Life Reset

by Shemer Kuznits

  The required number of bosses though, that was a new one.

  I could almost hear him smirking.

  Ignoring Vic, I opened the Energy Interface next, and selected the Boss menu.

  Promote a new Boss: 1 /2, 1000 Energy

  Leader boss upgrade: Settlement level 3, 20,000 energy

  Twenty thousand energy to reach boss tier 3, that was outrageous! Especially considering the circumstances that led me to earn the 8000 energy worth Void Crystal. I’ll just have to get there the long way, I decided.

  As for getting a completely new boss for the clan, I had enough energy to promote one of the clan members. But who should I choose? Vrick came to mind immediately. The tough, loyal goblin proved himself over and over again, so he was the natural first choice, but I hesitated. Promoting Vrick meant that I’ll lose an experienced, trusty lieutenant. True, I’ll gain a boss instead, but if I'd choose someone else I’ll have both boss and a lieutenant. So Vrick was out. Maybe Zuban? I wondered idly. No, Zuban served his purpose best as he was. How about Tika? That thought had some merit. She could become a much more efficient huntress with the Boss power boost. I also liked the idea that she will be stronger, and would probably be able to resist if someone tried to abduct her again.

 

  “Shut up Vic,” I murmured.

  Promoting Tika for a boss, also meant she’ll be higher priority targets for our enemy, and I didn’t like that thought one bit. Vic’s rude remark however, sparked a different idea. Wouldn’t it actually be better to promote a simple worker? It was the option that offered the highest return. I’ll essentially be losing a non-crucial member and gain an important one instead. I could even select one of the generic warriors for that.

  I sighed. Shame both of the 5th level goblin warriors died at the Ogres hands. They’ve both deserved such a promotion.

  I decided to postpone my decision. There was no rush. There were other requirements to fulfill before this decision will become pressing.

  Besides, it was time.

  ***

  It was dawn, when the shadows were at their deepest due to the low light.

  I was standing on top of the stone shelf, above the cave. All the goblins, along with Borbarabsus, Zuban and the Ogres gathered below, gazing up at me and the nine hobgoblins standing beside me.

  I cleared my throat and addressed the 50-something individuals. “The attack took the lives of many of our warriors, and they are now lost for us forever. This will not do. As the high priest of Nihilator I declare that all new warriors would undergo a ritual. A naming ritual. If Nihilator approves of them, they will be named and awoken, and their death will not be permanent.”

  Earlier, before this gathering, I have spoken to Guba. She knew a few ceremonial chants. I signaled her to start. Taking a step forward of the assembled crowd, Guba began chanting a throaty, Indian like melody. The rest of the crowd fell silent as her voice became louder, washing over all of us with a simple, yet powerful ritualistic chant. I wove my hands through the air, grabbing hold of the surrounding shadows. The darkness started to swirl around the crowd, isolating them on an island surrounded by darkness. I heard an involuntary gasp and my eyes spotted Hoshisu, hiding among the crowd. Somehow, she managed to sneak into the ceremony, and had just discovered a detail about my powers. I clenched my teeth in irritation. There was nothing I could do about it now.

  Guba’s chant was picked up by a few other goblins, and soon, a full chorus of chanting voices filled the early morning air. With a slight nudge, I made the shadows around the Shrine swirl as well. A foreboding vision, if I have ever seen one.

  I threw a quick glance at the nine assembled warriors near me. They remained apathetic to the ominous ritualistic marks all around them. As expected of an unnamed, unthinking puppets.

  Standing near the Shrine, I motioned to the first of them. A female scout, Zuban’s ‘lady friend.’

  The hobgobliness approached, and I instructed her to lay down on the Shrine. Waves of darkness circled and swirled around us obscuring our view from the others.

  Placing my hand on her forehead, I whispered the name Zuban had given me. “Ashlazaria, you are a proud scout, courageous and quick of thought, and you adore Zuban.” Nothing wrong with rewarding one of my most important followers. I proceeded and granted her the Lucky Bastard skill.

  Since she was just a generic grunt, and couldn’t normally learn new skills, that act forced the essence of this world to seed her with a new consciousness. A VI.

  I watched as her eyes opened wide in astonishment, new intelligence gleaming out of her yellow orbs. She stood up stiffly, then bowed before me. “I thank you, Chief.”

  I nodded at her approvingly. “You will do just fine, Ashlazaria. Zuban will be thrilled to see you’ve successfully gone through the ceremony.”

  I motioned for the next hob to come and lay down on the Shrine, a male warrior this time. As before, I lay my hand on his forehead, “Your name is Bran, you enjoy the thrill of battle and take good care of your weapons.” Followed by granting him the Lucky Bastard skill.

  This one, however, didn’t go as smoothly. Large blisters began erupting all over the dark-skinned hobgoblin, he screamed in terror and started thrashing in agony. I sighed in regret and used mana Freeze to immobilize him. He remained on the shrine, unable to move. His body sprouted more and more of the blisters, that drew shadows into them as they swelled in size. I activated Mana Shield around the poor creature. It was difficult, but the boost I received my boss rank up helped facilitate this unusual activation. A moment later, the warrior’s body exploded in a spray of blood and shadows, painting the Shrine in red and black.

  Hobgoblin Warrior sacrificed. +20 Faith Points (Cult of Nihilator) [base 5 X 4 using a Shrine]

  Losing a warrior was too bad. But I knew the dangers of forcing a skill into simple puppets. There was no reason to let their deaths go to waste. Although it might seem a horrific act to the casual observer, there was no denying the underlying logic; The surviving warriors were now real, thinking, living individuals. They would fight and grow. If they die, I would be able to revive them, making sure they can continue to grow, instead of losing the experience they’ve gained so far. It was a cold, hard decision but I was adamant. It was best to lose a few unthinking puppets from the start, in order to make sure that the surviving members would forever remain to be the clan’s protectors. This would also help level the playing fields against the travelers. Those creatures could die many times, but would always come back, and having learned from their demise, they were often even more dangerous than before.

  Now, my troops too could fight and learn, and come back if they would perish. As long as I had enough energy to support them, they would eventually evolve to become an unstoppable force. And the cost for that, was losing a few of them from the start.

  Pragmatism motivated me to perform the ceremony at the Shrine, so even if the process causes their death, the clan would still benefit.

  I looked over at the remaining, expressionless, seven hobs, and motioned the next one over, a female warrior. I named her Zia. And she became the second hobgoblin to have successfully transformed.

  By the time I was finished, out of the original nine, only three warriors had perished at the ceremony. Lucky Bastard had reached level 21, and I gained 60 Faith Points in total.

  I deliberately excluded the two Ogres from this ceremony. I had big plans for them, and I didn’t want risk losing either one of them. Not yet.

  What I’ve done could have been considered cruel. But this is a cruel world. The remaining six hobgoblins, stood proud and tall, taking in their surrounding with eyes brimming with newfound intelligence. Each was stronger than it was before. They would serve their purpose well.

  I inspected the six for a moment, then addressed them quietly. “You have been awakened. As long as you serve faith
fully and protect our clan, you don’t have to fear death. You will fight and you will learn, and you will grow from it. In time, you will become strong enough to make every monster fear the name of the GreenPiece clan. Fight for me. Fight for us all.

  “Yes Chief!” they replied in unison. Devotion and determination clearly evident on their faces.

  The sun has risen on a bright new morning. Nighttime was over.

  Time to go to bed.

  ***

  It’s been a few days since the ceremony. Everything had slowly fallen into place.

  The first shipment of coal has arrived from the Raiders’ Camp, and Barzel had successfully forged basic steel weapons. Though it was an improvement over the weapons we currently had, it was just a proof of concept. We would be building a proper Weapons and Armors Smithies in the next few weeks. The food producing workers were doing their job admiringly, and I’ve even recruited a couple of farmers to work the land, raising crops. Mushrooms, mostly. Soon, we’ll be able to recruit and equip a sizeable force. An army. One that will be comprised solely of intelligent, VI seeded warriors.

  Yes, the future was looking promising.

  Back in bed, Tika naked body was nestled against mine.

  There was still much to do, but there was nothing stopping me now from making this place into the great goblin kingdom I envisioned. We had our work cut out for us.

  Tika didn’t appreciate my musing. The beautiful huntress rolled over on top of me and playfully licked my face.

  I grinned despite myself.

  Goblins!

  Epilogue

  The gremlin explorer was usually in constant fear of an attack from the deadly monsters when walking through the deep forest. But this time, he had protection. Accompanying him were two enormous, by comparison, hobgoblins that made him almost as nervous as the forest usually did.

  With his brown fur, wide long ears and a wide mouth full of sharp teeth, Yeshlimashu walked through the forest path much more confidently than he was used to.

  He was finally going home, and with much gained from travel and trade. Yes, it was a good day.

  He examined the small red mushroom in his hand, his eyes almost feverish with greed.

  What a deal, that goblin Totem had traded the mushroom for a pittance.

  The gremlin grinned, then glanced warily at his two burly warriors escort. Another perk from trading with the Totem.

  What were their names? The gremlin closed his eyes. Zia and… Bob. What a ridiculous name for a hob. Though he had to admit, the two were imposing, Zia especially looked tough.

  Oh, the looks he will get when he shows up at the clan with hobgoblins as his escort.

  But that wasn’t the only thing he was anticipating on his return.

  Once he was back in Zemitpozes, he should be able to persuade a few of the merchants to trade with this new goblin clan, opening a whole new market that would benefit both the traders and the gremlin clan as a whole. As the one who found the market, he would be entitled to a percentage of the profits.

  The gremlin grinned, rubbing his hands together.

  Yes, a good day indeed!

  ***

  The woman limped around the small kitchen, putting the food on the table, while her brother maneuvered his wheelchair to the refrigerator, and got the sodas out.

  The girl frowned and clattered the plates on the table angrily. “I’m telling you something is wrong!”

  The man made a dismissive gesture, scoffing.

  “Oh, come on sis, it’s just a game. He’s not the first player to prefer NEO to the real world.”

  She shook her head. “I’m telling you something's not right, and it’s not just him. Who’s ever heard of a dungeon or a crafting method that made players solve advanced, nonstandard mathematical calculations?”

  Her brother wheeled himself to the table. “We’re beta testing a completely new side of the game, there are bound to be differences.”

  “Differences, yes.” She sat down. “But puzzles on theoretical mathematics? Come on, use your head, you’re supposed to be super-smart, remember? Playing Malkyr is rubbing off on you a bit too much.”

  He chuckled and picked up his fork. “Come on, don’t tell me it isn’t awesome playing Hoshisu, the badass half-goblin assassin.”

  The girl grabbed her own fork. “That doesn’t have anything to do with it. That guy knows something. He isn’t telling us everything.”

  “Look, he’s not telling us a lot of stuff really, but he’s an ok guy, you know? I get the sense he really just wants to build his clan of goblins into something great. And I for one, want to be a part of it.” He swigged some of his soda.

  “He could be a company spy. Placed there to keeps tabs on us.”

  “Please,“ the man snorted. “He’s more invested in the game than we are. And what about those awesome quests he gives us? And that Ogre attack? Man, that was epic. I really felt like I was defending my home or some special place, you know, standing against the coming storm like an ancient Viking. That was awesome!” He banged his knife on the table.

  “And that doesn't strike you as strange?” the girl pressed. “I’ve never heard of a player giving another player quests before.” She paused, fork halfway to her mouth. “You don’t think… Could he be an experimental AI NPC?”

  “What? No! I mean, he can’t be. His responses are too real.”

  “But he could be.” The girl pointed her fork at her brother. “He could be a new AI the company’s developed, and they’re using us as guinea pigs to test how he interacts with players!”

  “That…can’t be.”

  “Well, I am going to test it.”

  ”How?”

  “I’m going to challenge him to a duel!”

  “What? Why? He’ll wipe the floor with you, you saw what he did to those Ogres right? And those cool shadow effects he uses…” He chewed slowly. “I guess…he could be an NPC, I’ve never heard of a player controlling shadows like he does.”

  “I am going to challenge him to a duel. I’ll mix it up, see how he adapts and reacts.”

  “What will that tell you? Even if he fights like a player, he could still be a sophisticated AI.”

  “Yes, but if I win I’ll know which one he is. If he’s a player, my Player Kill counter will increase, if he’s an NPC, I will get XP.”

  “If you win.”

  “Oh don’t you worry, brother-dear,” her grin became positively evil. “Ve haff vays.”

  ***

  He sat there in his throne-like chair; the Dragon-Behemoth Slayer, intrepid adventurer and leader of men, famous explorer and strategist. He sat, and he glared distastefully at the pile of documents on the ornate desktop. He was supposed to be reviewing each and every single one of them.

  Vatras hated his job, being a guild leader.

  If he’d known the tortuous bureaucracy involved, he would have left that blind ass, Oren Berman, as a figurehead right where he was, and been happy to let him have the trinkets and salary his position garnered, they weren’t worth the hassle.

  Even that passing thought of him, the former guildmaster he betrayed, caused Vatras’ pulse to jump and heat to rise, his face flushing in anger.

  How he hated that jackass of a man! He had over a dozen Prime badges, but not a shred of leadership or social skills. Despite that, the asshole had leveraged his badges to make everyone bow and scrape to him like an old-time emperor. Even he, Vatras, had to curry that bastard’s favor.

  Vatras eyed the document pile; his new, most hated, foe.

  No. He, Vatras, had needed- had wanted, Oren gone.

  He had plotted and schemed for so long, and it had worked in the end, Oren finally ‘disappeared’ in disgrace.

  But things hadn’t gone as planned after the flawless coup.

  Oren hadn’t deleted his character. That was the only explanation for why he and his lieutenants still hadn’t inherited any of Oren’s Prime badges. They were the second people in the entire game to lear
n those skills, so each of the badges should have defaulted to one of the three in the cabal.

  The sudden lack of access to Prime badges had created serious problems for the organization. Without the badges to attract new members, the guild’s ongoing recruitment efforts had taken a hit. without an influx of new players to bolster their ranks they would soon have to reduce their operations. They were still powerful, but the next highest guild in the ranking was gaining on them fast, in a few weeks, the Manapulators might be dethroned from the top spot in the listings.

  He couldn’t allow that.

  This was all Oren’s fault.

  He had to find a way to force Oren to delete his character.

  A light tap came at the office door.

  “Come in,” Vatras grunted.

  His first officer, Bigpill came in.

  “Hey Vatras.”

  “News?”

  “All the guild members with the Scrying Skill are looking for Oren’s goblin character.”

  “And, what do they see?”

  “There are several reports of weird goblin behavior, but nothing too out of the ordinary.” Bigpill explained. “A goblin killed a troll and gained a regeneration power. Another one is building up a new clan, and another is leading a horde against NPC villages, looting their magic items. Stuff like that.” his recitation was indifferent, Bigpill was the live-in-the-moment type.

  “Any one of those could be Oren. Send scouting parties to each location. Find him.”

  “Sure thing guildmaster.” He left the office, closing the door behind him.

  Vatras gave the pile of documents another hate-filled look, then sighed and started reading the next one.

  ***

  Mr. Emery opened the closet tie rack in his office, and looked critically at the dozens of expensive new ties. All black.