable transgression.”
“The lord was wise to avoid direct confrontation,” Lapis remarked, his voice measured and calm. “Facing an army of a thousand undead, it's hard to imagine anyone overcoming or evading such a force.”
The council members nodded in agreement, visibly shaken by the revelation of their adversary's might, while Forlune merely grunted in response.
“No, our lord's strength is unparalleled,” Elder Oom countered, a confident smile breaking through. “Were it solely this skill, I have no doubt he would shatter her undead ranks with his overwhelming power and diverse techniques.”
Forlune raised an eyebrow, his deep voice resonating with inquiry. “Yet, you suggest she's stronger still. Does she possess another, even more dreadful skill?”
At this, all eyes returned to Elder Oom, a mix of shock, confusion, and a desperate hope that he might allay Forlune's concerns and dispel the looming shadow of an even greater threat.
Elder Oom's admission was laced with palpable fear. "Indeed, you are right. Her most fearsome ability is Grand Soul Festival. It enables her to absorb the souls she's captured, briefly harnessing a fragment of their powers. Regrettably, I couldn't discern the duration of this effect."
The room was enveloped in a heavy silence, broken only by Aqua's question. "If she were to use all the souls she controls simultaneously, what level of strength would she attain?"
Elder Oom's voice trembled with dread as he spoke, each word heavy with the weight of his fear. "For the duration of that power, her stats would surge beyond the 400-point mark. She would become an unparalleled entity in our world."
As expected, the rewards for the Soul Reaver Quest are truly beyond belief, Thorian, deep in contemplation, sighed inwardly. And this is doubly true when considering the manner with which she completed it.
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The council sat in stunned silence, unable to process the enormity of what they had just heard. The only sound that pierced the quiet was Ventus's audible gulp.
Finally, Zogarth found his voice, albeit shaky. "A-are those figures accurate? Can we trust your assessment?"
"I am certain of my calculations," Elder Oom affirmed, his gaze shifting towards Thorian with a complex mix of respect and concern. "My lord, it was only upon witnessing that skill that I entertained the notion of her surpassing you. Under any other circumstance, your supremacy remains unchallenged."
“So, she can essentially become a deity for a brief span,” Forlune muttered, his voice heavy with concern. “She could annihilate any opposition, with her only constraint being the duration of this power.”
The council was left speechless, the sheer magnitude of such power rendering them mute. They could only nod in agreement, recognizing the terrifying reality of the situation.
Yet Aqua, deep in contemplation, suddenly looked up, a spark of realization in his eyes. Turning to Thorian, he said, “My lord, though the situation appears dire, there is a strategy we might employ.”
All eyes swiftly turned to Aqua, a flicker of hope dawning in their expressions. Thorian gestured for him to continue. “Go on.”
Aqua, now speaking with a newfound confidence, began, “Her transformation into this god-like state has two vulnerabilities. Firstly, the time limit – she can't maintain that form indefinitely. Once it lapses, she reverts to her normal, vulnerable self. Secondly, it’s a one-off use. The majority of souls in her ring likely originated from the brainwashed humans we defeated earlier. Replenishing such a stock would be a monumental task.”
His voice grew more animated as he continued, “If we can provoke her into using this skill and then outlast its duration, we can strike her down in her weakened state.”
Thorian chuckled, a hint of admiration in his tone. “You propose a ruthless tactic, suggesting we sacrifice some of our own as bait.”
“My lord, please forgive my forwardness,” Zogarth interjected, “but such a sacrifice would be a matter of great honor for our fighters. A small price to pay to eliminate a foe of this magnitude.”
The council's silence spoke volumes, their collective agreement with Zogarth's statement evident. They understood the stakes: this was beyond the sacrifice of a few warriors; it was about the survival of their entire community.
Observing the council's resolve, Thorian sighed deeply. "I am not blind to the necessity of sacrifice, but in this instance, it's a futile gesture. Our adversary is acutely aware of her vulnerabilities and would only resort to that skill when absolutely necessary." He scanned the room, then added, "Besides myself, Forlune, or Harald, there's no one capable of compelling her to such extremes. Her Great Undead Summoning alone could decimate our strongest warriors. And for those like Zogarth, she could simply use her skill as a means to escape."
Thorian's logic was irrefutable, leaving the council in a state of frustrated powerlessness, their brief spark of hope extinguished.
Forlune broke the ensuing silence, a bold grin on his face. "I would face her in battle. To fall fighting a god-like foe would be an honor beyond compare. My sacrifice could elevate our kingdom to unprecedented glory."
"Do not be so hasty to forfeit your life,” Thorian interjected with a stern look. “Besides, I have already formulated a strategy to confront her."
"You have a plan, my lord?" Vigil's eyes widened, a glimmer of hope returning.
Thorian responded with a confident grin. "Just listen. Right now, we're at our weakest while she is at her strongest. However, once we advance our classes, we will gain ultimate skills that will bolster our powers manifold. As long as we strike before she is also able to reach her second advancement, we would have the advantage."
As Thorian laid out his plan, a collective sense of purpose illuminated the faces of those present. The tension that had gripped the room began to dissipate, replaced by a focused resolve and a clear path forward.
Aqua nodded, his face brightening with admiration. “That is truly a masterful timing for an attack, my lord.”
Thorian, however, waved off the compliment, turning his attention back to Elder Oom. “That aside, have you identified any other skills, or is that the extent of it?”
Elder Oom responded with a solemn nod. “There is one more ability worth mentioning, my lord. It's called Eyes of Deception. When activated, her eyes shimmer with an ocean blue hue, similar to mine but with a different color. Anyone who meets her gaze experiences a warped sense of time and becomes susceptible to her words. A weak mind might even succumb to complete brainwashing.”
Forlune chuckled, a hint of irony in his voice. “So, that explains how she amassed such a vast human force against us.”
As Forlune spoke, Vigil gazed at Thorian, concern evident in his expression. “My lord, during your private encounters with her, did she attempt to use this skill on you?”
Thorian responded with a firm shake of his head. “No, she didn’t. Her eyes remained unchanged, and her mana levels were consistent. I experienced none of the effects described.”
Zogarth chimed in, analyzing the situation. “She probably feared that her skill would be ineffective against you, my lord. She’s aware that an outright war would not be in her favor. Despite possessing such a formidable skill, she’s likely reluctant to use it due to the vulnerability it would expose her to afterward.”
Thorian shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s a possibility.” He then stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. “We’ve covered everything necessary for now. Let’s attend to our respective duties and reconvene here at noon.”