Say what you will for the modern trappings of life, sometimes simple was better. He mused on the fact he hadn’t once thought about pulling out his cell phone, to check the Internet for the latest news, or see if anyone liked his latest post on Facebook. Distracted by his surroundings and so engaged with living a new life, he had nearly forgotten technology like that existed.
“Out of sight, out of mind.” he muttered, taking in the various buildings and homes of the sea town as he walked back toward the boardinghouse. He figured now would be a good time to address the prompts he had been putting off. First things first, he wanted to explore his profession, get a feel for how it worked.
He opened his character sheet, seeing a new tab at the top labeled profession. He focused on it for a second, revealing the profession skill tree. In the top right corner, he saw he had two profession points available, but until he looked over the skill tree, he had no idea how they worked.
In the center was a box that said Profession: Sailor and connected to it were five other boxes, each denoting a role on a ship. Each role had a cost of two profession points and would unlock three bonuses for that role. Going clockwise he read each one.
Role: Helmsman - Helmsman steer the ship, through stormy seas and the thick of battle. Rank one provides +15 percent increased top speed, acceleration and turning speed when you are in the role of helmsman
Role: Captain - Captains lead the ship, guiding crews to fame and fortune or failure and death. Rank one provides +15 percent increased capture speed and defense against capture, crew morale and boarding crew damage.
Role: Gunner - a Gunner leads the cannon crews, providing them bonuses to damage and accuracy. Rank one provides +15 percent increased accuracy, volley damage, and ammo storage.
Role: Boatswain - A Boatswain manages maintenance and repairs of the ship, able to increase a ships base hit points and repair speeds. Rank one provides +15
Role: Quartermaster - A quartermaster manages ship stores, trade and plundering captured ships. Rank one provides +15 percent increased cargo space, trade value and plundered goods.
After reading each of the roles, he considered how best to use his points. Everything seemed like an excellent choice, but he was about to own a ship of his own, or at least he hoped he would. The auction was in the morning and could not be sure he would win it. No telling how much money Butt-face would spend to get a ship of his own. Hell, he didn‘t know how much he was willing to spend. Luckily, Hawkins and Fenna would be there, along with Mills and Jury and they could let him know when the price got too high.
That said, he would be the Captain of that ship, and a ship needed a real captain. He selected Captain and spent two points to unlock the first layer of bonuses.
Congratulations, you can now assume the Role of Captain on a ship and provide bonuses while in that role. Current bonuses:
15 percent increased capture speed and capture defense
15 percent increased crew morale
15 percent increased boarding crew combat damage
Congratulations, you have earned the Title: Captain. This title remains locked until you own a ship or have assumed the role of the captain on a ship. You cannot display this title.
He felt good about his purchase, and the title was a neat bonus. He could probably earn the other titles when he unlocked the roles. For now though, he decided that he would focus everything on increasing his ranks in the captain's role. He inspected the box labeled Role: Captain again and saw that Rank two cost 4 profession points to upgrade and that all the bonuses would double when he purchased it. His fifteen percent bonuses would become thirty percent.
After dealing with Zuka’s companion talent points, he knew profession points would likely follow the same trend. The costs would always double and the bonuses from each rank would double. Fifteen, thirty, sixty and one-hundred and twenty percent respectively, if he reached rank four.
The next item on his list was to deal with his most recent level up. Octavia’s quest had pushed him past the threshold and he was now a level 18 Druid. First, he checked his attributes to asses where he could best spend his points. When he had joined the crew of the Typhoon, he had spent ten points on Constitution and five points on charisma. He had several levels worth of points to spend then, but now, he had a slim five points to spend.
He really enjoyed being alive and remaining that way required heavy investment in constitution. He had a base constitution score of 43 and received 10 additional points of constitution from two pieces of gear. One was the Blue Stone Champion Ring, which add five points to all attributes, and his amulet of health which added five more points for a total score of 53. He spent all five points in constitution, raising the total score to 58 and increasing his health from 630 to 680.
Skree, Level 18 Druid
Hit Points 630(+50)
Mana Points 300
Stamina 520(+15)
Attributes
Strength 31
Dexterity 23
Constitution 58
Intelligence 20
Wisdom 15
Charisma 18
After he confirmed the changes, he moved onto his skill points. As usual, the list continued to grow, expanding faster than he could manage. After training with Hawkins on the ship, he had earned even more skills that needed leveling. Just as he feared, the more skills he got, the less valuable the skill point boosts from leveling became. To make matters worse, he could not increase his skill ranks past twenty without training, so they became even less useful as became more skillful.
Still, he had time to sit on these points, and he fully intended to get training in the skills he had already capped. Light armor, Great Weapons and Life Magic were all stuck at rank 20 until he found a qualified trainer. He could still earn ranks in those skills, but he received none of the bonuses.
He decided that the best thing he could do was pocket them for future use. Still, he wanted to review where he was and think about where to put future points.
Skills Rank
Stealth 13
Tracking 13
Archery 13
Light Armor 20 (23)
Daggers 7
Survival 14
Foraging 13
Thrown weapons 2
Short blades 5
Life magic 20 (22)
Fire magic 1
Earth magic 11
Water magic 6
Air magic 1
Cooking 1
Leatherworking 1
Mountain Climbing 4
Great Weapons 20 (29)
Lock-picking 6
Unarmored Defense 2
Horseback Riding 1
Mounted Combat 1
Naval Piloting13
Rigging8
Naval Repair5
He quickly tabbed over to his companion talent points page, and inspected the options he had available. After buying Lick Your Wounds, Zuka’s total talent points sat at a big, fat zero. Unlike him, Zuka only earned 2 talent points per level. That meant long stretches of time before he could purchase new talents. Right now, there was nothing he could afford. But Zuka still received attribute points, three per level, and those he could spend now. He opened Zuka’s attributes.
Hit Points590
Mana Points340
Stamina455
Strength22
Dexterity33
Constitution49
Intelligence24
Wisdom13
Charisma13
Skree loved how their bond had grown, and much of that was thanks to his rapidly growing intelligence. Not one to rock the boat, Skree needed to see how far he could push his companions mind. He dropped 3 points into Intelligence, confirmed his selection, and checked the changes in Zuka’s main attributes.
Hit Points590
Mana Points370 (+30)
Stamina455
With a quick glance, he checked his experience total and realized that all of his activities had pushed him very close to level 19, less t
han 10,000 experience points to go. One or two combat encounters should bump him up another level.
Every time he leveled or inspected his skill list, it amazed him. Not only was his level of expertise defined, he was growing more skilled by the day. Raiya was truly an amazing place and despite being kidnapped by a god, nearly getting killed more times than he could count, and missing his family, he loved every day on Raiya. He closed the prompts, took a deep breath and marched on, ready to spend time with his kobold friends.
Chapter 28
“Welcome back Lord Skree.” Seema said, bowing to him.
Skree smiled at the young female and plopped into a chair by the door. “Hello Seema. Just so you know, you need not bow.” He undid the laces on his boots, pulling the spider silk boots from his feet. Cool air caressed his feet, and he sighed. “Ah, much better.” He glanced around the common area and saw there were only a few younglings present, and at a table nearby sat Grelo, the angry male kobold who, despite being saved from certain death, given a place to live and the promise of a bright future, still found reasons to be a real ass.
“Grelo, good to see you.” Skree said, giving him a bright and cheerful smile. “How were the younglings today?”
“Loud and obnoxious, like always.”
Seema frowned. “Why are you always so mean Grelo?”
“Because you little pile of rat droppings, younglings are awful. Constantly screeching and getting under my feet.” he said, not looking up from the pile of vegetables in front of him. He stuffed another into his mouth, chewing loudly, bits flying from his mouth. Rather than chastise the angry lizard now, he resolved to have a discussion with him later.
Seema huffed, looking at Skree. “Lord Skree, the younglings behaved perfectly today. Most of us spent the afternoon lounging in the yard behind the boardinghouse, warming our scales in the sun.” she said, her tail wagging excitedly. “We even built a nest for us to play in!”
Skree’s head tilted in confusion. “A nest?”
“Yes, come see.” shegrabbed at his wrist and tugged him toward the back door. He followed her, stooping slightly so she could still hold on to his hand. They exited the building, and he saw precisely what she meant. A dozen yards from the door was a massive pile of leaves, twigs, and rocks in a bowl shape. In the center, a pile of sleeping younglings snored happily, bodies curled together for warmth.
“See? Isn’t it magnificent?” she asked, hopping up and down.
“It’s definitely something.” he said, wondering exactly what Maybelle might think about a massive kobold nest in her backyard.
Seema grinned and ran toward the nest, shouting for him to follow. “Come on!”
He followed the energetic little girl to the nest and climbed in, surprised at how soft and supportive it felt under his feet. At his arrival, the sleeping younglings snapped awake, spreading out and making a space for him in the center. Skree fell to his knees and crawled into the center, rolling onto his back and stared up into the sky.
Within seconds, the younglings dove atop him, and he groaned as the combined weight of a dozen younglings pressed against him. They giggled and squawked as they settled in beside him.
“Do you like it Lord Skree?” one of the male younglings asked. Skree was mad at himself because he could not recall this one‘s name.
“It is perfect in every way.” he said, patting the boy on the head. At the pronouncement of his approval, the group chittered and laughed happily, burying themselves even harder atop him. Skree smiled, a wide grin that caused him to squint. It was like being covered in puppies. Scaly, chirping puppies that were extra warm. He was already feeling the first beads of sweat form on his brow, but despite the sweating, he refused to move, refused to ruin this moment.
He pulled Seema in close, and she nuzzled her snout against his neck, falling asleep faster than Skree would have thought possible. Above him, the faintest wisps of clouds drifted overhead. Brilliant red and purple hues provided an awe-inspiring backdrop to the starry sky. Even though he was neck deep in lizard creatures and laying in a nest of leaves and sticks, it was the sky that reminded him that Raiya was not Earth. The sky was alien, massive colorful nebulae surrounded the entire planet, filling the sky with a brilliance he could have only imagined on earth.
He had never been a father, or an uncle, but he had always liked children. These kobolds were his family now, and he loved them. He would do anything to protect them. Soon enough, they would be on their way to Carver’s Bay, and there the kobolds could run free, grow strong and rebuild everything they had lost. Together, he and Priestess would build a place for them.
His eyes shot open when he thought about Priestess. Where was she? She should have been back by now. Focusing on the bond he shared with Zuka, he summoned his companion. He felt the distance between them shrink rapidly and in a flurry of motion; the wolf appeared on the rim of the nest, lupine form silhouetted by the night sky.
He sent a question across their bond. “Have you seen Priestess?”
“No.” came the growling response in his mind.
Taking great care to not disturb the younglings, he freed himself from the pile with only minor grumbles. He hopped to the ground and found the nearest adult kobold.
“Did Priestess return?” he asked, panic rising in his chest. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself.
The emerald scaled female shook her head. “Wasn’t she with you my lord?”
“She was, but we separated. She should have come back by now.” He said, clenching his fist. How stupid was he to leave her alone in a place like Theseldora?
“What do we do?” She asked, hopping from the bench. He nodded his head toward the large nest where the younglings slept. “Stay here with them, gather up all the kobolds and keep them safe. Make sure no one is missing.”
She nodded and bounded away, signaling the other adults to help. Skree turned to Zuka and knelt. “Can you find her?”
Zuka barked and ran for the front door, tearing across the wooden floor, claws clattering loudly. Skree threw on his boots once more, drew his Great Sword from the Nearly Bottomless Bag and ran into the street.
“Follow me Zuka.” Skree said, sprinting toward Hagar‘s shop, the last place he had seen his scaly friend. When they reached the door, Skree pounded on it furiously, hoping to wake the merchant. When no one answered, Skree realized the Merchant probably didn’t live in his shop. No matter, he had Zuka and his class trait - Natural predator, which increased his stealth and tracking rank by 100 percent in pursuit of a specific target.
A bark from Zuka got his attention, and he ran over, inspecting the spot his companion was sniffing. There, in the dirt was a tiny kobold footprint. He focused, and the footprint glowed a subtle green color, and a string of green depressions led into the street.
“Let's find her.” He said to Zuka, who barked and sprinted along her trail. They wove through the streets quickly, Priestesses tracks meandering between different stalls that were now empty of goods. They broke from the markets and her trail was heading directly for the boarding house before they disappeared as if she had suddenly learned to fly. Zuka sniffed the air, turning his head back and forth, trying to locate her scent.
Skree inspected the ground and saw a set of boot prints that came from a nearby alley. He followed them, noticing there were three distinct tread patterns, all of them converging on where Priestesses trail ended. Skree called for his companion and pointed at the trail leading into a different alleyway. His eyes focused and the largest set of prints now glowing in the darkness and they were off, sprinting as fast as they could in pursuit of Priestesses kidnappers.
Someone had surprised her, three men dashing from the alley and most likely subduing her before she could turn them to ash heaps. He gnashed his teeth in anger. Whoever had done this would pay dearly for it. Across their bond, Zuka’s showed the same desire to hurt someone for this. Eventually they had to stop when the trail continued past a metal gate, locked
with a heavy metal crossbar and leading into a warehouse lot surrounded by tall walls with metal spikes protruding out from the top, making climbing over all but impossible.
They circled the area, looking for a way inside, but there were no holes or breaks in the wall or metal spikes. These walls were doing a damn fine job of keeping them out. Whoever this place belonged to wanted to keep what was inside. With no better option, Skree took up a hidden position, activated stealth and waited for someone to enter or leave through the gate. He figured if they wanted to kill her, they would not have gone through the trouble of kidnapping her.
This would be for ransom or some other unknown purpose. The crew of the Typhoon knew he was rich enough to buy and Island, so perhaps someone had gotten the stupid idea to try their luck and kidnap his best friend. “Bad move, whoever you are.” he muttered. His jaw hurt from grinding his teeth while he waited in the darkness. He was becoming more and more agitated as time passed achingly slow. When he heard voices from inside the compound, his weariness faded in an instant.
“She is too dangerous to keep here, boss!” One of them said, unhappy with the situation.
“Shut it. I already sent a few of the boys up to the boarding house with the request for ransom. As long as he doesn‘t show up to the auction tomorrow, she will be fine, so you better not hurt her.” Another man said. Skree recognized his voice immediately and growled. The two men opened the gate and stepped outside. Skree‘s eyes narrowed as he watched as Butt-face and one of his lackeys from earlier close the gate.
“But Dibo, she already bit off Micah’s finger and nearly burned down the warehouse, can't we kill her and be done with it?” the man asked. His words elicited a hot streak of anger in Skree and he nearly charged the men, but decided against it. If he started a ruckus, they might kill her.
“We can’t kill her you idiot. Then we have nothing to bargain with.” Butt-face said, slapping the man upside the head.
Raiya- Early Game Page 21
