The Land_Alliances

by Aleron Kong

  Richter also asked if she knew any other potion recipes, but she stated she only knew the first because she had previously been tasked with making it for non-kobold captives that her people had used as slaves. With nothing else to do, Richter took out the small mortar and pestle from his Bag as well as several empty vials. En’fota continued drawing maps and Richter set to his gristly work.

  With his shadow dagger, he walked from body to body. He removed each eye and placed them all in his Bag. He still had two bodies left to harvest when Dur’ghen came back. The kobold was dragging a furry, squealing creature behind him. Richter got his first view of a skitter. This thing was fugly!

  It was a rat the size of a Pomeranian, but instead of fur, it was covered in scales. Its pelt was a dingy black in the light and had six legs ending in clawed feet. Dur’ghen was pulling it by its tail, and as its body fully exited the side tunnel, it gnashed its teeth as it tried to escape. At one point, it contorted and bit the kobold fighter, but its teeth were unable to penetrate his heavy scales. For the first time since becoming charmed, En’fota smiled. She waved Dur’ghen over to a slight depression in the tunnel floor. Her claws extended and with no further pause she ripped into the creature. The thing squealed loudly as it was eviscerated. Dur’ghen did not stand idly by, but instead flipped it over and took a large bite of its underbelly, the one part of the animal not covered in scales.

  Richter watched appalled as they consumed chunks of the creature while it screamed. After a few moments, he hacked and coughed, bile rising in his throat and burning the back of his mouth. He clapped a hand over his mouth to control the urge. En’fota looked up at the noise. She held up a severed leg she was chewing, “Would you like this master? They are best when they are fresh.” The skitter screamed again. Richter lost control and vomit sprayed over the bodies of two of the dead kobold fighters. Even Alma seemed bothered by the savagery. She flapped her way to the far end of the tunnel. En’fota shrugged and got back to her meal.

  Once Richter stopped heaving, he rinsed his mouth out and spat. He quickly went back to his own disgusting act and finished collecting the eyes. Then he walked over to where the kobolds were feasting and ordered them back. He collected some of the red blood from where it had pooled on the floor. With the ingredients in hand, he walked over to his mortar and pestle. He placed one eye in the bowl, poured some of the blood atop it and poured some water as well. Then he started grinding. The eye popped with a faint sound and the white vitreous fluid mixed with the red blood. He kept grinding to the soundtrack of the two kobolds noisily resuming their meal.

  After a few minutes of grinding, blowing, grinding and blowing, he finally got the result he was seeking. Lifting the pestle, he could see that the color of the potion had changed to a deep black.

  You have created: Darkvision Potion. Potion Level: Tincture. Strength: Weak. Weight 0.1 kg. This will provide Darkvision for 15 yards for 15 minutes.

  Richter smiled. His first real attempt at alchemy was a success! He carefully emptied the potion into a vial and then made eleven more with the remaining kobold eyes. After the seventh he leveled up in Alchemy, making the subsequent potions more powerful. The 1.5% bump only increased his range by a few more inches, but he would take it.

  Trying not to think about what was actually in the potion, he closed his eyes and drank one down. The thick liquid seemed to coat his throat and he almost vomited again. The sensation was quickly replaced by a tingling in his eyes. When he opened them, the ball of light hanging in the tunnel caused immediate discomfort.

  He summoned Alma. As his familiar settled across his shoulders, he dismissed the Light spell with a wave of his hand. Richter saw with Darkvision for the first time. It was a bit surreal. His natural vision operated by differentiating positive and negative space. Because of that, seeing edges and focusing on specific objects was easy. Darkvision was like seeing everything at once without focusing on anything. What you saw was a still picture. Because of that, any changes to the picture were easy to detect. Richter suddenly knew why the kobolds could pierce his stealth when he moved. Also, being cloaked in shadows couldn’t be expected to be super effective against beings that could see through pure darkness.

  His Darkvision was also somewhat surreal in that it cut off abruptly at fifteen yards. After that, it was like there was a wall of pure black. He asked En’fota what the range of her vision was, and it turned out that both kobolds could see at least fifty yards.

  Richter shook his head. It meant that even though he could see in the dark, he was still in a severe disadvantage against any other kobolds he might run into. A quick question informed him that higher level castes typically had better Darkvision and that the max distance also increased occasionally with level. Maybe the workers wouldn’t be able to see as far as his charmed kobolds, but En’fota told him they could still see at least thirty yards. It couldn’t be helped though. If he had any chance of getting close enough to kill the guards at the crystal garden, it had to be without light.

  He cast Night Vision, hoping it would boost the range of his Darkvision. There was no change though. Darkvision didn’t add any light, and without a bare amount of ambient illumination, the spell wouldn’t work. Richter sent a call for Futen and then thought through the upcoming attack.

  According to the mage, it was about a twenty-minute hike to the crystal garden. After that the entrance to the surface was ten to fifteen miles away. If the information the kobolds had provided was correct, the way was littered with traps. None of them should be any more complicated than what Richter had already found though, according to En’fota. Apparently the REALLY dangerous and diabolical traps were only found closer to the key areas. Because he would be moving away from the center of the Sabre Claw’s seat of power, the resistance he found should be minimal she told him.

  Richter mulled over his situation. On the one hand, he could make a run for it and have a high chance of getting out of the tunnels. On the other though, a potentially valuable resource was almost undefended. And he still had his Ring of Spell Storage, he thought with a smile. He reloaded the spell with Charm and waited for Futen to return.

  He quickly accessed his prompts to see if there was anything else that required his attention. Richter was pleased to see that he had gotten a nice experience bump from Alma’s Brain Drain.

  You have been awarded 1,944 (base 31,115 x 0.05 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 8 Kobold.

  You have been awarded 3,115 (base 49,835 x 0.05 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 10 Kobold.

  You have been awarded 942 (base 15,064 x 0.05 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 6 Kobold.

  You have been award 858 (base 13,723 x 0.05 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 5 Kobold.

  You have been award 1,830 (base 29,285 x 0.05 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 8 Kobold.

  You have been award 2,326 (base 37,211 x 0.05 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 9 Kobold.

  The experience wasn’t enough to get either him or Alma to the next level, but he was still happy with the bonus. Richter gave the mage and fighter their gear again. He needed them equipped now that a battle loomed. The one thing he held back on was giving back the summoning staff. He wouldn’t risk losing such an interesting object.

  Richter leaned against the wall of the tunnel to wait for Futen. After a few minutes, the remnant spoke in Richter’s ear, “How can I help you, my Lord.”

  Richter took out his physical Traveler’s Map. “We are going to attack a crystal garden. This is the route.” With a thought, the route became highlighted. “Go invisible. Report back once you have scouted the scene.” The remnant disappeared.

  Richter cast Haste on himself and the two kobolds, “Stop when we are one hundred yards away from the garden. Let’s go.”

  They all took off at a run. The distance was crossed quickly with their enhanced speed. Richter had to drink another Darkvision potion, but other than that,
the trip was uneventful. They stopped near a bend in the tunnel. En’fota told him that the garden was only a hundred yards ahead. Richter could hear barking voices.

  “Futen,” Richter whispered.

  “Yes, my Lord,” came the response front right in front of his face. Not too long ago, the remnant’s voice appearing out of nowhere would have creeped the hell out of him. Now though, he just accepted it as business as usual.

  “What did you find?”

  “There are three guards at the entrance to the cave ahead. The entrance is twenty yards across. Twelve other kobolds are carrying crystals to a wagon that is hitched to some type of animal. The wagon is almost full.”

  “Okay,” Richter said. He turned to his charmed kobolds, “Can you lure the three guards over here.”

  “They will do as ordered,” En’fota answered.

  Richter nodded, *Alma, I need you to drink a potion. It will let you see in the dark. I will need you in a moment.*

  *Yes, master,* she thought back.

  Richter gave her a potion and then confirmed that it gave her Darkvision. She answered happily that the tincture had worked. Though she hadn’t expressed it, being blind and dependent on Richter to get around had been very difficult for the winged creature.

  Richter sent the two kobolds ahead, instructing them to bring the guards back and to be ready to attack if either resisted his spell. Alma hovered above. She was ready to unleash a Psi Blast as soon as the kobolds turned the corner. Richter cast Barkskin on himself. His fingers twitched unconsciously as he thought about unleashing his spells.

  Scant minutes later, the three guards came around the corner. Alma unleashed her power and they all fell to their knees, two with screams and one with just a stunned look on his face. Richter unleased the Charm spell stored in his ring with one hand and with the other invoked Charm a second time. Both of the kobolds he targeted adopted the vacant expression of the newly enchanted. The third kobold was struggling to his feet, leaning on his spear to stand faster. Richter opened his mouth to command his charmed kobolds to attack when Alma let out a cry. Gold light surround her body as she cast Charm. Suddenly, there was another vacant expression.

  Richter looked at his familiar in shock and wonder. “That’s my girl! You are so wonderful!” He had known she could use Life magic now, of course, but actually seeing how much more powerful his familiar now took his breath away! She trilled happily in response to his praise and alighted on top of her charmed kobold’s head. Then she promptly defecated before shooting back up into the air. Richter’s face wrinkled in disgust, then he just shrugged and laughed. She had just made the kobold her bitch and then shit on him. Maybe she wasn’t exactly wonderful, but she was definitely still his girl!

  Richter’s Analyze skill confirmed that all of the enchantments had been successful. The three kobolds were all of the Kol caste. He immediately sent the five charmed creatures around the corner with instructions to force all the workers back into the cave.

  The workers had heard the brief screams and were ready to bolt. When the five members of the higher castes came back with no apparent concern, however, the deeply ingrained obedience to follow the orders of their betters overwhelmed their instinct to flee. Richter followed thirty seconds later while stealthed. He was reasonably sure that he should be beyond the boundary of the workers’ Darkvision.

  He smiled when he saw the five charmed kobolds blocking the mouth of the cave. Richter equipped his bow and nocked an arrow. More than thirty Tri caste kobolds were in the cavern. When he stepped into view of the workers, they all began to bark and whine in fear. He shouted, “Attack!”

  The next few minutes were not so much a battle, as a slaughter. The charmed kobolds set into their kinsmen with vicious abandon. Richter continually nocked and fired arrows, each finding a home in the scaled bodies of the workers. He didn’t imbue any, wanting to avoid the large concussive booms. It didn’t matter though. In five minutes, all of the kobold workers were dead. Alma had had a field day, having drained four more workers. Each time she latched on, he immediately shot the kobold in the chest. After only one or two shots, it would expire. Alma garnered another 9,165 experience points for the both of them.

  One of the guards had been injured and blood ran freely down his chest. Richter cast Slow Heal and the wound slowly closed. He looked at En’fota, “Where is the Focus crystal?”

  “I will find it master.” The kobold mage ran deeper into the garden. Richter followed her with his eyes and then looked around the cave. It appeared normal to be made of stone, except for the clusters of crystal that blossomed randomly from the walls, floor and ceiling. Each looked like an oversized section of a fractured geode.

  Richter ordered the others to gather the items from the dead workers. As they did his bidding, he moved over to the wagon holding the harvested crystal. The animal hitched to the wagon shuffled a bit uneasily at his approach. He tried to speak soothingly to it, but that only increased its agitation. Realizing his mistake, he tried again but in the language of the kobolds. The animal calmed. He analyzed it and discovered it was called a “prox.” It looked like any oxen he might find above ground except that the ears were overly large. Ignoring it, he started loading his Bag of Holding with the crystals as fast as he could.

  Before long, En’fota ran back up to his side, “I have found it, master.”

  Richter had loaded half the contents of the wagon into his Bag. Luckily the crystal wasn’t too heavy. He looked at the rest of the unclaimed resource, but decided to stop while he was ahead. The Focus Crystal was the real prize. If the battle with the guardian went well, then he would gather the rest afterward.

  Richter followed the mage further into the cave. He stopped by the pile of gear that the workers had. Richter ignored most of the random items, but placed all of the pouches into his Bag. He would go through them later. The one other thing he picked up was a pickaxe. He reasoned he would need it to dig out the Focus Crystal.

  The cave extended back further than Richter had initially thought. The group walked for several minutes and Richter took the opportunity to load his Ring of Spell Storage once again. His mana dropped by 60 points but it had almost completely replenished anyway so it wasn’t a large hit. Richter drew one of his Heavy Cobalt Arrows and placed it on his bow string. He had a feeling he might need some extra stopping power soon.

  The outcroppings of crystal became more regular the further in they went. It was no longer just random pockets. Now Richter could see entire sheets of crystal growing from the walls. The individual crystals also seemed bigger.

  “How long did it take to grow all of this?” Richter asked.

  “This garden has existed for decades, master. Its loss will be a large blow to our people,” En’fota responded. The charmed creature didn’t seem particularly bothered that she was helping to rob her own people of a clan treasure. The information made Richter acutely aware of passing time though. That was when he saw it.

  Nestled into the wall was a glowing crystal. Richter couldn’t really make out colors in his Darkvision the same way he could if there was light, but he clearly saw it was slowly pulsing. Looking around, he didn’t see the guardian the kobolds had warned of. Placing his arrow back into his quiver, he shouldered his bow. Richter ordered the kobolds to keep watch and then he picked up the pickaxe.

  Swinging with all of his might, he hammered at the wall of crystal. A few chips fell to the ground. He swung again and more chips fell to the tunnel floor. Richter secured his grip and started mining in earnest. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! His blows were a steady beat that echoed through the still cave. He hoped that he wasn’t drawing the attention of another patrol, but he wouldn’t be denied his prize now that he was so close!

  Cracks appeared in the wall and Richter reversed the pickaxe so that the point was towards the wall. He swung again and again into the cracks, and each blow drove the heavy point into the crevices that now zigzagged all over the wall. He brought the blunt end back to be
ar and swung again! With a sound like the fracturing of a glacier, the wall fell as a whole and the Focus Crystal was exposed!

  Richter threw the pickaxe down and away from him. Sweat flowed freely down his body and his hands tingled from the reverberations of his heavy blows. He reached towards the pulsing crystal and a prompt filled his vision.

  You have unlocked the Quest: Crystal Garden I. To make your own Crystal Garden you must harvest the Focus Crystal. The Crystal is a powerful item and a living thing and so to harvest one is both a boon and a responsibility. You have found a Focus Crystal. Do you wish to retrieve it? Reward: A Focus Crystal. Yes or No?

  He ignored the prompt for a second and drank another Darkvision potion and gave Alma one as well. He had En’fota prepare any spells or buffs that she had. Then he cast Haste on himself and two of the kobolds. He had Alma buff herself and hasten the other three. Richter called out for Futen to scout the area outside of the crystal garden to watch out for other kobolds. The remnant wouldn’t be of much use against a stone monster. Richter heard a disembodied, “Yes, my Lord.” A minor earth elemental rose from the ground as the kobold mage finished casting a spell. Richter figured they were as ready as they were going to be. He focused on the prompt and selected ‘Yes.’ Richter had a feeling that things were about to get FUBAR’d.

  Everything got fucked up beyond all recognition.

  As soon as the prompt disappeared the earth began to tremble violently. Richter realized he needn’t have been concerned about anyone hearing the blows of the pickaxe. It sounded like the entire mountain was being ripped in half! The upheaval knocked all of them to the ground. That turned out to be lucky because crystals from all about the cavern began to fly about. Razor sharp shards shot through the air faster than an arrow. First two shards slammed together, then a third. More and more crystals began to aggregate and the Focus Crystal rose into the air. Its slow pulse had been accelerated to a nearly constant flicker and it was added to the mass of crystals floating in the air.