Life Reset: Human Resource (New Era Online Book 4)

by Shemer Kuznits

  The last standing goblin fell, and the few remaining whiffs of smoke disappeared, fully revealing the corpse-strewn battlefield. My troops were soot-covered and breathing hard, but they’d won.

  I clapped my hands as I approached. “That was amazing! Well done!”

  Malkyr grinned at me, leaning against his axe handle. “It was Kyth’s idea to use the smoke, and Aly organized the hobs’ formations.”

  “Still, you all did great,” I replied. “Great teamwork. Those goblins were a little more than I’d expected, but you rose to the challenge. And I believe you all gained from that.”

  Malkyr gave me a thumbs-up. “Hell yeah, man. I gained two whole levels! I’m level 6 now. Heh, a year ago that would be laughable, but now we’re probably the highest-level player’s group in NEO.”

  I nodded. All my soldiers had leveled up to 6 as well. Buying them that level using energy would have cost roughly 17,000 EP. Instead, I only had to resurrect the 10 we’d lost at a bargain price of roughly 500 EP – depending on how many levels they’d gained before dying.

  I cast Heal Followers with a wave of my hand, bringing everyone around back to full health.

  “Ah, thanks for that,” one of the players said, sounding relieved. “I was only scratched, but the pain was killing me.”

  “What now, Chief?” Malkyr looked at me.

  “Loot the bodies,” I ordered my troops. Then I looked back at my friend. “We still have to take care of the chief – this clan’s boss.”

  The big man chuckled. “Thank god they still keep back at the end. A single boss might have turned the tides against us.”

  “I know exactly where he’ll be,” I said.

  “How?”

  “This is the place where I first resurrected as a goblin,” I said softly. Nostalgia swept over me as I studied the plain stone walls. “There’s a large chamber inside and two tunnels. The chief will be at the end of the left one.”

  “We won’t be able to take the full force with us,” Hoshisu said. “We’ll just be in each other’s way. It’s better to kite him out here where we can overwhelm him with numbers.”

  Vic, will I still be able to claim the clan if someone else kills the chief? I asked mentally.

 

  “It’s your call,” I answered the white-haired woman. “You might want to consider going in with only players to take him out. It’ll improve your chances of getting loot that’s more tailored to you.”

  Malkyr winced. “I’m in favor of not getting shredded by a big mutated goblin demon.”

  “The game is not so much about us improving our gear anymore,” Kyth added. “Besides, the amount of XP we got from pretty much standing back and shouting orders is amazing. We should do that more often.”

  “Your call,” I said again with a shrug. “I’ll stay back and watch. Shout if you need help.”

  The soldiers had finished going through the Infernal goblin’s loot. There wasn’t much, mostly useless junk and a few rusty weapons.

  “So who’s gonna kite the boss back here?” Malkyr asked.

  “Me,” his sister said, drawing the bow from her inventory. “I’m the fastest one here.”

  “No, I’ll do it,” Kyth said with a sigh. “The boss might be faster than you, but my freezing bolt will slow him down enough for me to escape.”

  “He will probably have guards with him,” I cautioned.

  The gnomblin shook his head. “My spells don’t do a lot of damage. The tradeoff is that I can cast them quickly. I’ll hit everyone in the boss’s room then bail out. You just make sure to take the aggro off me when they come charging after me.”

  The hobs had rested by now from the magically-induced exhaustion. Aly moved them back into formation, forming another semi-circle around the cave’s exit. “When the boss runs out, we’ll close up the circle around him so we can attack from all angles at once,” she explained. “It won’t work against high-tiered bosses, but against a goblin chief it should be enough.”

  “Don’t underestimate goblin chiefs,” Hoshisu said, pointing a finger at me. “That one is crafty.”

  “Aly’s right,” I said. “Small clans’ chiefs are usually the frontal assault type. Overwhelming them with brute force should work.”

  Kyth sighed again. “Alright, I guess I’m up.”

  “The cave’s empty,” Nero reported, having stood watch at the entrance.

  “Take the left tunnel,” I told the gnomblin. “Then a right at the fork. The chief’s chamber will be a few meters after that.” I paused, remembering something. “Be careful of the left fork; there might be a goblin caster there.”

  “Thanks.” Kyth sucked in a large breath then darted through the cave.

  The other players pulled back behind the line of hobs and readied their weapons.

  Then we waited.

  A muffled roar sounded through the opening, quickly followed by the small player’s shout of, “Incoming!”

  He sped out of the opening a moment later, passing through the gap the hobs opened for him. Two deformed goblins charged behind him. They were bigger than the other goblins and had sharp bony protrusions coming out of their shoulders.

  Infernal-Touched Goblin Warrior

  Level: 6

  HP: 85

  Attributes: P:8, M:0, S:-2

  Skills: Bloodlust 12, Rake 12

  Traits: Goblinoid (+1 Physical, -1 Social), Infernal-Touched (+1 Physical, improved armor & fire resistance)

  Resistances: Fire 60%, Armor 25

  Background: A hybrid demon goblin. Chief’s guard.

  The two stopped at the cave’s exit when they saw the awaiting army. Unlike the unthinking foblins, they were intelligent and realized the odds were against them.

  Then the chief made his appearance.

  He shoved through the two warriors, and his scarlet eyes took in the nearly 100 waiting enemies with contempt. He stood a little taller than his warriors and was powerfully built. The horns on his head and spikes on his shoulders looked more uniform, and his muscles bulged symmetrically. He was chewing on something as he narrowed his eyes to study us.

  I returned the favor.

  TestSubject#27, Demon-Goblin Hybrid [Boss Tier 1]

  Level: 8

  HP: 170

  Attributes: P:14, M:2, S:-1

  Skills: Bloodlust 21, Demonic Essence 6

  Traits: Goblinoid (+1 Physical, -1 Social), Demon (+2 Physical, +1 Mental, improved armor & fire resistance)

  Resistances: Fire 100%, Armor 35

  Background: TestSubject#27 was created by Akzar’s shamans who attempted to infuse a goblin subject with stable infernal energies.

  “Thank you, Master-ranked Analyze skill,” I whispered. I now knew where these misshapen goblins came from. It seemed that despite over a year having passed in the game, Akzar’s authorities hadn’t forgotten about the goblin Totem who’d brought them so much destruction. The hobs were after me. Again. And this time they were using demons to do the dirty work for them. I had to admit, they’d cooked up an intelligent plan, effectively creating a sort of goblin virus that infected and destroyed ‘healthy’ colonies.

  I couldn’t allow them to continue doing that. Akzar’s authorities would have to be dealt with. I felt the feral side of me rising to the surface, making me snarl. I’ll kill them all.

  “Come at me,” the boss growled. He was standing in front of his guards but still too close to the cave for my soldiers to circle him. “I will eat and kill you all.”

  “He’s got it backward,” Malkyr muttered.

  “I don’t think so,” Aly said darkly and pointed at the piece of meat the goblin was chewing on. “That’s a goblin’s leg.”

  The goblin in me riled up against the atrocity of cannibalism, and I had to clench my teeth and fists to stop myself from attacking the boss directly.

  T
he boss threw the chewed leg aside and banged on his chest. “You can’t kill me, I am powerful. I’ll kill the males then I’ll breed the females.” A cunning look passed across his face as he stared appreciatively at Hoshisu and Aly. He chuckled. “Traveler females will make powerful fighters. They will bear me strong children. We will conquer all the rest, and the world will be ours.”

  “And they say it’s nice to feel desired,” a red-skinned female player said with a curled lip.

  “Why does every small-time villain have to try to take over the world?” Malkyr complained. “It’s so clichéd. Can’t they like … aim for widespread minor annoyances instead – like hiding everyone’s car keys, or causing traffic jams?”

  “You’re obsessed with vehicles,” Nero said dispassionately, never taking his eyes off the goblin chief.

  “I miss my car,” the big man grumbled. “Oh well, are we going to do this or what?”

  “There’s not one among you strong enough to face me,” the boss declared.

  “Let’s just end him,” Aly said. “Archers–”

  “I will,” Nero said.

  Everyone turned to look at the dark-skinned man.

  “I must face him,” he said, his face resolute. “It is my destiny. Dragons never shy away from a challenge.”

  “You’ll die,” Malkyr said. “You’re only level 6. You need at least four level 8 players working together against a monster like that. And that was before Shiva kicked most of the rules out the window.”

  “And yet, I will face him,” Nero replied calmly. He looked up at the chief. “I will take up your challenge and fight you in a single duel. Will you meet me, alone, forsaking your guards?”

  “Bah, I don’t need my weakling children’s help,” the powerful boss said as he walked into the circle of hobs. “Come at me and die.”

  Nero moved past the warriors’ line and stood before the chief.

  Then they started to fight.

  The soldiers and the boss’s guards stood back and watched as the two fought, unarmed, against each other. Nero was magnificent to behold. He darted in and around the boss, evading heavy blows and narrowly avoiding spike thrusts as he used his claws to rake at the demonic goblin’s toughened hide. But it quickly became obvious he was outmatched. He was quicker than the boss, but his swiping attacks simply lacked the strength needed to make any real damage, and he only shaved off a few percent of the goblin’s sizeable health pool.

  The boss kept swiping his claws and thrusting in with his shoulder spikes. Nero kept evading, but after several minutes, the dragon-man fumbled. It was just a small misstep on an uneven rock, but that was enough. The goblin butted his head at the player, skewering him on his long horns. Nero’s blood dripped down over his monstrous face.

  I kept expecting Nero to pull out a last resort sort of maneuver and turn the outcome upside down, but I was proven wrong. The chief raised himself to his full height with Nero’s body still impaled on his horn then he grabbed one of Nero’s feebly flailing legs and tore it out. Nero gave out one last cry of pain before his body faded away as he was sent for a respawn.

  His leg remained in the chief’s hand, however. And the evil creature brought it up to his mouth and took a sizeable bite out of it. “Tough meat,” he said calmly, his face still covered in blood. “But better than goblin.” He looked at the shaken players. “I will eat you next.”

  “Fire!” Aly shouted. Nearly 30 bowstrings sprang, unleashing a torrent of arrows at the smirking boss. His health flickered and fell by a quarter.

  His guards roared and charged in to help their master. The hobs quickly closed ranks behind them, trapping all three Infernal goblins in a tight, multi-layered ring of warriors.

  The boss spat and fought, his claws swiping, deflecting shields and sending warriors backward, but there were simply too many of us.

  The first guard fell quickly, stabbed by multiple weapons, and the next a few seconds afterward. The boss persisted as more and more hobs hacked at him with axes and swords, pierced him with spears, and rained arrows on him. When he was close to death, his boss’s special ability triggered, turning the ground around him into boiling brimstone, but my soldiers quickly stepped back, suffering only minor damage. They never stopped pressuring the twisted boss, and he finally gave up and died without killing anyone else.

  The information tendrils shifted in a sort of muted ‘ding’ as everyone but me gained another level.

  “Good job,” I said as I approached. “I just hope Nero will pull out alright.”

  “Oh, he’ll be fine,” Malkyr said dismissively. “Honest, it’s like that guy doesn’t even feel pain. I mean … he feels it, but he doesn’t care. He’ll fight anything that comes at him.”

  “Did the boss drop any decent loot?” I asked as Aly went through the goblin bodies.

  “A set of brass knuckles I can use,” she said. “A crossbow we’d all love to have and an enchanted circlet that helps spellcasters channel their spells. Do you … want … any–”

  I shook my head. “It’s all yours. You killed him, you keep the loot.” I didn’t want to insult them by saying level 8 boss drops were far beneath me.

  “I’ll take the circlet, thank you very much,” Kyth said happily. “It will go nicely with the new spell I’m developing.”

  The other players distributed the rest of the loot between them, then they all looked at me.

  “What now, Chief?” Malkyr asked.

  Lirian, bring the goblin refugees over here, I projected my thoughts to her then walked toward the cave. “Let’s have a look inside.”

  ***

  The interior was much like I’d remembered. The large open chamber beyond the entrance was a common area used for cooking, sleeping, and working. There were discarded tools and broken items everywhere. A heap of badly preserved meat sat at the far side, and I could see several goblin limbs sticking out of it.

  The familiar rage started boiling at my gut. The goblin abominations were an unnatural evil. And it was all Akzar’s fault.

  Lirian entered the cave, leading a group of ‘normal’ goblins. Seeing my daughter and the survivors soothed some of the anger I was feeling.

  The rescued goblins looked at me in awe.

  “Chief very strong!” the hunter from earlier declared. “New chief!”

  “New chief! New chief!” several others echoed in agreement.

  You have acquired a new vassal settlement.

  Name: LiceNest

  Type: Hamlet [level 2]

  Population: 136

  Garrison: 12 goblin warriors

  Buildings: Shrine, Chief’s Hut

  Daily Contribution to Capital: +5 stone, +172 energy

  Morale: +3 morale

  “Huh,” I said loudly. The game didn’t even ask me if I wanted to take over the settlement or raze it.

  Vic said.

  Every little bit helps, Vic, I replied, though I had to admit my companion had a point. The morale contribution was modest, and I didn’t really need the extra stone. Then again, this was a small clan; it was just one among the first of my planned conquests. And there was another, hidden, boon for conquering it.

  Lirian took in the signs of carnage stoically. “What now, Father?”

  I pointed my chin toward the right tunnel. “Over there. That’s where the cemetery should be.”

  We walked together through the short winding tunnel. The small chamber at the end looked much as I remembered; filled with goblin bones neatly placed in a ritualistic pattern.

  Vic slipped from my shoulders and assumed his goblin shape. “Ah, this brings back memories,” he said as he strolled through the small area. “That’s where the game threw me when it failed to seed me into your puppet. I spent decades here, looking for rescue.” He flashed me a wicked grin. “Until my heroic green savior arrived.”

  “Please.”
I rolled my eyes. “It was only a few minutes after I became a Totem until I came to meet you.”

  “Short time for meat suits, maybe, long time for VI – especially the ethereal kind that have no puppets to regulate their time perception.” He bent down and picked up some of the bones. “Huh, looks like this tribe did a good job of fixing up the damage the hobs did when they torched the place.”

  “Let’s see if it works,” I said and stepped to the center of the chamber. I closed my eyes and concentrated. This cemetery was a primitive one with no headstone to interact with, but it still served the same purpose. I could feel the streams of information throbbing as they told of the recently deceased who were ready to be resurrected. I approved the cost of 500 EP, and a moment later, 10 glowing figures appeared around me, solidifying as the light diminished.

  “Welcome back,” I said to my recently-slain soldiers. They were all level 6, indicating they’d put up a decent fight before succumbing to the enemy. “Try not to die so quickly next time. Now get back to your squads.”

  “Yes, Chief,” the assembled hobs said with a slightly downcast tone, then they quickly filed out of the chamber.

  “Hmm …” I watched the soldiers who’d been dead mere minutes ago hurry to obey my orders. Having access to an established settlement with a resurrection feature was definitely helpful.

  I turned to follow the hobs out of the cemetery when a rush of information tendrils swept over the chamber like a billowing wave. The darkness flared and a low green light started spreading over the floor. I turned to look at the center of the chamber and tightened my grip around my Demon Staff. The light started to recede onto itself, building up into a single point of green brilliance. A form grew out of it, one with a human face, dark skin, and muscular arms that ended with sharp claws. Then, two black leathery sheets extended out of its back as Nero rose from the dead.