by Paul Bellow
He must’ve been hurt already. I kept my sword up.
Sylvar had gotten away from Bernard—thanks to the bears and a few new wolves. He kept shooting arrows at Sarah as she helped with the wildlife.
“Death to all weasels,” I yelled then charged toward the elven ranger.
He turned his bow toward me and shot, missing each time. As I approached, the largest bear roared and ran to intercept me. I kept running.
When I realized I wouldn’t make it to Sylvar before the bear reached me, I changed my course with the FAST sword raised.
The bear rose up on its hind legs as I swung in a wide arc.
Your slash INJURES the grizzly bear for 11 damage.
The grizzly fought back ferociously, hitting me with both claws.
The grizzly bear’s claw GRAZES you for 6 damage.
The grizzly bear’s claw HITS you for 8 damage.
You have [25/73] health remaining.
I wanted to get to Sylvar, but I had to take down the bear first.
Your stab INJURES the grizzly bear for 12 damage.
After I slashed the animal across its stomach, several Flaming Discs of Lava flew past me and caught the bear’s fur on fire. The big brown beast bellowed in pain as it ran away, fanning the flames. It fell to the ground—smoke rising—a few feet away.
As I turned to Sylvar, he dropped his bow and pulled out a sword.
“Ready to die?” I asked as I walked toward him.
“I’m going to help Bernard,” Sarah yelled.
Fine with me, I thought as I stepped forward. This won’t take long.
“Don’t come any closer,” Sylvar said.
“Or what?” I asked.
“I’ll kill you,” he said. “I swear I will.”
“You can try.” I kept moving forward. “But you’ll fail.”
He cackled. I charged forward, using the last of my strength.
Some of the wolves surrounded Bernard, but he would have to help himself.
Your slash HITS Sylvar for 9 damage.
“That’s all you got?” he yelled then thrust.
Sylvar’s blade HITS you for 9 damage.
You have [16/73] health remaining.
Sylvar dropped his sword and clutched his ears.
I used the opportunity to slash twice.
Your slash HITS Sylvar for 8 damage.
Your slash INJURES Sylvar for 15 damage.
Sylvar is dead!
Alignment: -60
Killing players on level one-one is not good.
Killing players with this sword is a very evil act.
Your Alignment is now -15 (Breaking Bad)
Alignment penalty for self-defense again?
With the last of my energy, I turned to see Bernard and Sarah battling the last two wolves. I thought about helping, but one good bite would kill me.
“You got this,” I yelled in support.
The final wolf let out a yelp then fell to the ground.
Combat is over!
You receive 13,600 xp divided by three party members
You get +4,533 xp
Welcome to level six Rogue -> Bounty Hunter!
I looked around at all the dead wolves and bears.
“Everyone okay?” I asked.
Smoke rose from the still smoldering bear.
“Barely,” Sarah said.
After Bernard lifted his mace in the air, I turned my attention to Sylvar’s body.
“I’ve got Rizzo’s corpse,” Sarah said as she walked over to where he had fallen.
“Keep an eye out, Bernard,” I said then bent to the body in front of me.
I grabbed his pouch full of gold and gems.
Maybe his bowstring will work on Sarah’s bow, I thought as I held the ranged weapon.
“Guys, I’ve found something,” Sarah said.
“What is it?” I asked, walking over to her.
Bernard stepped up as well.
Sarah smiled. “They finished the last part of the quest for us.”
I looked over at the bag she’d opened on the ground.
“Monkey ghoul brains?” I asked.
“I think so,” she nodded. “There’s only one way to find out.”
She scooped the bag up and held it in the air.
Your Quest is Completed!
You get +2,000 xp divided by three party members
You get +667 xp
You now have 23,911 experience points
You need 11,089 xp for level seven Rogue -> Bounty Hunter
I pumped my fist in the air at the extra experience points.
“Not much for such a hard side quest,” Bernard said.
“I’ll take whatever we can get,” I said.
“And we now we have all the items,” Sarah added. “That’s the most important thing. We’re ready to make some Dawn Acid.”
“Do you know how to make it?” I asked.
“Actually,” she said. “I don’t.”
“We can find help in Mednia,” Bernard said.
“I wish the Four Wizards would’ve stuck around and help us,” I said. “We should loot the bodies before we go.”
“Good idea,” Bernard said.
He walked over to Rizzo the Red while I headed to Sylvar. Besides a pouch full of gems and gold, we found several unknown potions and a platinum ring.
“I’ll have to identify them in the morning,” Sarah said.
“That’s fine,” I said. “We should rest before getting back on the road.”
“At least we don’t have to worry about those two for a while,” Bernard said. “I do want to find somewhere else to camp. This place creeps me out.”
“Me too,” I said, glancing around at the gloomy graveyard. “Top Henge is only a few miles away. We’ll camp a bit closer to that before heading south then east.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Bernard said.
We left the graveyard and got on our horses. Heading south again, I basked in the glory of a completed side quest. My thoughts turned to the pendant.
I wondered if we’d have a shot at killing Magi Inyontoo. Finishing the quest and clearing level one-one needed to be our priority—but a man could dream.
* * * * *
“This is a good spot,” Bernard said, slowing down.
I stopped my horse, looking around. A tall oak tree just off the road would serve as a good spot to sleep for the night.
Sarah climbed off her horse.
“I’m so tired that I could sleep anywhere,” she said.
“We’ll set up our normal shifts,” I said as I got off my horse.
After tying up our horses, we started a fire under the tree. Bernard rolled a few logs over for us to sit on. The bag of Dawn Acid ingredients sat next to me.
“We did it,” I said, basking in the warm glow of the fire.
“I didn’t think we’d ever find all the ingredients,” Bernard said. “Especially at the end. We should’ve killed Rizzo and Sylvar earlier.”
“Agreed,” I said. “But we can’t change the past.”
Bernard stood and turned to me.
“I’m going to check the other side of that field for some dinner,” he said. “Be back in a few.”
“The wizards gave us rations,” Sarah said.
“I need some victory meat,” Bernard said as he walked away.
Sarah turned to me and smiled. I hadn’t seen her so happy in a while.
“We’re going to do this,” she said.
I nodded, returning her smile.
“Yeah,” I said. “We just need to find…”
I stopped mid-sentence as I saw a torch approaching on the road.
“What is it?” Sarah asked as I stood.
“Someone’s coming,” I said.
I pulled my sword and stepped toward the road.
A man without any weapons besides the torch rushed forward.
“Stop,” I commanded.
The man obeyed, a look of fear on his face.
“He’s coming,” the man said. “He’s coming for us all.”
“Who’s coming?” Sarah asked.
“The barbarian,” the man said. “The meanest half-orc ever bred in the badlands.”
I turned to Sarah.
“Josh?” she asked.
I turned back to the man.
“Describe this barbarian,” I said.
“What’s there to say?” The man shook his head. “He’s a half-orc, the vilest of all the creatures in all the realms.”
“Is he nearby?” Sarah asked.
The man shook his head.
“He headed back north to the Forbidden Lands. Everyone who follows Magictology is going that way. There’s talk of another Great War coming. I’ve got to warn the others.”
I stepped aside as the man continued down the path, mumbling to himself. Sarah took a deep breath. I could see anxiety in her elven eyes.
“Might be him,” I said. “We should probably head that way.”
She nodded and walked back toward our campfire.
I followed, wondering how to calm her fears.
We each sat down across the fire from each other.
“I say we go north to look for Josh,” Sarah said. “Maybe that’ll be good for the quest too. If not, it doesn’t matter.”
“Maybe,” I said, not wanting to upset her. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it all out. No game can stop us when we’re together. Remember?”
She smiled briefly then looked away. Bernard walked up with two dead rabbits in his left hand. He held them out for us to admire.
“Good catch,” I said, not telling him about the man’s warning.
“Thanks.” Bernard sat down. “They should cook up nice.”
“We need the protein,” I said. “We’ve been battling so hard.”
“And kicking ass,” Bernard said.
Sarah turned away as he dressed the animals for cooking.
“Who would’ve thought the cleric who came up to offer his services in our party would turn out to be a rogue chef,” I said, smiling.
Bernard looked up, his eyes gleaming with mischief and joy.
“I’ve got a good feeling about clearing the level,” he said.
Sarah put her elbows on her knees and gazed into the fire.
“All this OOC talk keeps reminding me of the real world,” she said.
Bernard’s smile faded away as he nodded solemnly.
“I’m going to get some sleep,” Sarah said. “Can I have the last shift?”
“Sure,” I said. “We need to train your spider to watch for us.”
“Good idea,” she said. “You can ask her yourself.”
“She only listens to you.” I moved over a log to be closer to Bernard. “See you in the morning.”
“Goodnight,” Sarah said. “Don’t you two stay up too late.”
She walked off to get her blanket and find a spot to sleep in the grass.
As Bernard cooked up our rabbits, I called up my new stats and studied them.
> Stats
Name: Drexmao (“Drex”)
Race: Human (Special)
Class: Rogue -> Bounty Hunter
Level: 6
Experience Points: 23,911 (11,089 for next level)
Alignment: -15 (Breaking Bad)
Health: 16(89)
Strength: 85 (+20%) (+10 magic amulet)
Dexterity: 75 (+10%)
Constitution: 70 (+5%)
Intelligence: 75 (+10%)
Wisdom: 55 (+0%)
Charisma: 44 (+0%)
I also checked my skills.
> stats skills
Black Market Connections – Basic Level 4 of 10
Dodge – Basic Level 2 of 10
Monster Lore – Basic Level 5 of 10
Weapon Craft – Blades - Basic Level 8 of 10
Climbing – Advanced Level 1 of 5 (+5 basic levels w/Ring of Spider Climbing
Stealth - Basic Level 4 of 10
Create Item - Basic Level 1 of 10
Identify Item – Basic Level 7 of 10
Language: Human, Common
Sense Motive – Basic Level 6 of 10
Bargaining – Basic Level 3 of 10
Would my Create Item skill go up if I helped Sarah create the Dawn Acid?
I’d have to ask her in the morning. The smell of the rabbit over the fire hit my nose.
“Smells so good,” I said.
Bernard smiled.
“I never cooked in the real world,” he said. “But here, I’ve had time to increase the skill. Wait until I get access to a proper kitchen.”
“Soon,” I said. “But this is good enough for tonight.”
We both quieted down as the food cooked. After it finished, we ate in silence—both lost in our thoughts. I pondered our main quest.
How could we find the cursed Pendant of Visions to destroy it?
The answer eluded me. Bernard threw the last bit of bone over his shoulder.
“I’ll take first watch if you want to sleep,” he said. “My mind is still going from that battle earlier.”
“Sleep sounds good,” I said as I stood and stretched. “You did great today, by the way. We’re coming together well as a team.”
“I wish we had a proper healer and a tank or two,” he said.
“We’ll find some worthy people,” I said. “Keep the faith.”
“See you in the morning, Eric.”
I walked over to Sarah and laid down on the ground next to her. Hands nestling the back of my head, I stared up at the virtual night sky.
Sleep came swiftly.
12
That Dawn Acid is Dangerous
Sarah
* * *
I woke in the morning with a stiff neck and sore back.
At least we’re not being attacked, I thought as I pulled up my stats.
> Stats
Name: Kali Tracaryn
Race: Elf
Class: Wizard --> Warlock
Level: 5
XP: 23,874 (11,126 for next level)
Alignment: 0 (True Neutral)
HEALTH: 28 (28)
MANA: 104 (104)
Strength: 72 (+10%)
Dexterity: 96 (+35%)
Constitution: 52 (+0%)
Intelligence: 93 (+30%)
Wisdom: 43 (+0%)
Charisma: 44 (+0%)
I also went over my spell list to think of new ways to use them in combination, especially the ones I’d recently added.
> Stats Spells
* * *
Spells: Level One
Fish Slaying - (1mp) - Slay fish in 10’ radius per level of caster.
Golden Bolts - (2mp per bolt up to 4+ lvl of caster) - Each bolt does 1d4 damage.
Glorified Cloaks of Bronze - (2mp per armor adjustment up to 4+ lvl of caster)
Ladder of Dwarven Earth - (2mp per cubic foot of magic dirt created) - Spell lasts 10 minutes per level of caster.
Identify – (5mp) - Identify magic items.
Shut the Front Door - (2mp) – Close and seal a door. Portal receives 10hp per level of caster and will stay sealed until it takes that much damage. Even the caster cannot unseal this door. It’s shut.
Conjure Bronze - (2mp) – Need one gold coin to create one bronze coin. Prerequisite for higher level spells.
New Level One Spells:
Future Spell of the Keen Lanterns – (2mp) - Cause an object to glow with light.
Spells: Level Two
Snares of Dust (3mp) – Clouds of dust particles rise in the air, often rendering a person unable to do anything other than cough and stumble away. More mana may be used for more dust.
Mystic Therapy – (10np) – Target heals 1d10 damage.
Cloud of Marvelous Sound [Uncommon] – (15mp) – A cloud of sound surrounds your enemies, disorienting them. One-foot radius per level of caster.
New Level Two Spells:
Become Unknowable Humanoid – (25mp) – Target becomes an unknowable humanoid creat
ure of roughly the same size and shape. Effects last 1 day per level of caster or until dispelled.
Spells: Level Three:
Divine Arrow of Energy [Rare] – (25mp) – Send a blue energy bean up to one hundred feet per level of caster. The person hit heals 1d50 damage, regains 1d50 mana (if applicable), and receives a +10% to-hit bonus. Caster may not be the target of this spell.
Flaming Discs of Lava – (5mp per disc.) - Each disc deals 1d6 fire damage.
New Level Three Spells:
Blessed Webs of Gold – (5mp per target) - Target receives +1 to hit and +1 damage per 5mp up to 1 + level of caster.
Choose One Level Four Spell:
Deathly Heat Bolt – (20mp per bolt.) - Each bolt does 1d10 heat damage. Up to 1+ level of caster bolts. Target begins stripping off clothes and armor to cool down.
Charm of Thought – (40mp) – Charm a person. The higher their intelligence, the harder to charm.
The Shackle of Courage (fear) – (40mp) – Everyone in area of affect must save vs fear or run.
The Blessed Calling of the Sacred Gnomes – (50mp) – Fix any mechanical item.
Kill Foul Fish – (40mp) – Bring dead fish back to life. 10-foot radius per level of caster
Hypnotize Barbarian – (40mp) – Hypnotize a Barbarian down from a rampage.
Prismatic Balls of Alertness – (25mp) – Target has improved perception for 1 hour per level of caster.