First Draw
Page 27
At the same time, he felt the massive weight of responsibility. Vayvnu had given of herself more than he had expected and probably deserved. That kind of gift had to be respected. Jaron would do all he could to live up to the challenge.
First, he had to get through the rest of the notifications.
Congratulations! You have gained 500 reputation points with the gnomes of Wildhall for being named heir of Vayvnu the Guardian, and becoming a drakkon right before their eyes. Sharing this experience with you will surely remain among the most cherished memories of their lives. The tale of Vayvnu the Guardian and Jaron Lionhart will spread amongst the Wildhall gnomes and those they encounter. As a wise gnome once said, “An individual may become strong on their own, but with good friends and allies, can become truly powerful.” Relationships must be tended to like a garden in order to reap the greatest rewards.
Hooah! You have reached level 4 and progressed 28% to level 5. Your actions and hard work have earned you valuable experience and made you stronger. Continue to push the boundaries of your comfort zone and strive for greatness. You have gained 12 health, stamina and mana points. You now have 9 ability points and 100% skill progress to distribute within the next 48 hours. Do not delay or they will be randomly allocated for you.
“Christmas come early!” Jaron said with a wide grin.
He immediately allocated 2 ability points to Dexterity, Endurance, Perception, Creativity, bringing them all up to at least 12. He threw the final point into Luck because why not?
Jaron was amazed at how well this was working out for the type of character he intended to play. His earth magic would strengthen his ranged attacks while the strength boost from becoming a Drakkon would make him formidable up close.
Jaron still needed to learn archery, just as the notification had told him when he tried to use the bow, because the bow would be his go to weapon. That also meant that either agility or dexterity would become one of his most important ability scores. While his magical attacks would require either intelligence, wisdom, or possibly charisma. The strength boost he just received meant he shouldn’t have to add any points to that ability for a while.
Too many important stats, he thought. Spreading himself too thin would be foolish. He would have to choose, eventually. Information! He needed information. As soon as he could, Jaron would visit the archive in Oakenport and learn all he could. Maybe he would even hire tutors if he could afford it.
In the meantime, he turned his focus to skill progression. One decision he had to make was whether he should improve the low-level skills or boost his already high-level skills. Athletics could be useful for climbing, jumping and other things that could give him an edge in combat. Persuasion would be great for dealing with other characters, making deals, and talking his way out of sticky situations. Jaron gazed lovingly at the third skill - camouflage - and seriously considered adding 100% progress there. However, analyze was also an important skill and it lagged.
After a moment to consider, Jaron chose to improve analyze. Satisfied with his choices, Jaron looked over his entire character sheet.
Name: Jaron Lionhart
Titles: Witch Slayer, Earth Mage
Race: Drakkon (Outlander)
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Height: 6’4” (193 cm)
Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg)
Alignment: Neutral
Level: 4, 28%
Health: 190
Mana: 180
Stamina: 130
Defense: 0
ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 20
Agility: 12
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 15
Endurance: 14
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 13
Perception: 12
Creativity: 12
Charisma: 11 (base 12, -1 Beggar’s Loincloth)
Luck: 11
CLASS: None
SPECIALIZATION: None
PROFESSIONS: None (0/2)
LIFE SKILLS:
Cooking: Level 1, 20%
SKILLS:
Analyze: Level 3, 53%
Athletics: Level 5, 0%
Camouflage: Level 5, 0%
Craft: Level 1, 15%
Craft: Simple Weapons: Level 1, 35%
Persuasion: Level 5, 0%
Skinning: Level 1, 70%
Spear: Level 1, 25%
Sword: Level 1, 43%
Survival: Level 2, 44%
Tracking: Level 1, 10%
Counter-Tracking: Level 1, 10%
Unarmed Combat: Level 1, 10%
ABILITIES:
Omniglot
Breath Attack (30ft line of acid, 1/day)
Draconic Eyes (low light or darkvision, at will)
FEATS: None
QUALITIES:
Resilient: +2 morale bonus, +1 resistance to fear and intimidation effects
RESISTANCES:
Acid 50%
LANGUAGES: (See Abilities)
REPUTATION:
Global: Level 1, 0%
Wildhall: Level 1, 50%
MONEY: 10 gold, 19 silver, 63 copper
INVENTORY:
Keystone (to Vayvnu’s territory) Condition 1,000/1,000 Item Class: Epic Quality: Epic Weight: 0.1kg
Grungy Rope (10’) Condition: 20/50 Item Class: Common Quality: Poor Weight: 4kg
Silver Ring (magic, unknown) Condition: 32/35 Item Class: Unknown Quality: Unknown Weight: 0.012kg
Gnarled Cane (magic, unknown) Damage: 2-5 Condition: 79/100 Item Class: Unknown Quality: Unknown Weight: 1.5kg
EQUIPPED ITEMS:
Beggar’s Loincloth (A piece of cloth scavenged from who knows where to cover your intimate bits. While wearing this item, you suffer a -1 penalty to Charisma.) Condition: 14/50 Item Class: Common Quality: Poor Weight: 0.5kg
Goblin’s Backpack Condition: 36/100 Item Class: Common Quality: Average Weight: 0.75kg
WEAPONS:
Goblin’s Cutlass, Damage: 3-10 Condition: 28/50 Item Class: Common Quality: Average Weight: 1.58kg
EARTH MAGIC: Level 1: Novice, 85% to next level
SPELL LIST:
Putrid Mud [Uncommon] - Mana Cost: 20 Range: 30 feet Area of Effect: 30 cubic feet Duration: 2 minutes Cast Time: 2 seconds Damage: 3 damage per second, plus 15 damage over 5 seconds upon exiting AOE Effects: 50% penalty to movement speed in AOE and 1 minute upon exiting AOE Cooldown: 30 seconds
Stone Spike [Uncommon] - Mana Cost: 10 Range: 30 feet Duration: 1 minute Cast Time: 0.5 seconds Damage: 4-8 damage Effects: 1-foot long spike made of stone Cooldown: 5 seconds
Buckler of Stone - Mana Cost: 15 Range: Self Duration: 5 minutes Cast Time: Instant Defense: +4 Self-Heal Charges: 1 Effects: Stone disk (24” diameter, 4” thick) functions as a buckler Cooldown: 10 minutes
Terraform - Mana Cost: 35 Range: 50 feet Duration: Permanent Cast Time: 3 seconds Effects: Move up to 100 cubic yards per level up to 100 yards per level. Cooldown: 30 seconds
Jaron let out a low whistle. He had made some nice progress since he started. He still needed real clothes. Hobo wasn’t exactly the vibe he was going for. But the wild things he’d experienced left him in awe.
Grateful for the aid he’d been given by Ahja, the gnomes, and Vayvnu, Jaron dismissed the notifications and stood. Before he could voice his appreciation, Jaron heard sniffling behind him. He glanced back at the gnomes who stood huddled together, dabbing their eyes. He frowned and turned back to Vayvnu who hadn’t moved at all. Her eyes were closed, and her body lay limp against the ground.
“Vayvnu?” Jaron stepped forward and tentatively laid a hand on her snout. He ran his hand down her scales. She was still warm to the touch, but it was clear that her spirit had departed her body. Although he barely knew her, they were now connected in an intimate and unbreakable way, and overwhelming grief rattled him.
“Oh no,” Jaron whispered. A tear ran down his cheek and he didn’t even bother to wipe it away.
While he had selfis
hly been allocating ability points and reveling in his own glory, she had passed on from this world. He hadn’t even had a chance to thank her properly. Guilt crushed his chest like an avalanche. In any world, dragons were special, and for Jaron, her death held symbolic weight.
Pressing his forehead to Vayvnu’s forehead, Jaron said, “I will honor your sacrifice.”
Jaron stood and nodded to himself. He would continue her fight against the orkkan and their minions. He would make certain that her sacrifice wasn’t in vain.
34
Jaron took a deep breath and turned his attention to the gnomes.
“Thank you for being here,” Jaron said. “I’m grateful for your help and for being here when Vayvnu passed.”
The gnomes nodded.
Jaron cleared his throat after a long moment. “I don’t mean to be insensitive,” he said, uneasily. “But what do we do now? I don’t know the burial customs for dragons.”
“One might say not to let a valuable resource go to waste,” one of the gnomes said, Jaron couldn’t remember his name. “Ouch!”
Gnoly punched his arm. “She was a great protector of the forest and the Light. Show her some respect, Burlibink.”
“It is respectful. Vayvnu was powerful and that makes her remains valuable,” Burlibink said, raising his hands in defense as she swung at him again.
“While his comments are as crude as always, Burlibink is correct,” Zahlin said, tucking a thumb behind his belt, pushing his long, dark hair back with the other hand. Give the gnome a tiny guitar and he could pass as a rockstar. The thought made Jaron smile.
Zahlin noticed and raised an eyebrow at him. Jaron cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked away.
Burlibink folded his arms over his chest and grinned with a satisfied nod. “See, I am right.”
“We are once again required to aid Master Jaron,” Zahlin continued. “It would be reckless to leave Vayvnu’s body for the orkkan who are sure to send additional hunters, especially after these fail to return.” He gestured at the other bodies around them.
“You think more are coming?” Jaron asked, his pulse quickened. He nearly forgot that Magdud had practically admitted as much.
“Of course,” Thendo said. “And they will be pissed at what you stole from them.”
Jaron’s jaw dropped and he threw his hands up like, “What?”
“I am not saying you stole anything, but that is what they will believe. According to Vayvnu, the orkkan were hunting her,” Thendo said. “That was not by accident. They wanted to take her essence. Now you have it. That puts a rather large target on your back, my friend.”
“You’re right.” Jaron’s shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh. “If they realize that fact, can they take it from me?”
Thendo gazed thoughtfully into the distance and then shrugged. “None of us have ever witnessed such a thing and the examples from history fall short on details.”
“I would not think so,” Gnoly said. “Otherwise we would hear of dragon essences being passed on or fought over. That has not happened; therefore it must be a one-time, permanent transfer.”
Jaron thought about his earlier question for a moment and looked at Vayvnu. The idea of doing things to her corpse…dismantling her as it sounded like Burlibink suggested, as if she were little more than livestock to be butchered, unsettled him. Vayvnu was a sentient being. She was not a dread wolf or common deer to mount on the wall, not just in emotional terms but in practical terms as well.
Jaron couldn’t deny that the greedy part of him contemplated the financial benefits. Dragon scales, hide and blood were valuable, every RPG gamer knew that. Not to mention her teeth, claws and bones. Surely, they had beneficial uses too, but it seemed wrong. Anyway, how the hell could they transport the component parts? If they skinned Vayvnu, the resulting hide would likely weigh hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.
Not one to pretend he knew everything, Jaron asked, “What do you suggest we do?”
“Perishables are of immediate importance. Eyes, blood, glands and the like should be removed,” Thendo said with clinical detachment. “We should recover as much of the hide as we can. Everything we can harvest is a resource denied to our enemies. As for the rest, the bones, claws, and teeth will survive exposure to the elements and can be hidden. We have witnessed your earth magic. You have a spell to move soil, so you can bury anything we cannot take.”
Jaron looked at Vayvnu and figured he could bury her corpse with some time. Thendo’s idea was a good one, especially if they took the time to camouflage the disturbed earth. It could throw off any orkkan who came snooping around.
Another thing concerned him.
“Where do we put the blood?” Jaron asked, holding his hands out. The idea of losing such a valuable resource made him nervous. “I don’t have any containers.”
“Check the lair,” Zahlin said, nodding off to the side.
“It’s here?” Jaron absently asked. A brief investigation revealed a partially obscured cave entrance he hadn’t noticed before.
“Oh, I see,” he said.
Then his eyes widened as the discovery sank in. A dragon’s lair meant a horde of treasure. He mentally salivated as fantasies of diving into piles of gold coins Scrooge McDuck-style floated through his mind. Jaron shot Zahlin with a finger gun and simply said, “Thanks.”
“Certainly.” The gnome gave him another curious look and shook his head.
“Let’s set up overwatch. Zahlin, can you get the high ground? Blacah and the others can patrol the forest,” Thendo said. “We don’t want to be surprised by the orkkan.”
“I’ve got overwatch,” Gnoly said as she dashed away and scurried up a tree trunk with shocking speed.
“Damn, she climbs like a squirrel,” Jaron muttered.
Burlibink chuckled as they walked towards the cave. “She is our best climber.”
“Oh, wait. Give me a few seconds guys,” Jaron said. He dashed out to recover a very important item. It took a few seconds of frantic scanning but then he found it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the gnomes watching him with mild amusement. Jaron bent down to gather the orkkan’s bow and arrows.
Jaron stood, tried to shoulder the quiver and then realized it wouldn’t fit that way and simply strapped it to his waist. The last time he had tried the bow, his ability scores were too low, and he lacked the necessary training. It sounded like he only needed one or the other.
Hefting the bow, he strung an arrow and drew the string back, fully expecting another error. Instead, he was able to draw the arrow and fire at an old tree. He missed by a good foot and the arrow disappeared into the forest, but it had worked!
Congratulations! You have shot your first arrow and although you missed, you understand the benefits of long-range attacks. Doing so unlocked the skill Archery. You have progressed 5% through level 1. Reward: 50 XP Continue honing your skills to reach your true potential.
As thrilled as he was about unlocking such a valuable skill, Jaron inwardly winced at the mere 5% progress.
“We should hope all our enemies are the size of a livestock pen,” Burlibink said with a smirk. “Perhaps you could hit that.”
Somewhere up in the tree, Gnoly giggled. Zahlin grinned and tucked his rockstar hair behind his ear. Thendo stood patiently watching the whole scene.
“If you are done playing with your new toy,” Thendo said. “We should find containers for the, um, harvest before we are interrupted by more trouble.”
“I suppose I can practice later,” Jaron said reluctantly. He beamed with pride as he held the looted bow. Once he acquired a legit outfit, Jaron might fit the role he was carving out for himself. “Work before play as my mother always said.”
“Wise advice,” Zahlin said.
“Just let me finish looting these bastards really quick.”
“Fine,” Thendo said with a sigh and wave of his hand.
Jaron didn’t even bother checking the items, he just pilfered everything that l
ooked good. Magdud’s gloves, several knives, three pouches of coins, and a satchel like the kind he lost in the swamp. The gnomes helped collect and stack the weapons and armor into two piles. They could sort through them later.
“Now can we go?” Burlibink asked impatiently.
“Roger that,” Jaron said. It sounded odd to his elven ears to hear that. Apparently, the gnomes thought so too. “That means yes.”
Gnoly giggled again. An odd sound from a fierce warrior but it made Jaron smile. Zahlin and Burlibink exchanged glances.
“Very well,” Thendo said and then barked, “Follow me.”
Jaron followed Thendo to the entrance which was well hidden. “How the hell did you know this was here?”
Thendo shrugged.
“He has a knack for this sort of thing, bullseye,” Burlibink said, imitating Jaron’s finger gun.
“Bullseye?”
“Yeah, I’m testing out nicknames for you.” Burlibink shrugged. “That’s clearly not it.”
Shaking his head at the gnome, Jaron stepped into the cave entrance which proved narrower than he would have guessed given Vayvnu’s size. After ten feet or so it turned sharply to the left. Very little light made it this far and Jaron wasn’t about to walk into a dragon’s lair without light. Traps could be anywhere.
“Hey, we need li-” Jaron stopped. Didn’t I gain a new ability, he questioned himself. Why yes, I did. “Never mind,” he said, activating his new ability — draconic eyes.
The cave turned into shades of green and white. Things closer to Jaron glowed brighter, with Burlibink glowing white like an opaque ghost and the background a forest green. Scanning the floor and up to the walls didn’t reveal any interesting or suspicious features. A huge section overhead, perhaps enough for Vayvnu to fit through, opened to a higher level. Jaron examined it carefully, but there didn’t appear to be imminent danger. The stone had been carved out like a window looking down on them. Jaron’s eyes widened. The upper level must be a fighting position to spew acid down on intruders. He shivered at the thought.