by J R Davis
“Is that...a water balloon?” Morrigan asked with clear skepticism in her voice. She then caught the orb after Okane tossed it and examining it thoughtfully.
“Somewhat, it is for more of an on-hit effect. I call it Lay On Wetness, but you can call it a heal balls if you like. It is a device of my own design” the merchant said proudly as Morrigan tossed it back to him. Okane then placing it back in his inventory. “Think of it as a healy wet-tee-shirt contest, if that helps,” he added with a wink.
“You’d not want to use that on me, man. I’m like a B cup at best, albeit a firm one” Ogma commented, then proceeding to chortle at his own bad joke. Morrigan then face-palming in embarrassment of her brother.
As they joked about I noticed the telltale red outline on the deer, meaning I could raise them. I walked up to the three defeated deer, pointed my staff at two of them, and activating Raise Undead. Their still forms giving way to that same dark portal. From it arose two skeletal bucks. Their green blazing eyes scanning our group for hostiles. With none in range, their gaze returned to me.
“Hey don’t hog all the good minions for yourself now!” Lia accused in mock irritation. The necromancer then raising the remaining buck and hinds. “I’m glad your starting to get a hold on things though, necromancy is allllllll about utility”. She then proceeded to deactivate the raise and the deer crumbled into a pile of bones. Lia then leaning down and placed each of the 3 into her inventory for later use. Naturally, I did the same and placed mine into my own inventory as well. With the two both Charon and myself now potentially had mounts, which would definitely have its advantages.
With the battle and looting done, our group continued its way down the path of winding trees. The open meadow we left giving way to winding trees and thick brush. It gave us plenty of cover, but also gave equal potential for an ambush. We continued our journey between those same trees and brush for a good ten minutes until we heard something off into the distance. The forest provided cover for the eyes, but made it all the easier for someone to hear you coming.
Barks echoed in the distance along with the sound of rustling in the far away bushes.
“Get low and stay quiet” Ogma ordered as he crouched down and hid behind a nearby tree. The man was indeed large but the tree larger still. Such providing him decent cover from our would-be pursuer. Naturally, the rest of us followed in kind. Hiding in the grass and leaning against the large ancient trees as two large hounds came into view. Their noses sniffed about as 3 horsemen followed slowly behind them, it was freakin ghosts!
The three spectral warriors were translucent and gave off an otherworldly blue glow. It was similar to that which I had seen with Charon, but far more pronounced. Where Charon had a bone interior, these men were clearly on the Atkins diet. Each ghost wore ethereal fur and leather armor, their heads adorned with antlered helmets that ran down their faces and concealing all but their glowing green eyes and thick untamed beards.
All of a sudden, the three heads of the warriors turned in our direction. Their blazing eyes trained on our small hiding ground. It was then that a voice rang out through the forest, not from the riders, but rather that same ominous tone that warned us before.
“You have trespassed, you have harmed those under my protection, and you will now pay the blood price as your bodies nourish my trees”
“Hey, those fuckers attacked us first!” I yelled to the detached voice. Moments later realizing that arguing with an ethereal voice was likely not my wisest call. Our group then rising from concealment and falling into position.
“The deer jerky was delicious!” Lia taunted as she shook her fist menacingly at the riders. I sincerely doubted she had the time to make some, but I wasn’t about to have a discussion with her about it in front of our new “friends”. With that, the riders and their dogs swiftly made their way towards us. Encircling us and forming a perimeter as they slowly closed in. The two hounds barking loudly and snapping at us whenever they got within range. Ogma, taking the initiative took his bear form to provide a better physical shield for the inevitable attack.
As they moved in closer, the 3 riders all pulled out their bows. The arrows being trained on us as the large hounds mouths watered in anticipation. The battle was on at any second and we all intrinsically knew our wall of defense needed to be bigger. As such, I moved Charon to cover one corner of our defenses and suggested Lia do the same. Between Ogma and the 2 other skeletons we formed a 3 pronged defensive line, a triforce of defense if you will. Should our ghostly opponents let any arrows fly they would be caught with either shield or Ogma’s thick hide, in theory at least.
Things took a turn for the worse though as it was not the riders that initiated the battle, but rather the hounds. One of the riders made a clicking sound with their ethereal mouths and both dogs launched themselves at our encircled group. One going for Ogma, the other attempting to bypass Charon's shield for a lovely bone meal to gnaw on. While Charon struggled to maintain his defense, Ogma had easily kept the dog at bay. His large statue coupled with tooth and claw more than a match for the smaller animal. Still, that became a bit more difficult as two of the riders loosed arrows upon the druid. They sank deeply into his back and shoulder causing the bear to let out a roar of pain.
The battle was on as Okane and Morrigan surged forward towards 2 of the 3 riders, axe and dagger leading the charge. The two spirits attempted to evade yet the thick trees and brush making sudden movements difficult. At the same time, Bonejamin and Lia set their sights on the remaining rider, rooting the fellow and firing orbs as the skel bro moved to block any escape routes. While Lia’s efforts bore some fruit, Okane and Morrigan were having mixed results.
Morrigan used Backstab, placing herself on top of the rider's horse. The specter immediately replacing his bow for a sword but not quickly enough to repel twin daggers sinking into his back. At the same time, Okane attempted to bypass the horse entirely and bury his axe into the ghost. The issue being, whereas Morrigan’s dagger hit true, his own blade passed right through the specter dealing no damage at all. A look of smug amusement showing clear on the rider's face.
“Why did your daggers work but my axe didn’t ?!” the merchant yelled as he backed into a defensive position.
“Not sure, these daggers do have a weak paralysis enchantment but otherwise I don’t know,” the nimble thief said. Morrigan then avoiding a wide sword sweep from the rider aimed at her neck. She then backflipped off of the horse and into its own shadow.
“So..maybe ghosts can’t be hurt my normal weapons” the merchant mused as he replaced his axe with several small red potion bottles. “Lets give this a shot then”. Okane then throwing one of the bottles hard at the base where rider and horse met. The impact easily smashing the potion and causing an explosion of fire that caused the specter to fall off of his mount in a panic. The horse then freaking out and running off into the woods, cinders leaving a trail in its wake. A crazed smile appearing on the merchants face as he said “ So, would you like to be cooked rare or medium well?”
Chapter Eleven
The NPC Dream
Morrigan emerged from the shadow of Ogma’s hound, plunging both daggers deeply into the hounds back. The attack triggering the paralysis enchantment on the blades. The large dog freezing in place with an expression of horror on its face. The tide had turned and in the dogs case they had turned red. The critical strike dealing massive damage to the prone target yet the job was far from done. Morrigan retrieved her blades from their sheath of flesh, diving backward as Ogma prepared to flatten the hound. His ursine eyes and claw glowing red as he raised his colossal paw high into the air.
Like the blade of Damascus his paw descended, promising a swift death to the frozen target. With his initial target defeated, Ogma set forth to challenge the next hound. Morrigan returning to her specter as she triggered Backstab appearing behind the rider. At the same time, Okane faced off with his ghostly opponent. The rider had drawn his blade for close quarters. Rushing i
n, the specter charged Okane, his blade leading the way.
Okane knew that he was too close to throw any fire potions without being caught in the blast. At the same time, his axe and skills would likely bear little fruit against his ethereal opponent. The answer came swiftly though as the rider was blasted with a Dark Orb, causing the specter to stagger backward.
“Thanks for the save” the merchant said as he readied 2 of his potions for the now distanced opponent.
“Eh Casper had it comin” I replied and rooted the rider. Okane then bombarding the prone ghosty with 2 fire potions. Between our combined efforts he went down in a burst of red and green flames. The only proof of his existence being the singed armor he left behind. “Dibs on the helmet!” I excitedly yelled and placed it in my inventory. The stats were not bad, a +4 to defense and a 2% increase to overall hp. This makes for a potential equip for Charon. Happy skeleton happy undeath, as the saying goes.
With one of the hounds and riders each down, the odds were clearly in our favor. Both Lia and I focused our efforts rooting and orbing the two specters while Okane rained down fire potions on them. At the same time, Ogma and Morrigan made quick work of the hound. Naturally, after looting the ghosts both Lia and I added one large canine skeleton to our collection. The sheer number of times I was raising things significantly pushing my Raise Undead skill and related sub-skill towards the next level. I swear, by the time I reach level 30 about 2/3rds of my inventory will be the skeletons of vanquished foes.
With the ghosts busted, we made our way down the pathway once more. The thick trees and brush diminishing into the scenery of what one would expect from a nature film. There was a large open woodland area with a pond for fishing, a small dirt patch for a decent sized garden, and most curiously of all, a small one-room house. So, it was either the setting of a woodsy romance film or it was straight up a cabin in the woods and I was not gonna be the one to knock on that door.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder, a lone buck came through the brush at the other end. It saw our group at the far opposite side, regarding us with some interest, then it made its way over to the house. The buck then knocking its antlers on the cabins wooden door twice. Seeing that it clearly was not going to aggro us, our group leisurely strolled up to the cabin as well. We made it just in enough time for the door to slowly creak open, revealing what looked like to be a middle-aged man with tangled brown hair that barely brushed his shoulders. He wore a white linen shirt and brown cotton pants. To put simply, what looked like an ordinary villager... who was living in the middle of a dungeon.
The villager turned his attention to us as he saw our merry group approaching. The deer then backing off a fair distance, presumably for safety and observed our exchange.
“Well then, what brings a bunch of adventurers to my humble home?” The villager asked as he gave our group an honest smile.
“Well...for one, we were curious what you're doing here, if that makes sense,” Ogma said slowly, testing each word for both his own understanding and to try and avoid offending the dungeon dweller.
“Ah, every now and then people come askin me that,” the village said as he leaned back against the door. It gave the distinct impression this was a time-worn tale for him. “The prices in the city are too damn high! 800 gold a month for a small one room and it doesn’t even include utilities? That highway robbery!” the villager getting heated as his tale came to its conclusion. “This here dungeon is run by a ghost, he don’t even need money. Has me pay rent in deer pets, this here's me lease agent comes to collect. C’mon Chester, come on over!” the villager then waving the buck over with his hand.
The deer then promptly came over and stopped in front of him, leaning its head towards the man. After about 40 or so head pets that villager turned back to face the group.
“See, that's one month's rent lads”. The deer then nudging him slightly with its antler and giving him a pointed look. The man simply looked at it for a moment quizzically, then us, and said “ ah, inflation” and proceeded to pet the buck several more times before it pulled away. The deer then giving him a curt nod and turned back towards its entrance.
“What, the actual fuck” Morrigan said, staring at the dear as it departed with her mouth agape.
“I wish our economy worked that way” Lia commented with hopeful enthusiasm. “I could choose a career in the quickly rising job of deer petting” then emphasizing her point with spirit fingers. The villager just looking between the two with a confused expression.
“Do... do you have any quests or anything?” Ogma asked the villager as he tried to make sense why this would be in a game.
“The only quest I got me lads is to find me shovel and dig a hole out back, if ye get me meaning, scuse me." The man then closing the door and shuffling away.
“Well..this is supposed to be a quote-unquote dream, and dreams are freaking weird” Okane said to no one in particular. His expression was more amused than anything. Ogma just shook his head at the whole affair. He then gesturing for the group to continue on. With our business there clearly finished, our merry band pressed on.
As we passed into the new area, we found ourselves once again wandering the forest. The only true difference is that these trees seemed much younger here. Their tall height and long full branches still appearing like those of children when compared to the ancient trees from before. We walked for a good while without reaching another area or any new mobs to deal with. As daylight turned to night it started to feel less so like a dungeon and more so like a fantasy hiking trip.
“We won’t be able to fight well in the dark, should make camp until dawn” Morrigan suggested. Her then leaning against a nearby tree, emphasizing she was done for the day.
“It's not a bad idea” Okane agreed and summoned his cart. The merchant then proceeding to set logs for a fire.
“You really do come prepared, don’t you?” I mused at the merchant. Okane then simply looking back, giving me a sly wink, then proceeding to set things up.
“He’s always been that way, always the planner, always prepared” Ogma commented with a grin. Moving to slap the merchant against the back. Okane had systematically set up a campfire and got a pot going for soup. Okane then began tossing seemingly random ingredients inside. Was that beef or wolf, spice or gunpowder, was I going to get a buff from eating it or a strong case of food poisoning, inquiring minds wished to know.
By the time the merchant was finished, our merry band was gathered and sitting by the fire. Okane then using a bowl set to hand us each some soup. Looking inside I saw all your typical staples. Things like carrots, potatoes, and wolf chunks. The soups notification reading, Broth Of Tenacity. Gives +3 to str plus +2 to vit for 6 hours, which frankly was useful regardless of who you were. Yeah, it was more suited to the DPS, but I’ll take extra health any day.
We spend a good amount of time there without an issue. The night was quiet and the crackling fire a comfort I didn’t know I needed. You don’t get this sort of thing in the city. A bit ironic that I was communing with nature via state of the art tech. My thoughts were interrupted by a rustling sound in the distance behind me. The sound was audible enough that our entire group directed our attention to the disturbance. The forest going quiet, only the crackle of the fire breaking the silence.
Suddenly something swooped down and plucked Ogma from the ground. The movement so swift that I only caught a blur as Ogma yelled in panic. Our party chat blasting from the man's distress.
“AAAAAAAHHHHH!! Som-SOMETHING BIG GRABBED ME” The druid yelled.
“Where are you now?!” Okane demanded, trying to get the situation under control. His efforts bearing little fruit as Lia was then grabbed. The Necromance screaming as she was ripped into the skyline.
“IT THREW ME, HOW DO I LA-!” Ogma yelled once more. His panicked voice being cut off suddenly. Ogma then chiming in a moment later “never mind...tree..uh..a tree broke my fall”
Two more arms came down from
above, grasping at Okane and Morrigan. The thief sensing the danger and quickly rolling out of the way. Okane however, was not as fast, and was quickly swept up by the large limb and hurdled across the sky. Seconds later Bonejamin disappeared from our group, having instantly been swapped out for Lia.
“Well that was a tri-“ She said as the necromance was cut off. Having been once more plucked from the ground. Her tone was surprisingly flat as she spoke in party chat. “ Ah fuck, I can’t believe you’ve done this.”
“The hell is going on?!” Morrigan yelled as she dodged about. Her masked pursuer being hidden by shadows. She made it for another few seconds before another giant arm came down to aid the first. With the odds now in the enemies favor, Morrigan was swiftly captured. Suddenly, it was just Charon and myself alone in the darkness. Our only solace being the light the fire granted. That too did not last as a giant foot stomped down on the camp. The fire turned to cinders in a flash.
Now, in the center of the camp stood a two-story tall figure wrapped in shadows. Only a towering form and reflective eyes being revealed by the skylight.
“Yea.. no” I said and turned, running blindly into the forest. The towering figuring then roaring and shaking the ground in pursuit. As I ran stumbling through the dark I told Charon to stay close to the figure and be ready for a fight. I had no way of knowing how many there were or what they were until I got a better look. Such being the case, buying time seemed wise. That, and being manhandled by bigfoot wasn’t exactly high on my to-do list.
My mad scramble had bought me a good 4 minutes and brought me to another small opening in the trees. As I reached the far end, I turned to face my would-be assailant. I could see the trees being nudged aside and bushes rustle as the creature approached. Its giant lurking form being illuminated as it stepped into the open moonlight. With Charon following close behind, the battle was on.