by Domino Finn
Kyle incurred a grievous injury. The goblin's sticker sunk into his stomach all the way to the hilt. My roommate battered his enemy weakly, scoring decent hits but clearly losing now. I growled and tumbled as claws scraped my back.
This was it then. The moment of our deaths.
I felt my intestines spill from my belly. The paralyzing terror of that Pepsi trailer sliding right at me. This was helplessness, all over again.
Virtual blood boiled within me. I couldn't accept that. Not that easily. If I was gonna bite it, I'd be damned if I didn't take one of these sickos with me.
My dash was still unusable so I had to do it the old-fashioned way. I charged Kyle and the goblin and lined up my weapon. An imp blocked my path so I speared him and kept barreling ahead. The iron popped through the imp and stuck the goblin's gut as I crashed into them with the full force of my body. The tackle ripped the goblin off Kyle. It rocketed us over the smooth sloping edge of the hill. Head over heels, the goblin, the imp, and I tumbled down the hillside. I held onto my spear for dear life.
Fall Damage!
3 damage
Fall Damage!
3 damage
Fall Damage!
3 damage
At the bottom, when the world stopped spinning, I was the only one sitting up. My 8 health points didn't look so hot, but it had my present company beat. The goblin subordinate was dead. The imp hadn't even been alive for the tumble.
Two more dead. That meant Kyle was still on the hilltop with four imps and...
The goblin captain swapped out his dagger for the familiar axe and approached my friend. Kyle was on his hands and knees downing a health potion.
Talon: Get out of there!
Kyle: No way. I got this.
Talon: Kyle
I abandoned party chat and climbed over the dead goblin. My vision was blurry and tinted red. I stomped up the hill. "Kyle!"
My roommate squared off with the goblin captain. Kyle's health was regenerating but their duel wouldn't wait. Before either of them struck, however, the imps jumped on my friend's back. He twisted and stabbed backward, ending one's life, but the sacrifice had accomplished its goal. The goblin was only at a third health but he was a formidable soldier. A quick heave of his axe buried it into Kyle's skull. The critical hit put him down for good. My friend crumpled to the grass and the imps jeered and bit into his flesh.
[Kyle] is dead!
The captain barked an order and cut the imp's celebration short. Then he equipped his dagger again and pointed at me. "Kill the human!" he commanded.
The pagans charged down the hill like a rolling thunder.
0180 Out Run
Kyle was dead and I had three imps and a goblin captain bearing down on me. Half their party taken out and half of mine. Difference was, I was alone. My vision swam a little. I was near death.
I did what any red-blooded person who wanted to live would have done. I ran.
The pagans were navigating the hillside while I was on the road. That gave me a good lead. As I sprinted, I downed one of two health potions. With my max health of 38, the buff would restore me to full in half a minute.
Talon: Kyle!
Talon: Kyle, where are you?
My friend didn't answer. I ran down the path and waded through combat notifications. I didn't care about the damage and experience. I was learning to ignore those and focus on what was important. I found it.
[Kyle] is dead!
[Kyle] has left your party
Crap. I had no idea how Haven handled death. I could only assume he respawned at Stronghold. Problem was, I couldn't access my mailbox in the wild, and with him removed from the party, chat was out as well.
That meant I was truly on my own.
The pagans had full aggro on me. I charged down the road at an impressive clip but they weren't giving up. I was faster than them but I'd tire eventually.
Well, not tire, exactly, but sprinting at this pace was steadily draining my spirit points. Haven's stamina and combat skills and mana were all built into the same pool, making spirit a delicate balance. I was below a third and believed the pagans would follow me to the ends of Haven. I needed to change the game.
As I rounded the hillside, I broke line of sight with my pursuers. The hill was rockier now, a steeper grade but not a sheer face. Several large boulders formed platforms, a series of steps for a giant. At the top the forest grew thick.
I opened my skill menu and checked the traversal options. Scaling was real attractive right now. However, I had another thought. Without time to examine the skill descriptions closely, I selected vault. I ran at one of the large stone steps, twice my height, and shoved the base of my spear into the dirt. The ensuing skill trigger lifted me off the ground. I shot up like a pole-vaulter and easily landed on the rock above.
The skill cooldown was only 5 seconds but it took a chunk of spirit. I repeated the vault onto a higher plane, leaving only one more jump to the hilltop.
My spirit was too low for another one. I considered using my last spirit potion but I was only 1 point short. It would naturally replenish itself in seconds. Yes, I was one of those RPG players who saved all my cool stuff for the last boss. Sue me.
Waiting, of course, felt longer than it was. Another ten seconds or so gave me the spirit I needed. Unfortunately, it also gave the pagans time to round the bend and see what I was up to.
Damn.
It was a mistake not using that spirit vial. Nothing for it anymore. I vaulted to the top of the hill as the pagans clutched the rocks and started their ascent. These bastards were persistent. I pressed into the forest to maintain my lead.
I crashed through the brush, branches whipping my face. There was no such thing as far enough ahead. Even as I ran, I heard the captain's war cry as he crested the hill. Damn pagans were good climbers too.
I hurried past a clearing where I saw the strangest thing. A deer with white stripes and huge horns—not antlers but thick, heavy horns—hung upside down in some kind of net. I slowed my sprint for a second and took in the bizarre scene, readying for any other surprises. There were none, however. We were alone.
The animal whimpered. I bolted from the clearing. Not as far behind as I would've hoped, the imps raised a noisy ruckus. They were close and smelled blood.
I stopped. Crap. I couldn't do it.
I sprinted back to the clearing. The deer turned its head to me as far as the net would allow. It jerked and set the whole hanging contraption swinging. The poor thing was stuck good. Despite the pagans bearing down on me, I equipped my whittling knife, reached up, and cut the net down.
The deer landed on her back and rolled to a sit. She was large and solid, falling somewhere between deer and bison in the animal kingdom. She had a deep-chestnut coat with white vertical stripes on her body and a cream-colored mask around her eyes and the bridge of her nose, like a raccoon. Her four hooves had cream socks, and her horns were large, broad things that formed a V atop her head.
A [Mountain Bongo], whatever that was. As I readied to go, she licked my face.
"Okay, girl," I said. "You're welcome. You're free. Now get outta here."
The bongo hopped to the tree line. Her muscled legs had a long stride, but she was limping.
I nodded. "Don't worry. It's me they want."
The pagans screamed through the dense brush. I bit the bullet and chugged my spirit vial, wishing I'd done it sooner and avoided this whole mess. I winked at the bongo and raced into the trees, banging my spear against the foliage and generally making a clamor to draw the pagans my way.
And my way they came. I pressed ahead with near abandon. At the last second, I noticed my foot falling toward a length of net on the ground.
"Shit!"
I triggered my vault skill and hopped over the trap.
Agility Check...
Pass!
I tried planting the spear between the net loops but I must've snagged it. The trap sprang, yanking my spear from my grip. My panicked
landing was the opposite of graceful, but I cleared the net. I rolled to my feet and brushed myself off.
Someone or something was making use of the trapping skill. As if I didn't have enough things to worry about. I heard the imps approaching. I tugged my spear hanging in the empty net. It was wrapped tight. Tangled. I pulled harder but that only tightened the net's grip.
I took a breath and worked the net's loops off my weapon one by one. At least this was a chance to catch my breath. Unfortunately, the pagans came into view through the trees. As I finally pulled my spear away, they fanned out into the clearing.
I backed away slowly. I was now in a spot of sunlight. The tree canopy opened above, allowing the light to hit the ground. Lush grass grew. That's what had attracted the wild game. It also helped hide the net. Someone knew what they were doing.
Proficiency improved: Skilled Searcher
You are accustomed with the tricks of hiding objects and will find moderate success finding them.
"Tricksies human," admonished the goblin captain. His eye was a bloodied pulp. "I will tear the flesh from your bones."
Could these guys get any more disgusting? I grimaced and faced them. One of the imps was wounded. The goblin hadn't healed. Still a third health, which put him about equal with me, thanks to the health tincture. That had to mean this was winnable. But it wouldn't be easy. He'd taken out Kyle with a single crit, and he'd done it by using the imps as a distraction.
"How about a fair fight?" I graciously offered. "Tell your imps to back away and you and me settle this like men."
He chortled. "Now why would I do that?"
The three lackeys flanked me. I almost backed into another net. Another trap. I smiled and sidestepped it, luring the captain closer.
"You sure you don't want to do this fair and square?" I asked, my tone a smug warning.
The goblin ran his black tongue over the length of his dagger and cackled. Then he stepped into the net. A rush of sound zipped against the trees as the net sprang. The goblin recoiled as the net snapped up around him, squeezing his arms to his body and lifting him two feet off the ground.
I instantly struck the nearest imp. The pagans had all been startled and I scored an easy kill.
The captain grunted as he sawed the net, but he couldn't free himself quickly enough. I only had two imps left, and one of them was hurt. A crossblock combo took care of the healthy one. I cleaned the other up without resorting to skills, with only a minor scratch to show for it. With the lackeys out of the way, I turned my attention to the captain.
With a final slice, he cut his torso free. He tumbled upside down, knees still caught in the air. His head banged the ground and he lost the grip on the dagger.
I snorted and approached. "You killed my friend."
"No!" he uttered. "A fair fight. I want a fair fight."
I recalled his execution of the merchant on the road. How he used the imps to surprise and take down Kyle. If the captain was so keen to fight dirty, I'd oblige him. I activated deadshot and plunged the spear into the goblin captain's neck. His screaming hiss cut to gurgling blood, and red painted the dirt.
[Goblin Captain] is defeated
600 XP awarded
BWOOOOOM!
You have reached Level 3!
I closed my eyes and took in the surge of power. Another level. Another rush of fire over me as my health and spirit instantly maxed out to new levels. Incredible.
Without Kyle in the party, I'd absorbed the full experience reward of the goblin captain and remaining imps. Clearly an enemy I wasn't supposed to kill yet in a one-on-one fight.
My face darkened at the next notification.
Pagan Reputation -100
I grumbled. It always bugged me how games scored faction penalties. None of the witnesses to my deeds lived. How the hell would the entire pagan nation know what I'd done? But that was that. The rules of the game. I had to live with them.
And I wasn't sorry.
At the edge of the clearing, the mountain bongo peeked out at me.
I laughed. "You're a quiet one. With that mask you look like a little bandit."
She sniffed the air hesitantly.
"I know. They smell disgusting."
I looted the bodies. Decent silver and sellable gear, but nothing noteworthy except for a weird roll of cloth in the captain's pocket. It was sealed with a sticky, sappy substance.
[Outer Mandate]
This scroll cannot be read unless you break the seal. This will have consequences. Would you like to break the seal?
Hmm. It would be better to know what I was getting into before opening this. What if I negated its value by doing so? I frowned and stuffed it into my inventory.
The bongo pressed her nose into my hand. Her silent approach had surprised me. I relaxed and rubbed the spot between her eyes. Her ears twitched happily and I rubbed those too.
"Watch out for those nets, now. Okay?"
I lugged my gear back to the hillside. Instead of climbing down the steep slope, I followed along the top. I didn't want to stand out in the open.
As I hiked, the mountain bongo came along. She still limped although I couldn't spot anything seriously wrong with her. It was stupid but I used my last health vial on her. What can I say? I had 57 health now; I was practically invincible. Fully recovered, the bongo hopped up and down in excitement and pranced two circles around me. Good as new.
She was cute. Had a lot of personality for an AI animal.
But it was time to regroup. No more health or spirit tinctures. Kyle was probably back at Stronghold. As I traversed the hilltop, the forest grew thinner and soon I was at the site of Kyle's body. I selected it.
Kyle's equipment was dropped. You can salvage it and return it to him, or you can scavenge it for yourself.
Salvage or Scavenge?
I chose salvage. The entirety of his loot immediately disappeared into thin air. Huh. I wondered if that meant he had it now. If true, corpse runs weren't necessary in Haven as long as one party member lived. In fact, we weren't even in a party anymore, so maybe Haven allowed the kindness of strangers to return a dead player's loot.
I'm sure it didn't happen a lot.
As I finished looting the rest of the dead pagans, movement caught my eye on the road below. Three adventurers sprinted toward the abandoned wagon. It was that kill-thief Dune and his party.
"Hey!" I called out. "That's my stuff!"
0190 Thief
They got to the wagon first but I was scrambling down the hill yelling and flailing my arms like a madman. It got their attention. The three of them turned to me, startled.
I stopped in front of them. "I let you walk away with that toad gland but I won't let you take this."
One of them scoffed. A level 3 mystic in a red robe and a staff. He had a wide belly and a long black beard. "Won't let us?"
I frowned. They were all level 3, like me, except they'd already received their class titles. Dune was a ranger with a bow. Stigg, the red robe, was a berserker. He looked like some kind of mystic tank. The rail-thin black girl with spectacles, Caduceus, was a physicker. Her plain white clothes advertised her as a healer. She was an artisan class, though, not a mystic. She leaned on the sciences, then.
"I'm not here to fight," I told them. "But the simple fact of the matter is I almost died beating the pagans for this. My friend," I said, pointing to the hilltop, "did die. So I think I've earned this."
Dune backed away from the wagon. "This is pagan loot?"
The others eyed the creature's bodies on the hill and the beheaded man on the road.
"It was," I answered. I brushed past them and went to the wagon. They didn't try to stop me.
Loot:
[Chain Mail Hauberk]
[Iron Vambraces]
[Blacksteel Spear]
A nice haul. I wondered what that lone traveler was doing with this stuff. I twirled the new spear in my hand and examined it.
[Blacksteel Spear]
B
lacksteel is hardened in the desert forges of Alandra with an unknown ore enricher. Harder and sturdier than normal steel.
+10% damage versus pagans
This would definitely come in handy. I trudged over to the poor merchant's body. He was an NPC so there was no option to salvage his belongings back to him.
Loot:
[Studded Leather Armor]
[Leather Pants]
[Leather Boots]
[Steel Shortsword]
"Finally," I said. I slipped the studded leather armor and pants on under my soldier's coat. I chucked my sandals and put on a real pair of sturdy boots. The chain mail armor was too much but the iron vambraces fit nicely on my forearms.
Dune chuckled. "Much better than newbie gear. I dig that blue coat, by the way."
Dune wasn't a stranger to bright colors, but with his green cloak and bow he was more into the Robin Hood thing. I just hoped they weren't planning on robbing me.
The three of them listed around uncertainly. "Hey, you think you wanna group with us?"
I nodded at them thankfully. "Sorry. Maybe later. I gotta get back to Stronghold and resupply. And see about a friend."
"Kyle," said Dune.
"Right." I got my gear in order. "I'm not sure what happened to him. I haven't been able to reach him yet."
"He's on lockdown," explained Caduceus. Her voice was deep and precise. "He can't leave home for four hours. He can read email but can't send anything, so even if you had access you wouldn't hear back. Once you see him again he can rejoin your party and restore chat privileges."