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It was done. Koni Ferus and Pete Bogg’s mutilated bodies lay before you and the sample of pure Earth was finally safe in your hands. With this, the last piece of Elements, Maelin Starpyre could finally restore Balance. You took a few steps south, eager to make your exit, when another forced teleportation pulled you across Vegarlson.
You landed near the noxious water and spotted a portal on an island not too far away. All right – just one sprint and you would be out of here.
“Hello, pet,” said a vaguely familiar voice. Your heart skipped a beat. You whirled around and found yourself staring right into the face of Najena, the Master Elementalist.
“Lady Najena!” you exclaimed. “Thank the Gods you’re here. Something had been disturbing the balance of–”
“Not something,” she corrected with a malicious smile. “Someone.” She whirled her staff and you watched in horror as elemental magic infused her entire body with raw power. “The time of Order is over. Chaos must rule the world.”
You barely had a second to react before the first fireball whirled at you, followed closely by a small boulder the size of a large boulder, and then a series of icicles. Desperately, you raised your own barrier of stone and cast Flame of Ro. You shivered and felt little icicles form under your nose as you panted.
“Foolish little pet. No mere wizard can stand against me now. Not even the most powerful Elementalist could survive my magic.”
Ice elementals sprung from the ground as she pointed at it. They moved as one to attack you. You were raid-geared, though, and this was a solo instance. Melting them with your spells was easy enough. And when one of the elementals hit the water and froze it, you realized how to get out of here.
Carefully, you maneuvered them onto the ice bridge, blasting them into the water to create a safe pathway towards the portal. It felt like you spent an eternity dodging the barrage of Lady Najena’s spells and trying to stay cozy in your raid robe as the elementals continued to drop the temperature, but you finally succeeded. The portal was just a meter away when Najena exclaimed, “Clever pet! But you won’t escape me!”
She cast something – you couldn’t see what – and even though you were decked out head to toe in BiS gear, her spell stunned you.
Despite the stun, you could still move your arms. You decided to prioritize your escape over fighting back and grabbed one of the vials you carried with you at all times. You popped off the cork and downed it before you attempted to jump through the portal, but it was no use. Your legs still refused to move. Lifting your hand to your mouth had taken the last of your strength, and as the vial rolled from your fingers, you realized it was from two expansions ago and no longer high enough level to cure you.
“Well, my pet…” mused Najena as she approached. “I have never before regretted our interactions and I won’t regret this one, either.”
You couldn’t move a muscle. You could only stare in wonder as she grabbed your chin and opened your mouth. What was she…?
Her lips pressed against yours for a mere second before her tongue slipped into your mouth. She tasted smoky and bitter at first, but when you squeaked in protest, it shifted to pleasantly salty, like seaweed. Was this a bug? Had one of the devs introduced kiss magic without putting it in the patch notes? EverQuest was only rated T… Lady Najena’s kissing was indeed magical, but her talk of Chaos and Destruction had shaken you. If you could only move… The portal was right there, just a few steps to the south and you would be safe…
Suddenly, a high-pitched, squeaky voice cut through the tension. “Cure elemental! Cure elemental!” It was………………………………………Stamper Jeralf! With your detriment cured, you could once again move the rest of your body. You headbutted Najena and madly dove through the portal that would take you back to Myrist.
“Cure noxious,” Stamper Jeralf cried out once you were safe and sound, gasping for breath on the redwood floor of the Great Library. He smoothed down the scorched fur on his ears and added, “You don’t wants to get mage herpes, boss.”