by Ryan DeBruyn
Level 9
0 / 210 Ether Pool
The Strength of Arms IX
+18 Strength as long as the Blade has Ether from its pool to draw on. Unlock higher levels of your Soul Blade for more.
The Strength of Body IX
+9 Stamina as long as the Blade has Ether from its pool to draw on. Unlock higher levels of your Soul Blade for more.
* Dark Tidings refuses to absorb any more golem Essence. Find a new source of sustenance. *
* Dark Tidings has found its favorite sustenance. Sapient Essence will count double. *
He left the blue screen open. At least his eyes could see something. It relaxed him slightly.
The echoing voices became clearer as sounds drifted toward him. He strained his ears, listening closely for something, anything, that hinted whether danger was approaching. He felt his way around the table and crouched beside it, muscles tensed, ready to surprise his attackers.
“Jeff really needs to get better at telling time. He left his post hours before his duty finished,” said a female voice. The voice was conversational. Not at all hostile. Were they just lulling him into a false sense of security? He shifted his weight, shaking the tingling sensation in his feet. Who was Jeff?
“You know how disturbing and oppressive it is down here. Isn’t that why you always make me come with you and keep you company? That, or you’re afraid of the dark,” said a second, deeper female voice.
A musical laugh resonated from the hallway leading to the room. “Keep that attitude up, and you’ll be covering your next shift down here alone.”
The voices continued advancing. It wouldn’t be long before they’d walk through the door. His breathing quickened and he tightened his grip on the sword’s hilt.
“The Ether Protection has been down for a day now, and the hunters are seeing more dangerous creatures at the edges of the Territory. If more of the saviors don’t show up soon…”
These must be allies if they’re worrying about protecting my Territory.
He relaxed his shoulders and lowered his sword.
“You worry too much. Zippo and Sela are back already. They don’t have any equipment or gear, but they are still Journeyman rank.”
Relief flooded Rocky’s body—Zippo and Sela were safe. Alive. He patted his chest and legs. Bare skin. Nothing but bare skin.
A torchlight flickered from the doorway. It wasn’t enough to illuminate the inky darkness of the room, but it did tell him that his ‘rescue party’ was about to save him. And his stark naked body.
His eyes darted left and then right, searching for something to cover himself with. He paused and shook his head. How could he miss the obvious? He activated his Dark Cloak skill. The deepest shadows of the room revealed the edges of their secrets. The sliver of light from the doorway wasn’t enough for his Dark Cloak’s dark vision to penetrate the farthest corners. Yet, with his new sight, he recognized his surroundings.
He had managed a small victory in this very chamber—by a hair-thin margin.
He had been reborn on the Altar of Michabo.
I was with that rabbit-eared jerk for an entire week, and he didn’t tell me. I am going to choke him with his own ears next time I see him.
He wiped at his behind, trying to clear it of a billion years of dust. He didn’t feel anything on his smooth posterior. Right, this place was magically renovated—with the shimmering black Dragon scale. Still, his skin crawled. Waking up naked in cold, ancient ruins wasn’t exactly the most sanitary experience.
Two women rounded the corner, their torches lighting up the circular room. Their mouths dropped open. Rocky looked around for the danger and saw the torch lights failure to dispel the fog of his Dark Cloak. He smiled and turned to see the women level their beam rifles in his direction. His smile fled, and he crossed his arms in front of himself, double-cupping his prized jewels.
“Don’t shoot!” His voice cracked, betraying his fear. While he was pretty sure his Dark Cloak would protect him, he didn’t want to test that theory out. Especially in his state of undress. “It’s me. Rocky.” He removed one hand from his junk and took a pause. They couldn’t see his nakedness through the cloak. Right?
They hadn’t reacted to the removal of his hand. He unrounded his shoulders and cleared his throat, “I kind of woke up naked…”
Both women flushed beet red as he Analyzed them.
--
Victoria Faris
Apprentice-Partisan
Level 18
Health Points: 230 / 230
--
Letoya Deckman
Apprentice-Competitor
Level 19
Health Points: 160 / 160
--
Victoria pulled off her backpack. She dug inside and pulled out some sort of fluffy pink robe. She walked up to his black cloud and held it out. “I—umm—didn’t recognize you…”
He swallowed hard and snatched the plush pink apparel from her hand. Victoria jumped.
“Sorry, sorry,” he muttered as he put on the pink robe and cinched the waist. The hem reached his mid-thigh but it didn’t hurt to have a little help protecting his virtue under his Skill.
Letoya pointed to something near his feet. “Is that yours?”
He looked down and spotted a leather satchel on the floor beside the Altar of Michabo. He analyzed it and his mouth twitched.
Dungeon Bag of Holding
Soul-Bound: Rockland Barkclay
● This bag contains a link through clever Enchanting to a pocket dimension of Ethereal Space. It has Enchantments to prevent time from working inside the storage space. It has a gravity Enchantment and subdivides into compartments automatically.
Size: Vast
Weight Reduction: 90%
“Yes, that is mine.” He scooped up his most precious item. He tied it on to the cinch of the pink robe. The weight of the items inside dragged the sash down slightly. But the knot tied across his upper stomach was strong enough to hold the reduced weight of the bag.
“Ladies, I am in a bit of a rush to get back to the surface. Any chance we can get out of here?”
Stupid ticking timers, elapsed Ether protections, and Michabo—you know what, it's mostly Michabo!
They exited the room and Letoya pointed down a hallway he wasn’t familiar with. “Shortcut,” she explained as she led. “This is the way—the way that Apothis sent his minions into the Grotto.”
Rocky swallowed. His people, protected by Tao and Gamma, had fought off a massive undead horde, while he, Sela, Smith, Zippo, and Joe fought their way to the place of power. His fist clenched. Never again.
Victoria interrupted his maudlin. “We do have some good news. You have only been gone for five days…”
Really, she was struggling to find anything else that would be considered good news? She clearly had more to say, too.
Letoya chimed in. “The planting grove is producing food.”
Rocky rolled his eyes. “Just tell me the bad news already!”
Victoria and Letoya’s shoulders slumped. Victoria frowned as she whispered, “Well...with the Ether Protection gone, larger monsters are slowly edging into the Valley. This has greatly impacted our hunting parties’ production. The cooks are managing the shortage from the Territorial Inventory reserve, but they will have to start rationing soon, if something doesn’t change.”
Letoya revisited her earlier assessment. “While the grove is bearing fruit...” she smiled broadly and Rocky groaned. A pun and bad news. Perfect.
Her smile faded as she continued. “The farmers had to keep more than half of it to replant and expand. While this will help in the future, it's contributing to the immediate food shortages.”
Gotta enjoy the little things that make you happy in the Apocalypse, I guess. However, fleeting.
Rocky stopped them with a question. “Just Zippo and Sela have returned—no one else?”
“From the group that went into Apep’s Dungeon? Just those two and you. Azoth has
been flying over Chalk River every day since you disappeared, and he didn’t return until Sela did,” said Victoria, regaining some volume. “Bathilda left the area. She said she would stop in from time to time, but she has further sites to cleanse.”
“Tao and Gamma are still around, helping us build and training everyone in the mornings,” added Letoya, grinning once again. “They have tried to help with some of the larger monsters on the Territory edge, but there are only the two of them. They are the only new group to beat the Arena Dungeon, Maximus, but they are too large to enter the Long-Forgotten Dungeon.” She tapped her chin and continued, “The other three Knights haven’t returned, but Tao keeps hinting that they are coming this way. Not sure how he knows that, though…”
He put up his hand, nodding solemnly to the two women, indicating that was enough information on the groups for now.
The new topic dislodged some more good news. Letoya looked at his fog-shrouded hand and switched topics. “People have been able to use the Citizen Accessible Shop for all manner of items. The council used the Crystals that your group left behind to supply all of the Longhouses, Mess Hall, and City Hall with power.”
Victoria jumped in, “One hunting group has even managed to rent an apartment complex with their earnings.”
That was excellent news. Rocky set up those three Longhouses as apartments, as a way for the economy of the Grotto to grow. He nodded. “Has the council considered buying foodstuffs from the shop if the food shortages continue to grow?”
The women looked at each other and shrugged. “Above our paygrade,” Letoya said. “People are pretty upset up there, and the council has its hands full.”
Victoria squeaked, and her face grew red. Letoya’s face fell a moment later. It appeared they hadn’t wanted to tell him about something. Rocky shook his head. “Tell me. Might as well rip off the bandaid.”
“People were really upset with you for just adding them to the guild. It became a pretty major issue after you left. Luckily, the benefits of membership have become so apparent that most people have forgiven you. Then people heard about the jobs available through the Territory, and their anger flared back up. Everyone wants the increased skill growth. Why do only one hundred people get it?” Victoria almost slurred her barrage of words.
Note to self, find a way to add more jobs or positions to current jobs.
“Victoria! Tell him everything.” Letoya said.
Victoria glared at her friend, then sighed. “Many groups of delvers that attempted the Long-Forgotten Dungeon are being held captive within.” She licked her lips and her face paled. “Family members and citizens are concerned that those missing are dead. If Sela hadn’t returned and talked to LFD and the mob, there would have been a riot.”
Letoya huffed, “Honestly, people still might. LFD is holding them hostage, and it's increasing our food shortages. Why is that nutcase holding them, anyway?”
Rocky groaned. He had twenty-four hours to beat back an invasion, and some of his people were trapped in a Dungeon!
He really didn’t need another problem to deal with.
Always curveballs...
Chapter Three
The sun blinded Rocky, scorching his face and forcing his eyes to blink as they adjusted to the late summer day. He stepped out and took a satisfying breath of fresh, non-stagnant air. Nothing would ruin this moment. Not even the timer hovering over his new class and possible class reset.
Victoria led the way toward the guild tent, and Rocky followed, considering his new class skill options.
40,000 Etherience remaining until level 2.
The system must be imposing a multiplier of some sort. He did some quick calculations—the multiplier change in level requirements from Apprentice to Journeyman was a thousand, plus his Chimera Knight’s sixty percent increase. If he had thought the end of Apprentice ranks had been a grind, he was going to be ground down to a fine pulp in the Journeyman Ranks.
He browsed his skills and saw his Revenant skills displayed, but he could no longer see the rest of the tree they had come from. He sucked his teeth to prevent clenching them. Revenant had definitely been a rare class. Now he only had those five skills to remind him of it. Perhaps the Chimera Knight Class would be just as rare.
Soul Blade
Dark Mend
Dark Blade
Dark Cloak
Shadow Clone
Chimera Knight Skill Tree
Tier 1
Poison Pool
● For each venom/poison the Chimera Knight suffers and survives, he gains immunity. The toxic makeup of that poison will be added to his Venom Pool. In time, the Chimeran Knight can add his unique venom to strikes or weapons. Do be careful as a Chimera Knight; not all poisons can be survived.
0 / 5
Skill gained at 1/5 ‘Envenom.’
Envenom
● Create an applicable venom from your Chimera Venom. This venom increases in strength with each additional poison and venom added to its base.
--
Knight’s Resolve
● Increases the knight's resistances to all elements, poisons, and venoms.
0 / 5
Passive buff received at 1/5 “Stalwart.”
Stalwart
● At 1/5, Stalwart increases elemental, poison, and venom resistances by 10%.
He pulled his head out of his screens and realized he was drawing strange looks from any citizens they passed. The bright light of day highlighted the low hovering black cloud of his Dark Cloak skill.
Considering that I am wearing an extra-small, pink-fluffy bathrobe under it… I think I will leave the skill up!
It would appear that his first level of Skills were mostly something that gamers referred to as Passive Skills. While Passive Skills were powerful, they didn’t really grant great variety for combat. If he was to choose right now, he would pick Poison Pool, as it was a talent that could gain immeasurable strength one day. He considered having a poison as powerful as Azoth’s, and goosebumps rose on his arms.
Knight’s Resolve was also desirable. Resistance to fire would have been extremely handy during those final moments in the fight against Apothis. Not to mention that if he had a safeguard against venoms and poisons, he could strengthen his Poison Pool easily.
Choosing to assign his single skill point later, he continued toward the Town Hall to find Sela.
A massive group of people milled near the structure. A buzz of angry voices disturbed the tranquil summer day. Sela’s voice cut through the din, and his heart soared.
“I told you yesterday, and I’ll tell you again today. Calm down.”
The crowd lobbed their outrage at Sela. Rocky could no longer pinpoint her voice as the throng of voices drowned her out. Other voices of contention bled through the knot of people. “That’s my husband … Why are you allowing … Tell the stupid Dungeon…”
As Rocky circumvented the outside edge of the crowd, people took notice of the floating, black cloud that weaved around them. The intense hum of the mob diminished as one by one, people turned and stared at him. Or rather, at the dark cloud that surrounded him.
Rocky had been given a lot of time to think and stare at his emotional turmoil while he was stuck in the Spirit Realm. He had pledged to be a better leader. He had sworn to get a better handle on his emotions. He just wasn’t sure how he would do this.
As the crowd quieted and he rounded its edge, Sela came into view, standing a few meters away from the front of the semi-circle of closely pressed bodies, eyebrows drawn together as she squinted at the mob. At their unexpected silence, her head whipped around to the cluster of foggy darkness.
Sela’s eyebrows flew up, nearly to her hairline, and she cried, “Rockland!” She raced toward him and reached to hug him through the fog. Dark Cloak was a defensive skill, and as she touched it, the automated response of the cloak adjusted her course, away from him. He reached out his arms and helped guide her trajectory back to him.
She hit him ha
rd enough to drive the air from his lungs. The tight grasp of her embrace prevented him from fully drawing breath, but the hug felt terrific.
A few people in the crowd turned to their neighbors, “Who is Rockland? Does she mean the other leader? Is he a black cloud?”
Rocky’s heart sank. These people didn’t even know what he looked like? His earlier commitment to bettering himself grew. How do you gain the trust of people who don’t even know your face? But he couldn’t think about that now. All he wanted was to bask in the moment, in his reunion with Sela. He didn’t want it to end, but he placed his hands on her shoulders and moved her away from him. An invasion was coming, and it could start at any moment. All these people gave him an opportunity to introduce himself.
Rocky released Dark Cloak and strode to the front of the mob to address them. He wanted the people he was responsible for to see him. Right—that would put a face to the name.
Sela facepalmed and muttered, “What in Atlantis is he wearing?”
He blushed, adjusting the robe to cover more of his skin. But it was no use. The robe just wasn’t big enough. At least the crowd had settled.
I guess that’s a blessing.
The people gawked at him as he positioned himself where Sela had stood and addressed them.
“What does he think he is, a bathrobe knight?” said a voice in the crowd.
He relaxed at the connection that comment made. He had once read a story about a strong leader who wore a bathrobe, and perhaps he could channel some of that man today.
To be that leader, I am just missing the Demon class—I even had the opportunity.
He needed a bit more information. So, face flushed, he turned to Sela, “Have you figured out how long the Dungeons have been open?”
She didn’t bother to remove her palm from her face as she held up her other hand, splaying all five fingers. Five days. Alright. He could work with that. According to the contract with LFD, people were due to return in two days.
He faced the crowd once more and said, “The captured members of our guild will return in two days. Guaranteed. However, there is a more pressing issue that requires our immediate attention.”