He kept his face smooth, holding back a tick of annoyance, then headed off to the magic shop which was closer than the market building. A level 12 player dressed a blue robe passed by and glanced at Rowan. Probably an Examine. None had seemed to recognize Rowan yet—likely because the story of piggy-boy’s murder had been kept out of the media due to Rowan’s status as a minor. Though that’d definitely be changing very soon.
Rowan recognized the twisted shape and fire logo of the shop from a street away. He power-walked the rest of the distance and strode through the open entrance.
Yet another typical and cliche character greeted him. “Ho there, half-blood. Welcome to Alastor’s Magical Emporium.” The old human mage wore shabby blueish-gray robes, a sloppy pointed hat perched crookedly atop his messy head. He smoked a pipe and his beard was long and gray. That Frozen Calamity sounded like exactly what this trope-ridden world needed.
“Greetings, Alastor,” Rowan said. It was difficult to maintain a polite facade. “I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf and improve myself so I can better serve this town. I’m looking for a tutor who can grant me the Mana Mastery passive.”
“You’re in luck,” Alastor predictably said, “I happen to know both the tutor profession and the skill you seek. I’ll teach it to you—for a price.” His bushy eyebrow rose.
Rowan inwardly sighed. “And the price is?”
“One gold. Non negotiable.”
That fucker. Most basic skill scrolls cost less than two silver on the market. Players offered tutoring services for these basic skills in cities for far less. He’d just have to get back at this graybeard during the town’s downfall.
Rowan smiled and pulled out a gold coin from his pouch. “That’s fair.” He handed it over, imagining Alastor take a lightning bolt to the face.
Placing his pipe on the smoldering tray full of ash, Alastor pocketed the coin and stood. He snatched up his wooden staff. “Very well, half-blood. Prepare yourself.”
He chanted in a distantly similar language to the whispers of Rowan’s amulet. Echoes and waves of vibration layered his voice. A white aura outlined his figure as he made circular gestures with the staff. The power in his chant grew and grew to a climax. He banged his staff on the floorboards. White energy swirled around Rowan, weaving into a maelstrom. He banged again and the energy collapsed into Rowan.
New knowledge began pouring into Rowan’s mind. He was suddenly aware of the flowing mana in his blood, in every muscle and bone and cell. Icy, malevolent, tainted, and hate-filled in a way he couldn’t describe but only feel. The icy void in his spine was a focus, the pinnacle of his power. And with simple will and thought, he could shape and direct his mana to any part of his body and close vicinity.
New Passive Skill: Mana Mastery
Though you are far from being a master, you have learnt the bare minimum of manipulating mana.
Skill Level: 1, 0%
Skill Tier: 0
Effect: 0.5% increased maximum mana
Tier Effect: 1% decreased mana cost of skills aligned with your mana type
Rowan flexed his hands, testing his new control over his mana. His fingertips tingled in a sparkle of cold taint—his mana type. Ice-Dark. The AI controller apparently assigns everyone a mana-type based on their personality, life experiences, and emotional biases during character creation. Ice-Dark suited Rowan perfectly. The AI had done something right for once.
“So,” Alastor said, smoking that pipe again, “How does it feel?”
As Rowan’s jaw moved to answer, he paused.
Should he reveal his mana type? Would these NPCs react badly to a dark alignment? That danged captain would, no doubt.
Rowan pretended to test his control for five more seconds before looking the gray wizard in the eye. He grinned. “Incredible. It feels like cool liquid flowing through my body. My mana is water typed.”
“Ah!” Alastor spat, “Yet another water mage. I knew that spire they put up would ruin the balance in these lands.”
Now that piqued Rowan’s curiosity. “Spire?”
“Mmm. On the eastern coast by the rivers and springs.” Alastor puffed a ring of smoke. “If you want to become a Water Mage, go there. They’ll have everything you’ll ever need. Scrolls, tutors, craftsmen, target practice. And the spire focuses the surrounding ambient water mana so you’ll be able to cast spells indefinitely near it.”
Interesting. Rowan filed away the new piece of information. “I see. I’ll visit it some time but I have quests to do in town, unfortunately.”
Those disgusting eyebrows shot up into that ripped cap. “Oh? There aren’t many quests floating around here. Boring place. Adventurers usually just head off to the mines. You know how the dwarfs are. They dig deep. They dig greedily and before you know it the mine is swarming with fire and lava elementals. Always new adventurers to keep em at bay though.”
So that’s where all the newbies in this area had been training! They hadn’t been hunting rabbits like he had assumed. Rowan cursed the dwarf again for not mentioning this and promised an extra painful death. Bloody dwarves. Never helpful. Always holed up in their mountain bases and causing deep, underground trouble for everyone else, this game included.
“I didn’t know that,” Rowan said, offering a polite nod, “I’ve been living off fetch quests for deer and rabbit meat.”
A throaty laugh wafted through the shop. Alastor shook his head. “Try going there now. I believe some fire wisps wander in the upper levels.”
Perhaps Alastor could be useful. Rowan shot an Examine
Alastor: Level 88
Health: 655
Mana: 2140
Stamina: 175
Useless. Unless Rowan could convince the lazy old man to start training and adventuring again, he’d stay as a weak level 88. Rowan needed level 200+ subordinates for The Frozen Calamity. That wasn’t even mentioning converting Alastor to the dark side, figuratively speaking. Rowan could afford to buy his followers gear but wasting time on Alastors wasn’t an option. It was time to take a leave from this shabby magic store. It was no emporium.
“Well, thank you for the information, Alastor. I think I might head off to the mines—”
Alastor interrupted, holding up a palm. “Aren’t you gonna buy some scrolls and equipment? Fifty percent off.”
Oh, right. The NPCs were dirt poor thanks to the player-driven markets.
Though Rowan glanced up and down the aisles just in case there was something in this shop that wasn’t in the markets—unlikely. His eyes passed over plain staffs, wands, robes, and an incomplete set of basic skill scrolls for Mages. Everything overpriced, nothing spectacular as expected. “I’ve already bought what I need off the markets.”
Alastor wilted at that.
“Perhaps you should train your crafting professions,” Rowan added just to spite the lazy NPC. Did they idle all day like in other MMOs? “You have all day to do so unlike adventurers.”
“Yeah maybe I should.” He puffed more smoke. “Maybe I should.” He sighed and his head bobbled up and down in such a pitiful way.
Rowan considered ending him to put him out of his misery. And he would have if it wasn’t for the guard patrolling the block.
He turned and left—and his attention hitched on a locked glass case behind the counter containing six or seven scrolls. He twisted back. “What are those scrolls in that case?”
Alastor’s head snapped to where Rowan pointed. “You don’t want those. Illegal dark magic scrolls for the next caravan to pick up. No one can read them anyway.”
Rowan smirked. Looks like he was wrong. Somehow someway this lazy old graybeard held exactly what Rowan needed. Players never sold dark scrolls on the market—they sold them to their faction for a bounty and the scrolls would be locked up in high-security library vaults. What a lucky break.
“Ah too bad,” he said, “That they’re dark scrolls I mean. Not that I want to learn dark magic. I hate even thinking about that evil stuff and the monster
s that use it.”
Alastor grunted in agreement as Rowan walked through the entrance.
New Quest: Alastor’s Dark Scrolls
Your luck streak is unfathomable. You have discovered Alastor is holding several dark skill scrolls in his poorly secured case in his poorly secured shop. Are you going to cause another scene in an attempt to steal them?
Difficulty: F
Length: Short
Recommended Level: 1+
Failure conditions: The scrolls destroyed
Success conditions: You obtain the scrolls
Reward: A set of dark skill scrolls
F, short, and a level 1 recommendation. Rowan considered for a second: this must be a night-heist quest. A quick break-in after midnight and the scrolls would be his. Simple.
Or… Rowan could do what Roth was paying him to do: kill the lazy greybeard and take the scrolls now. A level 88 would grant at least a few levels too.
That courtyard quest will just have to wait.
He reached for his charged wand when the guard walked out of view. Then hesitated. Last time he’d acted brashly resulted in his ass thrown in jail for a night. He needed to think this through. Alastor was a level 88 Mage and Rowan hadn’t asked for his element. A high lightning resistance would lead to a disaster. Mages naturally developed higher than average elemental resistances and robes granted resistances—even shabby, poorly crafted robes. Rowan couldn’t just zap the lazy greybeard. It’d result in a prolonged fight and draw attention. He needed to somehow sneak up and stab him in the eye or…
Shoot an arrow through the glassless window into Alastor’s old, frail neck.
Time for some more shopping.
On the way to the market building, Rowan bought an Enchanted Yew Longbow, a Reinforced Leather Quiver, and fifty Steel Arrows, all common rarity, which he’d be able to use after equipping a set of neutral gear. The cracked amulet kept him cool under the blistering mid-day sun whilst in the black cloak. A few townsfolk shot him quizzical looks. He ignored them and added each face to his list of targets for the upcoming Undead apocalypse.
An hour later and having changed gear within the cover of five trees, Rowan stood clad in his new low-level black leather armor, bow and quiver strapped to his back, teak wand next to the charged wand in his elastic holster. He read the Fire Bolt scroll he’d withdrawn from his market-bank, then willed himself to consume the old papyrus. New knowledge flowed into Rowan’s mind, revealing a technique to shape his mana into that of a small bullet of fire and force it through the air at fighter-jet speeds. And also bonus knowledge on how to cast it with an appropriate weapon.
New Active Skill: Fire Bolt
Fires a bolt of fire at your target
Skill Level: 1, 0%
Skill Tier: 0
Mana Cost: 25
Effect: Deals 340-380 Fire damage + 100% weapon damage with an applicable fire weapon.
Tier Effect: 5% bonus damage when casting with fire type mana
Then the Snipe Shot scroll. Knowledge of how to operate a bow and launch an arrow became clear on top of the skill.
New Active Skill: Snipe Shot
Imbues your arrow so that it’s more accurate and damaging
Skill Level: 1, 0%
Skill Tier: 0
Mana Cost: 5
Stamina Cost: 20
Effect: 50% more damage and 100% increased accuracy rating
Tier Effect: 5% less audibility
New Passive Skill: Bow Mastery
None would call you a master at your current level.
Skill Level: 1, 0%
Skill Tier: 0
Effect: 1% increased physical damage with bows
Tier Effect: 1% increased bow accuracy
He checked his stats.
Name: Rowan Black
Title: Bastard Noble Kid
Race: Draconian-Human (focus to expand)
Gender: Male
Level: 4
Class: None
Boss Status: World, Tier 0 (Hidden)
Fame: 53
Faction: Kingdom of Draconis
Health: 150 (1.5 regen/minute)
Mana: 190 (19.0 regen/minute)
Mana Type: Ice-Dark
Stamina: 170 (8.5 regen/minute)
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 17
Vitality: 15
Magical Power: 21
Magical Capacity: 19
Control: 20
Points Available: 3
Armour: 625 (24%)
Evasion: 400 (12%)
Block chance: 20%
Block mitigation: 5%
Cold resistance: 2500 (66%)
Fire resistance: 1550 (52%)
Air resistance: 350 (13%)
Earth resistance: 350 (13%)
Lightning resistance: 350 (13%)
Arcane resistance: 350 (13%)
Dark resistance: 600 (22%)
Poison resistance: 350 (13%)
Disease resistance: 350 (13%)
Curse resistance:3 50 (13%)
Rowan nodded in approval. Much, much better. That set of common neutral gear offered no great individual bonus but the overall stat increase was tremendous compared to specialized gear. Until his ascension to a Necromancer, this will have to do. He’d play a jack of trades strategy and exploit opponent weaknesses.
Time to euthanize that old wizard without any business. Rowan was doing him a favor, really. He sneaked his way back to the magic shop, activating Stealth for what good it under the cloudless day—none.
He positioned himself twenty meters away from the shop’s back window, taking cover under an alleyway porch. He dragged a handful of barrels to the line of fire and stacked them two-high. Just in case the wizard didn’t die in one hit.
In silence and Stealth, Rowan equipped his bow, loaded an arrow, and made a quick damage calculation. Each Steel Arrow dealt 260-320 physical damage and the enchanted bow added 40-60. A non-instant kill critical on top of the snipe bonus would deal 900 damage minimum to a target with 0 armor. He readied the shot.
Through the opening, Alastor lounged by the counter, pipe in mouth, book in hand. Unmoving and unobstructed. If Rowan missed this shot, he might as well give up on his raid-boss and dark kingdom ambitions.
Tainted, icy mana from the void in his spine washed through him as he aimed and imbued the arrow, his body throbbing in ecstasy as each pulse hammered up his neck into his skull.
He aimed for the forehead and fired.
A split-second later, the arrow was embedded in the exact center of Alastor’s skull. A trickle of blood ran down his nose. Not a single noise made.
You have dealt full damage (Instant-kill critical)
The rush of the kill geysered within Rowan like a dark, twisted orgasm. The icy void spasmed in pleasure. This is what he had been missing in his life.
You have leveled up! (2X)
You have 5 undistributed stat points
You have 5 undistributed skill points
Ten minutes later, Rowan strode out through the magic shop’s front entrance with seven new dark skill scrolls and thirty more gold coins in his pouch. And as he expected, the ink on each scroll had blurred and shifted when he had attempted to read or consume them.
Quest Complete: Alastor’s Dark Scrolls
You killed Alastor impressively and pocketed his scrolls and gold in broad daylight
Reward: A set of dark skill scrolls, 30 gold coins
First quest down—that much closer to unleashing a Frozen Calamity on Aeon Chronicles. The piggy-boys of this world won’t know what hit them—starting with this town’s school.
Chapter 9
Get Alastor!
Rowan pointed his Lesser Agate Teak Wand at the three-story school building and shot a Fire Bolt at a pile of hay laying against the back wall. A rodent sized dart ignited the hay. Fire rapidly spread through the pile. Rowan smiled maliciously and shot two more bolts at the roof. It caught fire after after a third bolt. He slinked to the guard
s’ office and did the same as black smoke puffed into the sky from behind.
“Fire! Help!” a child’s voice cried, “Fire at the school!”
Time to go.
Rowan ducked into an alleyway and sprinted to the courtyard, shooting fire at anything vulnerable when no one was looking in his way. Townsfolk, guards, and a couple of low level players scrambled to the burning western blocks, ignoring Rowan in the mad commotion.
“Get Alastor!” a guard yelled, “He knows high-level water spells!”
A mad laugh threatened to erupt in Rowan’s airways. The lazy old greybeard was long dead, neatly locked in his upstairs closet. He too refused to despawned in a timely fashion. Rowan had discovered through the ever-helpful forums that despawn timers scaled with corpse level and size. This was done to give players enough time for harvesting crafting materials from monsters and such. Titanic world bosses took weeks to despawn, rotting as they decayed.
And it also allowed ample time for Necromancers to raise their minions. Perhaps Rowan would be the proud owner of an Alastor minion by sundown if this treasure cache contained a Necromancer’s Tome.
Aeon Chronicles Online_Book 1_Devil's Deal Page 10
