I tried to move but couldn't. A system message appeared before my eyes,
You're dead.
Use the Altar's Force to resurrect: Yes/No.
Unhesitantly I accepted the offer.
Congratulations! You've resurrected!
Good luck to you, O Reincarnated One!
You've received Achievement: New Life!
Reward: +1% to Protection from Physical Damage!
Excellent. I could move again.
The altar's blue light expired, submerging me into darkness. Not the scary pitch dark of the logging in, just the regular gloom of an underground cave. My Ennan eyesight adapted to it in no time.
I cast a studying look around. A narrow passage gaped in a far wall. This was probably my exit route.
Very well, then. I was finished in here.
I dove into the crevice. Below it lay a narrow rock passage.
"So much for the light at the end of the tunnel," I chuckled as I stepped into it. After few more steps, I finally faced freedom.
No matter how much I'd have loved to step out into the soft sunlight to the birds' gentle singing, I ended up under the same incessant rain pouring from the heavy skies.
I was in the jungle. Everywhere I looked, there were palm trees, bamboo and giant ferns wound with creepers. A moss-grown cliff rose behind me.
A faint trail ran from the cave entrance into the forest.
I shrugged. "Oh well. I'll be off, then."
Still, before I went anywhere I had to work out what had actually happened back at the beach. Not that it was going to take a lot of time. Adventures could wait.
I perched on a large boulder by the cliff and cast a look around. Everything seemed nice and quiet.
Let's do it.
I opened the logs and scrolled down until I came to my killing Stomper.
Got it.
You've attacked a level 30 Stomper!
You've dealt a critical hit!
Damage dealt: 83
You've killed a level 30 Stomper!
You've received Experience!
You've received a new level!
Current level: 2
Reward: +15 to Knowledge
Current Knowledge: 25/40
Congratulations! You've received Achievement: A Hill and an Ant.
Reward: +1% to Energy Regeneration
+1% to your chance of receiving Knowledge
My XP bar was 98% full. Which meant that if I won my next fight I might even make level 3. I'd only taken a few shots and I was already level 2! Having said that...
Yes! It worked! My little beasties had made a new level too! Boris was almost level 2 already. Prankster lagged behind somewhat but he boasted a new ability. Let's have a look.
Congratulations! Your pet has received a new level! It's become stronger, sturdier and much more dangerous for your enemies!
Main characteristics:
Name: Prankster
Race: Black Grison
Type: Relic
Level: 1
Satiety: 90/90
Life: 3/20
Stamina: 0
Health: 0
Damage: 1,9 ... 2,6.
Abilities: Healing Wave I
The pet will use its ability to cast a spell allowing its master to restore 5% Life. Cooldown: 2 min.
Experience received: 10% of the owner’s combat experience without detracting from it.
Nourishment: The owner can feed his pet at any given time by sharing some of his Energy with it.
Warning! A pet’s level can’t exceed that of its owner!
Available points: 5
Okay...
Apart from his new ability — which was good news in and by itself — Prankster had only received a few new stats. His Satiety levels had grown. He now had a Life bar and a Stamina stat. Plus he had been granted five points which I was going to distribute for him shortly.
Now, his abilities. Finally I could see Prankster's entire ability chart. Admittedly all of its icons were still inactive but at least I knew that his next ability branch would open at level 15. Which was better than knowing nothing at all, I suppose.
The first advantage of a relic pet was having six abilities. Regular pets could only have four.
Next. Prankster could fight already at level 1: I wouldn't have to level him up to 30 in order to open Damage.
The next advantage applied to both Prankster and Boris. It concerned what Mirror World players called a "death penalty". If my mount or pet died in battle the way it had just happened to them only a few minutes ago, I could only summon them after a three-hour penalty period. That was a bit of a hassle but admittedly better than the six hours imposed on regular pet owners.
I closed Prankster's window and moved on to Boris. Unlike Prankster, he'd already received his first ability; the next one would open at level 20.
His system messages couldn't have pleased me more,
Congratulations! Your pet has received a new level! It's become stronger, sturdier and much more dangerous for your enemies!
Main characteristics:
Name: Boris
Type: Hugger the Night Hunter
Class: Relic
Level: 1
Satiety: 1000/1000
Stamina: 10
Health: 0
Life: 3/200
Damage: 5,6 ... 6,8.
Abilities: Flight. Riding a Hugger increases your speed 30%. It also allows you to carry two additional heavy items.
Experience received: 20% of the owner’s combat experience without detracting from it.
Nourishment: The owner can feed his pet at any given time by sharing some of his Energy with it.
Warning! A pet’s level can’t exceed that of its owner!
Available points: 5
I wasn't going to distribute his available points quite yet, either. Once I logged out, I'd have to spend some quality time online looking into it, then make an informed decision. There was no hurry, especially considering I couldn't summon my little menagerie for another three hours, anyway.
I found this fact quite disturbing. I was too used to having a plan B (read: being able to soar up into the sky) whenever the going got tough. And it looked like now I had to rely solely on myself. Oh. Plus the Minor Pocket Slingshot.
Never mind. No good winding myself up. I needed to distract myself with something.
Actually, I still hadn't checked my loot.
"Let's have a look," I mumbled, opening my inventory.
Aha. How interesting. The Swamp Monks had predictably left me some teeth, slime and venom. But Stomper, on top of two fangs, had also bestowed a proper item on me.
What was it, then?
Name: A Bone Bracelet of a Swamp Monk Warrior
Effect: +25 to Speed
Restrictions: none
Level: 20
This was the first real item I'd won in battle. And judging by its name, it stood to reason Stomper had at some point managed to alienate the Monks by swallowing one of their warriors.
The absence of restrictions was good news, as opposed to the item's level 20. I'd so have loved to put it on straight away. No such luck.
"Hi, you all right?"
I jumped at the sound of a stranger's voice. Blinking the messages out of my eyes, I raised my head. A red-skinned Narch towered not two paces away from me. Nickname: Dreadlock. Level: 0. Judging by his full set of herbalist gear, he too used to be a Grinder.
The hilts of two swords peeped from behind his back: both rather simple, by the looks of them. I'd seen enough swords both in Mellenville and the Citadel to know a thing or two about them.
There was something else about him I hadn't noticed at first. Another pair of hilts peeked from behind his belt. But of course. He had four arms, didn't he? So naturally he needed four weapons. Admittedly they added a touch of danger to his otherwise harmless appearance.
I immediately thought about the Plateau battle. There, red-skinned Narch assassins looked suitably
bloodthirsty: their eyes glowing with malice, froth dripping from their fangs, a curved saber in each of their four hands... Scary.
Dreadlock looked like a fine specimen of his race. Tall with broad shoulders, not an ounce of fat anywhere. This was the kind of guy who only waited for a command to slice you into shreds.
"I'm fine, thank you," I cracked a friendly smile.
He nodded. "I see. I wasn't really sure. Things happen. One's first death is never easy."
"Ah. How very thoughtful of you."
Then it dawned on me. "Did you say first death?"
He shrugged. "Yeah."
I frowned. Paranoia crept up, entwining my heart and growing new shoots generously nurtured with suspicion. "How do you know this was my first death?"
He grinned. "I don't. Or rather I didn't. Just an educated guess. Only newcomers resurrect at this altar, you see. Then again, you might just have happened to walk past. Or you might have had an appointment here. And what's more, now that I know your level, I'd have rather supposed the latter. The fact that you confirmed my initial suggestion is remarkable in itself. How did you manage to do two levels in your first fight?"
"By accident," I admitted, making a mental note to watch what I was saying.
He only chuckled.
"Can I ask you a question?" I hurried to add.
"Sure," he chuckled again, baring some very sharp fangs. "I suggest we talk as we walk. You are going to the village, aren't you?"
I sprang from my rock and theatrically brushed the non-existent dust from my pants. "I'd love to keep you company!"
"Excellent. Off we go, then."
When we left the cliff behind, Dreadlock finally asked, "What did you mean when you said you made two levels by accident? Mind telling me how it happened? Oh, sorry, you were going to ask me something, weren't you?"
I nodded, trying to fall into step with his giant stride. "I was. Actually, our questions have a lot in common."
"Shoot, then. It's even better this way."
"What did you mean by saying it was my first death? What has that got to do with the altar?"
"I see," he nodded. "When all else fails, read the freakin' manual."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I don't think you've ever got down to reading the location guides, have you? I can imagine your shock when you discovered the high-level mobs."
"You don't mean it's normal!"
"Normal? More like lunacy on the part of the game developers. All forums are still arguing about the legality of all this. What killed you?"
"A level-20 Swamp Monk."
He nodded. "I see. It means you'd entered the location via the beach. Me, I was first smoked in the jungle. Didn't know what hit me. That's why I was so surprised when you said you did two levels before you died."
"Pure chance," I said. "I heard some noise and kept a safe distance. It was good timing. Some sick cross between a hippo and an elephant ran out onto the beach chased by some Swamp Monks. I was so scared I started shooting at them. Luckily for me, the monster then stomped to death a few of them. Unfortunately, I celebrated too soon."
"I see," he said pensively, casting a brief glance at the slingshot behind my belt.
I knew of course my story was too clumsy but I hadn't had time to think of anything better.
"Actually," he said, "had you kept your starting gear on, you might have received more XP."
"Excuse me?"
"The thing is, apart from recognizing a player's level, the system can also read his or her stats. By this token, our respective gear kits make us look more like level 17 or even 18."
"Oh. I read nothing about that, either."
He shrugged. "It's all right. I'll send you some useful links later."
"Thanks a lot. Why did they do it?"
"You mean the high-level mobs smoking newbs or the XP restrictions?"
"Both, actually," I offered, utterly embarrassed.
He nodded his understanding. "As for the former, there's an old interview with one of the company's analytic department experts. You can still find it online, I think. Well, according to him, a newb's first death is highly important. In their first years in the Glasshouse, the developers aimed to scare players out of their minds for a start. Just as a trial measure. Like, if this doesn't scare you, go ahead but be warned! Now of course their philosophy is entirely different. Mirror World is too much part of human society now. The game owners don't care much anymore. Thousands of new registrations every day, what do you think? Most new players choose to start in calmer locations, anyway. So they left the old nurseries for adrenaline junkies like ourselves."
"How nice."
"As for your other question," he went on, "the company was apparently flooded with complaints from new players over their decision to allow Grinders to keep their character's stats and gear when upgrading. For a fee, of course. The company was too greedy. The outcry it caused among new players, you can't even imagine! Like, it's not fair, we start the game from scratch and they... blah blah blah. I bet the damage you dealt came as a pleasant surprise to you."
I only nodded.
"You see. So no wonder newbs in their starting kits weren't happy. The developers were forced to meet them halfway by introducing changes to Mirror World's entire combat system. A lot of the players regretted being so vocal, I tell you! Too late. So basically, now the system calculates the entirety of a player's stats and dishes out XP accordingly. Luckily, it doesn't apply to achievements."
"How interesting," I said, ducking to avoid yet another tree branch blocking my way.
"Actually," Dreadlock said, ramming through the thickets like a tank, "don't be too surprised if no one takes you on a raid. Lower levels won't want you because your presence in the group will strip them of their share of loot and XP. Higher levels won't invite you because you can't really help them much. Crafting gear kits have considerably lower stats than combat ones. So if you're planning on using your own gear, at least for the time being, be prepared to become a lone wolf, heh!"
"Great tip. Thanks. All of your advice has been very helpful. And I was considering dumping my starting gear!"
"You can always do that. Waste not, want not."
I grinned. "My point entirely. In this game, every scrap of cloth or piece of paper might prove useful. And my bag has only so many slots in it."
"Exactly," he chuckled. "It gets cluttered in seconds if you're not careful."
As we forced our way through the mesh of intertwining vines, branches and leaves, the system bestowed another message upon me,
Welcome, O newcomer! A long and dangerous road lies before you. Watch out! Your every step may-
Yeah, right. I closed the lengthy message without even reading it, agreeing to the unavoidable offers of free app downloads.
Judging by Dreadlock's focused stare, he'd just done the same. We exchanged knowing stares like Glasshouse old-timers and simultaneously winked to each other.
I quite enjoyed the feeling of not being a total newb anymore. Doubtless I still had a lot to learn; but let's face it, I'd seen much worse locations than this one.
The trail turned another bend. Now I could make out a small bay in the distance and the outlines of little lopsided huts.
Dreadlock stopped, closed his eyes and drew in a huge breath. His already barrel-like chest expanded to twice its original size. He blew the air out, opened his eyes and bared his sharp fangs in a bloodthirsty grin,
"Here we are! Can you feel adventures coming?"
I decided against telling him what exactly I felt at that particular moment. No good ruining his mood. Smiling modestly, I just nodded my agreement.
As we approached Azure Village, I began to realize that whoever had named this little settlement must either have been overly optimistic or a real joker.
A stockade snaked slapdashedly around the village, grinning its crooked rotten teeth like some giant monster. A matching gate stood wide open, listing to one side. A watchtower surprised me mo
re by its sheer existence than by its atrociously bad quality.
There were no guards in sight though — neither by the gate nor on the watchtower.
We stepped through the gate.
We welcome you, O traveler, to Azure Village, the old outpost of the Fort!
As far as I remembered, the Fort was situated at the center of the main island. Apparently, there were several outposts in total — five, according to some forum posts, but only one of them was considered safe. And the Fort itself was the location's main instance.
The local NPCs were in fact all that was left of the former garrison, still attempting to defend this last plot of land that once used to belong to Mellenville. Judging by the dilapidated huts and the overall desolation, very soon the jungle would consume this miserable excuse for an outpost too.
Dreadlock stopped and turned to me, offering his hand. "Here we are, Sir Olgerd. Nice meeting you."
I shook his strong hand. "Likewise, Sir Dreadlock! Thanks for keeping me company. And for the tips."
"That's nothing. Can I add you to my friends list?"
I nodded. "Absolutely."
We exchanged friend invites and more handshakes.
"One more tip," he said. "There's a pole at the center of the village. I suggest you make it your resurrection point and try not to venture too far from it at first as you hunt."
"Why not?"
He chuckled. "It may sound strange but the first death is also the easiest. You probably didn't notice that you'd kept all your stuff even though the gameplay demanded you were left stark naked."
I scratched the back of my head. "True. I still have all my clothes."
"You do," he nodded. "No more freebies, I'm afraid. Now you'll have to do a corpse run double quick the moment you resurrect before some smartass helps himself to your stuff."
"Got it," I nodded. "Will do."
"Good," he grinned. "Right, I think I'm gonna give Sarge a miss for the moment. I've got friends waiting for me in another location. Good luck!"
He slapped my shoulder with one of his four hands and headed toward the sea. I decided to follow his advice and set off in search for the pole he'd mentioned. No good delaying something important like this.
The Way of the Outcast (Mirror World Book #3) LitRPG series Page 5
