She Demon

by A P Gore

  Noah touched the core and felt a divine feeling. The crystal once again glowed with a golden color and threw another stream of golden rays out of it. The rays fell on his hand, and he instantly gained +2 to all his stats for the next ten hours. Too bad he would be stuck in the respawn room for most of that time. He could have used it to do something good in the town. Damn!

  A gold notification popped up.

  Congratulations! You have created a unique spellgem.

  Unique Spellgem of Multiplication

  Required level: 7

  Add to a spell to turn it into deathly balls of radiance.

  Effect added: Spell generates ten extra projectiles. All of them revolve around one large projectile at the middle.

  -3 to level requirement.

  Charges required: Ten charges required to cast the unique spell. One charge is gained every one hour.

  Experience gained: 2000 for creation of a unique item.

  “Woohoo.” He jumped out of his chair, stumbling and fumbling as realization set in. He just got a unique item, and his experience jumped to 12760, just 300 points shy from fifth level. The zombies were practically in the door frame.

  “Good for you. I see my presence has increased your chance stat, and you gained a unique item.” Sumara pulled him out of his thoughts. “That’s a low-level unique, but it’s a spellgem. If you add it to any of your spells, you will gain a special effect. Use it wisely and you may kill the orc yourself next time.” The goddess winked and vanished, leaving the empty coffee cups behind.

  Noah kept staring at the spellgem until his eyes grew tired. Then he went online, checking the forums on spellgem usage. A few more topics were unlocked, and one of them was about spellgems.

  There were different types of spellgems available in BlackFlame Online.

  A spellgem was basically a monster core that could be used to modify a spell.

  Range Modifier: Allow modifying the spell range or multiplication. Spellgem slot opens at level 10.

  There was an example for a fireball spell, a fork spellgem that would split the fireball in two or more balls depending on the spellgem level and any special properties. So, if he was thinking correctly, the fork spellgem could turn his poison orb into five. His unique spellgem was a range modifier type. For melee attackers, these spellgems added extra slashes, or arrows for rangers. It was an awesome type of modification the game offered.

  Damage Modifiers: Allow modifying the spell damage. Spellgem slot opens at level 20.

  Attack Modifiers: Allow modifying the spell attack speed. Spellgem slot opens at level 30.

  Custom Modifiers: Allow modifying custom types of properties to the spell. Spellgem slot opens at level 50.

  This was an interesting category – custom modifiers - which contained various levels of mana/spirit/leech type crystals, allowing the user’s spell or attack to leech resources from his opponent. That was the only example, and he guessed it would have more types of spellgems available.

  There was one more category called Creature Modifiers, but it was locked for him.

  There wasn’t enough information. He needed more. He had created something groundbreaking, and his itching wouldn’t stop until he used it. He searched the wiki and found some information in a user guide.

  Every character could use three different spellgems for each spell, based on available slots, and unique powers he or she had. Every ten levels, a new slot would open and was capped at 3. Based on the character’s level, he could use different types of spellgem from the type he wanted. So, at level ten he could use tier 1 spellgems, which again had three sub-tiers for the rarity. At level twenty, he could use tier 2 spellgems and so on.

  It was still confusing, so he studied the example given in the wiki. They gave an example of the multiplier crystal type for three tiers.

  Tier 1 multiplier uncommon spellgem added 2 extra projectiles.

  Tier 2 multiplier uncommon spellgem added 3 extra projectiles.

  Tier 3 multiplier uncommon spellgem added 4 extra projectiles.

  There wasn’t anything about the rare tier 1 spellgems or unique tier 1 spellgems.

  Now he at least knew what a tier 1 unique spellgem could do. It added ten projectiles and made the spell super strong but came with its own limitations.

  He checked his only ranged spell, Poison Orb. It had a plus button by it now, but it was grayed out. So, he would have to be level seven to use the unique spellgem. And who knows what new spells he would be getting at level seven. He would wait as long as he could to use his unique spellgem.

  10. Zombies

  The night was up, and shadows danced around the dark alleys, but they weren’t singing a scary song. Instead, it was a song of the morning to come. A song of zombies. Noah kicked a stone with his fur boots as he walked out of the respawn room. He swirled around a shadow, doing a dance step he had learned in his academy days, singing a tune long thought forgotten. He was one step closer to his goal of becoming a badass Zombimancer. While he slept in the respawn room, he dreamed of leading an army to the demon town and delivering it on a platter to the human king. One act of heroism should send earn their utmost respect.

  His good mood reached new heights when Mathial handed him the copper - II level monster crystal the orc dropped. He kissed the crystal, mentally thanking Rihala. She hadn’t betrayed him. Mathial told him how confused and frightened she’d been after Noah disappeared, giving her a nasty debuff. But she was happy when she heard he would be coming back and gave the crystal to Mathial. She would have handed it off herself, but she couldn’t enter the town and risk acquiring the curse. She was logical and coherent. Understood.

  Thia, his virtual daughter, added to his joy-filled heart by charging at him with newfound energy. She jumped on his chest, licking his face and pulling his nose and ears. Seeing her all fired up and lively tripled his joy. The girl was amazing. She never shied away from showing her emotions. Maybe he could learn something from her, something he should have learned forty years ago when his real daughter needed him the most. He’d acted like an ass, and it ate his heart out when he went over his memories again.

  “Daddy. Back.” Thia sputtered in the most innocent voice he’d heard all day.

  “Yes, sweetie. Daddy is back and brought a nice hot tea for you.” Noah lifted the small smoking cup he had brought with him while coming upstairs, but he had kept it down when he saw the little demon charging at him.

  Mathial was going to teach him how to make tea after the bar was closed. Noah was looking forward to it. After Thia finished her tea, he went downstairs. Mathial was still across the counter, serving drinks to the few remaining demons. Noah grabbed a chair for himself. Sitting cross legged, he listened to the chatter the demons were having among themselves. They were discussing the merchant and the stuff he’d brought this week. A few minutes passed and, one after another, the demons departed the inn, leaving a welcome silence behind. The night outside was already pitch black, but demons had an innate ability to see in the darkness. It was called dark vision—something Noah would love to have some day.

  When the last demon left, Mathial busied himself with cleaning up the dust and trash the demons had left behind. They were the same as humans, making and leaving junk behind for others to clean. Noah wondered if even monsters had a society to rely upon. Demons were essentially humans with tails and horns and nasty hatred toward humans. He supposed humans in the real world acted the same, hating every other religion, race, planet, and so on.

  Demons had a culture. They enjoyed socializing. They set up villages, towns, and capitals. They had a demon king, and so on… And after almost a month in town, he had started enjoying being around them. Maybe it was because of Thia and the others he’d gotten to know. Or maybe it was because of the new female he’d met today. The thought of her and the sensation of her flattened breasts against his torso still gave him goosebumps.

  He shoved the thought away and entered the kitchen to see Roderich pouring herbs i
nto a cooking pot.

  A gust of cold surprised him, reminding him of the cold lab he used to store many specimens. He needed to use a fur coat to enter that lab.

  “High Mage Roderich. What are you doing here?”

  “I work here part time. Who do you think cooked all that tasty food for you and the inn’s other customers?” Roderich said with a crooked brow.

  Noah stood there, staring at Roderich, dumbfounded. “Part time work?”

  “Yes.” His voice turned into a bare whisper. “The town’s economy suffered a great loss after an incident a hundred years ago. Everyone works except the head demon and high priest. We have to, or else how would we feed ourselves? The inn is one of the few remaining paid jobs available.”

  “What about the other demons?” Noah asked.

  “They go out to a nearby demon town, Erith, and work in farms outside the walls. That’s the only job they can get. It doesn’t pay in gold, but they earn enough for an evening ale and snacks. It’s a tragedy of the town my friend, but you don’t have to worry too much. I’ve heard human towns treat travelers with a lot more respect, and even if you don’t get fed for few days what’s the worst that can happen? Death is not an end for you.” Roderich broke a few leaves and mixed them in the boiling liquid in the pot.

  The crackling yellow-black flames heating the pot gave Noah a new perspective. Though Roderich thought it had collapsed, the demons had a system, something he would love to know about.

  But the sadness in Roderich’s words infected Noah’s heart. Whatever had happened a hundred years back had destroyed the town economy, and there were signs everywhere, he just ignored them. “I’m sorry, High Mage. I hope your town will get out of this curse soon.” Noah sighed. The game had shown him another side of reality he had forgotten: his dad’s struggle to keep his family afloat and fund Noah’s education in the expensive mage academy. And what Noah did Noah do? He sold off the farm after his father died and never returned to the planet he grew up on. He forgot his past for the lavish perks he got from the Laxania job.

  A heavenly aroma emerged from the mixture Roderich was stirring. The mixture smelled like the masala tea Noah loved, but right now it only saddened him further. His dad too loved tea, and he hadn’t even been there when his dad was in the hospital, counting his last breaths.

  “Have you selected the second profession as cooking?” Roderich pulled Noah out of his thoughts.

  “No. I only have herbalism,” Noah said, forgetting he also had enchanter set as his profession.

  “Okay, good. Keep stirring this, and you shall learn the profession.” Roderich handed him a large tattered wooden spoon.

  Noah stared inside the huge metal pot. Water and lots of herbs were boiling inside it, and they smelled like tea. He filled his lungs with the fragrance of tea before stirring the mix.

  He stared at the brown liquid substance he stirred. After forty minutes, the liquid turned into something that looked thick and substantial, and after ninety more minutes it turned semi-solid. Stirring became harder as time passed, and after another thirty minutes he was using both of his hands to stir the solid stuff. It smelled so good that it infused energy into Noah’s hands, and he also used his spirit strengthening ability to keep going. The smell made his mouth water, and he had to hold back the urge to take a sip of the brown stuff.

  A notification popped up after two hours of stirring.

  Congratulations! Stirring mindlessly has its benefits. +1 cooking. *ERROR* Third profession detected. *ERROR* overruled by the divine quest. +1 to cooking.

  Wow! He had +2 to cooking already, and that too as a third profession. He stared at the ceiling. “Thank you, goddess. You just got yourself four more coffee cups when we meet next time.”

  You better make it five. - Sumara.

  “Why are you smiling and talking to yourself?” Roderich walked in from another room, coughing and wiping his hands on an apron-like cloth wrapped around his waist. He smelled of smoking chicken. “It looks tasty. Did you get the skill notification?” he asked.

  “Yes, +2 to cooking actually,” Noah replied, pride leaking into his voice.

  “Good. I’m surprised to see someone taking herbalism and cooking together. People are behind other professions most of the time, like enhancer, potion mastery, and so on. But it’s good to find a student. Now try to identify the substance. You should get a name.”

  Noah glanced at the pot and a new property popped up next to it.

  Herbal Pudding.

  “Good going, human. We’ll learn about the tea making process tomorrow.” Mathial patted his back, coming from the main hall. “Now, shoo! Out of my kitchen, I’ve got some work to do.” Mathial pulled him away from the pot and literally threw him out of the kitchen. But before leaving the kitchen, Noah tossed the crystal he’d received from Rihala to Roderich. He needed it for the second antidote.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Noah killed the sixth rat to gain the required experience for level five. A light shined on him from the heavens and charged all of his senses with ecstasy. He opened the level up notification and stared at it for a few minutes.

  Congratulations! You have learned Curse of Pain: You can curse an opponent to increase the physical pain he is feeling. Spirit cost 40. Target feels 10% more pain. -10% to target’s physical resistance.

  Congratulations! You have unlocked a new class: Necromancer. You can choose the school of specialization.

  Zombiemancer: Raise an undead army to fight by you. Can raise zombies, zombie mages and so on.

  Skelimancer: Raise skeletons to fight by you. Can raise skeletons, skelimages and so on.

  This was strange. Zombiemancer was the class he had selected, but somehow the game was giving him an option. He didn’t like skeletons, but he wasn’t familiar with zombies either. According to the guides he’d read initially, zombies were better than skeletons.

  Noah tried to remember what he had read about the class, but he didn’t recall anything useful.

  With a leap of faith, he chose Zombimancer.

  Congratulations! New class set. Zombiemancer. Select your first spell by investing a point in it.

  Spell available: Raise Zombie: Raise an undead from a corpse. Raise one zombie per level in the skill. Max cap 20. Zombies can use simple melee attacks. Requires a corpse.

  Zombie life: 100 (+20/level). Zombie damage: 5 (+5/level). Zombie time: 20 minutes (+10/level)

  He spent one of the available skill points to enable the skill, followed by three more, lowering his available points to 5 but pushing his zombies to level 4. He then put 2 stat points in strength and 1 stat point in wisdom. He wanted to push his strength before going all out in wisdom. He opened his character sheet with a bright smile on his face.

  Name : Noah

  Class : Cursemancer

  Second Class : Zombiemancer

  Level : 5

  Stats

  Strength 14

  Dexterity 8

  Constitution 15

  Wisdom 31

  Intelligence7

  Charisma 6

  Chance 5

  Health: 450/450

  Stamina: 260(7.25/sec)

  Spirit: 310(14.61/sec)

  Mana 70(5.49/sec)

  Skills

  Poison Shield (Level 4): Absorb 40 damage. Maintenance cost: 6 spirit/sec. Skill Progression: 10%

  Poison Orb (Level 5): Damage 32.5. Require 25 spirit per cast. Skill Progression: 60%

  Curse of Fire Ball (Level 1): Damage 65. Requires 100 spirit per cast. Skill Progression: 60% Charges: 23/50

  Spirit Cycling (Level 8)

  Micro Spirit Cycling (Level 1)

  Spirit strengthening (Level 1)

  Spirit Run (Level 1)

  Raise Zombie (Level 4): Raise 4 zombies simultaneously.

  Herbalism (Level 4)

  Cooking (Level 2)

  Current Experience: 13010/19000

  11. Collar

  Noah picked up his pace when he spotted rubber
trees. The air was hot today, a welcome change from the rain and thunderstorms that visited the town of Sumara like the daily customers of Blacksmith’s Inn. Thia had been sleeping peacefully in their room when he headed out with the first ray of morning sunlight—after having a smoking hot cup of Mathial’s tea. Satisfyingly good tea.

  Sweat formed inside his leather armor. His gray starter shirt was glued to his skin, which had started itching half an hour ago. For a moment, he’d thought about taking off his leather armor and shirt and walking naked instead, but fear of the hooded demon, always lurking at the back of his mind, kept him from it.

  As he approached the expansion site, he encountered a strange animal; it looked like a monkey but had no fur on its body. The animal reminded him of a lesson from his academy days: the evolution of homo sapiens. It was hard back then to believe the mighty humans evolved from a lowly animal like a monkey, but it had been scientifically proven. Now, seeing an ancestor running through the trees made him feel good for some reason.

  Noah stopped when a pop-up appeared in his vision. He had set all pop-ups related to expansion site on SHOW mode. He glanced at the time and his dirty shoes. The road to the expansion site wasn’t an easy one. He’d had to cross a muddy path, and there was no escaping it since moving through the dark, dense forest of trees that surrounded the path wasn’t an option. There was no end to the muddy path, or if there was one it was far off down the road.

  The white stones he had placed at the boundary of the expansion site were still there, undisturbed. He passed the boundary, and all the chirping of the birds stopped. The world went utterly silent, like someone had installed a soundproof wall around the expansion site. Noah stepped outside the boundary, and the birdsong resumed.