This ominous looking fella was intentionally blocking my way. I was getting an uneasy feeling, which he confirmed as soon as he opened his mouth.
“You!” he barked. “What were you doing in the holy ancestral burial ground?”
I looked at him, deciding how best to react. Well, they seemed to respond to force so…
I moved to push past him, “What I do is my own business. Now beat it.”
As I made contact to shove him out of my way, the goblin raised his staff and knocked me over the head with it. Hard. Dazed, I fell and a system message informed me I had lost 8 health points.
Trying to use force against this one was obviously not the brightest idea.
“Impudent.” the goblin's lips curled into a sneer, the eye sockets of the skull-staff began glowing a sickly yellow.
“I was told you carry a sacred sacrificial dagger. Such does not belong in the hands of a pathetic wretch like you. Give it to me. Now!”
I struggled up, outraged. I’d had enough bullying in the last 24 hours to last me a lifetime. I’d be damned if I let myself be bullied and robbed by a stupid low-level goblin.
“No! It’s mine.” I snarled back at him.
-4000 reputation with DurDur. Current rank: Hatred
Oh man. That’s not good.
Players that reached ‘Hatred’ relationship were perceived as enemies, and would be attacked on sight.
Grinning at him maliciously, I decided to beat him to the punch. I conjured a Mana Arrow, materializing a bright, pure-blue dart of energy. As I launched the arrow at his head, DurDur gestured with his staff, and the yellow light in the skull flared enveloping him in an aura of yellow energy. The Mana Arrow struck the aura with a flash and muffled bang that had no discernible effect on the old goblin.
Oh, that’s sooo not good, I thought with a sinking feeling.
DurDur spat a word and two yellow bolts shot out from the glowing eye-sockets of the skull.
I didn’t have any time to react, the bolts slammed into me with shocking force. Then everything went black.
Searing Bolt hit you for 22 damage
You have died. No permanent death penalties as you’re below level 10
A moment later I appeared within a column of blue light, in the goblin cemetery chamber, less than a hundred steps from where I died.
You have respawned.
Death Debuff I: -20% XP gain, duration: 10 minutes.
Death Debuff II: disorientation, duration: 1 minutes.
Damn, he’s a tough bastard. As I was used to playing a high-level character, it had been a long time since I had contended with low-level monsters. I was at a slight disadvantage, as it meant I was unfamiliar with the skill set if these levels of monsters.
Well, I’d better avoid him, he’s too strong for me at the moment. The Death Debuff was also negligible, as expected at level 1.
I made my way out of the cemetery chamber back through the tunnel to the main cavern. Peeking from the edge of the tunnel, I searched for DurDur.
There he is, the bastard.
He was walking through the entrance of another tunnel. I guessed it led to the Chieftain’s chambers.
The coast was now clear. I used the opportunity and ran across the cavern and out the entrance. I emerged from the goblin clan’s cave, and looked around me. The cave entrance faced the south, and was situated on a hillside, surrounded by dense forest. The trees and other growths around the cave had been cleared for about 10 meters in all directions. Finally out of there. Now, to find this Tika goblin.
On either side of the exit stood a goblin sentry, both carrying crude spears.
Goblin warrior; level 2; 31 HP
Chob, Goblin warrior; level 2; 33 HP
It’s weird how some goblins have names and some are labeled goblin workers or warriors. I pondered that for a moment. Maybe the unnamed ones were simple mobs and the named ones were intelligent NPCs?
I turned to Chob and asked politely, “Hi there, have you seen Tika, the huntress?”
The goblin stared at me dimly, “Tika goed that way in mornings,” he gestured at the forest; south of the cave, according to my internal game-map and compass.
I looked beyond his finger, to the vast and dense forest sprawling in front me. I couldn’t see a thing beyond the treeline, the forest was just too dense. But there was a narrow path leading into the forest in the right direction.
“Thanks Chob,” I said to the guard and walked toward the tree line. I unsheathed the bone knife with my left hand, and channeled mana into my right, preparing a mana arrow for immediate casting.
As I walked on, the forest path became darker. The canopy was so dense it almost completely blocked out the sunlight. The forest trail Chob had pointed out, was a well-used road, it made going through the thick tree considerably easier.
I followed the path deeper into the forest, the light got even darker. The path ended, opening into a small clearing.
My attention was drawn to a small sized creature, standing on the opposite side of the clearing. It looked like an armadillo armored with silver plates.
I had never encountered these monsters before.
They probably added these low-level beasties after I’d started playing at higher levels.
This was another example of my lack of knowledge of low-level monsters. I suspected I would be running into a lot more unknown creatures like this.
It reminded me though, to be cautious. Unknown was often synonymous with dangerous in NEO.
The weird Armadillo thing was happily chewing on the remains of a rabbit hanging from a spring-wire trap. I was reasonably certain it was one of Tika’s traps. Maybe the armadillo thing scared her away. I didn’t see any signs of battle, so she was probably unharmed. In any case, it was a golden opportunity to test my new combat abilities and gain some XP.
The Armadillo was busy with its stolen meal, so I used the opportunity to practice my Analyze skill on it:
Armadillo, metal back; level 3; 21 hp
Even though the creature was built like a medium sized dog, it was going to be a tough fight. As a goblin I was not much larger than the armadillo, and it was two levels higher, with a fair amount of HP.
But I had magic on my side.
I called up the description of my Mana Arrow skill. It currently caused 5-10 damage, so I would need to hit it at least 3 or 4 times. Each cast of the spell used 5 mana. My mana pool was 25, enough for exactly 5 castings. It was a bit too close for my taste.
Now that I had a clear goal ahead of me, I felt better. Focused. The fears about the future and my new reality faded away as the present situation became another puzzle to solve. It was just a matter of finding the optimal solution for it.
I backed away from the clearing, moving silently along the treeline, increasing the distance between me and the Armadillo. I found a thick tree trunk on the very edge of the clearing, and took cover behind it, keeping my eye on the silver monster.
This should give me enough room to maneuver.
Mana Discipline spells could be ‘powered up’ by forcing more mana into them, doubling the mana cost for double the effect.
That was another advantage of the Mana Discipline over other magic schools. What the spells lacked in subtlety and elegance, they made up for it with a brute force, that could be enhanced even further by competent casters.
I began forcing more mana into the Mana Arrow that still hovered near my hand, the arrow’s glow increasing with each point of mana I added. So now the empowered Mana Arrow should have a damage output of 10-20.
The only drawback to empowering a spell was that it took longer than a standard casting. So it was best used in surprise attacks. Which was what I was just about ready for.
With a thought I designated the Armadillo as my target and launched the arrow. It sped across the clearing and struck the armadillo’s head with a crack!
Mana Arrow hit Armadillo for 15 damage [Sneak Attack +5 damage]
Yes! I had blown a
way 75% of its hit points with a single spell cast.
The Armadillo shook itself and looked around for its attacker. Locking onto me as the source of its suffering, it charged.
But the distance was enough for me to summon another Mana Arrow and hurl it at the charging beast.
My second attack hit the Armadillo for exactly 6 damage.
It was only an instant-cast Arrow, there wasn’t time to Empower it; but the Armadillo fell in mid-charge anyway, sliding to a stop at my feet.
Dead.
That’s the power of a Mana Master. I thought smugly to myself, cracking my knuckles.
You killed, Armadillo [metal back], you’ve gained 120xp
Wow. That Armadillo was worth some heavy XP.
In a single kill, I was more than halfway toward level 2.
I checked its body and the loot inventory screen popped open. I collected a chunk of meat and a heavy metal item. I had never saw an item like it before, so I curiously checked its description.
Armadillo metal carapace
Type: crafting components
Description: Hardened metal shell, suitable for crafting standard level metal items
That’s useful I could use that thing to craft some armor. I should make an effort to collect more of those carapaces. I placed both the hunk of metal and the meat in my inventory.
I went over to the sprung trap. It had a couple of half eaten rabbits strung off it. I checked the rabbit, collecting two chunks of meat and two rabbit furs.
I didn’t see any other paths leading out of the clearing, the trail I followed ended in this clearing. I scanned along the edges and in a few moments found a few wires scattered on the ground. It looked like someone had dropped them in a rush. There were some crushed leaves nearby, forming a trail that led deeper into the forest.
You’ve learned a new Skill: Tracking (M) [active]
Through careful observation of your environment, you learned how to find creatures’ tracks and follow them. Increase of this skill allows tracking in more difficult terrain, and harsher conditions.
Current level 1 (0%): you can find obvious tracks and determine their heading
Sweet, a new skill, and one I’d never had before. It was now clear which direction I needed to go in. Whoever passed through here, mere hours ago, was in a hurry and didn’t try to cover their tracks. The tracks were fresh and, thanks to my new skill, the path of vegetation devastation was highlighted clearly in my view. I followed the tracks through the thick forest, my eyes were drawn to each next set of highlighted tracks. Making an easy path to follow.
A short time later I heard snarling and grunting ahead of me. The Armadillo I’d killed earlier had made similar noises.
I slowed and approached carefully, quietly. I took cover behind a large tree trunk, and peeked behind it. There was another clearing ahead.
There were three snarling and hissing armadillos circling a tree. Occasionally one or another would make an attempt to climb the trunk, but always fell, leaving deep gashes in the bark as they slid down. They didn’t seem like tree-climber types. I looked up higher at the tree and saw a small shape huddling among the branches. As I watched, the figure moved into view. A small goblin female. She was peering down at the creatures, terrified. She held a small bow in one hand, but her quiver was empty. A fourth, dead armadillo lay further away from his three buddies. The corpse looked like a pincushion, with over a dozen arrows sticking out of its metallic plated hide.
Armadillo, metal back; level 3; 21 hp
Armadillo, metal back; level 3; 21 hp
Armadillo, metal back; level 3; 19/21 hp
One of the three around the tree had a few arrows sticking out of it too. The creature’s armor looked tough enough to resist most of the damage the arrows inflicted.
Next to the tree I was hiding, I saw a heavy looking satchel. I checked its contents, it was filled with raw meat. The gobliness must have dropped the bag as she ran away from the Armadillos.
Quest update: Bring back the meat II
You found Tika the huntress, she is besieged by deadly monsters. Either save her or abandon her and bring the meat she gathered directly to Guba.
Quest Type: normal, chain
Reward: improved reputation, 100xp, Guba’s special dish.
Optional: improved reputation with Tika
I could simply take the bag and go back to the cave to complete the quest.
Taking on three of those Armadillos head-on was suicidal at my level. I may have been stuck behind a desk for over a year, but I've never run away from a tough fight. Besides, the potential gain of an ally in my new life was definitely worth the negligible danger of being killed.
At worst, I would die and respawn, then have to walk all the way back here again. Death was not an issue, as the Death Debuff was negligible for my low-level character.
But how do I deal with the armadillos?
My mana had regenerated to full from the earlier fight. But the armadillos’ combined health could take more damage than I could deliver with my measly 25 mana pool.
I shrugged. Just another puzzle to solve.
I considered several possible plans, and finally decided on the most straightforward one; The Armadillos were enraged with Tika for some reason. I was familiar enough with monster behavior to know that enraged beasts usually focused single-mindedly on whoever had enraged them. So I figured it was safe to reveal myself.
I popped my head behind the tree and shouted, “HEY TIKA!”
She looked my way, her expression becoming hopeful, “Please, help! I stuck on tree.”
I was right.
The Armadillos, hearing Tika’s voice redoubled their effort, trying to claw their way up the tree, completely ignoring me. Had they not, I’d planned to run away, drawing them from Tika.
“Don’t worry, I’m here to help,” I called in my best reassuring voice. “Listen, I have a plan. I’m going to draw those beasties toward me. When they leave your tree, climb down and collect as many arrows as you can, then climb back up, ok?” I wasn’t giving up the XP, or the metal, from these Armadillos. I figured that between the two of us, we could use ranged attacks to dispatch all three if we got to safe perches in the trees.
Tika’s voice was steady despite her obvious terror, as she replied, “Ok.”
I looked around and found a relatively easy to climb tree. I stood next to it, my right hand resting on the first branch. With my left hand I conjured a Mana Arrow and aimed it directly at the wounded Armadillo.
I launched the spell, and watched it flit across the open clearing. Hit, 7 damage and, as expected, all three Armadillos turned to charge at me.
I waited a few seconds, letting them cover half the distance to make sure they wouldn’t turn and attack Tika while she was on the ground. Then I hurriedly pulled myself up into the tree.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough, the leading Armadillo lunged forward and sank its front claws into my leg. It hurt. Much more than it should have. I clenched my teeth and with a burst of adrenaline, heaved myself up the tree, tearing my leg away from the claws. I moved up until I came to a wide branch fit for my purpose and eased out onto it.
The claws had taken 9 health points, more than half of my maximum.
Those beasts were dangerous.
The three monsters were jumping and snarling around my tree now. Feeling somewhat secure on the branch, I looked around for Tika.
She was already on the ground, hurriedly plucking arrows from the dead Armadillo.
At that moment the three monsters below me turned, and made ready to charge back towards her.
I interrupted them with another Mana Arrow, drawing their aggro, their aggression, back to me, buying Tika a little more time to gather arrows.
My Mana Arrow attacks had to be timed to pull their aggro back onto me when they turned away to attack Tika, I couldn’t just blast away at them, I had to pace my mana consumption.
The next time I looked, Tika was climbing back
up her tree.
With only 10 mana left, I launched another Mana Arrow and finally downed the already wounded animal.
Level up! You have reached Character Level 2. You have 1 ability point to allocate.
Excellent. I opened my character sheet and assigned the new point to the Mental attribute, increasing my mana pool to 35, and my regeneration rate to two points per minute.
Once again in her perch, Tika started raining arrows on the two remaining Armadillos.
I kept a careful eye on the beasts’ health bar. Each arrow fired by Tika did 1-2 damage. These beasts were especially resistant to physical damage thanks to their natural metallic armor.
I was lucky that I specialized in magic. After seven hits from Tika’s arrows, one of the creature’s health had dropped to 5.
My turn I thought a bit greedily. I targeted it with Mana Arrow, and finished it off, gaining the XP for landing the killing blow.
She’s just an NPC, she won’t mind. I told myself. Kill stealing was an overt provocation, one that most players wouldn’t take peacefully or quietly. But, as I suspected, Tika didn’t seem to mind.
With just the one Armadillo left, we continued using the same tactics. Tika shot her arrows while my mana regenerated. I was finally able to cast two more Mana Arrows, and finish off the last beast.
+1000 reputation with Tika. Current rank: Friendly
Quest update: Bring back the Meat III
You found and rescued Tika, return with her and bring the meat back to Guba.
Optional: bring more meat than the minimum required. Current 13/20
Life Reset Page 7