The Land: Predators
Page 54
Richter turned his attention back to the ebontusker, “I’m about to turn you into chorizo you dirty motherf- Goddammit!”
Another tusker had changed direction at the last minute, attacking him rather than Yoshi. The damn thing barreled through his legs and knocked him to the ground. The damage wasn’t too bad, especially compared to his hundreds of HP, but it totally ruined his swagger. The decaemur knight stabbed the tusker with its heavy spear, and Randolphus used Backstab to finish it.
Sion fired one more arrow, killing the last tusker that was on its feet. “You okay, man?” the sprite called out.
Embarrassed and extremely irritated, his friend got to his feet. The ebontusker was still moving towards them, starting to pick up speed. It clearly planned to bowl them all aside like pins. With its massive size, it might just be possible. The chaos seed was over it though. He was so pissed, he shifted to third person. Sheathing his sword, he responded, “Richter’s okay. Richter’s just unhappy.” Then he sent a final mental order.
Alma descended from the cavern roof where she had been clinging to imperfections in the rock surface. The ebontusker never detected her until she had latched onto its head. Then it was too late. The creature might have been a Lair boss, but it was still under level thirty-one. Having no resistance to Thought magic and a low Intelligence, it was easy pickings for the dragonling’s special attack. It collapsed immediately, one front leg kicking in spasm as she consumed its mental energy. Brain Drain made her completely vulnerable as well, so she couldn’t use it in the midst of battle, but one-on-one, the ebontusker was just prey to Richter’s little predator.
The rest of the party swept through the room, giving merciful death blows to the tuskers that remained alive. Richter paused for a moment to cast Soul Trap on the ebontusker, then he created his mental fort again. Once he was prepared, he cast Blood Mana. With so many fresh kills to draw on, his mana was restored in mere seconds. The smell left something to be desired, but they had won. The chaos seed looked down at the ebontusker, thinking about giving it a quick and merciful death, but then just shrugged and moved on. The monster had been a real dick. He let it suffer.
Richter looked around the cavern, still slightly unnerved at seeing the ground drink the blood that fell upon it. That uneasy feeling didn’t keep him from sighing in contentment. He’d cleared his first Lair. Yup, he thought out to the Universe. His village was in the ass-kicking business, and business was good.
CHAPTER 49 – Day 143 – Kuborn 33, 0 AoC
You have captured:
Soul Stone of an Ebontusker
Durability: 20/20
Item Class: Common
Stone Level: Common
Soul Level: Common
Status: Filled
Weight: 0.2 kg
You have been awarded 14,345 experience (base 327,884 x 0.07 x 1.25 x 0.5) from Brain Drain against Level 22 Koran Ebontusker.
XP deficit remaining: -105,952
The big bastard had given some much needed experience. Even better though, Sion, Terrod and Beyan had leveled. Slaughtering several hundred beasts apparently had its perks, especially with the 25% XP bonus from the Potions of Clarity. The bonuses from Richter’s starting location were still insanely clutch. Richter’s Companions had both reached level nineteen. Their skills were also progressing well. Each box showed the skill, followed by current level and progress to the next level, and then the affinity. They’d both been deadly when he’d met them, but they were becoming real contenders now.
Name: Terrod
Level: 19, 89%
Age: 46
Race: Human
Alignment: True Neutral
Languages: Common
STATS
Health: 330
Mana: 120
Stamina: 190
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 33
Agility: 18
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 33
Endurance: 19
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 26
Luck: 14
SKILLS
Medium Armor: 8, 19%, 71%
War Leader: 6, 55%, 99%
Riding: 10, 95%, 83%
Horsemanship: 10, 9%, 95%
Shields: 10, 62%, 97%
Cooking: 8, 13%, 96%
Swordsmanship: 8, 73%, 63%
Gather Information:19, 6%, 92%
Small Blades: 13, 18%
Light Armor: 8, 51%, 68%
ABILITIES
Comradery: +50% growth of positive Relationship Points and -50% decrease of negative Relationship Points
MARKS
Adventurer
Name: Sion
Level: 19, 93%
Alignment: Neutral Good (3)
Race: Meidon Sprite
Age: 34
Languages: Sprite, Common, Pixie
STATS
Health: 273
Mana: 373
Stamina: 192
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 20
Agility: 18
Dexterity: 39
Constitution: 23
Endurance: 16
Intelligence: 35
Wisdom: 23
Charisma: 15
Luck: 17
RESISTANCES
TYPES OF MAGIC
Life 10%
Earth 10%
Light 10%
SCHOOLS OF MAGIC
Enchantment 50%
SKILLS
MARTIAL SKILLS
Archery: 44, 62%, 74%
Double Shot: 12, 7%, 85%
Enhanced Imbue Arrow: 17, 92%, 87%
Drill Shot: 7, 39%, 90%
Focus: 26, 88%, 81%
Stun Shot: 6, 42%, 95%
Small Blades: 19, 97%, 72%
Light Armor: 26, 78%, 81%
Tracking:16, 92%, 75%
MAGIC SKILLS
Air Magic: 17, 73%, 100%
CRAFTING SKILLS
Alchemy: 10, 22%, 74%
MISCELLANEOUS SKILLS
Tracking: 16, 91%, 75%
Herb Lore: 12, 72%, 63%
Animal Husbandry: 1, 15%, 83%
Exotic Beasts: 1, 9%, 71%
ABILITIES
Wood Craft
Concealment
Know Thyself
Meidon
MARKS
Adventurer
The gnome Death caster had made considerable progress as well. When Beyan had been pretending to be a low-level alchemist, he’d only been level nine. Now he was a respectable level fourteen. The gnome had been leaving the village almost every day to hunt since getting the decaemur knight as a pet. That, coupled with the large number of kills his pet undead had racked up during the goblin raid, had power leveled the bald little dude in a very short amount of time. In addition to his increased level, Richter saw that he was only a few percentage points away from skill level fifteen in Death Magic. That was apparently the magic number that let him animate skeletons. It would greatly increase the number of summoned creatures he could command at one time.
From conversations with Hisako he had learned the reason why Death magi were feared and hated in most countries. A highly skilled necromancer could marshal an army of the dead and wipe out whole villages and townships. Not that Richter feared this would be the case with Beyan. At least… not really. Besides, Death magic was, by far, the Basic Element Richter was least skilled in, so it would be nice having a competent necromancer by his side.
Richter had gained other prompts from the battle.
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 13 in Blood Magic. New spells are now available.
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 2 in Mace Wielding. +6% damage when using maces or clubs. Ignore up to 1% of an enemy’s armor.
Everyone was smiling at each other, happy about the results of their efforts. Then, simultaneously, they all received the same prompts.
Congratulations! Your party is the first to clear a Lair
in the Dungeon of Bloody Chaos. You all receive a permanent boost of +5 Health for this feat! Each member of your party will also enjoy a temporary Attribute boost for the next day. Your boost is: +1 Endurance. You will also be given a one-time, greatly improved loot drop for slaying this Lair boss.
“That,” Randolphus began, sounding extremely satisfied, “is why I urged us to clear this Lair.”
“Not bad,” Richter said with a smile. He’d seen plenty of examples of how being the first to do something could have positive consequences in The Land. The five points of health weren’t a game changer, but it was worth half a point in Constitution. The boost to Endurance was kinda… meh, but it was still better than nothing. “Did you all get +1 to Endurance in addition to the +5 to Health?”
Most people nodded their heads but a few said no. Beyan’s Luck went up by one and Sion sourly admitted that his Charisma had increased. Richter thought the Chaotic nature of the Dungeon was asserting itself in the randomization of the boosts.
Meanwhile, Hisako was thinking about the Blood magic influence on the Dungeon, “The increase in health makes quite a bit of sense,” Hisako said thoughtfully. “From my reading, the bonuses from clearing Lairs is normally related to the Dungeon you are in. Blood magic is closely related to health.”
Richter nodded. “Why did so many of us get an Endurance perk though? It was supposed to be a random boost. I was thinking we would all get something different due to the Chaotic nature of the Dungeon.”
“Temporary boosts are normally associated with whatever populates the Lair, my lord,” Randolphus answered delicately.
“Yeah? And?” Richter asked.
There was an overloud throat-clearing noise. Everyone looked up to see Sion standing by the body of the ebon tusker. Then, ever so slowly, the sprite put both fists out and stuck his hips backwards. The next series of motions were something that every man on every planet had done at one point in time. The sprite thrust forward and threw his elbows back. Then he reset and repeated… over and over. It was the creepy smile that really sold the performance. It was a bit much, but Richter finally got why most of them had gotten the Endurance perk.
“Sion!” Hisako snapped. The sprite stopped his antics and hung his head in shame, but as soon as the Hearth Mother glanced away, he winked at Richter and, with a cheesy look on his face, did it two more times. Richter chuckled in spite of himself. Hisako looked back again sharply, but by that time Sion was already walking away from the body with a perfectly innocent expression on his face.
Red spheres began to appear over some of the slain monsters. There were about eleven in all, but the one that caught Richter’s eye was hanging over the ebontusker. Every other loot ball, as Richter had started to call them, had been the size of golf ball. This one still had the same slowly shifting surface that made it look like a free-floating sphere of blood, but it was the size of a tennis ball.
Smiling in anticipation, Richter reached out and touched the red globe. It disappeared and an item dropped to the ground. After getting the prompt about increased loot, he had been hoping for some jewels, or maybe even an ingot of strong metal. What he got instead changed the game.
You have found:
Chaotic Particle
Durability: Absolute
Item Class: ???
Quality: All
Weight: 0.01-1,418 kg
Traits: This gem contains raw Chaos
The tiny gem was the size of a pebble, but it emitted a large amount of light. It was the same gorgeous and enthralling luminescence that had shone from the chaos shard, but on a much smaller scale. Everyone else immediately recoiled from the energy it gave off. It felt wrong to them on the most primal level. All of creation had been made from raw chaos, but every being knew that their very existence could be undone by that unformed stuff of the Universe. Everyone but Richter.
To him, the particle was the delivery of a promise he could not remember. It was everything. It was the pathway home. While everyone else shied away from the grey gem in an uncontrollable reaction, Richter reached down and cupped it in his hands like an egg fallen from a nest. It was precious and filled with a wondrous miracle. The feeling he had when he was near the Dungeon magnified a hundredfold, but he barely noticed. All that mattered was the particle.
Congratulations Chaos Seed! You have found a Chaotic Particle. This small vessel grants you 2 Chaos Points. Total Chaos Points: 95
Richter immediately drew the power inside himself. He’d forgotten the feeling, like a blinded man forgot color. It was incredible just how alive he was with the energy flowing through him. The sensation wasn’t as nearly as powerful as when he’d absorbed almost a hundred Chaos Points with the shard, but it was awesome!
He came back to himself a few moments later and was surprised to find that he was sweating. Blinking his eyes free, he turned to ask if anyone else was hot. The answer was obvious. Sion’s hair was plastered to his face and Hisako’s robes were stuck to her body. She was wet! Like moist towelette, beer pong night at the sorority wet! Everyone was sweating, but even stranger, ice seemed to be coating the walls and floor. It was like the air had siphoned warmth from the rock. It was like a sauna!
Hisako walked up to him, and using the bony finger power that all women seem to get at a certain age, she poked him in the chest, “Keep your Chaos magic to, your, self.” She punctuated the last three words with three more pokes. Then she just turned and left the cavern, walking back towards the Dungeon entrance. Yoshi shouldered past him following the Hearth Mother. Beyan looked at him like he was an alien, which is probably why he slipped on the ice and fell flat on his face. That did not help the unnerved gnome’s disposition. He got back up quickly, and with a glare at Richter, left the Lair.
Even Sion looked at him as if to say, “Really, dude?” before leaving the cavern as well. Sapir fluttered after him. Terrod and Randolphus looked extremely discomforted, but they couldn’t just abandon their liege lord. Only Alma didn’t seem bothered. The dragonling was currently sliding around on the ice, having a grand ol’ time. She was broadcasting a psychic message that sounded surprisingly like, “Wheeeee!”
Richter called after the others, “It’s not like I planned this!” He paused a moment before adding, “It’s Chaotic energy… Chaotic!” He shrugged to himself. He didn’t really care; he was on cloud nine after absorbing the particle. Looking at Randolphus and Terrod, he said, “I guess searching the room is up to us. Let’s make sure we aren’t missing any treasure!”
The two men exchanged a glance, but almost in unison told him, “Yes, my lord.”
CHAPTER 50 – Day 143 – Kuborn 33, 0 AoC
The fact that the Dungeon could create raw Chaotic energy was incredible! Any reservations Richter had about making it stronger faded like smoke in the wind. If growing the Dungeon made it more likely to get Chaotic materials, he would do anything! The prompt after finishing the Lair had said the loot would be much better than what he could normally expect, so Richter didn’t think he’d have Chaotic energy falling out of his butt any time soon, but it was still amazing.
So far, he’d only scratched the surface of his Chaotic powers. His “plan for the future” mentality had kept him from blowing too many Chaos Points in case he was in a situation later that required a large amount. Now that he knew he could get Chaos Points from two different sources though, the Dungeon and leveling… well, it was time to buy some cool shiz!
You have accessed the Sea of Chaos. The Sea contains everything that was, is or could be. Choose wisely, for you may choose the catalyst for your own death and salvation.
You may reach the 1st Stratum at a cost of 1 Chaos Point.
You may reach the 2nd Stratum at a cost of 3 Chaos Points.
You may reach the 3rd Stratum at a cost of 5 Chaos Points.
Which level do you wish to access?
Richter paused for a moment. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. He reached into his Bag of Holding and pulled out one
of his four remaining Potions of Selak’s Luck. Downing the silver liquid never made him feel any different. Sometimes the valuable potion, most likely easily worth ten to twenty gold, didn’t seem to have any effect at all. Other times, it made all the difference.
He turned back to the prompts and spent a single Chaos Point accessing the first level.
Total Chaos Points: 94
1st STRATUM OFFERINGS
Offering
Chaotic Cost
Traits
Belt of Spell Stealing
5 points
Provides a belt that allows the wearer to steal spells that have been cast. This removes the spell knowledge from the target, and keeps the magic bound to the belt to be used at the wearer’s discretion. Can hold three novice level spells of the Basic Elements. Each spell can be used once per day.
Vial of Spirit Weakness
3 points
This poison is imbued with the Deeper Magic, Spirit. Anyone afflicted with this will be 461% more susceptible to possession, mental control or any Spirit magic.
Shoes of Cursed Jumping
4 points
Provides shoes that increase the jump capability of the wearer by 319%. Proper landings are softened by the magic of these boots. The wearer must jump 500 times per day. Once donned, these boots cannot be removed except by an Adept level spell of the Basic Elements, an Initiate level spell of the Deeper Magics or a Higher Energy spell.