Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

In the dim twilight of the setting sun, several adjacent streets had turned into a scene from a horror movie. Lifeless bodies suspended in semi-translucent goo, sticking to the pavement and buildings along the street.

Slimes, thousands of them, had flooded the streets and apprehended everyone who resisted. In the center of the calamity spanning several blocks was a short, quirky-looking woman with shoulder-length black hair and a silver armor.

Ellen Culpepper had unleashed the unholy wave of infamous trash mobs she had reared in the depths of Minas Mar. Slimes had conquered part of the Pythian Village, catching and killing enemies with unprecedented might.

However, not everyone was killed. Elly had made sure to differentiate, although everyone ended up inside a slime, not everyone suffered the fate of slowly being dissolved by the slime's acidic insides.

Ordinary people, players, and immigrants left in the village had been caught inside Shell Slimes, one of her special breeds, for their own safety.

Under the organization of Luf, she and the other members who had not left Urth had been dispatched outside the arena to take care of things in the village. It was their chance to farm Power of Existence. the other was the trump card, in case things went haywire

The foreboding “knocking” that shook the city, as massive strikes pounded the barrier from outside quickened her actions. Even though many of the people here were not citizens of Urth, but immigrants from the Pathworks or the Continent who set up shop here for the Pythian Games, they still had a certain responsibility for their safety. At least for the people who paid to open shop here.

“Fall.”

The Slime Rancher was busy directing the slimes to collect the spoils and bring civilians and non-hostiles to safety when suddenly all strength left her body. She had lost all control over herself, the moment the commanding word echoed in the street.

“Fu-“ She wanted to curse, but the air was pressed out of her as she crashed on the ground. It was embarrassing to admit, but she was weak to mental status effects like this. As a Slime Rancher, most of her AP were focused on the special Control attribute she needed to tame beasts.

There were also some in Strength and Agility, but all of her other attributes were rather pitiful. Especially Willpower. Even with equipment, it wasn’t any less pitiful… With a crappy multiplier on top, her resistance to mind attacks was-

“You are alone.” -Almost non-existent. Before she could command the slimes to defend her, the other spoke again.

Sorrow struck her heart when she felt her connection to the slimes vanish. A deep feeling of loneliness overcame her. She felt helpless, she wanted to scream, thrash, and panic, but she couldn’t fight the lethargy that came with the depression and sudden solitude.

She knew it was an attack, but that didn’t help. Even that was forgotten quickly as most thoughts came to a grinding halt, paralyzed by the emotions that hit her.

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With her thoughts flowing unwilling like viscous honey, she looked in the direction of the voice. There stood a man. She remembered this figure. Before her thoughts could fully recognize who, it was-

“There is only darkness for you.” She had lost her ability to see before her thoughts could connect the figure to her memory. “And death for your people.” She suddenly had the deep-seated conviction, that everyone she knew and loved was doomed to die today.

There was nothing they could do, even her strongest friends would find their end today. Hot tears streamed down her face, and she fell into darkness, unable to react to the footsteps that were coming closer

“These cultivators are just the beginning. We have a terrible army, that will raze Urth until all lights of resistance are extinguished,” the figure spoke sadistically, now much closer. They were clearly happy to torture her like this.

Her dim mind was filled with the other's amused laughter, torturing her with illusions. She didn’t know how long her mind was filled with the sound, but it suddenly stopped. Sluggishly her thoughts realized the silence.

…

---Moments earlier---

“What do you think you are doing?” Shay exclaimed wrathfully as he entered the slimed street. Before him he saw Bregar, the Chosen of Bragi who had come to Urth to participate in the Grand Tournament, chuckling over the limp body of his girlfriend.

He reacted instinctively. The moment Bregar turned around, his mouth open to speak, a bubble of water formed around his head, silencing all words. The wielder of the voice was instantly struggling not to drown, kneeling on the ground.

“Keep him trapped, I will look after the girl.” Twinkle said and walked past him. According to the goblin’s instruction, Shay used the water to not just silence, but also bin Bregar. The shaman who had followed him here started casting spells and skills on Elly.

“She is okay, physically at least. She suffered some terrible status ailments, but she will be back on her feet soon,” the shaman shared his prognosis.

Shay’s heart lightened again, but the moment of carelessness was immediately used, as Bregar suddenly attacked him with a dagger. The water mage managed to parry with his staff in time, but he was still baffled by the sudden attack.

Although initially effective, the bubble of water over his head had suddenly lost the power to drown him. Had he suddenly learned <Waterbreathing>? No, it had to be more, as not even his water restraints were able to hold him down.

Summoned by the clanking of weapons, Twinkle Rainborn also joined the fight. The small goblin wasn’t an imposing sight, but he was incredibly adept and versatile in melee combat as much as he was in spell casting and shamanism.

It was not a long, or spectacular fight, as Bregar didn’t even last a minute against the two. Ultimately, he lost consciousness after a devastating bonk of the shaman’s fetish on the back of his head. To prevent any other surprises, Shay trapped him in a massive, revolving water prison, where he was thrown around like a cloth in a washing machine.

…

A warm feeling flooded her consciousness, bringing light and warmth back to her. And sight. Ellen's thoughts were suddenly able to race again, as she took in the scene before her. She saw Shay, wearing the same Lunacy Set as her, controlling a massive ball was water floating in the air.

Beside her loved one, stood a goblin in an exotic outfit with lots of feathers and a staff. Was that the goblin shaman? Then she noticed a figure being thrown around in the currents of the water ball.

Finally, she was able to reconnect with her memory and recognize who it was. The Chosen of Bragi who participated in the grand Tournament! Now, the weird power that had thrown her into despair made sense.

But why? No, she knew the reason. Although her mind was lethargic at the time, she still remembered what the terrible voice had told her. This attack was just the beginning. “They” would come with a terrible army to raze Urth.

Bragi was a Spy and by the way he talked, probably from Spatia. It fit together with what they knew about the organization behind the attack of the Sect Alliance. Spatia using the Pythian game to smuggle in some of their people fit the bill just nicely.

They had to warn the others. Maybe there were more participants that intended to cause trouble? She hurriedly got on her feet. Still weak in the knees, she stumbled only to be caught by Shay who rushed to her side.

“We have to warn everyone. If Bregar is a spy from Spatia, then others-“

“We know. Why do you think we rushed over here?”

“Ah!”