by Arthur Stone
Dark had spent a considerable part of his small rock crystal reserves to make his first magic weapon. The stats of the result were disappointing, but what else could be expected from such an unskilled artisan with no experience, no blueprints, and no quality raw materials?
He sat thirty paces from the tunnel entrance and casually charged some arrows with Light Magic.
Two of them he charged the old-fashioned way, two with the staff, and a final two after equipping all of the items that gave his Magic a bonus.
He spent only a small amount of Mana on the task since his opponents had limited Health reserves.
What opponents? The beasts that emerged from the mine when the sun went down. Their tracks were ever present by the rails of the mine cart track.
Mine rats. These mobs were predictable and weak, which made them perfect for his experiment.
As long as he didn’t let them attack in groups. If a whole horde of them charged, he would end up back at respawn again.
An experienced explorer like him could not afford the reputation hit of being slain by rats.
They appeared when expected. As soon as the sun’s rays were no longer illuminating the very top of the waste dump, he saw the whiskers of the first. It did not notice Dark and ran practically right past him. After all, his Stealth was at 101. As long as he didn’t move, the odds were good that even a high-level mob could come within a few paces and fail to see him.
The rats? Not a chance.
He waved his arms to attract the rodent’s attention. Once it was just a little closer, he shot it.
The power of Light was impressive. After finishing off five more, he slinked into the growing darkness and used the scattered heaps of rock for cover until he reached the warehouse and then the tower.
None of the rats followed.
Once he had locked himself in, he sat down and investigated the victory messages, looking for damage amounts. The first two kills had been with minimum damage. The next two had taken about 25% more. The last two had received a double dose.
These values weren’t exact, of course, and even varied within the pairs. X’s damage system always had an element of randomness, and potential damage dealt in each case was a range, not a hard value. In addition, the same mobs could be at different levels or have slightly different defensive stats.
But Dark’s core assumptions had been right.
His level 10 Possessed by Light ability gave a weapon or arrow 3 hit points of damage per unit of Mana he spent. But that was just a base value. If he boosted his character’s Magic, the same amount of Mana would cause much more damage.
And if he used the staff, the damage would be increased further by about 29%.
In total, Dark could take about 4,200 hit points from a mob with a single arrow, as long as he used his items with a Magic bonus and his new staff. That meant, of course, removing many of the items that gave him an Intellect bonus—knocking his Mana close to its natural level of 700. So, tripled by the ability, that was 2,100, and a further doubling by the items and staff made the total 4,200.
Simple math.
According to the forum, 4,000 hit points was more than even some level 50 mobs had. The level difference between him and them would reduce the damage, of course. Still, the number they would receive would be colossal. Now Dark could fight opponents level 40 and under without needing to worry about defeat.
He could even attack level 50 mobs. But he could not do so very often. The core problem of slow Mana regeneration remained.
One level 50 beast every day—he would be happy with that. In addition, the world of X rewarded players who defeated strong opponents time and time again.
And paid special attention to them.
Most likely.
Chapter 49
Black Blood Temple
Total stat levels: 45 +2.
Character level: 7.
Mastery level: 7.
Kneeling at a distance, Dark surveyed the familiar scene. He was a hundred yards from the place where the agonizing, boiling rain from the local upside-down-world mermaid analogs had burned him to death. Only one had fallen to his ax. Her carcass still lay on the earth, untouched. Looting it was essential, but first he needed to figure out where the others were hiding. The witches who had finished him off.
Squinting, he moved his gaze up and down the coast, assuming that once he found one, the rest would likely be nearby.
Soon he had located two, standing in the shallow water to the right of the pier where he had been tricked by the first “girl.” This pair had their sides rather than their backs turned to him, so from his perspective they did not resemble naked girls. Still, his heart twitched at the remembrance of the hope he had felt.
Clutching his bow, he moved to the dead one to claim his trophies. They were nothing special: 2x Raisha Eye, 1x Raisha Heart, and Raisha Blood, which he collected in a vial prudently prepared ahead of time. These were new alchemy ingredients, unknown to all of the other players in X. Sadly he had not come down here yesterday, as these might have come in handy for his experiments. Perhaps he might have made a new type of bomb or some elixir with beneficial properties.
He continued sneaking over to the others, often freezing in his tracks. Their Perception was bad, but Dark’s Stealth was excellent.
He thrust two of his arrows into the ground in front of him. Each was charged up enough to deal 750 damage, assuming he hit. As long as the target’s level wasn’t too high. He hoped that these raishae had similar Health values to the one he had killed. Dark’s Accuracy and Ranged Weapons skills were above 20 by this point, so his odds of success were good.
He let the arrow loose.
Direct hit. The closest monster exploded into fountains of green and collapsed onto its side. Turning instantly, the other rushed at Dark, who calmly finished it off with an identical lethal shot after it had drawn fifteen paces closer.
He turned and frowned. Another was charging him, one he had failed to notice before. This despite the absolute lack of vegetation along the shore—the only hiding place he could see was the pier. She hadn’t come from the pier.
Drawing another arrow saturated with Light Magic from his quiver, he let the mob get close, then took his shot and hurriedly set to replenishing his magically-charged arrows. That meant drawing his staff from his bag. Dark had left his Intellect-boosting items in the tower, equipping everything that boosted Magic instead. That had significantly reduced his max Mana but increased its regeneration rate—a much more valuable characteristic in this situation.
After looting the slain raishae, Dark headed down the coast.
As expected, he encountered more of the monsters along the way. Once he reached the far point of the lake near the abandoned temple, he had slain seventeen of the beasts in under an hour. Level 11 soul essences had dropped from each. He was beginning to rejoice at finding such a rich source of the essences, but then the stream of raishae dried up. No matter how far he walked, he did not encounter a single one. Once he ran into the cliff, the beach disappeared completely, the sheer rock face running straight into the water.
Back to the temple it is, then. Dark examined the pier first. It was hard to get a good survey of from far away, especially since it was partly destroyed—preventing him from noticing the big boat hiding in a secluded niche until later in his exploration. As often happened in this land, the boat looked practically new, unwounded by the centuries. A bit of water splashed around the bottom, but there was no sign of a leak, so it was likely from a recent rain shower.
The oarlocks were made of time-darkened bronze, and the boat’s bench held a pair of oars. Unable to restrain himself, Dark untied the boat and went for a short ride around the pier. In real life, he had never gone rowing, but either he was naturally talented, or the game had decided to help him out. It was fun, and the boat was decently big, with room for lots of cargo.
Assuming he hadn’t gotten mixed up, the far end of the lake was close to the meadows where he ha
d harvested hesh’ell swarms. This was a serendipitous placement for his ambitious plans.
Re-lashing the boat, Dark at last headed towards the temple.
* * *
Note: You have discovered a new location: Black Blood Temple. +1 Pioneer skill level. +1 Perception, +1 Luck, +1 Charisma, +1 Simplicity. This is the eighth location you have discovered. Congratulations!
The message showed up as soon as Dark reached the first of the two circular trenches. He had calmly walked the paved road from the pier to the main building, making no effort to hide.
When he stopped, he looked both ways. The trenches and stone circles both stopped on either side, allowing the road to pass through. He was very interested in the trenches thanks to earlier messages about the raishae. They were hundreds of yards around and filled with interestingly dark water.
If it was water at all.
He proceeded to the left to test his suspicions. This was his purpose here, not revenge on those revolting raishae.
Jackpot. He had found black gold. The trenches were not filled with water but an oily liquid that smelled like machinery. He moistened one finger in the substance and brought it close to his face.
Raw Oil. A useful liquid that comes in varying degrees of viscosity. Used for crafting, especially Alchemy. Note: Exercise caution! Oil is flammable!
Dark smiled.
His trip was worth it: He had found oil. Hundreds of gallons of oil, in fact. Each trench was filled to the top.
Had they been placed here as defensive rings? Or were they meant to be lit for some visually spectacular ritual?
More importantly, should he even investigate the temple now?
He had seen a couple of the “mermaids” hiding among the smaller buildings in the complex. No doubt there were more. He would need to clear a path to reach the main building, and what awaited him inside it? Probably more than a little digging and sightseeing.
The whole point of this trip was to gain time, not waste it.
Whatever treasure the temple held, it wasn’t going anywhere.
After centuries of waiting, it could hold out for a few more days. Or weeks.
Breathe easy, raishae. I’ll leave you alone, for now. Dark boarded the boat and headed towards the opposite end of the lake. He had to find out whether he could dock it there—and how close the journey would take him to the city.
Chapter 50
Hesh’ells, Hesh’ells Everywhere
Total stat levels: 45 +2.
Character level: 7.
Mastery level: 7.
Note: You have discovered a new location: Abandoned Village on the Perished Lake. +1 Pioneer skill level. +1 Perception, +1 Luck, +1 Charisma, +1 Simplicity. This is the ninth location you have discovered. Congratulations!
Dark was surprised as he read the message that appeared while he stepped onto the shore. The village was not just abandoned, it was destroyed. Not a single house survived. Only piles of rubble remained, housing nothing but miserable shrubs. It was obvious that nothing of great value could be hidden here.
Still, he searched. It would only take a few minutes to clear such a small area.
A level 2 rat was all he found in the way of mobs. And it clearly was guarding nothing of worth.
Why even build a worthless location like this? It just cluttered the map. Or was some interesting storyline planned and never finished?
Dark exited the village and climbed a hardly-visible path up a steep incline. He hated the lay of the land. If his plan were to work out, he would have to make many trips this way, carrying heavy loads.
At least his Athletics and other related skills would get a boost.
When he crested the hill, his mood also gained a boost. Before him lay the familiar groves and meadows of green. Most importantly, he could see the towers of Omertis in the distance over the interweaving tops of the gasthos trees. They were not as far as he might have thought. Seven or eight minutes’ journey with his current load.
Dark heard a familiar, almost nostalgic buzz and turned around. A hesh’ell swarm. Under other circumstances, he would have ignored it, but not this time.
There was something unusual about it.
First of all, it was bigger than any other swarm he had seen thus far. The others had hardly merited the title. But this cluster of bugs was so dense in the middle that the sunlight was extinguished there. Only flickers of orange assured him that drones were included in its numbers.
Far too many drones, in fact—ten, at the least.
Whatever was in the very center was impossibly large. The buzz of the swarm was different, too.
It included a new species, or perhaps several new species.
Yes, Dark knew he was here to save time, but he did not forget his main objective: getting his name in the red announcement chat. This swarm had some promise to that effect.
Who knew what might be hiding in the depths of this cyclone of wings? It could be an elite, or even a boss. Dark would be unable to kill a boss, even a low-level boss, on his own. As a rule, bosses had numerous control skills that kept you from doing anything for most of the fight. Fighting them alone was like playing soccer with only one goal.
Your team’s.
An elite, however, was an interesting possibility. Hesh’ell queens so far had been level 6 or 7. Perhaps an elite hesh’ell queen would be level 12 to 14, with much stronger stats. It might be able to kill him, but perhaps not. Regardless of that elite’s strength, no other players in the world had seen it.
An elite was the strongest mob beneath boss level. By defeating an elite for the first time in X’s history, especially in single combat, Dark might earn a large reward.
And maybe recognition in the form of a coveted global announcement.
He winced after estimating the number of bugs in the swarm. He might not manage to kill them before dusk.
That meant he needed to hurry, without much regard for minimizing his own pain and suffering.
* * *
Note: Personal victory! Elite Hesh’ell Sentinel killed. Dangerous mob. Level 9. Location sensation level: 20%. Personal sensation level: 70%. This was a flying mob. You receive double XP! +345 progress points received. 69 distributable progress points received. This was a flying mob. Double distributable progress points!
The following skills played a significant role in this battle...
The first was dead. Dark’s first thought had been correct: this swarm was truly unique.
Note: You have discovered a new creature: Elite Hesh’ell Sentinel. Dangerous mob. Level 9. Base XP: 180. Note: Flying mob. x2 base XP! Health: 883. Mana: 609. Stamina: 795. Aggression: aggressive only when the swarm’s royal queen is attacked. Magic abilities: Temporary Blindness, Stamina Drain, Bleeding. Poison level: unknown. Chance of valuable loot: moderate. Description: a large, voracious creature that adores Fruit of the Gasthos Tree. Parts of its body may be used for food and crafting. Attacks everything that it perceives as threatening the Royal Hesh’ell Queen. 100% chance of attacking those close to the Royal Hesh’ell Queen. May attack those who attack other nearby Elite Hesh’ell Sentinels.
No player in the history of X has ever encountered an Elite Hesh’ell Sentinel! You receive +500 Knowledge progress points. You receive a bonus +1 to any skill. The leaders of the Explorers League may present you with a reward for adding creatures you have discovered from your personal bestiary to the league archives.
Congratulations! Keep discovering new things to unlock more generous rewards!
Note: Your special Naturalist skill has reached level 10. You receive +1 Perception and +1 Tolerance. Congratulations!
The mob was, sadly, elite in name only. Its mob class was “dangerous,” and though that was only one step under an elite, it was not what he wanted.
There was no way he would score a global announcement with that.
An elite was the minimum that might qualify. Thankfully, there was one right in front of him. Dark had by now killed all of the other mobs, wh
ich he had discovered previously. The final drones circled around their charge: one single, huge bug.
This was clearly the Royal Hesh’ell Queen mentioned in the victory logs so far. Its dimensions were as big as a cow’s, and a pair of bent, deadly-looking horns had grown in above her eyes. Only its limbs seemed unthreatening, as if they had been transplanted from an overgrown fly. They were too thin and sprouting uneven patches of black insect hair.
The sentinels had taken Dark to his limits, and this bug was obviously much more dangerous.
He couldn’t even attack her right now, in any case: Four more elite sentinels still remained. Their descriptions made it clear that they would tolerate no aggression towards their mother. An attack from all four of them would kill Dark in under half a minute.
Could he really give up now, when victory was so close?
He drank a weak mana potion and stared at the circling guards, waiting for an opportunity to try luring one away without angering the others.
Chapter 51
The Power of Light
Total stat levels: 45 +2.
Character level: 7.
Mastery level: 7.
Note: You are consuming alchemical potions too quickly. You are close to being poisoned!
Dark had never seen that message before, but after all of the reading he had done on the forum, it failed to surprise him.
The game did not allow excessive potion consumption. A player simply was not permitted to drink fifteen bottles of elixir without suffering negative effects.