by Jason Cheek
You have gained 1 Attribute Point in Stamina.
You have gained 1 Attribute Point in Intelligence.
“DING, two new levels biatches,” I yelled out at the ugly Goblin faces glaring back at me with hate-filled eyes as my Hit Point and Mana Pool suddenly shot up to 100% from my newly acquired levels. Sheathing my weapons, I picked up Gliogheeq the Gruesome’s shield and jagged hand-axe and eyed the stats.
Jagged Bonesplitter Axe
Item Quality: Good
Item Type: Common
Attack: One-hand Edge
Weapon Type: Axe
Damage: 48-55
Durability: 49/50
Weight: 5 kg
*Causes target to bleed when hit for an additional 5 points of damage for 15 seconds.
Ironshod Shield
Item Quality: Good
Item Type: Common
Armor: 850
Armor Type: Light
Durability: 48/50
Weight: 8 kg
*15% increase chance to block.
Facing the remaining Goblins, I clashed the metal together yelling out in challenge. “So whatcha gone do now?”
For a long second, no one moved as the Goblins tried to work up their courage to attack now that their leader had fallen. Nineteen of the green bastards were too much for me to handle all by my lonesome. Still, I didn’t dare show any weakness, or they’d overwhelm me for sure. Taking a firm grip on my new weapons, I tried to think up an end run that would somehow keep me alive and allow me to complete the quest when a black glow at my feet brought me up short. Looking down in surprise, I stepped back warily as Gliogheeq the Gruesome suddenly lurched to his feet.
The Boss Goblin’s body wasn’t healed. The creature’s green skin still gaped open with oozing wounds from where my strikes had taken its life, and its cat shaped irises didn’t glow with the spark of life. Studying the creature before me, I suddenly realized it wasn’t alive but dead. It was a walking zombie.
Focusing on identifying the creature, I realized its name had changed to Elite Goblin Zombie, Level 15 and its name had the green background color of a friendly creature and not the red of a monster. Walking past me, the Zombie broke out into a run with a guttural growl and charged the Goblins surrounding the refugees. Leaping on top of the first victim in reach, the zombie bore the shrieking Goblin to the ground as it began ripping the flesh from its bones as the refugees counterattacked.
Shaking off my surprise, I began blasting Frost Blasts one after another into the midst of the Goblin Raiders as they turned around and fled, but there was no place for them to go. As soon as the last of my Mana was used up, I threw myself into the melee. The special bleed effect of the Jagged Bonesplitter Axe was deadly. All that I had to do was get a successful hit on an enemy, and the axe did an immediate 55 points of damage with another 75 more over 15 seconds. For every successful hit there after the 15 seconds of damage was reset. I’d managed to tag almost every Goblin with four Frost Blasts for 240 points of damage, add in two swings from Bonesplitter and that was another 185 for a total of 425.
I didn’t focus on burning any single Goblin down but instead made sure to get as many hits as I could on every one of the stinking bastards. Between my previous attacks and my current attacks, I’d be listed as doing the majority of the damage even if I didn’t get the killing blow. Meaning, I’d get the experience for the kills and help the surviving Elves take down their target. A win-win for us both. Goblins Raiders fell behind me right and left, but even more incredible was that every Goblin that died stood back up a moment later as a new zombie and began fighting for the refugees.
The game Chaos Online had shown me the incredible possibilities for using pets while spec’d out as another class. The enforcer, mind-blasting class with powerful pet template I’d designed would have dominated the game. If not for the problem’s we’d had with The Syndicate and their positions within Chaos Online as developers, we would have rocked the end game. Having the possibility of doing the same thing here in The World gave me a rush of excitement. The possibilities of having a whole guild of sword-wielding, Frost Blast throwing Necromancers was something that held unlimited potential for my friends and me. No matter what, I had to complete this Nightmare start.
Thankfully my gamble of spreading out my attacks and taking on the Elite Boss first had paid off in dividends. The experience points rolled in with every Goblin that fell. By the end of the fight, I ended up gaining another two more levels. Even more incredible was having the ability to learn the special attacks available to different classes on my own. If I hadn’t picked up the Sneak Attack or Backstab skills, the entire battle would have gone much differently.
Another odd thing I’d noticed during the fighting was that The House of Kayden NPCs’ attacks were extremely weak. Not even close to being on par with the Goblin Raiders of the same level. It wasn’t until I stepped in and did the majority of damage against a mob that the NPCs’ attacks started doing any noticeable damaged. I was pretty sure this had something to do with my Nightmare start of the game.
Obviously, something stopped the NPCs from being able to defend themselves. Almost like they’d been preprogrammed to die until I stepped in and saved them. By the end of the battle, the NPCs fighting beside me began pumping out respectable damage for the last two or three hits needed to take down the remaining Goblin Raiders. The thought that the game developers had more or less programmed the NPCs within these Nightmare starts to be slaughtered if the player failed to succeed within the designated time frame was a little bit on the dark side, but it did make sense in its own way. Either way, it was something to keep in the back of my mind. Checking my quest, I was glad to see I hadn’t lost anymore NPCs.
New Quest! Stopping Goblin Raiders II!
Goblin Raiders have attacked the refugees of the House of Kayden, save the refugees and drive away the goblins!
Warning! This quest will fail if all the refugees die!
41/60 Refugees Alive.
0/30 Goblins Raiders in Camp.
Objective: Kill or stop the Goblin Raiders and save refugees.
Difficulty: Nightmare.
Reward: Experience and Reputation with House of Kayden.
Status: Completed! Talk to Ilana Daeralds.
Up to now, I’d just been standing in the middle of the Zombie Goblin Raiders deep in thought, when I realized the undead corpses were surrounding me. Even more disconcerting were the distrustful looks of the surviving NPCs that were angrily muttering in my direction. I suddenly realized there might be an unfortunate accident with my name all over it. Holding my palms up, I began talking fast.
“Hey everyone, Startum Ironwolf here. I was just passing by on my way to-“
“Where did you come from oathbreaker? What do you want from us? Why are you here?” The angry growls from the NPCs came hard and fast.
“Whoa there people. Everyone just relax for a moment and chill out.”
“Everyone shut your mouths!” The commanding voice cut through the noise of the angry crowd of NPCs like a hot knife through butter. Turning around towards the sound of the voice, I saw an ancient battle-hardened grandma surrounded by the three battered Elven warriors hobbling up to the circle of Zombies leaning heavily on a knobby wooden staff. Her steel gray eyes studied my face intently as she addressed me in a more conversational tone. “Who are you, boy?”
For a second, I didn’t know whether to laugh or be pissed off. I hadn’t been called ‘boy’ since my first fight in High School, but something about the amused smile on the old broad’s wrinkly face made me laugh. “M’lady, my name is Startum Ironwolf. I am a traveler-.” I paused for a second wondering if there was a better way to explain my status in-game as the old woman’s eyes seemed to burn right through mine. I guess I could have used ‘sent by the gods,’ but I didn’t feel comfortable calling the game’s developers that.
For some reason, this old woman made me hesitant to speak anything but the truth. Frowning at the
thoughts, I continued my introduction. “I was on my way to BrokenFang Hold to speak with the Clan Leader for the House of Kayden when I saw our people being attacked by Goblin Raiders and tried to help."
“Many thanks for your intervention, young man. That was very brave of you.” The old woman harrumphed studying me thoughtfully. “Although you are a newfar, I see you are also a child of the House of Kayden.” She muttered under her breath.
“Yea, that’s somewhat of a long story-” I said, my voice petering out as I silently hoped she wouldn’t ask for specifics.
“Grandmother … Grandmother!” We both turned towards the shouting voice as I saw Rayne and the children hobbling towards us. “Grandmother, Startum saved us from the Goblins!”
A visible wave of relief swept through the refugees as the old woman cackled loudly. Immediately the Zombies’ aggressive stance changed as they began making their way towards the outer edge of the crowd. Seeing that I wasn’t under the imminent threat of being torn apart by the undead creatures, I pushed my way through the crowd to Rayne’s side, quickly throwing one of her arms over my shoulder before she collapsed. Stepping in front of me, the old woman waved for me to follow as she headed through the barricades. Rayne didn’t look good as I laid her down on some tattered blankets on the frozen ground at the old woman’s behest.
“Startum,” Rayne’s cold hand cupped my face as she spoke softly. “I can’t believe you survived Gliogheeq. I’m sorry, I never thanked you for rescuing the children.” Her hand weakly dropped away from my cheek as she closed her eyes. Putting a hand to her forehead, I realized she was burning hot from a fever.
Covering Rayne up beneath the rags, I turned to the old woman. “Do you have anything that can heal her?”
“Everything we had was either lost in the raid, lost by our Ally’s betrayal or lost in the attack.” The old woman answered, exhaustedly plopping down on a nearby crate. “We have no food, no clothing and now no shelter. We have nothing.”
“Want to tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.”
Looking into the early morning sky as if she were searching for the words she wanted to say, the old woman began her story. “My name is Ilana Daeralds. I lead what remains of the House of Kayden. BrokenFang Hold, our Clan’s home ever since the last Goblin War, was invaded by an army of monsters.” Seeing my arched eyebrow, Ilana explained further.
“Thousands of the foul creatures stormed our walls. Although we slaughtered over half of the invaders, we were still overwhelmed. The main force mostly consisted of Goblins, but some Orcs and Trolls were fighting alongside them. Never before have I heard of the different tribes of the North coming together in battle instead of fighting against one another like mindless beasts. Rhenalyrr Daeralds, my late husband, and the Clan’s Leader, sent me along with all of our non-combatants and the children to warn of the new danger we now faced and to request aid from our Allies, the Light Elves, but before we’d even reached the outskirts of Delonshire, our people were accosted by Light Elf warriors from that same city.”
“House of Kayden has faithfully protected the Pass of Lianthorn from the tribes of the north for over fifty years, and yet the Light Elves of Delonshire refused our people entrance into their city, access to their healers or their markets to purchase the supplies we needed to survive.”
“Our Allies not only betrayed us, but the oathbreakers slaughtered our zombie warriors calling them and our magic a blight on their lands. They drove us back into the wilds upon the threat of death. We ran and finally set up our camp deep in the wilds only to be attacked once again by the same Goblin Raiders that had destroyed our home. This is where you found us.”
“Don’t worry about explaining where you’re from, my husband told us of the coming of the newfars.” Nodding to the wounded men and women that were going about caring for the worst of the injured and saving what supplies they could from the fire, Ilana spoke in a hushed voice. “Most of our people that survived the attack are crafters. Although, like any civilian living on the frontier, they can use a sword or a spear in a pinch. Thankfully we have a force of zombies again for protection, but zombies and crafters can’t replace our need for hunters to gather food. Can you help us, Startum?”
“We are all House of Kayden, of course, I will help. I’d like to learn more about these Zombies.” I chose my words carefully trying to make sure that my acceptance of the quest was indirectly tied into getting a little extra information about House of Kayden’s unique profession. The thoughts of having my very own zombie army to command filled my mind with thoughts of conquest as I momentarily pictured each of my friends leading a group of twenty or thirty zombies across a battlefield. I had to have this ability!
“There is no more House of Kayden,” Ilana said angrily.
“What do you mean there is no more House of Kayden,” I asked in distress as my dreams of an undead army was suddenly ripped away from my grasp.
“In seven days BrokenFang Hold will go to the invaders, and at that point, House of Kayden will cease to exist.” Ilana’s said sadly. “With nowhere to go, we will die in the wilds.”
“What would I need to do to make sure House of Kayden doesn’t die out?” I asked, urgently searching for any possible options for saving my Nightmare start.
“You’d need to find my husband’s body. I expect Mergigoth Gutripper, the Orc who invaded our home, has his body in the dungeon.” Ilana’s face turned deathly white at her next words. “Or, at least his bones will be left there. The room is under the main Keep and where I expect the invaders took those that fell to be butchered for the creatures’ vile feast. I doubt Merigigoth understood my husband is the key since the savage tribes of the north do not have places of power. What that means is at the end of the seven days any member of House of Kayden can retrieve the symbol of power for BrokenFang Hold. The invaders will still need to be driven out, but this will stop the House of Kayden from ceasing to exist.”
“Ilana, please accept my condolences for your husband.” Placing a comforting hand on the old woman’s shoulder, I continued. “I’m sorry I must ask you these difficult questions during your time of mourning, but if we are going to save our people, I have to understand what we’re up against. What is this symbol of power?”
“I thank yea for your thoughtfulness, young newfar, but there will be enough time for remembrance once our home is secure.” Ilana laid a callused hand over mine gripping firmly.
“To understand what a symbol of power is, you need to understand the concept of a place of power. Throughout the world, there are lines of power that crisscross the world. Where these lines intercept creates an influence of magical energies that wells up from the soul of the world. Each of these convergences has their individual essence that influences the gifts that are received from the inherent magic of these places of power. When a House makes their lands within these locations, they enable those that live to have additional powers that they can call upon. For the House of Kayden, this meant access to the arcane energies of Dark.”
Seeing my sudden frown at the word Dark, Ilana cackled at my ignorance. “Dark Arcane energies are not evil, young newfar. No matter what the Light Elves would have others believe. There is no intrinsic taint of evil to any of the magical energies. Just like there is no intrinsic purity of goodness to Light Arcane energies. Both are just flavors of the natural power available within the world. Good and evil comes from how an individual chooses to use their powers.”
“The Dark magic used by the House of Kayden in the past has been that of the direct damage of a Death Knight, the ranged power of a Dark Mage or the necromantic powers of a Warlock.” Ilana finished as if that explained everything. Obviously, I’d have to quiz her for a more detailed explanation.
“Ilana, can you teach me in the arts of Dark magic?” I asked sitting back on my haunches thoughtfully; I noticed the old woman was looking more tired and grayer by the second. “Are you okay, Ilana?”
“I do not know if I can teach you wh
at you need to know while the heart of BrokenFang Hold is dead, but once you reach level 10, I will try.” As if the words took the last of her energy, Ilana keeled over sideways. Immediately I jumped up and caught her in my arms, gently laying the old woman next to Rayne on the pile of ragged blankets. “I’ll be fine, young newfar. Calling so many Zombies at once taxed my body’s magic reserves. If you want to help, first you must make sure the refugees here have food and shelter. If there are no survivors left alive, House of Kayden will cease to exist to be, and Mergigoth Gutripper will become the new owner of BrokenFang Hold.”
“Shush now, I’ll do everything within my power to save our people,” I said trying to calm the old woman down so that she would rest.
“Thank you, newfar. You must-“ Ilana gripped my forearm urgently as her eyes fluttered from the strain. “You must speak with Chiara Ithilwen; she will guide you in aiding our people.” She finished as her eyelids fluttered closed as two system messages popped up in a semi-translucent quest window.
Congratulations! You have successfully completed the quest Goblin Raiders I. You have gained 5000 Experience Points. You have gained +100 points in reputation.
New Quest! Rescuing House of Kayden and driving out the invaders (Evolving-Quest)!
Monster tribes of the north have joined forces and invaded BrokenFang Hold. The refugees from House of Kayden needs your help in gathering supplies and building shelters after the goblin raid! They are in dire need of food, crafting materials, healing, and defenses!
Warning! This quest is timed! 3 Days Remaining!
Objective: Find Food and Supplies for Refugees of House of Kayden.
Difficulty: Nightmare.
Reward: Experience and Reputation with House of Kayden.
Accept: Yes / No
As soon as I chose yes, a hand fell on my shoulder as an old woman’s voice spoke in my ear. “Let Ilana rest, and she’ll be fine. For now, we have much work to do if we are going to save our people.”
