[Based on your verbal question, are you trying to activate Query? To issue a query, say ‘Query topic’]
That was weird, and if it worked, it was also going to be super helpful. “Uh, Query [Token of Acclimation].”
[Query: Token of Acclimation………
Data Found: Tokens of Acclimation are required to purchase skills and to rank up skills. Costs increase for the rarity of skills but using the formula provided you can calculate the Base Price of each skill.
Price Formulas:
- ToA = Tokens of Acclimation
- Rarity Chart Below
- Rank Chart Below
Skill Purchase Formula:
(10 ToA * Level)*(Rarity*2) = Skill Cost from Trainers
Example: A level 3 Uncommon skill would cost:
(10 ToA * 3)*(Rarity (2)*2) = 30*4 = 120 ToA
One Time Message (OTM): Advance Classes cannot be purchased in the normal fashion. You can only buy the manual but you do not gain the ability immediately. You must read the book, learn, and demonstrate enough mastery of it before the system will reward it. These manuals do not adhere to normal price formulas, and the price fluctuates. These manuals may also be found in dungeons.
Skill Upgrade Formula:
(10 ToA * Level)*(Rarity*2)*(Rank*2) = Acclimation Point
Example: A level 2 Rare skill at the Adept rank:
(10 ToA*2)*(Rare(3)*2)*(Adept(2)*2)= 20*6*4 = 480 ToA
That formula is for 1 Acclimation Point for that particular skill. If you look at the charts below, you’ll see you need 30 Acclimation points to raise from Adept to Proficient. Which means you need to multiply your 480 ToA by 30 to push your ability from Adept to Proficient.
Acclimation points are naturally acquired by using the ability. This is the recommended way to grow your ability. However, to push it to the next rank you only need to purchase the difference.
Quick Reference for Rarity:
I - Common
II - Uncommon
III - Rare
IV- Epic
V- Legendary
VI - Godly - Godly Skills are not skills you can keep or learn permanently. Usually, these are one-time use, but some items exist with this rarity.
Quick Reference for Rank:
I - Novice (Start at this rank)
II - Adept (Need 15+ Acclimation Points)
III - Proficient (45+ Acclimation Points )
IV - Expert (180+ Acclimation Points )
V- Master (900+ Acclimation Points)
VI - Grand Master (5000+ Acclimation Points and finished the Grand Master Quest)
Grand Master rank is earned when you reach 5,000 Acclimation Points (AP), but you are no longer able to buy AP beyond 4,900 AP. Every Acclimation Point (AP) above 4,900 must be earned. It is gained through personal triumph or more commonly through a quest. This is no small feat, and few succeed.
Also, skills cannot rise above 9999. However, each Acclimation Point does improve the skill. So a Grand Master at 5,000 points does not come close to comparing to a Grand Master at 9,999.]
Shit tits, that was a lesson in math I hoped to never experience again. At least eternity in here provided me the time to min-max this nightmare of a skill ranking system. The amount of time to reach Grandmaster on a skill had to be astronomical. The number of tokens needed already had me coughing up blood. I made a note to research advanced classes later.
Did [Query] require me to speak out loud? Query… uh, Query?
[ Query: Query………
Data Found: A query is a method for requesting game information that is public knowledge. A helpful technique for new players to understand game mechanics or to identify items. You can only query public knowledge, so if no one updated the knowledge base, you would gain no data. Feel free to check the forums. ]
With the entrance cleared, I approached the lair door. The cobbled stone arch had shimmering energy stretched across it. Inside several skeletons were sprawled out on the ground, unmoving. A common trap for the unwary victim and I knew the moment I crossed over they’d try to ambush me.
Dungeons that required people to break in were always a challenge, and I hoped most were this way. It was a bit of a mess if people died, but there should be no reward without some risk. Either way, these skeletons did not know I was. If I had to guess, they couldn’t see through the doorway.
“Yeayea yeh bustin them bone men gud.” The shit talking squirrel was back and cheering me on. “I’mma Earle.”
“Some would say you are right on time.”
“Wut? Ye dumass. My name is Earle.”
“Oh.” I did not care. “You take care of that dodge freak?”
“Yeayea, boss. Killed dat muddfucha wit’ a crystal shard. Yeh owes me.”
“Congrats, you are my spirit animal or whatever.” Two more squirrels rode up on lizards about a meter in height, but the lizards were upright on two legs, like mini T-rexes. “What the hell?”
“Dats Scott and dumdum o’er der is Mike. Dese are me cap’ns. Yeayea, dey take care o’ the day to day dirty work.”
“Ok, Mike, Scott, and Earle got it. But why are you riding dinosaurs or whatever?”
“Heh heh, because bitches luv dat. Maybe I shoulda found anudder boss. Yer not dat bright.”
I laughed at the moronic squirrel. “You think a smart person would agree to have you as a companion? Wait—shit tits!”
All three of the squirrels were chittering again.
“Yeayea, shitititties.” Earle laughed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the squirrel icon changing. Earle’s name appeared below my health bar, with his own little health bar and a blue bar I assumed was mana. That thing can cast spells? What in the inferno is wrong with this game?
[You acquired a companion.
Companion Details
Name: Earle
Race: Squirrel
Class: Mafia Don
Effect: As long as Earle is your pet, you can request a hit from the mafia on anyone that disrespects you. The Mafia ability may only be used once a day and only once per incident. ]
“Scott, Mike. I’mma leavin yeh basterds in charge o’ da Mist Squirrel Mafia. Yeayea, and if anyting happens to muh girls, I’mma take it outta yeh fuzzy nut bags. May’e I even remove ye bushy tails.”
The voice was low and dangerous, even made me take a second glance at the squirrel. Both the squirrels just nodded and then turned their mini T-rexes around and ran back into the forest.
“Yeayea, I donta like violence, Deuce. I’mma about bisness, and blood is a big expense.”
“Did you just quote the Godfather?”
“Ye dumass, I’mma godfather.”
“Ok then. I got a dungeon to clear.”
“Yeayeayea, ye mean we gotta dungeon ta clear. Idiot, ye can’t clear dat fuching dungeon wit’out me, muddafucha.” Earle was flipping his daggers and catching them out of the air by their hilts.
“Whatever, just don’t screw up my quest.”
“Ye got it, boss.”
I crossed the threshold into the dungeon.
Chapter 7
Location: Goro’s Lair
Crossing the threshold into the dungeon created a sensation that was hard to describe. It was like a spring rain shower without rain. The shimmering barrier contained so much power that I could feel it surge through me. Red electricity danced across the surface of my body before releasing itself into the dungeon.
Skeletons started to rise from the ground after the red energy went through them — their nameplates and levels revealed themselves. I inhaled slowly, trying to avoid making a sound. The odor hit the hardest because it carried decay and must. The smell was not overpowering, but it was old. It was like the environment had absorbed centuries of death. Dust—I did not want to think it came from the thousands of corpses—threatened to send me into a sneezing fit.
“Chew!” Earle sneezed in my ear, and I glared at him.
“Shit tits, that’s a lot of skeletons,” I
rumbled, not breaking eye contact with the rodent perched on my shoulder.
“Wanth? Ith dunsthy in ‘ere.” The squirrel rubbed its nose with its tiny little paw, but his eyes snapped up and focused on the creatures coming at us. The ones he activated with his noise. “Yeayea, muddafucha, ye gorna fight? Or I’mma gorna hafta save yeh—”
“Burn in a fire,” I growled at him, letting the inferno consume me.
Earle slammed a fist into the palm of his other hand like he was about to break some heads, and I snorted.
Not wanting to fight against the gate, I surged forward. A bone—femur if the skeleton charging me was any sign—rolled underfoot, sending me stumbling forward. The thing clacked its jaw at me angrily as it hopped forward. Its jaw fell open as the bone shot backward and I fell into the creature.
“Dumass!” The squirrel squealed as he jumped forward and dove through the open mouth of the skeleton. His tiny daggers broke through the brittle skull, and it collapsed as I crashed into it. My upper arms prevented my face from smashing into the stone bricks of the crypt, but the fall was not pleasant.
“Yeayea, I gottem, yeh stumblin’ pussy. Get on up an’ fight, ‘fore yer killed.” Earle taunted me and climbed out of the skull and before he started to fade into mist. One second he was there and the next he was gone.
Shit tits. What in the inferno were Mist Squirrels? Overpowered, that’s what. I grumbled to myself. Within seconds I was back on my feet with the fire burning hot inside me. The wave of skeletons could not stop my momentum as I waded into their midst.
The shield and [Mister Fister] were not needed to take them down. A bare fist could take one or two of them down per hit, and in some cases, the bones turned to powder upon contact. The creatures outside the dungeon were tougher than these.
Overconfidence almost ended the fight early because I let myself get surrounded. A rusted short sword slid by my defense and slammed into my lower back. If this was real life, I’m pretty sure my kidney would have been a wreck. As it was, my leather cuirass prevented the blade from cutting into and spilling my guts out onto the floor. It did not stop the force of the blow and the pain that shot up my spine like a bolt of lightning.
A shot to the back like that might make most people back away, but the battle awoke something in me. A fighting spirit overtook my fear, and I turned and smashed my head into its already cracked skull. I could feel its spinal column give away as my momentum carried me forward. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Earle take out another skeleton that was poised to strike me while I was not in a position to defend myself. Tucking my arms, I did a forward roll and managed to come to my feet as the bones of the last skeleton rained down around me.
[Headbutt +1
One Time Message(OTM): During your end of day summary, be sure to look into Common Skills vs. Class Skills. There are a lot of classes, which means there are a lot of skills. The short version is that if you switch classes, and a skill is not part of it, then that skill becomes a common skill. If you switch to a class that can use one of your common skills, as long as it as at 100+ skill level, you’ll learn that skill right away.]
“Yeayea, ye arms like an octopus, flailin’ dis way and dat, freakboy.”
“Can it, pipsqueak,” I growled at him.
“Bitch, I’ll stab ye in da eye iff’n ye call me dat ‘gain, muddafucha. Now loot up, fuch face.”
I sighed. The squirrel had a mouth worse than a Russian sailor—speaking of, I noticed the little monster was no longer wearing his eye patch.
“Whatever, let’s keep going.” It wasn’t worth arguing with him.
Reaching down, I was given a prompt to mass loot, which I accepted with a smile.
[Loot: 23 Bone Chips, 3 Tokens of Acclimation, 5 Gold Coins]
Now that the immediate threat was over, we explored the entranceway. Earle found a gold coin tucked into a crevice between the bricks underfoot. The little guy slid it into a tiny coin pouch hanging from his belt like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The architecture of the crypt felt old and oppressive like the Catholic church. Even the style of the place reminded me of the church, with the rounded arch doorways lined with stone. There was no iconography, but I expected to see a cross above each door.
The main hall or path was unnaturally straight and disappeared into the darkness ahead. Braziers lit the hall at regular intervals and revealed smaller archways that branched off main hall. Corpses were shackled to each side of the doors, left as silent sentinels for all of eternity.
It was the metal bars, like looking into a prison that caught my eye the most. The bars extended for about thirty meters on both sides, and the room inside was long and narrow. The back wall was a warren of holes that held coffins with the wood almost entirely rotted away.
Bones were everywhere, lining the rooms and hallway like scree. The only safe place to walk was the middle. I doubted even a rogue type could sneak through this mess.
Earle’s little paw was gripping my ear, refusing to let go.
“Boss… Howdoya think dose corpses got up dere?” Earle chittered into my ear; his little hand pointed upwards. Spikes that numbered in the thousands covered the entire ceiling like a carpet. They blended giving the appearance of a solid surface. Bones wedged in the narrow gaps, which meant the bodies were slammed upwards with a significant amount of force.
“Dungeon rules,” I said in a shallow voice. “Never—ever—ask questions like that. And while we are at it, never mention something was easy.”
“Yeayea—” I grabbed Earle’s little snout to shut him up.
“I’m not kidding. If you jinx my quest, me and you are going to have a problem. Understand?”
Earle nodded his little head, but he cocked an eye at me as if wanted to say something. I turned towards a side door and tripped over a pile of bones. I maintained my feet but I could hear my rodent companion chittering as the little bastard laughed at me.
“Incomin’ boss. Mor’a dem bone men.” The squirrel’s little claws clutched my ear while he whispered into it. His voice startled me. Whispering was unnecessary, and the little bastard knew it. The racket I made had already alerted the skeletons inside the barred room, so whispering was the squirrel’s way of being a dick.
The side room gave me an idea because it was so narrow the skeletons did not have much room to maneuver.
Want to be an ass? I thought to myself while grinning at Earle. The little rodent audibly gulped. Using the shield and the tight confines, I ran full speed into the room.
Energy flowed into my legs from the center of my body. Muscles rippled through my entire body and flooded into my legs giving them a massive amount of power and propelled me forward. Something must have activated because my legs weren’t even responding to me, and I had no way to stop.
Earle screamed like a little bitch, and I laughed manically as the skeletons exploded sending bones in every direction. A few managed to strike me with their rusted weapons, but no major damage was gained until I smashed into the wall with a loud bang. Debris and bones lodged for centuries fell from the surrounding ceiling.
The best part was Earle’s squeal as he flew from my shoulder and collided with the wall. He bounced and fell to the ground in the least graceful roll I had ever seen. At the end of the squirrel’s tumble two black rice like turds popped out causing me to laugh like a fool.
Loot time!
[Charge +5
Attention: You have used [Charge], which is not one of your class skills.
* You may keep using the skill until as a common skill, but until you gain 100 Skill Points (SP), there is a high chance of failure. At 100 SP, this ability will convert into a Non-Class Skill (Current Skill Points: 5 )
* If this is a common skill, this ability is 50% less effective under 100 SP, with a high chance for failure. At 100 points, the ability is usable with a 25% Non-Class Skill penalty. At 1,000 Skill Points, the penalty goes away, and the ability will lock at Proficient rank.
* If you change classes and this common ability is now a Class Skill, you will gain:
100+ SP: Rank I - Novice
400+ SP: Rank II - Adept
1,000 SP: Rank III - Proficient
Also, any Class skill that reverts back to common will drop to appropriate Skill Points for their Rank. If they are III - Proficient or above, the ability will be Proficient and Skill Points lock in at 1,000. However, Class Skill progression is not lost. If you switch classes back, your Acclimation will not have changed.]
Neat, so in theory I could learn any common ability, even if it didn’t belong to my class. I’d have to see if I could learn [Sneak] or [Stealth] later. It also looked the system rewarded exploring additional classes, because I had no idea what kind of skill list a veteran player would have. I imagined it was massive.
Onward we went, the skeletons gave me less and fewer rewards as we progressed. By the time the dungeon started to change, I had accumulated far less loot than I would have expected. Then again, using [Charge] was kind of cheat mode. I blasted right through any skeleton, the only downsize was the dazed effect when I collided with a wall.
[Loot: 54 Bone Chips, 13 Tokens of Acclimation, 28 Gold Coins]
[Skill: Charge is at 85]
“Yeayea, boss, zombies ahead, smell bad. Real bad. Dead muddafuchas shud stay ded.”
We approached a door that was much grander than anything we had seen yet. On the other side, the familiar pattern of doors, braziers, and metal bars still existed, but it all looked and felt newer. Chains rattled as the corpses shackled by the doors struggled against their bindings.
Shit tits. The rodent wasn’t lying, they were zombies. It did not worry me overly much because they were slower than the skeletons. The difference was they had muscle, which meant their attacks probably had more power. Not that I was going to take a hit and find out. Chains rattled violently as I approached. Not one to waste an opportunity, I walked up to the zombie and used my iron covered fist to smash its face in. The head practically exploded but probably not as bad as the vomit that exploded from me. That felt ultra real, and it made my stomach roil.
The Land of Trademark Online Page 4
