“Xelliax?” I called out, searching for the spider among the many crystalline webs.
The web in front of me wobbled as the gigantic crystal spider jumped down in front of me. “You have returned. And you brought the kobold oracle with you.” He sounded surprised.
“Well, that’s what you asked me to do, didn’t you?”
“Lay him on the ground to receive his punishment,” the spider said. “As is proper.”
The kobold by my side whimpered.
“Hold on for just a second.” I raised an arm. “It’s not so simple. I killed the kobold chief and took over his clan. This oracle is now part of my clan. So you see how getting rid of him is counterproductive for me.”
“I do. But an act of violence must be balanced by an equal measure.”
“Death must be answered in death,” I quoted his words from our first meeting.
“Exactly.”
I took a steadying breath and directed my thoughts toward the crystalline creature in front of me. Now that I was no longer acting on instincts born from rage, I found that accessing my abilities came less naturally to me. Still, my feral self had managed to breach through the barrier, and all I had to do was organize my thoughts. I tapped into the mana that suffused the spider’s brain, attuning myself to it. It was surprisingly easy as his mana glowed brightly, unobstructed by impurities. I started to get a sense of what he was feeling. For now, he was mildly curious.
“Death might have to be balanced with death, but he didn’t kill anyone,” I countered. “In fact, you already claimed the lives of your attackers.”
The spider’s feelings turned opaque. “This one still stands responsible for their actions – the destruction of our webs.”
“Then let damage be balanced by restoration,” I said. “Oracle guy here, along with as many others that are required, will come to work on fixing the damage they’ve done.”
“That isn’t possible. Their touch would contaminate our webs.” The spider looked at me with a spidery indifference, but I could tell he was bluffing. He was intrigued by my offer.
“Then have them do something else,” I said. “Clear out debris, excavate to enlarge your cave … hell, you can have him clean your droppings for all I care.”
The oracle next to me cringed but wisely remained silent.
Xelliax’s front legs shifted toward the kobold who went perfectly still. “That is … acceptable.”
“Good,” I said. I turned back to the oracle. “From now on, you’ll do whatever the spiders tell you to do. Get some of the other kobolds to help you.”
The oracle gulped. “For how long?”
I shrugged. “Until you’ve been told otherwise.”
“Thank you.” The spider bowed its head to me. “It’s not often we find others who will cooperate with us. Our barter is concluded; you may claim the discarded shards of our webs.”
“Great,” I said lightly. I started walking toward the exit. “See ya later, Oracly.”
***
The players’ heavy packs slowed them down. It took us nearly two more hours to walk out of the tunnel that connected to Goblin’s Gorge sewers. Then we were out of the oppressive tunnels and back into the open valley.
I stood and inhaled deeply. The cool, soothing feeling of standing back in my domain washed over me, flooding my veins with a sense of belonging and power. Streams of information pushed against my mind, alerting me to their presence. I had, once again, claimed the reins of my settlement. It wasn’t as precise as having the actual controls available, but in a sense, it was purer.
I was the chief. The Totem. And I was right back where I belonged.
The players shuffled around me, eager to be let out of their underground confinement.
Malkyr came to stand next to me and nodded in approval as he scanned the valley. “Well, that looks a lot better than I remembered.”
I looked around and realized he was right. The previously neglected buildings had undergone a facelift. There was still a lot of structural damage, but the piles of debris had been cleared already, and teams of goblin workers were hard at work fixing cracks and hauling building materials. Things looked organized and coordinated. Kaedric’s touch was evident.
Several goblin workers were milling around, hurrying to their various jobs, and I realized something was missing. It was too orderly. “Where are all the foblins?” I wondered out loud.
“The incompetent runts have been relocated to the forest, my lord.” Kaedric had turned up just in time to answer my question. A clear sign of things getting back to normal. “They are out of sight and out of the way of our contributing members.” He looked meaningfully at one of the gatherers who ran past us carrying a basket full of freshly picked fruits.
“They’re not completely useless,” I said, remembering how the foblins allowed us to easily take down a rather large kobold force. They weren’t much in the way of fighting, but the chaos they brought to the battlefield was an effective tool.
The dozen or so players moved around us. “It’s a good thing we’re finally out of there. I got so sick of doing research all the time,” one of the half-snakes said.
“You took the less painful way out, Tenchi, believe me,” a feminine voice answered. Half a dozen players came from behind the mess hall. I recognized them. They were the ones who’d died fighting underground.
“Aly.” Tenchi smiled at the speaker. The woman was a half-hob with short platinum blond hair. Her exposed muscled arms were a clear indication of her strength, and I remembered seeing her using martial arts when we fought the kobolds.
“We’ve been waiting for hours. What took you so long?” she asked.
“That’s my fault,” I apologized. “I was forced to log out and it took a little time to get back here. I hope you found my clan a better place to pass the time in than back at the kobold’s cave?”
She smiled at me. “That’s putting it mildly, Chief. We never had a chance to speak before, but it’s good to have you back. After a year in the game, it’s nice to see someone still cares.”
“Of course I care,” I said. “A lot of people outside do. It’s just … they couldn’t send anyone else here, and I was … sort of indisposed.”
“We still can’t log out though,” another player said bitterly. “What are we supposed to do now?”
“I’m still figuring things out,” I admitted. “We should all sit together and plan our next move, but first I want to make sure the clan is safe. We don’t want to be caught unprepared if another group of monsters decides on a surprise attack, right?”
The players shuddered and shook their heads.
“That gruesome notion aside, I’d like to thank you for rescuing us, young man,” the weird wrinkle-faced goblin said. Now that I had a moment to look at him, I saw that his features were very humanlike. He was small and green though, which made me initially mistake him for a pure goblin, but despite his prominent ears, I now realized he wasn’t.
“You’re welcome,” I said. “I’m just glad I was able to help. Err … you’re not a goblin, are you?”
“No.” He chuckled. “I get it a lot. Half-goblin, half-gnome. The name’s Kytheon, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Kyth the gnomblin, is what we call him,” Malkyr added. “He always tries to take care of the rest of us. A half-goblin gnome with the strength of both races and the weaknesses of none!”
I smiled at his good-natured jest. “I suggest you take some time to relax, get your bearings,” I said. “Go to the mess hall and order anything you want, on me. Once I’ve got a handle on things here, we’ll have a thorough conversation.”
“I don’t suppose you can make that into a quest, can you?” Malkyr grinned at me. “I wouldn’t mind some easy XP I don’t have to bleed for.”
“Err … sure.” As a hybrid NPC character, I could grant other players quests. And it was the game system that ‘paid’ the rewards for successful completion – a nifty little
trick I’d used many times in the past. I still didn’t have access to the game controls, but granting quests was mostly an act of describing them. “Go to the mess hall and eat,” I ordered. “Then wait until I call for you.”
I couldn’t detect any relevant information stream following my declaration, making me think it didn’t work.
Malkyr’s disappointed face was another indication. “I didn’t get any quests.”
“Sorry about that,” I said. “I’m still getting the hang of everything. Why don’t you go and relax a little bit while I take care of everything?”
Malkyr shrugged. “Fine by me. I’ll be in my smithy. I feel the need to occupy myself with anything that’s not related to math or quantum probabilities.”
“What smithy?” Hoshisu snorted. “You’ve got a single anvil and a basic shelter that’s a barely passable lean-to.”
“A magical anvil,” Malkyr said in an affronted tone. “And if that’s how you feel about it, you’re not invited in.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t be such a baby. Come on.”
The players started to disperse. Some went alone, and some walked in small groups reacquainting themselves with the settlement.
Tika and Lirian remained by my side.
“Go to the house,” I said. “You two probably have a lot to talk about. I’ll come by shortly.”
Tika nodded, but Lirian said, “Father, I want to look around the clan.”
I shook my head. “Please go with your … with Tika. I’d feel better knowing where you are until I can make sure the clan is safe.”
“But I–” Lirian started to object.
“Come now.” Tika took the young goblin’s hand. “The chief has many responsibilities.” And she led her in the direction of the Chief’s Haunt.
“My lord,” the rotund, mandibled hob said, “I have a report waiting for you regarding the clan’s current status, and there are issues that require your attention.”
“Soon,” I said. “I found the missing piece of the altar. Let’s get it fixed and resummon our troops. I want us back to full military strength.”
“Of course.” The hob’s gaze zoned out for a moment. “A builder will be waiting for us there to complete the job.” He tried to sound like his stoic self, but I could still detect an undertone of eagerness in his voice.
My poor monstrous, borderline OCD seneschal had gone a year without managing the affairs of the clan, and it had obviously pained him.
We crossed the valley, walking over the cobbled road. I took the ladder up to the stone ledge that the Dark Temple was built upon. From this vantage point, which I had dubbed Totem’s Watch, I could see the entire valley spread out below me. I paused to look at the Dark Temple.
The building was as imposing as ever. Dark and menacing, with skulls embedded on its double front doors. But something was missing. The sense of power that used to permeate the place was now gone. I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before. The air is so … barren. I moved toward the entrance.
YES, MY MINION, YOU ARE SO VERY CLOSE.
I stopped abruptly as the powerful voice invaded my mind again.
“Hold your horses,” I grunted, taking care not to project that thought outward. “I’m working on it.”
Passing through the doors, I saw a goblin standing next to the altar. He was taller than average and powerfully built. And he had four arms.
“Bargush!” I called, instantly recalling the name of the formidable builder. I looked at Kaedric appreciatively. Bargush was the equal of any two other builders and an excellent choice for the task. Reattaching the small altarpiece shouldn’t take him long.
The four-armed goblin bowed deeply. “Dire Totem.”
“Catch.” I took the piece out and threw it at him.
Bargush easily caught it. As if by magic, tools suddenly appeared in his other three arms. He turned toward the altar, and all four of his limbs moved in a blur as he worked on restoring it to its former glory.
“How long–”
I didn’t get to finish the question. A burst of raw power came out of the altar and washed over the room. It didn’t spread far though. Instead, a bubble of power remained active, hovering around the temple. It throbbed, pulsing rhythmically as if it were waiting for something.
Bargush offered me another deep bow and exited the building.
I stood staring at the pulsing altar, mesmerized.
This was it. This was a defining moment. Once I reactivated the temple, my clan’s restoration would be complete. My lost army would return. I could rebuild and protect my clan and our allied travelers. All I had to do was embrace my alter self. To be the Dire Totem.
I hesitated.
“My lord?” Kaedric asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just …” I trailed off. Was I really willing to go through it all again? Dive back into the role of a goblin leader and let the feral nature of it rule my existence?
But it can’t be, another part of my mind objected. There are dozens of technicians and experts working outside making sure that what happened before won’t happen again. And there was Tal. I trusted my friend. And he was convinced that my mind was safe.
Still, I hesitated.
And that hesitation nearly cost me everything.
There was a burst of light, a powerful gust of wind, and suddenly I found myself being hoisted into the air.
“Well, what do we have here?” a familiar, haughty voice said.
I was turned to face a radiant, powerful figure with pristine white wings.
“I thought I told you never to come back, dude,” Gondriel, the VI Outrider said. He frowned. “How did you come back? It shouldn’t be possible. I kicked you, like, all the way to next Tuesday. Come to think of it – how are you still alive? A boss of your level should be out for days.”
I tried to speak, but he had an iron grip on my throat and all I managed was a croak.
“Oh, I think I get it now,” he said. “You turned into black ooze as you splashed over the rocks. I thought at first that was just your insides liquifying, but it was some sort of ‘get-out-of-death’ free card, wasn’t it? Well, let’s see if you can do that again.”
And with that, he flicked his wrist casually, throwing me upward.
My body impacted the ceiling with such force that it sent spiderweb cracks all over the roof. I could feel my health bar plummeting to zero. My body dissipated into blackness.
I found myself standing back on the temple’s floor just below the spot where the Outrider had squashed me like an insect. The shadow plane was even darker than the Eternal Darkness that enshrouded my clan, and I was now a part of it. It was a place that wasn’t meant for the living. Nihilator’s Sanction, a tier 2 boss ability, triggered just as I reached zero health, transforming me into a creature of shadow. For a whole minute, I was safe. I was free to move around and plan my next action. The shadows flowed into me, restoring my health.
I could still make out my surroundings, and I desperately tried to think of what to do next. Even with my magic back, the Outrider was just too damn strong for me to handle.
“Where are you, dude?” Gondriel called out, his eyes scanning the open room. He was standing exactly between me and the altar, and that gave me an idea. I started to circle around him.
His eyes snapped to me as I moved. “There you are!”
He reached a long, muscular arm toward me. My jaw nearly dropped open as his hand penetrated the barrier between the worlds and entered the shadow plane. He grabbed the front of my armor and yanked. I was pulled out of my shelter to find myself once again held up in the air by the powerful demigod.
“I guess you managed to pull off another ‘get-out-of-death’ stunt, dude.” Gondriel chuckled. “Now that this annoying little escape route is out of our way, we can take our time to make sure you fully understand how stupid it was to ignore my warning.”
His other hand came out of nowhere and slapped me across the face. Hard. I fel
t my neck nearly snap from the impact, and my health dropped by 90 percent. Blood and broken teeth filled my mouth. I could feel the information streams screaming at me, alerting me of my broken jaw and disorientation debuffs, along with Blood Wrath being quadruply charged. Not that it would help much against the powerful Outrider that was waving me around like a rag doll.
“Oops, nearly killed you just now. I thought you were made of stronger stuff, dude. Never mind, I’ll make sure to be more careful. Ahem … can you heal yourself?”
I looked down as he kept waving me across the room. I inhaled deeply and timed my next action.
I spat a blob of blood and broken teeth right at the sadistic VI’s face.
“Ugh!” he shouted in surprise and disgust. His hand opened, dropping me. “You disgusting little meat suit – spewing your juices all over me!”
“Wait!” I croaked as he reached for me again.
He paused. “What?”
My heightened health regeneration had kicked in, mending enough of my broken jaw for me to speak more easily. “I might be a weak little meat suit, but you’re forgetting one thing.”
“Oh?” he said mockingly. “And what’s that?”
“I’m a meat-suit high priest, bitch.” And with that, I slammed my hand down on the altar where he’d dropped me and reawakened the dormant temple.
A huge wave of mana and power erupted from the altar, the force strong enough to send even the powerful being flying backward, straight out of the building.
I stood up, still on top of the altar, and spread my hands to my sides, basking in the power of my faith and deity.
Without pausing to consider the consequences, I teleported outside to the stone shelf and looked down. The Outrider was still fighting against the oppressive energy that streamed out of the temple, washing over the entire valley and reawakening its defenses.
Life Reset: Human Resource (New Era Online Book 4) Page 11