The Sleeper Must Awaken

by Kip Terrington

  Grork understood. He just wished it didn't have to be him who wouldn't get to participate in the slaying of hundreds of vampires.

  “Sorry Grork, Bork has the right of it. The good news is, I won't be removing you from the raid group, so you will get your share of all the coinage we acquire,” Joe said, and Grork perked up a bit.

  Before Joe could continue, he received a new message, helping him make the final decision on their strategy moving forward.

  Congratulations!

  You have captured and secured both the Village of Egoisma and its respawn point located in the village square. As commander, you have the option of setting the village square as the resurrection point for all players in your army. Would you like to temporarily change yours and your army’s resurrection point to Egoisma Village Square? Yes/No

  Only time would tell if it was the correct decision, but fortune didn't favor the indecisive.

  Joe clicked yes and as the resurrection point changed for the entire army, Joe doubled over as if he had been sucker-punched. While Joe began to recover from the painful transition, he noticed the only ones unaffected were his two NPC Clan Chiefs.

  “Molasses, Bridcha, go check on the players in your clan. Let them know the discomfort they just experienced was because the army's bind point has changed to this village square,” Joe said and they turned and left to do as ordered.

  “I'm sure that the rest of the players just received the same message I did. It was simple and to the point. Your commander has changed your bind point to the village square. Maybe next time, though, just give us all a heads up,” Zoya smiled through her wince.

  “I didn't know it would feel like that,” Joe shrugged.

  “I know, the UI just shocked me too, and I’m not even referring to that unnecessary gut punch. I just received a new spell as you made that change. Here, access the message I just received,” Zoya said and Joe took a look.

  Binding Magic

  New spell acquired

  L6 Prison Bind- This spell can only be used on a subdued player or Champion. Once the spell is cast, the target is forced to change their resurrection point to the closest one available. Casting time: 30 minutes.

  “That's a game changer,” Joe stated.

  “Maybe. But, if I have this spell, then the mistress has it too,” Zoya warned.

  “We don't know that for sure. Not all mages have the same spells, even if they share a magic type. But, you’re right,” Joe said, “We should assume that she does have it. Unfortunately, it increases the danger for our players significantly. We will have to think more on it.”

  “How long are we going to stay at this village? If it's a full rest cycle, I could make it back to the castle, cast this spell on our prisoner and be back before we move out. I could even use the Home Portal Gem, if you think it’s safe,” Zoya suggested.

  “I believe the path of ley lines all the way back to the castle are clear, but I’m not fully confident yet, so let’s not use the gem. We're going to stay here two full rest cycles, so that we can fortify this position and protect the respawn point. So, because you'll have a little extra time, I want you to take a few of your angels with you for protection. I know it'll slow you down a little bit, but best to play it safe. Also, when you get there, remove all but one exit on the floor that we’ll designate for the goblins. That way, Bork can make sure his clan is ready before they interact with the rest of the castle’s occupants. Is that something you would want, Bork?” Joe asked.

  “Yes. May I give Grork instructions now, so that he can begin preparations for the trip?” Bork asked.

  “Yes, that's a good idea. You can use this building since I need to go heal some of your people and Zoya is about to leave for the castle,” Joe said as he stood up.

  “Thank you, My King,” Bork saluted as Joe and Zoya left the building.

  “I don’t get to kill vampires…” Grork lamented.

  Bork patted his friend on the shoulder in sympathy.

  “You have a big job ahead of you, and this job will come with new rules,” Bork said.

  “What new rules?” Grork asked.

  “No more eating bunnies,” Bork said and a look of horror quickly took over Grork’s face.

  “Not even their feet!” Grork panicked.

  “No,” Bork confirmed.

  “But surely their ears. Please, please, say we can still eat their ears!” Grork begged, clearly hyperventilating.

  “I'm sorry, brother. No eating bunnies at all. The new rule is even bigger. All the goblin children, who have not yet fully grown, must pick out a pet bunny. If their pet bunny remains healthy, then their whole family will receive extra food,” Bork said.

  “Why?” Grork asked insistently, despite his traditional blind trust in his good-luck partner.

  “Hard to answer, but I know that the bunnies save our race. I’m not sure why, I just know,” Bork said.

  “Okay, Bork. I’ll take them and teach them the new ways,” Grork said as he patted the book of rules given to him by Joe.

  Chapter 41 - Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

  Under the Wild Mountains.

  Village of Egoisma.

  Day forty-seven, just after the Midnight Bunny.

  Bork had been working with his ten goblin players for hours, ever since Grork and Moes had left with his tribe. Unfortunately, it had become clear that these players were going to be of very little use in combat until they had some adequate training in the dungeon and a few more levels under their belt. Fortunately, goblins were known for their familiarity with the dark and their ability to creep, so Bork had recommended they be used as scouts. One day, his clansmen would be a strong and powerful asset to the kingdom, but today they must be supporters. He knew that in their upcoming raid, it would be better if one of his goblins were killed in the role of a scout than one of the more combat capable players.

  Joe climbed up on one of the barricades that had been placed for defense. He looked out over his assembled army as they stood ready to move out. None of them had the tired debuff. They would be ready to fight.

  “Most of you know the plan, as I'm sure your team leaders have gone over it with you, but you know me, I wouldn't let us leave without talking at least a little bit,” Joe said and there were a few scattered chuckles throughout the crowd.

  “I know it is early, but when we engage with the vampires, we want there to be as much of the day left as possible. We’ll start out the journey at a normal march, but as soon as we cross the border, I’ll give the signal to double-quick our speed.

  “We’re going to kill every NPC vampire we see and capture every vampire who’s a player. Those of you assigned to escort liberated slaves back to this base, stay alert and be prepared for a counterattack.

  “Remember the lesson we learned from San’s death. Vampires love to pretend like they're injured to pull us out of position. Do not let them fool you. We will all stay in formation. Our formations keep us strong and united. Anyone who fights a vampire alone is going to die.

  “As my wise goblin friend is fond of saying, don't be dead. My addition to that is this: stay in formation and live. No one is paying you to give your life for this kingdom, however, I will pay a bonus if you force the vampires to give their life for their kingdom. Let’s go. Forward march!” Joe said as he hopped off the barricade and stepped through the open gates.

  Zoya, who had returned from her mission before their final preparations, flew over to Joe’s shoulder. “It's about time, Joe. Are you ready?” she asked.

  “We've still got a few hours before we can reach the vampire territory, but I'm ready,” Joe replied.

  “That's not what I'm talking about, Joe. Prepare. In 3, 2, 1…” Zoya said enthusiastically.

  Thank you!

  The UI appreciates your willingness to use the new escrow feature in order to help normalize your gameplay. Would you like to receive the XP that has been held in escrow? Yes/No

  Joe couldn't click yes fast enough. />
  XP received from escrow:

  Base- 19,261, Voice of Monty Ring bonus- 19,261

  Total XP- 38,522

  You have moved up a level.

  Current Level- 82

  …

  You have moved up a level.

  Current Level- 119

  Power and Stat Allocation

  Note: Not all levels are created equal. Work hard and distinguish yourself to prepare well, and you may receive more stat and power allocation points.

  Joe

  Level 82 through Level 119-

  You’ve received 32 points of power.

  You’ve received 37 points of stat, allocated based on achievement:

  Plus 5 to Charisma

  Plus 8 to Constitution

  Plus 4 to Dexterity

  Plus 3 to Intelligence

  Plus 10 to Muscle/Gears

  Plus 5 to Wisdom

  Plus 2 to Luck

  They had begun this raid much sooner than Joe had anticipated, so he needed to make sure these points counted. He felt it was important to reach 30 in Portal Magic, so he was going to dump the majority of his points there, even though he still hadn’t met all the conditions to become a master.

  That left him with only twelve points. It was time to look at some of the skills and magics available to him through his Empathetic Learning Gift. In instructing the UI to show him only the options that cost less than four points, Joe was pleasantly surprised.

  Many of the skills that had been unintelligible before, now made sense. He found himself once again grateful that he had met Rook. He narrowed his choices down to his top ten, plus Portal, Fire, and Life Magic. Luckily, there was something about the magics and skills he had already acquired that granted him partial credit for others. The system brought his options together so that he could keep them displayed as he made his choice. Everyday his HUD became more user-friendly. It felt like it was a part of him.

  Options available through Empathetic Learning Gift

  Skill choices available

  Negation Sphere, LuckMod +1 - cost 6 (2/6 credited)

  Slick Skin, ChaMod -1 - cost 3 (0/3 credited)

  Telepathic Resistance - cost 4 (1/4 credited)

  Molten Loogie, ConMod +1 - cost 3 (0/3 credited)

  Perfect Tumble, DexMod +2 - cost 6 (3/6 credited)

  Magic choices available

  Novice Air Magic- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Novice Illusion Magic- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Novice Death Magic- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Novice Summoning Magic- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Novice Time Magic- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Normal Magic options

  Magic choices available

  Master Fire Magic, WisMod +5 - cost 30 (9/30 credited)

  Note: additional requirements not met.

  Master Life Magic, WisMod +5 - cost 30 (9/30 credited)

  Note: additional requirements not met.

  Master Portal Magic, WisMod +5 - cost 30 (10/30 credited)

  Note: additional requirements not met.

  32 points of power available. Allocate all points.

  Joe chose to select the Negation Sphere, hoping it was something like the invulnerability bubble he had used in so many games. Then, he dumped 20 points into Portal Magic to get him up to the 30 mark, and then he put 4 points each into Fire and Life Magic.

  Confirm Skill and Magic Choices? Yes/No

  Warning: Body Modification Point Allocation!

  Once confirmation is made, changes are permanent.

  Joe took a deep breath, prepared for the pain, and clicked yes. Stepping out of the march, Joe breathed through the pain. Every cell in his body felt like it was spinning. Though he looked normal to everyone around him, his body was changing. His atoms had gained a new trait. They could now polarize to the point of true negation from every outside force. The transformation was so intense, he had not even noticed the pressure in his head from all the new spells he had acquired.

  You have acquired the skill: Negation Sphere, LuckMod +1

  The UI confirmed he was still a journeyman in Fire, Life, and Portal Magic and that he still had multiple conditions unmet to qualify for the status of master.

  “You okay, Joe?” Zoya asked.

  Joe shuddered for a moment, then looked down toward his navel.

  “I think I’m alright… though, I peed a little,” Joe confessed.

  “Eww! Come on, Joe,” Zoya chastised.

  “It was only a little. We are headed to war. It’s perfectly normal. Where did you put your points?” Joe asked.

  “Let’s talk about that later. I need to go check on something back there,” Zoya said as she flew to the rear.

  Wanting to understand his new skill better, Joe clicked on it.

  Negation Sphere

  This skill negates all outside forces for the space of four heartbeats. During these four beats, you are alone. Nothing outside of yourself can hurt you—not heat, gravity, nor any type of attack. The recharge for this skill takes a hundred heartbeats.

  It was an invulnerability bubble, albeit a short one. Joe picked up the pace and joined the marching formation.

  ***

  As they approached the border to vampire territory, Joe felt a magical presence of some sort. He signaled a halt and once again cursed the fact that Moes had chosen not to participate in this part of the raid. His magical expertise would have been handy right about now.

  Zoya flew over to Joe and sat on his shoulder. She activated her Binding Sight and scanned their surroundings before deactivating it.

  “It's a Binding Line, that's what you're feeling. I'm not sure of its purpose, but it's not dangerous to any of us. My guess is that it will alert the mistress of a significant force entering her realm,” Zoya hypothesized.

  “So much for the advantage of surprise,” Joe commented.

  “I'll position myself here. You have the troops march over the line and I'll see if anything changes,” Zoya said as she hopped off Joe's shoulder and hovered about a meter above the troops. Joe signaled for them to move forward over the line.

  After Zoya watched for a little while, she nodded and headed back to Joe.

  “No need to halt, the line isn't dangerous. At least not dangerous to us right now. Unfortunately, it does signal someone that we've crossed it. Well, not all of us exactly. The line seems to pulse only when a mage crosses it. It makes sense. To a kingdom of vampires, the only real threat is significant magical power,” Zoya surmised.

  “Good, that's just what we've brought,” Joe said as he gave the signal for a quick march.

  Chapter 42 - When It Rains, It Pours

  Underground capital city of the Wild Mountain Vampires.

  Top floor of the Mistress’s Palace.

  Day forty-seven, the wee hours of the morning.

  The Great Mistress sat at her small place of power and daintily used a hand towel to clean the vampire blood. Internally, she chided herself for losing control and destroying two of her own halfling vampires. No matter how bad the news, you weren't supposed to brutally shatter the messenger, even if it was rather cathartic.

  She stopped chiding herself. Sometimes, she told herself, a girl just needs to let go and kill everyone in sight. After all, self-care is the only kind of care that matters.

  In the near pitch black room, she carefully walked over to the two piles of ash and sifted through them in order to find the reports that had so upset her.

  Despite how unpalatable and disturbing the news from the outside was, she needed to process it. Without taking in the whole picture, domination could never be achieved. She took a deep breath and decided that she would read aloud the pertinent sections of the report. After all, if she had to do something difficult, she might as well enjoy the beautiful mesmerizing tones of her own voice.

  “It is estimated that the number of mages in both the Kingdom of Dollmar and the Noble’s Alliance has tripled,” the mistress said in an even tone, attemp
ting to soften the blow of information. She looked away from the report.

  “Blasted mages… threats should not be multiplying! It is not to be born,” the mistress mumbled as she looked at the report once more.

  “An unprecedented magical phenomenon has begun to spread throughout the surrounding kingdoms. This phenomenon calls itself the UI. It has begun issuing quests to a new breed of what appear to be immortal Champions. According to some reports, this new type of Champion (they call themselves players) has the notable ability to rapidly acquire new skills and even, in some cases, seeds of magic through these quests.

  “Such players are an immediate threat to the continued survival of the vampire society. There are three confirmed cases in which players have accepted a quest called, ‘Defang the Malevolent Minions.’ This quest offers generous rewards if the player is able to harvest a vampire’s fang. For this reason, the capture and interrogation of one of these players has become a top priority.”

  The mistress stopped reading. Even the sound of her own voice was not lessening the dreadful impact of this report. As quickly as she could, she skimmed through the list of new abilities reported in these players. As she absorbed the information, some of it made sense and some of it did not.

  Eventually, it all became too much and she flung the papers away to be cleaned up by one of her servants. She didn't understand how these things that she read could be true. With the speed of a vampire, she tilted her head up looking at the ceiling. She didn't see any of the blue letters above her head and she hadn't seen any above her servants’ heads either.

  As she carefully massaged her temples, she tried to process the information so that she could find the silver bloody lining. After all, wasn't there always a tasty lining of blood if you looked hard enough? And then she had it. If she gathered enough players, she could bind them to her place of power and then she could drink them dry over and over again.