I could hear my heart beat deep inside my head.
“Three!” Toxhin paused only for a moment before bringing down his mace.
CLANG
The mace was stopped by a staff an inch away from my face and I could feel a splash of wind on my cheeks from the stopped force.
“What the-”
“Don’t you have anything better to do, Toxhin? Surely there is better prey out there for you.”
I realized I wasn’t breathing and let the air out of my lungs. The staff was held by a furry paw connected to an even furrier humanoid. A Badron.
Ushmoe Level 12 Rektor
“How dare you defy my bloodlust!” exclaimed Toxhin, the mace quivering in his hands from his rage.
“Seriously, Toxhin, you’ve become bored. At least let this one live to Level 5 before you PK him.”
Toxhin’s eyes were now red and the veins were beginning to pop on his neck.
“Ya know, Boss,” squeaked Jegg. “The badger might be on to somethin’. Our taxes… they are dwindlin’… because… well… because-”
“Spit it out!” spat Toxhin, his eyes not leaving Ushmoe the Rektor.
“Well… you have been PKin’ many of our taxpayers…”
The redness of Toxhin’s face intensified for a second but subsided to its normal colors after a few moments. His jaw unclenched and he pulled the mace away from the Rektor’s staff.
“I will expect 2 silver by the level of 5,” he said to me. “You will NOT leave the village of Ashvell. If you do, I’ll know and I’ll hunt you down, you son of a bitch. I will.”
“He will!” repeated Jegg.
“Shut up!” roared Toxhin, making Jegg squeak and shrink away. He continued, “No one reaches Level 13. No one… I’ll know if you do…”
Toxhin sheathed his mace, backed up a few paces, turned and left.
We watched until Toxhin had made a turn down another street. The players quickly moved out of his way when they saw him approach. Even the NPCs made sure to give him a wide birth.
“That was a close one,” Ushmoe said, giving me his furred paw.
I took it and he raised me up with surprising strength. He was around the height of my chest and was fully black, with a white stripe that started at his nose and ended at the tip of his tail. He looked like a mean skunk. One eye had a cosmetic scar running down the middle of it. The pink nose was the only cute thing about him. He was wearing a red robe that wasn’t much fancier than my starter gear. His wooden staff, however, glowed a yellow light from the tip which held a golden gem. A feather hung loosely from it.
“Thanks,” I said, dusting off my pants. “I’m Tharis. I’m new here.”
“Bet you were starting to wish you had been created as one of the Dark Faction races, huh?”
“Why? Do they not start here?” I asked.
Ushmoe shook his head, “They start at the other side of Drathos in one of their own starter villages.”
“I see. How long has he been keeping you here?”
A bag appeared on Ushmoe’s back and his tail began to rummage through its innards, producing a piece of bread. He sat down with it and began to munch away. “Doesn’t matter,” he said, turning away from me. “All that does matter is that he isn’t lying when he says he’ll know if you leave. That douche has eyes everywhere.” He took another bite. “Or at least, he says he does. The only player I know who likes him is that creepy Jegg dude.”
I thought a moment. “So we need to get rid of him.”
Ushmoe choked on his bread and crumbs shot out onto his tail. When he caught his breath, he looked up at me and said, “You’re the first noob to show that kind of spunk. I’m surprised.”
“Really? I’m surprised, too. We can’t just live here forever! My instincts say we need to escape!”
“Ahh, you feel the instincts, too, eh?”
“Ya… you?”
“Ya,” Ushmoe said, nodding. “Me, too.” He finished the bread and stood up. “Listen, I’m actually busy on a quest right now. But-”
“But I thought you couldn’t make it past Level 12?”
“Shhh!” Ushmoe hissed, putting a palm over my mouth. “Will you keep it down? Like I said, the douche has eyes everywhere.”
Ushmoe looked around with a face full of caution. He put his whiskered mouth to my ear which actually tickled me a bit. “Look me up when you make Level 10. IF you survive that long.”
He released his hand from my mouth, sheathed his staff and started to walk away. I had a million questions to ask him but not one could I produce audibly. I was now alone and would have to figure this world out for myself.
My best course of action was to explore the village without getting into too much trouble. My body told me I should take a right and just start walking. I turned around to get a good look at the tavern I’d come from. The building looked to be tipping sideways and the roof was covered with an assortment of birds. The shingles had been discolored with their white poop. A wooden sign hung by a single hinge and moved freely in the wind. I concentrated on it.
The Tipsy Traveler
So that is where I was born. Tharis the Warrior of The Tipsy Traveler… how honorable.
As I walked, NPCs made it their business to give me disgusted faces making it obvious that they were offended by my clothing. It wasn’t my fault that all starters began with the same drab clothes.
“Suh! ‘Scuse me, suh!”
A small hand tugged on the bottom of my shirt. A small NPC girl named Little Lou stood in my shadow with a big, toothy smile and big, blue eyes. Her clothes were tattered like mine and her hands were black from dirt.
“Can I help you?” I asked politely, bending down to her level.
“Yes, suh. Mista Drum, you see. He’s gone missin’.”
“Mister Drum?” I asked. “Who’s that?”
“He’s my kitten, yuh see? He’s ran away from me. Please mista, help me find Mista Drum!”
You have been offered a quest! Mista Drum is on the run!
Quest Details: Help Little Lou find her cat. You should start at the rooftops. Mr. Drum is a black cat and may hold a few surprises.
Reward: 2 Silver + Experience.
Accept?
“I accept this quest.”
The quest caption left my vision and Little Lou had both hands to her heart and looked at me as if I were hero. I couldn’t help but feel a little sad to see her looking so dirty and poor. This little one needed hope. And so I puffed out my chest and said with a heroic voice, “Don’t worry, little girl! I’ll find Mr. Drum!”
Her eyes sparkled at me and then they went serious. She pointed to one of the roofs. “Lookie suh! Mista Drum!”
I looked over my shoulder and there he was. Black as night, one foot hoisted in the air while it licked itself.
Mista Drum Level 1
This would be a piece of cake.
I made a dash for the side of the house and found a wooden ale barrel lying on its side. I rolled it to the house and sat it up right. I then stood on top of it and reached for Mr. Drum. The cat hissed at me, its hair standing on end before bolting away.
“Dammit!”
From this angle it was very awkward to get on top of the roof. I was forced to shove my chest on top of the shingles and crawl slowly up. Mr. Drum was two houses down and had re-commenced its licking session. I made a run towards it and timed my jump just right. I landed on both feet but a shingle gave out from underneath me and I slipped and hit the roof face first.
Health 90%
By the time I hoisted myself up, Mr. Drum had already made it to a whole other house away from me. This wasn’t going to work.
As I scanned the area from my bird-like view, an idea formed in my head.
I grabbed the shingle I had slipped on and flung it at the cat. It didn’t hit him but came very close. The cat hissed and jumped to the next house.
A-ha! The houses were all lined up in a convenient circle meaning Mr. Drum would make his wake
back to the starting position.
And so I kept throwing shingles at Mr. Drum until it was one house away. I bent over the roof and used all my stamina to pull the empty barrel drum up on top of the roof. I then hid inside of it before throwing the last shingle at the cat. I ducked inside quickly.
Raaaawww! I heard the cat hiss.
Tiny paws prodded next to the barrel and I could hear its rough tongue licking its inner leg. I jumped out of the barrel, catching Mr. Drum completely by surprise.
“Gotcha!” I cried.
My hands grabbed the cat by the skin of its neck. Little Lou cheered from the ground. I was expecting a quest completed notice but nothing appeared. That’s when something started to feel weird in my hand. The skin of the cat started to stretch and its head grew double the size. Soon, I was forced to let go for it was growing at a crazy pace.
Bad Mista Drum Level 2
“Oh shit.”
The cat leapt at me with both claws extended. Its mouth was in a wide gape with two large, yellow fangs sticking out of its gums. I didn’t have time to unsheathe my stick, so I put both of my hands out and caught it by the neck before it could get to me.
The claws ripped at my arms.
You’ve taken damage from scratches!
Health 75%
This wasn’t going well. I hadn’t expected this cat to turn into some demon monster. How embarrassing would it be to die on your first quest?
3
I flung the big cat to the side and it instantly tried to pounce right back. It was just enough time for me to pull out my stick. I swatted at its face.
You’ve struck Bad Mista Drum with your Strike ability!
“Nooo!” cried Little Lou. “Don’t hurt him, Mista! Use this!”
She threw something folded and I caught it with my free hand.
Hemp Net
Why hadn’t she given me this in the first place?
You’ve been clawed!
Health 50%
I reared as four claws ripped through my shirt.
I was getting mad now. A small crowd had formed below and all of them were pointing and laughing at me. I unequipped my stick and turned to the cat. Unfolding the net behind my back, I started to walk towards it.
“Come here, Mista Drum. Nice Kitty.”
The cat seemed to squint its eyes, its head tilted in a questioning manner. Did it know what I was up to?
“I won’t hurt you! I promise!”
Deciding that there must not have been anything to worry about, Mista Drum jumped at me. I spun and flung the net directly into its face. A bit of smoke flashed from the cat as it changed back into its smaller form. It was laying on its back playing with the net like it was a toy. I picked him up gingerly and made my way down the house. Little Lou was waiting for me, jumping up and down with intense excitement.
“Mista Drum! Oh, how I missed you!”
I handed her her cat.
Quest Complete!
Reward: Experience + 2 Silver
Bonus: +10 to Ashvell Reputation (Positive)
And just then a light from the heavens burst through the clouds and shined upon my shoulders. A feeling of euphoria and bliss resonated within me making me fall to my knees. For a second, I felt as though I could take on anything in the world!
Congratulations! You’ve acquired Level 2!
Ability Unlocked: Bash
Ability Unlocked: Frenzy
A loot bag appeared in the air right in front of my face. I grabbed it and stood up, taking the two silvers from out of it.
Little Lou undid the net and Mista Drum’s small head raised until he was rubbing his owner’s face with his own. He was purring softly.
I grabbed the little girl’s free hand and opened her tiny fingers. In her palm, I placed the two pieces of silver and closed her hand around it. She looked down at her hand in surprise and looked up at me with shiny eyes. She ran into my chest whimpering.
“Go buy yourself something nice to wear, why don’t you? And I’ll be around if you need me.”
Little Lou backed away and nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. She thanked me again before racing off.
I sat down and saw that my health was at 100%. When did that happen? Did leveling reset your health?
My stomach growled but I had no money to spend on food. What I really wanted was to explore the village and everything around it.
But my intuition told me that no place was safe for an adventuring Level 2 player. I needed to level up. But where was a character to go if he wasn’t allowed to leave the village?
I scanned the area for small animals that I could kill in order to gain some XP but there were none. Well, there were a few dogs and cats but, after that first quest, I didn’t think I would have the heart. No, I would have to find something more vile to kill.
I walked down the streets until I hit the village’s Bazaar. The road was covered on each side by vendors selling their goods and services. One tent had different types of meat strung up by string while another booth was selling forge crafted armor for all starter levels. Some actual players had even put up shop to sell their very own crafted goods. I tried to pick up a sword on display at one of the booths but found that I couldn’t budge it.
Level 15 Required. Proficiency in Greatswords Required.
Oh well.
Even with my +10 to reputation, the NPCs still kept their distance as if I smelled like a dead animal. I lifted my arm, smelled my armpit, and winced. I needed to get some new clothes and fast. It hurt more than it should have to be despised so badly and so early in my life.
Life? Is that what this was?
The thought wasn’t in my head for more than two seconds before it seemingly evaporated from my mind. What was I thinking again? Oh yeah, I need to gain some levels.
“You look like a little, lost puppy,” came a voice from above.
I looked up to see Ushmoe sitting on top of a stone wall.
“I have to say I’m surprised you’re still with us.” His tail flicked left and right in a playful manner.
“What can I say?” I said. “I’m just lucky.”
Ushmoe jumped off the wall, his tail breaking his fall. “Could be that you’re lucky, yes. But could be that you might have the right instincts. Not many make it to Level 2 in Ashvell. Not with Toxhin walking about.”
“I helped Little Lou find her cat.”
“Oh, that was your first quest, eh? Did you like the nasty surprise at the end?”
I laughed and scratched my head. “I can’t say that I did. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know a place I could kill some things would you? I’m thinking it would be best to be discrete.”
A bag appeared in front of Ushmoe and he pulled out a few coins. He dismissed the bag. “You would be right. Being discrete will help you to live a longer life. One sec and I’ll show you a good place to start. But you gotta keep it secret.” He turned and handed the coins to a fat vendor who then produced two bones covered in meat. “If that freak Toxhin finds out where this secret grind spot is he’ll be sure to add that to his rounds.” He handed me one of the meat sticks and I snatched it with maybe a little too much desperation.
Meat Mutton (Increase in Health Regen. Cures Hunger)
The smell of salted meat wafted into my nose and I couldn’t help but bury my face into the hot meat. This was my first meal.
The Badron pretended not to notice my ravenous behavior. He most likely had seen this before. He walked ahead of me and waved for me to follow.
“I’ll go ahead and show you one of my favorite spots. I grinded this area to around Level 7 or 8 and then had to move on to other means.”
“When will you reach Level 13?” I asked with a mouthful of meat.
“I don’t. If I rise any higher than this then Toxhin will surely kill me when I least expect it.”
“I see.” I tore off another chunk of meat. “Then why don’t you just find some friends and gang up on him? Shouldn’t be that hard if all of you are r
elatively close to his level.”
Ushmoe nodded. “That would be a good idea seeing if we actually had any other players around my level in Ashvell. Toxhin is stupid, but he’s not that stupid. He started wiping out anyone above Level 10.”
“Why did he let you live?” I asked.
“I’ve given it some thought,” he said with a shrug and a bite from his own meat mutton. “I think it’s because he’s more chicken than he realizes. I think he doesn’t want to start a fight he could potentially lose. Even if it is a pretty small chance.”
I finished off the rest of the meat and the bone evaporated into smoke. We walked in silence a moment before I broke the ice.
“I could help you.”
Ushmoe stopped walking, making me leave him behind a bit. I turned to see him eyeing me curiously. His tail came to his whiskered chin and scratched it a bit. Finally, he said, “I’m not sure why, but you seem crazy. Crazy enough to do something about this captive village.” He started to pace.
I stood there and watched him walk in a straight line, stop, turn, and walk another straight line. His eyes were on the road in front of him. He was talking to himself and, all the while, his tail wrote out notes in the air on an imaginary pad.
He stopped pacing. “You’ll have to prove yourself to me.”
“Prove what?”
“That you can survive.”
Ushmoe led me to a hole in the ground. Yes, a hole in the ground.
Haunted Well
“I’m guessing you expect me to hop right on in there,” I said, bending over and peering down into the darkness. It was called a well but there was no longer a well-pole built over it to draw water from. It was just a hole. Wasn’t this some sort of hazard? What about the children? If one played a little too close, it could make for one nasty fall.
“It’s not too bad,” Ushmoe said, equipping his staff. He pressed the jeweled tip to my chest and uttered a few whispered words. A light burst from the gem and warmed my body for a few seconds. A buff appeared in the top right of my vision.
Buffs: Rektor’s Prayer (+5 to Vitality)
“Thanks for that.”
“Don’t mention it. If you look closely, you will see the ladder that I used. Made it myself, actually. I didn’t make it reach the very top because I was afraid Toxhin might see it.”
The Lionheart: a LitRPG Novel (No Respawn Book 1) Page 2
