by Grey Arney
Badger is poisoned! Badger takes 9 damage.
Underneath Badger was a green timeout bar, showing how long the poison effect would be in place. Every second or so, he got hit with the poison again, but he didn’t look worried about it.
“I’ve had enough of this bullshit,” said Badger. “I don’t usually get mad, but you’ve really pissed me off.” He used his puppet magic to lift Arcturus’ arm, guiding his hand to the knife at his belt. He felt his hand clasp over the knife and move up towards his throat. He struggled to stop it but he was powerless to control his own muscles. He was able to slow the movement, but it was like arm wrestling with Atlas. And the troll had its club high in the air, ready to beat him into the ground like a tent spike.
As the knife moved towards his throat, he regretted that he never found his third memory. He wondered if he would respawn instantly, in a hundred years, or never at all—if this whole episode had been one fitful illusion that was about to vanish forever.
Then his preparation for death was interrupted by a piercing howl—that of a forlorn dog about to lose its master.
Arcturus was still frozen, but he was able to read his notifications. He had been looking through them for information that might help him to break out of the puppeteer’s grip when he caught sight of the clue:
Fish is under control of Badger’s Flesh Magic! He cannot move!
Lyle passes resistance check (Flesh Magic). Spirits are immune to Flesh Magic.
Lyle had become a very smart dog. He had been faking it!
A flash of light sparked from below, and Lyle dove at Badger, using Take Down Enemy and sinking his teeth into the goblin’s throat, knocking him off balance. Badger fell and Arcturus found that he could move again. Without waiting, he stole the chance to take his Dire Bear form. The troll with the club brought it down at him, but it took him only an instant to make the shift and he dashed forward, out from under the weapon.
Lyle activates Double Team! Strike together for a guaranteed critical hit.
Arcturus didn’t need any more encouragement. Grabbing the other side of Badger’s neck with his paw, he clamped down hard with his jaws, and at the exact same moment, both he and Lyle tore into the enemy, before Badger had a chance to react.
Critical hit! Lyle bites Badger, dealing 72 damage.
Critical hit! You bite Badger, dealing 390 damage.
Badger has died. You earn 39,450 experience points.
You have leveled up! Level 25. You have new skill points to spend.
As soon as Badger died, the surrounding goblin horde changed noticeably. The spark of intelligence in their eyes vanished. But they hadn’t forgotten what to do. Now that the gladiator show was over, the horde was squirming towards them. Fish had gotten up.
>>Arcturus: Get out of here!
Fish didn’t need to be told twice. He was already halfway through the transformation to the Golden Eagle. Arcturus’ deputy always had a stash of the acorns handy. A stray goblin managed to pluck a feather from him as he launched into the sky.
Still in Dire Bear form, Arcturus rushed to his golem, diving on top of the two trolls pinning him down. The golem struggled to stand up. His arm, which was now free, came back to him, and he used the projectile move again, sending twin torpedoes to each of the troll faces.
Arcturus sent a message to the golem, asking it to use its spinning whirlwind move and to clear a path back to Aurora. It did so, cleaving through the horde. Arcturus and Lyle followed close behind. The trio plowed all the way through the aimless, decapitated horde until they reached the front lines.
At the front lines, more Dire Bears had fallen, but those remaining gave a roar after he leapt through the thick mass of goblins and landed safely among them. He ordered the golem to continue to use its most brutal area-of-effect attacks, pushing the sea of goblins backwards. The three abominations were coming, battered but still ready to fight.
He assessed the surviving warriors and estimated that less than fifty remained. They had killed hundreds of goblins, but just as many were still coming, and they would be swallowed before long.
In the rear of the battle formation, a cry came out. A Dire Bear fell, and then another. Ash Goblins materialized from out of the shadows, knives ready to do their evil work. Looking around frantically, Arcturus noticed that many more blue goblins were emerging from the river. They were totally surrounded.
To make matters worse, the effects from drinking the Blood of the Vampire Queen had worn off. The exhilarating strength and power were gone, replaced by nausea and fatigue. His feet felt heavier than lead.
All around him the warriors were falling, first one and then another. The tide was about to sweep them under for good when the piercing, bright tone of a clarion burst from the woods to the south, and gold-tipped arrows came out to sing along.
Goblins dropped and fell by the dozen. Blue goblins, leaking an unearthly fluid. Ash Goblins caught in the throat during an assassination attempt. But most of all the green and red goblins of the advancing horde. In a matter of minutes, the surprise assault had torn away at the enemy’s numbers, and they were mired in a losing match. The leaderless cowards threw down their arms, climbed back over the barricades and dispersed into the Great Plains. The Dire Bears chased at them, nipping at their heels.
>>Arcturus: Don’t follow past the barricade. Come back!
Seeing his announcement, the Dire Bears lumbered back towards the front lines. Then Arcturus scanned the tree line and saw the elves that came pouring out of the woods. Some sat casually in the trees above, others on foot along the forest floor. A group of them appeared walking together with the dignity of a diplomatic delegation. He went to greet them.
A tall elf with a white beard and the slender androgynous face of an eighties rock star stood there waiting for him. Behind him were all of the elves he had rescued: Glen, Rose, Gardenia, Ivory, Amber and Thorn.
“You came just in time,” said Arcturus. “A few minutes later and there would be none of us left.”
“Are you the Druid called Arcturus?” asked the elder of the elves.
“I am,” he said.
“On behalf of Moon Reap, I thank you for what you have done.”
The elder elf walked with him as they surveyed the damage, and explained to him what had happened. Glen, Amber and the others had arrived at Moon Reap and argued for intervening. The elders had disagreed. Brook and Spruce were there, having returned to the safety of home at the first sign of war. Their testimony confirmed the story of Arcturus, but the elders felt a pre-emptive strike on goblins was an act of aggression. But when Glen and Amber presented them with the shrunken head, it told another story.
Using powerful Life Magic, an elven mage was able to break the bond on the shrunken head, and it had spoken. It was an elven player whose soul was trapped by Badger’s Flesh Magic. The elves of Moon Reap learned of Badger’s plans during this séance, and it also triggered a quest for nearly every resident of Moon Reap to rush to the aid of Aurora. After that, they marched.
Arcturus thanked the elves for their intervention and turned his attention to Aurora. The dead were being gathered and counted. Several dozen players from Aurora had fallen, as well as Michael, Randall, and Stephen—three humans who had come to battle under his own banner. It was a time of mourning, as those who died today would not be seen again for at least a hundred years.
Arcturus created several new sprites and ordered them to join his golem in cleaning up the goblin bodies. Remembering that he had resurrected one of the Ash Goblins, he ordered it to go stand over by the bodies. But it got killed on its way there when one of the villagers saw it and smashed it over the head.
He was then approached by William and Crag, the elder of Moon Reap.
“They are scattered, now, but with time, we will root them out,” said Crag.
“All of these things should be destroyed,” spat William.
“What do you say?” asked Crag. “We could recuperate here for a day or so,
and then set out to purge them once and for all. Then this will never happen again.”
NEW QUEST: EXTERMINATE ALL GOBLINS
Crag has asked you to join in the goblin purge. This quest branch will lead to all goblins being purged from Lydia, rendering them totally extinct. Do you accept? (Yes/No) Rewards: “Goblin Slayer” title, sovereignty over all land once controlled by goblins.
“No,” said Arcturus. “I think we’ve done enough. And with their leader gone, I doubt they’ll be back.”
The quest was dismissed, and it vanished. Many players came to call on him or give him thanks, to ask him if he needed anything, or to ask for his help. After a time, there was a lull as those remaining players had already gathered the dead together, and some had begun to put the broken pieces of Aurora back together, while others rested and still more stood silently over the bodies of the fallen. It seemed like a good time to slip away and find out why his quest was not yet over.
Arcturus went over to the pile of goblin bodies and began working his Death Magic. He found that the rules for resurrecting higher life forms like goblins were different from resurrecting the mindless drones that had been his eyes and ears in the forest.
After some experimentation, Arcturus came to understand some of the rules governing necromancy. He still didn’t understand what determined the level of the raised minion. Every goblin he raised ended up at Level 1. He knew for sure that they hadn’t been Level 1 when they died, either. He guessed the starting level was a product of his Death Magic level, which just wasn’t high enough.
He also learned about the limits to the number of beings he could raise as undead. Each undead minion required one wisdom point. He found that out quickly, as he saw a notification when he tried to raise zombie number thirty-six.
Your wisdom is not high enough to resurrect another undead minion.
Fortunately, it was relatively easy to start over again. When he hit his limit, he would order one of the zombies to destroy another. The villagers must have thought he was mad. He did this for many hours, while the villagers wept, shared memories, drank, and feasted. He worked with Lyle by his side, recycling, reducing and re-using the creatures that had tried to rip him apart earlier that day. After many hours, he had increased his level four times.
You have improved Death Magic (Level 20)
Your raised minions now start at a fraction of their original level.
He couldn’t resist the opportunity to look at his updated Character Display.
Character Display
Name: Arcturus
Level: 25
Race: Human
Hit Points: 400/400
Mana: 350/350
Vital Stats
Strength: 15
Perception: 19
Endurance: 75
Agility: 15
Dexterity: 15
Intelligence: 35
Wisdom: 65
Luck: 11
Abilities
Stealth (Level 17)
Archery (Level 10)
Short Blades (Level 1)
Alchemy (Level 18)
Crafting (Level 1)
Fire Magic (Level 8)
Earth Magic (Level 52)
Shapeshifting (Level 51)
Death Magic (Level 20)
Traits (4/4)
- Original. As the oldest sentient being in Lydia, you have the privilege of access to powers that were banished from the land long ago.
- Blessing of the Vampire Queen. +10 to strength, endurance, agility, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom. -9 perception in direct daylight. +15% to movement speed. Undead are less likely to be hostile. Stealth bonus against undead.
- Druid. +10 to intelligence, endurance and wisdom. Shapeshifting, Earth Magic and Alchemy level without restrictions of player level. +30 to Shapeshifting. +10 to Earth Magic and Alchemy. +30% disease and poison resistance.
- Wolf Soul. Unlimited use of wolf form during Shapeshifting: no mana cost, instant shifting, and shift to and from other unlimited forms. Nightvision.
Now this was promising! He was unable to quit, even though he smelled like an unholy onion and was covered with the dry, sticky blood of battle. He gestured at one goblin and asked it to bash another into pieces, which it did. A passing band of three players stopped in horror as they saw this sadistic experiment, but then averted their eyes and kept going. This was their hero, after all.
Now it was time to see what he could do with Level 20 in Death Magic. He replaced the double-dead zombie with a fresh one from the pile. He had been saving the oddly-colored goblins for this occasion, so he chose an Ash Goblin. As soon as it stood up, he examined it again.
Character Display
Ash Goblin (Level 9)
HP: 105/105 (25 + 10 per level after Level 1)
Mana: 25/25
Short Blades: Level 18
Stealth: Level 27 (Base 18 +50% racial bonus)
Racial ability: Concealment. Renders user completely invisible for 30 seconds.
Invisibility effect can be canceled by attacking, being attacked, touching a player or construct, or using any ability other than Stealth.
With glee, he destroyed all of the goblins he had made so far, except for the newest one. When he hit his limit, he dumped all of his points into wisdom, raising his limit to 65, and then continued until he had reached the maximum again—this time with twenty-three Ash Goblins, thirty Fire Goblins, and nine River Goblins. The River Goblins weren’t so useful now that they were dead, but he hoped they would be good for something other than water breathing.
Using the same process he had used for his other minions, he sent a group message to them. He asked them to make a funeral pyre and stack the non-resurrected corpses around it.
As they set to work, he noticed a corpse with its throat ripped out. An Ash Goblin was carrying it to the pile. He asked that zombie to bring the corpse to him and set it down. It was Badger’s lifeless body.
Rifling through the clothes on the corpse, he found little of use. But in Badger’s satchel was a book and another memory sphere.
You have found: Tome of Disfigurement
(Flesh Magic). Disfigurement creates boils, sores and masses of flesh on the target. The size and number of disfigurements is a product of the caster’s Flesh Magic level, intelligence and wisdom. The effect lasts indefinitely and can only be reversed through magic.
You have found: Memory Sphere
This object contains a stored memory. You may view it any time by holding it in both hands and closing your eyes.
QUEST UPDATE: Recover Your Memories
You have found your last memory by completing a rare quest. Recovered memories: 3/3.
Although he didn’t have much interest in disfiguring people, Arcturus did want to learn a new school of magic, so he opened the tome and began to read it, before a notification scared him witless, causing him to slam the book shut and throw it to the ground.
WARNING: Conflicting School of Magic
Flesh Magic is the inverse of Shapeshifting. Learning this school of magic will cause you to unlearn Shapeshifting. Would you like to continue? (Yes/No)
WARNING: Class Dependency
Shapeshifting is required for the Druid class. If you lose this skill, your class designation and all of its bonuses will be removed.
The Druid quickly chose “No”, and then picked the book up and put it in his bag for later.
Now it was time to see what was on the memory sphere. Arcturus hesitated for a moment before grasping the orb with both hands.
This time, the experience was more immersive than ever before. A flood of memories came to him, flowing by so fast that he couldn’t comprehend them all. But then time came to a stop, like a movie suddenly on pause, and he saw a face that he hadn’t remembered in a long time, but could never forget. He knew that her name was Seren, and that she was his wife.
Something that had been wrong with the world ever since his awakening clicked into place. A piece that he had been mi
ssing, without him knowing that it was there. The memories continued. Their first meeting, by chance, in the college library where he had attended graduate studies in Machine Learning. It was in the middle of finals and the library was packed with undergraduate students doing their last-minute cramming. He had forgotten to turn off his phone ringer and it had gone off in front of everybody. Dozens of dirty looks were fixed on him.
He looked up sheepishly. He could have distributed his attention around the whole room the way a comedian does with his audience, but when he caught glimpse of her, their eyes locked. Her evil stare softened and melted away before she returned to her book. Did she just smile? he asked himself. I should find a way to say ‘hello.’ A process of deliberation had begun, and courage bore out over sheepishness. This was the most beautiful girl on the planet, and there was nothing to lose. He caught her on the way out, making no attempt to conceal his aim.
They exchanged some chat messages that week, teasing, and joking. Then, trying not to look too eager, he asked her to meet for a coffee. She said yes.
And then they were glued at the hip. Everywhere one went, the other was sure to follow. In just a week, they talked of moving back to Silicon Valley together, where he had a job waiting. After the move, they settled into an undersized apartment. He went to work right away, and she bounced through a milieu of unusual jobs before enrolling in medical school.
One day he came home and started talking a mile a minute about an entrepreneur he had met at a conference that the company hosted. They had hit it off and the man had asked him to take on the role of technological advisor for a startup he was involved in.
It was exactly what Arcturus had wanted to do with his life. To end death itself and give the middle finger to the grim reaper. Building on an existing technology that was used mostly to treat neurodegenerative disorders by modeling human brains in a templating system, the startup, called PostLife, made the bold promise that it would be the first to create life everlasting. Its founders claimed that a patient could make a mold using their own brain tissues, and that, upon death, their consciousness could be restored—forever.