Opening the Runecraft Interface, I discovered the armor had two sets of different colored dots that represented its innate properties; about 30 brown for durability, and over a hundred blue dots for magic resistance. I started threading the runic lines through as many dots as possible.
After a quarter-hour, I realized that aiming to reach all the points would take too long, so I settled for reaching half of them. Being able to skip some greatly decreased the time it took me to connect the other dots. The result increased both spell resistance and durability by a mere 50 percent but also cut down the enchanting time to about an hour. With the help of the Enchanter’s Gem, I then replicated the process, inscribing the enchantment on the rest of the suits. My Lucky Bastard skill triggered again, doubling the magic reflection chance of one of the suits.
Next came the hundreds of weapons and armor meant for my army. I worked like a machine, slapping in predefined enchantments, using the gem’s power to duplicate the effect, then moving to the next set of items. The soldiers’ gear was of decent quality, but most items couldn’t bear more than one or two runes, so the enchantments were relatively simple. But even a simple enchantment multiplied by several hundred had a significant impact.
Hours later, I was roused from my work. I’d been fully consumed by the vast amount of enchantments I’d done, so it took me several moments to reorient. I blinked at the sight of the large pile of items scattered all over the floor and at my mana bar, which was nearly empty. Even my prodigious mana regeneration rate was strained to its limit with the amount of magic I’d channeled.
“Chief?” a voice said.
I turned and faced Julee, the young red-skinned female player who had joined the goblin raid. “Ye– … yes?” I asked, trying to recall when she had entered the building.
She smiled at me, and I could see all her teeth were pointed. “Cron asked me to fetch you. He’s at the Research Center.”
“Cron?” I was still feeling a little out of it and tried to remember if I’d heard that name before.
“He’s a half-dwarf fighter. He’s one of those who came out of the hole with you to attack the kobolds,” she clarified with a pleasant smile. “He messaged you a couple of times, but you didn’t respond so he sent me.”
“Ah, I remember him now.” A glance at my interface revealed two unread messages. I was probably so engrossed in work that I’d missed them. ”Um … what does he want?”
“He’d finished something he was working on and wanted to show it to you.”
“Oh, already?” I brightened up at the thought. I looked at Hoker. “Think you can handle the rest on your own?”
He nodded. “I’m humbled by your dedication and enchanting prowess, Dire Totem. I will work diligently to live up to your example.”
“Good.” I turned to Julee. “Let’s go.”
We cut through the mushroom field to the other side of the valley where the science facility was located. The building was easily the size of a gymnasium, and its large double doors opened into a massive hall. There were several floors of balconies above us. Modern-looking furniture and light fixtures decorated the room, and I even spotted an LED screen displaying a complex graph. It was surreal, as though reality was being injected into the game.
“Over here.” Julee led me to one of the many doors that lined the hall.
It opened into a fully-fledged, modern biology lab. A long table held rows of vacuum tubes, burners, and various tools. A burly half-dwarf wearing a lab coat turned to us as we entered. “Ah, Chief – good. My research is done.”
I was taken aback by his directness. “Err … good, so … what were you studying?”
“I was looking into the molecular structure of porcupine tissue as it was being treated with certain chemicals.”
It was weird hearing a dwarf that looked like the type more inclined to eat porcupine tissue – uncooked – than to study it. It was easy to forget that behind every player’s character was a real person.
He pointed to a blackboard containing a diagram that looked like a 3D molecule. “I found that enhancing the myosin protein with an r4–”
I held up my hand to make him stop. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any clue what you’re talking about. I just need to know what you found.”
“Oh.” His face fell. “Well, just take the diagram then. That’s the conclusion.”
“Alright.” I stared at the picture for a second. “So … how does this work?”
He shrugged. “Hell if I know. I just know we handed all our findings to the kobolds, and they used them somehow.”
Vic? I asked hopefully.
He sighed theatrically in my mind.
Blissfully relaxing on a tropical island?
So can you help?
I’d rather you don’t trim my options, I said. Just show me what you got.
If x
opt(if t<1 return 3; opt(t-1))
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?
The notification scrolled on and on, seemingly without end.
“What the hell?” I asked faintly.
Julee and Cron gave me a weird look when I spoke out loud.
Including the woodchuck part?
Go ahead.
The notification shimmered then realigned itself.
Research Value: Minor
Select a reward:
Efficiency increased by 10 for 10 days.
+50% chance the next summoned creature will receive a rare bloodline.
Population growth speed +2% for two weeks.
Upkeep reduced by 50% for a week.
It seemed that Cron’s discovery wasn’t as earth-shattering as he’d thought. Still, the bonuses offered were decent, and they weren’t things that could typically be gained by other means.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the second option. Both Kaedric and Bargush, the four-armed builder, were of rare bloodlines, and their contribution to the clan was massive compared to their normal peers. Still, losing my last luck check made me hesitant to risk wasting an opportunity. Instead, I found myself favoring the last reward. Normally, I’d never go with such a short duration bonus, but reducing the upkeep now would be incredibly helpful. Instead of supplying my troops with enough food for the coming march, I’d be able to use half that amount to summon even more troops.
I’ll go with the upkeep reduction option, I told my companion.
Vic said. The notification blinked away.
That’s it?
“Thank you,” I told the two waiting players.
Cron frowned. “That’s it?”
“That’s it. Your research just helped improve the strength of our army and increased our chance of victory.”
“That’s good to hear,” Julee said. “I wasn’t looking forward to leading my squad into a probable death.”
I looked at her thin frame. “Oh? How come I didn’t see you train with the rest of the player squads?”
She grimaced. “That’s because the last three days I’ve pretty much lived in the sewers, hunting giant mutated gophers to train up your so
ldiers.”
“Oh. Sorry about that,” I said.
She smiled at me easily. “Don’t worry, I know it’s for our benefit. The exercise let us get a feel for how to fight together as a group. We all got to level 7, and I barely got hurt. We’re ready to follow you into battle, Chief.”
“We’ll all need to work and fight together to make this work.”
“We’re ready, Chief,” Cron said. “I can’t tell you how good it is to finally do something to improve our situation instead of cowering underground.”
“We’ll make it out of here together,” I promised them. “With us players joining forces, I don’t see anything that can stand in our way. We’ll force NEO to bend to our will.”
“Hell, yeah!” Cron cheered. “I like the sound of that.”
I grinned at him. “Will you tell the others to be ready for tomorrow?”
“So tomorrow we march?” Julee asked.
I nodded. “Tomorrow we march.”
Interlude: Novenguard
The two guards were sharing a big plate of bacon.
“Dibs on the last piece,” Charles said as bits of grizzled meat stuck to his beard.
“No fair,” said Dean, leaning in over his fat belly. “You got half a dozen over me.”
Charles shrugged. “Eat your bacon faster next time. The dibs stand.”
“Fine, whatever.” Dean watched gloomily as his friend crunched down the last greasy morsel. “Hey, did you hear about the traveler that arrived in town a day ago?”
“You mean that crazy zealot who wouldn’t shut up about the god of light or whatnot?”
“That’s the one.”
“You think he’s here for that traveler woman in prison?”
“I don’t think so. Apparently, he calls himself the Agent of Light, and he came all the way here to fight monsters from the Badlands.” Dean distractedly rubbed his greasy hands over his leather tunic. “He must be out of his mind like the other one. I heard all sane travelers are too afraid to adventure these days; something about the pain getting too real for them, and that guy is out looking for it.”
“I caught him rambling on in the town square yesterday. Something about fighting for the light, and that he’s here to get all the creatures of darkness.”
“He’ll get himself killed bad, that’s what he’ll get.”
Charles stood up. “Our shift has started; we should go do our rounds.”
Dean looked forlornly at the empty plate of bacon. “Yea, alright.”
The two guards equipped their hauberks and grabbed their spears. They left the barracks and walked into the streets of Novenguard.
“Morning, Marry,” Charles greeted a plump woman setting up her vegetable stall.
“Hello, Charles, Dean,” the woman greeted them with a smile. She sniffed once. “Been hogging the bacon again? How about a nice piece of radish? For the sake of diversity, if nothing else.”
“Thanks, Marry,” Dean said, patting his stomach. “But I’m pretty full.”
She shook her head. “You two are going to get a heart attack at this rate. All that greasy food is really bad for you.”
“Don’t worry, we exercise regularly. Killing monsters spilling out of the Badlands is a lot of work.” Charles gave her a toothy grin.
She frowned. “You boys take care now. I don’t want to hear you got yourselves killed because you tried taking down a giant on your own.” Her eyes sparkled with magical energy.
“Yes ma’am,” Charles said. “It’s strictly Ogre-size or lower for us lowly grunts.”
She scoffed. “Don’t give me that sass, boy. I still remember you as a recruit cadet who trembled at the sight of his first goblin.”
The bearded guy chuckled. “That was almost a decade ago. Don’t worry about us, Marry. Besides, as long as we’ve got the captain, we’ll be alright.”
Marry’s creases smoothed over. “You’re right. Now off you go, boys, I got business to attend to.”
The two guards carried on their patrol. All around them, the town was waking up as people poured into the streets. Merchants hawked their wares, kids ran and played with wooden swords, and wagons rolled through, carrying goods and people.
“Now what’s that commotion?” Charles said as they entered the town’s square.
Several dozen citizens were talking animatedly among themselves standing next to a stone building at the center that hadn’t been there a day before.
“Town watch, coming through,” Dean said as the two made their way through the crowd.
Despite its small size, barely larger than a one-bedroom apartment, the new structure was impressive. It was composed of a single seamless block of stone and had delicate carvings all over its walls.
A figure wearing a spotless full plate armor stood at the entrance. “Folks, this here now is the church o’ light. Step right in if yor down with killin’ monster scum out o’ the Badlands.”
“Hey, you,” Charles said with an authoritative voice. “Did you put up this building? Who authorized you to place it in the middle of town?”
The man looked up at him. “Got all the permits I need right here, boy.” He lifted a magnificent scepter made out of pure crystal. A soft glow came from within.
“Is that supposed to mean anything to me?”
“Maybe yor out of the loop, boy. There be some new gods ‘round here parts. They call the shots now, and they want me right ‘ere.”
“Doesn’t sound like he has a permit,” Dean said to his friend.
“I agree.” Charles strode toward the man. “You’re charged with unsanctioned construction on public town property. Come with us.” He made to grab the offender’s shoulder.
There was a flash of blinding light, and the crowd gasped. A huge visage of a majestic figure with white wings appeared above the church. The poor guard found himself flying backward, landing hard on the ground a dozen meters away.
“As I was sayin’,” the man said smugly, “you ain’t standing against these new gods, boy. Or they’ll chomp you dead.” He raised his scepter. “I’m the Agent ‘o Light, boys and girls, and I’ll be huntin’ and killin’ all them pesky creatures round ‘ere parts. If ya wanna join and carve out some gooood old fashion’ justice, yor welcome in.”
“Who the hell are you?” Dean said as he helped his dazed partner back to his feet.
The dwarf grinned at him. “I’m the Agent ‘o Light, boy, but you can call me by my first name.” Bright light washed over the crowd as he brandished the scepter. “Ragnar, the goblin slayer.”
22 - Monsters, Assemble!
Everyone in the house woke together the next day. I was a little surprised to see my girls were up, but I didn’t need to ask why. The tension before the battle was tangible.
Once we got downstairs, we found that the house servants had already laid out a meal for us on one of the dining tables. Tika smiled when she saw my bewildered expression. “I asked Daimmen to send some food. I wanted us to share a meal before you head out.”
“That’s a good idea,” I said, claiming a seat.
The two goblinettes sat on either side of me, glancing meaningfully at each other.
I paused, a spoonful of stew in front of my mouth. “What?
“Father …” Lirian started, her voice taking a pleading tone.
I clenched my jaw, realizing where this was headed. “You’re not coming along.”
“Oren …” Tika started.
“Absolutely not.” I put down the bite of stew and crossed my arms. “It’s not a low-level clan of goblins we face this time. We’re going up against an entire town of humans, elves, dwarves, and other dangerous races. And they all hate goblins.”
“I can take care of myself,” Lirian declared.
“Against warriors that are a little stronger than you, sure,” I agreed. “But Novenguard has soldiers as strong as me, and their elites might be even more powerful than I am. There’s no way I’m letting you risk yourself by facing them.”
> “I can take out anyone in a straight fight,” the young goblinette retorted adamantly.
Despite the heated argument, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in my daughter’s courage and conviction. “Lirian, Tika – I took a binding oath that I would never let our enemies harm you. If something happens to you there, it won’t be just you at risk; the entire clan might follow. Do you want that weight on your shoulders?”
That, at least, seemed to sway Tika to my side. Her eyes widened in fear, and she turned to our daughter. “Lirian …”
“No!” the little green ball of energy said heatedly. “I can take care of myself. I can stand against anyone.”
“Even if they are stronger than the chief, your father?” Tika asked.
Lirian looked at me then nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“That’s quite a proclamation,” I said calmly.
“I … I can prove it.”
I held the young girl’s gaze. There was some fear in her eyes but also unyielding determination. Unbridled emotions soared inside of me in response; a primal instinct to protect my progeny mixed in with pride for her bravery. But there was something else there beneath it all … a sort of feral hunger to see who really was best, to show I was worthy to be the head of our little family. Prove my worth. Children were meant to surpass their parents. But my time had not come yet.
I stood, pushing the chair away.
Lirian seemed scared, but she got up as well, never breaking eye contact with me.
I found I was eager to see what she was made of and wondered how far I could push her. I lifted a finger. “First rule: direct damage is not allowed. If you hurt me, even a little, it’ll show that you lack control, and you’ll lose the challenge.”
Life Reset: Human Resource (New Era Online Book 4) Page 37
