“Greeting again, young one.” He said, with a friendly grin.
“I heard you took care of our ration supply shortage and even rescued Tika. This is good.”
He winked at me and chortled, “I also heard you got on DurDur bad side, that is also good. What did you do to annoy the old fossil so?”
My eye twitched. “I refused to give him my dagger, for some reason he took it as a personal insult. Now he attacks me on sight”.
“Hmmm,” the chieftain rubbed his chin.
“That’s unfortunate. You are clearly blessed by Corgoram. You also possess a holy item and you seem to have some control over magic. I know DurDur well, those are major threats to his position, so I can understand why he is so intent on getting rid of you.”
He looked me straight in the eyes and continued in a serious tone. “Unfortunately, you cannot join our clan. DurDur is my second in command and the clan’s spiritual leader. For you to join us, you need his blessing as well.” He looked annoyed at the notion.
His eyes narrowed, “you know,” he whispered in a conspiratory tone, “I actually am tired of the old fool’s antics and his constant badgering.”
He rested his chin on his hand. “I can’t act against him directly, but if he was somehow removed…” He looked at me suggestively, “then nothing would prevent me from accepting you to our clan.”
Quest update: Prove Yourself
Bogan, the chieftain of the Drippers goblin clan is pleased with your accomplishments.
However, he cannot accept you to the clan as long as DurDur, the Totem, objects.
Convince DurDur to accept you into the clan, or eliminate him.
Quest Type: unique
Reward: acceptance into the clan, increased reputation with the clan, 500xp
Shit, that will not be easy. I scratched my cheek.
Not only was DurDur a higher level than me, six or seven by my estimation, but he also was a Boss monster.
Bosses in the game were powerful specimens of their race. They were tougher, stronger, with more health and mana, and usually possessed unique powers.
DurDur was obviously a boss, given that he was a named monster with unusually powerful magic.
A party of four to six players, with levels close to the monster’s, was recommended to defeat a boss. A full raid, dozens of players working together, might be needed to defeat higher level bosses.
DurDur was about three times my level, meaning he was ten times more powerful. If I wanted to take him down by myself I would need to be around level 20. Maybe 15.
This is crazy! How am I supposed to defeat such an overwhelmingly powerful foe on my own, and without any decent equipment or buffs? I was in a difficult situations, my position was precarious and the challenges were, well, challenging. I sorely missed the benefits of a civilized city, a place where I could get some easy quests, that would allow me to train up my levels in relative safety. Alas, I would have to figure some way to handle DurDur.
I had one idea that might work. It would be dangerous, but it made sense to try now, while my character level was still too low to be affected by any permanent death penalties. I made my way back and went through the other, dark tunnel.
I manifested one of my new Drilling Arrows, and kept pouring mana into it, powering it with a total of 12 mana, the maximum allowed at my current skill level.
The tunnel opened up into another chamber, and sure enough, there was DurDur, sitting on a crude wooden chair, a black leather-bound book on his lap. He noticed my entrance and turned to face me, hatred burning in his eyes. I shot the Drilling Arrow at him.
Yelping in surprise, he raised his magic shield just in time. My arrow impacted the shield but this time it didn’t just disappear. The arrowhead driller kept spinning and borrowing into the shield. Its glow diminished, but before dissipating completely it punched through. The arrow streaked inside the shield and hit the ugly goblin on his cheek. Crack! Another mark was added to his already heavily scarred face.
Mana Arrow hit DurDur for 5 damage
I was elated. I had found a way to bypass DurDur’s defenses.
Though the real purpose of this attack was to gather intel. My analyze skill level was too low to discern DurDur’s exact health, but when the arrow hit the goblin, I saw the red health bar appear above his head with about 5% missing. Since my arrow did exactly 5 damage, that meant that he had about 100 health points in his pool.
Though the new arrow was able to penetrate DurDur’s shield, it was not enough to win a direct confrontation with him. The power gap between us was still too large.
DurDur’s eyes blazed furiously as he chanted an attack spell. I looked at him defiantly, there wasn’t anything I could do to repel his attack.
Bring it bitch, I’m gonna get you eventually!
The Totem’s eyes flared with magic, and for the third time today:
You have died. No permanent death penalties as you are below level 10
A moment later, I was back in the goblin cemetery.
You have respawned.
Death Debuff I: -20% XP gain, duration: 20 minutes
Death Debuff II: disorientation, duration: 2 minutes.
I sat on the ground, contemplating my next move while waiting for the debuff to expire. DurDur’s health pool was ridiculously high for a spell caster. A level 7 player who invested only in the Mental attribute to maximize spellcasting, would have a maximum of 30-35 hit points, maybe 40 with top quality gear for that level.
I would have to hit DurDur with twenty Drilling Arrows to finish him. I didn’t think he’d sit still and play nice while I stung him slowly to death. So that plan was a no-go.
I needed a plan.
I looked at my character screen for inspiration:
Name: ##@!
Level: 2, (79%)
Race: Monster Race [Goblin]
Attributes: [0 points available]
- Physical 1
- Mental 2
- Social -1
Skills:
- Murphy’s Bitch 2 (25%) (Prime)
- Analyze 1 (95%)
- Mana Manipulation 2 (66%)
- Drilling Arrow 2 (18%) (Prime)
- Tracking 1 (20%)
Pools:
- Hit Points: 22 (10P, 10M, 2-misc)
- Mana: 36 (20M, 5P, 11MM-skill)
Traits:
- Goblinoid (+1 Physical, -1 Social)
- Experience modifier -20%
I had decent stats for a level 2 character with virtually no equipment. They were actually closer to a 4th level character.
But still not enough to beat that bastard, I thought bleakly
At least it looked like I was going to hit level 3 pretty soon. A couple of Armadillos would do the trick. Maybe I should go out to hunt some more? I could probably take Tika with me as an extra hand, she is decent with a bow after all.
I sat on the cold stone floor, one hand on my chin, my thoughts racing as different scenarios popped up in my mind, each more daring and outrageous than before.
...Alternatively, I could try to make some sort of a trap for the Totem, or maybe…
...maybe I could find some sort of poison herb, sneak it into his food…
...I could rig a big rock to the top of the exit, and have Tika lure him out to be crushed…
...I could try groveling, he might delay his murderous impulses to enjoy it, and I could talk him into spending his mana, he looks like a showoff…
Maybe.
I looked down at the slumbering form of DurDur.
I spent a couple of hours contemplating different methods to defeat him. I was merely passing the time to DurDur’s bedtime.
Slowly. Quietly. I drew the bone dagger from my belt. With careful movements I knelt noiselessly at the sleeping goblin’s side. He twitched in his sleep and stirred, his expression became troubled, as if some survival instinct was warning him of imminent danger. He shifted, presenting a perfect opportunity.
I lunged down with all
my strength and weight behind the dagger, thrusting the weapon deep into his chest. Directly into his shriveled, evil heart.
His body contorting in reaction, his eyes flew open wide, and he stared directly at me, stunned.
Condition met [Bone Dagger]: Immortal blood
Enabled attributes: Sacrifice, Soulbound.
“See how you like dying for a change, Scarface.” I snorted in derision.
Looking him straight in the eyes, I gave the dagger one, final twist.
“Be sure to give Corgoram my regards.”
The surprise in his eye faded as his eyes dimmed then closed, forever. I won.
God, I love this game!
Bone Dagger hit DurDur for 96 damage [sacrificed]
You killed, DurDur [Totem, boss] level 6, You’ve gained 3000xp
Level up! You have reached Character Level 3. You have 1 ability point to allocate.
Level up! You have reached Character Level 4. You have 2 ability points to allocate.
That was ridiculously easy.
“Must be because of a sneak bonus.” I muttered to myself.
But something didn’t add up. First, I didn’t see any sneak bonus damage in the notifications. And second, even if I did; to inflict 96 damage at my current level was unheard of. Even with a critical hit and sneak bonus I would do at most 30 points of damage.
My initial plan was to deal as much surprise damage as possible, and then try to leverage my advantage to finish him off before he could recover enough to resist. I definitely did not expect to kill him outright.
How the hell did that happen? I wondered.
More importantly, how can I make it happen again? And what was that ‘sacrificed’ descriptor?
It just gets weirder and weirder, I shook my head.
I opened my inventory to check the bone dagger again. It changed!
Instead of the previous ‘ceremonial bone dagger’ it now had a new description.
Sacrificial Bone Dagger [soul bound, monster race]
Description: An iconic bone dagger. Consecrated in the blood of an immortal enemy.
Can be used to perform ritual sacrifice.
Sacrifice: instantly kills a helpless creature (unconscious, immobile, stunned or restrained) as an offering to your god (Corgoram).
Sacrificing worthy creatures will increase your reputation with the god.
Type: weapon, one handed.
Rank: Magical.
Durability: 100/100
Damage: 4-8
Effect: Sacrifice.
My head was spinning with possibilities and speculations.
My old, almost-useless dagger had been transformed into a formidable weapon. Not to mention, I gained three levels with one kill. My luck was holding.
On a hunch I opened my character screen and looked at Murphy’s Bitch skill. I grinned with satisfaction as I saw the skill had risen by 30% since I viewed it a few hours ago.
I’d been playing for almost 12 hours straight, game-time.
I felt perfectly fine, but I was still cautious, Tal’s had been so vehement about the dangers.
The time I had given myself to test playing as a goblin was nearly up. The log out deadline in just a few minutes.
Short on time, I looted DurDur's body and received 'Totem feathered headdress', 'Totem feathered kilt' and 'Totem staff' along with a single 'minor mana potion'.
I decided to postpone sorting through the loot items later, I didn't even bother to check their stats.
But before leaving, I wanted to complete and collect my quest rewards.
Cleaning the blood from the dagger with a rag, I left DurDur’s quarters, and went to see the chieftain.
This time his two guards were standing watch outside.
Guess it was our mighty leader’s bedtime too, but I assumed he would be thrilled to hear the news, and wouldn’t be too upset about being woken up.
The guards crossed their spears before me, preventing me from entering. I shrugged at them and called out loud, “It is done chief!”
A few creaking noises from inside the chamber followed my shout, and a moment later Bogan appeared in the entrance, rubbing his bleary eyes. He looked a little annoyed with me, “What do you want? What is done?”
I grinned at him mischievously, “why, our mutual problem, of course. I’ve sent DurDur on a personal spirit voyage. A visit to Corgoram’s domain”
Bogan looked at me with uncomprehendingly.
I sighed. “DurDur is dead” I enunciated clearly looking the chief directly in his eyes. “I killed him. Now, will you honor your promise and accept me into your clan?”
Bogan continued staring at me, his mouth hanging open. “Wh-What? You actually managed to kill him? When? How? What?!?”
It was clear he hadn’t actually expected me to complete the quests. He knew how powerful the Totem was compared to me.
I shrugged. “I finally gave him the bone dagger he wanted so much. I slipped though and it went right into his heart, but Corgoram accepted him as a sacrificial offering so it’s okay.” I finished with a grin.
Bogan looked at me for a few moments, then shook his head and walked out of his chambers, signaling me and his guards to follow.
In the Totem’s chamber, DurDur’s body was still where I left it, laying in a wide puddle of blood.
Bogan started laughing.
“Finally! I thought our lord intended me to pass eternity with this old fart at my side. Finally I am free from him!”
He turned to me, still grinning.
“And now, as promised, I hereby accept you into our clan… as our new Totem!
Okay. I hadn’t expected that.
System messages started popping up.
Quest completed: Prove Yourself
Bogan, the leader of the Drippers clan has accepted you into the Drippers clan and nominated you as the new goblin Totem.
Reward: +1000 reputation with Drippers clan, +500xp, new title: Totem
That was great. Step one was done.
Now all I need to do....
Alert! Special Condition Met!
Title acquired: Totem
Obj.inventory.contains(#sacred_sacrificial _agger): true
Obj.skills.contains(#Mana_Manipulation): true
Obj.player_name.isEmpty(): true
Immortals killed: 1 /1
Reward: Boss, tier I
I stood there, flabbergasted, my eyes locked on the final line in the message; ‘reward: boss.’ What the hell just happened?
That was the moment things started to go really, really, bad.
A ton of messages filled my vision. Not system messages in nice, neat boxes; but plain text, superimposed all over my view, similar to the login-logout sequences. I was only able to read bits and pieces of different ones as they scrolled madly by:
“....Error… Incompatible character…”
“....Error… new boss detected, reincarnating VI… VI seeding failed…”
“....Error.... Incompatible interface….”
“....Error… reset commands failed…”
“....Error… deleting erroneous object failed…”
“...Direct GAI intervention commencing. Completed. Resolution: generate hybrid entity.
“...merging interfaces… DONE!”
“...updating special conditions and rules.... DONE!”
“...cleaning illegal component… DONE!”
Oh shit, that doesn’t look good, I better log out right away.
My user command interface started to flicker.
OH SHIT That is not good! Log out! Log out!
“Log out!!!” I screamed the command out loud.
The UI controls flickered one last time, then disappeared completely from my vision, taking along with them the log out icon.
OH SHHHHIIIT!!!
Suddenly my mind felt like it was on fire. Blurry images flashed by in my head, too fast to make anything out, distant irregular screeching filled my ears and grew, becoming overwhelmingl
y, painfully loud.
I was in complete sensory overload.
It was more than my brain could handle, and I felt myself passing out.
Fade to black.
6 - Boss troubles
“Consider the game’s ‘intelligent’ NPCs, the sentient, sapient, non-player characters; no one is sure how they are generated, or what their operating parameters are. It is clear from the logs however, that they are not puppets, Guy does not directly pull their strings. It is my personal belief, that he breathed life into them.
In NEO, Guy is all knowing, Guy is all powerful. Guy, is God.”
Excerpt from: NEO: The Game That Changed The World.
By Sergey Kohen, Former NEO developer, True Believer.
Everything was gentle. Serenity embraced me in soft comfort. There were no sights or sounds, only feelings of peace and restfulness. There was no beginning and no end, just being.
Then it all changed, my peaceful rest was shattered. Vision was forcefully returned, and I was violently flung across space. There were flashes of mountains and forest green blurring below me.
Then the flight, or maybe it was a fall, changed. The careening pace slowing, the brief flashes of scenery became clearer. There were definitely mountains, and trees-- no, forests. My forward motion diminished until all the momentum was lost.
Disembodied, I floated there, above one end of a narrow-wooded pass in the mountains.
The wind, and the antics of birds and other small animals were the only disturbances to the peacefulness below me.
Then a line of grim figures appeared at the far end of the pass, marching in unison.
As they came closer, the ground and the trees shook from the force of their synchronized stride. They were much taller than goblins, broader and more powerfully built. Their armor and weapons contributed to their already intimidating appearance. They all wore leather armor, with reinforced, spiked, metal joints. Most had axes slung across their backs, or jagged, vicious looking swords at their belts. They crossed the distance steadily, scaring away the chittering critters from nearby trees. When they were almost beneath me, their footfalls thundering, I saw the bestial faces beneath their helms, gaunt-cheeked and set in expressions of fell green savagery.
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