“Yes. Have it all delivered to the Breeder’s Den.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Sounds of metal clashing on metal, roars, and war cries welcomed us as we neared the barracks. We passed through the gates into the inner courtyard and looked down into the training pit.
A single player was fighting four hobgoblins simultaneously.
The dark-skinned player was bare-chested, swinging two short swords in a beautiful fluidic style, easily parrying and dodging the hobs’ blows. As I watched, he deflected two sword strikes upward, arched backward nearly 90 degrees, avoiding two slashing axes, then straightened up in a snap and kicked one of the hobs, sending him tumbling to the ground. All this, in less than a second.
The two axe-wielding hobs, Zia and Blemtoff, followed through, perfectly synced, aiming their weapons high and low. The player leaned forward, balancing his entire body on a single hand and somehow avoided both axes. From his single-armed handstand, he launched himself into the air, feet first, with such force that when his legs connected with a hob’s face, he was sent flying through the air, crashing against the pit wall.
I read the player’s name. Nero SantoDrago
My first impression of him from earlier had been correct. The guy was impressive. There was no way his fighting prowess was only the result of game skills. No skill granted the graceful fluidity and battle awareness that he displayed. That guy was a natural-born fighter, probably honing his instincts for years, training in the real world.
And he has the dragon template, I reminded myself.
The match was over. Nero bowed to the four defeated soldiers, flung his shirt across his shoulders and calmly climbed up the stairs.
I scrutinized the soldiers, reading their threads of information. I raised an eyebrow as I noticed something. The hobs each had increased their respective combat skills by three points during that bout. Fighting Nero was an incredibly rewarding training session. Considering the ridiculous amount of XP we got when killing players, it made sense that training with one would also be extremely rewarding.
“Hello again … Dread Totem.” Nero reached me, sizing me up with a stern expression.
“That was quite a display.” I gestured at the pit. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”
“I have been fighting all my life, through countless incarnations. It is my destiny to right wrongs, and to claim my heritage.”
“You mean your dragon half?”
He gave me a piercing look. “What makes you think I’m a dragon?”
“You’ve got black scales,” I pointed out.
“Many races that are not dragon have scales.”
“Yeah, but none of them have the dragon template.” I gave him a knowing look. “I’m not just a pretty green face, you know. There’s a reason I am called ‘Dread Totem.’”
He nodded gravely. “So it would seem. Yes, I am part dragon. When my soul was reincarnated into this realm, the incarnation of a goblin tried to take over my body, but my soul rejected it. It knew my true self. My dragon part manifested and I was revived once again, in my true form.”
Vic, what’s your take on this?
A nerd who just beat four of our highest-level warriors?
My brain was whirling in high gear. “May I ask what your plans are for the near future?”
“I shall train some more. This body is new and it will take time to reclaim my true strength. Perhaps I will ally with a few others and look for adventure. I will need to acquire better swords.” He looked with distaste at the two short swords sheathed at his belt. “And I need gold to do that.”
“Why don’t we help each other?” I suggested, searching his face intently. “I have the resources to equip you well and you have valuable combat experience I can use.”
“Hmmm.” He stroked his chin. “What do you suggest?”
“Train with my soldiers for four hours every day. I could really use your help whipping them into shape. The players’ attack force will be here in about three weeks, and I need to be ready for them. In return, I will give you weapons, armor, and gold. I’ll even accept you into the clan.” I winked at him, “Our Shadow-Touched trait will mesh nicely with your own dark complexion.”
He considered my words for a moment. “Very well, but I require the weapons now. I am used to fighting with two katanas. With them, I will be able to train your soldiers even better.”
“Deal!”
Grant the Quest [Training the Grunts] to Nero SantoDrago? Yes/No
I tweaked the suggested rewards, selecting two katanas as an immediate reward for accepting the quest, making them ‘magical twins,’ so fighting with both offered an increased bonus to damage. I set 1,000 reputation points for completing the quest, which would enable him to join the clan. I also threw in 600 gold and 5,000 XP. I confirmed the details, forwarding him the quest.
Nero’s eyes widened as he read the offered reward. He nodded gravely, though I could detect a hint of a smile as he said, “I accept your quest.”
He drew his short swords and dropped them to the ground without a moment’s thought. Then he took out two beautiful, high-quality steel katanas. Each sword was 60 centimeters in length and had a slight curve near the tip. Fighting with two long blades required coordination, but Nero wielded the weapons as if he was born with them in his hands. He sheathed the swords in the empty scabbards, then turned back to the pit and went down the stairs. “Send me your soldiers. I shall train them well.”
“Kaedric, see to it.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Where is the AWC?”
“Over here, my lord.”
Kaedric led me into the barracks. We walked the long inner corridor until we reached a green metal door. Inside, I found a small, highly decorated chamber. There were trophies hanging on the walls; monster heads, ancient weapons, and spiked chains. At the center of the room hovered a smoky-white sphere. It was about the size of a beach ball and rotated slowly.
“What is this?” I stared at the obviously magical ball.
“The spirit of an ancestor,” a voice answered. Bob walked in. “It has acknowledged our tribute and chose to manifest in this room to help his descendants.”
My lieutenant bowed his head respectfully at the hovering ball.
“How can it help us?”
“The ancestors relish reliving their past deeds and heroics. By gifting them an item that reminds them of their former glory, they will bestow their blessing on our warriors.”
I approached the ethereal, lazily spinning ball and put my hands on it. They sank through, embedded in its center.
A new interface opened before my eyes. There were four paths listed in front of me: defense, attack, unity, and mind. At the start of each path was a single active circle. Attached to it, like a chain, were other circles, forking and creating a web of chains. Other than the four nearest circles, all the others were inactive.
It was the standard Skill Chains Interface, which was common in other games. One had to first purchase, or master, the rudimentary abilities, then they could move on to purchase higher ones.
Path Ability
Description
Cost
Defense 1: Shield Wall
Shield-bearing units increase adjacent allies’ defense by 5.
1
Attack 1: Flanking Position
When flanking an enemy force, gain 10% to damage above the normal flank bonus. Each of the flanking units must have at least 5 individuals.
1
Unity 1: Rapid Deployment
At the start of battle, your troops reposition 10% faster.
1
Mind 1: Taunt Resist
Increases soldiers’ resistance to taunts.
1
That’s exactly what I needed! I cheered as I read the last ability. The other options were interesting, but what I needed most was to fortify my troops against the players’ taunts. I reached with my mind to the underlying metadata. Now that the AWC was built, its information thread was much easier to access.
I smirked as I realized no actual ‘gifts’ were required; those were just cosmetic justifications. In essence, each level of the barracks granted that many points to spend in the AWC. I had one point to spend at the moment, and when I upgraded the barracks to the next level, I’d have two more.
I mentally clicked on the trait, purchasing it.
All soldiers gained the following trait: Taunt Resist
That’s one item off my list. I reread the message with satisfaction. “We’re done here, Kaedric. Let’s go.”
“Where to, my lord?”
“The temple.” I wanted to claim the rewards for reaching the next faith rank.
“Wolrig has just completed the lumber yard restoration. It would be optimal to resurrect Woody while we’re there.”
“I will return to train with my men,” Bob said. “I have heard that one of the travelers is a competent warrior. I am eager to test his mettle.”
“Watch his legs when he parries,” I said. “He’s a kicker.”
I left the barracks with my seneschal, heading west toward the temple.
“Hmph, there you are, youngling. Always running around, looking fer trouble,” a gruff voice sounded as we went past the warehouse. Guba was leaning against the building, wearing a grumpy expression, as usual.
“Guba!” I said. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
“Hmph, empty words and an empty head. That be our Totem for ya.” She grunted, scrunching her nose.
But she couldn’t fool me; there was no real annoyance in her tone. “Go ahead without me, Kaedric. Take care of Woody, please.”
He bowed briskly and walked away.
“I trust you enjoy being able to practice your real profession?” I asked politely.
“Hmph. Mixing foul-smelling, highly combustible substances …”
“Well, we could always use your help around the kitchen again,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “Don’t you be daring to do that! Or I’ll be pouring liquid fire into yer stew.”
“Don’t worry, Gandork has everything under control. Have you made any progress?” I could tell she had reached her skill cap. Her Chemist skill was currently at level 14.
“Well ‘nough, I suppose,” she huffed. “I be finding sulfur and other substances to make interesting compounds.”
“Oh?”
“Got a 20-liter vat of liquid fire already, good fer making grenades and fire traps. Also made two dozen glue grenades and I be experimenting with them poison shrooms, what we got growing around everywhere.”
“Nice work! Where is everything?”
“Put it all there, in the warehouse. But it ain’t safe. If I be having a proper chemist lab, I could be stowing it in better storage conditions.”
I nodded. “You will get your lab, probably sooner than you’d expect. Right now, we need to concentrate on expanding our military. Your chemistry set should suffice for that task.
“Aye, that might be.” She sniffed then spat at the floor. I did my best to avoid looking at the greenish gooey stuff.
I thought I detected a slight improvement in Guba’s speech pattern. She had no doubt benefited as well from the added Mental attribute point. “I want to store all the grenades you make in the barracks’ armory, once we finish building it.”
“Hobgoblins barracks,” she said distastefully. “Them ruddy big’uns strut around like kings. But I guess them following our dread goblin totem means we can trust ‘em.”
“I’ll leave you to your work then.” I bowed my head slightly. “I’ll see you around, Guba.”
“Aye, I’ll be expecting to see ya from the inside of my shiny new lab,” she squawked.
“Then I better get on it.”
“Yes, you should, youngling.”
I continued toward the temple. As I passed by the Breeder’s Den I noticed two goblin gofers hauling an enormous tray full of steaming steaks between them.
I grinned at the sight. Whatever could be said about goblins, they were good at taking orders.
I arrived at the foot of Totem’s Watch and teleported up instead of taking the ladder. When I entered the temple, I saw Kaedric speaking quietly with Woody, who was alive once again.
Kuzai and Grymel, the last of the three adepts I had summoned that remained in the valley, were standing on opposite sides of the shrine. Their arms were outstretched over it, and they were mumbling unintelligible prayers.
I ignored them, went straight to the shrine, and laid my hands on it.
Faith Rank 4 reached
The Following divine spell is now unlocked: Shadow Teleport [upgrade]
All divine spellcasters gain: Minor Control Shadows
Progress to rank 5: 2,045/5,000
Spell upgraded: Shadow Teleport (M)
You may now teleport anywhere within your deity’s zone of influence. (Must start inside the zone.)
Minor Control Shadows
All divine casters gain minor ability to control and manipulate shadows at will.
I felt a screech in my mind, as if unseen gears in my brain were out of alignment, grinding against each other. The sensation was similar to when I took advantage of a loophole to raise my Analyze skill to Master, albeit at a lower scale.
Error #@$#!
Reason: can’t apply minor_control_shadow. Unique key violation: dark_mana alreadyExistException.
It looked like the new ability was a lesser variation of my own Dark Mana skill, and the two apparently didn’t synergize. I shrugged it off. Oh well, at least my adepts will benefit from it.
I found the earlier notification more interesting. I can teleport anywhere within the zone of influence? The Cult of Nihilator’s influence had extended to the Raider’s Camp and the Ogre fort. So in theory, I should be able to … I concentrated, envisioning the large cave where the demon altar stood. I activated Shadow Teleport and in a flash of darkness found myself there!
The place looked exactly as we’d left it. The dark altar was thrumming with energy, and Kuzai’s shadow was still standing next to it, dark hands resting on top.
A huge grin spread across my face. Ohhhh yeah!
With a blink, I teleported back to the Dark Temple, right next to the surprised Kuzai and laid my hands on the shoulder of the adept next to him. “Time for a little trip,” I informed him then teleported us back to the cave. The ability to teleport others with me had been gained from the previous faith rank.
The goblin looked around in bewilderment, then he noticed the altar and froze, unable to take his eyes off the pure manifestation of our master’s power.
“You know the drill,” I said. “Relieve Kuzai’s shadow, and maintain the altar. Make sure the power keeps flowing to the Dark Temple.”
“Yes, High Priest.” The goblin bowed deeply. He approached the altar, facing the shadow from the other side, and placed his hands on it.
With a pop, I teleported back.
“You can recall your shadow,” I informed the flabbergasted Kuzai. “Grymel is maintaining the shrine now.”
“This is good.” He flexed his fingers. “The master’s given power should not be squandered on such trivial matters.” I felt him cutting the flow of mana sustaining his faraway shadow. His mana pool quickly replenished in the energy-rich air of the temple.
What now? I wondered. With the latest teleport upgrade, my ability to manage the clan’s affairs had increased substantially.
I think the phrase goes, ‘With great power …�
��
I rolled my eyes. Never mind.
I decided to experiment a little. In a flash, I disappeared from the temple and reappeared inside the walled perimeter of the Raider’s Camp.
“Dread Totem!” Ashlazaria, the hob scout and Zuban’s girlfriend, jumped to her feet. Next to her, the unnamed Ogre lumbered to his feet as well. The Ogre was one of the two that had joined me when I took over this camp. Since then I had been using him as a beast of burden, carrying heavy coal shipments from the camp back to Goblin’s Gorge. He was level 13 and was the apex predator in the forest. Using him was the safest way to ensure the shipment made it back intact.
I took in my surroundings. Two goblin miners were working on thick coal deposits at the side of the hill. Instead of using the existing scattered tents, my soldier had erected a small camp nearby while they waited to deliver the next haul.
“Hi, Ash.” I nodded at the scout. “Relax, I’m just checking up on you. I haven’t been here in a while. Got anything to report?”
She still looked rattled but sat down on a log bench. “Not much, Chief. The next shipment should be ready to deliver tomorrow. One of the other scouts will take my place to lead this lumbering idiot for the next batch.” She pointed her chin at the Ogre. “Oh, a few days ago some of the travelers visited us. Said something about having to find a totem piece. They spent the night in our camp, then went into a tunnel they discovered nearby.”
“A tunnel?” I asked sharply. “What tunnel?”
Ashlazaria shrugged. “It is new. Some burrowing creatures that looked like they were made of dirt and rock made it and apparently took the totem piece with them. The travelers went inside to retrieve it. They ran back to us a few times, leading the creatures here, but with musclehead over here,” she nodded at the Ogre again, “we dispatched them easily.”
Life Reset: EvP (Environment vs. Player) (New Era Online Book 2) Page 46
