Pendrackon

by Aaron Oster

  Looks like I was wrong on that.

  “Come on,” Emma said cheerily. “It’s a new day, the weather is great, and we’re safe from those pal-tees. Let’s all try to be on the positive side!”

  Everyone turned to give her an odd look, and Emma’s cheeks flushed a light pink.

  “What? I got an awesome Divine Boon for apparently complimenting that old hag. Apparently, she was a priest, so I’ve gained a whole 5 points in Charisma!”

  “Really?” Sam asked, leaning in a bit closer.

  She didn’t look any different.

  “Gordon, care to give us a better explanation of how attributes affect us physically? I’ve seen my Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma shooting up with every level but somehow, I don’t feel any smarter, wiser, or look any different.”

  “Very well,” Gordon said with an exasperated sigh. “I suppose now that you are all well into your sub-classes and can see a marked increase in your attributes, I can take the time to explain.”

  “Gee, you make doing your job sound like running a marathon,” Barry cackled.

  “As I was saying,” Gordon continued, pointedly ignoring the bird’s comment. “All of your attributes do affect you. However, each person will be impacted differently, based on their physical traits in their previous life on Earth. Sam, for example, came to Somerset with low Strength, Endurance, and Agility, due to his overall unimpressive athletic ability.”

  “Hey!”

  “While Emma,” Gordon continued, ignoring Sam’s indignation, “had high numbers in those attributes, due to her rigorous morning exercises. Sam had a high starting Intelligence, but that is not to say he is intelligent.”

  Sam gritted his teeth and had to fight back the urge to kick the pompous mutt. Just once, he wished the dog would explain something without insulting him in the process.

  “Now, seeing as you both now have attributes past the 100-point mark, I can tell you that you should soon be seeing a vast difference in your abilities based on those attributes. It will not happen overnight, as that would be too much of a shock to your systems. But, give it a week, and you should see a roughly 30% increase to whichever aspects have surpassed 100 points.

  “For Emma, that would be Agility, and her body will change to match that increase. Her muscles will show more definition and the few traces of fat she contains on her stomach, buttocks, and face will vanish.”

  “Hey!”

  This time it was Emma’s turn to be indignant, but as with Sam, Gordon simply glossed it over.

  “Samuel, on the other hand, will find himself able to think more rationally, and perhaps he will stop using such vulgar language. The next threshold to pass will be 250 points, at which point you will see a further 30% increase.

  “Now, as to how Charisma will be affected, that part is simple. Once you pass 100 points, you will grow more attractive and people will generally treat you better. If we were to go by percentages, then with his 48 points in Charisma, Samuel is now 7% more attractive than he was back on Earth.”

  “Huh, I had no idea,” Emma said, looking down at herself, then at Sam. “Seven percent more. That’s not bad, considering you’re already such a cutie.”

  “Thanks for that, Gordon,” Sam said, glossing over Emma’s comment. “Can you explain what specializations are? Also, do you know why we don’t have access to them yet?”

  “Ah, I was wondering when you would ask. The explanation is quite simple, yet it is complicated at the same time. You see, a specialization is where you choose to focus your efforts most, regarding your class. Right now, you are a Mage, with the ‘Over’ sub-class. There are hundreds of sub-classes and thousands of specializations.

  “Since I do not know what options are generally available to your specific sub-class, I shall use Emma as an example. Her ‘Nimble’ sub-class focuses on speed, but not necessarily on precision. So, when it comes time to specialize, Emma can choose the ‘Precise’ specialization. Or, if she wished to concentrate her efforts on increasing the power of her strikes, she could choose ‘Impact.’

  “Specializations, unlike subclasses, will be made available based on your overall attributes, rather than any other factors. As such, the options will not become available until level 26. Once that level is reached, your options will be locked. You will not be able to change or add anything past your current available attribute points.

  “When picking a specialization, it is very important to choose wisely, as it will determine the final class option at level 38. This final option is called a Mastery and will be your last chance to gain extra bonuses per level.

  “Specializations normally don’t give much in the way of increases to overall attributes, only minor Perks or tweaks. They do come with one major thing, though, and that is a class-specific ability and skill. I’m afraid that is all the information I have on specializations.”

  “That is…actually very helpful,” Sam said as he digested Gordon’s words. “You say that overall attributes affect your final choices for specialization. Does that mean base attributes, or does your equipment affect the outcome?”

  “A very wise question,” Gordon said, seemingly happy now that he was in full-on lecture mode. “Yes, your items and equipment do make a difference when determining a specialization. That is how unique combination classes are so often made.”

  “How high does an attribute need to be in order to qualify, or is it more based on what your highest attributes are at the time?” Emma asked.

  “The threshold for such offers is generally around 50 points per attribute. If you have over 75, you will receive a better specialization. Over 100 points will give you your best option. Just make sure that whatever items you want are already equipped when you reach level 26.

  “Once that level is reached, you will be forced to spend all of your available attribute points. If you refuse, then they will not be counted toward your specialization. So, when the offer comes asking if you would like to assign your points, I recommend you take it.”

  “What exactly is a Mastery?” Sam asked once Gordon had finished his explanation.

  “I shall leave that explanation for the system. Fear not, though. You will be informed of all the necessary information once you choose your specialization.”

  “I have another question about thresholds and learning new abilities. How exactly does that work?”

  “New abilities and skills are generally made available when a Class, Sub-Class, Specialization, and Mastery are chosen. However, it is possible to learn or discover new skills and abilities on your own or through a trainer.”

  “Wait,” Emma said, sounding intrigued. “Are you saying that we can teach ourselves new abilities, so long as they fall into our chosen Class category?”

  “That is correct. All one must do is have an idea of what they wish to learn and a high enough Wisdom attribute to accomplish it. That, coupled with repetition, should give you the results you seek.”

  “Wait, are you saying that I can use something like a Meteor spell if I try hard enough?” Sam asked excitedly.

  “No,” Gordon replied. “For that, you would have had to have chosen the Earth-Mage sub-class. The description for your sub-class should give you an idea of your limitations. In addition, if the ability you are trying to learn exceeds your Wisdom attribute’s ability to bestow, then no matter how hard you try, it will not work.”

  “Does that mean I won’t be able to learn anything?” Emma asked in alarm. “My Wisdom is total crap! I only have 8 points in that attribute!”

  “Ah, forgive me. I was speaking with Sam in mind when giving that explanation. For Warriors, the needed attribute is Strength, due to the great strain placed on your bodies when using such abilities.”

  Emma let out a relieved sigh at that.

  “I was worried there for a few seconds. My strength is at 97, so I should be good.”

  “What? How is it so high?” Sam asked, staring at her incredulously.

  “I’ve been working o
n improving it,” Emma replied. “I mean, your Wisdom should be even higher than that, right?”

  Sam shook his head. Even with his gear, his Wisdom was at 86. Come to think of it, he never did Inspect her since her level up. Now that she wasn’t sleeping and it wasn’t totally creepy, he decided to check her out.

  HUMAN

  Name: Emelia Grace Loquin

  Gender: Female

  Class: Nimble-Warrior

  Level: 22 - HP: 540/540 - MP: 50/50 - STA: 980/980

  Status: Thoughtful

  Greatest Threat: Charge Strike (Ability)

  Humans are one of the most common races in Somerset and have no bonuses to any of their attributes.

  Not only did she have an Agility over 100 and Strength close to that, but her Endurance was at 98 as well, judging by that massive Stamina pool. Her HP was also nearly 200 points higher than his, and she was 2 levels below him. How the hell had she managed that?

  “Oh, lots of training, I guess?” Emma replied when he asked. “The gear I’m wearing also increases Constitution, Agility, and Endurance by 15 points each, and the sword gives me the same in Strength.”

  Holy shit! She got way better gear!

  “That sneaky bastard!” Sam yelled, feeling suddenly very annoyed.

  When I get my hands on Joe Leaderman, I’m going to wring his neck!

  “Who’s a sneaky bastard?”

  “Never mind,” Sam replied, rubbing at his temples.

  It was too early in the morning to be getting this upset. He’d have plenty of time to be upset later when things inevitably didn’t go their way throughout the day.

  “Alright, then. On a different note,” Emma said, pulling up her map. “It seems like there are still a few villages between here and the capital. Have you guys noticed anything weird in the way the guards around town were acting?”

  “I did not observe any strange behavior,” Gordon replied. “Though I believe that has more to do with the fact that the enchantress has not yet had the time to solidify her hold on the kingdom. I suspect that we will be running into some opposition as we draw closer to her seat of power.”

  “How close is the next village?” Sam asked, his stomach grumbling loudly in his ears.

  Neither of them had wanted to stay and eat in the hag’s inn after the way they’d been treated, and so, they’d left without breakfast.

  “Looks to be about five or six miles,” she replied. “Though it looks even smaller than the town we just left. It’s little more than a single street with a few farming families. No inn or shops that I can see, either.”

  “Then where’s the closest city?”

  “That would be Kamelmiddle,” Emma replied with a wince. “It’s about twenty miles from the next village and roughly fifty from the capital.”

  “Can’t they be even a little creative when it comes to naming things?” Sam wondered out loud. “I mean, naming the capital Kamellittle is one thing, but changing the word ‘little’ to ‘middle’ and just naming another city after that is ridiculous!”

  “Then you’re probably going to hate the rest of the cities in the East Kingdom just as much,” Emma said with a grin.

  “Oh, please don’t tell me!”

  “There’s a Kamelapple, Kamelhump, Kamelend, Kamelbig, Kamel…”

  “For the love of all that is good, please stop!” Sam exclaimed, not sure how much more of this he could take.

  “I do not see why you are making such a fuss,” Gordon said as he retrieved his favorite stick, which by now resembled little more than a soggy collection of splinters. “It makes remembering all the cities and their locations so much easier.”

  “But you all have a fucking map!” Sam yelled. “Why the hell would you need to remember anything?”

  They were lucky that they were well out of the town by now, as Sam’s yelling may very well have gotten them arrested. As it was, Gordon was not pleased at all by Sam’s tone and said he was walking on ahead until Sam could ‘control his vulgarity and speak in a civilized manner.’

  The little shoulder people made an appearance then, and Sam had to listen to them argue on the morality of kicking a dog.

  21

  The sun was high overhead when their party finally reached the small village, literally called Village. The lack of imagination was so horrible that Sam was half-tempted to just walk on through. Or, better yet, light the entire place on fire and cackle like a movie supervillain over the ashes.

  Instead, they approached one of the closest houses and knocked on the door. No one answered the door, seeing as it was the middle of the day and the farmers were all out in the fields. Because none of them felt like walking out into the rows of wheat to go looking for the village people, they just continued on their way.

  “This food tastes like crap,” Sam complained, shoving another spoonful of the Dried Stew Ration into his mouth.

  The food provided by the guild was clearly out of date and not very high quality. He was already sick and tired of not being able to eat anything other than stew in the first place, but the least this Overlord could have done was made it taste good.

  “Gotta agree with you on that,” Emma said with a sour expression. “I would burn a pot of water, and even I can cook better than this!”

  “Why didn’t I think of that?” Sam exclaimed, smacking his forehead.

  “Think of what?”

  “Cooking! If this is like an RPG, then there must be a cooking skill. I was a pretty decent cook back on Earth, so if we catch some wild game, we might be able to have a decent meal that isn’t stew!”

  Emma gave her packet of slop one last look, then tossed it over her shoulder.

  “I’m with you! Let’s go find us some game!”

  The open prairies of the East Kingdom were flush with wild rabbits, chickens, and small rodents, so it wasn’t too hard for them to find something quickly.

  It was fairly uncomplicated, although Emma had had a bit of a difficult time protecting Sam when a swarm of fluffy bunnies had descended on them, due to his Butcherer of Bunnies Title. Not that he minded.

  “That should be plenty,” Emma said in exasperation as Sam continued to fight, attacking any bunny who came near.

  “I’ll kill every last one of you, fuzzy bastards! Die! Die! Die!”

  Fire exploded into the air, leaving the scent of burning fur and roasting meat to waft over the open grassland, and still, Sam wasn’t done.

  “Just leave him for now,” Gordon said. “He has a special hatred for the small creatures, so I am afraid he may be a while. In the meantime, would you perchance like to hunt for some herbs? I sniffed some lovely wild garlic and basil nearby. I also believe there may be some lemongrass and salt stalk as well.”

  “Never heard of that last one,” Emma said as she followed the dog.

  “Does salt not grow in your world?”

  “It does, but more like rocks than plants if I’m not mistaken. Where’s Barry, by the way?” she asked, noting that the bird wasn’t with them.

  “He is back there with Samuel, attacking those poor bunnies,” Gordon said with a sigh. “I am sure they will run out of steam eventually, so there is not much we can do for now.”

  While the two of them went off to hunt for herbs, Sam and Barry proceeded to wipe out the nearby population of bunnies. Unfortunately for the two of them, killing that many of the level 1-3 creatures got the attention of something far more dangerous.

  “All bunnies must pay!” Sam cackled madly, throwing another Mana Burn into the swarming creatures and killing nearly half a dozen.

  “Birds are superior to your kind, and don’t you forget it!” Baron Von Tweet screeched, dropping an exploding shit-bomb into their midst.

  At first, Sam hadn’t understood the bird’s motivation. Now, though, he knew better. Apparently, Barry was upset that bunnies were a more popular pet than his kind and he was now taking it out on them to prove a point.

  “Nice shot, bird!” Sam cheered, watching fluffy b
unnies go soaring into the air.

  “Not too bad yourself, you dumb fucker!”

  Okay, maybe he could have done without the insults, but all things considered, the bird was still much better than Gordon. The dog’s constant pompous attitude pissed Sam off more than any names the bird might call him. Sure, Barry was an insulting asshole and liked pooping on people for some sick reason, but at least the bird didn’t act like he was better than him.

  Killing these bunnies wasn’t really doing much for him XP-wise, each only netting him 1 to 2 points, but his skills and abilities were still improving. It was only after they’d killed their hundredth bunny that Sam received two new messages.

  TITLE UPDATED!

  Through your excessive and brutal murder of fluffy bunnies, your Butcherer of Bunnies title has been updated!

  Slaughterer of Bunnies

  Effect: +25% Damage against bunnies, and bunny-like creatures

  Secondary Effect: All bunnies will receive Blinding Rage buff and attack you on sight.

  WARNING!

  Due to your excessive murder of the local bunny population, you have triggered an Area Event.

  Objective: Survive the Swarm and kill the Boss

  Failure: Die

  Rewards: 7,500XP, Special skill, Don’s Weapon

  “Um, Barry?” Sam asked, noting how all the bunnies had just become deathly calm. “What’s an Area Event?”

  The bird, who’d also noticed what was happening, drifted down to land on his shoulder.

  “It basically means we’re fucked. But, if we can win, we’ll get some pretty sweet rewards!”

  “Yeah, somehow that doesn’t fill me with confidence,” Sam muttered as the bunnies began twitching and writhing.

  Their bodies ballooned to nearly twice their original size, and their fur turned black. Their small eyes began to glow red and their bodies became leaner and more muscular. In the distance, Sam could also make out more creatures approaching, these even larger than the mutated terror-bunnies from some fourth-grader’s worst nightmares.