by JK Galioto
You have attained beginner rank in Minor Heal and may choose one of the following perks:
Fast Heal 1: You decrease the casting speed of Minor Heal by 25%.
Ranged Heal 1: You can cast minor heal at a range of 10 feet + charisma modifier (4) x level of this perk. Initial range of heal would be 14 feet.
Both of these perks were amazing; quicker heals meant less dead Gooch but ranged heals also meant less dead Gooch. He chose ranged heal, since the cast time of Minor Heal was already pretty fast at three seconds. Trimming three quarters of a second would be helpful, but not as helpful as a ranged heal.
You have learned the sense motive skill. You gain a +8 bonus based on your prior experience.
Jack had known the technician wasn’t telling the truth when he said he wouldn’t report them if they let him go but hadn’t realized he was using a skill to do so. Although by now, he really should have. He was unsure how he achieved the bonus, but he’d played dozens of board games with his friends where bluffing was a key part of the game. He continued working his way through his notifications.
You have attained journeyman rank in the Perception skill and may choose one of the following perks:
Improved Senses 2: Choose one of remaining four senses and enhance it. Note: You have already chosen hearing.
See What is Hidden 2: Your ability to spot secret doors, traps, and hidden caches will be improved by an additional 75%, for a total of 100%.
Echo Sense: Your ability to hear has moved into the realm of the supernatural. You can use your hearing to “see”, much like a bat or Dare Devil, within fifteen feet centered on you.
Wow. Simply wow. Jack pondered the options, each one amazing in their own way. Getting further into skill trees was starting to reap some serious benefits. His initial thought was to improve his sight; having eagle eyes would be extremely helpful, and potential synergies with other skills. But Echo Sense was nothing to sneeze at, especially since he seemed to be delving deep underground far too often. Besides, he wasn’t in the habit of sneezing at things. It would be rude to take a piece of cake, for instance, and sneeze on the rest. Instead, he chose See What is Hidden 2. As his party’s resident burglar, he needed to be able to spot traps, secret doors, and anything else this world had to offer.
You are awarded an additional perk in the Knows No Shame perk tree.
Knows No Shame 2: Out of battle, your curious nature knows no shame, allowing you to learn skills like no other. In battle, you also Know No Shame. Because you made 5 kills by targeting the genitals of other creatures, your critical multiplier has increased from 2 to 3 when attacking this area.
Jack wasn’t sure whether he should be delighted or offended by this new perk. On one hand, he didn’t really want it to get out that he had a penchant for targeting the twigs and berries of other creatures. But a times three multiplier was nothing to sneeze at. He decided he would feel pleased; he needed every edge this world could give him. He moved on to his last notification.
You receive 926 experience points and have attained level 3 in Bastion Party Leader. The group skill bonuses to dodge, parry, and block increase to 7. In addition, you may choose one of the following perks:
Increase Party Size 1: Add an additional member to your party. Party size is currently capped at 4.
Mind Meld 2: You can communicate telepathically with members of your party, to an expanded range of 250 feet. Required: Mind Meld 1.
Assign Tank 1: You can assign a tank role for your party. The person you designate as tank will receive a +5 skill bonus to parry and block.
Assign Healer 1: You can assign a healer role for your party. The person you designate as healer will receive an additional 10% bonus to all healing performed on all party members, including themselves.
Jack chose the Assign Tank 1 perk and designated Gooch as the party’s tank, bringing his party skill bonus to plus eleven for both parry and block. Not too shabby; maybe this will keep the big guy from taking as much damage. As was becoming his habit, he asked Gooch how his skills were doing.
“Another good haul, maybe even worth the pain. I learned two new skills: cooking and intimidate. I gained points in heavy armor, large blades, parry, and block, along with points in Burning Hands, Magic Arrow, and Comprehend Languages. Looking back on the battle, I realized I could have used my Absorb Elements spell on that lightning bolt that stunned me, if I would have recognized it in time. I need to get better at doing more than reacting in battle and start thinking faster on my feet. It will come with experience,” Gooch promised.
“You mean you don’t have it all figured out in less than three days on the job?” Jack questioned sarcastically. “I owe you my life ten times over, big fella. I think you’re doing fine. By the way, did you get cooking skill points from roasting those dragonkin? The system has a perverted sense of humor.”
Ignoring the question, Gooch continued, “Fine isn’t going to cut it. You heard what the tech said. It isn’t just an electromagnetic pulse that is impacting Earth. They are going to make the entire population go through the character sheet process, so they can ‘bring order to chaos.’ Billions of people will die from that, Jacky. We can’t let that happen.”
They both sat in silence for a while, thinking of the implications.
“We can’t control what the pulse is going to do to Earth,” Jack finally said. “We need to focus on what we can control, what we can act upon. We can continue to get stronger. We can find and shut down the portals powering the EMP. We can take the fight to the Ravanan Empire. And,” Jack added softly, “we will do it together.”
Gooch stared at Jack, his expression changing from one of sadness to determination. “When did you get so good at motivational speeches, Jacky?” he chuckled. “Speaking of progress, do you mind if I look at your character sheet?”
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” Jack grinned.
Name: Jack. Heritage: Sun elf. Class: Bard. Level: 6 (2246/3200). Sex: Male. Height: 5’9” Weight: 225 lbs. Hair: Brown. Eyes: Blue. Fame: Level 2: Lesser Known (100/200). Party Leader: Level 2 (272/3000).
Hit Points: 47. HP Regeneration: 2/hour, outside of combat.
Stamina: 45. Stamina Regeneration: 2/minute.
Spell Points: 43. SP Regeneration: 2/minute.
Name: Gooch. Heritage: Stone giant. Class: Magus. Level: 6 (1602/3200). Sex: Male. Height: 6’6” Weight: 285. Hair: Black. Eyes: Brown. Fame: Level 2: Lesser Known (100/200).
Hit Points: 78 (+10, Ring). HP Regeneration: 7/hour, outside of combat.
Stamina: 63. Stamina Regeneration: 7/minute.
Spell Points: 52. SP Regeneration: 8/minute.
Chapter 52
A few hours later Jack and Gooch made it back to the portal and sent another message to Chad after placing the two pearls on the portal. As they began their wait, Jack tapped Gooch on the shoulder. “Hey Gooch, check this out,” he began, gesturing to a large boulder nearby. “I’m guessing that any minute now, Dungeon Master will mysteriously walk out from behind it.” His cheesy grin was that of extreme confidence. “Just look at that boulder, it’s so obvious! I’ve seen the cartoon. It’s just how these things are done in a fantasy realm!”
“Oh, you think?” Gooch replied, obviously not as convinced as his smaller friend. “I dunno, Jacky, I’d wager that if anyone pops out from behind that boulder, it would be Mike the Tiger. I mean, I doubt that anything at all will materialize but if something did, it wouldn’t be Dungeon Master. Mike the Tiger wouldn’t do me like that.”
“You don’t say?” Jack shook his head in disbelief. “I thought you had a better intelligence score than that. Are you sure you don’t still have some sort of debuff from revival sickness that is affecting your common sense?”
Gooch turned to face his friend head on, his eyes now deadly serious. “Friend,” he began slowly and deliberately, “are you besmirching the good name of Mike the Tiger?”
“Hold up there, buddy! I would never do that and if you could,
good sir, please take your hand off the hilt of your sword.” Jack placed both hands in front of himself in a placating gesture.
Gooch’s eyes widened and he looked to his hand, which was indeed gripped tightly around the hilt of his sword. “I am so sorry, Jacky. You know how I feel about him. I just get carried away. This world seems to be affecting me in ways I don’t quite understand yet.” Gooch’s eyes cast suddenly downward, embarrassed.
“Well, Gooch, my boy, there is one thing you should understand,” Jack responded, “and that is I am willing to bet you ten shiny gold pieces that Dungeon Master will be the one to appear.”
“Oh do you now?”
“Yes, I do, uh, do.”
“I’ll take that bet any day of the week. You’re on, little man!” Gooch bellowed.
The pair moved into a side-by-side position about twenty feet from the large rock, each wanting an unfettered view of the subject of their wager. With supreme awareness, the pair stood with tense postures, staring intently at either side, waiting for the moment of truth.
Then, they waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
After about thirty minutes, Gooch announced, “Time-out for food and bathroom break? I’m getting hungry from all this staring.”
“I could eat,” Jack answered casually, not wanting to show weakness, “and I do need to pee.” He then walked toward the boulder, making his way around to the far side for some privacy.
“Jacky,” Gooch admonished, “is that really necessary? Why don’t you go somewhere that Mike the Tiger won’t appear!”
“Hmmm,” Jack thought, “you do have a point. But you know what? I think it was a false alarm and also, I’m suddenly not hungry anymore.” He shot an angry glance back in irritation. “I think I may just skip this break and maintain my vigil. I’m sure Dungeon Master wouldn’t appreciate my lack of sincerity and confidence in him.”
“I, um, just wanted a break because I thought you might need one, Jacky. I could go all night.”
“Fine, let’s do this . . . again.”
* * *
Several hours later, Mandrake, in his Dungeon Master disguise, appeared from behind the boulder, ready to give Jack and Gooch a little shock and awe. He loved surprising those two dimwits with his simple parlor tricks, but of course they were both sleeping, Jack the little spoon to Gooch’s big spoon. Sighing, he thought about the emotional connection Jack had made to him, which bordered on fatherly and really creeped him out. Well, he guessed it was starting to grow on him a bit; these boys were becoming less “tools” to him and more actual beings with thoughts and feelings. He regretted again trying to play both sides in this conflict, but after the fifteenth human had died from the process, he had given up hope on ever stopping the war or defeating the Ravanan Empire. Jack was the key; he had something in him that befuddled Mandrake. After what Jack had gone through in his life: losing his parents, seeing all of his friends leave him, going from job to job like the white trash he was—most people would be ready to cut their own wrists. Really, the only thing he had going for him was his glorious hair, something that even Mandrake could appreciate. But Jack’s attitude was the opposite of despair; whatever was thrown his way, he took in stride, having hope that he and his friends would get through it.
His friends! Jack’s utmost belief in his friends and the exponential power they had when together was even more mind boggling. But Mandrake couldn’t ignore the results; he had found three pearls, rescued halflings from their mining prison camp, defeated a monstrous trash-dwelling creature, and destroyed a Ravanan patrol. There was something special about Jack, and Mandrake was thinking of going all in with the humans, or at least as much as he could, given the restraints of the Accords. It was still a million to one longshot that Jack and his friends would pull this out, but that was way better than the gazillion to one odds they had when Jack first came through the portal. Time to give them some motivation—they were progressing fast, but not fast enough.
Walking over to them, he turned his pipe into a large bugle horn and played a morning Reveille directly into their ears. They leapt out of their spoon positions, surprised and embarrassed.
“Hello, morons!” Dungeon Master greeted them in a snarky tone.
* * *
Using his pinky to clear out his ear canal, Jack seemed hurt by the greeting but moved past it quickly, throwing his arms around Mandrake. “Dungeon Master!” he shouted happily, giving Gooch a meaningful glance. “Boy are we glad to see you. We have been busy!” Jack busily hit the highlights of what they had been up to the last few days, clearly looking for validation from his Rigaran father figure.
When he finished, it was Mandrake’s turn to speak. “Yes, you’ve made great progress,” he said sarcastically. “You’ve managed to alert the Ravanan that there is a threat in this sector of the planet. You’ve also managed to alert their spies with the goblins and orcs that there is someone thwarting their iron production. What do you think happens now? Do they leave you alone and let you peacefully continue your mission? Or do they gather a larger force and take you out?” he shouted the last, clearly showing his frustration. “And how many of the power sources did you manage to shut down during your adventures? Oh, that’s right, zero. No, my young padawan, while you have been busy, you have not been productive. However, you did manage to find two more portal pearls, and I have updated your quest log accordingly,” he finished as he handed them each a sack of gold for finding two more pearls. Softening his tone, he continued, “I am not trying to be harsh with you boys, but there is so much work to do. Celebrations can wait until you have a meaningful victory against the Ravanan. You are a flea biting at their tail, nothing more. You need to become a something more if you are to have a chance. Work harder, work faster, become . . . more!”
Jack leaned into Gooch and whispered, “You’re right, Mike the Tiger wouldn’t do us like that!” Not knowing exactly what he was going to say, he opened his mouth anyway. “You know, Dungeon Master,” Jack paused a moment, gathering his thoughts, “I don’t want to seem unappreciative of all the help you have given us. But how you’ve been treating me, us really, has been less than understanding given our current situation.” Jack fidgeted with the back of his hair for a moment, not quite sure how to proceed. “Your little tirade just now, seemed like, hmm, a little bit, it was um . . .”
“A dick move,” Gooch interjected, finishing his Jack’s sentence for him and receiving a smile and a nod for his efforts.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself, Gooch!” Jack regained his composure and pressed on. “You see, for seemingly being all-knowing, you sure seem to be clueless. From the moment I crossed through I’ve done nothing but work to save both of our worlds. Heck, we’ve both fought and died for Rigara and Earth pretty much nonstop since our arrival here. You’ve been informative and played your part, sure, but even you have to admit there weren’t many shortcuts we could have taken to get to this point faster. You helped us through the process, gave us the rundown of what the situation here was, did a few nifty parlor tricks, and gave us a couple of lectures. Am I on track so far?”
Dungeon Master’s demeanor had changed from righteous anger to something almost forlorn, but he said nothing.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Jack continued, glancing to Gooch, who nodded and gave him a subdued thumbs-up in approval, then motioned for him to continue. “So, when was the last time your life was on the line for your people?” He paused, unintentionally creating a moment of awkward tenseness. “I’m thinking that, and correct me if I’m wrong here, other than what I just mentioned, you haven’t done . . .” Jack suddenly felt nervous and made an expression of distaste, closed his eyes, nodded slightly to himself, then looked Dungeon Master directly in the eye and continued, “a damn thing!”
Dungeon Master’s jaw dropped and Gooch turned sharply to glance at his friend with an equal look of shock. “Jacky! Did you just swear?! I don’t remember hearing you swear
before!” He began shaking his head in disbelief. “You’ve really done it now, Dungeon Master,” Gooch exclaimed, eyes lighting up at seeing a rare instance of anger in his friend. “You know what they say about what a wise man fears—the anger of a gentle man. You gonna get it now!” He was almost jumping up and down.
“None of that, Gooch,” Jack responded. “It took me a bit to figure out what’s going on here, but I think I got it. Dungeon Master’s just doing what he thinks is right, trying to light a fire under us. Isn’t that right, Dungeon Master?”
Mandrake stared at Jack, jaw agape. When had Jack picked up the sense motive skill, and why was he so good at it? “Never mind my motive; focus on what you need to do. You say I haven’t helped? Well, here is something for you. There is a forest to the north. In that forest is a portal that will let you instantaneously travel to other similar portals across Rigara. You will be able to use this to travel to power sources and shut them down. Also, take this,” he said, handing Jack a smooth, white stone. “It will grow warm when you are getting close to a power source.” He was skirting the Marik Accords, but damn it felt good to choose a side. “For better or for worse, I have thrown my lot in with you, Jack. If you fail, I will fail with you.” Following his tried-and-true motto of “always leaving them wanting more,” he moved around the boulder and was gone.
Chapter 53
Major Chad Jensen hadn’t left the portal area since his brother went through it, except to retrieve Gooch. His tent was set up just outside the electromagnetic pulse, which now covered a fifty-yard radius around the portal. Every few days he ordered the privates to move his tent farther back so he could still use technology to provide status updates to the generals. The pulse was still a closely guarded secret, known only to a few generals, scientists, and the president and vice president. Until a plan of action had been determined, there was nothing to be gained by alerting the public and causing mass hysteria. No one, not even Chad himself, believed Jack and his friend Gooch would be able to fully stop the pulse. They needed to be prepared and had their brightest minds working on a solution.