by Galen Wolf
From behind, a Scorching Ray blasted out from the wizards fingers and incinerated the kobold shaman. He might be only half engaged with the game, but at least he knew what he was doing.
"Well that was timely," I said.
And then after another couple of arrows from me and a bit of snicker snack from the warrior, all the kobolds were dead. I looked around at the loot. There were some low-level crafting ingredients such as prayer beads and idols around the necks of the dead kobolds, but nothing of any real worth. I stooped to pick up six copper pieces. Beggars can't be choosers.
I'd managed to get through that encounter with no health damage—one of the benefits of being a ranged toon. But it was good I'd taken no damage, because I had no healing potions and I would be relying on the priest. Except I couldn't rely on her as her healing was being rapidly devoured by the mana-sponge boyfriend.
It's always the way. The big warriors and barbarians run forward and think they're the great heroes but in fact they're just draining the healer's resources.
We stalked down the passage and ran into three more kobolds. The warrior took damage and his girlfriend priest healed him. Then she threw up her hands. "I'm out of mana. I guess I'll have to resort to fighting."
I rubbed my tired eyes. She wouldn't be very good at that but if that's all we had... that's all we had.
We went a bit further. I turned to the wizard. "How much mana have you got?"
"Oh I'm good," he said after a pause. I'd guessed he was twinked with lots of top class gear he'd passed down from his higher level alts. I know it's bad but sometimes, I look at another character in the group I'm in and think: doesn't matter if I'm shit, he'll get me through it. Call me a freeloader. Maybe I was, but I had faith he'd get me through. The wizard didn't look like he cared either way.
And then after another fifty yards of crawling through a very low tunnel on our bellies we came out to hear the hum of a mana shrine.
"What's that?" The priest pointed.
The warrior shrugged."Dunno."
I sighed. "Let's just gather around it if we meditate we should get our health and mana recharged to full. It'll take a few moments but it will be worth it, I promise."
"I'm okay actually," the wizard said. "I'll stand guard."
And it was a good job he did because as soon as the rest of us went into meditation around the healing shrine, I heard the squelching sound of two more acid oozes.
I stirred out of my meditation. But the wizard patted me on my shoulder. "It's fine. You just relax." Then he casually blasted them out of existence.
Truth was I didn't really need a recharge: I hadn't lost any health, and I didn't have any mana anyway, but I'd gone around the shrine just from habit and perhaps to show the other two what to do. When we were refreshed, we got up and made our way down another brick lined sewer tunnel.
Just out of the shrine room I saw a dismantled trap. At least the rogue had been good enough to disarm all the traps as he went through. We walked on. We had to go down a sloping passageway and into a room that was littered with kobold corpses. It seemed that the rogue had come out of stealth here — perhaps they'd seen him because, even though he probably was playing an alt, he still only had low-level skills.
There was a metal grille that had been locked but our friendly rogue had picked the lock and it was open. We strolled through.
"This is easy," grinned the priest. The warrior stroked her shoulder. I hated to think what they were going to do in the tavern later.
Then we had to swim underwater.
The warrior and the priest really struggled in their heavy armor and we had no water breathing spells or potions. The wizard and I got to the other side and looked back to see that the warrior and the priest were nowhere in sight. I ducked my head into the pool and saw them sinking to the bottom. The pool wasn't particularly deep, perhaps fifteen feet, but it was deep enough to drown in. I could see the bubbles coming from their mouths and wide eyed panic on their faces.
It made sense for me to save the priest first. She was recharged with mana and so she could heal everyone else. But only if she survived.
I dived and found the bottom of the pool and grabbed her. Her face bulged purple, but she still held her breath. I motioned for her to drop her mace and her shield. She shook her head as if to refuse. I nodded and drew a line across my throat. She got the picture. She said something, but the words came out as a stream of bubbles. I helped her take off her armor and then pulled her up to the surface. I was grateful I had Swim in survival.
I saw that the warrior had got the right idea and had already divested himself of his acid eaten armor. It wasn't worth very much, anyway. He swam up; he was naturally strong, so once he was free of the heavy metal that encased him he could swim pretty good. He burst out the top, gasping for air.
As we stood on the ledge of the pool, I apologized to them for them having to lose their armor—but I don't know why I apologized because I hadn't designed the dungeon. I'm a natural apologizer. I need to fight that.
"It's okay man," said the warrior giving me a hearty slap on the back. "You're okay, really."
I shrugged. "I guess."
"Yeah," he said, "I think you a turd at first. Maybe a cunt. You probably played this game before and thought you was a real whiz but I saw that you were just as crap as the rest of us so you're okay."
I guess it was a kind of compliment.
There was a damp ladder leading up from the pool edge into around sewer tunnel. Water dripped out of it — dirty water, stinky water. "That's the way we've got to go." I pointed up.
"Really?" The priest grimaced
"You wanna get there, don't you honey bun?" The warrior stroked the priest's ass as she stood there in her unflattering beginner underwear. She didn't move when he stroked her ass so I guess s/he liked it. I imagined big Bruce sitting sweaty with his tinny enjoying the attention from his haptic suit.
"I'll go first," I said as I climbed the ladder. I guessed we must be relatively close to the end of this starter dungeon, so I was less than cautious. I made my way quickly through the tunnel sewer pipe but I had to stoop and then I felt pain in my legs. I looked down and saw a centipede thing with big teeth was burying its gnashers in my calf.
"Oh no!" Yelled the priest. "Do you need some healing?"
"Kinda," I said through gritted teeth. "It's the blood that gives it away."
I had no knife, and the bow was useless at such short range so all I could do was try to strangle the thing. If it breathes, and if it has a neck, I thought, this should work. I reached down and gripped around some kind of joint in its long segmented body and began to squeeze. This made little difference and the thing continue to inflict pain on me. I looked and saw on my HUD that my health had gone down by seven points. I had 45—so I had some way to go but if I couldn't stop this thing chewing at me, then I'd die and lose a level.
"Can I get some help?" I yelled.
The wizard was still at the back distracted by whatever it was that he was doing when he wasn't here. The warrior shrugged. " I got no weapon, man," he said. "I could punch it if you like?
"Yeah, punch it," I grunted. "Just hurry up." It bit me harder. I winced. "Please."
The warrior crawled forward and grabbed the centipede tail and tugged at it but all that did was drag its teeth deeper into my leg. I yowled and at that point I felt the blissful wave of a healing spell. That replaced four points, but I'd lost a further six. The warrior was twisting and tugging at the creature and I guess he was doing some damage but it didn't look to be about to kill it. I yelled back, "Can you ask the wizard if he can do something?"
The priest looked and clicked her fingers in front of his face. The wizard didn't move. "I think he's AFK."
"We don't have keyboards now," I said.
"Whatever he's doing with his hands..." The priest blushed.
The warrior pummeled the centipede with his big fist and I tried to pull its head off. The warrior had hold of one end,
and I held the other tight. I said, "Let's try something."
He raised his big blond head. "What?"
"Just you pull and I'll pull."
"Okay, man. You da boss."
We both yanked at our end of the centipede and then with a pop it came apart; its guts splurged everywhere and it lay writhing in bits on the floor.
The priest saw I was still bleeding and gave me another healing spell. It was a big one, healing 10 hp. She must have critted. It was bliss. I guess drugs must feel like this.
I shook out my healed leg and looked at it. The bite marks were gone. "Okay let's go on to the end." I was tired. All this physical exertion—even if only in the mind had whacked me.
We got out of the end of the sewer pipe and came into a small room to see a big treasure chest. The top was open. Beams of golden starlight scintillated out of it and heaps of gold coins glistened inside. This was a standard icon for chests and it didn't mean that it was actually full of gold. At our level there probably wouldn't be much. The only light at the end of the tunnel - pun intended - was that the loot was instanced as well. And that meant there would be no loot stealing or anger; we all got what we got.
My share was 10 gold pieces which would go some way to buy me healing potions which I so desperately needed, and maybe more arrows. I pulled out a dusty potion and shook it. It was viscous and green. My HUD flashed that it was a potion of resist acid 10, which would have been quite handy against the slimes.
And my best thing of all—a small dagger. In the Greenwood there is no need to identify items. You know what their stats are when you get them, and I saw this was a +1 dagger, so that is 1 to 4 damage +1 magic damage and any strength bonus I had (which I didn't). I clapped my hands in joy at the extra effect - a very useful random 1 to 3 extra acid damage with every strike. The dagger was called Biter.
"So what now?" The priest asked.
I pointed up at the rope ladder that led out of the starter dungeon. "Up there."
As we stepped foot onto the ladder there was the beautiful golden chord of XP being awarded. All of us glowed with blue light and that meant each of us had leveled.
I was now level 3. My chest swelled: I was a real bad boy now. Kobolds better keep out of my way. I smiled smugly, then tripped over my feet coming out and went flat on my face in the mud of the alley.
#
Level 3
Hp 55. Mana 0
Dodge Save 9, Toughness Save 6, Willpower Save -1
Stats just the same.
Herbs:
Athillias (cure for Blacktip poison and some other afflictions),
Burdock (restores sight).
Poisons:
Coech (causes blindness), Jara (causes memory loss), Marath, reduces Willpower save of an enemy by 10.
Survival:
Firemaking and
Woodcutting
Stealth:
Improved Spot - +5 to Spot skill,
Improved Hiding + 5 to hiding skill.
Meaning my Hide was now 3 from level, + 10 from DEX + 5 from this skill, + 1d6 (1-6 chance roll) = 19-24. I didn't think that was too bad, given I'd read on the forums that a River Bandit NPC had around 15 spot and a Wolf 20.
In the Ranger core skills:
Bow Finesse, allowing me to add my DEX bonus to damage as well as to hit. So with my starter bow, I would get 11-16 to hit and the same to damage.
Slings, allowing me to improvise a sling from woodland materials. A sling was a ranged weapon causing 1-6 bludgeon damage with DEX bonus to hit with +1 to hit and damage every two levels. Sling was going to be for me 12-17 to hit with 2-7 damage.
Bow was still better even with the slightly elevated chance to hit with the sling (roughly 6% better to hit, I calculated with my lousy math.)
#
I had also learned that as well as delivering the poisons as described on their info sheets, e.g. eat, drink, smoke, or apply to skin, you could also put poisons (and herbs) onto a weapon such as a bow, or blowpipe them. I rarely used blowpipes. I couldn't see the point in them because they did not damage, only delivered poisons.
But, if I had a blind friend, I could merely shoot him with my arrow tipped with Burdock and restore his sight, while possibly killing him! Though it would take a lucky arrow for me to one-shot anyone. I still had my starter bow. I did have my acid dagger, Biter, which I patted as I walked up North Street in Vinab, heading for the Old Forest.
I had also learned you couldn't use poisons on NPCs, and I guessed that was to stop you one-shotting bosses and becoming too overpowered.
Now to the matter in hand: the Easter Egg had sunk into the weedy pool. As a Level 1, I'd failed to get it, but I was more confident of myself now, more hp, more skills—some weapons.
I also had got some new ranger skills. Tree Climbing that I'd got at Level 2, but never yet used, was particularly intriguing. I'd never had this in my previous non-ranger life and so I was taking it that only Rangers could climb trees, which could be a very handy method of escape.
My game aims were in order: retrieve the Easter Egg from the Silver Stream; get money to buy a new herb pouch - my few herbs were currently stuffed in my pockets and would soon wither; and to find, maim, torture and behead the guy who had jumped me and stolen my gear.
As I walked through my home city, some of the NPCs nodded in greeting. I didn't know who the hell they were, but the AI programmed them to recognize me as a citizen. Even the guards at the City Gate gave a slight bow as I stepped out onto the lowered drawbridge over the moat.
It was sunny again—Vinab had a great climate. They grew tobacco, grapes and olives in the fields around the city. Trading carts trundled past kicking up dust. In the cottages by the wayside, people tended their gardens or put washing on the line.
I entered the Old Forest after about half a mile and the world closed around me. No longer were there sunny views over miles of fields and low hills, now the trees leaned in. Birds hooted and called out of sight. The smell of the forest was strong, herbs, flowers and damp earth. It was also dimmer and cooler.
I was heading for the Egg, but I desperately needed herbs and poisons so as I walked, I rooted around in the undergrowth, pushing back branches and rummaging between the grass and plants. I easily found Dandelion and began to pick it, though it wouldn't last long outside a Herb Pouch. A pouch could keep herbs and poisons almost indefinitely, but just carried, they would wither and be useless within a day. I also found Comfrey growing on a rock slope (cures Itch, whatever that is), which I left for now. Then I saw a dark root going into the ground. My skill allowed me to recognize it as Blacktip - a powerful poison that causes death unless the victim eats Athillias within five seconds. I almost whooped with joy, but something about the forest made me keep quiet.
I got out my knife and cut off a section of Blacktip. I couldn't be hurt by my own poisons just by touching them. I believed from the Boards that I could deliberately switch off this feature via my HUD, if I needed to poison myself. I guessed that I could subdivide the Blacktip root, and I had enough for about three batches. Again, without the herb pouch it was going to go off, but if I went back to town, I might be able to sell the herbs and poisons I'd found and put the money towards a herb pouch.
I stood and walked along the Old Forest Road towards the Stone Cross. I came to a crossroads. Squirrels ran across the path to my right. I figured that this path, which was very overgrown would be a short cut to get to the Silver Stream. There were footprints in the damp dirt that led in that direction. My Tracking skill told me someone had gone that way recently.
This was a PVP area. I was still pretty little, but I decided to switch on my Sneak skill. Someone with high Spot would easily see me, but people my own level, or those who hadn't invested in Spot, would not. I decided to investigate the footprints.
I was Neutral Good in alignment but it crossed my mind to track this guy and hunt him down using my skills, just for the pure pleasure of defeating another player. I switched on Tracking, kept
in Sneak and went forward silent as a panther. I followed the trail up through the undergrowth until I came to the banks of the Great River. The river flowed on through here until it went through the Vinab city walls. It was huge and wide and fast flowing, and standing by it was someone fishing—my victim. There she was, for it was indeed a chick —an elf chick at that - and she was miles away, not a care in the world. It looked like she was a healer — a priest, geared up in a tight fitting silver cuirass.
I walked up behind her and was so stealthy she didn't notice. With my right hand I loosened the dagger in its scabbard. Who'd have thought murder would be this straightforward? Still she didn't see. Then I stopped.
I could have killed her easy, but pity stayed my hand. What kind of dick goes round stabbing people who don't know they are there? I mean stabbing people who do know you're there - sure, but innocent victims? That's the thing Chaotic Evil people do. I shook my head. She was pretty too. I walked round to the side of her and said, "Boo!"
She jumped about a foot and dropped her fishing rod, the current was about to take it away but I snatched it and handed it back to her. "Sorry."
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She snapped. Who knows what she looked like in rl, but here she was a rare forest flower, long red hair, beautiful white shirt with billows at the sleeves and a deep v-cut to reveal the upswell of her teardrop boobies. The silver cuirass hugged her body tight. Tight black studded leather pants (must be a bitch to sit down in) revealed the swell of womanly hips and the full glory of her ass. Not the kind of get up to go fishing in really.
"My eyes are up here," she said coldly.
"Sorry. Sure." I didn't want her to think I was a creep. "Sorry I scared you."
"I was fishing."
She had a gift for stating the obvious. She stared deep into me with her emerald eyes. I stuck out my hand. "Barcud, a Ranger."
