Beastborne- Mark of the Founder

by James T Callum

  If it ended up being 1% of the damage dealt, it would be functionally useless. It wasn’t as if he could walk up to an incredibly strong monster, let it one-shot itself with an ultimate attack, and then respawn to claim his prize.

  Not yet, anyway, he reminded himself.

  Once he established a Manatree that might be a viable – if horribly cheesy – tactic. For now, even if it was 10% of the damage dealt, it wasn’t worth it.

  Even though he now had enough HP that he wasn’t obliterated in a single hit, he still preferred not to get hit at all.

  Rooted Stance looked good, a 50% buff to resistance to anything that moved him sounded awesome. But again, his deeper understanding of the mechanics made him question the use of it. If it only increased his current movement resistance, and if that was 2, it would increase it by 1 to 3 points.

  If it was a flat increase, that would be different. In the end, it didn’t matter. Resistance to movement effects wasn’t nearly as powerful as adding tHP.

  He opted to go with Barkskin. 5% tHP wasn’t very much but it regenerated over time and would give him some breathing room.

  Hal tapped his Splice ability and channeled both shadow and treant essence to try out the new Barkskin trait. His skin became dry and craggy with deep striations that slowly raised over the next few minutes until it took on the appearance of rough bark.

  And then it faded. He could still feel it but he no longer looked like a tree.

  Oh man, that itches. His skin felt scratchy like he was wearing a bodysuit of rough, irritating wool. It wasn’t impossible to ignore but more than once he found himself scratching at his arm or leg to no avail.

  What he found was surprising. Originally, he thought Barkskin regenerated 1% of its HP a minute. What it did instead was regenerate 1% of Hal’s HP a minute. And since the tHP was 5% of his total HP, it only took 5 minutes to fully regenerate his Barkskin.

  Every minute he regenerated 3 tHP of his Barkskin’s total 15 HP. Of course, if he Spliced treant and aberration, it’d go up to 18. It had a nice synergy with aberration’s Sturdy Hide.

  Before he could get even more sidetracked, Ashera’s voice brought him back to the present. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” Ashera asked without looking up.

  Hal froze, and though he knew she didn’t mean the Wortlings at his side, he found himself looking to them anyway. She couldn’t see the Reaper, could she?

  When he didn’t answer her, Ashera turned her soft gaze toward him, then leaned to peer over his shoulder. Hal followed her gaze and saw the Reaper similarily shift uncomfortably.

  She came forward with a black brow raised in Ashera’s direction. “You can see me?” Nothricient asked.

  The way Ashera’s eyes tracked the Reaper answered the question.

  Nothricient floated beside the fire and looked openly at Ashera. Hal didn’t miss the familiarity in the Reaper’s eyes but he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  The smile that quirked Ashera’s lips up was kind and genuine. “I’m Ashera,” she said. “But I expect you already knew that.”

  “I did. You are not unknown to me.”

  Ashera nodded, her pale hair and horns glinted in the firelight. Her eyes found Hal’s. “I want nothing more than to hear more about how this came to be but I honor my word above all. So, are you ready to learn some Alchemy, Hal?”

  Hal sank into a cross-legged pose beside the Sin Keeper, adopting her posture. The Reaper wandered around, looking at the various ingredients but there seemed to be no recognition in her golden eyes.

  “You are welcome to learn as well,” Ashera said, turning to include the Reaper.

  Nothricient, surprised at the invitation, floated above Hal’s head and watched them both.

  Ashera’s lips quirked into another smile.

  “Okay, Hal. First of all, do you have Alchemists where you are from?”

  “Not real ones at least,” Hal said.

  “Woodworkers? Blacksmiths?”

  Hal nodded.

  “Good, so I am sure you are well aware of the various methods of crafting goods?”

  “Not firsthand but well enough.”

  Ashera tapped a long finger to her bottom lip, thinking. “The first thing you need is a recipe. Without one, you cannot do anything. You can try to discover a recipe but that is more often than not a waste of time and resources. Look here.”

  From her inventory, Ashera pulled out a small scroll and handed it to Hal.

  As soon as he took it, Hal unfurled the thin paper. At first, he was afraid he’d break it but it unrolled easily without tearing or cracking. He took in the symbols, drawings, and various scribbles. Surprised he could understand them.

  The scroll flashed, rolled up, and snapped shut before his eyes could focus again. A prompt floated in front of the campfire.

  You learn the recipe: [Health Potion].

  CP: 10

  Toxicity: 5

  Effect: +100 HP.

  Ingredients:

  1 [Witherroot]

  1 [Waterwheel]

  1 [Vial of Tree Sap]

  2 [Vials of Fresh Water]

  10 [Sparks]

  59

  “Man,” Hal said, blinking rapidly. “I’ll never take that for granted.” From reading the scroll he learned not only what ingredients a [Health Potion] required but also how to make it.

  He knew what temperature the water and witherroot needed to simmer at and for how long, how finely the root should be diced, and a host of other instructions.

  The kind of understanding that would take days of studying and relentless practice.

  Ashera bent down to the task of preparing the ingredients for the [Health Potion].

  Without looking up, she said, “You should read the notification about Alchemy you just received.”

  Hal was about to tell her he hadn’t seen any when he noticed the notification in the corner of his vision. How did I miss that?

  You unlock Alchemy (Level 0).

  Alchemy creates mighty medicines, potent poisons, and substances of supreme strength to imbibe or imbue renowned relics.

  Crafting & Gathering Skills

  Unique aspects of gathering and crafting that allow for the retrieval and creation of various goods. Crafting Skills utilize Crafting Points (CP) to perform work on a given recipe. Gathering Skills utilize Gathering Points (GP) to extract valuable resources from the world.

  You unlock Foraging (Level 0).

  The bounty of the land is ripe for the picking as a Forager. Whether it’s gathering wild resources found throughout the world or chopping down towering trees to extract valuable heartwood, Foraging allows you to gather the natural materials of the world.

  Crafting was one of the things Hal loved most about games. Now, looking at the prospect of doing it by hand, he wasn’t sure if the allure still held up.

  One of the reasons he liked it was because he didn’t actually have to go out in the wilds and pluck berries, mine ore, or chop down trees. Though he had to admit the allure of being able to gather his own materials was tempting. All the more because he still had that Improvised Crafting trait he hadn’t been able to explore yet.

  And right then didn’t seem the best time to add in a [Vial of Slime Juice] into a precise alchemical recipe just to see if his trait would make it work.

  Granted, they probably shouldn’t be crafting at all. It had been well over a day since the party was split up and so far they had seen no sign of the others.

  Considering how massive the inside of Murkmire’s mountain was… Hal was beginning to lose hope. But Ashera said they needed potions to survive long enough to find them again. And if Hal could help and learn a valuable crafting skill, he was on board.

  Nothricient was watching Ashera closely as she diced up the roots and dropped them into the first glass beaker. As they splashed into the boiling water, the clear liquid turned a violent, eye-wrenching purple.

  Hal watched her work, amazed at the precision and sp
eed at which she performed each of the necessary steps. She had a few alchemist sets going at the same time, one of them Hal knew was for him.

  It was empty after all.

  “How did you know I hadn’t read the prompt?” Hal asked, taking a free knife Ashera had set out and dicing up the [Witherroot] with ponderously slow, careful cuts. He knew what he needed to do and how to do it but still, his hands shook with a faint tremor as he worked. Too bad his 10 DEX wasn’t doing more good for his low Alchemy skill.

  “You were not asking me questions,” she answered without taking her eyes off her work. “There is a lot to crafting and while I am far from a master, I was afforded a great deal of time to pursue Alchemy. And I would be glad if I could, in turn, use that knowledge to help you.”

  “Well,” Hal said, carefully turning up the flame and adding two vials of [Fresh Water], “what is CP and GP? I know what they stand for but it didn’t make it abundantly clear.”

  “CP and GP are both a generic representation of the work you can do in an hour. Did you notice the CP a Health Potion takes?” Ashera’s mixture had started to glow like a blacklight, signaling the next phase of the recipe.

  “It takes 10 CP, is that a lot?”

  “No,” Ashera said, “but then again you are not a very accomplished Alchemist so for you, yes. Thankfully, the [Novice Alchemist Sets] I have out reduces the CP cost. With the proper tools and setup, you can dramatically alter the amount of CP an item demands.

  “Most of the time you require at least the basic tools. For example, you cannot perform alchemy without at least something to boil in. This is why a cauldron is often the symbol of Alchemy. The set you are using halves the CP cost for low-level potions.”

  “So, in reality, this only needs 5 CP?”

  “Exactly. It will still take you a couple of hours,” Ashera put in. “Even when you gain several Levels of Alchemy there is a minimum amount of time to make anything. You cannot instantly create an item. But, for instance, I can create a simple Health Potion in about a quarter of an hour with this setup.”

  Looking between his sluggish, unsure movements, and over to Ashera’s confident swift and precise motions, Hal could see the gulf that divided them. She would be able to exhaust all of the ingredients they had procured – even the surplus – before he was finished with a single potion.

  “Luckily, crafting allows people to work together. So you can assist me and still gain Experience toward your next Alchemy Level. I am already at the cap for this type of potion so I will not make it any faster but your help will also not slow me down, so there is no reason you should not help me after you add that root to your potion.”

  While Hal worked with Ashera to create several [Health Potions], Ashera - in between guiding him and answering any other questions he had - created a few [Mana Potions] to aid in her healing.

  CP and GP were both expressed per hour and they were unique to their respective skills. Hal’s Alchemy was at 2.63 CP/hr. Putting the creation of a single potion at just under 5 hours normally without the borrowed set he was using.

  Ashera assured him that was normal and that he shouldn’t expect to make anything on his own until at least getting a few Levels.

  To Hal’s dismay, neither sparks nor the EXP from his Discordant Stone could be used to enhance a crafting or gathering skill. The only thing that increased their Levels was hard work and study.

  “When you are figuring out a new recipe or experimenting with new ingredients to an already known recipe, your CP no longer factors in,” Ashera explained.

  “So it can take several times longer?” Hal asked, holding and swirling the flask away from his nose. The caustic fumes singed his nose hairs.

  “Or much shorter,” Ashera added. “But you are also more likely to gain large amounts of Experience if you have an Epiphany. Which is a sort of-”

  Hal chuckled. “I know what an epiphany is, Ashera. I assume by suddenly understanding a new way to make a recipe or a new ingredient to add, I can gain a burst of EXP similar to defeating a monster?”

  Ashera’s eyes brightened and she nodded. “Very astute.”

  Outfitted with several new potions, the two snuffed out the campfire and set off back the way they came. Hal was intent on finding a way back to the rest of the party, wherever they were now.

  Returning to the chamber with those horrible creations seemed like their best chance. Ranging about in this freakish nature reserve wasn’t likely to yield any results.

  They could wander about for days or weeks, and Hal bet they still wouldn’t see the other side of the reserve. He was certain their best bet was to try another of the doors in that disconcerting laboratory room.

  The Reaper kept a lazy orbit around the group. On Hal’s suggestion, she used her keen sight to peer through the gloom where the Wortling’s Woodsense failed.

  It didn’t take long for Ashera to bring up the topic of the Reaper, and how she came to be in Hal’s company. Hal recounted the tangled tale of their meeting in full. He was surprised when, after he finished with the tale, he received a notification.

  Your Leadership has risen to Level 13.

  +1% Party damage (+13%).

  +2% Leadership efficacy (+26%).

  They pressed through the forest, leaving the rivers behind and re-entering the region of towering black trees. Throughout it all, Hal only ever referred to the Reaper by her title or simply as Noth.

  He felt that her full name was private. A careful glance in her direction showed the faintest nod of thanks for keeping her name to himself. At least, he thought it was a nod of thanks.

  Rested up and with six stronger Wortlings added to his 3, the few creatures that rose to meet them were quickly put down with minimal losses. Unfortunately, one of the Wortlings - thankfully not Stumpy, who Hal had grown quite fond of and kept nearby at all times - was one of the “minimal losses.”

  Between Ashera’s skill with her mace, and Hal’s near bottomless pool of Assimilation-driven MP, the few creatures foolish enough to cross their path fell swiftly.

  Unlike Hal, Ashera could attack with impunity without ever incurring the strange vine lash that had taken Hal for a ride. He wasn’t sure why that was and when he asked, Ashera merely shrugged. She didn’t understand it any more than he did.

  Hours later, well into the evening, they finally found their way back to the strange marker that Hal last remembered before he was taken for a ride in the sky.

  It felt odd to Hal. The creatures they faced were much weaker than those that had first come after them. Everything that ventured out to cross their paths was no higher than Level 15. For the most part, the Wortlings tore apart any impending danger before it ever reached the group.

  It felt staged. Opposition appearing only because it was expected but it was a show.

  At first, Hal kept Vorax back from the fighting. But when a group of small scuttling creatures, like roots contorted into a spider’s body, slipped under the group’s defense, the mimic showed it was more than capable of defending itself.

  While the small hand-sized creatures came at the group, a larger force pressed in from the north and east. Distracted, nobody noticed the Rootnids until it was too late.

  They made a frantic, screeching keen that stole the strength from the group long enough that the tiny creatures could have shifted the tide of battle against them.

  The Rootnids hadn’t expected Vorax.

  Alone and unaffected aside from the Reaper, the mimic lashed out with half a dozen sticky purple filaments. Each one found a scuttling Rootnid. Opening his mouth, the mimic drew each of the vile creatures into its maw and snapped its chest lid atop them.

  They were bothered no more.

  The Wortlings, for whatever reason, didn’t trigger the distant whipping vines when they attacked. And neither did magic. But when Hal drew [Goblinbane] – careful to do so with his left hand – the vine shot out again and was once more repelled by the glowing barrier of the Founder’s mark.

&nb
sp; Less than an hour later, they found themselves back in the room with the caustic nose-burning fumes and unsettling preserved bodies in their broken glass tubes.

  The hairs on the back of Hal’s neck stood on end in this room and he wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. With the Wortlings by his side to compare, he noticed how different they were than the malformed creations that were unsettlingly immune to decay.

  Just the other day, he thought they might be related. But with the two side-by-side, he couldn’t have been further from the truth.

  The bodies troubled him beyond their gruesome, incomplete form. Idly, he wondered if he could Dominate them as he did the Wortlings.

  He immediately dismissed the macabre thought, and as if fleeing from the possibility, turned down an aisle of shattered glass toward the nearest door. Without a look back, he passed into the next room.

  It was shockingly cold. Filled with a maze of towering black obelisks etched with harsh runes that bent and twisted when Hal looked at them for too long. There was an omnipresent fog eddying around their ankles. The only light came from the glow of their Guild badges.

  It was a tight fit with eight Wortlings. Made even worse because they were effectively blind ever since they left the forest. The first turn they came to, the Reaper tried to float through one of the tall tombstone-like obelisks and cried out, drawing both Hal and Ashera’s attention.

  The Reaper stared nonplussed at the large chunk of angular obsidian. She raised one ethereal hand and pressed her palm flat against the stone. “I can’t pass through this,” she said, more to herself than either of them.

  Ashera said nothing but she looked more worried than Hal had ever seen her.

  The chill that crawled up Hal’s spine made his hand itch to hold the comforting grip of the [Goblinbane], but there wasn’t enough room to use it. Towering angular hunks of shiny black obsidian fenced them in on every side, with only a narrow path between them to navigate through the maze.