by J R Davis
I paused for a moment considering, when it was Ogma who spoke this time “try and haggle with him!” So, I was supposed to haggle with this greedy little gnome, was I? Ok, fine, time to con the con artist, I thought to myself. “You know Zootwick, I would really love to get it, but the most I could offer would be about 600 for the spear.”
Zootwick let out an exaggerated gasp, “But sir, this is a very sturdy spear, and the craftsmanship is excellent, I cannot bear to part with it for any less than say...1200 gold.”
“900 gold”, I responded, “far better in my hands than still in your inventory, wouldn’t you say?”
“1150, this spear, she is very close to my heart, how could a father let his children go into the world without a proper dowry?” The glint in his eyes returning as his hands clasped together in agrees fashion.
“Perhaps sir, but keep her too long and she would be passed a marriageable age, how about 1000?” I asked.
In the background, Okane speaking in the party chat, “be sure to treat the lady fairly, he said, giggling with amusement”.
“Yeah Robin, and ask if you can take her out for dinner too” Ogma chimed in, the group then chuckling together.
My lord, these people, I thought to myself as I mentally shook my head.
Zootwick put on a clearly exaggerated saddened expression, “I am sorry, but the least I can do is 1100”.
I paused for a moment, looking at the gnome as I considered if it was worth it. I had already shaved off a few hundred, so that's not too bad, right? Decision made, I reached out my hand “You got a deal, I said, a friendly smile visible on my face.
Zootwick took my hand, shaking it firmly with a toothy grin, and said “Very good choice, you still needed a shield yes?”
Going over the small selection of shields, I found a decent looking one for about 1000 gold. Having only about 800 left in my pocket, it was time to get my haggle on. “How about 700 on the shield” I offered.
Zootwick, again, looking distraught, replied, “I cannot part for any less than say… 950”.
“750”, I counted “This is a beginners shield, and as much as I hate to admit it, my coffers are lacking due to said title.”
“That is fair” Zootwick responded, stroking his beard, “what about 850?”.
“Shave that by 50 and you got yourself a deal” I responded, one eyebrow raised in an unspoken query.
“Very well, you drive a hard bargain, but I am clearly no match for you!”.
I was fairly certain the gnome had hustled me, but hey, now at least I had a better meat... err.. bone shield to protect me. We made our way to the counter, a toothy grin clearly visible on Zootwick’s face. After squaring up, my coffers were now dry. I mentally reached out to Charon, who casually walked up to me. These are for you buddy, I said as I handed him the spear and shield. This way, you can protect yourself while you protect me. Charon’s blazing eyes looked at me for a long moment before he took the items, equipping them to his own slots. As he did so, I could feel gratitude through our mental connection.
“Thanks, you would be surprised how many would-be necromancers just use us as fodder, never giving us anything since they could just resurrect us,” he said, slightly abashed. “Just don’t get used to me being all nice, you’re not out of the woods yet,” Charon said with a mental jab.
I was a bit surprised by how he was acting, considering this was intended to be a game. Still, if the game was supposed to be filled with AI (artificial intelligence) then it would make sense that they would think and reason. That aside, my business with Zootwick now concluded, I browsed the potion section as Ogma and Okane haggled with him over potion prices. The gnome, clearly working them over, judging by the strained expression on Ogma’s face. For as much of a pain in the ass as Zootwick was, his potion selection was on point. Potions of varying colors, ranging from light yellow to pitch black were displayed shelf to shelf. He had simple potions such as stamina, mana, and hp regain, but also spell infused ones as well.
A red one, in particular, caught my attention, convincing me to pick it up. I then examined said bottle and rotated it to the back, taking notice of the instructions written in clearly defined print. Potion of Incineration, throw at the intended target, allowing at least 10 feet of distance. The potion, once detonated will explode, dealing 200 fire damage to the target and 150 fire damage to anything within a 3-foot radius of impact. 150 damage, hell man, I could get me some real payback on those damn rabbits. Just walk on over there, fucking up peter cottontail and his whole damn crew. People would ask me, Robin, why are the fields on fire? I would just sit there, with a big ol' shit-eating grin and reply, well, some people might say rodents aren't flammable, but I disagree. After the shit they put me through, those little bastards had it coming. I continued to plot mischievously, my hands clasping together as I let a low cackle escape my lips. The group then taking note of the spectacle and regarded me cautiously.
Our business with Zootwick now concluded, we all made our way towards the door. Zootwick unexpectedly tossing me the fire potion I was eyeballing earlier, winking and saying that first one was on the house. Wow, maybe he isn’t so bad after all, I mused.
“He must have taken a liking to you,” Morrigan said bemused. “It's not all that often he gives things away for free”.
“Well, it’s that or he felt guilty for the upcharge” Okane jabbed.
“Wait, I was overcharged?” I asked, face showing a look of mock surprise. I knew the guy was going to try and rob me blind. Knew haggling likely wouldn’t offset the price too much, but it was still fun. “So, where to next?” I asked Ogma. We had already gotten some supplies and I was unsure of exactly what I could do in this city.
“Well, before we were just getting a feel for the team comp he said. Now, we should look into securing some hunting quests. For that, we need the quest board in the adventurers guild.” Ogma said as he gestured back towards the city's center. “Now time to follow me, little flock,” he added. Morrigan rolled her eyes, but reluctantly gave in and fell in behind the towering giant. The rest of us following in suit.
All this walking around town had really made me miss being able to use my car. Where are those pulling cart guys when you need them? After about 8 minutes of walking, we found ourselves in front of another large wooden building. Azure banners hung to the left and right with insignias that I could not recognize. In the center stood two large oaken doors and a sign reading “Welcome all those in search of adventure! There are no races, no borders between us, come and find your compatriots, find yourself!”. Well, that was one hell of a slogan they had there. Sadly, my compatriots had already found me getting my ass kicked by rabbits.
“Now, before you can accept quests Robin, you will need to register with the adventurers guild, Ogma said. It's just a quick form notifying you of the risks and an agreement not to hinder the progress of other adventurers either. Basically, put the team before yourself kinda deal.”
I nodded at Ogma, who then placed his hands on large oaken doors, pushing so hard they slammed as he moved to enter. The act, of course, drawing virtually everyone's attention.
“Did you really have to slam the doors?” Morrigan asked, a bit nervous with all the onlookers.
“You have got to make a good impression for the newbie right?” Ogma replied with a chuckle. “That, and I get great pleasure from your discomfort, dear sister.”
“I know where you sleep, dear brother, and I do have a buzzer.” Morrigan stated matter of factly.
I could see a devilish grin barely hidden from beneath her thief's hood.
“She’ll do it too,” Okane said while giving a slight elbow to my side and winking.
The front desk was populated by an elven woman in business casual attire and a name tag reading “Arden”. She had short blond hair that cut off at her ears and piercing blue eyes. Although Arden only stood to be about 5’5, she gave the impression that she was more than a simple desk clerk.
“How m
ay I help you?” Arden asked in a light and pleasant tone.
“Well, I am new to this world, er... city, and I would like to become an official adventurer” I stated, a bit flustered. She was pretty cute, NPC or no, and On top of that, I was a bit out of my element. The combination of the two factors clearly not sitting well with me.
“Ah, if that is the case, give me just a moment, she said pleasantly”. The woman then started looking under her desk for what I could only assume were the papers. After a few seconds, her face lit up a bit. She then proceeded to place 3 forms in front of me, explaining each as Ogma had. “Once you submit these, you will be able to take on quests that have been posted by the city or other individuals in need,” she said.
After filling out the forms, Arden took them and placed them into an outgoing mail heap for the central office. This hall being one of very many apparently. After which, our merry group made its way to a large wooden board with various job requests on it. Things ranging from the simple missing items to fighting off orcs in the north. Ogma, however, had chosen about 4 quests that had yet to be taken on by others. Showing them to the group, I saw another one for wolves, one for the pack leader, one returning goods stolen by goblins, and lastly, to defeat a roaming field boss.
Our business now concluded, we made our way out of the adventurers guild and toward the main gate. Charon seeming very pleased with his new spear and kite shield during the walk as his flaming eyes seemed to focus on them. It somehow gave me the feeling of contentedness, or perhaps that was just the feeling he conveyed through our bond. Now, you do know how to use that thing right, I mentally asked while motioning to his spear.
Somehow his facial expression conveyed smugness as he replied “hit bad guys, make fall down?”
I chuckled loudly and the group all turned to look at me with questioning expressions. “Charon and I are just discussing the proper use of a spear,” I said.
The guards were significantly more at ease seeing us pass by this time, perhaps they were becoming more familiar with our odd bunch. Making our way through the field, Ogma finally spoke up.
“Ok guys, next order of business is to take down the pack leader, get us some good loot, and level our skills!”. To which Okane let out an exaggerated whooping sound. I suppose I finally knew who was the hype man of the group.
As we got close to the wolves territory, something a bit peculiar happened. A small group of about 7 goblins rushed out from the forest. Ogma mentally called formations in the party chat, assuming his bear form and taking the front position. The odd thing though, was the goblins did not look like they were ambushing us so much as fleeing. As they drew closer, one of the goblins yelled out “No attack! We no harm, help please!”
“The goblins were asking for help? This could be some kind of trick.” Morrigan said with narrowed eyes. Her daggers already at the ready position.
“Possibly, but maybe we should hear them out just in case” Ogma reasoned. It was at that point when Okane nodded and took the initiative. “Stop right there and don’t come any closer, what is it you need?” he asked.
“Humans attack village, our warriors try and hold them off, but too strong!” the front-most goblin cried. Well, it was not that uncommon to grind mobs, I thought to myself. Still, if they need help, maybe we should give the place a look? Just as my thought had concluded, a window popped up in my vision for a quest. The title reading,
Save The Goblin Village: The goblin village is under attack. A small squad of fleeing goblins have asked for aid and are being assaulted by another group.
fend off attackers 0/1
Reward: 600 exp, 400 Gold
So, this was a real deal quest then, and a spontaneous one at that, I mentally mused. Got to give the developers credit for creativity. What should we do, I mentally asked the group. Well, I presume we all got that quest notification right, Ogma asked. The other two affirmed, their bodies slightly relaxing, which also seemed to calm the fleeing goblins as well. It was then that Ogma shifted back to human form, 2 of the 7 goblins stumbled back.
“If you guys are pulling anything, I will literally eat you.” Ogma said pointedly. “Now take us to where we need to go.” The goblins quickly gathered themselves. The frontmost one of them pointing north towards the woods, yelling “this way” as they took off. Our group swiftly followed the goblins without much difficulty, their tiny legs making it easy to overtake them.
After about a 6 minute run, I could see smoke from between the treetops. Faintly audible cries brushed by my ears. “We must be getting close so be ready,” I said out loud while mentally nudging Charon to take the defensive. He nodded, swiftly moving to cover my front. His spear at the ready position. After a moment, we found ourselves in a clearing. There were assorted huts on fire and a small tribal village in chaos. Bodies littered the floor as a small band of people were destroying the village.
As soon as we reached the village, Ogma shifted to his bear form, letting out a powerful roar. The loud noise startling many of the fleeing goblins and caused most of the invading group to pause.
“What exactly is going on here?” Morrigan demanded, her teeth clenched in anger. Now that we were closer, I could see a total of 5 invaders. One of them broke out of the shock of Ogma’s roar and came slowly walking towards us. His hands raised in a gesture of peace.
“These gentlemen and myself simply took it upon ourselves to rid the area of these thieving goblins,” the man stated, a small smile visible on his face. He was about 5’10 with slicked-back silver hair, blue eyes, and a black cleric's robe. His belt holding a bloodied mace, evidence of his recent exploits.
“Who exactly are you and how is slaughtering an entire village for thievery a viable punishment,” I asked in a growled tone.
“My name is Ignis, and I am a cleric of the dark god Zenrir.” His eyes momentarily flashing a crimson red. My fellow guildmates and I hail from a guild called Catalyst with other like-minded individuals. “My god demands tribute, you see, and these thieving goblins fit that bill just fine.”
Chapter Four
Red Eyes Redder Blood
Ignis’s group one by one stopped tormenting the goblins to rally to him. What goblins survived, in turn, retreated into the forest to wait out the coming conflict. Gesturing to the large orc on his right, Ignis spoke.
“This is my right-hand man and compatriot, Gnarl. He ain’t big on talkin, more of a man of action, I would say.” Gnarl as if on cue, Took his large two-handed axe and heavily slapped it's handle menacingly into his off-hand. He stood at about 6’4, built like a tank with tribal tattoos on his arm and half his chest. He wore little armor save for some wolf pelts and a nordic helm that covered the upper half of his face.
The remaining three individuals consisted of one human and two elves. The elves naturally ranged types judging by the staff and bow they each had. The human appearing to be a rogue, going by the daggers he was playfully twirling in his hands.
“Y’all really don’t want to do this.” Ignis taunted. “Now just go back on your way, and we can leave this little misunderstanding be behind us.”
For many silent moments, each of our groups stood there. We couldn’t just let them keep massacring the goblins, quest or otherwise. At the same time, they did outnumber us by one and we had zero idea what all their classes and abilities were. Of course, the same could likely go for us as well. As the seconds ticked by, the smile on Ignis’s face began to drop, becoming that of a scowl. It was then that with a blink, the thief of their party disappeared. He reappeared behind me, daggers already dropping towards my back. Charon was only a few feet in front of me but was in no position to intercept. Just as the daggers were mere millimeters from my skin Morrigan intercepted them, blocking them with her own. She then proceeded to kick the thief back several feet and creating some breathing room for both of us. It was then that all hell broke out.
Gnarl let out a blood-curdling roar, his body becoming enveloped in a dull red glow. It trailed off him a
s he ran towards Ogma, axe ready in hand. Ogma too shifted to his bear form to meet the charge. Using the few seconds before the collision to bark out a rough battle plan.
“Everyone, watch each other's backs, we don’t know all of what they can do. Try to knock out the casters quickly so we can take down the melee without much trouble!” He ordered as the two giants collided with one another. Ogma’s momentum carrying the two forward.
“On it” Okane yelled as he looked my way and nodded.
“I am going to send Charon with you, someone needs to keep an eye on Ignis,” I said pointedly.
“Good point, Skel bro and I got the pointy ears,” he responded while the two of them rushed towards the elves.
Having singled Ignis out on the battlefield, I made my way towards him. If he was this group's ringleader, me taking his head meant we would likely be able to wrap this up faster. Problem being, the second he realized I was running towards him, he took off. Ignis ran towards the flaming huts and closer to the forest. His goal not exactly clear in mind, I followed. For some reason, I was gaining on him easier than I should be. The thought registering in my mind a few moments too late as Ignis abruptly stopped, grabbed his bloodied mace, and tried to catch me off guard with a blow to the chest. My body reacting just quickly enough to roll out of the way, the hit only delivering a glancing blow at best.
“And here I thought I could lure you out here and end this quickly,” Ignis said with mock disappointment in his voice. His body straightening up and he held his mac at the ready. “Still, you are punching a bit above your weight class here, son.”
“Funny, because you look more like an edgy bank clerk than a boxer,” I responded. His grin then fading into a scowl. I then proceeded to get back to my feet, making sure I was ok with the distance, and then readying myself to take this fucker down. Ignis then taking the initiative to raise his mace, pointing it towards the sky and shouting “Searing Light!” A circular translucent lens suddenly appeared above him and it was angled towards me. Light poured into the lens as if water into a glass, but then something odd happened. The light pooling into it pulsated and became pitch black. The lense containing the darkness for a single breath before unleashing a beam of dark energy towards me. It hit, pushing me back and singeing me as I stabbed my staff into the ground for traction. Searing Light hits you for 70 damage, status effect gained, “Fireblight”. You will lose 5 hp a second for the next 5 seconds. I grit my teeth as the beam rolled over me as Ignis used my stunned state to charge me. As he did so, I reached my left hand forward forming a claw, activating “Grasping Hands” to tether the cleric. Skeletal hands broke through the ground catching him mid-sprint and causing Ignis to fall on his face. The action dealing 40 dark damage as well as another 10 fall damage from the impact. Ignis clawed at the skeletal arms locking him to the ground. I took the opportunity to fire two volleys of Dark Orb while he was rooted. The first hitting him in the shoulder, the second directly onto his face for a total of 110 damage to the prone target.