“It’ll be good to hit something real instead of your damn wooden shield!” Dave smiled.
“Good. Then you’ll be needing these.” Tounk pulled out two axes and handed them to Dave.
Fine Steel Axe x2
Well-made axes that would make any warrior proud
Quality: B
Damage: 23
Durability: 80/80
“Wow, thanks.” Dave took the axes and checked their weight. They were simple and straightforward, but their workmanship was well done.
“Tomorrow we start on our journey to Omal,” Lox said, rising.
Dave nodded. He liked his peace and quiet, and it looked as if he would be keeping it as the Dwarven/Elven town was being built a good distance away. Yet he’d been training for a good while and he was interested to see what else the world had to offer him. There was no going back to boring conference rooms and having to fight the United States government. He was here for however long. Although he liked his peace, he found himself excited to meet other travelers. To see an Alturaran or the cities that the Dwarven warband had talked about and he’d seen on forum posts.
Even if he was stuck in the game forever, there was plenty to keep him entertained. The Dwarves were teaching him the basics, though his speed of picking things up from them was decreasing. This would be his first time looking to clear mobs.
He’d grown a lot out in the forest; he was pretty excited and more than a touch anxious about what would happen.
***
It didn’t take Deia long until she found a mob that needed clearing out. She had a much higher Surveyor skill than Dave and an Agility that allowed her to practically walk up trees. She’d find the tallest tree and survey the landscape, moving on if she didn’t see anything in the area. The Dwarves, on the other hand, looked at the land and figured out where they wanted the road to go.
They might be a warband but Dwarves were innate builders. All of them knew how to mine and form items from mountains at a young age. All of them were close to seventy years of age—barely more than teenagers in Dwarven terms—and looking forward to another two hundred active years.
They grumbled and argued, talking about the ground, the way the water ran. Dave just kept his distance and took in the peaceful forest, until Deia dropped out right in front of the warband.
“Seems there’s a collection of Kalsa in the area,” Deia said. A new way point appeared on all of their maps.
“Five of them. I can kite two of them, but no more,” Deia said.
“Let’s go take a look.” Lox led the way, holding his shield ready and his hand on his blade. Deia disappeared back into the woods as Dave followed. His job was to heal and learn. The mobs in the forest were too high of a difficulty for him. Though he would still get XP from being an active part of the party.
“Hold up,” Deia said through the party chat as they were now in range for her to link her Analyze of the Kalsa to the party. They looked like armadillos, but much bigger and a lot angrier.
Level 24 Kalsa
Level 36 Kalsa
Level 50 Kalsa
Level 48 Kalsa
Level 53 Kalsa
That last one is a monster!
“Take ’em!” Lox said.
Deia’s arrows cut into the level 53 where its neck connected to its shell. It let out squeaks as Tounk stopped it moving with a thrust of his sword.
Or maybe not?
Lox dazed the level 50 with his shield. He kicked it over and drove a sword into its gut, nearly cutting the Kalsa in two.
After that, Dave didn’t pay attention to the combat logs as Kalsa continued to die at an alarming rate.
“Ah shit, Kalsa goop!” Gurren said. The other Dwarves had already finished off their quarry.
“You sure you need me around?” Dave asked.
“Of course!” Lox said, seriously. “Need a damn cook!”
Dave grinned. He wasn’t going to complain; he was learning a lot as they fought and that learning, just as with his conjuring ideas, was increasing his skill levels slowly but surely.
The XP was also raising his potential levels but until he actually put those stat points into anything, he wouldn’t be going up at all.
Deia jumped up a tree and used Surveyor.
“We’re clear, for now.” She stayed up there, looking for possible threats that might come because of the freshly spilled blood.
“Well, shit—going to have to get a new pair of pants.” Joko sighed and looked at the state of her armor greaves.
Dave could see that they had only won because of the party working together. He also saw his notification tab blinking.
Level 12
You have reached level 12; you have 45 stat points to use.
His level had gone up, but he hadn’t used anything but magic. His Affinity levels had increased.
The Dwarves hadn’t got any large stat increases as only a few of the kills still gave them experience as they had allotted their stat points. Dave was seeing some big positives to holding off on using his points and just collecting high experience.
“So, I was wondering if we might use that graveling method to level out the roadway, same way that Dave did—give it better drainage. What do you think, Dave?” Gurren said.
“Do you talk about anything other than roads?” Dave shook his head. The Dwarves laughed as they picked up their gear, recovering from their fight.
Dave blinked at the creatures. They each had a few gold coins on them. He took them; once he left the menu, the creatures turned into ash.
“What the hell just happened?” Dave asked.
“Loot is the binding essence of mobs—take it away and they disappear. You cut them up like the animals they are and you can use them for food and such. Not many travelers think to eat the animals that they see. Just leave dust piles. Also, if you cut them up, you can get things like their furs, natural armor, bits for potions, and if you remove the loot physically, the rest doesn’t turn to ash,” Max said.
“Well, that is useful to know,” Dave said.
They wandered in a weaving fashion, the Dwarves scouting the ground for the road, Deia scouting from the air, and Dave being hammered into a fighter by the Dwarves.
***
“When you reach the higher levels, you should be much stronger than those who are using them. They might have gear, spells, and such, but travelers and even us normal folk—we are too used to the extras that our levels give us that we don’t properly grow into them,” Joko said.
“Beyond the portals, with the normal characters of the land and travelers, it will be of more benefit to know your skills rather than your abilities. Someone who is using preset spells instead of forming them to their will is going to be weaker, less flexible. Many spellcasters need to do complex movements and chant words of power to use their powers. You can cast it as if it is another muscle.” Deia looked at Dave.
“Why is it that every time you look at me, it feels like I’m a test subject?”
“That’s ’cause you’re learning, boy!” Lox laughed.
Even Deia shared a smile. “Tomorrow, we shall see if we can get you moving faster and work on that Surveyor’s skill of yours.”
“Ugh!” Dave fell back onto his sleeping mat. “Why did I agree to all of this training?”
The Dwarves laughed and Dave joined in. He really appreciated it, but a dwarf wasn’t one for letting out their feelings with words. A good head-butt or shoulder slap was enough to convey what they meant.
Dave liked the training and he liked his home. Though the more people talked of the rest of Emerilia, the more he wanted to explore.
It saddened him, knowing that he would have to leave his friends behind if he went on his travels. They had commitments to their clans. Dave had no such commitments. They would live for hundreds of years, plenty of time to wander around before coming back to his home on the hill.
Still, he had a lot to learn and he didn’t want to leave quite yet.
&nb
sp; Chapter 15: Gravity is a Bitch
Dave felt the tree limb break. He looked up at the branch. No, come on—you can do it. The branch cracked. This is going to hurt.
Curses could be heard as his four-foot plummet was met with a tree limb between his legs. Everyone else winced at the sight as Dave tilted and fell the remaining feet. He barely registered falling to the ground as he wheezed on the ground.
“Fuck climbing.” His throat was tight in pain as he worried that the world would never see little Daves running around.
Deia landed like a feather, the polar opposite of his abortive landing.
“I think, lass, you should go scouting. The lad’s feeling a bit under the weather,” Lox said.
“Dave—talk to me, Dave. How many fingers am I holding up?” Gurren asked.
“NGGHHH.”
“Never seen that before—stunned, dazed, and scared in one go. That’s the reason I stay on the damn ground,” Tounk said to Joko.
“You and me both, brother,” Joko said.
Dave circulated Mana through his body, but still it was awhile before he was even able to get out of the fetal position. “Ow.” He tenderly stretched out on the ground.
***
The next day, Dave was happy that Deia chose to fight him instead of make him climb some more trees.
Dave conjured a dagger, pouring more Mana into it to make it last longer.
“If you have the basic structure down well, it will take a lot less magic for it to hold its form,” Deia said. “It is the same thing with Elven homes. We see the structure that already is and feed it magic in order to grow into that form. Forcing a tree to grow into a form without taking into account its structure will make it weaker. Get a better idea of the base materials—the wood, the leather, the metal, the work that went into each and the combination of them all. You might find that it takes a lot less magic to create.”
Dave was frustrated and tired but he nodded his head. “You might have a point.” He looked at his blade.
“That training is for someone else.” Her blade was on Dave’s kidney. “My training means that you should know of everything that is around you at all times. Without your Touch of the Land.”
She stepped away and Dave turned to face her.
“We will work on making you silent as well as deadly. Agility is a must in any fight. Be fast to react and faster to strike.”
Deia smiled. It was enough to turn Dave to mush. Then she came at him with her dagger.
His latest training had started.
***
“What do you see?” Deia asked as she and Dave moved quietly through the forest. He was many times better than he had been when he had snuck up on the wolf and snake fighting.
Dave was going to give an off-the-cuff remark but looked around. It was low light, but to him it mattered little. He searched the area, remembering what she had been pumping into his skull for the last couple of days, as well as the small signs everywhere. It took him ten minutes before it all clicked.
“There is a cave up ahead. There is a group of creatures living in it, not wild animals but humanoid.”
“How do you know that?” Deia asked.
“The way of the land. The trees are lower over there and higher there, meaning that there is a rise. I don’t see any smoke, but I can smell it and meat cooking. That means that the fire has to be inside a cave and the creatures are cooking their food. There are few animals in this area that would cook their food before eating it. Most likely they’re humanoid of some kind.”
“Well done.” Deia continued on. Dave followed, moving over a small rise, and looked down toward the cave he’d picked up on.
There, in front of it, were three green creatures wearing rough armor and looking ugly as all hell.
“Goblins,” Dave said.
“Quite, and a large group of them,” Deia said.
Level 5 Goblin
Level 12 Goblin
Level 7 Goblin
Dave watched as a group of Goblins walked toward the three at the entrance to the cave. Dave got a whiff of their unwashed smell. He didn’t want to know how bad it was up close. “What are we going to do?”
“You’re going to start taking out their patrols. I will get the others.”
“You want me to take out an entire patrol?” Dave hissed.
“I have faith; you are stronger than you think. These are five levels or so below your actual level. Remember your training and fight smart.” With that, she wandered away.
“What is with people and stealthing away just as they give me an impossible task!” Dave hissed, keeping his voice low.
He sighed and looked around. He picked up various footprints leaving the cave and returning to it. They varied in how bright they were.
Dave followed the latest footprints to start his hunt. He found his first trio of Goblins wandering through the underbrush, utterly hating their journey.
Dave conjured a blade in his hand. He grabbed the little bugger’s mouth as he stuck his dagger through its back and turned. It bucked and then fell silent.
Dave let it drop to the ground slowly. He moved toward the last two that were still walking. He needed to act before they realized their equally stinky buddy wasn’t around.
Dave conjured another blade, stabbing one in the kidney and turning his blade.
The last one turned. Dave slashed its neck and it went down gurgling.
Dave opened the loot menu above their corpses. He took all—a few coppers and some rusted armor. Their corpses turned to ash and disappeared.
He destroyed his conjured blades; a portion of their Mana returned to his bar as he looked at the other footsteps in the area. They were a few hours old. It would take him too much time to find them, so he returned to where Deia had given him his mission.
The Dwarves and Deia were waiting.
“Dave and I will take out the guards at the entrance. We will signal you down. Then you can surprise them,” Deia said.
Lox was technically the higher rank, but he nodded in agreement.
“Dave, go left.” She disappeared up a tree.
“I swear, she was a squirrel in another life.” Dave looked to the Dwarves. “Good-looking squirrel, that is.”
“I heard that.”
The Dwarves grinned as Dave made a quick departure, his face practically glowing red.
He moved off to the side of the cave. The patrol had headed into the cave but the three guards still stood at the entrance, talking in their high-pitched language.
Level 5 Goblin
Level 12 Goblin
Level 7 Goblin
Dave pulled out his bow. He was running at fifty percent Mana from conjuring daggers and he might need to heal someone soon.
He sighted the level 12 Goblin. He waited a few minutes. Thinking enough time had passed, Dave pulled back his arrow and let loose.
His training with the bow, conjuring items in the air, and watching dozens of instructional videos had paid off. He caught the Goblin in the neck. It went down with a gurgle as a shadow dropped from above the cave, killing the other two Goblins.
They didn’t have time to make a noise before Deia signaled everyone to move up.
Dave held another arrow at the ready and headed for Deia. She moved into the cave. Dave followed. They moved deeper into the cave.
A Goblin walked out of a cavern up ahead and into the corridor Deia and Dave were creeping up. Dave’sarrow buried itself in the Goblin’s face. They went down in a shriek.
Deia pulled her twin swords free and ran forward, their element of surprise gone. Dave unequipped his bow and grabbed his axes. Deia finished off the Goblin on the floor as they moved into the open cavern. Ttwenty Goblins stared back at them.
“Shit,” Dave muttered.
With a shrill war-cry they charged forward, brandishing stone or rusted weapons.
The Dwarves arrived, creating a semi-circle around the entrance to the room and around Deia and Dave. Dave touched the g
round as the Goblins charged. They were coming on like a flood of green and week old body odor.
He understood the layout of the room. Time slowed as a structure came to his mind; he waited, watching the Goblins come. At the last moment, he infused it with Mana.
Rough spikes appeared around the Dwarves. Goblins, unable to stop themselves, were impaled on the spikes. The tide stopped. Goblins screamed as arrows hit the Dwarves’ shields. Not all of the Goblins had charged.
Dave destroyed the conjured spikes, creating new spikes under the Goblin archers. He held onto the wall for support.
“Meditate.” Deia pushed Dave to sit.
He felt power fill the void inside. He heard Lox call out orders as the Dwarves moved into the room, cutting down the badly wounded Goblins that were now at their mercy. Dave released all of his conjurings. Power returned to him, a fraction of what he had spent. He felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Time to move forward. Next time, let us get a bit of the action.” Max pulled Dave to his feet.
“I’ll think about it.” Dave still didn’t have a handle on gauging his powers. From the Goblins lying around, it looked as if his attacks had been effective.
Lox and the Dwarves moved up ahead. Deia had stored her swords and had her bow in her hand. A glance showed that the Dwarves hadn’t got a single injury. Dave followed them.
There were sounds of fighting up ahead. Dave could see Goblins in the corridor they’d moved into. It opened out into a large cavern, a large pool to the right. Goblins were everywhere, in tents or sprawling around cooking areas. A massive Goblin yelled and the Goblins took up its call, rushing forward.
The Trapped Mind Project (Emerilia Book 1) Page 17