#now that they have ownership of themselves (in a post eternal-night world)

[theoldandnewfirm]

So many good ideas here!

Like sun damage transferring over as sun poisoning? Also fairly painful with its own set of nasty symptoms and runs the risk for serious complications, but presumably less lethal and easier to heal from than partial-petrification of a giant patch of stone-dermal layer.

Love this. You and Pinky are right: in human forms the changelings still show inhuman capabilities. So continuing that bleed-through with critical injuries/afflictions sustained in one form carrying over as something equivalent, but perhaps more treatable, in another makes a lot of sense. (Although it would cause a LOT of confusion in the ER!)

And human form changelings still having inhuman abilities brings me to this point:

Which brings me to number two: I do not think Walter is the most reliable narrator when it comes to understanding what it is to be a troll.

Which I haven't encountered before, but I think it's dead-on. Unless they're stationed in a troll community like Krax, I doubt most changelings have had interactions with trolls outside the gumm-gumms, and if they did they weren't pleasant ones.

Given that, it makes sense changelings would associate their "trollish nature" with rage and violence--whether gumm-gumm or good troll, that's all they've ever experienced from their once-kin.

Speaking of--

It probably boils down to a ship of Theseus situation -- how much of the troll can be changed while still being considered a troll? Walter seems to identify that form as "fully troll," despite the differences the audience picks up on, that he is probably aware of himself on at least some level. The regular trolls in the series probably would not agree that he and the other changelings are "fully troll", ergo the "impure" slur and referring to them as abominations. Blinky even establishes that the regular trolls consider them "changed," and based on what we the viewer see, he's probably not just referring to the brainwashing regimen they've been put through, but a perceivable, physical change.

What makes this interesting is that some changelings, like Krax and Nomura, can clearly pass as full-blooded trolls, while changelings like Strickler can't.

It reminds me of an idea I've seen a few times in fic: that changelings are made in cohorts, with later cohorts being better crafted than earlier ones. It could be that the fear and revulsion trolls feel towards changelings was based on encounters with members of earlier cohorts, like Strickler, who give off uncanny valley or Frankenstein's monster vibes because the gumm-gumms hadn't yet figured out how to make them indistinguishable from regular trolls.

But looking like doesn't equal being; like you said, the show hints at other differences between changelings and trolls that suggests the changeling creation process isn't just merging a bunch of troll traits together, it's creating a fundamentally new species.

(Tangentially, this takes me back to the idea of some changelings deciding to split off into their own communities after the Eternal Night rather than integrate with existing troll or human ones. They don't fully belong in either world, so they create one where they do.)

I wonder what the equivalence is between damage the changelings take in their human form versus their troll form.

I know we see a few examples, like Nomura limping after she injured her leg and Strickler's injured arm. But I'm thinking serious injuries--like if a changeling got shot in their human form, would their troll form merely have a crater? If they get stabbed in troll form, would their human form just have a nasty welt and sharp pain?

Makes me wonder if they could choose which form to recuperate in based on the nature and severity of their injury.

[monggu-eomma]

Lost and Found: Chapter 1 (Field Trip)

Pairing: Dhampir!Jungkook x Moroi!Reader

Genre: Vampire Academy!AU, action, and fluff

Word Count: 4.4k

Prompt: vampire!au

Warnings: Jungkook says the word “ass,” and there is an action sequence. Brief allusion to blood, because it’s vampires. 

Summary: Jungkook is a Dhampir training to become a Guardian. His whole life he had been taught that “they come first” and that he is meant to guard and protect. In the middle of the field exam, Jungkook tries to wrestle with unanswered questions while protecting you at all costs. 

Author’s Note: First off as far as fanfiction goes, I just want to note that this is the longest thing that I have ever written. This vampire!au is based off of the Vampire Academy books and as such I don’t have any ownership over the mythology of this story. With that being said, don’t worry if you’ve never read the books before. I made sure to include enough background information so that you can fully enjoy reading this scenario without having prior knowledge. This scenario is also for the BGW Bingo Bash and falls under the “vampire!au” prompt. © Field Trip is copyright monggu-eomma. Do not re-post, modify, and/or translate this piece of writing without my permission. 

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The world is not as it seems -- humans are not as alone as they think themselves to be. In the shadows of the moonlit nights, Moroi and Strigoi are at odds with each other. The Moroi, living vampires with the ability to control one of the five elements: earth, air, water, fire, and spirit, are under the constant threat of becoming the meal of the Strigoi, undead vampires that have little to no control over their bloodlust. In the middle of this eternal conflict are the Dhampirs, half human and half Moroi, and they serve as the sworn protectors of the Moroi. They are the only thing that stands in the way of the Strigoi and their next meal. 

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They come first. The mantra was a whisper that entered Jungkook’s mind as he woke up from another nightmare. He didn’t need to be reminded of that saying. Ever since he started going to St. Vladimir's Academy to train to become a Guardian, that phrase became a mantra that was ingrained into the minds of every Dhampir. They come first. 

Jungkook sat up from his bed, the covers pooling around his bare waist. He ran his fingers through his long, wavy hair as he thought about the field exam. It had been three weeks since the field test had first been administered. The field test was meant to test all last year novices to see if they were ready to be Guardians. The field exam consisted of all last year novices being assigned to a Moroi to guard for six weeks. During that six week period Jungkook had to follow and guard you, a Moroi that also went to St. Vladimir’s Academy, against professional Guardians that would attack at random to simulate the attack from Strigoi. 

 Two of the perks of this six-week exam was that Jungkook didn’t have to go to his regular day classes and that he didn’t have to wear the St. Vlad’s uniform. Instead, he would wear all black, like every Guardian, and he would follow the Moroi that he is assigned to, in that case being you, as you attend your night classes, seeing as sunlight causes discomfort to Moroi. This six week exam also gave Jungkook time to think about his future without having to worry about keeping up with his classes. He would be graduating in a few months and from there he had two options -- petition to be the Guardian of a Moroi, or let the Council choose who he should guard, and Jungkook wasn’t sure which option to choose. 

After taking a longer than usual shower, Jungkook dressed in a slightly loose black shirt that he tucked into tight fitting black pants that accentuated his thick thighs and long legs. He finished the look with a black belt around his pants and tan combat boots. Today was a special day, because the Moroi History of Ancient Civilizations class was going on a field trip to the Natural History Museum. If he weren’t in the middle of the field test, Jungkook would be happy to have an excuse to leave St. Vlad’s for a day, but today the field test would be twice as hard. Ordinarily Jungkook only had to worry about fake “Strigoi attacks” from his instructors, but today he also had to worry about real Strigoi attacks. Strigoi attacks were not a common occurrence during the day since Strigoi burned when they came into contact with sunlight, but they could still hide in the shadows to wait for the opportune moment to strike. 

Rolling his shoulders and craning his neck, Jungkook took a deep breath. “Everything is going to be fine,” he said to himself in hopes that he would be able to manifest what he desired. He patted the pockets of his pants to check and make sure that he had everything that he needed with him. “Nothing will go wrong. There will be actual Guardians there and Strigoi wouldn’t try to attack with all of us around during the day.” 

With a final deep breath, Jungkook left his room to find you and join the others for the field trip. It wasn’t often that the Moroi went out during the day, considering the discomfort that they experienced when coming into contact with sunlight. Jungkook needed to make sure that you were ready for the field trip and remembered to stay close to him, not that you need reminding. Guarding you was easy since you didn’t sneak off and you kept out of trouble. In fact, Jungkook wouldn't have minded guarding you after he graduated, but that was a thought that he could entertain later. For now he needed to be focused and prepared. Everything is going to be fine. 

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

“I hate field trips,” Jimin muttered as he watched Moroi students walking around the botanical exhibit of the Natural History Museum. Jungkook stood next to him and laughed at his remark. Jimin was a Dhampir, just like Jungkook. He was half human and half Moroi, whereas Jungkook was half Dhampir and half Moroi. Jimin looked like the typical Dhampir: average height, above average good looks, and muscular strength. Although Jungkook was also a Dhampir, from afar he could easily be mistaken for a Moroi with his height and good looks, but upon closer inspection it was clear that Jungkook was no Moroi. His muscular strength alone was indicative that he was no Moroi and his tan skin was evidence that unlike the Moroi, he could be out in the Sun without experiencing mild discomfort. 

“I didn’t know it was possible for you to hate something,” Jungkook jokingly replied as he looked down at his friend. Jimin huffed and folded his arms over his chest. It took a lot of willpower for Jungkook to not coo at his friend. 

“Why? Because I’m short and cute,” Jimin spitefully replied, using air quotes when he said cute. 

“There’s nothing wrong with being short and cute,” Jungkook said. Jimin sent him a questioning look and before his friend could pounce on him, because Jungkook knew that Jimin would, he added, “Strigoi underestimate you when they see you. They think ‘this small thing isn’t a problem’ and then you kick their ass, so it works out in the end.” 

Jimin shook his head left and right. “I just don’t like that we have to be on duty while they get to enjoy everything,” Jimin said, gesturing at a group of giggling Moroi that passed them. They waved their hands, flipping their hair as they passed by. Jungkook would have waved back, to be polite, but his homeroom teacher was looking at him and his gaze exuded an if-you-wave-back-or-flirt-with-them-you’ll-fail-for-today. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have insisted on guarding a royal,” Jungkook said as he directed his gaze to Taehyung, the Moroi that Jimin was hellbent on protecting. Even though there were plenty of professional Guardians around, both Jungkook and Jimin had to be extra vigilant since they were not within the safe confines of St. Vladimir’s Academy. Taehyung was a royal Moroi and as a result, he was a constant target, with or without the field test. Although Jungkook knew that there was no way that Jimin would have chosen anyone else to protect, even if he wasn’t officially Taehyung’s Guardian, yet, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You know that’s impossible,” Jimin retorted. “He and I have been best friends since we were six.” 

Jimin and Jungkook continue to focus their gaze on Taehyung, who was inspecting a biological timeline of the Earth’s history, and you by his side seeming to feign interest. Taehyung had the typical features of a Moroi, he was slim and tall with wavy light brown hair falling in waves over his piercing brown eyes. He wore a green silk dress shirt with a few buttons undone to show off his collarbone and loose fit black slacks paired with brown sandals. Like all Moroi he was beautiful without even trying. Although Jungkook couldn’t deny that Taehyung was good-looking, he was not the one that had captured his attention-- it was the Moroi standing next to Taehyung that had captured Jungkook’s heart. It was none other than you, Y/N. He had spoken to you for the first time three weeks ago, when he was assigned as your “Guardian” for the field test. You were also tall, although not as tall as Taehyung, and beautiful without even trying. Unlike Taehyung you were not a royal, although that didn’t matter to Jungkook. Even with the simple clothes that you wore, a plain short-sleeved, black dress that stopped a few inches above your knee with fake glasses -- you were without a doubt breathtaking, figuratively and literally-- not that Jungkook would ever admit that to himself or anyone else. 

“Y/N looks cute today,” Jimin remarked. Jungkook slightly jumped away from his thoughts and awkwardly averted his gaze elsewhere. You always look cute.

“Um... Yeah... She looks good,” Jungkook said, hoping that Jimin wouldn’t read too much into this. Jungkook didn’t want people knowing that he found you mildly attractive. Jungkook and Jimin were close friends, but he knew that Jimin was terrible at keeping secrets and this mild attraction did not need to be out in the open for the whole world to know, especially you. It was widely known that Dhampirs and Moroi never had serious romantic relationships. At most Dhampirs and Moroi fooled around and when the time came for more serious relationships, they settled down with their own respective races. Jungkook didn’t want to be mocked or put down for having mild feelings that would lead to nothing. 

Jimin nudged Jungkook with his elbow, a knowing smile on his face. Jungkook opened his mouth to rebuke Jimin, when a screech pulled them out of the beginning of playful banter. They both turned to the sound of the sudden screech, ready to jump in action. Taehyung was grinning as his fingers moved around to create a disarray of flowers in your hair. The sudden growth of flowers had taken you by surprise and caused you to get frustrated at Taehyung. You had spent a lot of that morning doing your hair, since it was not cooperating, and he was turning it into a bird’s nest. Jungkook’s spiked heart rate had calmed down once he saw that you weren’t in danger. 

“You really take this seriously, don’t you?” Jimin asked with slight concern laced in his voice as he noticed Jungkook’s hand reaching for his silver stake. Jungkook hadn’t even realized that he had done that. Jungkook looked at him in surprise. Jimin immediately put his hands up. “It's not a bad thing. It’s good to take this test seriously and to be on guard, but you’ve changed since the test started. Before you were confident and couldn’t care less. Now... Now you’re on edge.” 

“Well we’re Guardians in training. It’s our job to look after the Moroi and make sure that they don’t become the meal of the Strigoi,” Jungkook mechanically replied in an attempt to explain his recent change in behavior. “Even with their powers, they are still vulnerable and an easy target.” 

Jimin nodded his head in agreement and put his hand on Jungkook’s shoulder. “You are the top of our class, Jungkook. You are more than capable of protecting Y/N and whoever you are assigned to after graduation.” 

“I know that... I know that I’ll be a good Guardian--”

“Great,” Jimin coughed. 

Jungkook playfully rolled his eyes. “Yes, a great Guardian. But this test is making everything seem that much more real -- protecting Moroi and killing Strigoi.” 

“But there’s something more,” Jimin added. Jungkook nervously shifted on his feet. Jimin was right. There was something more, but Jungkook didn’t know if he was ready to say it. To admit it would expose him and it would make his fear that much more real. 

“Look, I--” 

“Jungkook!” 

Jungkook and Jimin both slightly jumped at your sudden appearance. The flowers that once decorated your hair were gone, for the most part. Jungkook could still see a few loose pink flower petals in your hair. 

“Hi Y/N,” Jimin said with a big smile. Jungkook was still staring at your hair. He wanted to look away and say something, but he couldn’t. Unfortunately, you had caught on to his staring and looked up at your hair in panic. 

“Are there still flowers in my hair?” You asked as you started combing your fingers through your hair. “Taehyung made these pink flowers grow in my hair when I told him that he reminded me of seaweed with that green shirt that he’s wearing today.” 

Without thinking Jungkook took a step towards you, so that you were a little less than a foot apart and started to extract the petals from your hair. You froze at how close he was to you and under his touch, not expecting him to help you remove the loose flower petals. During the time that he had been guarding you, Jungkook had been quiet and standoffish. He hardly spoke and when he did it was to discuss your next destination or talk about Guardian/Moroi business related things. On the one hand, you didn’t mind his professionalism, but on the other, you wished he would open up to you more. 

You continued to comb through your hair as Jungkook finished removing the last of the flower petals. At the last petal, Jungkook’s fingers lightly brushed against your hand. A slight buzz ran through your hand at the simple and brief touch, and it left you wondering if touching him would always be like that, or if it was just a part of your imagination. 

Jungkook cleared his throat and took a large step back away from you, the lack of his warmth leaving you a little cold. 

“There, all gone,” Jungkook finally said. You nodded your head and fiddled around with your dress as your mind lingered on the feeling of his fingers lightly brushing against your hand. 

“HEY Y/N!” You winced at Taehyung’s loud, booming voice. He slung his arm around your shoulder and much to your annoyance he leaned some of his weight onto your body. “Did you tell them?” 

“Tell us what?” Jimin skeptically asked, his arms folded against his chest as he scrutinized Taehyung’s grin paired with the mischievous look in his eyes. 

“Y/N and I are going to check out the night sky exhibit. It basically shows you what Earth’s night sky was like before industrialism and technology was a thing,” Taehyung explained. 

“Sounds good,” Jimin replied. “We’ll follow you along.” 

Jungkook squared up his shoulders and walked with Jimin as he trailed behind you and Taehyung. There was a light bounce to Jimin’s step and Jungkook suspected that Jimin was happy to finally be moving on to a new exhibit. 

“You know, it’s moments like this where I’m thankful that neither of us was assigned to be Jin’s Guardian for this exam,” Jimin said. Jungkook laughed and nodded his head. 

“Me too. If one of us had to guard him during this field trip, it would be a disaster,” Jungkook replied. He felt bad for Hoseok, Jin’s “Guardian,” and he could only imagine the pain that Jin was putting him through right now. Jungkook had hoped and prayed to the highest of heavens that he would not be assigned to Jin for his exam. Although he was on good terms with him, Jin was notorious for walking to the beat of his own drum and Jungkook pitied the Dhampir that would officially guard him once he graduated from St. Vladimir's. 

Jungkook saw you slightly shiver as you entered the night sky exhibit and he too could feel the shift in the air from damp and warm, to dry and cold. The change in air was very welcome to Jungkook, since he was feeling hot in the previous, overly crowded exhibit. 

The night sky exhibit turned out to be a room that was shaped like a planetarium, although unlike a planetarium there were no chairs. There was quiet, ambient music playing in the background of the dark room. The only source of light came from small dots of light clustered in the ceiling. All in all, the night sky exhibit was simply beautiful. Jungkook took some time to admire the “stars” above him, but his thoughts were quickly brought back to the present as he heard Taehyung attempting to point out constellations, with you laughing while accusing him of making up constellations. Dark places were not ideal places to be spending time in, but due to Dhampirs having heightened senses, Jungkook and Jimin were more than capable of seeing around the dark room and keep an eye out on Taehyung and you despite the dim lighting. 

Suddenly, a sense of dread filled Jungkook as the air in the room abruptly shifted and grew colder and drier. Goosebumps ran along the back of his  neck with a shiver running through his whole body. I’ve felt this way before. 

He quickly turned around, his silver stake in hand and with all of the force he could muster, he stabbed at whatever was behind him. In the back of his mind Jungkook hoped that it was just a Guardian staging a fake Strigoi attack for the exam, but the fear in Jimin’s eyes told Jungkook that there was no Guardian nearby. 

Jungkook missed his jab and with a strong push from the Strigoi that he tried to stab, his body was flung against a wall. A sickening crack from the wall pulled a scream from you. The back of Jungkook’s head began to throb as his body slid against the wall to the ground. If he were human, he was certain he would be bleeding, but he couldn't linger on that thought for now. Jungkook could see Taehyung standing defensively in front of you, with Jimin in front of you and Taehyung. This was far from over. Jungkook would fight until the very end, no matter the price that he would have to pay. They come first. 

Jungkook pulled his body up and focused his gaze on the Strigoi standing a few feet away from him. The undead vampire had his back to him and was focusing on Jimin. It probably thought that Jungkook was knocked out, but it would take more than that to stop Jungkook. He would do everything in his power to protect you. They come first. 

Jimin didn’t dare look at Jungkook, so as to not give him away. He caught the glance that Jungkook shot him and briefly nodded at him. Alone they couldn’t take that Strigoi down, but together they had a small chance. Novices like Jungkook and Jimin stood no chance against a Strigoi, but they were certain that the screams would alert Guardians to their predicament and if they could hold off the Strigoi even for a moment, maybe the Moroi could make it out alive. 

It was now or never. Jungkook lunged towards the Strigoi, his silver stake aimed at the back of the Strigoi’s heart. Everything moved in slow motion during his lunge. Jungkook noticed Taehyung’s outstretched hands prepared to use his element to his advantage, although it would do little good in this fight since Moroi were not trained in using their powers to fight. Next, Jungkook saw Jimin’s hard gaze along with his hard, defensive stance. At least if something bad happened to him, Jungkook knew that Jimin would protect you in his stead. Finally, Jungkook’s gaze landed on you. He could see the palm of your hands and he smiles to himself, seeing that you want to fight with your element. Had you always been this brave, or had he missed the small signs that gave way to your bravery as he followed you around these last few weeks? Jungkook looked into your eyes for a brief moment and instead of seeing the fear mixed with determination that he expected to see, he saw your eyes filled with terror. Something’s not right. 

Jungkook heard the crunch of a stake going through flesh quickly followed by Taehyung and you shouting his name. He knew that the blow coming from the Strigoi would kill him, and there was nothing that he could do. Jungkook was fast, but he was not as fast as a Strigoi. He couldn't move fast enough to save himself -- to save you. He felt a warm rush of air followed by a cold hand backhanding him, knocking him hard to the ground. 

The last thing that Jungkook could see as his body fell to the floor was Taehyung holding you in his arms, stopping you from going to him. This scene felt all too familiar to Jungkook and he wished that he could push his body up from the ground, but the blow from the Strigoi was devastating. It felt like he had nothing left in him to do anything anymore. He just hoped that he had done enough to give you time. They come first.

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

It took a few moments for Jungkook to open his eyes. For a brief moment he wondered if he strayed into the afterlife, but a quiet assessment of his surroundings pointed at something else. The room smelt sterile and slightly fresh from a soft breeze from an open window drifting from one place to the next. The material from the thin blanket that covered two-thirds of his body felt worn, used, and familiar. Although it had been almost a year since Jungkook had been to the infirmary of St. Vladimir’s Academy, nothing had changed. He had become all too familiar with the infirmary for three out of the four years that he had been attending St. Vlad’s due to the numerous injuries he had sustained during his training. 

After allowing himself to regain some energy, Jungkook was finally able to open his eyes. The natural light from the infirmary wasn’t kind to eyes and it forced him to blink several times, to reduce the sudden harshness. Finally, Jungkook noticed that he was far from alone. He looked to his left and saw a person sitting on a chair with their head resting against his hip. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw a forgotten flower petal on the back of your head. 

Jungkook shifted his body to get to a more comfortable position causing you to wake from your brief rest. After wiping the sleep away from your eyes, you found Jungkook staring at you. This wasn’t an uncommon situation for you to find yourself in with Jungkook. You had always wondered if he stared at you because he liked to study people or perhaps because he didn’t know what to say. There was also a possibility that it was a combination of both of those things. Typically you would speak up to break Jungkook out of his thoughts, but this time he was the first to speak up. 

“.... you stayed?” Jungkook stated. 

“Of course I did,” you said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re my Guardian.”

Silence filled the infirmary at the realization at what had taken place in the night sky exhibit settled into Jungkook’s thoughts and your thoughts. 

“You could have died,” you whispered, looking down at your hands. “If we hadn’t--” 

“It’s okay, Y/N.” Jungkook placed his hand on your hand to give some comfort. “No matter what we do, there will always be threats. There is nothing that we can do about the fact that there are threats, but the best that we can do is be prepared.” 

You nodded your head and despite the tears that clouded your sight, you smiled. 

“We cannot change the circumstances that we face, but we can change how we proceed with them,” Jungkook continued to say. He removed his hand from your hand so that you could wipe away the stray tears that pooled in your eyes.

“You’re right. We can’t change the cards we have been dealt, we can only do our best with what we have.” Jungkook smiled and continued to ask you questions.

“How are Taehyung and Jimin?” 

Your smile was more than enough to reassure Jungkook as you explained how his stake and Jimin’s stake both pierced the Strigoi’s heart from opposite sides. That meant that Jimin and Jungkook would both be getting a molnija mark, a mark that is tattooed on the back of the neck’s of Guardians to mark how many Strigoi they had killed. It was almost unheard of for Novices to have even one molnija mark, but it wasn’t totally impossible. 

You explained how Guardians had come rushing into the planetarium just a few seconds after Jungkook was knocked out. It was relief to hear that nothing terrible or unexpected had happened after that. You went on to tell Jungkook that he had only been out for a few hours and that as a result of his accelerated healing he would be alright to continue his exam and acting as your “Guardian” in a day or two.  

Long after you left to feed, Jungkook once again found himself thinking about his future and you. Before this exam, Jungkook wasn’t sure which direction to go in. There hadn’t been a Moroi that he wanted to petition to guard, but Jungkook didn’t want to put his name on a volunteer list and let someone else choose who he should guard. He didn’t want to risk being stuck with a stuck up Moroi and before the field test Jungkook felt as though he would be doomed to that fate. Then, Jungkook thought about you. He thought  about how air always seems to have an extra swirl around you, which made sense considering that you were an Air user. You were not as impulsive or crazy as Jin, but he could start to see that you were not as quiet and docile as you made yourself out to be. He also thought about how patient you were with him despite his awkwardness and his occasional abruptness. 

Even if he had only known you for a brief time, Jungkook couldn’t deny his attraction towards you. Was it just physical? Was there something more to it? It was too soon to tell, but Jungkook wanted to know more. He wanted his questions answered. Maybe after the exam was over he would continue to look after you, if you would let him. Maybe he wasn’t doomed. 

Sleep washed over Jungkook and he let himself succumb to the land of far away dreams with a new mantra in mind. 

You come first.

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Anything can be our pet.

The shuttle gently glided down from the sky and rolled across the runway at the spaceport, the heat from reentry still fresh on its hull giving it a near mirage appearance to the waiting ground crew that were rushing over.  The coolant trucks pulled up one by one and the ground crew attached their hoses to them and began spraying down the shuttle as the disembarking tunnel attached itself to the side hatch.  A few moments later the hatch opened and the passengers of the shuttle began piling out. A large Draxic male, a lizard man like species, crouched down through the tiny door frame and entered the tunnel followed by a spry human female. Some of the other passengers hurriedly stepped aside as the Draxic stomped past while the female followed behind embarrassingly smiling and apologizing. She quickly walked up to the Draxic and kicked him in the leg. “What was that for?” He spoke, his lizard eyes narrowing down at her pouting face. “You shouldn’t be pushing past people.”  He tilted his head to the side. “Then they should move out of the way faster. They haven’t been crammed into a seat half their size for the twenty solar hours” As if to emphasize his point he rose to his full height and extended his legs, the sound of creaking bones resounding through the tunnel.  The human crossed her arms and continued pouting. “It’s still very rude.” The Draxic looked at her for a moment longer before grunting and continuing along his way.  She no doubt thought that he was agreeing with her, but in reality the mixture of smells emerging from the world, the cooling shuttle behind them, the various mechanical machines around him, and even the other humans on the plane was beginning to make the Draxic sick. He wished for nothing more than to get to his friends home were hopefully the smells would diminish. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  The world was known as Typhon Socundus, an ocean world whose entire landmass could be summed up as less than the country formerly known as the “People’s Republic of China”.  The largest of the islands held the spaceport that the duo had exited on, while the rest was scattered around the planet forming smaller islands and island chains   Because of the reduced landmass the planet’s population had been kept considerably smaller than other galactic worlds. Some had tried to create floating cities that glided across the waters in an attempt to increase the population, but that en-devour had ended rather shortly for reasons which seem obvious now to those who call the world home.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Draxic gripped the side of the boat tightly as his friend steered the small “dingy” towards her families island. The sea was calm in every direction and the sky was as crystal blue as the ocean water themselves.  When the Draxic had heard that his friend owned an entirely island he was impressed as the land rights of the world were highly sought after. The land was given to her family several generations ago she said because since the time of her great grandfather her family had provided a “crucial” service to the planet’s government. What that service was exactly she had refused to tell him, saying seeing it would be far better.  So caught up in remembering how he had been roped into taking his vacation with her he nearly failed to notice the boat slowing to a near complete stop.  “Why have we stopped?”  he asked his friend as she turned around from the steering wheel and opened a nearby crate that he had been resting his feet on.  “This is part of what I wanted to show you.” she said while digging through the crate before pulling out a small package. She turned to unwrap it and though the Draxic could not see the package he could smell the mixing stenches of meat . “Besides, if I didn’t do this they’d probably wouldn’t let us pass.” Before he could inquire as to what that meant she chucked the contents of the package far out into the water.  The contents hit the water and sunk beneath the calm waves. “What was-” the Draxic begun but stopped himself when he felt something. His keen senses felt something from far away sending ripples through the water and nudging the boat. He stepped to the side of the boat and began scanning the horizon.  He felt the ripple again but this time was able to judge the direction and gazed across the water. Far off in the distance, as far as his eyes could clearly make out detail, he saw the water begin to slowly become wavy. Starting small, the waves quickly grew in intensity until the waves were radiating outwards.  “What did you do?” he spoke as he turned to his friend. She was leaning over the side of the boat and tapping the water with her right hand in a rhythmic pattern.  “If you didn’t see it with your own eyes I doubt you’d have believed me.” She continued tapping the water, unfazed by the growing disturbance of the water. “All I’ll say now, is don’t do anything. Just stand and watch, they don’t like new comers.”  A gout of water shot up into the sky where the Draxic had been focusing on. Emerging from the water loomed a massive form, a shadow that cut through the clear blue sky like an obelisk of darkness. The shadow dove back beneath the waves before he could get a clearer view but whatever it was was now speeding straight for them.  “By the seven suns! What is that!”  Whatever it was dove beneath the waves again and was hidden from his sight. He quickly stepped to the side of the boat and began peering into the waters below, but he could not pierce through the murky gloom of the water. ‘There you are silly boy, come to mama.”  At the words from his friend the Draxic turned and saw her laying her hand and head against what appeared to be a living wall of flesh and scale. An eye easily twice her size looked at her and the Draxic and he could sense the creature was that of a race of predators.  His eyes calmly looked over from left to right and saw that he was in fact looking at the head of a massive Wave Serpent, a creature rumored to grow for eternity so long as it feeds and strong enough to crush the hull of a space vessel as if it was made of paper.  The head of the beast slowly rose higher out of the water until the Draxic saw the mouth was wide open showing row upon row of teeth three times his size glistening in the sun light. He was left speechless as he came to realize that this must be his end and that he would be reunited with his ancestors in the eternal fields of war.  While he was transfixed with his imminent demise his friend picked up several more packages and chucked them into the gaping maw. The creatures mouth clamped down with a thunderous boom that knocked the Draxic off his feet. The boat bumped against the scales of the beast and his friend continued to stroke the scales and talk lovingly to the Serpent before it retreated beneath the water once more.  With the creatures passing she resumed her post at the helm of the ship and fired up the engine once more.  “First time seeing one up close?”  Her words seemed distant as the Draxic began to regain his composure.  “What......just happened?” was all the formerly proud warrior alien could say.  “My family raises Wave Serpents for the world.” She said as she steered the boat onwards. “That one was “Charlie” and I’ve had him since he was just an egg. He likes to showoff to strangers.”  “What do you mean by “raises” them?”  “When my granddad was young he came upon a Wave Serpent egg that washed up upon the shore. Since they grow up to be the size of spaceships he didn’t think the egg that was the size of a football was the same beast. He cared for the egg night and day until it finally hatched, he then cared for the little serpent every day. They developed such a close bond that it actually understood what he was saying to it which became mighty helpful when it grew to the size of a cruise liner.”  She steered the boat around an outcropping of strange rocks, but as the Draxic looked closer he saw that they were in fact spines of several slumbering Wave Serpents that were resting on coral reefs just below the surface.  Some he saw opened their eyes as the tiny boat passed their massive forms while others even raised their heads like cats finding something interesting before returning to their sleep.  “Eventually that little one grew so large it became the queen of her species on the planet. She returned to the island my granddad had raised her and laid her own eggs there. So several generations of the creatures grew up under the stewardship of my family.”  “But what does this have to do with the planet’s government?”  “Well, once the people in power learned that there was someone out in the back country that could tame the beasts that were sinking their cargo haulers they attempted to pay him to teach others. He refused to teach anyone outside the family, but agreed he’d start teaching the serpents not to attack ships if they give him ownership of the entire island.”  The Draxic looked stunned for a moment. “He blackmailed a planet’s government for a island?”  “My granddad was a nice man, but he was also a clever devil when it suited him.” she chuckled.  The Draxic pondered how she seemed perfectly fine around some of the galaxies deadliest creatures and even treated them like pets when something else struck him.  “What did you feed that beas-” “Charlie.” she corrected him.  “Yes; what did you feed “charlie”?”  “I gave him a mix of beef and chocolate. It was his favorite treat growing up and even though he’s so big now his taste buds can still taste anything that touches them, regardless of how big or small it is.”  The Draxic slumped back into the boat and watched as they neared the island she spoke of. Several serpents were strewn out across the island basking in the sun while several more circled it in the surrounding waters, nipping at each other to get closer.  He felt as if his vacation was about to become far more exciting than his lizardman heart would be able to handle.  

[thomasroach]

Top 10 Epic Raid Bosses in MMORPGs

The post Top 10 Epic Raid Bosses in MMORPGs appeared first on Fextralife.

The following post is this author’s opinion and does not reflect the thoughts and feelings of Fextralife as a whole nor the individual content creators associated with the site. Any link that goes outside of Fextralife are owned by their respective authors.

Raid bosses are easily in my opinion the most important aspect of MMORPGs. Games that fall into a different genre may be more dynamic, but only here will tens and sometimes hundreds of players need to come together and work together to defeat an epic boss in a raid. Just simple getting together as many players as possible is not enough to determine your success. Players usually need to use trial and error with a number of different strategies before they can actually take down the boss. All this is done in order to test the weaknesses, come up with an effective approach and correctly coordinate players in the raid.

Top 10 Epic Raid Bosses in MMORPGs

Over time, the concept of an “epic boss” has become rather blurred. Colossal monsters, the destruction of which requires a long preparation time, and then became just another episode from grandma’s fairy tales. Some raid bosses have already gained the “cult” status, and veterans of MMORPGs could tell you a dozen stories about those legendary fights. I’ve tried to select the most powerful bosses who once upon a time, caused a burning sensation and will certainly awaken stirrings of nostalgic feelings from experienced raiders!

10. Illidan Stormrage (World of Warcraft)

A well-known exhibit is Illidan Stormrage, a night-elf born Demon Hunter and the founder of the Illidari. He was the former self-proclaimed Lord of Outland, ruling from the Black Temple until his defeat.

Illidan Stormrage (World of Warcraft)

He was the final boss of the Burning Crusade update. Perhaps, it was the best expansion in World of Warcraft history (at least that’s what the players say). An important aspect of such success was the storyline surrounding the Black Temple raid, and the quests which at the end led the player into the instance to fight the Betrayer.

Only a few players could fight Illidan due to the instance difficulty, until the game received an update later on. The fact the difficulty was so high, was one of the reasons why Blizzard made various changes, after which other players had the opportunity to see this epic game content.

9. Valakas, The Fire Dragon (Lineage 2)

Valakas is the second dragon to make an appearance in Lineage 2 C4: Scions of Destiny global update, and it’s the strongest raid boss to make this update. He inhabits a volcanic terrain located in Goddard, known as the “Forge of the Gods”. Valakas is allegedly the strongest child of Shilen (goddess of destruction in L2 lore). His gigantic stature and massive four wings exemplify his majesty and strength.

Valakas, The Fire Dragon (Lineage 2)

One of the main difficulties of killing this raid boss (which is common for Lineage 2) was to win a massive battle between players to even begin to attack the dragon. All the strong clans and alliances wanted to get the raid boss epic jewelry so battles could last for several hours. Only after that, the winning side would kill the dragon in about an hour, if their mages had enough power damage and mana pool. Many veterans of the game will remember this beast.

Unfortunately, the dragon is still not a part of the classic version of Lineage 2, but it will probably be added in a future update.

8. Baium (Lineage 2 Classic)

Baium’s power is considered inferior to the dragons, but among players there it’s hard to find anyone who does not remember his bright ultimatum strike when he reached a certain level of health. His wrath could easily destroy all raid players in one go.

Baium (Lineage 2 Classic)

The backstory of Baium is that the once great emperor was so powerful that he decided to challenge the gods. He used his kingdom’s forces to construct a tower rising high into the clouds. The magnificent tower of Baium’s designed took thirty years of construction. He intended to use the building in order to climb to the residence of the gods, and obtain the secret of everlasting life. When he did indeed climb the tower, the gods got angry about his plans and severely punished him. Having brought the fury of the gods upon himself, Baium was trapped for all eternity at the top of his tower in immortal silence.

Since then, this became known as the Tower of Insolence, and anyone who broke it’s silence would  wake Baium and lose their life. The heroes of Elmoreden who reached the top floor came to measure their strengths with the demigod in an epic battle and Baium is doomed to an eternal life of this continuous war.

Today Baium’s raid is available on the Lineage 2 Classic servers, there are instance and “real” boss versions. The instance zone is a lighter raid version, but to kill a hardcore boss, players need to have the best equipment in the game and come together in an army comprising of 100-200 players.

7. Brothers: Dagon, Dagan and Dagnu (Rising Force Online)

Dagon, Dagan and Dagnu or known as the DDD brothers, are the strongest raid bosses in the game. The next brother that follows, is always stronger than the previous one. They are 3 separate bosses who are located close to the Elan Plateau. Taking into account their direct connection, it wouldn’t be right to review them separately.  

Brothers: Dagon and Dagan (Rising Force Online)

According to lore, these terrible beasts were created by the ancient civilization of Herodian as a result of experiments on the High elven race (PvE faction). There are currently three warring races in RF Online: Bellato Federation, Empire Accretia and Holy Alliance Cora. They quite often discarded their blade of war and make temporary alliances against these abominations. Dagon and Dagan almost always could be defeated by one of the races over time, but it is incredibly difficult to fight against Dagnu alone.

Dagnu (Rising Force Online)

The reward from these bosses make the ordeal all worthwhile. The unique jewelry that the brothers drop is combine into one powerful epic object which not only grants great stats to its owner but also cannot be transmitted. Just imagine the authority of the player who gets ownership of it! Today, you can take part in a DDD raid on the recently open European server Zucker.

6. Bael’Zharon (Asheron’s Call)

In November of 2000, Turbine (the founder of Asheron’s Call) presented an unprecedented mass, in-game activity. Players were asked to go down into the new Catacombs of Ithaenc to choose their role in the game world: become a follower of the creepy demon Bael’Zharon and try to free him, or prevent his escaping by any means.

Bael’Zharon (Asheron’s Call)

On some servers, players guarded the demon for several months, not letting anyone pass. On Thristledown server, players were extremely severe and guarded the demon soul during one whole year. The developers installed a monument to Shard Vigil Memerial, as a symbol of perseverance and courage of the catacomb defenders. But finally one day the crystal prison was destroyed, and Bael’Zharon broke free. Managed by developers, he immediately began to wreak havoc in the peaceful lands of Asheron’s Call.

Bael’Zharon wasn’t an ordinary boss and had tremendous power, but he was not immortal. The destruction and massacres caused by the demon’s doing did not stay unpunished. On each server, players joined forces and attacked the monster. Not all raids resulted in success because there was no specific pre-set strategy to fight the monster. However, sooner or later, the boss was defeated. The body of a man named Ilservian Palacost, once a nobleman turned into an demon creature, remained in the place of the defeated Bael’. Inside the corpse were 6 crystals that held the demon and became the material for creating a powerful artifact.

Bael’Zharon doesn’t seem so scary now, but for Asheron’s Call veterans, his appearance inspired confidence in their own death.

5. The Lich King (World of Warcraft)

The Lich King is the master and lord of the Scourge, he rules telepathically from the Frozen Throne atop the Icecrown Glacier. The fallen prince Arthas succumbed to the dark powers and blended with the former Lich King to take the role and title. He is one of the main villains of the World of Warcraft. Many fans would have been upset if this boss raid could be defeated without much trouble. The Lich King due to his infamy was really strong.

The Lich King (World of Warcraft)

The fight in Normal Mode was fairly brutal for the majority of WoW players, but in Heroic Mode, he’s was downright unforgiving. The fight had 3 stages, each stage it took weeks of farming to succeed before the next one could be attempted properly. The boss stayed invincible until it received the first nerf, which increased the damage and healing from players in the Icecrown Citadel. People believed that it was impossible to kill the boss without it. One guild decided to disprove this statement by deliberately turning off that buff, and defeated the King. However, by this time many of these players already possessed equipment obtained from the last raids.

4. Kerafyrm, The Sleeper (EverQuest)

Kerafyrm used to be the main boss in the The Sleeper’s Tomb dungeon.  According to the game’s plot, he was immortal, and there wasn’t even any loot to gain from him. This ancient and enraged dragon, which the elders had put to sleep, was confined to a cave with four powerful guards. Kerafyrm was awoken for the first time in July 2001, when the players of The Rathe server managed to defeat his guards. The phantom however did not remain in debt but destroyed his rescuers, then climbed to the surface and began to destroy all life in its path. Having found out where the dragon lived, other players joined forces to measure themselves against the legendary creature.

Kerafyrm, The Sleeper (EverQuest)

In November 2003, the three strongest guilds from the server Rallos Zek teamed up to awaken the monster. There was only one known tactic that worked against the dragon: crowd pounce, continually attack, resurrect after your death and rush into battle once again. The fight lasted more than three hours and the dragon had only lost 74% of his health points. It was at this moment he suddenly disappeared!

It turned out that Sony Online Entertainment did not want the dragon’s death to come to fruition, because it went against the prehistory of EverQuest. The community reacted vehemently. The developers tried to justify themselves and said that the death of Kerafyrm would cause an onslaught of bugs in the game, but in the end they surrendered to the cries of the community and on November 17th, the legend was defeated. The dragon would kill players with one swift blow, but they were able to resurrect rather quickly. According to rumors, many players have died more than a hundred times for three hours as that epic battle raged.

Kerafyrm was awoken on all servers except one and players only succeeded in killing him a total of three times. The mighty boss lived in The Sleeper’s Tomb dungeon, but nowadays on many servers it is already empty. After the release of the Secrets of Faydwer update, Awakened Kerafyrm can be found in the Crystallos zone, Lair of the Awakened.

3. Ragnaros, The Firelord (World of Warcraft)

Ragnaros the Firelord is an incredibly powerful Elemental Lord and the master of all fire elementals. He became the strongest raid boss in the game shortly after WoW released. It was the last main challenge in the Molten Core and the first raid dungeon, so no one really knew how to approach him properly to begin with. The fight with Ragnaros was much longer and more challenging than any other battle in the Firelands. Players had to kill 9 of his loyal lieutenants first, in order to summon the Elemental Lord. Perhaps, this is the reason why it took so long before he was defeated for the first time.  

Ragnaros, The Firelord (World of Warcraft)

The flaming lord himself is invulnerable to fire attacks and every two minutes summons elemental sons that draw mana from players. It was tricky to kill Ragnaros because he utilises several special attacks: throws melee players in the different directions, casts fireballs and creates lava flows. He was a real piece of work in Heroic mode (a harder difficulty). His hammer, Sulfuras, repeatedly slapped players into air, and raiders had to adapt to the random minions that respawned and could easily at any point break the raid try.

The boss lost his power after the release of the ‘Wrath of the Lich King’ add-on’, and now he can even be killed by one player.

2. Pandemonium Warden (Final Fantasy XI)

This particular boss had the unique ability to make players physically ill and no that was not an in-game debuff, but had a real affect to people’s health. The first try to slay Pandemonium Warden took place in 2007, where one of the best guilds which consisted 36 players fought valiantly with the boss for a gruelling 18 hours, but could not claim victory. The players were forced to interrupt the raid due to the fact that some players began to faint from exhaustion.

Pandemonium Warden (Final Fantasy XI)

It was the main reason for which the developers nerfed the boss by adding a 2-hour timer to ensure that the players wouldn’t be overloaded with long fights. The overall complexity has been significantly reduced since it’s initial introduction to the game. This case will probably remain as one of the most hardcore raids in MMO history.

1. Antharas, The Land Dragon (Lineage 2 Classic)

Antharas was the first ever Epic Raid Boss to be introduced in the first chronicle of Lineage 2. He is the father of the famous game gimmick and considered a stereotype of a gargantuan monster needed to be killed by an enormous number of players. Absolutely every player who played Lineage 2 knows his name as his reputation proceeds him, even many who have not faced Antharas know of him.

Antharas, The Land Dragon (Lineage 2 Classic)

The humongous size of Antharas far surpasses that of all other evil beasts. Even a very powerful sword would not easily inflict damage upon the body of the dragon, as it is so densely covered with rock-hard scales. Beams of light emitted from the monster’s eyes, causing those who gazed upon it to freeze in horror. Antharas is fittingly regarded by all adventurers as the ultimate symbol of pure terror. The dragon deals massive amounts of damage, summons minions and has several fighting strategies depending on it’s level of health.

It was necessary to gather all the alliance members (more than 200 – 300) to kill this raid boss, or even those who were at war relations. Even by doing this, the dragon until this day was not successfully slayed on all servers. Therefore, game masters often organized various events with this epic boss. They summoned the dragon into places with large numbers of players. But as a rule, the dragon was weakened or after some time was killed at the game master’s command just for the public fun.

Today, the dragon is still is found in the lair depths in Lineage II Classic and is stronger than ever as no one yet has managed to defeat him on the European server called Skelth.

It is impossible to fit all epic raid bosses of all MMORPGs into one review. So, if you have not found your favorite epic boss raid here, then tell us your story about that adventure in the comments!

If you enjoyed this opinion piece be sure to check out 5 Innovations Dragon Age Should Keep After Inquisition. You can also find out more about more MMORPG content in Elder Scrolls Online: The Champion System & The Future Of ESO In 2019 and World Of Warcraft Character Boost VS Leveling.

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