“If you’re through feeling sorry for yourself”, Vic cut me off bluntly, “You might want to check this new system message that appeared while you were out”, as he finished speaking, a message popped up.
Analyze Skill level increased to 101 (*)
New rank - Apprentice: you can view creatures’ resistances.
New rank - Expert: you can view basic details of all creatures below divine rank. View all magical effects up to Epic level.
New rank - Master: View all statistics of creatures below divine rank. View background lore of creatures and magical effect below Epic level
“What the hell is going on?” I asked Vic, “that can’t be right, I don’t have the 90 Mental points required for that skill level.”
“As I said before, you are a broken character boss. The rules don’t apply to you, and some can be bent. Seems like the game engine has decided that the best way to account for the extra data you’re receiving is to legitimize it. Part of that is that it’s no longer bound to the Mental attribute. Congratulations on your first Master ranked skill.”
“Thanks, I guess,” I mumbled, still shocked from the new revelation.
“Anyway, we still got that big ugly boss behind the gates to deal with,” He reminded me. “He didn’t move at all while you were out. I think he can’t come out through the gate, though I’d bet he already knows we’re here, you kinda screamed a lot before passing out.”
“Shit,” I replied, then sighed, “Well, it doesn't really matter, no amount of surprise on our side would have given us any edge over that beast. It’d take a small army of high-level players to take it down.”
“You’re probably right,” Vic conceded. For some reason, him agreeing with me made me more apprehensive.
“Well, since there’s no way we could get the jump on him…” What can I do then? All my experiences playing as a goblins taught me how little I actually knew, and to tread carefully. “We might as well go and try to talk to him.” I finally declared.
Vic shrugged, “whatever you think’s best, boss.”
“Ok. I’ll go in, you wait here outside with the sword. There’s no sense in losing it if that behemoth decides to attack.”
“Sure thing boss.”
I took a deep breath, steadying myself, then passed through the gate’s hatchway.
The passage was a few meters long. I exited on the other side and found myself standing in a dark, large half spherical chamber, in its center was a large mound of rock.
Nihilator, the NPC boss, was lying down right in front of the mound. He had the rough shape of a hound, though he was much much larger than any hound I’ve ever seen. His face had some dragon-like characteristics and he was huge, as large as an elephant. His body was much thicker and more muscular than a hound of the same scale. He was almost completely black, similar to the Mastiffs that had attacked us. His body displayed patches that appeared to be some type of earth or rock. His head resembled a cross between a hound and a man, with a short muzzle, humanlike cheeks and ears, and intelligent piercing eyes that were staring directly at me as I entered his domain, though I tried to sneak in unnoticed.
What was even more interesting than his physical appearance, were three huge chains that were connected to a massive collar around his throat. Each end of the chains was embedded deep inside the central rock mound. The chains were evidently magical, as each one glowed with a different color. One was glowing white, sparkling with electricity, another glowed with fiery red flames and the last emitted a cold bluish color that exuded gentle white fog. That was one hell of a leash.
The flaming chain glowed the brightest and was the reason I initially thought the beast itself was engulfed by flames.
“COME IN LITTLE GOBLIN AND STAND BEFORE ME!” The monster bellowed in a booming, commanding voice.
I was actually leaning toward the opposite. All my player’s instincts screamed at me that I was way over my head and recommended that I should flee immediately. But, once again, I had already witnessed how those instincts could work against me in this new reality. I had to think like an NPC boss instead of a player, and that meant facing the current situation head on. As I was mulling over it all in my head, the monster suddenly squinted its eyes, focusing on the area behind me. A vast sheet of rock had risen up from the ground to block my exit, I was now trapped in.
Well, at least that helped narrow down my options.
“NOW COME BEFORE ME!” It commanded again, “OR I SHALL WREAK A HUNDRED DEATHS UPON YOU!”
I was sure that beast could snuff my pitiful hundred and sixty-something hit points with a glancing blow, and seeing as there was no way to run now, diplomacy was my only option.
I approached the huge beast slowly, staring at the ground as I was trying to appear intimidated and docile. I reached a few meters away from him and raised my eyes to look at the gigantic body, towering over me.
I inhaled deeply, composing myself, then I bowed respectfully. “Greetings, oh great Nihilator, Lord of Darkness. I am but a humble goblin who came to behold your vast glory.” When in doubt, always resort to flattery, especially when facing a big scary monster.
It seemed to amuse him as he started laughing with a terrible, booming laughter, “HA HA HA! A MERE GOBLIN? ARE YOU NOW? YOUR EXPLOITS IN THESE CAVES INDICATE OTHERWISE. YOU HAVE BEEN MOST AMUSING TO WATCH.”
His booming voice beat down on me with a physical-like force that knocked me to the ground. I tried shielding my head with my arms, to ease up the pressure, but to no avail.
That seemed to only amuse him further, as he continued laughing. “HA HA HA, VERY WELL YOU SMALL INSIGNIFICANT INSECT, YOU HAVE AMUSED ME SUFFICIENTLY TO BE GRANTED AN AUDIENCE!”
As he finished talking, he began to shrink. He became smaller and smaller, the leash around his neck resized as well, the chains still well bound to it. He continued shrinking until he reached the size of a small horse, which was still about 3 times my height.
“Now we can talk,” the monster said, in a much more bearable volume. “I was quite intrigued that you were able to destroy my shadow touched minions, they were much stronger than you and your party. But somehow, you found a way to defeat each of them. Forcing my Mastiff back into the water was quite ingenious, though the water had no effect on it. I, however, decided to grant you a victory for your display of resourcefulness, and to present you with a reward.”
I couldn’t help myself, my greed flared up at the thought of the vast and precious treasures this powerful boss could bestow upon me.
“YOUR REWARD IS TO ENTER MY CHAMBER ALIVE!” The beast suddenly roared, its voice once again blew me off my feet, and I sprawled on the ground.
“Now little goblin Totem,” he continued in a more relaxed tone, “Why have you come here? Your kind has no place here, you are mere vermin, unfit to even be devoured. SPEAK!”
I had to think fast. The fact that the monster reacted to my sudden greedy thoughts could have been just a coincidence. But I was getting more and more evidence lately that the game could interpret my innermost thoughts, and not just my explicit mental commands. I decided to go with the truth, for now.
I didn’t bother to get up on my feet, instead I bowed on my knees before the great beast. “I had a vision, oh great one.” clichéd villains were always egotistical, so I threw in some extra flattery to sugar coat my words, “My vision showed a great darkness erupt from the cave, wiping out the settlement I am trying to build in the valley outside. I came here to investigate and to find its source.”
“And now you have found it!” The monster growled menacingly. “I’ve been shackled in this damn cave for eons! Trapped by beings who were my own brethren, weakening me considerably. Over the years, however, I have slowly gathered my strength, and let forth the little bit of darkness that I still possessed. But the blasted sky-light still held me back! It prevents me from sending forth my minions to fetch fresh prey for me to feast upon. I am now limited only to the darkest, moonless nights. And now YOU,”
He glared at me, “tell me that a whole goblin vermin nest has sprouted outside? Tomorrow, at the first night of the dark moon, my forces will hunt you down, and I shall devour you all!”
That was a very dramatic and climactic speech, I was actually impressed by it. But the fact remained, that after he finished speaking, Nihilator didn’t attack me. Instead, he kept looking at me, waiting for my response. Despite my unique circumstances, this was still a game and some patterns were absolute. The fact that the game gave me a chance to respond, meant that there was a way out of this mess, I just had to figure what it was.
This beast seemed totally evil, all he cared about was spreading darkness and destruction, which now explained my first vision. But I still didn't understand why my second vision showed the darkness being stopped by my Chief’s House. What could possibly be in that house that would interest this ancient monster? The content of the chest? I doubted it, The cougar skull? That was laughable. What then? What kind of option the house gave me that could be of any interest to Nihilator?
Wait! I thought with a sudden realization, It’s not the house itself! It’s the new options it had unlocked in the interface! Something in the new interface could be the answer to my salvation, but what?
There could be only one natural conclusion: Energy. The settlement’s energy. That must be it. Somehow, it would interest Nihilator. I decided to go with my intuition.
I looked at the visage of the powerful menacing boss, still awaiting my response. “My settlement is large enough to produce energy,” I declared calmly. “Is there any chance that would be of interest to you?”
He stared at me, apparently stunned by my audacious declaration. Then he laughed again, reverting back to his overpowering thunderous voice. “HA HA HA, YOU?! A MERE GOBLIN WISHES TO BECOME MY WORSHIPPER?!”
Eh? Did I miss something? I don’t remember saying anything about worshipping him.
As if he heard my question, Nihilator regained his composure and continued his ranting. “I would be worshiped by worthy beings! Eons ago, hordes of giants and devils called me their master and served me faithfully. They would have squashed any foe that would dare show force against me. Only the most powerful, who managed to defeat my loyal minions were worthy enough to face me and to meet their doom by my own hands. And now YOU a mere goblin dare to suggest your stinking race is deserving of such honor!”
I thought I understood what he was talking about. Nihilator was a high-level raid boss. In the game, in order to face the final boss, you usually had to go through all his weaker forces first. His minions, servants and lesser bosses, only then would you finally face the greatest final boss. According to these standards, my small goblin clan was inadequate to the task. We could only hope to provide a challenge for a few low-level players, such as those who would stand no chance against Nihilator. On the other hand, a high-level raid party worthy to battle Nihilator, wouldn’t even consider us a threat that deserves the time to put it down. In short, we were ill suited minions for his boss level. That said, it was either us or nothing. So that’s what I told him.
“I don’t think you have much choice,” I said brazenly. “There are no giants or demons around looking to serve you, only me and my clan. I’m offering our allegiance to you. What do you say?”
That startled him. I could tell no one had dared to talk to him this way before, least of all such a low-level individual as myself. But he knew I was right. He stared at me for a long moment, and for a second there I thought he was going to attack. But the moment had passed. Nihilator relaxed and then laughed his evil booming laugh, “HA HA HA, Very well! You are a brazen little goblin, and so I shall grant you the chance to serve me. Go back to your pathetic clan, forsake the pathetic deity you’re currently honoring, and swear your allegiance to me! Then, and only then, shall you be spared.” He stopped to look me up and down fully before continuing, “You are a lucky one. Before I was imprisoned, I had nearly amassed enough energy to ascend to the next state of transformation, that was when those wretched Outriders attacked. Though they stopped my progress, they couldn’t undo it, which brings us to my earlier statement of you being a very lucky goblin.” He looked me over to make sure he had my full undivided attention before continuing his ranting. “At this stage, even a lowly goblin settlement would be enough, given enough time, to grant me the remaining energy I require. I shall break my bonds and finally be free again. Then, I shall repay all those who betrayed me a thousandfold. And that is where you come in, the lucky goblin who has it in his power to aid the mighty Nihilator”
Apparently, the game agreed with him, as I was awarded with a message informing me Lucky Bastard skill has increased to level 14.
“Err…” I stammered, completely taken away. I still didn’t follow how I was suddenly obliged to nominate him as our new clan’s god, or how that related to the settlement energy. But I did understand why he needed that energy. Similarly to the prerequisite of 5,000 energy for me to achieve the next boss level, he too needed the energy to raise his boss level. Shame, I would much rather use it to further my clan’s development, but I could make do without it. I never counted on it in the first place, it only came to me as a pleasant surprise. Hmm, maybe I could give him some of the energy and save some for myself? Who knows?
“So… how much energy do you require?” I dared to ask.
“One hundred thousand,” He declared proudly.
I felt a pitfall in my stomach. 100,000! It would take years to get that much! I wouldn’t be able to spare even a single energy point for myself, damn!
But Nihilator wasn’t finished with me yet. He looked at me menacingly again, and growled, “You have until the last day of the dark moon to show your obedience and to dedicate your clan as MY devoted and faithful servants. That means that by midnight of the third day, should you fail to do so, my hounds shall wipe your poor settlement from this world.”
You received a new quest! [New Religion]
Nihilator has tasked you with nominating him as your clan’s new patron deity.
Quest Type: unique
Time limit: 3 more days, at midnight
Reward: New clan patron deity, 1000xp, other
Damn, I hope that’s enough time, I thought dispiritedly. Well, in the worst case I’ll simply have to start a new settlement elsewhere after I respawn. Though not optimal, at least I had a backup plan. I was hoping I wouldn’t be forced to implement it.
Nihilator observed me closely as I mulled over his words and weighed my options. Then he suddenly chuckled, “Oh, no no no, my clever little servant. There will be NO escaping your destiny. If you shall fail in your task, my hounds WILL find you and bring you before me. I shall devour your very soul, and you shall forever be lost within the endless darkness of my bowels. You shall be doomed to be reborn and to die in agony and in darkness, again and again, for all eternity.”
That got my attention. I actually paled at hearing the fate that awaited me should I fail. It was very plausible that Nihilator could do that to an NPC, and in my current situation, there was no guarantee I’d be protected from this fate. All of a sudden, the game transformed itself completely in my eyes. Up until now, in spite of my weird predicament, it was still just a game and I was still just a player playing in it. But now... my deep immersion meant that I experienced everything in the game much more deeply and more real than normal players. Add to that my inability to log out and that made Nihilator’s threat very very serious, and very very frightening. It was the stuff of nightmares, really. Such a fate would mean my own eventual REAL death. I would be stuck in whatever dimension of darkness his body is made off, unable to escape, while being digested alive until I die, over and over again. There was no way I could mentally endure that. Even if my real body would still function in the outside world, this torment would eventually destroy my mind, effectively killing me. It was an alarming predicament.
Alarming predicament? Hell, I was scared shitless! I honestly thought for a moment there, I was going to f
aint from fright. It suddenly dawned on me that I was taking part in a real-life horror movie, and there was no director around to shout ‘cut’ to stop the scene from rolling. I was on my own. I had no save myself.
What could I do? For a moment I thought of using the Outrider bracelet, but quickly thought better of it. According to Nihilator last time it took many Outriders to bring him down. Just one of them wouldn’t make much difference. I really had no choice, except bowing my head and hope for the best.
“I understand… master,” I replied to the now VERY scary beast in front of me. “Your will shall be done.”
“Of course it will,” Nihilator replied with egoistic self-satisfaction. “Now go!”
As he spoke the words, the stone barrier lowered itself into the ground, revealing the entryway. Still half in shock from terror, I moved toward it.
Just as I was about to pass through, the beast spoke again, “Oh, and on your way out, throw that obscene sword into the lava.
I was still too overwhelmed to try and think of a clever way around his order, so I simply mumbled, “Yes master,” and went out.
***
Vic was waiting for me in the tunnel outside of Annihilator’s chamber. He seemed concerned when he saw me, apparently, my terror was clear on my face.
“What happened?” He demanded. “Something completely cut off our mental connection, I couldn’t tell if you were still alive!” he actually looked concerned.
That was mildly amusing, a faint smile touched my lips. “My Vic, don’t tell me you were actually worried about me?”
He stammered for a moment, looking for the right words. “Of course not!” he spat at last, “I was just worried my meat suit companion got himself killed and left me here, stuck in a dark, deserted tunnel!”
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