Extra Credit

by J. Arthur Klein

  Ant Queen begins casting, Spawn Brood

  The casting bar completed and the Queen’s abdomen exploded, leaving her with a barely a sliver of health remaining.

  Hundreds of rat sized ants swarmed out of the Queen’s ruined body, spreading out in search of something, anything to devour.

  Hoss was the closest of the undead, unable to move as quickly as the others due to his zombie nature.

  The swarm washed over him like a wave and he disappeared under the mass of tiny insects. His health started to drop slowly, his unwanted passengers ripping into his rotting flesh in the gaps of his armor.

  I ordered the zombie to drop to the ground and roll around, watching as his corpse flattened hundreds of ants as they ate away at his flesh.

  The swarm hit the skeletons next, their acidic bites taking small nibbles from their bones.

  “Stop, Drop and Roll” was less effective with the skeletons, but still managed diminish the swarm somewhat.

  The ants were almost on me so I did what any sane person would do when faced with the threat of being eaten alive by a swarm of bugs. I tried to run.

  Somehow portions of the swarm had managed to get between me and freedom, so I was forced to run in a circle around the Queen, Benny Hill music playing in my mind and I dodged small clumps of ants and looked for a way to escape.

  One after another, the fate of my minions became clear.

  Orc Skeleton (Larry) has been destroyed! Your bound mana has been returned.

  Orc Skeleton (Curley) has been destroyed! Your bound mana has been returned.

  My stamina was not up to that much running, and I couldn’t cast while sprinting. I was barely able to keep ahead of the swarm which grew with each of my minion’s deaths. There were hundreds of crushed ants on the ground, but still hundreds more gunning for me.

  Orc Zombie (Hoss) has been destroyed! Your bound mana has been returned.

  The swarm was coming from both sides and I had nowhere to go but into range of the Queen, who even injured could probably take me out with a half-hearted slap.

  Damn this encounter really, really, needed some AOE nukes. Or…

  A desperate idea popped into my head as my stamina neared zero.

  I glanced at the Queen and saw she was still somehow alive. She must have had some sort of last stand ability, because I could see Rot still active on her, but her health hadn’t moved since she exploded.

  Orc Skeleton (Moe) has been destroyed!

  Well, here goes nothing! I thought and ran away from the swarming ants towards the Queen. As I approached, I triggered the last charge of Mistwalk and teleported onto the Queen’s back, barely keeping my balance.

  The waves of the swarm arrived and climbed up their mother in an attempt to get to me, and I closed my eyes and started casting, focusing my full willpower on completing the spell.

  I could feel the insects climbing up my legs as I moved my arms through the motions.

  My Dark Shield flashed with each bite, blocking out the tiny pincer bites, but slowly eating away the shield.

  The first bite pierced the shield as I completed the last gesture of the spell.

  Willpower check… Success!

  The spell leapt from my hands and into the Queen and then bursting forth in a wave of dark energy as the Miasma spell spread Rot to the entire swarm.

  My hit points dropped as more and more ants sank their pincers in and I leapt.

  I landed in a heap just beyond the swarm and rolled forward, crushing some ants and flinging others off.

  My health was down to ten percent, and if this gambit failed, I was done. At least it would be quick?

  I crawled backwards, away from the swarm that was heading my way once again.

  The leading edge of the swarm reached me and I thought for sure I was done for, but then the ants started to drop.

  One after another they collapsed into pools of rotten goo as the Rot spell finished melting them from the inside out.

  Soon all that was left were a few stragglers that were outside of the range of the Miasma’s radius which, luckily for me, was measured from the target and not limited to a static radius from the center of the casting.

  The Queen turned her gaze on me and squealed as I crushed the last of her swarm with my staff, her temporary immunity dying with her last child. She followed a second later.

  You have killed a Giant Ant Queen! You have received 500xp!

  Quest Updated - Destroy Giant Ant Queen (1/1)

  QUEST COMPLETE – Something’s Bugging Farmer Phil I, II, & III

  You have received 500xp!

  See the farmer for your material rewards.

  I collapsed, my stamina pool virtually nil, and tried to catch my breath. I glared at the Queen’s corpse. My minions were all dead. Their gear was probably ruined, and now I’d have to raise a whole new legion and get all their gear repaired before I could move on to my next quest.

  Well, let’s see what bits this giant ant has for me.

  I crawled over to what was left of the Queen and initiated Dissection. The list of options did a little to assuage my injured wallet: Chitin, Giant Ant Claw, Strong Ant Acid, Ant Meat, Ant Egg Sac.

  I selected them all and started the process, claiming my spoils about two minutes later.

  Critical Success! You have received: Ant Chitin x22, Strong Ant Acid x12, Ant Meat x49, Ant Egg Sac x1, Giant Ant Claw x1

  Hope the quest reward is worth almost being eaten alive, I thought as I collected my minions’ chewed up and acid etched gear and headed back to the farmhouse.

  ***

  42

  Phil was waiting at the edge of the field, looking at his ruined crops when I arrived. He seemed a bit more cordial now that I’d gotten rid of the ants. As I approached, he looked behind me and said, “It’s done then? The ants are gone?”

  I gave him a thumbs up, still a bit tired from my recent run. “The drones, the soldiers, and queen are dead.”

  A smile split the man’s face and he beckoned me to follow. “Amazing! Let’s go get you your reward,” he said and headed to his home. He ushered me in and bid me take a seat while he fetched the rewards from the back. I sat there, resting my head in my hands as my stamina finished recovering from the ordeal.

  A woman came out of another room and placed a bowl of stew before me. “Phil’s a good man, but he doesn’t always remember the finer points of hospitality. Please, eat,” she said and then took a seat across from me.

  “Thank you,” I said, and dug in. It was amazing. From what I could tell it was a standard beef stew, but it was the best beef stew I had ever eaten. I finished the bowl and grinned as a new buff appeared on my screen.

  Hammelson’s Beef Stew: +5 Constitution, +10% cold resistance.

  “Wow that was delicious. One day I hope to make something half as good as this,” I said, resisting the urge to lick the bowl.

  “You’re a cook?” she asked with a curious smile.

  I shook my head. “No, but I have a primer and plan to learn how soon.”

  She raised a finger and said, “Wait here,” and headed into the back, returning a few minutes later with a rolled-up scroll. “When you’re ready, here is a recipe for that stew. It’s the least I can do for the adventurer that kept our farm from becoming an ant colony.”

  “Thank you,” I said with an exuberant smile. “Now I’m even more motivated to learn so I can have more of this stew!”

  Phil returned from the back room then and smiled at his wife, glancing at the bowl. “Thank you for feeding our guest, dear. I was so distracted by everything it completely slipped my mind.”

  She stood and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “One day I’ll teach you proper hospitality, my love,” she said and then turned back to me. “Safe travels adventurer. And thank you once again.”

  The farmer set a small sack on the table and slid it over to me. “Here is your reward. Three gold pieces and a stack of waybread to keep you fed on the trail. I threw in a little something
extra since you had to deal with a lot more than was expected,” he said with a smile. “It’s of no use to us. I found it when clearing the southern field last season. I hope it will be of use to you.”

  I thanked him and looked into the bag and found three slots similar to the ones in dungeon chests, although only the third slot was a mystery.

  I took the coins and waybread from the first two slots and added them to my satchel, crossing my fingers as I tapped the question mark.

  Mist filled the orange slot and resolved slowly into a long string of crow skulls mounted on a thick leather belt. A set of intricately carved silver buckles latched at the front of the belt. It was gorgeous.

  I scanned the item and whistled in appreciation as its abilities were revealed.

  Belt of the Crow

  Created by the necromancers of old, this belt is infused with the essence of the Crow. Harnessing this essence, the user may transform into a flock of crows to travel. While in this form the caster moves at triple their normal speed and gains flight. This ability may not be used in combat, and any damage suffered while in this form will return the character to their normal form.

  Properties: Murder Form, +4 Intelligence

  Oh… it was definitely worth the effort of killing the queen, I thought as I thanked the farmer once again and left his house.

  I buckled the belt on over my robes and activated the new ability, marveling in the sensation as my avatar transformed from its reptilian form into a murder of crows. My consciousness rode slightly outside of the cloud, giving me an almost third person view of the cloud as it took to the air, moving in sync with my thoughts.

  We sped towards Sommervale, speeding over the tops of the trees and reaching the town in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

  I brought the murder to the ground within sight of the gate and willed myself to retake my normal form. The crows flew into a tight spiral and condensed back into my kobold self and my consciousness snapped back into place.

  My first stops were the tailor and smith to have my damaged gear repaired. I grumbled as I handed over nearly two gold between the two and then headed towards the auction house to hopefully cheer me back up.

  The clerk took my receipts and returned with a large bag of coin and another small bag. He handed them to me and said, “Here is the coin for your sales and the items from your auctions that have expired.”

  All of the metal and one of the emeralds had sold as well one of my stacks of uncut aquamarines. The remaining gems had been returned at the end of their allotted auction time.

  I tucked my proceeds away, smiling as I counted out the three hundred and eighty-two gold I’d earned for my efforts.

  It had been a few levels since I’d upgraded my gear, and that much gold in my pockets was just begging to be spent, especially with the likes of those mountain orcs to contend with. Plus, I was still a bit exhausted from the battle with the ants and needed something to calm my nerves before dinner.

  But first things first, I had tons of stuff to sell. I searched for example auctions for the various components I had on hand and found several of the ant parts listed in the various component categories.

  Ant chitin was selling for a decent price at three silver per piece, while the pincers were going for six; but the real kicker was the Giant Ant Claw I’d taken from the Ant Queen which was currently selling without a buyout price and had several bids upwards of fifty gold each.

  I’d have to check and see if the forums had any info on its uses before posting anything. I could take a chance on the auction, or I could post it up at a nice buyout price around where they’d sold for in the past and hope for a quick payout.

  I put the chitin and pincers up for sale at the market price and put the claw back in my bag for later. Next, I checked on the acids. They were selling for coppers so I decided to hold on to them and check at the Proper Potion to see if they could be of use to me.

  The strong acid was worth a bit more, but I kept that as well, and the meat was too useful for healing zombies to sell, or at least it would be once I managed to raise a new tank.

  There were no entries for the Egg Sack, so I added that to my list of things to discuss with Mistress Valynwood the next time I paid her a visit.

  That done, it was time to find some shiny goodies for me.

  I set the filters for my new level and scanned through the listings. I started with body and leg armor, but nothing was quite up to par with my Journeyman’s Robes. Likewise, my belt, cloak, head piece, and staff were all better than what I could purchase for my level, and the tail slot items were all geared towards the more dexterous classes.

  The jewelry options were much better. I was able to upgrade my rings, bracelets, and necklace for items that granted a plus two bonus to Intelligence and/or Wisdom.

  On a whim I searched for Dissection knives and was delighted to find a nice level ten blade that looked like an oversized scalpel and had a nice plus two bonus to Dissection with a fifty percent chance to cause a bleeding wound if used as a weapon.

  Altogether I spent twenty-eight gold on the new upgrades, a small portion of what I was making in the mines. I collected my purchases from the clerk and equipped my new gear, tucking the old stuff away for use by an eventual caster minion.

  I was halfway to the alchemist to complete my daily business when my dinner alarm went off, so I finished my trek across town and logged off in front of the Proper Potion.

  ***

  43

  While my dinner was heating up, I looked up the Queen’s claw and egg sack on the forums. The claw turned out to be a rare ingredient used in high end enchantments that normally sold at auction between one hundred and fifty and two hundred and fifty gold. I figured I could capitalize on the rarity and get about two twenty-five for it if I put it up with a buyout price.

  I logged back into the game after my nightly call with my family which was cut short by the most feared of natural disasters in parenthood: The diaper blow-out.

  I missed them both terribly, but there were some experiences that didn’t need to be shared over the internet, and that was one of them.

  Argos Online came back into focus, the night air calm and cool. A notification appeared, reminding me that I still had unspent points from my prior level.

  With a grin, I opened up my character sheet and got to work. Necromancy, Scavenger, Dissection, Necromantic Bolt, and Rot all received their customary bump to keep them at the cap, leaving nine points for the rest.

  I shivered as I remembered the feeling of those ants chewing through my shield and decided it was time to up my defense a bit. I put five points into Dark Shield, raising it to rank ten and unlocking a new ability.

  You have reached Rank 10 in Dark Shield!

  This spell may now be used to protect friendly targets.

  Next, I decided to raise Create Undead to increase my minion pool and allow for some flexibility in my minion choices. Running my normal minion contingent left little room for on-the-fly additions, and instantly raising a ghoul in the middle of combat with my staff was something I was looking forward to exploring further.

  I added four points to Create Undead, bringing it up to eleven and unlocking its rank ten perks.

  You have reached rank 10 in Create Undead!

  Minions may now be animated with a specific skill archetype: Tank, DPS, Support.

  Minions created with an archetype receive bonuses and skills appropriate to their archetype. This bonus is cumulative with any benefits gained via Soul Mastery. For example, a minion assigned the Tank archetype would gain abilities related to maintaining aggro and damage mitigation, while one assigned Support might have a small healing spell. Additionally, this skill can now be used on targets within 30 feet.

  Minion Pool: 15 (4 + Rank)

  I’d already started the process of assigning my minions more specialized roles, so the updated spell granting abilities to support those roles was a great addition. With the right collection of s
ouls I could build a solid, fully functional party for when I was solo.

  They wouldn’t be as good or versatile as a player party, but it would do in a pinch.

  That bit of business done, I closed my character sheet and headed towards the door of the Proper Potions alchemy shop.

  Mistress Valynwood was working behind the counter when I entered. “Good eve to thee, friend Kababala. Hast thou come to pursue thy alchemical arts at last?” the dryad asked, a hopeful expression on her face.

  I cringed a little as I answered, “Not yet, Mistress Valynwood. My other studies have monopolized my time lately.”

  She looked disappointed at my answer, a small frown forming at the corners of her mouth.

  “But I did find something that you might be interested in,” I said, placing the vials of acid and the egg sack on the counter.

  The Dryad looked through the acids with a grin. “Very nice,” she said, searching through the vials. When she reached the strong acid, her smile widened. “This will be quite useful for my advanced research.”

  She gathered the rest of the acids in a pile. “These are used in the lower ranked recipes, which thou wouldst know had thou studied.”

  “Hmm,” she said, examining the Egg Sack. “This is something I have not seen before. If thou keep bringing me these interesting things, I may have to offer thee a permanent job.”

  I chuckled and said, “Would you like to make the same agreement as last time? If your research proves useful you will reward me appropriately? I’ll even throw in the acid in good faith.”

  She smiled and nodded. “Thou art quite the astute apprentice. I agree to thy terms. Pray return in a day or so to see if thy new material hast yielded anything of use.”

  I left the shop with a smile on my face, hoping that this gamble would pay off as well as last time.

  No risk, no reward, I thought, leaving the store behind and heading towards the Necromancer’s guild, anxious to see what my teacher had for me at level twelve.