by Taj McCoy El
“Are you trying to turn away paladins who want to learn? …AGAIN?” His voice boomed, catching the attention of passersby in the square. A black and red aura surrounded John, and Mayah could feel his rising fury like the air had suddenly gotten heavier. Even as her posture drooped under the weight, her eyes went wide wondering what was going to happen next.
“No … no I'm not.” Travisty’s eyes shot from Mayah’s to John’s, pleading. Mayah’s eyes went ice laser cold and he shied from them. “Please John, I just wanted more time at the forge.”
“I told you last time,” he said as he took a step towards Travisty. Travisty took one backwards away from the scary, scary blacksmith, “that I wholeheartedly disapprove of your methods,” John took another step, so did Travisty, “for getting more forge time.” Step. “And what did I tell you would happen,” step, “if it happened again?”
“Please no… don’t ban me…”
“I told you I would ban you and there was one other thing, a thing that follows those who can’t keep their word. I'm a man of my word, Travisty. You, however, are not. You gave me your …OATH,” the power of the word made Travisty jump, “to never try and dissuade any novice from entering my smithy again. But this time you were caught red handed. The punishment is as promised.”
John looked up at the ceiling with arms spread,
“I call the gods of Majesta old and new to mark this one as OATHBREAKER!!!” he roared, leveling a finger at Travisty.
“Wha...what’s…” A toxic, black glow surrounded Travisty. It violently shifted to red and he was forcibly dragged by unseen hands out of the smithy and deposited on the cobbles.
The pressure on her body lifted as he wept and wailed. A symbol of a forked tongue with a knife through it now floated over his head. Every one of the NPCs watching turned away, leaving only paladins to witness and possibly record his shame.
“NOOOOOoooooo…” he wailed. “They’re taking half of my experience gains for a year. Took half of my levels and stat points too.” His hands jerked in the air wildly as he tried to press every button his interface to rescind his past actions.
“This is all your fault,” he spat at Fluff. “I'll remember you," he roared through angry tears. “I'm gonna beat you until you have to reroll your avatar.”
“You think a Hanzo Main like you can dice me?” She tsk’ed him loudly and stepped forward, activating Happiness. “If you want some of this, I'll meet you at the practice field at 8 o'clock and we’ll find someplace quiet to bury you.”
A Duel has been offered
In training villages, there is no way to fight a player except by a consensual duel. Contestants may fight to their very last health point. The village itself will not let you die, but whoever reaches 1HP first loses and the other is declared the winner.
Travisty Ironfist has accepted your Duel
You are now allowed to duel at 8pm today on the training field.
“I’ll see you at eight,” he growled through clenched teeth.
“And then you’ll see stars. How about an oath to make sure you show up?” There were some “oohs” from the gathering crowd making him finally notice his surroundings. This just added salt, lemon, and iodine to his wounds. Infuriated, he made a gesture with his hand that the parental filter pixelated.
She laughed at him and the crowd joined in with muted chuckles. Someone yelled, “Noob!!!”
Travisty did the only thing left for him to do, he stormed off.
“Well, that’s enemy number one, I guess.” Unfortunately, being good in a game meant that you would have rivals and enemies who despised your very existence. Mayah never searched these people out, but they always seemed to find her.
She looked at John. “Sorry for the disturbance.”
“If there was any disturbance, he was the cause of it.” John waved off her apology. “I told him in no uncertain terms, mind you, that I have to attempt to train any paladin who comes through those doors. It’s in my charter with the village. Training paladins is literally my job.”
He turned to look around the smithy, the press of bodies running to and fro softening his anger. He sighed deeply and motioned to the congestion, “With the limited number of forges and anvils it’s gotten a little crowded in here recently. Travisty wanted to spend more time here. Not that I blame him, but you just can’t sacrifice someone’s chance before they even try. He got caught at it, and I gave him a very stern talking to.”
He walked towards the back of the smithy where a large forge was glowing in the darkness. “The fool even swore an oath never do it again lest he be banned from the smithy. Who does that? Takes an oath just to break it?”
He grabbed his hammer from the anvil and shook his head in disbelief. “It's madness!!! I can’t have one bad apple keeping the other apples out of the barrel.” He snorted at his terrible joke.
With a side glance, John’s eye met hers. “Other than that, it’s great to see you, Fluff. What news do you have for me?”
“I’ve got my runebook.” She pulled it out. “And I’ve also got my Blacksmithing trade."
John nodded.
“Along with Engraving, Leatherworking, Mining, Mechanic and a bunch of other trades as well.”
‘Well color me impressed. You don’t mess around, do you?”
“Not when there are lives at stake.” She thought about her current situation and how she had to leave it to hands other than hers for now. She shook off that line of thinking.
“Has anyone assembled the full language outside of the Hall of Runes?” She asked in between a round of John’s hammering.
“Aren’t you quick on the uptake! There is one sect who has assembled most of the runes that exist in Majesta, but new runes started to appear along with the paladins. Now they’re scrambling looking for these new runes. If you’d like to find them, I might be able to help.”
“That sounds awesome,” she responded.
Quest offered
Language of the land 1
Rank: D (Common)
Get the pertinent information about the secretive sect of runists from John Maam before leaving the training village at level 10.
Rewards: ???
Failure: Failing to retrieve the information before leaving the village.
Do you accept?
Y/N?
Language of the land 1? It’s my first quest chain. Woot Woot!!!
“Make sure you see me before you get to level 10 and we’ll set you square.”
He eyed her like a piece of meat. “So, are you gonna tell me what runes you got?”
“Of course. But after that I'm gonna need you to make me a list of things I'm going to need so I can make a supply run.” Mayah informed him.
“Deal.”
…..
4.2 Acid, Spike, Shield, Doom
Leaving the magical and general supply store, she actually felt the weight of her bag for the first time. It was one thing to feel a few pounds of fabric and bobbins, but this was a monstrous haul. It was actually affecting her stamina with a small, almost unnoticeable drain. She literally had over 500 pounds of equipment in her bag. Of course, she only felt 50 of it, but it was a reminder that her strength wasn’t as high as she would like it. In this game, you could build a wizard with enormous strength or a barbarian with awesome magical powers, but each would still have to manage the delicate balances of their mana, stamina, and strength pools to avoid being a glass cannon or a stonewall. Not to mention most paladins didn’t know about Adamant or Wellspring
More stamina than strength and you would be able to dance around but not be able to deal enough DPs to finish the battle. Too much strength and not enough stamina and your power would run out, leaving you defenseless. She played with the possibility of turning mana into strength for an added bit of power when she needed it. She would have to talk to Jensen about it. She was due for training tonight anyway.
She picked up everything she would need to work in the smithy. She was planning to spend
all of the next day there. She needed to find out how to use her runes. Could they be added to anything? She also picked up an alchemist’s set and was hoping to get some use out it soon. Along with engraver's tools, a mechanic’s set, a pickaxe and other mining implements, a flint and strikers, several torches, knitting needles, fishing lures, lines and baits, several maps and calligraphy quills, an axe for felling wood, a whetstone for keeping her various implements sharp and repairing durability were also to be found in her haul. She bought every kind of medical and healer’s gear she could find and found out that healing potions existed but they weren't sold in the training village which made her a bit frustrated. But none of this was as much of a thrill to her as her new, great hammer.
At John's insistence, her next stop had been the armorer’s. He said she needed a better weapon for her duel. She picked out a two-handed great hammer with a head that tapered down towards five inch square faces concentrating the energy of the dense iron mass that would be delivered with each blow. It weighed in at about 35 lbs. and was strapped to her back because she thought it looked cool. And it did. The fact that she could walk down the street with it and not trigger an Encumbered status spoke to her level of strength. She also liked it because it covered her back like a turtle shell. It also dealt 17DPs with every strike. Couple that with Crushing Blow, and the effects would be legendary. It wouldn’t be her primary weapon, yet. She hadn’t had any time to practice with it. But, for now its purpose was intimidation, protection, and back up.
She needed to find a place to practice her new runes away from prying eyes. She needed to know what she was dealing with and she needed to inform Jensen of the duel at eight o’clock.
Practice first and then Jensen, she decided. She still had a few hours before he closed. Why make him worry for all that time? She went back to the park and walked through, not seeing anyone nearby. She unslung her new battle hammer and sat cross-legged on the ground. She pulled out her runebook and studied each rune.
Summon (S) - you have been given the ability to summon shadow creatures. These shadow creatures or phantoms will perform any task that you order them too. The shadow creature’s level and HP can be no higher than double that of the summoner’s power. The higher the creature’s original level, the higher the mana cost to the summoner. This summoned creature will be stronger in the shadows and weaker in bright light.
Once summoned the Shadow creature can stay in game for 1 hour or until killed. After 1 hour or death your shadow creature must return to the shadow void for 8 hours to reconstitute. At higher levels the duration of summon will increase and the duration of reconstitution will decrease
You have bound a Shadow Vergax - It is a fiercely territorial pack hunter whose attacks can maim and dismember. It is cunning and can ambush or herd its prey. Its primary weapons are teeth and claws for biting and slashing damage. Secondary weapons include roar for a debuff to an enemy’s stamina regeneration. May cause disorientation to occur in higher levels.
Summon (S)
Shadow Vergax (S)
Level: 14 (150 ) Summoner's level x2
HP: 542 ( 5,807)
Attack: 10-25 (107-268) DP
Cooldown: 8 hours
Mana cost: 150 MP
Whoa… I can totally use this as my tank for now. It had the attack capabilities, speed, and maneuverability that battle strategist would pray for. This Shadow Vergax was a beast, literally and figuratively. She was about to cast the rune when she realized that if she cast it now then she wouldn’t be able to use it in her duel. Better save that for last.
She looked back to the pages before her.
Shield (F) - this barrier will randomly reflect up to 10% of physical damage with fire damage returning to the attacker. Water spells negate the reflection of damage upon the attacker. Shield (F) total HP is equivalent to 40% of your HP. Total HP%, range, and damage reflection will rise in further levels. Mana cost and cooldown will drop with each level added. Diameter of shield will increase in higher levels. Duration of shield will rise with each level.
Shield (F)
Level 1
HP: 108
Reflect: 0-10%
Range: 1 foot from your body in all directions
Mana cost: 150mp
Duration: 3 minutes
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Okay, let’s try it out. A fiery glow covered her body as she drew the rune in the air. It shimmered and sparkled out from her body as she moved. The aura made her think of a fat, bathroom sign character. A countdown timer popped up in the bottom left corner and was counting down the minutes she had remaining. The price was a little steep but it would come in handy in a clinch. She picked up her new war hammer and the shield extended around it as well. This would mean she could have 108 extra hit points and reflect 10% more damage to her enemy with every blow. She decided to keep triggering it as soon as possible. I gotta level this up, and quick.
Acid was next on the page.
Acid (D) - Throw a blob of acid at your opponent. Causes damage over time (DOT) and can slow enemy regeneration speeds and durability of armor. The strength and length of time of acid’s damage will increase at higher levels. Cooldown will decrease at higher levels. Mana cost will decline at higher levels.
Acid (D)
Level: 1
DP: 5 damage per second (DPS) over 20 seconds
Mana cost: 150MP
Cooldown: 3 minutes
She drew the rune in the air and toxic-looking green blob formed in her hand. She tossed it at the ground a few feet in front of her. The blob landed with a splat and started to sizzle and smoke, quickly evaporating into nothing at the end of 20 seconds. There was nothing left but a small smoking crater about seven inches wide and an inch deep where it landed. Gotta make sure I don't get this on myself. Pain buffers or not, that would hurt. Continuing on…
Spike (W) - A spike of ice will grow through the target slowing movement and health regeneration causing damage over time (DOT). The strength and length of time of spike’s damage will increase at higher levels. Cooldown will decrease at higher levels. Mana cost will decline at higher levels.
Spike (W)
Level: 1
DP: 3 damage per second (DPS) over 20 seconds and lowering target's speed by 5% for 40 seconds.
Mana cost: 100MP
Cooldown: 3 minutes
She cast Spike (W) and a ball of energy as white as snow formed in her hand. Tiny ice crystals falling towards the ground. She studied it for a moment, selected her target, and threw it against a tree. She was rewarded as inch-deep ice rimed over its surface and a small spike of ice extended out of its back side. The timer on her shield was almost out. She would have to practice for a few hours to get the hang of these new skills before her first battle tonight. She figured out the best way to cycle her attacks to keep her mana low.
Might as well train while I train so I can train while I train, she laughed and got down to business. Fire, spike, Acid (D), Whack-A-Vole, spike, Acid (D) and then back to fire over and over again.
…..
Around 5 o'clock she got a message from Margaret.
Margaret.Crenshaw@MajestaWeb 16:57 MJT - Hey Fluff, I'm back in game. Where are you?
Princess.Cuddle.Fluff@MajestaWeb 17:01 MJT - I’m in the park. I'll send you my coordinates. Come on over. You do know how to use your map, don’t you?
Margaret.Crenshaw@MajestaWeb 17:04 MJT - I just figured it out. See you in a few minutes.
Mayah threw another two rounds of runes before she heard Margaret come up behind her. She had gotten tangled up in some in some low branches. “Hey, grandma, don’t break a hip over there.”
Margaret shot Mayah daggers as she wrenched herself free of the vegetation.
“Hush your face, young lady.” Then her pursed lips broke into a smile.
“It’s good to see you back.” Mayah ran over and gave her a big hug.
“Not... so hard. My, aren’t you strong? Wh-oof,” she said taking a deep breath.
/>
“It’s just game mechanics,” she said flexing a bicep. “It’s really good to see you came back.”
“I was on the wire for a bit. But if I get to play with my grand-babies like we did the other day, it’ll be well worth it.”
“Just so you know, today's is gonna be kinda busy. Jensen, Grax, and I are gonna train later. You should join us. That’s more of an order than a suggestion, by the way. If you’re having trouble in the beginner’s village, just imagine what’s outside. You’re gonna need to get stronger.”
“Yes, I imagine so. What do you have planned?”
“We’ll meet Jensen around six and go get dinner. After that I have a duel at eight. I was just gonna practice till then. Also, I picked up about 30 trades so I can do my best to master them. I got everything from blacksmithing all the way down to mining. Maybe you can pick up a couple and start making some money in-game.”
“Money? In-game?”
Mayah facepalmed at the ultra-noob level naiveté.
“How else are you gonna feed your character and pay for better gear?”
“Hmmm… I never thought about that.”
“Well that makes sense, since you’re a noob.”
“Why do you keep calling me a noob?”
“It’s short for newbie, a new player.”
“Well aren’t you a noob?” Margaret derided.
“In THIS game. But I have a ton of experience playing others, and I can tell you don’t. I'm doing the only responsible thing,” Mayah said, placing her fists on her hips, “and taking you under my wing.”
“Oh…” Margaret said a bit pensively.
“So, trades are where the steady flow of in-game money comes from. They have all types of work. What did you do IRL?”
