“Hey there,” I said, slowly reaching out to pat its head. The lion did not retreat but its eyes squinted at me. Was I friend or foe? “I’m not going to hurt you.” I laid my hand between its ears and gave it a gently pet. Its hair was coarse but softer than its father’s. Its left ear flicked as I gave it a scratch. “I’m sorry about your dad. I lost someone today, too.”
Spartacus tilted its head and I released my hand. As I was pulling my hand back, Spartacus licked the top of it. Then, it turned and faced the sleeping Orc.
“What are we going to do with him?” asked Bataar, gripping his greataxe tighter, his dragon tail whipping back and forth anxiously.
“We kill it,” I said, walking over to my sword sticking out of the Orc’s hand. I grabbed the hilt and slid it out easily. “Hey Spartacus, want to take the first hit?”
The white lion trotted up to me and knelt on its front two paws. It then jutted its head upwards gesturing towards its back.
“I think it wants you to get on it,” said Grimy. He reached out a green hand to touch the lion’s hind quarters but was met with a low growl. The goblin quickly pulled back his hand. “Fine, be that way. I don’t wanna pet you anyway. Probably got fleas or worms or somethin’.”
“Like you don’t,” said Bataar.
“Ha ha, that’s very funny coming from a snake man.”
“Why you…”
I ignored both of their arguing and hoisted a leg over Spartacus. As soon as my butt hit its back, a prompt came to my vision.
Congratulations! You now have access to special mount abilities! At the moment, you have 1 skill point to spend. Your mount will level up just as you do as long as it is summoned. You will gain access to more skill points as your mount grows. If your mount’s health is ever brought down to 0% take a piece of its body with you to see an animal trainer. They may be able to help you.
Congratulations! You have 1 skill point to spend on your Class Mount: Spartacus the White Lion Level 20.
My heart raced a bit with excitement. Not only did I get this super cool-looking mount but it could actually use abilities!
I quickly exited both of the prompts and opened up Spartacus’ skill window. There were two trees each with much less abilities than that of my own.
The first tree read: Combat and the other tree read: Utility
The first two abilities were visible but the others below it were shaded out and illegible. The first under combat was Paw which I assumed meant Spartacus would be able to strike his opponent with his paws. The first skill under tricks was Speak.
I selected the ability paw and confirmed. A white light flashed over Spartacus and me. The lion beneath me stretched its body and gave another massive roar, interrupting the argument between Grimy and Bataar. It turned its head and looked at me with one eye. It was ready to be taken for a test drive.
I leaned forward and so Spartacus walked forward. I sat back and it stopped. Once we’d gotten closer to the sleeping Orc I sense that Spartacus was just itching for the first hit.
Bataar and Grimy had walked up to our right, interested to see how this was going to play out. I petted Spartacus on his thick mane and said, “Go for it.”
The big cat lurched forward nearly knocking me off the furry seat. It pulled up one massive paw and struck the Orc directly in the face. Although it was a critical hit because the target was sleeping, the damage wasn’t all that great. However, it wasn’t about the damage. It was the point.
Between my legs, I could feel tension loosen from the lion’s shoulder and it backed off a bit.
“How’s that feel?” I asked it. The lion answered with a soft purr that I could feel come up my legs. I bent low to one of its upright ears and whispered. “Your father says he loves you and that… he’s sorry.”
Spartacus bowed its head then raised it. I figured it was a sign of appreciation.
“Now, it’s my turn!” exclaimed Bataar, jumping into the air and dropping his axe directly on the closed eyelid of the Orc. There was a gushy pop as blood ran down its face.
And still it slept.
“Geez, Grimy, how powerful is that stuff?”
Grimy raised his hands and shrugged. “I dunno! I thought the big guy’d be dead by now. I put enough in there to kill a whale!”
“You said that already.”
“No, I didn’t,” said Grimy immediately.
I hopped off Spartacus and walked towards the Orc. I used my pierce ability, sticking my sword into its fat belly.
Hondren’s Health: 56%
Bataar walked around the enemy and took care of the other eye as well. He had a good idea. If Hondren did wake up, it would be blind. Luckily, it never did wake up.
I shoved my blade into its heart and left it there. I took a step back and we all watched as its health lowered bit by bit.
Hondren’s Health: 22%
Hondren’s Health: 17%
Hondren’s Health: 12%
“Wait!” Bataar yelled, “I have an idea!”
I ran over to my sword and pulled it out before Hondren was defeated. “What’s that?”
“Make me a leader of the party,” he said, unequipping his greataxe.
“Ugh, sure. No problem.”
I selected Bataar and made him leader. What he did next took me by complete surprise.
37
I looked down at my chat as a new notice glowed within it.
Grimy has joined your party.
I looked up at Bataar and then at Grimy, both of our mouths were open in shock.
“But… how…” I stammered.
Bataar let out a little laugh and scratched behind his horns. “Oh, I don’t know. I just kinda had a feeling it might work. I mean, the goblin sucks and he stinks but… can’t just leave an Enlightened NPC to fend for himself.”
“You think he’s Enlightened?”
“No offense, Tharis, but I’ve been alive longer than you and… I’ve just never met an NPC who helped out a player without it being a quest. Just thought I’d give it a try.”
Grimy was looking down at his hands. He would turn them over and then flip them back. He wiggled his fingers and then I watched him look up to the top right of his user interface and, there, I knew he was looking at his name in the party. Then, he turned away from us. But he couldn’t hide the one tear that fell from the corner of his beady, black eye.
“Good thinking, man. Now he will get XP for this kill.”
“Yeah, I thought he’d probably follow us anyway. He seems creepy that way. Might as well level him, too.”
Grimy would usually have turned and fought these remarks but he was too busy pretending to be having bad allergies.
I checked back on our target.
Hondren’s Health: 3%
I could see the tension in Spartacus’ shoulders was back. Its eyes were squinted and its breathing was heavy.
“You guys mind if-”
“I think it needs to be done,” said Bataar. “Let the son finish him off.”
I nodded at him and jumped back onto the lion. I was just about to lean forward when Spartacus took off without me having to tell it so. It struck one last time at the Orc’s head leaving four bright red slashes across his face.
Hondren faded slowly into a green gas that wafted into the air. Although the Orc was dead, his smell still lingered. The ground where his sleeping body had been was still covered in his sweat and blood. His loot bag appeared just a few moments after his gas disappeared.
Congratulations! You have acquired Level 22!
I was going to check my chat to see how Bataar had faired but I didn’t need to. The dragon was suspended in the air and his chest arched forward. Even from this angle I could see the gleam in his eyes as his sub-class was awarded to him. His body drifted downward after a few moments of glory.
Congratulate Bataar! He has acquired Level 20!
“Damn!” I said, “Congrats, Bataar! What sub-class did you get?”
Bataar was smiling from wha
t I assumed to be ear to ear.
“I’m a barbarian now! Woohoo! Here, I’ll copy the message in chat.”
Congratulations! You have proven yourself worthy of the Rare Sub-Class: Barbarian. Barbarians are fearless Warriors who prefer the use of big weapons and armor found in the wild such as leather, foliage, dried mud, and, sometimes, cloth. Your answer is always fight first, ask questions later. This class is acquired through not equipping any armor type above leather until hitting Level 20. Your ability choices will be of the melee and strength variety.
After reading this, I gave him a small applause and said, “Did you get any armor?”
“Sure did!” Bataar pulled out his bag and started looking anxiously through his inventory.
The hilarious squid helmet was replaced by a half-skull helm with two tusks sticking out the sides of its cheeks. Equipping this helmet also brought a black line of ink across his green eyes. His draconic chest and leggings were replaced with a feathered sort of skirt that looked bad ass. Around both of his wrists appeared bracelets made of a different assortment of bones and leaves. His leather shoes disappeared and two anklets of the same bone style appeared.
It was when he equipped his new greataxe that something crazy happened. He grew… bigger. His muscles became engulfed and I swear he was a few inches taller now. The greataxe itself wasn’t rusted like his other one but shiny and razor sharp with two edges on each side. Bataar spun it around so I could see the sides of the metal. On it was the etching of some sort of skull from a beast I didn’t recognize.
“This… is… awesome…” Bataar said, running his hand down the haft of his new weapon.
I realized then that I had totally forgotten about Grimy. He was on his knees, his body shuddering. I checked the chat and scrolled up.
Congratulate Grimy! He has acquired Level 19!
This was the first time he’d leveled.
Bataar walked over to the goblin and clasped him on the shoulder. “It’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it?”
“It’s… more than amazing,” Grimy said through a shaky voice. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
“Trust me,” Bataar said, “it gets addictive.”
I wondered to myself what sub-class Grimy would get once he hit Level 20. I didn’t think NPCs were given classes like actual players were. So what did that mean for him? I made a mental note and assured myself Muzuhlan would be able to answer this for me.
I hopped off Spartacus and it pawed softly at my feet. Did its eyebrows just rise at me? I targeted it and saw the it, too, had leveled up once!
“Hey, congratulations, Spartacus! Welcome to the team.”
Spartacus closed its eyes and nodded its head. A prompt jumped into my vision.
Congratulations! You have completed: The Lionheart’s Journey. You have received your class mount and you have also received experience. Muzuhlan will surely be pleased to hear of this. He’s waiting for you.
Those last words were odd. He’s waiting for you. The prompts had never really been worded in that way. It was like someone had written that specifically for me.
“Hey, guys, I think Muzuhlan might be waiting for us outside the cave. I just completed the quest. Here, I’ll copy the text in chat.”
I waited for them all to read it. It looked as though even Spartacus was able to get its hands on the chat text as well.
“He better be outside,” said Bataar, placing his new double-bladed greataxe on his back. “Feel like I’ve been chasing this crazy wizard for too long!”
I was just about to mount Spartacus and make for the exit when something shiny caught my eye. It was coming from the room Hondren had first left.
“Hey, do you guys see that?”
I pointed at Hondren’s lair and, sure enough, something was twinkling in the darkness.
“What is that?” asked Bataar, squinting at the small light that glimmered.
“Grimy, is there anything in there we should know about?”
Grimy stood up and looked over at Hondren’s lair. He rubbed his chin and said, “Not sure. Not that I know of anyways.”
I looked over at Bataar and asked, “Should we take a look?”
Bataar laughed. “I’m feeling so much like a BAMF right now, I don’t think anything could take me down. Let’s do it!”
38
Before we went to check out the mysterious light, we each looted the medium-sized bag left over by Hondren. The results were much less than I had expected and I tossed two of the three items.
You have acquired Goblin Bone!
You have acquired 1 Gold Piece!
You have acquired Hondren’s Stained Groin Sash!
“There isn’t anything in here but a bunch of garbage!” exclaimed Bataar, flinging the groin sash at Grimy who wasn’t fast enough to move out of the way.
“Hey, dammit! That’s disgusting!”
“You’re a goblin,” Bataar said, shrugging. “Didn’t think it’d bother you.”
Grimy was breathing hard through his nose. “You just wait! I’ll get you back, my friend.”
“Oh, we’re friends now, are we?” asked Bataar, a sideways smile forming on his face.
Grimy didn’t answer but turned away.
After receiving the disappointing loot from Hondren, we made our way slowly to the giant doors that now stood open. The smell was so bad that I had many thoughts to turn and run, but I pressed on. Maybe whatever was in here would redeem Hondren’s less than spectacular loot. It didn’t seem right that after defeating such a difficult demi-boss that we would be given crappy loot.
However, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. This could easily have been a trap, but how could I ignore the shiny thing? Hondren didn’t seem the type of Orc to own nice things. I had to know what it was.
Carefully, Bataar and I entered the lair. Although it was dark for Bataar, I knew that there was enough Luminmoss on the ceilings to shed the necessary amount of light for him to see.
“Tell me I’m not crazy,” I said. “You saw the sparkling light, right?”
“Yeah, I did. All I see, though, is the dirty rags he slept on, a pile of bones from his victims, and… don’t tell me that brown pile over there is his-”
“There!” came the rough voice of Grimy, pointing his finger at the far wall. “I just saw it again!”
Bataar and I looked over at where he was pointing and, sure enough, we both caught the sparkle. It was coming from a very thin crack that was about four feet up from the ground. I walked over to it and placed my hand on the stone. A prompt appeared.
You do not have access to this storage facility. A key is required.
“Bataar, touch the wall.”
He extended his hand and poked at it with a finger. I watched his eyes and knew he’d seen the message.
“Did he drop a key for you?” he asked me, pulling out his own bag and checking.
“No, I didn’t get anything like that.”
I bent over and put my eye to the crack. It was far too dark to see what was inside. That didn’t make any sense because I had always been able to see relatively well in the dark. Maybe you couldn’t see into storage facilities? Maybe it was private only to the owner?
“Grimy, what about you? You get any sort of key?”
Grimy shook his head. “I got nothin’.”
I bit my lip. Even in death, the freaking Orc held something over our heads.
I opened my bag in a futile attempt to see if I had anything that could help us and…
Skeleton Key
Whoa, was that the answer? Would this get us into Hondren’s Storage Facility? Either way, I was going to find out. I grabbed the key and touched it to the wall.
Do you wish to use your key on Hondren’s Storage Facility? Once used, the durability of the Skeleton Key will hit 0% and be destroyed.
I confirmed and the key between my palm and the wall obliterated into tiny pieces. The cavern all around us shook as the stone door rose higher and higher, se
nding clouds of dust all around.
Light instantly became available in the room and the three of us just stood there, our mouths open in shock.
“Whoa,” is all Bataar said.
I walked into the room and was surrounded by around ten shiny pieces of ore. I picked one up and examined it.
Katchin Ore Ultra Rare
Grimy rammed into me as he ran into the middle of the room. He started to hop up and down like a child. He was even singing! He fell to the ground, rubbed his face on the ore, and turned on his back to make an angel out of the settled dust.
“What’s gotten into you?” I asked him.
“What?” he asked, his eyes wide and incredulous as if what I had just asked was blasphemy. “Do you not know what this is? This is a small fortune of Katchin Ore! Easily worth four hundred gold easy!”
I shook my head in disbelief. “How can that be? How did Hondren get his hands on this?”
“Beats me! I sure as hell wouldn’t have brought that smelly giant nothin’ like this! Woulda kept it to myself! Yup, sure woulda.”
Grimy was sifting through the medium-sized ores and started a mini-avalanche. In doing so, he accidently revealed a piece of parchment attached to the stone wall. I ripped it down and was about to read it when it disappeared from my hands and reattached itself onto the wall.
“Whoa,” I said, placing my hand over the paper.
Congratulations! You have killed the owner of this home and have discovered the deed. Claiming this deed as your own gives you all rights to this structure and you may do with it as you will. Structures such as these can be used for: habitation, store fronts, brothels, hotels, crafting, storage, gathering, etc. Do you wish to claim this structure as yours? You may also place up to five names on a deed. Do you wish to confirm? Or do you wish to add others to this deed?
The Lionheart: a LitRPG Novel (No Respawn Book 1) Page 18
