It wasn’t the first time since meeting Komachi that Hal wondered if she was a little con artist, scamming them all with some unknown form of magic. But when the only things she seemed to want was affection and food, it was hard to hold it against her.
Even if she was using some sort of magic to get her way, she wasn’t hurting anybody. In fact, she was quickly becoming the Guild Mascot in truth and not just title.
Eventually, Hal had to call a stop to it and told them to make whatever they could that seemed best and let Komachi judge. And that’s when the idea to turn it into a healthy competition came to him.
“Any chef that wants to make something for Komachi will be able to enter,” Hal announced. “Komachi will judge the dish and award between zero and five ‘Komachi Points’, KP for short. You will, in turn, be able to use KP for special Guild privileges and requests.
“Things like being able to take a night off guard duty or to switch shifts with somebody else. I’ll detail the system later but for now, we’ll keep track of it with the Guild Menu.”
Simply announcing it seemed to do something. Hal felt a strange warm glow in the pit of his stomach. A ripple of light passed out from him and everybody in the caravan perked up at the prompt that was given to each of its eighty-seven members.
Guild Quest: Komachi’s Craving.
Komachi is in need of snacks. Each day you may turn in one piece of food with the required ingredient (changes daily) and have it judged by Komachi. Komachi Points (KP) will be awarded for every successful turn-in until a Settlement is made. Sate the tiny pobul’s hunger and gain even more KP!
Objectives
Feed Komachi
Daily Ingredient: Fish
Rewards
0-5 KP (Once per day)
Guild Experience for every day Komachi is “Stuffed”
Hal looked at the prompt. “What did I just do?”
57
The caravan erupted into chaos as everybody started to grab ingredients and rush about. Athagan put a quick stop to that with one bellow and a pair of armored dwarves at his sides.
Orderly queues formed up then to get at the supplies instead of a mad dash for whatever they could get their hands on. Luckily, they had plenty of fish stored away in barrels specifically designed for them. Not just to store them but designed to keep the fish alive and fed in their own tiny ecosystem.
“Are these fish nurseries?” Hal asked, looking at the small baby fish swimming about in the barrel.
It was a good thing planning and acquiring the Caravan’s resources back at Murkmire wasn’t just up to him. He would’ve never thought to bring fish nursery barrels because he didn’t even know they existed.
“Yep, how else ye expect to carry the lil’ buggers o’er land?” Athagan asked.
That made a lot more sense then as to how they were generating food on a daily basis despite the Mirrorlands being nearly desolate. Though he didn’t doubt that the skilled and keen-eyed Rangers could find something even in this land, it couldn’t account for how much food production they had.
Having a caravan settlement type was horrible. Not only was the food production reduced, but the consumption was increased. It was like getting double taxed.
Once things settled down, Hal got a new prompt.
[Guild Quests]
As the Guildmaster you are capable of issuing Guild Quests to the rest of your Guild. You are limited to a number of Guild Quests available at once equal to your Guild’s Level. Perks within the Authority Archetype expand upon the depth and breadth of Guild Quests and your available amount.
Once a Guild Quest is completed, regardless of the stated reward, it will earn a variable amount of Guild Experience Points. In rare cases, the Guild Quest can award other things such as Guild Points, or even a Guild Perk.
[Guild Customization]
You have proposed the creation of a new resource for your Guild. As the Guildmaster, you are capable of keeping track of a variety of different point and redemption systems equal to your Guild Level.
Would you like to introduce Komachi Points (KP) into the Bravers Guild?
Now that he thought about it, having it automatically tracked would be so much better. He immediately agreed and felt a brief swirl of warm wind flow around him.
Komachi sprang away from Elora and made an alarmingly fast beeline for Hal. Before he could do more than register the swift-moving pobul, she was shimmying up his legs and clinging to his forearm with all four tiny paws. She made a face, nose scrunching up like something smelled, then sneezed gunky snot all over his arm.
“Komachi likes new quest!” Looking up to him with mischievous affection, she squeezed Hal with a surprising amount of strength. Her sweet chirping voice dropped to a whisper. “But no worshipping Komachi. Komachi not gonna deal with that again.”
“…What do you mean?” Hal asked, truly curious now. He ignored the snot on his sleeve and pet along her sleek and smooth fur.
For as much trouble as the little pobul caused, Hal loved her and her ridiculous antics. How could he not?
“Nothing!” Komachi chirped, buffing out some boogers on his arm. “If I see any statues we gonna have a beef, a big ol’ stinky beef.”
With that, Komachi sprang away and ran back to Elora leaving Hal even more confused than before. It was always a gamble whenever he interacted with Komachi. While she was no longer aloof with him, it was nearly a fifty-fifty chance she would sneeze on him or hug him.
Or both.
Luda looked at him, then the trailing figure of Komachi. “She’s much more than she seems,” she said.
Hal started, having forgotten all about her again in the chaos of the morning. “You’re telling me.”
It didn’t take long for things to get sorted out. And they were soon on their way again headed southward toward the Shiverglades. Komachi had tasted four separate dishes before the sun rose to its zenith.
A tuna casserole she rated at “four Komachis” which Hal took to mean 4KP. From the dwarven baker Pasir Brawnhands, a surprising dessert of anchovies made into a sort of cake that Komachi awarded 5 KP. The next dish was, a pair of fish kebabs that she gave 3 KP.
And finally, a koblin with a rumpled chef hat all askew on top of his mask approached Komachi and held out a bowl of white powder.
Nervous, Hal looked at the dish skeptically. Koblins weren’t exactly known for their delicacies or culinary skill.
Dipping a paw into the bowl, Komachi coated her tiny brown pads with some of the white powder. She licked her paw and her small otter eyes went wide.
Without another word, Komachi dove her face into the bowl and ravenously ate as much as she could. She surfaced, caked in white powder like she just dived through a bank of snow, long enough to award 5 KP to the koblin.
Seeing Hal’s worried expression the koblin looked up at him. “Is just sugar,” he said with a shrug of his tiny shoulders.
Hal chuckled at that. It may not be a culinary masterpiece, but the koblin sure knew his target audience well.
The food was, by all accounts, very high quality and smelled amazing. The cooks were kind enough to make a little extra for themselves, the other chefs, and Hal’s group.
The result was a surprising amount of Chonk gained by Komachi. After the first meal, the casserole, she gained a full 30 points of Chonk. Almost enough to fuel an entire day’s worth of travel.
Elora wasted no time asking her to enact the magic and an expanding sphere of green energy engulfed the caravan as they went about their way. Everywhere the sphere touched the people within sped up.
The Karaks were already pulling much lighter wagons thanks to the Guild Bank but now with Komachi’s magic, they were moving at an amazing pace.
Area Effect: Bamboozle: Hurry.
Movement speed +25%.
Later in the day as they were looking for a place to camp for the night, Hal glanced up from the piece of bone he was working on to spy Komachi - quite a bit chubbier than normal - groaning
and holding her belly.
Elora was petting her soothingly. “You ate too much again, didn’t you?” she chided but there was no real heat in it. Komachi only groaned in response.
That was their last night in the Mirrorlands, and as a result, the dwarves were not about to let their last mining foray be for naught. Fully two-thirds of their number went out with the pair of Guild Chests and mined until the sun came up. Safe in the knowledge that the next day they could rest in the wagons comfortably and sleep soundly while the world rolled on beneath them.
The appearance of the green rolling hills that greeted them to the south was a welcome sight. With more room in most wagons, people took to conversing and working on various personal projects.
While the Guild Bank remained under Vorax’s explicit protection beneath Hal’s bunk, the two Guild Chests were separated out to two supply wagons. The wagons themselves were stripped almost bare and over the course of the next few days were converted into mobile workshops.
Every dwarf that wanted to get some actual work done instead of snoozing or lazing about could sign up to one of the supply wagons and work at the tables there. Several of the inventive koblins were in there day and night. The small creatures had formed a tight bond with the industrious dwarves of the Bouldergut Clan. What they lacked in strength or mechanical knowledge, they more than made up with infinitely inventive ideas.
Several chimneys were added to the house-like shape of the wagons. Hal had to caution against any further modifications, such as connecting three or more of the wagons with pivoting bridges so even more dwarves could get work done. He reminded them that the Shiverglades were not conducive to a long train of heavy wagons all tied together.
The mention of that place - their ultimate destination - sobered a lot of the dwarves and their koblin friends. Their high-flying ideas became more grounded in reality. Though by the end of the first week out of the Mirrorlands and with the sight of the Barrier Peaks to the southeast, the supply wagons had more chimneys than they did shingled roof.
Hal passed the week in relative comfort and peace. The caravan was attacked from time to time but never anything organized or troubling beyond the oversized local wildlife.
He spent most of his time working on Alchemy and Bonecrafting, mixing in a good deal of sparring practice with anybody who would have him. Often it was with the Rangers, to help him work on his swordplay and footwork. But more than one night was filled with dwarven curses and the ring of Hal’s crystalline [Emissary] against that of a battle-hardened dwarven axe.
The Kweh Gang went out with the patrols, shadowing the dwarves, the koblins, and those of the Rangers that permitted their company with surprising efficacy. Several of their members began to wear armaments and equipment strangely alike to those they followed about.
One particularly industrious black karak that followed a dwarven smith around had small hammers hanging from his makeshift saddle. Whenever the smith would grumble and look for a hammer, he would find it handily in place on the karak’s straps.
A green-feathered karak took to following Yesel about, even allowing her to ride on its back so they could get about faster. Hal had no idea where the birds were getting their equipment from but every time he saw Yesel and the karak the bird looked more and more like a Ranger.
Deep green cloth hung over its avian form. A white-hemmed hood covered its long neck and head so that as soon as Yesel and the bird went into the woods they disappeared.
Buffrix had a particularly close bond with a karak that originally took to wearing a set of robes. The longer the two were in contact, the more the karak changed. Buffrix was often seen with needle and fabric in hand, sewing triangular red patterns along the fringe of a white robe fitted for a karak. With a gnarled staff tucked under one wing.
The Kweh’s Gang leader, Boco Bluefeather, followed Hal around more than anybody else. He never asked to ride the bird, and the karak never seemed to offer but the bird did appear to enjoy his company. Often watching over his shoulder as he worked on improving his Bonecrafting under the light of the stars.
And Hal was more than happy to share the quiet early-morning hours which only grew longer as he was able to find less and less sleep. Unfortunately, Luda still hadn’t taken him up on his offer.
As they left the Feltin Plains and crossed a wide river with little difficulty thanks to the inventive koblins, industrious dwarves, and several tons of lumber, they passed into the Glitterwood.
A beautiful place named so because of its relative proximity to the Mirrorlands. Something of that place seemed to have a slight effect on the trees in the sprawling forest because they held a faint shimmer.
The canopy overhead was dark as night and in that darkness, their trunks shimmered like the stars with tiny motes of reflective matter that glinted in their lamplight.
Of course, the Glitterwood was also home to a very territorial and hideously fast group of horse-sized spiders that many at first confused their glinting eyes to be more trees.
They hurried on through the night, beset by the arachnids that descended from silver shining strands of silk. Fire burned their nests, filled with the same deceptive glittering beauty as the forest, and the caravan only suffered a few casualties.
Thankfully, none of them proved fatal. Though that was more to the credit of the sturdy dwarves than a comment on the lethality of the horrible spiders. And in no small part to the efforts of Buffrix and his apprentice karak.
That first night they were attacked, the whole Guild picked up stakes and fled with all haste until the woods were a distant memory. Though many dwarves, after seeing the splendid loot given by the disturbing monsters, were keen to mark well the area for future expeditions.
The silk the spiders dropped, among many jewels taken from wayward travelers and merchants, was highly prized. As light as a feather and stronger than steel, the silk was an excellent companion to the gear the Bouldergut Clan fashioned.
Even better, due to the massive size of the spiders, the amount of silk they dropped was equal to a whole year’s production elsewhere.
Having rebuilt his cache of EXP for Founder Sigils, Hal had enough EXP to hit Level 19 Beastborne. Fighting a forest full of spiders was harrowing and he nearly resorted to Dominate but by trusting in his Guild he not only reserved his store of EXP but gained even more.
Besides, they really didn’t like his Bomb Toss spell. Despite the liberal use of Beast Magic, he only managed to raise it to 24.
And though he read the [Balesian Codex] whenever he had a spare moment - which wasn’t often lately - he still could not make out anymore Sigils. The two Thirty-Seven had pointed out seemed just as elusive as before.
Revitalized by the Level Up of Beastborne, Hal tossed his attribute points into MND. Gaining ever more ground towards his goal of 1,000 MP. Afterward, took a quick look at his status sheet to make sure everything was as it should be.
Beastborne reaches Level 19.
You have 5 unspent Attribute Points awaiting distribution.
Your HP, SP, and MP are fully restored.
[Status]
Hal Williams
Level: 41
Discordant Stone: 11,767 /55,000
Strain: 0/50
BP: 15/15
Classes
Beastborne: 19
Oathforger: 12
Novice: 10
Resources
HP: 565/565 (+75)
SP: 475/475
MP: 740/740 (+75)
Attributes
STR: 10 (+2)
VIT: 30
DEX: 10 (+2)
AGI: 10 (+2)
INT: 52 (+7)
MND: 60 (+5)
CHR: 40 (+14)
Regeneration
HP/hr: 84.2
SP/hr: 67.3
MP/hr: 211.1
Resistances
Fire: 25
Ice: 0
Wind: 0
Earth: 0
Lightning: 0
Water:
-25
Light: 0
Dark: 0
Defensive Properties
DEF: 51
MDEF: 42
Insulation: 35
Modifiers
+10% Movement Speed [Leaping Boots].
+10 MP per kill [Spaulder of the Ravenblessed].
Monster Affinity
Beastmen
Goblin: 300%
Arcana
Shadow: 325%
Mimic: 125%
Doll: 105%
Undead
Aberration: 425%
Plantoid
Treant: 285%
Planttrap: 15%
Outsider
Eldritch: 600%
Vermin
Insect: 75%
Spider: 125%
Class Affinity
Warrior: 100%
Thief: 90%
Survival Skills
Stealth: 7
Darkvision: 6
Survival: 4
Perception: 18
Investigation: 14
Manatree: 6
Combat Skills
Improvised Weaponry: 16
Sword: 17
Parry: 8
Evasion: 14
Magic Skills
Enfeebling: 18
Beast Magic: 24
Crafting Skills
Alchemy: 10
Bonecrafting: 4
Social Skills
Leadership: 24 (+5)
Persuasion: 15
Exploration: 7
Deception: 7
Mercantile: 2
Intimidation: 3
Still no raise in my Burden. Oh well, maybe next Level.
By the time they camped in the shadow of the Barrier Peaks, Hal was averaging barely 3 hours of sleep a night. And as far as he could tell, suffering no ill-effects.
Beastborne Page 35