“Did you find him?” Luke asked.
She frowned. “No. I was able to track him through the outlying forests and mountain ranges but lost him a few days north of here. I did get glimpses of it though.”
Luke gulped. “Glimpses of what?” He hesitantly asked.
“Glimpses of his army. They moved through shadow, travelers and monsters alike. There aren’t enough high level people in the entire kingdom to stop that army. The king must have seen his army when he was hiding out. What other reason would he have to go to the Elk Kingdom but to ask for them to join forces.”
“Wait, aren’t the kingdoms already friends? I mean, I never see them attacking us or anything.” Luke wondered.
“The primary kingdoms are all allies but tend to leave each other alone. If something threatens the Phoenix Kingdom, the Elk Kingdom wouldn’t send forces to aid them. They would wait for the problem to be on their doorstep before taking action. Henry will plead with them to stand united against this foe before it’s too late.”
Luke pondered everything he heard so far, and a troubling thought crossed his mind. “Was the goblin raid tonight the start of war?” He asked with a tinge of fear in his voice.
“No. I’m not sure what tonight was. Something must have upset the local goblin population. Probably a group of stupid adventurers stepping into their territory.” Luke’s face went grim, and it didn’t go unnoticed. “Luke? Please don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
Luke explained what happened with The Den and with Xirx, the Goblin Warlord boss they defeated.
Rose had her head in her palms and was shaking it slowly in disbelief. “I leave for a couple of days and you start a blood feud with the goblins. By the sounds of it, we should be expecting many more attacks.”
“What makes you say that?” Luke replied.
“You said the smiths were building crates full of weapons and armor?” Luke confirmed. “I didn’t see a single goblin wearing armor or wielding anything more than a crude weapon. Tonight's attack was just an information gathering mission. They wanted to test how we would respond. I’ll speak with Captain Holtz in the morning. For now, I suggest we get some rest.” Rose's eyebrows shot up. “Speaking of which… I saw what you did to my storage closet.”
Flustered and nervous, Luke responded. “I… I… I…”
Rose’s eyebrows lowered, and she gave him a welcoming smile. “It’s ok Luke. I should have given you a more permanent place to sleep after you started helping in the shop. Keep tending my garden every morning and help out around the shop and we’ll consider that your rent.”
“Thank you!” Luke smiled before his expression turned to one of worry. He gazed down at Ringo before speaking. “It’s ok that she stays here too, right?” Luke grabbed Ringo and placed her on the counter.
“Hmm…” Rose rubbed her chin in thought. “As long as she doesn’t make a mess and you keep her from causing trouble with the customers, I don’t mind.” Rose began to pet Ringo gently on the head. “Now then, it's late and I’m exhausted from my travels so I’m going to bed.” Rose began down the staircase leading from her counter to her workshop. When she entered the workshop and began shutting the door, she gave Luke one final gaze. “Thank you for watching my shop and garden Luke and I really appreciate your concern for me. I’m glad to be back and see that you’re ok.” With that she shut the door and retired for the evening.
100 Reputation Gained with Rose.
Luke retired to his small closet of a room. Opening his pack, he put the heavy bestiary on his desk, relieved to get rid of the extra weight. He also unpacked the uncommon class weapon box and most of the pet supplies. He kept some nutrient pellets in his bag incase he needed them on the go, along with his brush in case he got downtime in the field. He kept his meager fifty-one gold on him and decided not to open the class weapon box for the time being, rather saving it for when he specialized.
Luke placed a few handfuls of nutrient pellets on the ground and began taking his armor off. Realizing he had no place to properly store his armor, he stacked it as neatly as he could in one corner of the small room. Luke laid in the bed, while Ringo ate her food, and pulled up his character sheet. When he realized that he had nine unused skill points, he decided he could afford to spend a few to get some more immediate gains, especially if more goblin raids were forthcoming. Distributing five skill points he confirmed his choices.
Skill up: Nature’s Regrowth, Intermediate 0. New rank achieved. Additional effect added based on your use of the skill up to this point.
Nature’s Regrowth (Intermediate 0): Grasping a better understanding of the healing powers of nature, you can harness this energy quicker than before. Harness the power of nature to speed up the natural healing and growth speed of the target. Cost: 4x mana. Effect 1: Heal for 2x every 5 seconds for 15 seconds where x = skill level. Effect 2: Additional 10% health restored when the spell is used on someone other than you. Cooldown: 45 seconds. Range: 10 feet.
Skill up: Short Bow, Intermediate 0. New rank achieved. Additional effect added based on your use of the skill up to this point.
Short Bow (Intermediate 0): You have become familiar with short bows and no longer are looked at as a beginner by others. Increasing this skill will increase the damage dealt with a short bow. This is a passive skill and requires no activation. Effect 1: +10% short bow damage. Effect 2: +x% damage when attacking targets distracted by an ally.
Amazed by the boons he received when a skill hit the intermediate levels, he had to hold himself back from spending the rest of his skill points. He winced slightly at the increased mana cost of nature’s regrowth, now only being able to cast the spell three times before he ran out of mana. He contemplated spending his four unused attribute points in intelligence, but again held himself back as he reviewed his updated character sheet.
Name: Luke, Wolfsbane.
Class: Ranger
Primary Profession: Herbalist
Animal Companion: Ringo (Alpha Wolf Pup)
Level 5: Exp 4632 Exp to next level: 368
Hit Points: 70/70
Mana: 130/130
Mana Regen: 1.75/sec
Stamina: 110/110
Physical Resistance: +15
Elemental Resistance: Water +10, Earth +10
Attributes Base (Modifier) .
Strength: 1
Agility: 7
Intelligence: 6 (+3)
Wisdom: 2 (+2)
Constitution: 3
Social: 4
Luck: 1
Skills, Spells and Abilities
Short Bow (Intermediate 0): You have become familiar with short bows and no longer are looked at as a beginner by others. Increasing this skill will increase the damage dealt with a short bow. This is a passive skill and requires no activation. Effect 1: +10% short bow damage. Effect 2: +x% damage when attacking targets distracted by an ally.
Herbalism (Beginner 8): This skill allows you to identify various plant life.
First Aid (Beginner 0): Basic knowledge on how to apply basic first aid and use basic bandages. Increasing this skill will increase your knowledge of first aid techniques and increase the speed at which you can apply this skill.Nature’s Regrowth (Intermediate 0): Grasping a better understanding of the healing powers of nature, you can harness this energy quicker than before. Harness the power of nature to speed up the natural healing and growth speed of the target. Cost: 4x mana. Effect 1: Heal for 2x every 5 seconds for 15 seconds where x = skill level. Effect 2: Additional 10% health restored when the spell is used on someone other than you. Cooldown: 45 seconds. Range: 10 feet.
Alchemy (Beginner 1): Knowledge of basic reagent combinations. Increasing this skill will increase your knowledge of alchemy and increase your chances of combining new reagents successfully.
Bartering (Beginner 2): Trading is a craft and you have taken the first steps in learning that craft. You will receive small bonuses when attempting to barter. Effect: +x% bartering results
where x = skill level.
Inspect (Beginner 2) Knowledge is half the battle. By focusing on your opponents you can now gleam basic knowledge of them. Leveling up this skill will grant you more information and allow you to inspect a wider range of enemy levels. Effect: Gain basic knowledge of enemies up to double your level.
Sneak (Beginner 0): While others try to be honest and fair, you sneak around in the dark, looking for opportunities to strike. What are you really doing hiding in those bushes? Cost: 1 stamina per second. Effect: +x% chance to sneak and +1x% chance to perform a sneak attack when attacking while hidden, where x = skill level.
Water Shot (Beginner 4): Infuses your arrow with water. When shot it will fire off like a water jet and do increased water affinity damage. Cost: 25 + x mana. Effect: Increases arrow travel rate by 10% and adds 1x water damage where x = skill level. Range: Touch arrow.
Resurrect Companion (Class Skill): Resurrects your animal companion if they have unfortunately died. Allowing your animal companion to die will negatively affect your relationship and they may choose to break their bond with you. Cost: 100% max mana. Effect: Channel this spell for 10 second to resurrect your animal companion at full health. Cooldown: 24 hours. Range: Self.
Beast Mastery (Beginner 4): You have bonded with a beast and taken a baby step in befriending the animal kingdom. Improving this skill will increase your bond with your animal companion and increase their proficiency in battle. This skill also scales based on your social attribute. Effect: +2% animal companion’s attributes.
Rapid Fire (Beginner 1): Most people take careful aim at their targets to ensure they hit but not you. You just keep shooting until something sticks. Cost: 2 stamina per second. Effect: Increase arrow firing rate by X + 2% and decrease your aim by x + 5% while channeling the spell where x = skill level.
Proud of his progress, he called Ringo to bed. Jumping up, Ringo began to go around in circles until she laid down near Luke’s feet. Smiling, Luke blew out the candle near his bed and drifted asleep.
Luke woke up to Ringo scratching the door to be let out. Thinking back, Luck couldn’t recall a time that his animal companion went to the bathroom. Not sure what to do, he lead Ringo out back to the garden to take care of business while he tended to Rose’s plants. Luke carefully retrieved Ringo’s droppings in a spare planting pot and carried it outside to one of the bins that were located in front of each of the homes.
Rose explained to him once that the bins were all connected underground with earth magic. Once a day, the mage's guild would collect all the contents, using the underground tunnel system, into a large waste facility at the edge of town. Fire mages would burn all the trash while light and air mages would purify and disperse the toxic cloud it created. Luke never saw the system activate but every morning the bin was empty and he didn’t have a reason to doubt what Rose told him. All in all, Luke thought the system was a smart way to deal with trash and waste — it also explained why the city always smelled worse toward evening and better in the morning.
Going back inside he found Rose rearranging shelves while several beakers of liquid were boiling on a workstation nearby. Ringo was following Rose around, sniffing each herb and flower that Rose was arranging. “Morning Rose.” Ringo sneezed as she got too close while smelling some red flowers.
Rose and Luke giggled before she returned his greetings. “Morning Luke. Any plans for the day?”
Luke was put off a little by her casual demeanor. “Are you forgetting our talk last night? There is a war with goblins headed our way. Shouldn’t we be preparing or something?” He was getting worked up by the time he finished speaking.
She smiled and started petting Ringo before responding. “No, I didn’t forget but a few days or weeks of me training won’t make much of a difference in the upcoming battle. I won’t see much of any return for such a small training session. My time is best spent brewing potions.” She gestured toward the brewing stands spread out across the room. “You, on the other hand, could use as much training as possible. You have made some good progress in the couple of days I have been gone but you are still lacking and would see great returns from rigorous training.”
Luke opened his mouth to argue but rethought it. Rose was right, her time would be better spent preparing potions and healing items for everyone. “Well… any suggestions for me then?”
“I just gave you a suggestion, train.” She replied curtly.
“Yeah, I get that but how? Should I just go out and kill things or is there a better way for me to be training?”
“No, no, no. Fighting monsters will give you some experience in battle but it's not good training. You need to train your body and mind.” She pointed a finger at Ringo. “You too little one. Find a trainer in town that suits your goals and follow his instructions. I could teach you how to brew some more potions but that wouldn’t help you in the upcoming fight.” She thought for a moment and added, “Why don’t you visit a friend of mine. Her name is Ursa, and she uses animal companions like you. But be warned. She is one tough broad and good at whipping people into shape, if she likes you.”
Where had Luke heard that name before? He started scratching his head before things clicked. Pulling up his quest log with a thought, he found what he was looking for.
Passion of Beasts: Edmund, the local owner of Critters and Creatures Pet Haven, has expressed his interest in you becoming a Beast Tamer. Take his letter of recommendation to Ursa the Beast Tamer to learn more about the class specialization. What harm could there be in learning more? Reward: Knowledge of the Beast Tamer specialization and increased reputation with Edmund.
“Ursa is the beast tamer trainer right?” Luke asked.
“You know Ursa?”
Luke shook his head. “Not exactly. A shop owner named Edmund thought I would make a good beast tamer, so he gave me a quest to speak with her,” Luke responded.
Rose nodded. “You have been busy. You can find Ursa toward the west side of the city. She owns several large stables and warehouses in that district.”
“What does she look like? I’m not familiar with the west side of the city and hate to wander around.”
“Oh, you didn’t know? She was the woman wrapped in bandages from the goblin raid last night.”
Luke recalled last night. Adrenaline filled him as he replayed the life-and-death battle in his head. Where did I see someone wrapped in bandages? He tried recalling but came up empty. After a few moments of not saying anything, Rose continued with her description of Ursa.
“You seriously don’t remember? It was the woman riding the massive gorilla.”
“The one who broke the ogre’s neck with a single punch!?” Luke sounded concerned, thoughts racing through his head about being trained by such a monster.
“She's much nicer and gentler to people than she is to ogres.” Rose waved her hand to help dispel Luke’s worry.
“Oh, really? That makes me feel better.”
“No. She’s ruthless to everyone she meets, I just wanted you to feel better.” Luke began to protest but Rose started ushering him out of her store. “I have work to do and so do you. Now go train!” She shut the door as soon as he was fully out.
Luke looked down at Ringo. “I think we’re in for a rough day.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A New Teacher
Luke stopped at the guild before heading off to find Ursa. He told the party members what Rose said about the goblins, his party wincing when he implied it was their fault. His party stuck to their plan, following Luke’s example. They all went in search of trainers to prepare for the battles to come.
It took him more than an hour to reach the west part of town, guided only by the marker Edmund put on his map. In a normal game he would have a digital map and likely a marker on the ground to guide him, but in Endless Fantasy Online, they took a more realistic approach. Luke had a rolled up paper map with incredibly crude landmarks drawn on it. He could buy a more detailed map that had more buildings and la
ndmarks on it, but they were expensive, and he had better things to do with his limited gold.
Pulling out his map one last time to verify he had reached his destination, or as close to it as he could determine, he rolled it up and placed it back in his bag. Luke looked around and took in the sights in front of him. There was a large barn-shaped warehouse, approximately thirty feet high and seventy or eighty feet long. Surrounding the large barn-style warehouse were several one-story stables.
The lack of sound and light coming from the buildings concerned him. The entire facility looked abandoned. If he had come at night, he would have thought it was haunted. Ignoring his concern, he proceeded.
The large double doors at the front of the warehouse stretched from the ground to the thirty-foot roof. The larger doors had a smaller, human-sized door built into them, so Luke began knocking on it. He waited a few moments and then knocked again. On his third attempt, he knocked as hard as he could and the door creaked open.
Endless Fantasy Online Page 17
