“Guba’s the name,” the old goblin said. “Now you better be moving.”
“I’m looking for some willow trees,” Raystia blurted out. For some reason, she felt she could confide in the old woman.
“Pfh,” Guba snorted, “you’ll be a fine meal fer them beasties roaming around in the forest.”
“But I thought the forest was safe,” the young woman protested.
Guba cackled at that. “I’m betting you been thinking the clan’s safe too, ‘afore you been running into that idiot Rhynorn.”
The old goblin’s expression softened as she saw Raystia’s downcast look. “Pfh, in Nihilator’s name,” she huffed. “Here, take one of these, me own special mixture.”
Adhesive Grenade
Pull the pin before throwing at an enemy.
“But don’t ye be going around telling ye be getting this from me!” the goblin cautioned, raising one gnarled finger. “Now run along.”
***
Two hours later, Raystia came back out of the woods. She was sweating, her clothes were stained, and she had a nasty gash on her forearm. But she was grinning broadly.
In her arms was a stack of willow branches. She’d found the willow tree easily enough, but there was a giant praying mantis there as well. It was the size of a large dog and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave. After waiting for almost an hour, Raystia realized she would have to confront the creature. She’d never experienced battle in her previous FIVR immersion sessions, and even if it was just a game, she was reluctant to approach the menacing monster. Eventually, she threw the grenade Guba had given her at the creature, which completely immobilized him. She then peppered it with rocks and sticks from afar. Her aim was poor at first, but after a few throws, she received a new skill: Ranged Affinity. Afterwards, her throws became much more accurate.
The thing’s health bar kept gradually shrinking. She’d almost finished it off when it finally managed to break free of the hardened glue. She managed to draw out her dagger while the monster stormed at her and killed it with a single clumsy thrust, but not before the thing’s pincer slashed at her arm.
Once the fight was over, she used the axe to cut five springy branches.
Now she was walking, determined, carrying her precious cargo back to the bowyer.
“Here you go,” she said a bit gruffly, dumping her load next to the surprised goblin.
Quest Completed: Willow for Bosper
You brought Bosper 5 willow branches.
Reward: +20 reputation with the GreenPiece Clan, 100 XP, a willow bow
He grunted in approval. “That was quick.”
“Here, I already made a bow specially for you.” He handed her the bow he was working on. It was a white slender bow that fit snugly in her palm, matching her size perfectly.
Raystia’s Willow Bow
Description: A bow made of springy willow, fitted especially to be wielded by Raystia*.
Type: Weapon [two-handed]
Rank: Average
Durability: 22/22
Range: 55 (*60)
Damage: 10-12 (*12-14)
Raystia felt tears running down her cheeks. She’d done it. It wasn’t easy, but she’d persisted, and through her own power and determination managed to achieve something noteworthy. Something that was now uniquely hers. The feeling of accomplishment was quite different than what she was used to in her line of work.
She held the bow in one hand and tested the pull, feeling it flex from her effort. She tightened her lips, her eyes adamant. Now that she had the means to hunt, she could pursue her next quest.
She glanced at the in-game watch. And it all took only 15 minutes! She grinned in satisfaction.
NEO is amazing, more so than I’d remembered. The realism is incredible. I’m definitely coming back for more.
Actually, she had to come back. After all, she couldn’t let Kaedric, the poor, brain-eating monster, walk around hungry, now, could she?
11 – The Fort
I stared at the hacked and mutilated bodies of the Ogres. This did not make sense.
Malkyr noticed the same thing I did. “How come the game’s cleanup engine didn’t dispose of the bodies yet? They’ve obviously been dead for a while.”
Just as Vic voiced his opinion, my Dangersense kicked in. “Get back!” I urged the others and activated Mana Shield.
They looked at me with surprise.
“Undead!” I cried, just as the bodies began to move.
The Ogres clumsily rose to their feet, their hulking, bloated forms towering over us.
“Shit,” I cursed under my breath. My ability to manipulate other creatures’ mana was limited to living, biological creatures, or shadow-based ones. The Ogre zombies, though raised by dark magic, were undead beings and so were immune to my influence. Considering that zombies were usually physically stronger – albeit slower – than their living counterparts, we might have bitten off more than we could chew.
“Thanks for reminding me,” I snapped.
Two of the Ogres were closing in on us, the other two bending down to lift rocks.
“Malkyr, your axe should be effective against them. Think you can tank those two?” I was already channeling my mana, preparing a spell.
He looked at the lumbering monsters doubtfully. “Err … I think so.”
“Good, these will help.” I completed the spell, summoning three Shadow mastiffs. “Okay, everyone – target the one on the left. Go!”
I cast Drilling Arrow as the two zombies closed into melee, sending three spinning projectiles at the enemy, with Bek’s single arrow following mine. The arrows all hit dead flesh and burrowed deeply before exhausting their magical charge. The undead Ogre seemed not to notice.
The twins moved to position themselves in front of the zombies. Malkyr, at the front, assumed a battle stance, his Greataxe held high. Hoshisu stood a step behind him, her twin daggers at the ready. My hounds stood at their flanks, ready to pounce.
I concentrated on the injured zombie. Analyze.
Possessed Ogre Zombie
Level: 13
HP: 345/400
Attributes: P: 20, M: -, S: -
Traits: Ogre, Undead, Possessed
Skills: Powerful 25
Resistances: Mental 100%, Armor 50
Description: A Zombie feels no pain and knows no fear. Normally an unintelligent monster, this specimen is directed by a malevolent spirit that grants it awareness, making it a dangerous foe.
What the hell? Since when are zombies possessed by spirits?
My thoughts were cut short as the two zombies that had lagged behind threw the boulders they’d lifted; one was aimed at the twins, the other soared straight at me.
The twins threw themselves to the side, trying to evade the boulder aimed at them. Hoshisu managed to dodge, but Malkyr wasn’t as lucky. The boulder clipped him on the waist and despite being twice the Ogre in level, he was blown off his feet. The Ogres’ immense bulk gave them a decisive advantage. It was hard to shrug off a missile hitting your body when it was the size of a dinner table. That was one of the reasons I wanted an Ogre infantry.
The boulder aimed at me was deflected by my shield, draining me of nearly 60 MP, then crashed into the ground, showering everyone with sharp bits of stone. My hounds were not affected by the shards, but both the twins received some shallow cuts.
Bek was already casting his healing magic on the big man. The golden-green light surrounded Malkyr’s body, easing his pain, enabling him to stand up.
The barrage also broke our momentum and allowed the other two Ogres to close into melee range. My hounds intercepted them, pouncing and biting, buying Malkyr a few precious seconds to ready his axe just in time to intercept a huge fist aimed at his head. He managed to block the blow, but it left him off balance. The other Ogre seized
on the opportunity and scored a direct hit against the man’s chest, making him stumble back a few steps. Hoshisu darted in, slashing at the outstretched giant arm, but if the creature noticed the wounds, it didn’t show.
I saw the two farther zombies lifting more boulders. Damn it.
I couldn’t cast another spell for a few seconds, but I had other options available. With a flick of my mind, the bone dagger soared out of my belt and struck the already wounded zombie.
Dagger hits Possessed Ogre Zombie for 25 damage, [23 Dark + 2 Physical]
We were in trouble. The Ogres had us off balance and we’d only managed to injure one of them. I was frantically trying to figure out how to turn the tide when Hoshisu stepped up. She drew an odd-looking chain from her inventory and whipped it at the uninjured Ogre, nimbly dodging an awkwardly swung fist. With an audible click, the two ends of the chain connected. Gears within started to spin and whine. As the chain tightened, it tore at the Ogre’s flesh and crushed his bones. We all paused to stare in amazement at the tightening chain as it disappeared inside the monster’s body, ripping and slicing.
The creature looked stupidly down at its body, then up again. It took a step toward Hoshisu, and its torso toppled backward. It was still ‘alive,’ trying to claw its way toward the twins, but without legs, it didn’t have a chance. My hounds seized the opportunity and fell savagely on the two sawn halves, dragging them away from the siblings.
That maneuver bought Malkyr all the time he needed to recover. He stepped forward and brought his axe down, putting his full weight into the strike. It cut deeply into the still standing Ogre for 69 damage.
I flexed my fingers, feeling magical power surge through them. Hoshisu’s daring move had completely changed the direction of the fight. I cast Shadow Web over one of the rock-throwing Ogres, causing him to drop the stone he was lifting. The web kept him entangled and rooted in place, though it wasn’t strong enough to prime him for a sacrifice. Instead, I directed my dagger to slash at Malkyr’s opponent, inflicting an additional 26 damage, bringing it down to half his total hit points.
Bek sent another heal at Malkyr before the Ogres retaliated.
The lone, unopposed thrower aimed at me again, launching a heavy boulder. The boulder struck my shield and bounced away, draining 50 mana.
The Ogre at the frontline threw a clumsy fist at the twins. Without his friend to add pressure to the melee, the twins easily held their ground. Malkyr parried the heavy blow while Hoshisu rolled underneath the outstretched arm, cutting deep gashes all along the Ogre’s forearms, bringing him down to a quarter of his health.
I conjured another trio of drilling arrows and fed more mana into the web, keeping the thrashing ranged Ogre trapped. Another arrow from Bek and another attack from the twins finally downed the zombie they were fighting.
My hounds kept tearing at the half-zombie, keeping it away as it tried to claw toward us. We gave them a wide breadth and engaged the stone thrower.
With the twins tanking him and several barrages of drilling arrows thrown in, we had no trouble finishing it off. The zombie trapped by the web was even more easily handled, as his entanglement prevented him from striking back at us.
I made sure to time my dagger attacks carefully to get the killing blow, reducing each of the zombies to a dark mass that coalesced into shining, new void crystals.
I toyed with the dagger between my fingers as I considered the crawling zombie torso. I could finish it off easily from a distance, but that would be a waste.
“Hey Malkyr,” I said to the man as he checked the dropped loot. “Think you can remove that guy’s arms?”
He frowned. “Eh? What the hell for?”
I grinned at him. “Call it a test.”
He grunted but picked up his axe and carefully walked over to the crawling zombie. I made my hounds bite down and stretch its arms wide. Two well-aimed strikes were all it took, and the zombie remained an immobile torso with a head. A head that snapped and snarled at us but could do little else.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. By the way, the other Ogres didn’t drop any interesting loot, just some gold. Here’s your share.” He handed me 60 gold.
“Thanks.” I pocketed the gold and approached the squirming torso. I carefully positioned my dagger to hover above the zombie’s forehead. “Now let’s see if losing your legs and arms counts as being immobile,” I muttered to myself and struck down with the dagger.
Level up! You have reached Character Level 22. You have 1 ability point to allocate.
Possessed Ogre Zombie sacrificed. +13 Faith Points (Cult of Nihilator)
“Yes!” I exclaimed, pumping my fist. So sacrificing zombies generated Faith Points as well as void crystals. Only 30 or so more creatures like these and I’d reach the 1,000 FP goal; then I could purchase the Eternal Night blessing.
I put the new ability point into Mental, bringing it up to 25.
“Hey, Vic.” I turned my head to look at my Vicloak, “How about you jump into one of those Ogres? The extra muscles could come in handy.”
I frowned. It sounded weird to me, but as the possession master, I had to take Vic at his word.
“That was a pretty impressive display,” I said to Hoshisu. “Where did you get that chain?”
She grimaced. “The new shops. Bought it from a grumpy old gremlin.”
I cocked my head. “Why the long face?”
She puffed her cheeks. “That chain cost 500 gold and I can only use it once before having to recharge it. And according to the gremlin who sold it to me, he’s the only one who can do it. I planned on saving it for the boss, but the way things were going, I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice.”
Malkyr put his large arm around her shoulder. “You did the right thing, sis; we were caught unprepared. We’ll know what to expect next time.”
“Can I take a look at that?” I gestured at the chain.
She shrugged and handed it over.
Self-Propelling Saw Chain
Description: Created by a mad gremlin inventor. Once activated, bladed gears will tighten the chain, cutting everything in its way.
Runecraft Viability: 1/3
Charge: 0/100
Type: Trap
Rank: Magical
Durability: 35/40
Effect: 15 damage per second. 10 seconds duration. Ignores 10 points of armor.
Interesting. The chain was Runecrafted.
I concentrated on the tiny inscription etched on the chain’s links. I could sense its function. It’s in the metadata, as Vic often put it. The chain was a mechanized item with a bit of Runecraft added to make it fold in on itself. I could clearly sense the absence of mana in the rune, and unlike the Fire Rod I designed, there was no socket available to feed more mana into it. I rubbed my chin, considering the possibilities. “Would you mind if I tamper with it a bit?” I asked her.
Hoshisu looked at me, brows raised. “I’d rather not; it would be a shame if you accidentally break it.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t break it. I might even manage to improve it.”
“You’re playing as a goblin, not a gremlin, remember?”
I winked at her. “I like to dabble. But seriously, how much does that sly gremlin demand for recharging this thing?”
She pursed her lips. “Seventy gold.”
“I might be able to do something to circumvent that. Don’t you think it’s worth the chance?”
“Hmmm … alright. Do your best.”
I nodded. Holding the chain in both hands, I tapped into its rune magic. It was straightforward and simple. The gremlin used the basic connector rune ‘Te’ to hook all the mechanical parts and gears together instead of using an actual chain. The mechanical parts took care of the actual sawing movement. Simple, yet ingenious. The chain could hold only two more runes.
I considered my options for a momen
t, then added the ‘Ma’ rune of containment to one end of the chain and the strengthening ‘Ko’ rune at the other end.
Trap schema discovered: MaTeKo [Overcharge]
Runecraft skill level increased to 21.
I proceeded by funneling the required 300 mana points into the chain, finalizing the enchantment.
Enchant Self-Propelling Saw Chain [Overcharge]? Yes/No
Pattern efficiency: 100%
Mana invested: 300/300
Effect: +20.5% damage (+3), socketed
The chain started giving off a low humming sound. The description now showed a charge of 300/300.
“Here you go.” I handed the chain back to Hoshisu.
She stared at it in amazement. “How did you …”
I winked at her. “Just a little something I picked up. Now you can feed mana into the chain and charge it yourself. I even improved on the design a bit. Now it’ll do 18 damage per second instead of 15.”
“I guess I owe you one,” she said grudgingly. “How much mana do I need to feed it?”
“Three hundred.”
She winced. “It’s going to take me at least an hour, I only have 85 points to spare. Still, it’s much better than having to run back to that fuzzy geezer, so I guess that’s two I owe you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Wait a minute …” she mouthed slowly, as if realizing something. “You spent 300 mana moments after casting a lot of spells in combat.” Her eyes narrowed. “That seems a bit … disproportionate.”
Malkyr chuckled. “She’s just miffed she can’t see your full stats; the party icons only let us see your current health.”
“Is that all?” I looked at Hoshisu, smiling. “You could have just asked.”
Life Reset: EvP (Environment vs. Player) (New Era Online Book 2) Page 16
