Zones of Alacria- The Dragon Gate

by K R Dimmick

  I clicked the red circles next to the skills I didn’t need to see next time, hiding Hand to Hand, Stick Fighting and a few others.

  I glanced up to the right of my vision to double check if the large, red number was still set at number one. It was. I breathed a sigh of relief. I figured it would be at two tomorrow, but in the meantime, I had half a day left to quest, level and hopefully get some magic skills unlocked. Time to get to the quest board.

  I looked over the available quests. I needed something that looked fast but with good XP rewards.

  This looked interesting. I picked up a quest from Jace, the healer I’d worked with on the first day to take down the vampire bunny.

  You have received a quest: Protect Milgate 1

  Kill five of the corrupted rabbits currently wrecking the fields around Milgate.

  Accepting this quest will mark possible locations on your map.

  Completion of this quest will give you 30,000 XP and the chance to unlock a new skill.

  Do you accept? Yes / No

  I quickly thought yes. If these were the same corrupted mobs I’d met on day one, they should be around level 4. At level 6, I ought to be able to handle them without too much trouble, and they gave some great XP as well.

  My mini-map flashed, and several red dots appeared around the outskirts of the village. I had one quick stop to make, then it was corrupted rabbit genocide time.

  I headed to the inn to see if Mikael or Allion were around. Unfortunately, they were both elsewhere, so I headed to the closest red dot.

  The crops on the left side of the fields had been completely destroyed. It was like a scene out of a nightmare. There were five large rabbits with vampire fangs digging up the crops and leaving deep furrows in the earth.

  I equipped my bow, remembering to pull my mana up to channel it into the weapon. With a purple haze now covering my bow, I knelt down to try and target the first corrupted rabbit with a Snipe.

  Instead of the usual clear view, it somehow looked almost like it was greyed out. Weird. I took a step forward, since it was further away than anything I’d tried to hit before. Sure enough, when I knelt down this time, the mob was in full color.

  Sighting past the tip of the lavender arrow, the rabbit’s head came zooming into view and I let the arrow fly. Snipe took 40% of the rabbit’s health with a single shot. It turned toward me and launched itself at me with one massive jump. Guessing where it would land, I ran to the side and immediately knelt down to Snipe it again. It thumped down beside me, causing the ground to shake. However, before it could react, I landed another hit between its eyes and a further 40% of its health disappeared. I stood up, backpedaling rapidly, and Dodged a swipe from one of its clawed feet. Managing to avoid them, I fired Basic Shot over and over until the corrupted mob keeled over dead.

  I’d come a long way since that first day.

  My XP bar grew slightly as I bent down to pick up the loot the rabbit had dropped.

  You have received: Leather Thinking Band

  + 5 Intelligence

  + 4 Wisdom

  + 2 Dexterity

  Quality: Average.

  Rarity: Uncommon.

  It was a long, thin, plaited piece of black leather. I put it into my inventory and then equipped my new headgear. The band went across my forehead and kept the hair out of my eyes.

  Time for rabbit number two.

  I knelt down and Sniped the next closest rabbit that was currently munching on the village crops. The lavender arrow flew straight at its head. Unfortunately, at the last second, the rabbit bent down to grab another mouthful of food. The arrow mostly sailed over the rabbit’s head, leaving behind a thin graze and only taking off 5% of its health. Unfortunately, the arrow carried on flying and embedded itself into the leg of a second corrupted mob behind it.

  The two vampire bunnies both looked up at me in unison. This wasn’t good. I leaned back and aimed at the sky, triggering my bow to create five arrows. I fired, hoping that Rain of Arrows would by some miracle cause a cripple debuff to occur on at least one of them. No such luck. The rabbits both leapt in my direction through the arrows raining down from the sky. I threw myself to the side in a Dodge roll.

  I started running backward, away from the place I was guessing that they’d land. I managed to get two Basic Shots off into the lead rabbit before it landed. Its health was now down to 50% since it had thankfully taken the majority of the damage from my Rain of Arrows.

  The first rabbit swiped its clawed foot out as the second one landed next to it. I Dodged and shot another Basic Shot. Just as the arrow left my bow, the second rabbit raked its claws across my right leg. Pain shot through me and my health dropped by 10%.

  You are bleeding.

  Duration: 5 seconds.

  The familiar red teardrop icon appeared in the bottom left of my vision as I hobbled backward, narrowly avoiding another swipe from the first rabbit. Quickly letting loose another Basic Shot, I Dodged the claws that swung at my face. Two more shots, and it went down.

  Unfortunately, the two vampire bunnies further down the field were starting to sniff the air. I guess they could smell the blood coming from my right leg. Dodging to the right as the rabbit attacking me tried again to claw my face, I grabbed a health potion from my inventory. Thankfully, the ones I’d taken from the guildhall were still in there. I downed it with a thought, hoping the smell of blood would disappear. The flesh on my right leg knitted itself back together. I turned and ran to put some distance between myself and the corrupted mob. Kneeling down, I focused on Snipe. Before the bunny could launch itself at me, I released a shot that landed between its eyes. 40% to go. Dodging the bunny’s landing, I rolled to the side and knelt again. I let loose another Snipe and the mob rolled over dead.

  Okay, from now on, I was going to watch my angles. No more shooting things when there were other monsters behind them.

  I walked over carefully to pick up my loot. Both of them had dropped trash. Two broken fangs and a ripped hide. However, my green XP bar had grown in length, so it was all good.

  The last two vampire rabbits went down without any drama. Again, all I got was a couple of ripped hides. Time to turn in my quest and become a mage.

  “Hi Jace,” I called out as I walked up to his house to find him fiddling around in his garden. “I’ve just completed your quest from the board, the one for the five corrupted mobs.”

  “Ah yes, I put that up a couple of days ago and no one would take it on, so I raised the rewards this morning. I’m glad that worked.” He stood up and dusted his hands off. “We’ve been struggling to keep those monsters away from the fields and the council is worried we won’t have food when winter comes. So, thank you for removing them.”

  Congratulations! You have completed the quest: Protect Milgate 1

  You have received 30,000 XP.

  I was now 46% of the way to level 7. I could do this.

  “Do you have any idea about which skill you’d like to learn? I have a bunch of different scrolls here from various people of the village,” he waited patiently for me to decide.

  “I have a bonus for both Spirit and Fire Magic on my gear,” I said, surprising Jace, “So I’d love to unlock a branch of magic. My first choice would be Fire Magic, if that’s possible?”

  I crossed my fingers, hoping he didn’t only know Spirit Magic.

  “You want to be a magic user,” he said, looking at me like he was seeing me for the first time. “Interesting.”

  “I know you’re a healer, but right now, I just want to be good at fighting.”

  He laughed.

  “There’s an old saying about how you should never upset a healer, because someone who knows how to put you back together knows the best way to take you apart. Don’t mistake healing as a skill that is only there to help others. However, if it’s Fire Magic you want, I can happily unlock it for you.”

  I had no idea what he was talking about and I’d always wanted to be able to create a fireball in my han
ds, so Fire Magic was the obvious choice for me. The very last thing I needed was a support build, especially if I was going to be mostly on my own while solving this riddle.

  “Yes, Fire Magic is definitely what I want. Thank you.”

  Jace walked up to me and put his hand on my head. He started chanting something and my whole body began to tingle. It was like something was being awoken inside me. Knowledge I felt like I’d always possessed was suddenly at the edge of my conscious awareness. I could also sense the presence of other, much deeper knowledge, but it still seemed a long way off. I was sure it would come to me as I practiced.

  You have unlocked: Fire Magic

  Before I could try anything, Jace handed me a skill book.

  You have received the spell: Fireball

  You can produce a ball of fire and throw it up to an initial range of 200.

  Fireball is part of the Fire Magic Skills

  It is linked to the stats Intelligence and Wisdom.

  Increase your Intelligence to increase your magical attack damage.

  Increase your Wisdom to reduce your casting time.

  Increase your Fire Magic skill to increase the range of Fireball.

  I quickly opened the book and my eyes scanned the pages as they turned faster and faster, until finally, the spell book burst into flames and vanished. I found I knew exactly how to create a Fireball.

  Focusing on the center of my right hand, I could feel the tingling intensify there. I imagined pulling the energy from the rest of my body into my palm and pushing it out of my skin. Suddenly, a ball of fire burst into existence in my hand. I was so surprised I nearly lost my connection to it.

  “Concentrate,” Jace said, bringing me back to myself.

  Somehow, the ball of fire wasn’t burning my hand at all, it just felt pleasantly warm and tingly. I bounced it up and down in my hand, on the verge of giggling. Even if nothing else worked out, this was the best thing I’d ever experienced. I started to grin.

  “Since I don’t have a target, try throwing the ball into the air,” suggested Jace.

  I did a throwing motion with my right arm, as if I were throwing someone a ball. At the same time, I focused on sending the Fireball away from me and as high up into the air as I could. The Fireball shot into the air. As it traveled, it looked like it was uncurling and growing wings. Five feet away from me, it looked like a phoenix that was flying into the sky. When it hit the maximum range of two hundred, it flared slightly and vanished, leaving a tiny piece of ash floating down out of the sky. Well, at least I now had a better concept of what a range of two hundred looked like. It would have been very embarrassing to shoot the Fireball at a mob only to have it singe its hair and then vanish.

  “Is there a way to make it larger or generally more powerful?” I asked.

  “Yes, if you have a staff, it will allow you to focus the magic more effectively, so the Fireball will be larger and more powerful,” he said, holding up his own staff. “As you can see, you want one with runes carved into it, as that is what enables you to draw your mana out faster, so you can cast quicker. Having a crystal on the top is another bonus, as that will concentrate your mana, causing whatever spell you’re using to form in a tighter matrix and therefore have more power behind it.”

  Clearly, I needed to get a staff as soon as I could.

  “Just out of curiosity, can I use the staff as a melee weapon as well, if I need to?”

  “Of course. You use your stick fighting skills. That’s something you’ll really want to work on if you’re serious about using magic. As a healer, anytime I’m with a group of others, I’m always the one who gets targeted first. Also, if I fight another person, they often think my physical defense capabilities will be lacking, so they rush in, trying to quickly overwhelm me. It’s quite entertaining watching the look on the face of someone with a sword as they get beaten up by a magic user with a long stick,” Jace said, laughing. “You don’t have to be that talented to be able to beat quite a high-level swordsman just using a staff.”

  And now I was looking forward to this even more.

  “All right, I’m sure you want to get out there and practice using your new skill. I’m equally sure there are many more corrupted mobs out there, destroying our fields. Can I perhaps offer you another quest?”

  26

  Phoenix from the Flame

  A pop-up notification filled my vision.

  You have received a quest: Protect Milgate 2

  Kill the remaining 10 corrupted rabbits near Milgate Village’s fields and set 10 traps around the field to stop future invasions.

  Accepting this quest will mark possible locations on your map as well as places for the traps.

  Completion of this quest will give you 60,000 XP.

  Do you accept? Yes / No

  “I’ve made the experience you’ll gain higher, in proportion to the previous quest, because that seems to be what motivates you travelers and this problem is too urgent to ignore. I hope it’s enough.”

  I thought yes. If this carried on, I’d reach level 10 very quickly.

  “Thank you. Where do I find the traps and how do I set them, though? I don’t have any kind of trapping skill.”

  “That’s where I come in.”

  I turned around to find Mikael leaning against the garden gate with his trademark smirk plastered across his face. I guess the serious Mikael had disappeared.

  “Come on, I’ll teach you how to trap game,” he turned and starting walking away.

  I quickly said my goodbyes to Jace and hurried off after him.

  “I’ve kept the items you left with me safe,” he said, handing me my ring, necklace and lock picks.

  Equipping them, I watched my stats increase. With nearly 60 Dexterity, I felt like I could avoid any attacks that might come my way.

  The first corrupted rabbit was on the outskirts of Milgate. It was standing there, looking like it was contemplating attacking the village. Before Mikael could do anything, I planted my feet squarely and started focusing on the center of my right hand. The tingling sensation got stronger and stronger as I imagined pulling the energy out of my body through my palm. A ball of fire appeared in my hand.

  “Nice,” Mikael whistled appreciatively. “I was wondering why Jace was sending fireballs into the air. I guess it wasn’t him.”

  I mentally targeted the rabbit and found it instantly took on a grayed out look, so I walked closer to get within range. As soon as it was back in full color, I threw the ball away from me, focusing on sending it at the mob. Once again, it looked like it uncurled and became a phoenix flying through the air.

  Before the rabbit could move out of the way, the Fireball hit its right side. It squealed loudly, and I noticed its health was already down to 50%. The singed rabbit started hopping toward us. It prepared to launch itself in a big leap as Mikael let loose a Snipe shot and it collapsed to the ground, dead.

  “I’m liking this Fire Magic thing,” I said, grinning at Mikael. “I seem to have my own phoenix.”

  I walked over to get the loot, but sadly, all it dropped was three vials of corrupted blood and a broken fang. I put the vials into my inventory, thinking they’d probably be a crafting material and simply left the broken fang on the ground.

  A few minutes later, we found two more corrupted rabbits making their way toward the village. Mikael hit one of them for 60% of its health as I concentrated on creating a Fireball.

  I aimed at the second rabbit just as they both turned toward us. It launched itself into the air, intent on landing on us and knocking us out. I focused on changing the direction of the Fireball. It hit the rabbit on its chest but only took 10% of its health. I threw myself to the side in a Dodge roll as it landed where I’d been standing a split second before.

  Another Dodge and it missed its kick aimed at me. But, as I came to my feet, it raked its claws across my left arm. My HP dropped to 90%. I focused on creating another Fireball, but a quick claw swipe interrupted my concentration and
it fizzled out in my hand. I quickly equipped my bow and flooded it with mana. As soon as there was a purple haze around it, I released a Guided Arrow into the rabbit. Its health dropped to 70%. Dodging again, I came up to find my target with only 10% health left and Mikael preparing to shoot it again.

  Not wanting to be completely outdone, I lifted my bow back up to shoot just as the rabbit fell over with zero health left.

  “You’re going to need someone else to tank and hold a monster’s attention as a mage or you’ll end up getting interrupted all the time,” Mikael said as he bent over to collect his loot. “That, or you need a staff like Jace has, so you’re dangerous up close as well as from afar.”

  Privately, I agreed with him, although I had no idea where I was going to find a tank. A staff it was, then, I thought, as I picked up yet another broken fang, a ripped hide and a vial of corrupted blood. The XP on these mobs might be great, but the loot left a lot to be desired.

  With Mikael’s help, the last seven corrupted rabbits were dispatched without any further injuries. I added another 5,000 XP to my little green bar. Sadly, despite hoping for a staff to drop, all the loot I received was either crafting materials or junk.

  A muted ‘ding’ caught my attention. We’d arrived at the first place I needed to set a trap.

  “Time to learn how to make a trap,” Mikael said as he put his hand on my head.

  You have unlocked the life skill: Trapping

  Again, my mind seemed to remember how to build a few basic traps. I could sense there was more, but I probably had to increase my level to get there.

  “To trap a corrupted rabbit, I suggest creating a large snare trap,” Mikael said, handing me some sticks and a length of rope.