Crota
Page 8
Well, Kyran thought, pleased that he had discovered something of value, one piece of armour is better than none. He turned the chitin helm over in his hands, studying it closing. It was made of a glossy black substance, insect carapaces according the game messages, and was untouched by age. He placed it over his head, gathering and pulling his long green hair out the back. It fit snuggly.
You have equipped a chitin helm (light armour). Your total armour has increased from 0 to 2.
He willed his inventory to open. Nothing happened. Puzzled, he tried willing the scavenged items from the floor into his inventory. A message appeared in his mind.
You must be in contact with an item to store it in your inventory.
He tried again, this time placing his hand on the chainmail vest. The item disappeared from his hand.
Item (chainmail vest) stored in your inventory.
He repeated the process with the longsword. It too disappeared. Curious, touched his hand to the helm on his head, and willed it into his inventory. Nothing happened. He unequipped it, held it in his hand and repeated the process, this time it was successfully stored.
It appeared that an item needed to be unequipped and in hand, before it could be stored. Taking the experiment further, he willed the helm to be directly equipped from his inventory, and predictably received a message.
Items stored in the inventory cannot be directly equipped. Items called from the inventory will appear in your hands.
His inventory experiments completed, he re-equipped the helm. With knife in hand, he walked to the portal and attempted to pry out the gems. They would come in handy later. He managed to retrieve eight of the gems, the rest resisted his best efforts. He stowed them away.
Inventory
Storage Capacity: 8.5/200 kg.
Contents:
Rusted steel longsword (1.2 kg).
Rusted darksteel chainmail vest (7 kg).
Rusted steel knife (0.3 kg).
Precious gems (2 x diamond, 3 x sapphire, 1 x emerald, 2 x ruby) (0 kg).
That done, he sat back down and pondered his situation. He had plundered what he could from the room. It was time to move on. He was in a subterranean room which, while it had been a safe haven thus far, contained no food and water. At the thought of food, he felt the first stirrings of hunger. He wondered what time it was and how long he had been in this world. He promptly received a response.
The date is 01 Jul 2603 AB, and the time 13:50.
Good to know, thought Kyran. There were two exits leading from the room – beyond which he did not know what lay. The east exit led to the citadel, which according to the Overseer was occupied by undead. The west, led to the mines, which were infested with beasts and monsters. However, he had no confirmation of either fact, nor had his brief look out of each exit revealed much. So step one, was to gather more information.
He checked his map again, and verified the absence of hostiles in his vicinity. Content that he remained safe, he closed his eyes and scryed the rooms at the end of both exits.
With his eyes closed, he carefully gathered his consciousness, and gently separated it from his mind. Making sure his consciousness remained tethered to his body, he projected it forward, using the player’s map to navigate to the targeted area. With his consciousness hovering over the citadel guardroom, he channelled essence from his spirit and revealed a small area in the middle of the room.
New ability used!
Ability: Basic scrying
Skill: Scrying.
Description: This spell reveals a distant area to the caster. The spell is cancelled if hostiles enters the presence of the caster. Warning: hidden or concealed hostiles are not shown in the revealed area.
Rank: Novice.
Cost: 40 Essence.
Execution time: 60 seconds.
Area of effect: Radius of 1m x skill around target.
Range: Maximum distance of 100m x skill.
Duration: 10 seconds x skill.
You have cast basic scrying. At an effective skill of 0.7, this spell reveals an area of radius 0.7m. The area will remain revealed for 7 seconds (75 XP gained: 150/2000 Civilian XP).
His consciousness returned to his body and he ‘saw’ the revealed area as if it was directly within his line of sight. Over the next seven seconds, he studied the area closely. The mine guardroom was in a similar condition to the portal room, lifeless and barren. He repeated the scrying, moving the focal point to another area of the room, with much the same result. He repeated this again and again, until… he saw two bleached human skeletons, standing upright, and inhumanly still.
He inspected the skeletons intently. Each held a two-handed axe in its grasp. Their bones were bare of flesh, or any form of clothing. Their hollow eye sockets did not suggest an animating presence. Nor was he able to discern any external force, which could be keeping them upright. He tried using insight and received a message.
This ability cannot be used with basic scrying.
He maintained his observation until the spell lapsed, the skeletons held their unnaturally still poise throughout. Even without positive confirmation to the fact, Kyran was willing to bet that those were no ordinary skeletons, but part of the undead menace haunting the citadel.
He recast basic scrying multiple times, and eventually uncovered the entire room. He found four more skeletons, all of which were equipped with axes. He paused for breath and reviewed the game messages.
You have cast basic scrying 10 times (750 XP gained: 825/2000 Civilian XP). Summary Cost: 400 Essence.
400 essence, thought Kyran, troubled. The scrying cost was high, it had used a significant portion of his essence pool. Concerned, he called up his essence status for review.
Essence Overview
Remaining Essence: 630/1200
Maintenance Essence Rate: 80 essence/hour (show hostiles)
Effective Regen. Rate: -44 essence/hour
Kyran was dumbfounded. He had already used half his essence pool and he hadn’t even seen combat yet! Even worse, was the essence regenerate rate. He deactivated show hostiles and checked his regeneration. Even with show hostiles deactivated, it would take more than 15 hours for his essence to regenerate completely! The regeneration rate was so slow, he could effectively consider it zero, at least until he rested and recovered.
From here on, he needed to be circumspect with his essence expenditure. He considered whether he should scry the other guardroom. Yes, he decided. Information was vital, but this time, he would be more conservative, and limit his scrying to no more than three attempts.
On his first attempt, he focused his scrying in the middle of the room. Not finding anything, he tried the far-left corner. Fortune smiled upon him. He found a lone creature scuttling about. Observing it, Kyran immediately thought, Cockroach, it’s a giant roach. The creature – roach – was built low to the ground and lumbered about on six spindly legs. Two long feelers curled forward over the top of its head and weaved before it in a searching pattern. It had no eyes that Kyran could see. Over its abdomen was a massive, stone shell, almost turtle-like. So, not quite a roach then, he thought, but some strange turtle-roach hybrid. The scrying spell ended and the area faded from his mind.
It could be a beast, couldn’t it, he thought, but is it alone? And could he bond it. He didn’t have many choices though. Hunger and thirst were settling in. He needed to move on from the portal room. It was either the giant turtle-roach, or the undead skeletons. He made his choice and prepared for battle.
✽ ✽ ✽
High above, in darkness, the Lich King, Zarr Dwamenkor stirred. Something had awoken him. His eyes fluttered open, and swept penetratingly over the throne room. Empty. The disturbance was elsewhere then. He reached forth with his senses, and searched for the source. He detected the faint remnants of a portal opening. Alarmed, he queried the essence well. It remained sealed. Reassured, he returned his focus to the world portal. He traced the magical signature of the opening back to… the spirit world
. Had the Gods sent another champion? What had made them attempt such foolishness again – after all this time? But no… he did not detect any source of divine essence within the citadel, or its environs.
Perturbed, he intensified his search, but try as he might, he could find no source of divine essence. He kept on a while longer, but uncovered nothing. Defeated, his spark of interest extinguished. As if sensing his weakness, the siren call of sleep intensified. Half-heartedly, he fought it, but the blessed nothingness of sleep called too strongly to his troubled soul. Gradually, he slipped back into slumber, wondering as to the source of the disturbance…
✽ ✽ ✽
First Encounters
Psionics and Magic. This is a fondly contested subject of scholars of these two schools. Which is better? What is each? And are they not actually the same? Over time, multiple theories and explanations have been spawned to address these questions, and more. This much however, is undisputed, and accepted fact: Psionics is of the mind. It draws from the reserves of mental energy (will), and can only act directly upon the mind. By indirect action it can also affect the body and environment. Magic is of both the spirit and the world, and may draw from both. Magic can act directly upon mind, body or world. For this reason, it is the more versatile and favoured of the two disciplines –Sorceress, Lillian Aimes.
Kyran prepared for battle. Considering his lack of gear, this primarily consisted of testing his spells and abilities, and casting his buffs. First, he practiced the teleport (self) ability, to understand its mechanics. He willed his body to dissociate, and propelled it forward through space to the target location, where he coalesced back into being.
New ability used!
Ability: Teleport (self)
Skill: Telekinesis.
Description: This ability teleports the caster to a distant location. Warning: the caster must have direct line of sight to the desired location.
Rank: Base.
Cost: 40 Will.
Execution time: 5 seconds.
Range: Maximum teleport distance of 1m x skill.
You have cast teleport (self). At an effective skill of 2.0 you teleported 2m.
The psi abilities were different from spells. They used psionic pathways between his mind and body, instead of magical pathways from his spirit, and they drew from his will and not essence. The instinctive understanding and knowledge of the ability however was the same. At two metres, the teleport spell wasn’t much of an escape option, but could still be the difference between life and death.
He then activated mind over matter. He willed psi energy from his mind into his body, and created an unbroken circuit of flowing psi through all his extremities. It flowed through his muscle, bone, and skin, strengthening, hardening and toughening.
New ability used!
Ability: Mind over matter
Skill: Body control.
Description: This ability draws on the power of the mind to strengthen the body, increasing all body attributes of the caster.
Rank: Base.
Cost: 80 Will per hour.
Execution time: Instantaneous.
Buff: All body attributes (strength, constitution and dexterity) increased by 1 x skill (may be applied to self only).
Duration: Infinite (activated ability).
You have activated mind over matter. At an effective skill of 2.0 it has increased all body attributes by 2.
Upon this, he stacked barkskin. He summoned his essence forth, and pushed it into his skin, mutating it to a bark-like substance with higher resistance to physical damage.
New ability used!
Ability: Barkskin
Skill: Earth magic.
Description: This spell fortifies the caster’s skin giving him natural armour.
Rank: Base.
Cost: 40 Essence.
Execution time: 5 seconds.
Buff: Natural armour increased by 0.5 x skill (may be applied to self only).
Duration: 10 seconds x skill.
You have cast barkskin. At an effective skill of 2.6 you have gained +1.3 natural armour. Remaining duration 26 seconds.
He followed this with water armour. This time, he used his essence to crystallize water droplets from the surroundings, into a thin layer of ice that encased his body, from head to toe, increasing his protection from physical damage.
New ability used!
Ability: Water armour
Skill: Water magic.
Description: This spell creates a protective layer of physical armour that replaces equipped armour and increases resistance against water-based spells. Warning: the water armour does not stack with equipped armour (the higher of the two armour values is used).
Rank: Base.
Cost: 40 Essence.
Execution time: 5 seconds.
Buff: Physical armour increased by 0.5 x skill and water resistance by 0.5% x skill (may be applied to self only).
Duration: 10 seconds x skill.
You have cast water armour. At an effective skill of 2.6 you have gained +1.3 physical armour and +1.3% water resistance. Remaining duration 26 seconds.
Lastly, he cast blend, manipulating his essence into a shroud that concealed his body, blending it within his surroundings.
New ability used!
Ability: Blend
Skill: Air magic.
Description: This spell camouflages the caster into his surroundings. It is disabled by any hostile actions taken by the caster. The effectiveness of this spell is influenced by the prevailing conditions of the surrounding environment.
Rank: Base.
Cost: 40 Essence.
Execution time: 5 seconds.
Buff: Applies stealth status (may be applied to self only).
Duration: 10 minutes x skill.
You have cast blend. At an effective skill of 2.6, this spell only works when in complete darkness. Based on your current location, you are invisible. Remaining duration 26 minutes.
With the buffs cast, he felt a perceptible improvement to his strength, dexterity and overall health. He mentally called up his profile and reviewed his status.
Profile (Summary)
Name: Kyran Seversan
Race: Elf
Level: 1 / 1
Health: 10 / 10 (base 10)
Attack (Physical/ Psi/ Spell): 0 / 0 / 2.6 (fire)
Defences (Physical/ Psi/ Spell): 1.0 (base 1) / 1 / 1
Shield strength: 0 / 0
Stamina: 480/500
Will: 980/1020
Essence: 470/1200
Active Effects:
Mind over Matter (+2.0 to each body attribute).
Water Armour (+1.3 physical armour), 24 seconds remaining.
Barkskin (+1.3 Natural Armour), 17 seconds remaining.
Blend (invisible), 26 minutes remaining.
Truesight (2.6m), 26 minutes remaining.
He was disappointed by the excessively short duration of the water armour and barkskin spells. At his current skill level, they were worthless as pre-combat buffs. He supposed, that as the skill levelled up, their effectiveness would increase.
He checked himself one last time. Good, he had not forgotten anything. He was unhappily aware, that this would be his first battle – ever. One that he was woefully unprepared for. The forthcoming battle both excited and terrified him. On the one hand, he was green, untried, a rookie. Thrust into a situation beyond his means, and while Kyran trusted in his abilities, he was not so foolish to believe ability alone, ample substitute for experience. So yes, he was terrified. On the other hand, despite stern self-admonishment, he could not help, but feel, a boyish sense of wonder at the thought of going into battle. As much as he tried to suppress it, his sense of excitement and adventure grew as the forthcoming battle approached. Bouncing between terrified and excited is not the way to enter battle, he silently reproached himself.
He tried to settle his jangling nerves. Failing, he accepted the inevitability, and crept towards the mine guardroom in worried anticip
ation.
✽ ✽ ✽
Kyran stood at the west exit of the portal room and peered around the edge, into the corridor. It was still clear. He cautiously entered the corridor. Gong! A mental bell range loudly in Kyran’s mind. Already on edge, he startled in fear, and shrieked, most unbecomingly. Not exactly the behaviour of a budding warrior. He recovered quickly, and peered down the corridor anxiously. His lapse had drawn no reaction. In embarrassed relief, he turned his attention to the game messages flashing in his mind.
You have been tasked with the following quests:
Quest 1: The journey to becoming great.
Objective: Start your journey to becoming a major player of the game. Reach level 10.
Rank: Common (A quest’s rank is an indication of its uniqueness. Invariably a quest’s difficulty scales with its uniqueness).
Reward: 2 skill points.
Quest 2: Escape!
Objective: Escape from the subterranean world of Crota and reach the surface. There are two possible avenues of escape. The first, the most straightforward – and dangerous – is through the citadel. The second, less direct and risky, is through the underground mines and the abandoned dwarven quarter of the city.
Rank: Uncommon.
Reward: 2 ability points.
Quest 3: Be not a pawn.
Objective: Understand the Game better. Find a source of information on the game, and better grasp its mechanics, its players and rules. The two pre-eminent sources of knowledge on the Game are Eld’s Library in Crota and the Great Library in the city of Silenheim.
Rank: Rare.
Reward: 10,000 XP or a rare item of your choice.
Quest 4: Find Eld.
Objective: Find Eld.
Rank: Mythic.
Reward: Unknown.
A new message received has been received.