*Congratulations! You have leveled up!
Welcome to Level 6.
You have five new attribute points to allocate.
HP Increased to: 200 / 200
Exp to next level: 2100
After the process was over, he landed and scanned his surroundings. Don was lying next to him, bleeding out, his health bar still green and flashing. It had been slowly draining while Eli was unconscious. A small sliver of health remained, but would soon vanish. Notifications scrolled through Eli’s vision. Lines of combat text flooded his screen, and the fact that he had just leveled up alerted him to the fact that they were now out of combat.
“Stop reading! Do something,” Aida's words and forceful closure of his logs startled him.
A moment later, Don's health-bar flashed and turned a dim shade of grey. Eli knew that he was about to watch his friend die and possibly come back as a blighted creature. Scrambling about, he began searching the corpse of the Goblin Necromancer. A window popped up, startling him.
Would you like to quick loot this corpse?: Yes / No
It was like the one he had seen when he searched the corpses of the wolves and players. He clicked yes. Several items filled his inventory to its limit, and others dropped to the ground at his feet. After searching through his inventory, he found the Goblins staff, two vials filled with red liquid, a small coin pouch, a dimly glowing obsidian dagger, and two globes with inky black liquid. Around him were scattered a set of dark leather armor and metal knife and a small crossbow.
Eli’s vision snapped to the small glass vials in his inventory. He had seen the red liquid before, health potions. If the Necromancer had used even one of them, Eli and his partner would both be dead. Eli hadn’t given him a chance. Without hesitation, he willed a potion into his hand and muttered a small prayer of thanks to whatever god was listening.
Eli rushed to his quickly fading, now unconscious, friend. Don’s health bar seemed empty, as it flashed in an acidic looking green-gray color. Looking closer, he saw that the man had two health points remaining. As quickly as he could, he propped his friend's mouth open, unstoppered the vial, and forced the thick red liquid down his throat, then waited. Never taking his eyes off of his friend's status bar, he shook the unconscious man. A burning sensation filled Eli’s chest, as Don’s health bar flashed a final time before the grey color faded and the sickly green took hold completely.
With his head sagging, Eli realized he was holding his breath. Looking at the small bars in the corner of his vision, Eli watched as Don’s bile colored health bar refilled slowly, then emptied rapidly. The liquid within the filigree seemed to struggle against a strong current of toxicity. For a moment, it looked as if whatever poison was fighting against the potion would win. Then life returned to the adventurer, and the liquid in his health bar started to creep forward. Finally, Eli’s lungs revolted, forcing him to let out a long sigh and inhale deeply.
Suddenly, Don gasped for air, and his eyes shot open. His body thrashed about as if having night terrors, and then he went still. Eli flashed a quick glance at his friend’s health, and a smile grew on his face. The once putrid looking green color had vanished, being replaced by a brilliant gold.
The Turta’s bar came to life, filling rapidly, and his wounds vanished. His body lifted into the air, as he underwent the same process Eli just had. He was leveling up. Now that he knew his friend would be okay, he took a moment to gather his bearings and scanned his surroundings for any impending threats. What he saw frightened him, and explained what had just happened, why they were leveling up at different times.
In the distance, a lone Goblin survivor was scampering into the dense forest on the far side of the river, leaving a trail of blood from a chest wound. Apparently, Eli hadn’t killed all the enemies he stuck with his arrows. Several thoughts ran through Eli’s mind; all of them worrisome. If he had not found that healing potion on the dead Necromancer, Don would be gone, and if the now fleeing goblin had stuck around any longer, both Eli and Don would surely be dead. It was the final thought that frightened him. They might have only delayed the inevitable. That Goblin had friends, and this group of goblins wasn’t the only one.
A moment later, Don landed, his transformation finished. He smiled at Eli with a goofy, shit-eating grin. “God, that was a close one. I thought we were goners. Thanks, man, I was at one health there for a second. Thought I was a goner.” The no-longer injured green monk said, dusting himself off.
Eli cocked his arm and socked him in the shoulder, “You fucking moron. I told you that those assholes were up to no good; you nearly got us both killed.” He punted the corpse of the Goblin Necromancer, rolling it over, “And if this fucker didn’t have health potions on him, you’d be remaking your character, or back in Dawnport right now.”
Don’s head lowered, “I just thought ---”
Eli punched him again, this time with less force, “You thought what, that these things were here to play games and have fun. What, maybe they would do us a favor and help us out? Yeah, they left their home on another continent, crossing an ocean, to what? Help us conquer the lost temple?” Eli calmed his voice, knowing that his friend was trying to do the right thing, the honest thing, “Look, I know what you wanted to do, I get it. But, there’s a lot you don’t know about the natural order around here. To you, this is still a game.” He shook his head, “But to the citizens of this world, it’s not a game. To the NPCs and even a lot of mobs, this is real life. This is their home. Creatures like that don’t get to respawn unless they are necessary to the game, for whatever reason. If they die, they stay dead.”
Eli waved his hands at the corpses of goblins strewn about the rocky beaches of the stream, “I’ve noticed three things since coming to. The first is that none of these goblins had names. Whether that’s because we don’t know them, or because they aren’t important enough, I don’t know. But, it’s unlikely they will come back. Second, every single one of these little fuckers has the word blighted in their title. This is proof that the Blight has reached farther than we thought. The third is that we are fucked, just plain fucked. One of them got away and is most likely headed upstream to warn whoever, or whatever is in charge.”
Don focused on where Eli was now pointing, the direction that the goblin survivor had run off to, the same direction they planned on heading, “Damn it, man. I’m sorry, I just can’t get behind the whole, slaughter beings that may or may not be an innocent thing.” He looked at the damage that he had helped bring about and felt disgusted, even though it had life or death. “Especially if they don’t come back.” The thought that even in this game, no, this world, he had to commit these types of atrocities sickened him, “I’m all for protecting ourselves and sticking up for what’s right. It was them or us. But, I cannot just jump to violence. I’ve seen what happens when people go to war for no reason, other than different opinions, ideologies, or skin color. I refuse to take part in it just because it seems necessary at the time. If that’s going to be a problem, let me know.” Don looked Eli right in the eyes, a stern resolve showing through, “I said we’re friends, and we are, but I never agreed to run around the woods killing sentient creatures for the hell of it. So, if you take issue with that, I’ll leave as soon as we’re done here.”
Eli nodded and thought for a moment, acting like he was struggling to decide, “Look, I don’t want to do that either, but you have to understand something. The Blight and all the creatures that fall under its control are no longer sentient. It controls everything it infects. It subjugates its victims, twisting them to its will and mutating them into vile creatures. What’s left is an empty husk connected to a hive. Like mindless insects doing their master’s bidding. If it isn’t pushed back here, and now, it’s game over. Not just for you and me, but everyone in this world. Possibly even adventurers.” Eli said, letting his words take hold, “I can’t promise that you won’t have to kill again but know this. Those things,-” He pointed at the corpse of a recently undead gobl
in, “Aren’t people. At least not anymore. Someone, or something, turned them into monsters. So, let’s find whatever did this to them and stop this shit before it can hurt anyone else.” As his friend looked at him, realizing sinking in, Eli smiled. “Oh, and if you think for one second, you can get away from me that easy, you’re mistaken. As you said, we’re in this together.”
At Eli’s words, Don stood in silence, looking between Eli and the bodies surrounding him. His mouth hung open, and his conflicted emotion sat painted on his face. Eventually, he spoke, “Okay, I’m in. But, if we run into anything that isn’t already infected, or whatever, we assess all options and do not turn into some K.O.S hit-squad bullshit. I’m not some fucking murder hobo.” Don said, his wide amphibious eyes focusing on the corpse of the brute who had nearly killed him, “And, we grab everything off of these corpses.” He smiled, “Turtle-man wants some LOOT!”
Eli felt more than a little strange while sifting through the corpses of their fallen enemies. He had done it before during his time spent attached to the 3rd Infiltration Division of the Joint Federation Army, and again with the wolves and players, but that was different. That was a war. His superiors ordered him to collect information and valuables from enemy combatants. Zach, well, just deserved it. This was robbing the dead. It felt like banditry even though they were infected and had attacked first.
What was even more strange was Don’s natural inclination to grab anything he could, from every corpse in sight. Just moments ago, he was debating on whether killing sentient creatures was even up for discussion, yet here he was, stripping his former enemies naked. He took their footwear, loincloths, and even the broken crossbow bolts. Somehow it all disappeared into a small bag attached to his bandolier as if it were bottomless. Eli stared in awe as he tossed clubs and full sets of ragged armor into the thing without batting an eye. After his initial hesitation, he got to work looting the necromancer.
“Hey, what did you find on that Necromancer, anything good?” Don shouted while stripping one of the undead goblins of literally everything it had.
“I didn’t check everything, but I found his staff, this funky looking bookbag, some potions, and these two globes filled with a weird black liquid,” Eli called back while staring at the orbs.
Noticing that Don was looking at it in confusion, Eli tossed one over to the man, whose eyes grew wide in panic as he caught and juggled it with caution. “Dude, what the fuck. This stuff could be dangerous.”
Paying no attention to his friend’s words, Eli inspected what was in his hand. He was trying to open the strange-looking bag that seemed to be made of a sturdy, scaly hide. It had been dyed or painted over, with magical pearlescent stains. Small crystalline flecks coated the pouch, reflecting the light in every direction. A blue-grey color, like a cloudy sky, sparkled as the sun hit it. The bag twinkled as if made from millions of tiny stars. Eli knew that whatever it held was valuable because the damn thing refused to open. Its latch glowed a crimson color as he tugged on it, refusing to unbuckle.
“Hey, what’s the deal with this bag?” Eli shouted towards Don, who was staring into the black orb with caution.
After looking up from his own mystery object to peer at Eli’s, Don screamed like a little girl, “Uh, holy fuck dude, is that what I think it is?” The turta cried as his eye lit up like a kid eyeing a new toy for the first time. After rushing over to get a closer look, he continued, “Dude, that is what I think it is. It’s a bag of holding. No wonder you can’t open it. It’s still bound to the necromancer you killed. You have to bind it to yourself since you’re the one who killed him. Do it now.”
Eli had heard of these magical satchels before. He had assumed that is what Don was using to shove large objects into his tiny bag. The personal inventory space was too small to hold everything that the monk had grabbed. To the best of his knowledge, there were smaller ones that held a limited amount of items, and others that had nearly infinite storage space. The sacks were almost always heavily enchanted, rare, and extremely valuable. He had never actually seen one before, let alone held one in his hand. Staring at the mysterious little sack in awe and greed caused a window to pop into his vision.
*As you were the one to send the owner of this soul-bound item to their final death, you can now claim the item A Bag of Holding. Doing so will bind it to your soul. Not even death will separate you from your treasures.*
Would you like to bind this item: Yes / No
Not thinking twice, he accepted by thinking and shouting, “Yes!”
A sky blue energy whirled around the bag and shot into Eli’s chest. As it did, an odd sensation filled his entire body. He felt like something new, something foreign, was now a part of him. It felt as if he was somehow more than what he had been a moment before. Then his inventory icon flashed with the same color of blue, and the bag disappeared from his hands, reappearing attached to his belt in the blink of an eye. Eli knew, on an instinctual level, how to access the bag. He pulled up his inventory, and his mouth fell open in shock.
The standard ten by ten square of his inventory did not seem to change, except that the items he had used so far were expectedly gone. There was, however, one very noticeable change. An additional tab appeared on his inventory menu, and the color had changed to match that of the bag. A once tan border had changed to a pale blue-grey, and the new tab sat in the top leftmost corner. An image matching the bag on his waist sat in the center of the tab, and Eli knew that it gave him access to its content. When he focused on it, a massive one hundred by one hundred square replaced the standard container. It was filled with weapons, armor, crafting materials, food, precious metals, and ten stacks of those strange-looking globes.
“Oh, gods,” Eli exclaimed as he stood in awe of the bag’s contents. This little sack was holding enough valuables, weapons, and crafting materials to build a small trading post. A grim realization struck him, nearly causing him to panic. There was just enough here to form a small goblin fortress. Then he looked at the number hovering above each icon of the dark orbs, one hundred. The sack at his waist contained nearly a thousand glass balls of the ominous-looking liquid.
“We have to go.” Eli mumbled, “Now.”
Chapter 26
It took a while to gather the remaining items and weapons from the corpses of the goblins. Their near-fatal battle earned them quite a lot, but outside of the contents of the bag of holding, the items they found were useless. In total, they found ten sets of leather goblin armor, three crude goblin clubs, three small obsidian daggers, six small crude crossbows, one small set of sturdy hide armor, and a small magical robe. None of the armor would fit either of the two companions, but they could use the crossbows one-handed. They could use the small clubs as batons, and Don could throw the daggers. What they found in the bag of holding was both exciting and terrifying.
Mixed in with heaps of crafting materials, mostly ropes, nails, and primitive glue was a small cache of weapons. The strange blades looked Orcish or Trollish in design. They were definitely Stonekin. Eli knew the size and design of these weapons; they were meant for larger, more sturdy, users. The beings that carried them were either headed in their direction or were camped out at the ruins. Either way, he and Don would have to be more careful. Among the stash of weapons were two vicious-looking war axes, an odd-looking sword, and three iron-plated cudgels. He needed to replace his broken axe and could definitely use a weapon of war rather than one for chopping down trees.
While Eli had not practiced with stonekin weapons, he was immediately drawn to the war axes and broad blade. His training with swords and comfort with axes should, hopefully, transfer over to these new armaments. He willed the axes into existence, and they appeared in his hands, with their frogs appearing on either side of his belt. Each axe had a well-sharpened, slightly serrated blade, made of decent quality iron. Sharp talons protruded from the butt of each axe, like a small war-pick. With a practice swing, Eli found the weapons well balanced and light. They would make great
sidearms.
The large sword reminded him of a Dadao. It was large enough that he could wield it with two hands but light enough that he could swing it with one if necessary. A single, dangerous-looking, curved blade gave the weapon the chopping power of an axe, but with more usable range. Rather than the traditional long angled blade, usually found on these weapons, the end came to a sharpened point that could pierce armor. While this weapon could never be used to fence, it could cleave whatever was in front of it with vicious ease, and run a man through with enough force. Eli had never trained with blunt weapons outside of light sparing, so he dismissed the heavy-looking clubs immediately. They were easy enough to use, you just bash things with them, but against a foe with reinforced armor or long-range, they were useless. Keeping the two axes on his waist, he strapped the sword and accompanying sheath to his side at an angle, with the hilt resting in line with the navel. With a slight force of will, he focused on the new weapons, bringing up their information.
*Orcish Iron War Axe*
Damage: Blade - (12-15) Slashing / Pick - (8-11) Piercing | Range: Melee | Size: Medium (One-handed) | Durability: 20/20 | Quality: Average | Rarity: Common | Effects: Serrated
Serrated: 25% chance to cause bleed effect on hit. Bleed damage equal to 1% of maximum health per second for 10 seconds. Stackable x 5.
The Orcish War Axe is a weapon of simple purpose, brutality. Designed with Orc Berserkers and their rage-fueled trances in mind, each swing of the axe deals a vicious blow that can cause their enemies to bleed. In many cases, the savage berserkers will hack off an enemy limb, or grievously injure their opponent before leaving them to bleed out. This weapon has been made by fine military blacksmiths, using quality iron to craft the deadly heads. Firebrand Ash was used to create the sturdy wooden handles, giving them a permanent red shimmer.
Ascension Page 33