by Troy Osgood
Ignoring the corpse, and the possible hide, Hall pushed into the surrounding bushes. He tried to remember what he knew of the options available for healing at low levels. There weren’t many. Health regenerated but sometimes not quickly enough, so additional means were sometimes needed. Low levels couldn’t afford health potions and wouldn’t always have a Druid handy, so the only option available in the wild was Greenroot. A fairly common root, located in every zone, it had some healing properties.
At higher levels, the amount healed was negligible compared to a character’s overall health, but for low levels, it was incredibly useful.
He just had to find some.
Opening up his stat sheet to double check, there should have been a couple of health points restored by now, he saw no gain in his Health. It had actually dropped a couple more points.
Cursing, he started intently studying the ground around the trees. He was looking for exposed roots, especially those on the north face of the trees that were covered in moss.
Over the next fifteen minutes he found three of the roots. He got the same message and skill up each time.
Success!
You have harvested: Greenroot
Skill Gain!
Herbology Rank 2 +.2
The first one he found he ate quickly. He could feel the effects almost instantly. It was a sweet tasting root, crunchy, and a warmth filled his body. Looking at his stat sheet, he saw the Health start to rise. Slowly, but it was rising.
He knew the effects did not stack, and there was a cooldown between uses, so he forced himself to wait. Already he was feeling better, the pain not as great.
Using the map, he plotted a course toward the road.
As he walked, he kept looking for more Greenroot, finding a half dozen more of the root that he stored in his pouch. His body may have healed but his leather chest had not. He could feel the cool air through the rips in the armor. He was still fully benefiting from the armor, statwise, but it couldn’t take too many more blows before it became useless. He’d have to be careful.
He had also apparently gotten two full points in Herbology for his efforts. A new line had been added to the Skill Gain prompt each time it happened.
Congratulations!
You have gained a Skill Point
Herbology Rank 2, 12 Skill Points
A couple hours of slow walking later, the sun was starting to set and Hall knew he would need to find shelter for the night. Shelter and food.
He started surveying the land, looking for a pile of boulders or similar to what he had the night before. Thirty minutes later, he had found nothing.
Not willing to give up yet, Hall pushed on but started to hear an odd noise through the woods. He stopped, listening, and turned in that direction.
It was crying.
Hall crouched down, moving through the forest as silently as he could.
The crying wasn’t loud, just sobbing, but it was deep and gravelly. Hall thought he had heard the voice before but wasn’t sure.
He peeked around a tree and saw a Dwarf sitting on the ground, two-handed axe next to him, head in hands. Hall recognized the Dwarf as Roxhard, from the Laughing Horse in Grayhold. His chain armor was ripped in a couple places, blood matted on his arms. He looked weak and exhausted.
Hall checked Roxhard’s Character Status, the parts he could see, getting an Identify gain, and saw that the Dwarf Warden was down to just 25% of his health. The Vitality was even lower.
He started to back away to leave Roxhard alone. It seemed a private moment. Hall remembered how the Dwarf had reacted in the Inn. He was overwhelmed. So are we all, Hall thought as he took a step away.
A loud growl came from near where Roxhard was. The sobbing stopped abruptly.
“Go away,” Roxhard said. The voice was the deep, gravelly voice of a Dwarf but the tone was that of a kid. “Leave me alone.”
Cursing, Hall turned back. He gripped his spear tighter and charged out of the shadows of the trees.
A wolf was ten feet from Roxhard, the Dwarf still on the ground. He had made no move to grab his axe or back away from the wolf.
Hall ran forward with his spear leading. He slammed into the wolf, the point piercing the hide and exiting the other side. The wolf yelped loudly, falling to the ground. Hall pulled up, stopping himself from falling, his spear sticking out of the wolf.
SNEAK ATTACK!!!
You have scored a critical hit!
SLAIN: Aggressive Wolf
+30 Experience
Skill Gain!
Polearms Rank 2 +.3
He pulled his spear out of the wolf and was about to start skinning it when he heard a low growl from behind him. Turning, Hall saw another wolf walk slowly out of the forest. He glanced at Roxhard, the Dwarf still not moving. Cursing, Hall stood up and faced the new wolf.
It advanced on him, picking up the pace. It glanced at Roxhard, licking its lips, but knew it had to deal with the threat first. Hall didn’t give it a chance. He threw the javelin at close range, taking the distracted wolf in the shoulder. It was knocked down, and Hall used Leap, landing next to the wolf.
He stabbed with the spear, ending the wolf’s life. He was glad the wolf had growled, giving him warning. If it had attacked, he’d probably be dead now, and the Dwarf would be next.
SLAIN: Aggressive Green Flow Forest Wolf
+30 Experience
Skill Gain!
Polearms Rank 2 +.1
Skill Gain!
Thrown Rank 2 +.1
WOLVES OUTSIDE THE HOLD
Kill Green Flow Wolf 8/8
Congratulations!
You have completed WOLVES OUTSIDE THE HOLD.
Return to Guard
Captain Henry in Grayhold for your reward.
A new prompt appeared, one he hadn’t seen before.
You have gained LEVEL 2!
You have gained +1 Stat Points to spend.
Your Health, Energy, and Vitality have increased.
Hall looked for additional prompts showing skill level increases or points to add, but there was none. Apparently, skill increases only came through use. At least he had gotten some points added to his Health and other attributes. One stat point would be useful. He just had to decide where to add it. Probably Strength or Agility, he thought. Maybe Wellness. The other three, Intelligence, Willpower, and Charisma, could wait.
Better wait until found I’ve found shelter, Hall thought as he bent down to skin the wolf.
“Should have let it kill me,” Roxhard said. He was no longer crying but his voice showed how miserable the Dwarf was. “At least I’d respawn back in Grayhold. Spending another night in an alley is better than out here.”
“Are you sure about that?” Hall asked, stuffing the wolf hide into his pouch. Another tattered hide and another skill-up.
“Which part?”
“The respawning.”
“Why wouldn’t we?” Roxhard asked, confusion in his voice. It was not something he had thought a possibility.
“Don’t know,” Hall replied. “Not something I’m personally willing to test out though.”
“I don’t care,” Roxhard said bitterly.
Hall ignored the remark, settling down on the ground next to the Dwarf. He had thought the player to be only thirteen or so and was thinking the guess was close. Hall could understand how overwhelming this would be for a kid. It was for all of them. Hall was just a person that only let things he could control affect him. He couldn’t control this so he’d play it out.
“What did you mean by sleeping in an alley?” he asked. “The Inn was right there.”
“Most of us didn’t have any money,” Roxhard grumbled. “The innkeeper had the guards come and kick us all out. Had to huddle in an alley.”
That was a little surprising, Hall thought. Inns cost money. Even if you just logged out inside one, which most people did for the instant logout function, it still cost a couple coppers or silver that was automatically deducted. At higher
levels, it was such a small amount of money that players tended to forget it happened. One kill would yield enough loot to pay for a couple nights at an Inn. But for lower levels, it could get costly.
He hadn’t even considered that possibility.
“Why the crying?” he finally asked.
Roxhard looked up sharply, embarrassed. It took him a minute before he finally started talking.
“I got two quests from Guard Captain Henry, so came out looking for wolves to kill. Needed the coin. Encountered the wolves, went at them like I normally would,” Roxhard started and shrugged.
Hall could picture it. He had played a Warden a couple of times. The class was the tank in the game, able to dish out punishment, but more importantly, take it. At almost any level, a Warden could take on multiple enemies of a level or so higher without breaking a sweat. But with the new rules that the world apparently had, those tactics could be deadly.
“I didn’t realize I wasn’t healing as quickly until an hour ago. It started getting dark. I couldn’t find my way back to Grayhold and…” Roxhard stopped talking, head bowed into his hands again, and Hall was afraid he’d start crying again.
It had all finally proven too much for Roxhard, and he had broken down.
“How old are you, really?” Hall asked.
Roxhard’s head shot up again. More embarrassment and shock. He was about to say something but the look from Hall stopped him. It said to not bother.
“Fourteen,” he finally said.
He had guessed right. “How’d you get an account?” Hall asked.
“My older brother,” Roxhard said. “It’s his account. He lets me play it now and then.”
What crap luck being online when the attack, or whatever it was, happened
“Why haven’t you been eating Greenroot?” Hall asked, handing some of the herb over to Roxhard. The Dwarf accepted it gratefully. “Doesn’t do much, but better than nothing.”
“Didn’t even know what to look for,” Roxhard answered munching on the crunchy root. “Not bad,” he added. Already, some of his visible wounds were starting to close up.
“How? Just have to look at it, and the stuff practically glows,” Hall remarked.
“Not to me,” Roxhard replied with a shrug.
That was strange, Hall thought, bringing up Roxhard’s Character Sheet. Besides being a Dwarf, not much was different except for the class. Maybe it had something to do with the races? Hall mentally clicked on the arrow next to race, which pulled up in-game information on the Dwarven race.
Dwarves live deep in the mountains, carving tunnels and chambers out of the rock while also building halls in the valleys. They spend as much time outside the mountains, on the slopes and valleys, as they do inside. Born with a natural affinity for blacksmithing and mining, Dwarves have the Starting Skills of Mining, Smithing, and Survival. Each gains at an accelerated rate and can be used without formal training. Dwarves also receive a starting Attribute bonus of +2 to Strength and +1 to Wellness. Dwarves also receive a bonus of +7 to Health, +1 to Energy and +2 to Vitality at each level.
Interesting, Hall thought. Races had always gotten Attribute bonuses but never Skill bonuses. Another new feature, which made sense as it added some more realism to the game. He hit the Question Mark next to his race, Half-Elf, and got a similar message.
Half-Elves are a mix of Human and Elven parents. They can live in either culture but are never truly at home anywhere. Most Half-Elves tend to wander, never staying in one place, but can be incredibly loyal to anyplace they end up calling home. Half-Elves have the Starting Skills of Herbology Rank 2, Skinning Rank 2, and Survival Rank 2. Each gains at an accelerated rate and can be used without formal training. Half-Elves also receive a starting Attribute bonus of +2 to Agility and +1 to Wellness. Half-Elves also receive a bonus of +5 to Health, +2 to Energy and +2 to Vitality at each level.
As a Skirmisher he got starting combat skills in Polearms, Thrown and Light Armor. Each of those started at Rank 2.
“I guess races get some starting skills now along with the Class starting skills,” Hall said. Roxhard looked at him in confusion. “Lets you learn some skills without training and at a higher rank.”
Roxhard got a blank stare as he looked past Hall’s shoulder. So that’s what it looks like, Hall thought, watching the Dwarf’s staring eyes move as if he was reading. A minute later the eyes came back into focus.
“Yeah. That’s neat. Being a Dwarf lets me learn Mining, Smithing, and Survival… whatever that is.” Roxhard smiled. “Makes sense that I haven’t gained in any of that. No mines or ore around.” He waved his hands, indicating the forest around him.
“I wonder if your Survival is different from mine,” Hall said. “I’ve gotten some gains here and there. Biggest was when I made a campfire the other night.”
“Maybe because we’re in a forest, yours is related to Survival aspects in this environment?”
“Yeah, maybe,” Hall said, standing up. “Come on, let’s go find some shelter?”
“Really?” Roxhard asked. The look was full of hope, gratitude, and lots of other emotions.
Hall shrugged. He wasn’t sure why he was helping the kid. Feeling bad was part of it. He’d never had siblings, no little or big brother, so he had learned to rely on just himself. Roxhard was just a kid and way out of his depth. Hall knew he’d feel horrible if something happened to the Dwarf.
“Yeah,” Hall said. “Come on.”
“Lead the way,” Roxhard said, sounding much better than a couple minutes ago, and stood up. He was barely taller than Hall’s waist.
CHAPTER SEVEN
It had been another restless and uncomfortable night.
But at least it had been warm.
Having learned his lesson the other night, Hall had stoked the fire up high before laying down and trying to sleep. He’d woken up a couple times and thrown more wood on the fire.
He felt more refreshed than the previous morning but had still gotten the Vitality debuff, -3 this time. The effects must have been cumulative until he did something to fix it. Being injured and fighting probably didn’t help either. A good meal and night’s sleep would probably do the trick and regen the Vitality.
They had managed to snare a couple rabbits and some edible berries so they had at least gotten some food. Hall had given most of it to Roxhard, doubting the kid had eaten at all. Surprisingly, sleeping on the hard ground didn’t seem to bother Roxhard. Perk of being a Dwarf.
The kid was still sleeping. As there really was no schedule, and it would probably be a long day, Hall let him. He sat cross-legged next to the fire and opened his stat sheet. He had two stat points to use up. He was surprised to see he had six in total. Apparently, he got some bonus stat points at level one that he hadn’t used.
Each character had six Attributes that helped determine the two, now three, attributes as well as other features like Protection, Attack Power, Attack Speed, Resistances, and carrying capacity. The stats quantified the various physical and mental aspects of the character’s body. The Statuses were the characters Health points as well as their Energy levels, and now apparently their Vitality as well.
Strength helped determine how hard the character could hit and how much they could carry. While inventory was kept in the magical bags and were essentially weightless, the character could only carry so much in the way of armor and weapons. The Attribute also aided in determining how much the character could lift.
Agility was a measure of the character's speed and dexterity, their flexibility. It helped with their Attack Speed as well as their Protection. The more agile the character, the faster they could attack and the easier they could avoid attacks. It also added in climbing up walls and other such actions. A character with low agility would be clumsy.
Overall quality of a character's health was measured in Wellness. How well did they resist disease and poison? How weak was the body? A character could be physically strong but weak in body. They could hit hard but not
often before tiring. Wellness was the biggest measure in determining a character’s Health.
Hall wondered how, or if, it affected the new attribute of Vitality.
Willpower was similar to Wellness but helped determine the level of a character’s Energy as well as their ability to resist mental attacks and debuffs. How well a character’s own debuffs worked on enemies was also determined by Willpower. The higher the stat, the higher the characters pool of Energy.
The power of a character’s spells was determined by Intelligence. The higher the intelligence, the stronger the damage or effect of a spell. It also affected the cooldown and casting speed of spells and abilities. Smarter meant the character could cast more and faster.
Charisma, the last stat, reflected how well the character could bluff or negotiate. How convincing would that character be?
The Attributes could also affect some skills and abilities.
Abilities were the various class-based actions that a character was granted to use in combat. These were specific to each of the seven classes; Warden, Duelist, Skirmisher, Skald, Shaman, Druid, and Witch. Skills were the various actions a player could learn to help round out the character. There had originally been four types, Combat and Magic based, Character and Professions. Now there was one more, Environment. The Character, now called Activity, were skills that helped build the story aspect of the character, part of the immersion that the developers had tried to put into the game. The Combat and Magic skills were useful for raids and leveling up, the ones that helped define the character's overall power.
Skills were divided into Ranks, five in total, with a maximum level of one hundred. Each rank had character level and stat requirements to advance to the next rank, and possibly some quest component. Abilities were gained automatically as the character leveled and the skills leveled.