I opened the design mode to review my known runes. I was thinking of something simple and straightforward: Use the fire and sound runes to augment the damage, channel them through the strength rune, and bind it to the top of the spear. A simple five-rune enchantment, counting in the connector rune. But the pins could hold six runes each – seven, with my Runecraft skill level. I had two more available slots and I hated to see them go to waste.
I went through the list of known runes again, looking for inspiration. I could add a socket using the containment rune and use a void crystal to increase the overall enchantment strength, I surmised. That still left me with one open slot, but I couldn’t think of anything else that would increase the damage, so I decided to leave it open for now. I could always add more runes later.
I finalized the enchantment by pouring in the required 450 mana, then slapped in the level 39 void crystal I got from sacrificing the oxsaurian. The extra power flowed into the already active runes, making them glow brighter for a few moments before settling down to a ‘normal’ runic glow.
Stalker Spear [Runecrafted]
Description: The large demonic pin makes for an ideal throwing spear. Due to its size and weight, it can only be used by large creatures.
Type: Weapon [thrown]
Rank: Magical
Durability: 130/130
Damage: 50-62 physical + 14 fire + 14 sonic + half Physical attribute
I examined the result with satisfaction. This weapon would be devastating in the hands of the Ogre boss. His strength would enhance the already impressive damage potential.
I ran the numbers in my head. Rhynorn’s Physical attribute was 22, so he could inflict over a hundred points of damage with the thrown spear, and that number would only grow as his levels rose. Not bad.
I started working on the second Stalker Pin. This one was easier. All I had to do was select the schema I had just invented and apply it. The runes appeared on their own in a flash on the unenchanted weapon, and I only had to power it up. I was done with the second spear in less than a minute, finalizing the enchantment by pouring in another 450 points of mana. I didn’t put a void crystal in the socket this time; I’d already used the only oxsaurian one I had. My other crystals were either too low-level or too high-level, which meant the extra power would go to waste.
I had to postpone adding a crystal, but if what I had planned for the next few days worked out, I’d have plenty of suitable crystals to choose from.
I got up from my chair and stretched. This entire enchanting session took about an hour and I’d exhausted the supply of weapons to enchant. I didn’t think wasting my time on a low-quality item justified the result. My Runecraft skill level had just risen to 31. I had to continually challenge myself with more complex enchantments to raise it further.
Malkyr had yet to supply the remaining Viridium spheres like he promised. But the lack of quality items to enchant wouldn’t continue much longer. Now that we had armor and weapon production lines in place, I expected I’d soon be busy up to my ears with enchanting. That reminded me. There were a dozen armor sets waiting to be enchanted, but I decided to wait until I had even more and could do them in bulk. For my intended hunt, weapons were more important than armor.
I guess I might as well use the time to experiment with Shadow Clone, I thought testily. The ability was potentially very powerful, but I didn’t look forward to the splitting headache it left me with.
I sat down on the floor, crossing my legs in front of me, and concentrated.
I started by regulating my breath; breathing in fully and exhaling slowly. It had been a while since I’d immersed myself in meditation.
I felt myself gradually relax, slipping deeper into serenity.
It was quiet and peaceful.
My mana swirled inside my body in sync with my own heartbeat.
I raised one arm, preparing to channel my mana into my shadow.
An abrupt knock on the door broke me from my reverie.
“Shadow-crap,” I complained, getting to my feet. It had taken me over an hour to reach this tranquil state, and the interruption was quite bothersome. I nearly ripped the door open. “Who the hell – Oh, Malkyr.”
The big man was grinning at me. “Hi, Chief. Bad time?”
I took in a steadying breath, soothing my annoyance. “Everything is fine. How’ve you been?”
“Great.” He held up a sack. “I just finished making the Viridium spheres like you asked. Sorry for the delay; it took a bit longer than I expected.”
I motioned for him to come inside and put them on the table.
“So how do you like being part of the clan?” I asked, though I was eager to start working with the spheres.
He shrugged. “Not much different than before. The Shadow-Touched trait is pretty useful. I get now why you guys only work at nights. The extra ten percent to my Smithing skill really helped to craft those spheres. I also reached my smith cap. I’m only 22 skill levels short of reaching the Expert rank now, then things will get really interesting.” He grinned boyishly. “Oh, and being able to see in total darkness is pretty cool too. I feel sorry for the new players who have to stumble around carrying torches everywhere. Did you notice that the light doesn’t really banish the darkness? It just sort of … lets you see the immediate area, and then it gets cut off. Kinda creepy.”
“That should help motivate the others to pitch in.”
“I guess …” He shook his head. “At least they don’t cause too much trouble. I was worried their players’ instinct would make them kill a few goblins. You know that in every other game goblins are just dumb XP sacks, right? But the guys that get here are pretty cool. I spoke with a few, and I think they’re smarter than the average player. I think each of them is a big shot IRL. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
“I guess. I don’t really care, just as long as they don’t hurt our efforts.”
“Alright, Big Chief.” Malkyr flashed me another of his big, boyish grins. “I’ll leave you at it for now. My own smithy is coming along nicely. That magic anvil I brought back just begs to be used. I’ll see you later.”
For a second, I thought about calling him back and asking for his help preparing for the coming attack, but I decided against it. Malkyr was already doing all he could to contribute, and I didn’t want him distracted. I still had about three weeks ahead of me to prepare; there was plenty of time before I had to alert everyone.
I sat back down at the table and took out the first of the 12 Viridium spheres. It was enchanting time again.
***
It was close to the end of the workday when I finally quit working. I had finished enchanting half the Viridium spheres. I now had a total of nine of the Runecrafted, glowing pieces. I decided this was enough to test my idea.
Concentrating on the spheres, I poured my mana into them. Each one required 100 MP. I was nearly drained by the time I had finished powering them all up.
Then I started playing. First, I made the balls connect with each other, then I made them pile up. The balls rolled up on top of each other into a column, like a pile of spherical magnets.
I flexed my will and the shape changed. Two pieces moved down to the base to strengthen it, and another two at the top leaned 90 degrees to the side and started rotating around the main column faster and faster. I picked up one the finished swords from the table and gently put it in the path of the rotating spheres. The metal balls were heavy and the impact knocked the blade out of my hands. It flew across the room and embedded in the wooden wall with a thud.
I grinned. There was no question about the potential damage I could do with these. But there was a drawback to using the spheres: They were mana hogs. Once I had finished enchanting all of them, even my sizable mana pool, now over 1,300, wouldn’t be enough to power them up to keep them moving. I was missing something …. something that could hold a charge and allow me to control them without taxing my own mana reserves.
The missing piece to the puzz
le felt almost like an itch. The solution was right in front of me, but I couldn’t see it. No combination of runes I could think of would help in this case. I needed something else, something that could … then it hit me.
“The gremlin!”
Excited, I jumped to my feet and went out.
This time, I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
26 – Gone Hunting
I entered ‘Gadgets & Magic,’ Anikosem’s gremlin shop.
“Ah, welcome again, Dread Totem,” the elderly gremlin welcomed me from behind the counter. “How may I help you?”
“I need you to teach me the Zu rune.”
The gremlin opened his arms wide. “We already discussed it. I’m afraid I can’t help you unless you have reconsidered and can pay me 50 magmashrooms.”
I shook my head. “Even if I wanted to, I don’t have enough.” I held his gaze steadily. “An army of travelers are on their way here. They will kill and destroy everything in the valley, you included. I need every advantage to prepare for their arrival, and that includes your rune of motion.”
My words seemed to have made an impact on him. He looked at me with fear in his eyes for a moment, then shook his head. “Maybe that’s true, but if you expect me to disclose my peoples’ sacred knowledge, I need something of equal value in exchange.”
“Damn it!” I banged the countertop, causing the many magical devices to rattle. “I don’t have time for that. I’m going to hunt oxsaurians tomorrow and I need that rune now!”
His expression changed. He cocked his head. “Oxsaurians you say? Those beasts are dangerous.”
“I know.” I leaned forward over the counter. “That’s just one task on my list to get us ready for the attack. Everyone in my clan is working tirelessly toward that goal. Even the new travelers pitch in, gathering more resources, building defenses, and such. Only you gremlins do nothing. You sit all day in the fancy, expensive marketplace I built for you and don’t lift a finger to help.”
He frowned. “That is unfair. We helped develop your clan’s economic status. Your people and the newcomers are stronger thanks to the goods we brought. Besides, the marketplace supplies you with steady tax income. You will return your investment soon enough.”
I heaved a sigh. Damn, that gremlin was sharp. He had a logical counter to every approach I tried. Well, I had one more angle. I could always threaten him. Financially. I could change the tax rate at will, and if that old furball wasn’t willing to see it my way, it was going to cost him.
I opened my mouth, and Anikosem raised his hand to stall me.
“I can see in your eyes you are about to say something we might both regret later on. But there’s no need for that. I have another proposal; one that doesn’t involve magmashrooms.”
I closed my mouth and took in a long, steadying breath. “What do you have in mind?” I asked in a composed tone.
“Oxsaurians. They are hard to find and harder to kill. As creatures that are completely cut off from mana, their horns might be useful for my research of magical blockers, a component in a variety of magical items. Bring me ten oxsaurian horns for my experiment and the Zu rune is yours. I can use a little redundancy, so I will also pay 100 gold per horn over ten.”
You have received a new quest: Oxsaurian Horns
Anikosem, the gremlin magic trader, wants you to bring him 10 oxsaurian horns.
Optional: Bring 10 extra horns
Horns in inventory: 0/20
Quest type: Simple
Reward: ‘Zu’ rune, 100 gold per horn beyond 10 (max 10 more horns), 5,000 XP
Finally!
“You got yourself a deal,” I said, and we shook hands.
I turned away and walked back to my house. With this new rune, I should be able to –
I stopped abruptly and looked around. Something felt different. The surrounding darkness was suddenly thicker, heavier.
Eternal Night blessing has been extended. Location: Raider’s Camp
That explained it.
I had nearly forgotten about the goblin adept I’d sent with the coal shipment. He had finally reached the altar at the old hobgoblin camp and was channeling its power back to the clan’s Dark Temple.
With him and Kuzai’s shadow maintaining the shrine at the Ogre fort, I only had to wait for The Mob Squad to escort the other adept to the last shrine to activate it.
I went back to my house and continued enchanting the remaining Viridium spheres.
***
I woke up with a yawn.
I’d worked longer than usual yesterday enchanting the remaining six Viridium spheres.
I was still a little tired but I had no time to waste. I was planning to take the soldiers out of the valley for some live combat, and I had a few matters to attend to first.
I walked to the mess hall and took my usual seat. Gandork soon brought me a steaming bowl of excellent tender meat with thick mushroom sauce. Now that our farmers were producing a steady supply of mushrooms, we could once again enjoy this flavorful dish.
Kaedric came to me, bowing his head. “Good morning, my lord.”
“Hey, Kaedric.” I waved at him with my fork, splattering sauce on the floor. Three foblins charged the still steaming liquid and started growling for the right to lick it off.
Kaedric’s mandibles cracked open in annoyance at the critters blocking his path. With a single hard stare, the three were sent running away, yelping in fear.
“Kaedric, I’m taking the troops out for a few days,” I told my seneschal once he had seated himself across from me. “I’m leaving the clan in your capable hands.”
“Yes, my lord.” He bowed his head. “May I raise a few issues regarding the clan’s efficiency?”
“That’s what you’re here for,” I said lightly.
“Wolrig, the goblin constructor, reached his Apprentice rank yesterday.”
Weird, I didn’t get any notice about it.
No need. Thanks, Vic.
I turned my attention to the hob before me. “If I recall correctly, that means he can now manage six builders, right?”
“That is correct, my lord. The extra hands should expedite our construction rate significantly.”
“Hmmm …” I chewed on my lip. Four new workers translated into 120 units of food. I was at a point where I wanted more soldiers, not workers. Then again … more builders meant faster development, which in turn would lead to greater gain.
“Alright, summon four new builders.”
“Very well, my lord. I shall invest the required 468 energy points to raise them all to level 3.”
I winced. There went another good chunk of energy. Just this morning we’d crossed the 5,000 mark for the first time, only to now have it back down into the 4K range. “Very well. Anything else?”
“With the recent recruitments, our food supplies have dwindled significantly.”
“I am aware of that, but thanks to the Eternal Night blessing, our daily production is about four times the upkeep.”
“Yes, my lord. However, that is not the point I was trying to make. Except for gathered ingredients, we are using most of our food ingredients as they come in. We have built a significant stock of that which mostly goes unused.”
He had a point. The clan’s workers gathered both edible ingredients – potatoes, roots, and the like – and herbal ingredients that were used mainly for flavoring. We didn’t have too many recipes that made use of those.
I concentrated briefly and whistled when I realized we had over 600 units of gathered ingredients. “I see what you mean. Suggestion?”
“You may instruct Gandork to research a new recipe, one that makes heavy use of those ingredients, or you may instruct the gatherers to concentrate more on collecting edible ingredients.”
I played with the meat on my plate while I mulled over his suggestion. The gathered ratio be
tween the two was balanced, which provided the maximum yield in total. However, if it was just sitting there, eventually it would spoil, even with the warehouse’s special storage ability.
“We’ll do both.” I decided. I opened the Settlement Interface and changed the gatherers’ ratio to 70 percent edible. “Gandork, come here please.”
The fat goblin cook approached, wiping his hand on a towel. “Yes, Dread Totem?”
“Do you think you can invent a new recipe, one that mostly uses gathered ingredients?”
Gandork pondered my question for a moment. “If I dice them all together, and maybe add a pinch of vegetables and mushrooms for chewiness, it could make a nice salad. I don’t think I’ll ruin too many of the ingredients while I experiment.”
“Good, do that.” I looked at my seneschal. “Anything else, Kaedric?”
“The research center will be completed tomorrow, my lord. The builders need the remainder of the silver today.”
“Zuban sure works fast.” I chewed my food slowly as I tried to figure out what to do.
Each day, after purchasing iron for our smiths, I was left with 65 units of lumber. That was enough for a single silver ingot, but I needed three more.
I opened the Export Office Interface, selected the silver, and browsed through the list of items my clan could offer in trade.
Poison gland, no. Rabbit pelts, no. Gathered ingredients … no. Then I stopped. We had 15 crude goblin-sized leather armor in stock. I’d forgotten we had those. Kaedric had already persuaded Vrick to craft only hobgoblin armor instead.
Every five pieces would trade for a single silver. Since we had absolutely no use for them, I gladly traded the lot for the three silver we needed.
In the back of my mind, I pictured Trillian, the exporter, and her gofer running to the warehouse, rounding up all the armor and hauling it back to the Export Office. I hoped Vrick wouldn’t take it too badly.
I finished eating the last few spoonfuls off my plate and went to the table where Bob and the other trainers, Zia and Yulli, were sitting.
“Dread Totem.” My lieutenant nodded respectfully. “My men and I are nearly ready; 23 hobgoblin strong in total.”
Life Reset_EvP_Environment vs. Player Page 42
