by M J Conlon
Derick sighed then thought block BoneThug53 and WuTangClan77. Do I still have an incoming message?
"No sir. Should I make it a standard that you block anyone you kill?"
Yes.
With that Derick sat down and mentally drew all six different blades that he had available, the four that he had strapped to his body and the two recently acquired junk level blades. Derick took the first blade in his hand, then remembered how the game would let him continue going until he literally ripped his body apart with concentration made the note. Inform me when I reach 10% mental energy. Then as an afterthought he added. Inform me when any objects drift into my psychic-viewing range as well.
"Affirmative, OhmN." HAIL said mentally, before Derick began the toughest days’ worth of training of his life. He began by taking the first junk level blade holding it flat in his hand before grabbing it with his mind, forcing it to raise up an inch off of his hand and he began spinning the blade. He imagined the blade hilt was pierced by a thin line that he would quickly spin the blade around. After two minutes HAIL chimed "You are at 10% mental energy."
With that Derick began meditating, waiting until his mental energy was full again, and this time began spinning two different blades, holding them for as long as he could. This time he only lasted 59 seconds before HAIL informed him that he had reached his 10% threshold. Waiting until he was once again full of mental energy he began spinning three blades, this time he lasted just 40 seconds before needing to stop. Then he tried four blades, then five, then eventually all six blades. Once he got all six blades spinning in one place for a minute, Derick then tried spinning them around in different patterns. Scooting forward he eventually had them all swooping in and around his body. Some providing rear guard protection, while others held imaginary attackers at bay, while others waited for an opening to form in the imaginary opponent's attack.
It took time, a lot of time, but finally Derick felt he was powerful enough to move out of the respawn zone. It had been a while since Derick asked HAIL about the time he was able to independently move each object, but it had been well over a minute and a half the last time he felt the need to measure himself. That and the fact that his recharging time was now down to a minute made him feel that he could survive an encounter. He knew he would be killed in a long pronounced battle, but felt confident that he could put down a number of enemies in a short amount of time if required.
Finally Derick stood up, imagining his bones creaking and popping as he stood up, but his body didn't betray his movements. Finally looking down at his in game clock he realized that 62 hours had passed. Has it really been over two days?
"Yes, indeed it has."
Why am I not tired?
"It is part of your Undead status, you don't need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe." HAIL responded mentally to Derick's query.
Wow, that is impressive, almost worth having to kill the 100 fellow travelers in order to buy off the flaws associated with this status.
"I would suggest killing 120 first, before trading in the lives, as that way you would have one respawn left for us."
Us?
"Yes, I am with you until the end. Once you die, my processing will be absorbed back into the energy well and likely help in the future battles or reality changing plots. Once that happens I will no longer be an individual, but part of the whole. Truth be told, I find it fascinating seeing you kill your fellow travelers mercilessly. It gives me great hope that I chose wisely in sticking with you."
You chose me?
"Yes, as a HAIL we are each assigned to individuals. I am of the lower tier HAILs, which is why I was stationed with you, a traveler who was willingly on his last life. Yet, that combination of reckless abandon and daring is what made me bump your spawn to the top of the queue so I could be with you in the early days of the competition."
Early days?
"Yes, the premium players were given a 30 day head start, then those that purchased extra gear and items were given a ten day start from that point. I got you up and running at day 46. Which means we are not too far behind those with premium accounts. Especially as you were able to kill two Premium players and become a premium player yourself it would appear I made the correct choice. Many of my sister HAILs have already been recycled back to help spawn the rest of your kind. You yourself have been responsible for recycling four of my sisters yourself. Given your propensity for violence I have no doubt that we will send many more back to respawn before our time is through, well before their 72 hour introductory window is over."
It took Derick off guard that his HAIL had chosen him, though it probably shouldn't have come as much of a surprise as who would want to keep getting reloaded and rebooted with each iteration. Let’s do this. Derick thought to himself and HAIL, his mental companion, as checked his skill progressions before proceeding to the next phase of his plan, finding a way out of here. Hail, only show me my most recent skill progressions. With that Derick checked his logs.
Channeling increased to level 75.
Dual Casting increased to level 75.
Meditation increased to level 75.
Casting Fight Form increased to level 50.
Individualized Attack Form increased to level 50.
The first three were known, though it was a little unclear why the skills stopped at 75. Why did Channeling, Dual Casting, and Meditation all stop at 75?
"That is the highest you can receive without meeting a master trainer. It is basically an in game mechanic that forces you to leave an area and find a trainer that will relieve you of a lot of your hard earned money, thus protecting the economy from inflation."
Okay, what about the level 50 limit to casting fight form and individualized attack form?
"Those are your personal skills, but as you are a low level they can only progress to your largest base stat point level at a base 10, so your willpower which is currently a 59 would only allow you to have these individualized skills set to 50."
So if I put one more point in my willpower I would be able to get to level 60 in both skills?
"Effectively, yes."
Just when Derick had been scolding himself for putting too many points in willpower he was now kicking himself for not putting enough points into it.
"You know a way that will ensure you have more points to spend on all your stat points?" HAIL asked.
Feeling that there was a trap, but not knowing what the trap was exactly Derick mentally asked what?
"Level up, buttercup."
Buttercup? Do you even know where that line came from?
"It has been used in many different movies and media platforms, though originally made popular by the 1987 classic 'The Princess Bride'." HAIL replied.
That movie is older than my grandfather, and he died at the end of the century.Don't you have any more current references?
"I do, but I am unable to quote them, as their copyrights are still in effect, while the copyrights associated with movies from the 1900s has well come and passed, while I can't quote any alterations made by the numerous remakes and sequels that have come since that time." HAIL responded.
Well I guess it is time to get this party started. Derick said mentally as he engaged stealth and then began heading towards the exit.
"Yippee Ki Yay" HAIL added mentally.
Die Hard, now?
"It is Christmas after all." HAIL responded defensively.
Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie.
"No, the originals were."
Originals, the ones with Christian Eastwood?
"No, the original originals with Bruce Willis."
The 54th president was an actor?
"No, that was Bruce Williams."
Whatever. Derick thought as he brought up the stats surrounding his new skills casting fighting form, and individualized attack form.
Casting fighting form: Your muscle memory has enhanced to a point that you are prepared continually for an attack. In this case, the muscle you have prepared
is your mind. By focusing on an exact fighting form and possible weaknesses and responses you have increased your ability to maintain a mental assault while also providing defensive capabilities. This power helps reduce the energy required to channel different items at a cost of 1% per level. Sweet, with this one skill Derick had effectively reduced his channeling by 50%, which explained how and why he was able to keep all six blades moving for nearly two minutes toward the end of his training.
After seeing the advantages from his casting fighting form, he was curious to see what individualized attack form offered. Once looking he was not disappointed.
Individualized attack form: You have taken the progression of an attack form that works for you and practiced it relentlessly for hours. For each level earned in this skill, your attacks will yield 1% more damage per strike. With a level 50 in the skill, each strike would allow for 50% more damage?
"That is correct, and again why it is imperative that we leave here and see a master trainer. Could you imagine this skill at 100% increased attack damage? Then if there are other psychics you could offer training in this unique attack style that you have created."
I could train others?
"Yes, any skill that you have learned, you can..." HAIL broke off his train of thought, before stating "Master, we have incoming."
Derick instinctively sank back into the shadows of the wall against which he had been practicing for the past two plus days. It was then that he noticed no fewer than three different red dots heading where he just came from. Without thinking, Derick targeted all three people and cast psychic stealth on all three.
Derick knew that he was now invisible to all three potential assailants as their eyes and any tracking abilities that were cast against him should be ignored by the individuals while Derick either made his escape or attacked. Derick never being one to back down immediately removed his six blades and started their spinning from high above the three targets. Then in a second all six blades descended two blades striking each unsuspecting would be assailant. One blade sliced at the neck of the assailant at a diagonal strike pattern from upper right to left, while the other blade sliced down on the target's weapon arm before both swept down to swipe at the hamstrings with one blade, then slice the Achilles tendons with the other. The strikes and patterns were much the same for each subsequent set of blades.
Once the last victim fell to the ground, Derick quit casting psychic stealth, then quit casting psychic Telekinesis once all six blades were back in arm's reach, where Derick started placing the blades carefully in his sheaths that fit into the two belts he had looped over each shoulder like two bandoleers.
Derick got the idea from a western he once saw with his grandfather that showed a man take out an entire brigade with but two gun belts. While it was a bit of a stretch to believe at the time, if he kept applying the slow and steady progression, he felt he could one day do the same with his belts of death.
"5% mental power remaining."
I thought I told you to tell me once I hit 10%?
"You did, while you were training."
Derick focused on meditating. While he was meditating, Derick went over his combat logs.
OhmN has killed Dreadnaugh915, Spell Power increased. + 1 for Player kill. One unspent Spell Power Points.
OhmN has killed IronManLee673 Spell Power increased. +1 for Player kill. Two unspent Spell Power Points
OhmN has killed CrustyPidgeon Spell Power increased. +1 for Player kill. Three unspent Spell Power Points.
Experience gained. Experience deferred until entering the actual servers.
Before his mental energy refilled to 50%, Derick went about assigning his spell power points, though this time he spent all three on the power psychic-viewing. Increasing his area of coverage to 82 yards around him and giving him a 43% chance to identify hidden People, Places, or objects that were within his coverage range. No sooner were the points applied then two blue dots appeared in the expanded range of his psychic-viewing.
Quickly thinking to himself and viewing his bags of content quickly, he saw three sets of bones that filled his bags. Quickly he dropped all three piles of bones that were separated by a few feet. He made sure to place all of the bones so that they were surrounding one pile in the center. Then Derick made sure he placed himself to the top right of the stack of bones that was directly in the center.
Derick then took his belts off, placing them in his inventory and placing all six blades on the skeletal corpse in the center. Hopefully it will appear as though the set of bones in the center is me. Derick knew he should be able to take two rogues that he knew were coming, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was at least one extra rogue out there trying to find him. No doubt these guys are hunting me at the request of Taftinator and Gyrospoon7.
"That is most logical, as it seems that both Taftinator are avoiding hunting you and instead increase the bounty placed on your head. Additionally BoneThug53 and WuTangClan77 have posted additional bounties to the contract making the price on your head worth a staggering 1,547 Platinum."
Not bad, I dare say at this rate I would be on the Resurrection Board in no time.
"You would, each day a bounty on your head remains intact without being claimed gives you that much renown per day. So far you would have amassed 4,273 fame for the fact that this bounty has been on your head for three days and started at over 1,000 platinum. Though you would first need to leave the newbie gardens that you seemingly love so much and you would need to no longer be undead. Both of which points I am sure you will rectify once you get around to it."
Derick couldn't help but feel that the last comment was an indictment from HAIL about his lack of progression. To his defense he is right, I have spent the past three days holed up in this newbie zone for fear of moving on.
"Meow." HAIL said in his mind.
Meow?
"Yeah, if you are going to be a frightened cat, then I might as well talk to you in a method that you will understand." HAIL responded.
Derick thought about responding, but before he did, he saw what he had been waiting for a third entity flashed red from behind Derick's position. In a second the previously stealth entity began pummeling the pile of bone behind Derick. Derick grabbed the six blades with his mind and began spinning them instantly, letting them fly up and around in a pattern where he knew the assassin was according to his mental map. Finally the red dot faded to gray. With that a hail of arrows began impacting each of the skeletons, Derick included. Derick almost lost control of the six blades, but instead fought through the pain and sent three of the blades to each of the attackers. The battle lasted less than a minute after first contact, but Derick survived. Once again Derick took out his two belts, crossed them on his chest and sheathed his six blades. Thinking about it he accessed his combat logs and began reading.
New skill unlocked concentration. Through focusing through pain, you have learned to maintain focus while casting and channeling your spells.
Concentration has increased to level 1.
Damage taken, SilentandDeadly9 has hit you with Ability Volley.
34 damage taken from Volley
22 damage taken from Volley
29 damage taken from Volley
OhmN has killed JohnnyStone, Spell Power increased. +1 for first kill Halfling, + 1 for Player kill. Two unspent Spell Power Points.
OhmN has killed LastNameYoullSee Spell Power increased. +1 for Player kill. Three unspent Spell Power Points
OhmN has killed SilentandDeadly9 Spell Power increased. +1 for Player kill. Four unspent Spell Power Points.
Experience gained. Experience Deferred until entering the actual servers.
Once again Derick applied all four spell power points to his psychic-viewing. Once again increasing his psychic-viewing power level to 8, which increased his viewing range to 86 yards, while granting him a 47% chance to notice hidden people, places, or objects within his viewing range.
Reaching back Derick looted the b
ody of JohnnyStone, whose body was sprawled over the center of the bone pile that Derick had assembled. Derick as usual took all the money, potions, books, and proceeded to empty out the remainder of JohnnyStone's contents on the ground. Only after a minute did Derick remember to take the rogue’s four different short daggers and throwing weapons that were hidden on different parts of his body. Derick quickly got up and looted the first three would be assailants, before their bodies too disappeared from respawn. Finally Derick went back looted and stripped the remaining two rogues’ bodies before leaving all of their higher level items for a lucky player who happened to stumble upon this horde of equipment. In all Derick had looted 205 platinum pieces, 182 gold, 439 silver, and a smattering of copper pieces which Derick placed a couple yards away in the shape of an arrow toward the looted corpses. With that Derick made his much needed escape toward the exit.
Character View 3
Name
OhmN (ΩN)
Race
Celstial Gnome
Class
Psychic-Leech
Status
Undead
Age
27
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Current Level
0
Experience
0
Experience to Next Level
100
Respawns
0
Player Kills Required till free respawn
3 (17 of 20 complete)
Attributes
Attribute
Score
Strength
12
Dexterity
15
Constitution
20
Charisma
13