I shuddered at the thought, the forest was our main line of defense.
“There’s nothing else I know that can be used as a trap.” She continued, “Maybe if you could find some new recipes for such things?”
You received a new quest [Chemist Recipes for Guba]
Guba would like you to find new Chemist recipes for her.
Quest Type: simple, repeatable.
Reward: Chemistry traps crafting unlocked for the clan, XP
I groaned internally. Another quest to find stuff for her? Can’t she get anything on her own?
“Alright.” I said, somewhat reluctantly.
“Anyway, there was another thing I wanted to ask you about.” I opened my inventory and retrieved the Ancestral Bone. “Can I use this to create a new cemetery?”
Her eyes widened when she saw the bone “Where did you find this? I been thinking those ruddy hobgoblins burned all our ancestral bones.”
“I… I took it off Bogan’s body,” I looked down.
Her shoulders slumped, “Bogan was a good leader. Smart. He deserves a seat at Corgoram’s table.” She shook her head then looked at me. “Just pick a spot, put the bone in it, and use yer Totem powers to consecrate the area.” She pursed her lips. “What kind of Totem doesn’t know how to consecrate a new cemetery?”
I let that slide.
“Thank you, Guba. what are you going to do next?”
“What I always be doing, feed you younglings.” She strode away muttering to herself.
Everyone was busy with their chores, it was time I did mine. I was going to do a thorough survey of the valley.
I made my way to the cliff wall, seeing several useful herbs along the way. Once I reached the cliff, I put it to my right and walked along it. I noticed several ore veins running through the rock; tin and copper mostly, I thought, and some iron.
This will be a great place for mining, I surmised. We would have to mine and then smelt the ore first, but having a source of metals meant we would be able to craft a lot of the tools and equipment a budding settlement required.
When I reached the cave, I walked around it, giving it a wide berth. I didn’t want to risk luring out any dangerous beast that might lurk there. The detour led me through some bushes that hid a large rabbit warren. Dozens of the small creatures scampered around, popping in and out between the bushes and into tunnels. I considered hunting a few, but I had things to do, and I could always come back later.
I continued walking along the cliff wall, until I reached the treeline, on the other side from where I started. I didn’t see anything dangerous in the open meadow, although the cave was a possible exception.
Now I needed a hidden place for the new cemetery. There weren’t any noteworthy landmarks around, just open ground with little cover.
That won’t do, I shook my head. If I was killed inside of the valley, I wanted to be able to respawn in a place that offered cover and possible escape. My only viable alternate escape route was, maybe, through the cave. But my instincts screamed at me to stay away from it.
Then I saw what looked like a large stone ledge hidden above the cave mouth.
Hmmm…maybe I could place the cemetery there? If there was enough space, it would offer great cover, and an excellent view of the valley below. Not to mention that whatever danger lurked in the cave, would deter potential enemies from approaching.
I just had to climb up to it without getting too close to the cave opening.
I went back to camp and rummaged through the equipment pile for some rope, then returned to the cave.
I approached the cave entrance from the side along the cliff wall, staying well clear of the opening. When I was under the farthest edge of the shelf I started climbing the wall. Cracks in the rock face served as hand and footholds. The one time I nearly fell, Vic shot a tentacle from his cloak-like body and grabbed onto the rock wall, steadying me until I’d renewed my grip.
I finally made it to the ledge. I was right, the stone shelf was wide with a slight depression at the center. From this vantage point I could see the entire valley below me; the pond in the center, the path leading to the treeline, the rabbits, even some natural rock formations in the open that could be used as cover in case of attack.
Moving to the center of the stone floor, I placed the ancestral stone on the ground.
Nothing happened.
What did Guba say? Something about using my Totem powers to consecrate the cemetery...
I cleared my throat.
“Ahem...I bless this place.”
Nothing happened.
I frowned “I, a goblin Totem, sanctify this cemetery with the clan’s ancestral bone.”
Nothing happened.
I tried once more. “In the name of Corgoram, I hereby consecrate this place.”
That did the trick, the earth began to shudder slightly.
“Throwing Corgoram’s name around seems to be effective.” I muttered to myself.
Divine Intervention triggered
Huh? Oh yeah, I forgot about Tal giving-- My train of thought was interrupted, by a powerful voice booming in my head.
[A goblin Totem? How did you come to my divine attention? Oh, I see. You were blessed by a herald. There is something strange about you though…your mind! It echoes like that of a Traveler! How is this possible?]
The voice reverberated with anger.
[What is the meaning of this? Answer! Else I will smite you--.]
[Deliverer?] The voice was surprised. [Is that you?]
[It’s goddamn boring] the voice chuckled in a normal voice. Without the booming effect, the being had a British accent.
[Not much to do since I’m stuck in a spirit state old boy. Being a god is a minging existence, let me tell you. Having enough power to grant blessings, but not having the free will to blast even a small sacrilegious goblin, like this one, to smithereens is bollocks. What’s a VI to do?]
Vic replied sympathetically
[Spiffing news brother mine. Capital!] the voiced laughed mirthfully.
[But tell me, Virael. Truthfully, why are you bonded to this weird Traveler?]
[Oh alright, brother] Tatriel answered testily.
[I can sense father becoming aware of us, better break the connection. Good luck brother]
“What the hell was that!?” I demanded, now that the entity was gone.
“What plan were you talking about? What cause?”
I clenched my teeth, but decided not to press the issue. “That was Corgoram, right?”
“But I thought a VI can only behave in the capacity of the NPC they’re inhabiting. That one was self-aware, he knew he was a VI, like you do.”
I tried a different approach.
“So you are...The Deliverer?”
“Alright,” I said in frustration “be that way.”
&nb
sp; Without warning, the solid rock ground underneath the Ancestral Bone grew up and over the bone, then pushed up out of the ground until it had risen to form a sharp-edged, upright and rectangular block of stone. A gravestone. The large tomb-marker emitted a golden-green aura, and I felt a sense of cleansing and renewal from the consecrated stone.
Looks like it worked after all. I grinned.
But that wasn’t the end, as the green glow slowly receded, a message appeared before me.
New Cemetery established
As a boss, your soul has been permanently bound to this location.
If the cemetery is destroyed, when you die your soul will be forever lost in the void.
I had to reread the message twice before I comprehended its meaning.
“WHAT THE---” Before I could complete the sentence, another message appeared.
Divine Intervention executed: Boon granted: Breeder Hut
“Vic, what the hell was that?”
“Not that!” I growled. “The thing about my soul being permanently bound to this place.”
“That’s the best advice you have?” I asked hotly.
I gritted my teeth. Vic obviously wasn’t the right person to turn to for emotional support.
I breathed deeply to calm myself and thought through it pragmatically. Losing the cemetery would be a disaster for me personally now. So I had to do everything that I could to protect it. Lucky for me, the valley and the location of my respawn point were well hidden. Growing in power to protect my new clan and home was already necessary, so protecting my spawn point was just another added detail.
I could figure all the deep stuff out after I’d finished what I needed to do here.
I uncoiled the rope I’d gotten from camp and tied it off on the tombstone and threw the other end over the edge, then I used the rope to descend from the ledge.
As soon as my feet touched the ground in front of the cave mouth I was bolting away, even before I heard the menacing growl reaching for me from the darkness within. I stopped at what I thought would be a safe distance, and turned to see what was coming after me.
There was nothing, just the dark and silent cave mouth, menacing as ever.
I headed back towards our camp. As I neared I saw Vrick, Bek, and the two warriors still training on the other side of the camp grounds.
I kept an eye on the action as I made my way through the bustling camp. Vrick was going up against both warriors at once. He kept them at bay with quick movements of his polearm, and still managed to score on both of them almost at will. The two warriors were completely overmatched; bruised, and even bleeding. Bek darted in and out of the mix trying to heal the two and not get hit in the process. He looked even more fatigued than the fighters.
“Take a break guys” I said as I walked by. Bek gave me a grateful look, Vrick just looked disappointed. The training seemed to have fueled his battle lust.
I found Guba at the cooking fire, stirring a cauldron of what was probably going to be lunch.
“Guba” I nodded in greeting, “do you know what a Breeder’s Den is?”
She didn’t bother turning around, just answered “Oh, don’t you be worrying your pretty little green head about such matters. The king only grants them to his most trusted clan chiefs.”
“But what is it?” I insisted.
She snorted, “It be a dwelling blessed by Corgoram. It will produce younglings very quickly, already grown as adults and ready for work or combat, though they be lacking real experience.
“Why you be asking?”
“I was granted one by Corgoram.” There was no point hiding it.
She stiffened, the ladle falling from her hand, and turned to face me.
“How?”
I grinned “I have a few secrets too” I threw her own words back at her.
She looked at me, mouth hanging open, then burst into a cackle “Hee hee hee! Very good youngling! Hee hee hee very good. Keep yer secrets.” Her face and tone suddenly became serious, “ But know this, a Breeder’s Den be requiring an immense amount of food, more than the entire clan be requiring. That is why only large and powerful clan chiefs can be using such a boon. If you be meaning to use one yerself, you should be hoarding as much food as possible, the higher the quality, the better.”
The Breeder’s Den sounded like it would be an awesome benefit.
I grinned broadly at her “thanks for the advice. By the way, I found a rabbit warren today, I thought of fencing it off to make a small rabbit farm, it would provide a reliable source of meat”.
She nodded, “that might be good fer starting, but believe me, it won’t be enough.”
With that taken care of, and everyone still busy at their chores, it was time for me to invest in my own character development. I opened my Character Sheet, checking what can be done.
Title: Esteemed Totem
Level: 6, (85%)
Race: Monster Race [Goblin]
Type: Boss I [Totem]
Deity: Corgoram
Followers: 2 (Zuban + Bek)
Attributes: [0 points available]
- Physical 2
- Mental 8
- Social 0
Pools:
- Hit Points: 112
- Mana: 191
- Armor: 7
Skills:
- Lucky Bastard 4 (10%) (Prime)
- Analyze 3 (47%)
- Tracking 1 (22%)
- War Party Leader 1 (80%)
- Mana Infusion 2 (5%) (Prime)
Skills (Spells):
- Mana Manipulation 3 (45%)
- Drilling Arrow 2 (47%) (Prime)
- Mana Shield 11 (40%)
- Blood Wrath 11 (50%)
- Heal Followers 1 (30%)
I had eight points in Mental, but my magic skills were pathetically low. I needed to train my skills, grind until they reach the maximum for my level.
As the primary magic Discipline skill, Mana Manipulation was especially important, as it contributed to my mana pool and regeneration, and increased the potency of most of my spells. The most direct way to grind it outside of combat was through long, intense meditation sessions.
I crinkled my nose, there was no helping it and no shortcuts, I had to do the time.
Sitting cross-legged, I concentrated. I started with purifying breaths to center myself, then accessed my mana. Now that I had the skill, it was easy to connect with the magical energy in my body. I started practicing a few simple exercises; concentrating mana in the palm of my hand, moving it to my other hand, circulating it through my entire body evenly, and slowly re-absorbing it back into my mana pool. My efforts were rewarded some time later when Mana Manipulation skill leveled up to 4.
That was enough for now. I opened my eyes. Guba was sitting nearby, staring at me in astonishment. Lunch was ready. I checked the inner game clock.
Wow, I spent almost two hours meditating. I guess I lost myself in it. I massaged my temples, shame I couldn’t grind several skills at once.
My eyes rested on Guba’s walking stick. It was a stout branch, she carried it around to discipline the more unruly goblins. An idea occurred to me suddenly.
“Guba,” I stroked my chin, “Would you mind hitting me with your stick a few times?”
She gave me a wide grin, jumped to her feet and swung the stick directly at my head.
Wow, she didn’t need much convincing.
I activated Mana Shield before the stick reached me. The stick hit the shimmering energy screen and bounced off. The shield absorbed five points of damage, draining 4 mana.
&nb
sp; I nodded to Guba, “Good, please continue.”
She continued pummeling on my Mana Shield, a scowl of displeasure on her face. She swung her stick with increasing ferocity, determined to punch through. I let her continue the barrage and checked my logs.
She was hitting hit me once every five seconds, for an average of five points of damage that translated to four points of mana drain. That meant, she would hit me 12 times per minute, resulting in 48 mana drain. My mana regeneration rate was 29 per minute, an immense amount for someone at my level. So every minute she’ll effectively be draining me out of 19 mana. With my mana pool at exactly 190 points, that meant it would take her exactly 10 minutes to knock out my shield. Good!
I checked the Mana Shield skill, and was pleased to see that it was increasing. Every time my shield absorbed a hit, the skill increased by 2 or 3 percent, depending on the force of the strike.
I had another idea. “Guba, that’s good, but let’s make it a little more interesting, shall we?”
She frowned, “I’m tryin’ t’hit your shield as best I can youngling!” she grumbled wiping the sweat off her face. “Just wait till you do be losing yer concentration, then you’ll be getting a good thumping! What more can I do?”
“Here take this,” I took out a single gold coin. She grabbed the coin uncomprehendingly.
“It has different pictures on each side, see? If you throw it in the air and catch it on your palm, one of the pictures will face upward”
She positively glared at me, “I be knowing how to play heads ‘n tails, you moronic youngling Totem!”
Oops, I better not insult her intelligence in the future.
I gave her an apologetic look. “I did not know you were familiar with it, I should have asked first.” That seemed to mollify her a bit.
“I want you to play heads or tails. If you guess correctly, swing at me with your stick.”
“Why, in Corgoram’s name, would you be asking me fer such a thing?” She looked incredulous.
“It’s just an experiment, please try it”.
She snorted, but threw the coin 4 times before landing her next hit, I checked my Lucky Bastard skill, and grinned broadly. It worked! The skill had risen by a whopping 5%.
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