by Sarah Lin
The second thing to emerge was boxes, which were less reassuring.
[Name: Raigar
Race: Human
Class: Barbarian
Alignment: Good
Health: 193/193
Mana: 2/19
Weapon Mana: 0/6
Stamina: -3/138]
The fact that his health had been restored suggested that the others were taking care of him, since Daek's men would not have been so kind. Yet he remained in the darkness, perhaps because of his stamina. He didn't understand what a negative rating would mean, or why it would have gone so low. Though he'd been tired at the end of the fight, it had been no more so than usual.
His mind drifted back further, to the battle with Daek. Defeating him at this stage had been simply impossible, especially under the conditions given. He felt certain that if Raigar had reincarnated as intended, he would never have ended up in that fight. No, somewhere along the way, the box gods' plans had fallen apart. Perhaps Daek had unwound them, or perhaps Bloodwraith had made the wrong decisions.
Either way, he felt incredibly heavy. He should have been glad that they had all escaped with their lives, yet he couldn't find any encouragement in that. Perhaps they could stay away from Cresthaven for a long period, travel to another city and train further. That might be enough to prepare to fight Daek, but it would risk him completing the ritual.
His depressing thoughts were interrupted by new sensations, first of mild discomfort. Physical discomfort, however, which reminded him that he had a body. The shadows drained away and he felt his body to an increasing degree until he finally managed to open his eyes.
"Oh, thank the gods!" Danniah was leaning over him, face changing from concern to happiness. Meara hissed for her to be silent from his other side, but she was smiling as well.
"What... how long?" His voice rasped painfully from his throat.
"Less than an hour. I managed to carry you and we hid in this cave until the greencloaks passed."
Right, they were in a cave. Bloodwraith turned his gaze from the two of them and regained a better sense of place. He sat up in a small cave, its entrance hidden by dense bushes. Though he felt no pain, his body was utterly exhausted. Even the number in his personal box increasing couldn't persuade him that he was feeling any better.
"Daek and his men went back to Cresthaven," Meara said. "We need to find a way to stop them, but I have to admit I don't have any ideas."
"No." Once he said the word, Bloodwraith felt a little more certain about it. He didn't need to enter a hopeless fight. "No, we're not meant to fight him now. I think I understand how the box gods think about this subject. They only like artificial challenges, designed to stretch them a little bit and then be overcome. I wasn't meant to fight Daek now."
As if to reinforce his point, a new box emerged.
[New Quest: Against the Knife
Prepare to face Daek the Knife again.
Objective: Gather followers from the surrounding communities.
Objective: Travel to Edsdam and increase Guild Rank.
Objective: Take over the Thieves Guild in Edsdam.
Objective: Find and complete the Governor's Ordeal.
Objective: Assemble the drakeskin armor.]
Meara frowned and looked in the general direction of the box. "That feels like a big one, and I had nothing to do with it. Do you have a new plan?"
"No, this isn't me. It's talking about things I don't even know." Bloodwraith examined the objectives more carefully. "There are multiple objectives showing me the intended path, I think. By the time I managed to do all of these, I'd probably be strong enough that Daek wouldn't be a real threat."
Danniah and Meara looked at each other nervously, prompting Bloodwraith to frown. After an awkward pause, Danniah spoke.
"That's, uh... that might be what the boxes wanted, but I don't know if we have that option."
"What? Why not?"
"Because of what I overheard." Meara sat back and met his gaze seriously. "Daek is going back to Cresthaven and he's going to begin sacrificing people in the crypt. Some of the greencloaks might try to stop him, but all I heard was convincing him to start with people on the streets no one will miss. Daek said he'd keep sacrificing people until the gods heard his call."
Bloodwraith sighed heavily, his hope fading. His body felt better in an objective sense, yet he was too heavy to move. It would have been so easy if he'd had time to prepare, but now that option had been taken from him. And he'd just been given a clear demonstration of how much stronger Daek was, leaving him with no real hope of victory.
"Of course..." Meara's gaze shifted to the side. "We do have the option of just letting him do it."
Danniah gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. "That's awful!"
"But it might be our only choice."
"No." Bloodwraith shook his head slowly. "No, that's not really a choice. I don't know what will happen if Daek sacrifices enough people, but I'm sure that something will occur that we can't allow. If the beings from beyond our world notice that something is wrong, they'll come in force. We don't know enough about them to even begin to resist that."
After examining his face for a moment, Meara sighed and settled back. He knew she wouldn't argue, since she had even more to potentially lose than he did. Meanwhile, Danniah seemed to be struggling to maintain a smile, looking between the two of them for some hope and receiving nothing.
"Surely there's something we can do..." Danniah looked to Bloodwraith, eyes glistening, and he wanted to encourage her, but he had nothing to give. Her gaze turned to Meara. "We have access to all kinds of powers they don't expect at all, surely we can do something. Can't you find us an amazing quest that can make the difference?"
"I've already tapped everything worthwhile in the region," Meara said bitterly. Yet Danniah's words prompted her to engage, and she turned to Bloodwraith. "But giving up is an even worse decision than our alternatives. Let's consider what resources we have. Bloodwraith, how close are you to the next level?"
He stared at her for a moment, only slowly finding motivation to summon the box again. "I have 21,520 EXP. I need 25,600. That will take too long."
"Maybe not." Even though it was futile, Meara began to smile. "I think that you haven't fully engaged with the system yet, because the quest I made for escaping Daek is still pending. That one will be worth a lot, I'm fairly sure."
"Does it matter? We won't win this with a few small advantages..." Yet her words seemed true, and once he realized it, there was nothing he could do to prevent the box from appearing and irritating him with its cheerful congratulations.
[Quest Complete!
Acquire the Breastplate of the Tyrant.
EXP +500]
[Quest Complete!
Survive Daek the Knife's ambush.
Meara Affection MAXED
Danniah Affection MAXED
EXP +2000]
He'd forgotten about the breastplate quest, and Meara had been right about the Daek quest. But still... "It's not enough. I'm still 1580 short, and we don't have time to kill hundreds of monsters. And even so, one level is meaningless when my opponent is ten levels abov-"
[Deferred Stat Updates:
Max Health +2
Max Mana +1
Max Stamina +1
Might +1
Vitality +1
Willpower +1]
Bloodwraith started to wave the box away, since a few more points wouldn't matter, but more forced their way into his vision.
[Current Base Physical Stats:
Might: 39
Vitality: 32
Quickness: 30]
[Congratulations! Total natural physical stats have reached or passed 100!
Physical defense value of any equipped armor is increased by 25%!
Physical Resistance +10%
Health Regeneration +20%
Stamina Regeneration +10%]
After staring at the boxes for a while, Bloodwraith gave a chuckle
that turned into a laugh that would have done his old life proud. As the evil laughter echoed in the cave, Danniah smiled in confusion and Meara raised an eyebrow.
"I felt some new power," Meara said, "but is it worth getting that excited about?"
"I forgot one thing." Bloodwraith rose to his feet, his body finally accepting the recovery that the boxes had been insisting had occurred for some time. "The box gods really, really like round numbers."
The others got to their feet as well, though Danniah still seemed a little uncertain. "Does that help? Oh! Because you're almost at Level 10?"
"And once he reaches it," Meara said, beginning to smile, "he can put on the armor. Which by my calculations should be worth approximately two more levels."
"I mean, that's a good thing, but... will it be enough? I thought the problem was that the gap is just too big. Can a few new advantages really make up the difference?"
Bloodwraith shook his head. "They can't, but that doesn't matter. I realized something much more important: I let myself get sucked into the box gods' way of viewing the world. This is a game to them, an adventure that's all about stroking the ego with constant accomplishments." His grin darkened into something that would have made most flee, yet his companions smiled in response. "We're not here to have a fun adventure and grow stronger. We're here to win."
~ ~ ~
It was one thing to say that, but another to put together a plan that would allow them to win. Thoughts flowing through his mind too quickly to verbalize, Bloodwraith led them all toward the sacred elven pool. That would be the first step. As they walked, they discussed the final logistics.
"So, you still need 1580 EXP," Meara was saying. "That's not something we can acquire via murdering monsters. And before you ask, I tapped everything I could creating that quest to survive Daek."
"How much were the greencloaks worth?" Danniah asked. "We'll probably have to fight some of them on the way to Daek, so might that be enough?"
Bloodwraith shook his head. "The EXP isn't awarded until after the battle has completely ended, and twice now it has entered some sort of 'marathon' mode for an extended conflict. We need to finish our preparations before we make contact with Daek's forces, because once we do, I don't think the boxes will grant me any more power."
"Oh, that's too bad... Meara, you're sure there's nothing big we can kill nearby?"
"Pretty sure the drake is the only dangerous monster still alive." Meara glanced over to Bloodwraith. "What about a murder spree in Cresthaven?"
"I'd consider it, but it might trigger the start of combat," Bloodwraith said. But their conversation had led him to what he believed was the correct solution to this part of the problem. "I think the better solution is to put all our effort into money. Sell everything that isn't essential and buy the boots. That will complete the boots quest and the overall quest to gather the armor."
"Good thought. The boots quest might not be worth too much, but the other quest has been such a long-running one that it should be worth plenty. But even if we liquidate all our assets, can we come up with 15 gold pieces in time?"
They discussed their options as they walked, both obvious choices like selling items of value and crazier plans involving defrauding the Adventurers Guild. It would take something dramatic in the end, because the rough calculations in his mind suggest they wouldn't get close enough with simple measures.
When they reached the new construction above the healing pool, the priests were surprised to see them. One of them started to say that the area was off limits during construction, but Bloodwraith lifted the man by his shirt until his feet dangled in the air.
"Bring us a bucket of the pool's water. Immediately."
The voice he had once used to command undead seemed to work just as well on the priest, who rushed to obey as soon as he was set down. Bloodwraith glared the others into submission and then turned back to his allies. Now that they had the outline of a plan and were moving forward, the dark air had lifted.
Danniah especially seemed more enthusiastic, currently focused on Meara. "It was amazing how his knife just went straight through you! Can you still hold a sword when you do that? You could be unstoppable!"
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Fun as that would be." Meara shook her head regretfully. "It was a bit of a desperate attempt, but I was thinking about how the system refused to allow me to wield a weapon. I've been designated a non-combatant, it seems. Well, it occurred to me that if that was the case, I should be entirely a non-combatant. But the more I get involved, even giving you potions, the less I can maintain that."
"That seems... really weird, but I assume you're right." Danniah turned back to him, still smiling but tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I didn't say anything earlier because I was worried about you, but... you saved my life. Both of you did."
Now that he was fully considering strategy, Bloodwraith wasn't in the mood for sentiment, but he managed to find a smile for her. "Of course. I'd have given more to do it."
"It's just... I've never come that close before. I was so scared, but I couldn't say or do anything... and..."
"Danniah." He put his hands on her shoulders, interrupting her sadness and forcing her to look at him. "I will do everything in my power to prevent you from dying. And if you do die, I'll bring you back as an undead."
"Aww!" She lunged forward, pulling both him and Meara into a hug. It was slightly awkward, given the varying heights, but still warm in a way he didn't mind. Even Meara looked at peace for a moment, though once it passed, she raised an eyebrow at him.
"How much physical sensation do undead have? I'm thinking you might want certain body parts in partic-"
"Hey!" Danniah swatted at her, blushing furiously, though her smile broadened.
Bloodwraith had two simultaneous thoughts. The first was cold: this shared moment would be good for their team's cohesion and morale. The second was that he wanted more moments like it. He'd paint the world red with the blood of Daek and the Outsider gods and anyone else who stood in the way of that.
Eventually the priest returned, puffing as he carried the bucket of water. Just as Bloodwraith had hoped, the water still maintained its power. It would decline as it was taken further away from the source, but the ground above was close enough.
Waving the priest away, Bloodwraith took a drink.
[Buff: Elven Healing Pool
Health, mana, and stamina regeneration improved.
This buff will last for 24 hours.]
Another stone he could use. There weren't enough stones to build a tower higher than Daek, but he wasn't building a tower, he was creating an avalanche. Danniah took a drink as well and he felt the enchantment buzz around her. Meara just shook her head when he offered her a drink.
"It wouldn't do me any good." She took a step back and looked at the two of them fondly. "I'll get started on my part of the plan now. I wish I could help you fight, but I'm afraid I'll just be bringing more danger."
"No, you'll be a big help." Danniah smiled at her broadly. "Don't forget to give us all your extra potions!"
"Right. This is as much as I can generate at the moment." Meara pulled off her satchel and handed it to them. "I have some things to think about on the way. Maybe I can help out a little more, but you shouldn't count on it."
"We'll see you soon." Bloodwraith nodded to her and then she swept away, vanishing into the woods.
At the same time, he and Danniah began running back toward Cresthaven. Soon they'd split up to sell their assets separately, but then they would come together again. Then there would be no choice but to execute the plan and see if it would work.
The enchantment from the pool said it would last for 24 hours, but that was meaningless. It would be over before then, one way or another.
Chapter 28
His first task had been the least risky but the most unpleasant: talking to Herena. Despite all her "Affection" he couldn't convince her to join them in the fight or loan him money, though he won
dered how things would have gone if he'd raised her to 100/100. But her refusal was within the plan. What mattered was that she had agreed to pass along the news, both real and false.
That done, his next task was to sell off everything. It should have been easy, another merchant-like task, but the atmosphere of Cresthaven had changed. Greencloaks patrolled the streets and the poorest of the poor who lived in the alleys were disappearing. Though Bloodwraith was hardly overflowing with compassion, he regretted those deaths because they represented his inadequacy. But he'd have no chance at all if he didn't prepare properly.
As he had hoped, the rare items he had acquired in the Forest of Beginnings sold for an unusually high amount, over a gold apiece. Yet as he negotiated a price for the Alpha Pelt and Golem Ore, he felt as though he was missing another opportunity. It was likely no accident that he had been given those items.
But what mattered now was finishing the quest for the boots, which required money. He'd begun with 4 gold pieces and 92 silver. Combining the items from the Forest, equipment taken from the fallen greencloaks, and every non-essential item in his inventory, he'd increased that amount to 8 gold pieces and 3 silver.
His instincts told him that it wouldn't be enough. Danniah had things to sell too, but likely not more than a gold piece worth. Meara's potions were valuable, but trying to sell them in bulk at a desperate time like this... probably not more than another gold piece. They were going to be 5 pieces short.
As he went to meet Danniah at the store, he considered his other options. A store catering to the rich would not be willing to negotiate on the price, and almost no one was stupid enough to offer credit to an adventurer. Examining the guards and the defenses, he discarded the idea of trying to take it by deception or by force. Perhaps it would be possible if they had days to prepare, but they had no time.
What if they sold literally every piece of equipment they owned except the armor? No, even making optimistic assumptions, that would only be a couple more gold pieces...
