“What kind of man do you want to be?” Panny asked suddenly. Nick was immediately on alert, wondering if Oakshield’s programming was about to play another cruel, heartless joke on him.
“I just want to survive,” he said guardedly.
Panny nodded, accepting the answer. “I can tell. I can tell, lad.”
For some reason the dwarf’s simple acceptance resonated with Nick. He was filled with a warmth that raised his flagging spirits.
“Do you have family, Panny?” he asked, genuinely curious.
The dwarf nodded. “Little girl in Frostfall. Not sure if she’s so little now.”
Nick sensed it was meant as a joke, but the sadness in Panny’s voice was palpable. On impulse, he raised his sword.
“To family,” he suggested.
Panny looked at him for a moment, then nudged the blade with his crossbow.
“To family,” he repeated quietly.
The dwarf seemed deep in thought for the next minute before slapping Nick so hard he almost fell flat on his face.
The way ahead narrowed. Before long they could hear the crash of a waterfall. Once they’d cleared a pine-laden ridge they could see the fall in all its elegant glory. It was so high they couldn’t see the top through the gloom. The white water plunged and foamed like angels wrestling in a pool.
“We’re climbing that rock face?” Nick asked doubtfully.
“Nah,” Panny said laconically. “We’re going through.”
“What’s the plan?” Nick insisted, not relishing the idea of heading underground.
“Stealth, boy, stealth,” the dwarf said. “Something you humans think you’ve mastered, but yer haven’t.”
Nick, nodded, figuring Panny’s path was as good as any.
“You mentioned ravens?”
“I did.”
Conversation over. A blood-curdling shriek erupted from the forest behind them. Time to leave. Panny found an awkwardly narrow goat track that skirted the pool and disappeared into a cave beyond. He lighted a torch and lead the way. The tunnel twisted and turned for several hundred yards before opening into a wider cavern.
“Human,” Panny said.
Nick was about to reply when he saw what Panny was referring to - a human lying on his back, half his right leg missing from the knee down. Judging from the ragged ends of flesh, something had been gnawing at it.
The man groaned in agony - there can’t have been much time left for one who’d lost so much blood. Panny was kneeling at his side in an instant, administering herbs to the critical wound.
A sense of self-preservation compelled Nick to take a closer look at the wounded man’s face. There was a telltale name tag above his head. It was a fucking pixel runner registered as Shock77.
“Don’t stop for me,” he croaked. “My brother’s just up the way.”
Nick’s bullshit meter went crazy. He’d played far too many RPGs to fall for this shit.
“Panny, wait -”
But the dwarf had already disappeared into the gloom. Damn dwarf had no reason to doubt the pixel runner. Just like he trusted Nick. The man at Nick’s feet was crippled and ripe for the taking. Should he help the guy or execute him?
A wet, meaty sound drifted down the tunnel.
“Panny!” Nick yelled, rushing up the passage. An armored knight, a carbon copy of the injured one, was caving the dwarf’s head in with a brutal-looking mace. Panny’s brains splattered across the rock as he sank to his knees.
Nick’s shield and sword were immediately front and center. He backed away from the carnage, turning just in time to face the other knight - who was standing on both feet. The asshole had used some kind of illusion.
But what build was he dealing with here? Battle mages couldn’t wear that kind of armor. Then it dawned on him - they were Paladins. Classic STR / PIE hybrids. Capable of meting out savage physical punishment whilst buffing themselves silly. Nick had always flirted with the idea of STR / PIE but had never been able to abandon his favored STR stronghold.
Heart pounding with fear, he inched along the wall. The first paladin, Shock77, laughed out loud.
“Brave dwarf,” he leered. “Little fucker thought he was gettin’ a head job.”
Nick said nothing, knowing better than to fall for verbal taunts. Especially with an active threat from behind. So he ran, buffeting Shock77’s shield with his own. The burly paladin was hard to move but Nick was able to squeeze through to the other side. Shock77 swung his mace in a round-arm sweep that clipped Nick’s calf. He grunted in pain - that hurt.
Keeping his feet, Nick turned and resumed his defensive stance, his stamina steadily replenishing. Shock77’s companion appeared behind him. Nick rolled his eyes - the other paladin’s name was Awe77. These two jokers had such a similar build they could be brothers. In fact, they probably were.
Shock77 began flapping his mouth again, but Nick blocked him out to focus on his opponents’ gear. Both wore shiny, unblemished plate armor, the kind that STR specialists liked to wear mid-game. Their maces were identical. Paladins loved to open heathens’ heads with blunt weapons. Their steel bucklers were rather basic but looked sturdier than Nick’s. Thankfully, they were both at Nick’s level.
Far from being mortally injured, Shock77’s health bar was full. The same health bar that should’ve given the game away when Nick was standing over him. Nick could’ve kicked himself for his stupidity. It went to show that a dramatic injury, even an illusory one, was a worthwhile distraction.
The Shock and Awe brothers advanced slowly, professional enough to take their time. They had the overwhelming advantage and didn’t need to take any risks. Nick would’ve killed for a tower shield. It probably wouldn’t have saved him, but it would’ve helped no end. His current shield couldn’t withstand sustained attack from those two maces. Shock77 and Awe77 would wear his stamina down until he wasn’t able to raise a shield at all.
Nick made these calculations as he backed into the open area behind the waterfall. One - his shield was ratshit and couldn’t be depended on here. Two - defend and counter wasn’t going to save his bacon. He needed to venture out of his comfort zone and embrace the dark side of the strength build - two-handing a weapon. It was time for IceBringer.
Spray kissed the back of his neck as he accessed his inventory and switched to the two-handed weapon, reminding himself to learn quick actions by heart. It was embarrassing to switch screens. Luckily Shock and Awe were caught on their heels and missed their opportunity to attack.
Nick twirled the sword, showing the paladins a little after-flare. So what if the sword’s special ability was defense only? Anything that put doubt in the paladins’ minds was worth it.
Shock77 edged one way, Awe77 the other. Nick noted that Awe77 was precariously placed on the edge of the precipice. The drop to the foam pool would kill anyone who fell. The paladins seemed a little unsure of themselves now that Nick’s greatsword had been introduced into the equation.
Shock77 seemed to recognize his partner’s vulnerable position and moved in to attack. Nick smiled - it was their first mistake. It only took the introduction of the greatsword to unsettle their rhythm.
At this moment Nick took a calculated risk. If these guys had been fighting together for a long time, and that was probable, they would have set strategies. A classic tactic in this situation would be to feint within Nick’s battle arc whilst power-attacking from behind.
Wisely predicting that Shock77’s attack was a feint, Nick lashed out in a vicious arc that spun his body around. IceBringer found the armpit of the leaping foe behind him, sending Awe77 tumbling to the hard rock.
The force was so extreme that the downed paladin was still sliding across the uneven surface as Nick turned to face Shock77 a second time. He seemed spooked by Nick’s grandiose, all-or-nothing attack and had “put up the shutters”. This gave Nick enough time to restore his stamina and glance over his shoulder.
Unfortunately Awe77 was still in the game. He’d stopped jus
t short of the cliff edge and was climbing to his feet. Despite the paladin’s plate armor, Nick’s greatsword had battered his HP to less than half.
Nick had less than three seconds to engage Shock77 and find a more secure position on the battlefield. To do that, he needed to remain bold. He also prepared to take damage. Striding right up to Shock77, he did something he hardly ever did. He shield-butted him. Shield-butting was of course a readily available move for any melee player, but it was amazing how true STR specialists despised it.
For starters, shield-butting was usually only possible with small to medium shields. Second, Nick was from the old school where a shield was for defense. It took a lifetime to get used to automatically raising a shield in the left slot, like an extension of that arm. To try other things with a shield seemed wacky, sacrilegious even.
But shield-butt he did, and he couldn’t have timed it more perfectly. The top edge of the shield caught Shock77’s descending mace, deflecting it violently. The Paladin was now wide open to attack. Nick didn’t hold back, dropping a power cleave on his head. His plate helmet split and he was thrown against the wall.
Nick was instantly in motion, rushing to engage Awe77, who complacently thought he had enough time to cast a piety buff. He was just completing the move when the Barbarian reached him. Nick’s first strike, a standard cross-cleave, reduced him to 15% HP. The second, back the other way, was more than enough to send Awe77 spinning lifelessly to the ground.
Of course, Nick was now open from behind. Shock77 attacked without hesitation, knocking Nick to the ground and reducing him to 50% HP. Both combatants were out of stamina and sagged back to restore their orange bars.
Flushed with adrenalin from his demolition of Awe77, Nick paced back and forth, not even bothering to raise his sword in defense. His bravado seemed to incite Shock77, who advanced aggressively.
“That was my brother, asshole,” he snarled as he harried Nick toward the edge of the cliff. Nick exaggerated the movement, allowing himself to be pushed along. He pretended he was finally cornered and bereft of inspiration.
Just as he neared the thundering water wall he did something else he rarely did - a delicate side step. It was a move straight out of the DEX handbook and was only possible for a STR build very early in a game, when equipment loads and armor were light. It was a subtle move, but performed with the exquisite timing of a confident man.
Shock77’s momentum carried him forward into the danger zone. A greatsword had excellent range if timed correctly, and Nick’s roundhouse swing was spot on, catching the Paladin in the back and propelling the arrogant fool over the edge of the cliff. Nick lost sight of the body in the churning foam thirty yards below.
For a full minute he simply stood in the gloomy cavern and caught his breath, the waterfall roaring in his ears. He’d done it. He’d defeated two pixel runner paladins at his level. He was glad it was relatively early in the game and they hadn’t had much chance to build their piety stat - he wouldn’t have won if they had powerful self-heal buffs.
The Paladins awarded him 1000 XP each - easily enough to level up. First Nick gleefully looted his kills. He took Shock77’s plate greaves, chestplate, gauntlets and helmet. Replacing his chain mail was a no-brainer, but he also removed the armadillo gauntlets. Wearing the plate set conferred a bonus DR of 5.
Acquiring the reinforced steel buckler was great, but it was the mace that Nick was interested in. It only dealt half the damage IceBringer did but was much lighter and quicker in the air. Better still, it had two upgrade slots. For now it was the perfect one-handed weapon to use while Nick amassed enough STR to one-hand IceBringer.
Shock77 wasn’t carrying much else of interest. Nick took two healing herbs and used them immediately. Buzzing with energy, he trotted down the passage to the base of the waterfall so he could loot Awe77. The water was bitingly cold as he waded to the body. He hoped there were no enemies down here as he was unprepared for another battle.
Awe77’s corpse yielded a second set of plate armor, shield and mace, all of which Nick planned to sell. He also had a minor HP ring which Nick greedily equipped.
On the way back up Nick passed Panny’s body and decided not to loot it as a mark of respect. He was rewarded with a trickle of Love points for his sensitivity - at least some people out there appreciated his better moments.
He hadn’t really paid much attention to his social stats thus far. In any case he hadn’t received many Hate or Love points. That, of course, was liable to change at any moment.
On cue, a message appeared -
Spiderling: So much anger for someone so young, hmmm? But then again, if I lived in a concrete wasteland on my own, with no friends, partner or family, I’d be angry too. You’re a ghost, boy. No one can see you and no one cares. Least of all your dead father.
Nick read the message twice and seemed calm at first. But his body suddenly had an edge to it, like he was preparing for battle again. A red-veined fury was slowly rising within him like a tsunami, a force that wouldn’t be denied.
He was tired of reacting against a world that saw him as less than zero. He was through with pandering to folk who looked down on him just because they had regular jobs. He was done with trying to get ahead with integrity and honor when all that seemed to do was expose him to ridicule.
Not knowing what he was really doing, he pounded the hilt of his longsword into a crack in the rock so that the blade was left upturned. He then marched over to Shock77’s still-twitching body and sliced his head clean off. He mounted it on the sword blade as a message to both worlds, inside and out.
He immediately received a ton of Hate points, but he didn’t care. Not anymore. He was out for himself now. Nick Stanners might not have done much with his life, but he was a smart gamer. In a game world he knew when to be patient and when to kick ass.
That was something to celebrate, right? If people wanted to bring him down, he would celebrate on his own. With a bloodied sword in his right hand and a sturdy shield in his left. If folks didn’t like that, they could fuck off.
Nick was buoyed by his strong, potentially dangerous emotions as he trudged further up the tunnel. How far this surge of white-hot anger would carry him was anyone’s guess, but he needed to use it.
As he walked he spent a point on STR almost as an afterthought. He was going for the kill. Whoever faced him in the Mound was going to have one hell of a fight.
The tunnel narrowed and the rich, pervasive smell of wet dirt and vegetation assailed his nostrils. The passage wasn’t rock anymore, but a hard-packed mixture of earth and organic matter. There was leaf litter, moss, fungus, lichen, even the odd piece of wood. It was as if someone had scooped up the detritus of the forest and molded it into this place. Nick passed several tunnels that looped and spiraled in all directions. He pressed on, hoping he was in a passage that would see him to the top of the Mound.
The smell grew worse, graduating from forest muck to meat and bone. It was like the flesh of dead things had been packed into the walls. The surface under his feet grew sticky and clingy. Nick carried on grimly, his fury as strong as ever. This place annoyed him. His fellow pixel runners annoyed him. The Spiderling annoyed him. Most of all, the Neutron Syndicate annoyed him. He would show his anger in the only way he could - through blood.
Nick’s path was faintly illuminated by the fungi in the walls. Up ahead he could see a tall figure slumped against the wall. He wore a full set of jet-black armor and a pale blue cape. His helm had been cracked and was lilting to one side, revealing his face. This man was well on the way to becoming a ghoul. His flesh was raw and wept pus and blood. Half his jaw was missing, excavated by skin disease.
Nick considered attacking, but for the moment the decrepit Knight wasn’t a threat.
“You alive?” he muttered, nudging the man with his boot.
“Aye,” the Knight said in a voice like broken glass. “The Gods will not take me, alas.”
“How long have you been in here?” Nick asked
, keen to establish whose side the Knight was on.
“I was with the Reclamation Host,” he croaked. “A Knight of the Moon. At your service.”
His laughter was a pitiful sound, like dry leaves crumbling.
“I know about your order,” Nick said. “You saved the King once.” Nick didn’t think he should mention other games in this world.
“A long time ago, boy. My brothers and I came here to protect the wizards. Like everyone else, we lost. As you can see, The Spiderling doesn’t like to kill, he likes to infect. Curse. Poison. Then he leaves you to rot until the stars come crashing down. Such is life, I suppose.”
Unlike the wizard Banda, this Knight seemed to have accepted his fate with cold, dark humor.
“I hope you find peace,” Nick said, preparing to move on.
“Hold,” the Knight said, raising a gauntleted hand weakly. “You are not the first to pass through these tunnels. Many such as you have tried their hand with The Spiderling. Believe it or not, I have become a vendor of sorts. You may exchange items with me. I cannot give them away, you understand. There will be others after you.”
“I understand,” Nick said. “And I’m willing to trade.”
He engaged the merchant screen. First up he sold all his spare gear. There was the chain mail, the extra set of plate mail, the bone katana he’d looted from the basilisk, a steel buckler. For some reason he kept the second mace, and keeping IceBringer was a no-brainer.
All up, he amassed over 3000 crowns. The Knight’s inventory was eclectic to say the least. Nick saw some very interesting items for mana, piety, dexterity and guile builds, with only one strength item that drew his attention.
It was a Halberd of the Moon. A polearm with a wickedly curved blade on the end. Nick didn’t have much experience with the weapon as they were usually tailored to dexterity builds. However, this one skewed towards a strength build, with a base requirement of 26. It was a brute of a weapon, with startling base damage and vast scope for enhancement.
Strength Build: A LitRPG Saga (The Complete Strength Build Cycle) Page 8
