World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive
Page 31
“You ready yet?” Vision asked, breaking me from my lamentations about my stats.
With a sigh, I closed the various windows and focused on the impatient Spirit Wolf. “Alright, let’s go hunting,” I said.
“Yes,” Vision cheered, leading the way out of our little camp.
I could only shake my head a little and follow after him, changing my title from ‘Local Hero’ to ‘Hunter’ as we went.
Hunter (Increases Tracking skills effects by 15%, increases damage against beasts by 5%)
Hunting moved along well enough, we fought a few beasts a level or two lower than my own on the way to my current hunting grounds. And I was not one to waste the skin or parts, so it took extra time to scavenge them. Well, that and Sooty’s very clear warning about zombies was a strong factor in making sure not to leave corpses lying around.
Eventually, we arrived in the hunting grounds we’d been farming. One of the standing bounties from the Hunter’s Union was for Savanna Warthogs. They were a great source of food, leather, and other valuable parts. In addition to being something of a menace to the local farmers. But the most important factor, they were mostly level 23 to level 25 with a few having a level or two higher than that popping up on occasion. The only downside was the miles and miles of thorny bramble they hid their burrows in, it gave the hidden pigs ample opportunity to ambush me. And at their levels, often brought me a little too close to death. Thank you ‘Embrace of the Goddess’ for saving my life multiple times.
Skill: Embrace of the Goddess
Level: 16
Experience: 6.22%
Description: Call upon your Goddess to embrace the injured and heal their wounds.
Spell Healing: +3600-HP
Spell Cast Speed: Instant
Range: Melee
Cooldown: 5-minutes
Spell Effect (Active): Massively heal a single target.
Mana Cost: -1,800-MP
The healing effect was fantastic. The increasing mana cost was not. At just level 16, it was costing me -1,800-MP per cast, almost half of my total mana pool. Still, it was better to have it and use it than not.
“Okay buddy, I think that’s enough for today,” I said as I finished using ‘Scavenging’ on my twelfth Warthog, packing away the skin and tusks then burning the meat and offal I didn’t have room for in my bags.
Vision appeared next to me and sat back on his haunches. “That was fun,” he said.
“It wasn’t bad at all,” I said, stretching a little after being hunched over the carcass of the Warthog. “Great job spotting their burrows today,” I added.
“Boss and I have been working hard,” Vision said.
“I can tell,” I said. This was the first time I finally saw some results from Vision’s training. “Now, let’s go home.”
Vision nodded once and led the way out of the bramble. It was never a guarantee that I wouldn’t be ambushed on the way out, but it seemed Vision had a handle on it today. Unfortunately, his guidance often led me through thick patches of brambles that I needed to cut away. I would have burned them if I didn’t worry about burning down the entire bramble, which could have unforeseen consequences.
“Okay, where are we?” I asked Vision as soon as we emerged from the bramble into the tall grasses that dominated most of the province. I had a good idea of where we were thanks to my ‘Cartography’ skill reaching Rank II. But part of Vision’s training, per Micaela’s orders, was to occasionally ask him where we were and what was around us.
Anyway, regarding ‘Cartography’, I now had some kind of awareness of my location in relation to places like the portal to the World Tree or the Bazaar, or even my campsite.
Skill: Cartography
Rank: II
Level: 3
Experience: 41.11%
Description: Drawing is the ability to communicate through drawn images. It's evolution, Cartography, is the ability to communicate location and distance through drawn images.
Subskills:
Inner Compass
North, East, South, and West, your sense of direction has developed enough to always have a rough idea of which direction you are facing.
Locational Awareness
Your sense of where you are has developed an awareness in relation to known fixed locations within a province.
Truthfully, I was very excited about this change in my skill. The ‘Inner Compass’ was useful enough, however, I knew enough about direction to be able to figure out directions based on where the sun was in the sky. ‘Locational Awareness’ was the real prize. Being able to know where I was and approximately how far I was from a fixed location was super helpful and made making my map significantly easier. It also made me eager to find out what I would gain if I made it to the next rank of the skill. As luck would have it, I had a very unexplored province all around me just begging to be mapped out.
“Stop that half-breed,” a voice in the distance yelled, interrupting my thoughts and stopping Vision from answering my question. It also made me drop to a knee in an instant and activate my ‘Stealth’ skill on reflex.
“Vision,” I whispered. “Scout it out.”
Vision nodded and vanished from view. The only sign of the Spirit Wolf was the parting of the tall grasses as he moved ahead.
I waited patiently for Vision to return, but before he did, I heard the harried steps of someone running followed by the sounds of at least two others giving chase. When I saw a Beastkin woman run past, her arms holding a bundle tightly to her chest, I knew I would act. Once she was passed near me, I didn’t need to wait long for her pursuers to follow, it was clear they were gaining on her.
I stuck out the butt of my spear, tripping the closest of the pursuers.
The man fell hard and cursed. “Keep going, I just tripped,” the man said, not seeing me yet. I didn’t give him the chance.
I pounced, activating my ‘Assassinate’ subskill, burning up the 24-hour cool down on the subskill and killing the Human man instantly and not alerting the other man.
“Vision,” I whispered, starting to move toward the man that was chasing the woman. “Take him down,” I said softly as I was able, hoping the Spirit Wolf heard me.
I heard growls and a scream of pain from the other pursuer followed by a thump as the man’s body hit the ground. He continued to scream and try to fight off Vision to no avail. When I arrived, he didn’t live much longer.
It was only after the second man died that I saw the Beastkin woman. I think she was either a mouse or rat woman. She looked like she was about to scream out, but I moved faster, covering her mouth and putting a finger to my own lips, hoping she understood that she needed to be quiet.
“How many more?” I asked in a whisper.
“There are six of us,” she answered.
“No, how many more of them?” I asked.
“Three more,” she answered softly.
“Okay, stay here,” I whispered. “Vision, do you know where they are?”
“I do,” Vision said. “They have a wagon with a cage on it. There are more like her in the cage, smaller.”
“My children,” she said. “Please, please save them,” she pleaded.
“I will,” I promised, motioning again to be quiet with a finger to my lips.
Thankfully, she just nodded.
“One of them is coming this way,” Vision whispered then vanished.
I put a finger to my lips one more time to the woman and got a repeated nod of understanding. Then I activated ‘Stealth’ again, vanishing from her view.
“What did you do? You dirty mongrel, I will carve you up for this,” another Human man raged, walking into the flattened grass where his . . . friend’s body laid dead. Like his dead friend, he never saw Vision or me coming until it was too late. Another ‘Ambush’ combined with a ‘Power Thrust’ to the glowing side of his neck dropped him in an instant and a snapping bite to his throat from Vision silenced him before he could even cry out. Another ‘Power Thrust’
to his exposed armpit ended his life.
“Vision, where are the other two?” I asked in a whisper.
“One is sitting in the driver seat of the wagon. The other is standing near the back of the cage,” Vision answered.
“Can you knock the one in the driver seat off?” I asked.
“I think so,” Vision answered.
“Okay, you attack him as soon as I attack the one guarding the cage,” I said. “Show me the way.”
Vision nodded once and padded back into the tall grass with me just behind him.
The two Humans were just as Vision said they were, though they both appeared to be on high alert and twitchy.
“Sir, please, please, let my children go,” a man’s voice pleaded from inside the cage.
“Shut it, slave,”
I hoped Vision was in place. I wasn’t going to get a better opportunity. I leaped from the tall grass. My body closed the distance rapidly with my spear skewering the ‘Slaver’ but not killing him. I pulled my spear free and ducked a sloppy swing from the sabre he’d just been using to harass his prisoners. I let loose a ‘Holy Blast’ at point blank into his gut then I stabbed again with my ‘Justice Strike’ and finally I hit him with ‘Holy Shock’. I had hoped to just weaken him enough to capture him but a critical strike from the ‘Holy Shock’ killed him.
Hearing growling from near the front of the wagon, I rushed to aid Vision. The Spirt Wolf had one of his arms in his mouth and jerking it side to side, tearing the flesh and making it bleed while the
“Surrender,” I said, not using my skill but hoping the man would listen to reason. “Your men are all dead and you can still join them. Surrender.”
The man stopped struggling and Vision stopped jerking side to side on his arm but didn’t stop growling. “I . . . I give up . . . just . . . call off the mutt.”
Vision took issue with being called a mutt and growled louder and bit down harder causing the man to yelp in pain.
“Stop, I surrender, I surrender,” the man screamed in pain.
“Alright, that’s enough Vision,” I said, seeing the
Vision let the arm free and backed up a few steps, still growling at the man until I finished casting my ‘Holy Shackles’ spell, binding his hands and feet in golden chains of magical energy.
“It’s safe now,” I called out toward the grass, hoping the woman would come out of hiding.
The Mouseman in the cage asked, “You saved us? Or . . . are we now your slaves?”
“You’re not my slaves,” I said, kneeling down to search my prisoner for a key, which he didn’t have. The guy that was guarding the cage however, did. “Perhaps you can convince the woman to come out of hiding?” I asked, helping the man and his children out of the cage.
He nodded. “Lizzy, it is safe now. You can come out,” the
The Mousewoman stood about twenty yards away from where I left her, her head barely clearing the top of the field and her nameplate
“Quite sure, my love,” John answered, his nameplate updating accordingly.
“Good, you’re all okay,” I said, before turning my attention back to the Slavers. I lifted the captured man to his feet and marched him to the cage before shoving him inside.
“What about the bodies?” John asked. “I know they were . . . that they were going to do awful things to my family . . . but they should not be left to rot. No man or Beastkin deserves such a fate.”
“Vision, can you drag the bodies from the brush over? We’ll load them into the cage with the prisoner, take them all to the Bazaar,” I said, not waiting for Vision to answer, knowing full well he was more than capable.
“On it,” Vision replied, trotting back into the tall grass and away from the crude road the wagon sat on.
“You can’t put those bodies in here with me,” the captured Slave Driver complained.
“You should have thought of that before you decided to become a Slaver,” I snapped back at him. I turned back to John and Lizzy to address them and their children.
“I apologize for the violence,” I said first.
“It is quite alright,” John said. “This is the world we live in. You did what you must in order to save us. For that, I am grateful.”
“Good, now, do you live near here?” I asked.
“No, we are on a pilgrimage to the Bazaar,” John answered.
“You’re a long way from the portal or the main road,” I said.
“They appeared not long after we arrived in the province. They marched us here. When they were distracted with trying to force me into the cage, I told my wife to run for help,” John explained.
I nodded in understanding. “Alright, what do you say we get you and your family safely to the Bazaar?”
“That would be most welcome, thank you,” John said. “But . . . if I may . . . who are you?”
I chuckled. “Sorry, I’m Bye-bye Jacko, pleased to meet you John, Lizzy,” I said, addressing each in turn.
“Pleased to meet you as well. I am John Brisby, and this is my wife, Elizabeth,” John said.
“Now, do either of you know how to drive a wagon?” I asked, not sure if the game would allow me to drive it back to the city without the ‘Wagoneer’ profession Sooty had.
Turned out, anyone could drive a wagon. John was kind enough to explain that the ‘Wagoneer’ profession allowed you to acquire a bond of insurance, accept quests to deliver goods, and a number of other things related to trade.
It was nice to just talk to John as we drove the wagon toward the Bazaar. It was a slow drive as there was only so much room to sit on the wagon, which I gave to John and Elizabeth and their three smallest children. The bundle the woman was clutching was their newborn, which was also the cause of their pilgrimage. The Brisby’s were kind enough to tell me about some of their traditions, which included presenting their newborn children before the Orisha to receive their blessings . . . if the Gods chose to do so. Thus far, none of their children had been blessed by any of the Orisha pantheon.
“What is all this then, Mr. Jacko?” Guard Kwame, a dogman, greeted me as we finally pulled the wagon up to the gates of the Bazaar.
“I ran into some Slavers,” I said, pointing to the cage.
“Slavers you say?” Kwame asked, moving around the wagon to have a look. “I do not recognize the brand on their uniforms, but it looks like you captured one alive. We will be able to question him, that is good.”
“Just keeping my promise,” I said. I had every intention of eliminating the Slavers in the province. Capturing one should lead to others.
“Guard Amare, please go fetch the captain,” Kwame said, getting the alligator looking guard to rush inside the city. Then looking at the family I rescued, he asked, “I hope you folks do not mind giving a statement?”
“Of course, we would be happy to assist,” John said, giving the guard a respectful nod.
Captain Zane, another Dogman . . . maybe a Wolfman, arrived within minutes and was happy to take custody of the prisoner and bodies.
“Well done, Mr. Jacko,” Captain Zane said. “It pleases me to see you are keeping your word to help with our Slaver problem.”
Class Quest Alert: Emancipation of the Stolen 1 – Completed!
Locate and capture a small slave operation then return them to the Bazaar to stand trial.
Reward: +25,000-Experience, 2-Sigils of the Goddess Issara
“I should be able to tell you where this group operated from in a few days. Please come back then and I will be happy to give you an update,” Captain Zane added, prompting another quest.
; Class Quest Alert: Emancipation of the Stolen 2
You have captured a small group of Slavers and successfully returned at least one of their members to the Bazaar to be interrogated and eventually stand trial for their crimes. The Captain of the Guard has asked you to return in a few days, upon which he will provide you with any intel he is able to obtain.
Reward: Experience, 2-Sigils of the Goddess Issara
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes
No
“I’ll be sure to follow up with you. I’ll be back in a few days anyway for the trial,” I said. It was pretty well known at this point what ‘Trial’ I was referring to. It seemed to be the only thing people were talking about in the Bazaar.
“Bad business that,” Captain Zane said with a small shake of his head, sounding more disappointed than anything.
“Anyway, I should be getting back to my camp. They are probably going to be worried about me by now. I’m way past the time I usually return,” I said.
“I understand, Mr. Jacko,” Zane replied. “Thank you again for this. It means a lot to know the adventurers are on our side for a change.”
I exchanged a few more pleasantries with the Captain and his Guards before making my way back to camp.
“And just where have you been?” Rose demanded. “And why are you covered in blood? Did you die again?”
I sighed. “Let’s get something to eat and I’ll explain to everyone,” I said, giving Rose a quick kiss and walking hand in hand with her into the camp where our friends were waiting.
Chapter 18 - Micaela
Micaela woke with a start when she heard a scream from outside her tent that was abruptly cut off followed by a heavy thump. A quick look around her tent showed Olaf was missing and fearing the worst, she rushed outside to have a look around.