The Land: Predators

by Aleron Kong

  “Well, when you say it like that…” Richter began.

  “Or the Bloodstone?” Sion cut him off.

  “Hey, that turned out alright,” Richter protested. He gestured around to the Dungeon as proof.

  Sion sighed and his voice grew serious, “I am starting to understand that impetuous action is part of your nature. You seem to crave power and change. I also know that you can learn, my friend. Though your actions have brought us wonder,” Sion mirrored Richter’s earlier gesture, and waved at the Dungeon around them, “they have also attracted danger and enemies. We all rely upon you. Your village has nearly a thousand people that could die if you were to disappear. Please do not forget that.”

  Richter nodded and accepted the admonishment. “I will. Thank you for watching out for me. I still need to remind myself to rely on y’all. I’m used to doing everything myself. I’m lucky to have such Companions.” He made eye contact with each in turn, and they all nodded to him. Whatever happened in the future, right now, they were united. Putting a wry smile on his face, Richter added, “It was sweet of you to worry when I didn’t come back to the village. It’s downright cuddly that you came to check on me.”

  “Yeah…” Sion said, rolling his eyes. “I barely noticed you weren’t around.”

  “Then why did you come back in the Dungeon?” Richter asked.

  A mischievous look crossed Sion’s face, “Krom is back from his Trial, and he’s pissed.”

  CHAPTER 51 – Day 143 – Kuborn 33, 0 AoC

  Sion refused to say anything else. Richter was going to summon a mist worker to carry the body of the ebontusker, but the Dungeon had long since absorbed the body. It was a bit of a disappointment because he’d wanted Tabia to have a crack at it. Just adding it to the lesson of not “pushing magical buttons,” he let it go, picking up the body of a prowler as he shrugged it off. Then, having everyone pull in close around him, he cast Dungeon Transport.

  Nine seconds later, the Companions appeared in front of the transport Node at the Dungeon entrance. Richter carried the prowler under one arm, an easy task for his thirty-three points of Strength. While they walked, he finally got to learn about his new skill.

  Congratulations! You have learned the subskill: Unconventional Materials. You may now create magical items from a wide range of base materials. Where others see the mundane, you see endless possibility. Increasing your knowledge of the world around you will make this subskill more powerful. A true master of this skill can create masterpieces from rubbish. +1% to Creativity. +1% chance of a new design forming a Template.

  Congratulations! You have reached skill levels 4, 5, …, and 25 in Crafting. +25% Enchantment Potential to items you create. +25% Success in combining components.

  Congratulations! You have advanced from Novice to Initiate in Crafting. The perceived value of items you assist in creating is increased by +10%. This is cumulative with successive ranks.

  Congratulations! You have advanced from Initiate to Apprentice in Crafting. The durability of your crafted items is increased by 25%. This is cumulative with successive ranks.

  You have received 1,250 bonus experience (base 2,000 x 1.25 x 0.5) for reaching level 10 in the subskill: Crafting. XP deficit remaining: -104,408

  You have received 2,500 bonus experience (base 4,000 x 1.25 x 0.5) for reaching level 20 in the subskill: Crafting. XP deficit remaining: -101,908

  Congratulations! You have reached subskill levels 1, 2, 3, …, and 25 in Unconventional Materials. +25% Creativity. +25% chance of a new design forming a Template.

  Congratulations! You have advanced from Novice to Initiate in Unconventional Materials. For known Templates, you may now substitute one component for another similar material. This number will increase with successive ranks.

  Congratulations! You have advanced from Initiate to Apprentice in Unconventional Materials. You may now add an additional component to known Templates to augment the final item without compromising the initial intent.

  You have received 625 bonus experience (base 1,000 x 1.25 x 0.5) for reaching level 10 in the subskill: Unconventional Materials. XP deficit remaining: -101,283

  You have received 1,250 bonus experience (base 2,000 x 1.25 x 0.5) for reaching level 20 in the subskill: Unconventional Materials. XP deficit remaining: -100,033

  The benefits from buying the skill book kept coming, and he hadn’t even used the skill yet! The experience bonuses were always welcome. It was the skill bonuses that he was really excited about though. Now any item he made had a +25% bonus to enchanting potential. That meant he would be able to pack more enchantments into any belt, blade or armor that he created himself. As a Professed Enchanter, that opened up amazing possibilities. One of the most exciting was that Crafting was synergistic with his Enchanting skill.

  The rank bonuses from Crafting weren’t too shabby, either. As an apprentice, any item that he helped to create would now be considered 20% more valuable than it would otherwise. That was amazing, seeing as how Richter intended for enchanted items to be a major export of the village. He was already relishing the thought of a certain quartet of brothers having to pay more than they wanted for his work. The bonus to durability could also come in handy. An item losing durability points would decrease its effectiveness or even make it nonfunctional. It hadn’t been an issue as the Forge of Heavens could repair his gear to full functionality whenever necessary, but having more resilient items could never be a bad thing. It also meant the village fighters could endure long battles without a serious drop in the damage or defense of their gear.

  The skill bonuses from Unconventional Materials also improved his chances of making a new Template. He was already closer to completing his first Crafter quest! The rank bonuses weren’t too useful yet, seeing as how he didn’t actually own a Template, but he had no doubt they would be in the future.

  He went on to the next notification window.

  Know This! Even the most skilled person in The Land is limited by their own base nature. A boost of 50% to sword damage means nothing to an armless man. The subskill Unconventional Materials is influenced heavily by the Creativity of the crafter. Creativity can be influenced by any number of factors, but each person is born with a certain amount.

  Know This! You have increased a Secondary Attribute: Creativity. Your base Creativity by nature is 1.1. Unless properly stimulated, most never become aware of this personal value. The base Creativity of most sapients in The Land is 1.0 and remains dormant throughout their lives. Though you are not unique in improving this Secondary Attribute, you are now part of a select class of beings whose thoughts and ideas could truly shape The Land itself. Your own Creativity has been awakened!

  As has always been true, Creativity is ephemeral and comes from the most unlikely of sources. Increased Creativity may have implications in all facets of your life. Increasing this value also increases the likelihood of having an Epiphany. Embrace all life to increase your own, but never forget that as you reach for the stars, success raises the likelihood of being burned.

  Your now-awakened Creativity is affected by several factors:

  1) Chaos Seed: Your Chaotic alignment of (2) increases your Creativity by +20%.

  2) Lore: Your Lore of 1 increases your base Creativity by +10%.

  3) Gift of Tongues: Language is a matrix which shapes our thoughts. Your Gift of Tongues ability greatly influences the ways that you perceive the world. This ability increases your base Creativity by +1.

  4) Unconventional Materials: Reaching subskill level 25 gives a +25% bonus to Creativity

  Total Creativity: 3.26 (base 2.1)

  As Richter’s mind had recovered from the experience with the skill book, he’d started to notice something. There had always been a ceaseless stream of calculations, about a million different things, going on in the back of his head. It was a bit stressful, but it sometimes let his unconscious mind provide solutions to previously unanswered questions. What was interesting was that he’d started thinking of new
ideas. The new skill hadn’t only taught him about crafting, it had changed the way he saw the world. Now that he was actively thinking about it, there were other ideas popping into his head. A smile grew on his face.

  He wasn’t even that bothered by the fact that until now he’d had roughly the same Creativity as everyone else. It still did a little bit though. Not to be too big a dick, but most people of The Land were medieval in their mindset. They thought bathing was optional. How could his Creativity be the same as theirs?

  No matter the answer, that was all behind him now. His mind was exploding with ideas. He definitely needed to finish his other Lore book. That was something he’d been putting off for far too long. He didn’t know what an “Epiphany” was exactly, but it certainly sounded good too! With a new secondary attribute under his belt, he checked his status page to see if it had shifted anything.

  Name: Richter

  Age: 24

  Level: 35, 28%

  Race: Chaos Seed (Human)

  Profession: Enchanter

  Languages: Sapient Mortals

  Reputation: Lvl 5 “You are a man worth following.”

  Specialty: Essence

  Alignment: Chaotic (2) Neutral

  STATS

  Health: 717

  Mana: 752

  Stamina: 350

  ATTRIBUTES

  Strength: 33

  (base: 25 + items: 8)

  Agility: 32

  Dexterity: 38

  (base: 23 + items: 15)

  Constitution: 56

  (base: 56 + mark: 1%)

  Endurance: 35

  Intelligence: 66

  Wisdom: 45

  Charisma: 36

  (base: 30 + Honorable: 4 + Impassioned: 5%)

  Luck: 25

  RESISTANCES

  Air 50%

  Earth 25%

  Fire 10%

  Life 50%

  Mental 55%

  Spiritual 5%

  Blood 5%

  ABILITIES

  Limitless: 100% affinity in any and every skill

  Gift of Tongues: Ability to comprehend almost any sapient language

  Fast Learner: +30% to speed of skill advancement

  Bounty of Life: +30% growth for the physical manifestation of your Place of Power

  Psi Bond: +50% Mental Resistance

  Maximum Communication Distance 1250 yards

  Eye contact offers the chance to connect with other creatures in a limited way

  Feel of Chaos: Detect sources of Chaos within 200 yards

  QUALITIES

  Resolute: +5% Spiritual Resistance, +5% Thought Resistance

  Honorable II: +4 Charisma

  Implacable: Awarded Initiate rank in Tracking Skill Impassioned: +5% to Movement and Attack Speed! +5% to Charisma!

  MARKS

  Master of the Mist Village

  Blood Oath of Vengeance

  Forge of Heavens

  Dragonkin

  Adventurer

  Symbiosis Boon

  Blood and Chaos

  BLESSINGS

  Catalyst Blessing (Lords of Chaos)

  1) +100% earned Chaos Points from any source

  2) One free purchase from the Sea of Chaos. You may use this at any time.

  3) +1 to the accessible stratum of the Sea of Chaos.

  Richter furrowed his brow. Everything looked basically the same as the last time he’d checked. He still didn’t completely get how secondary attributes fit in with his overall status. The first he’d even known of them was when the Gambling skill had revealed the secondary stat Intuition. Trying to get a screen to appear with more information hadn’t produced any result. Now wasn’t the time, but he planned to have a sit-down with Randy sometime soon so he could learn about them.

  For now, he was just happy with his progression. Looking over his stats, there was no denying that he was a contender. Certainly not the strongest thing on two legs, but definitely not a pushover. His progress wasn’t anything to sneeze at considering the fact that he’d literally been wolf shit six months earlier. Richter closed the window and addressed the next prompt. He’d gotten a new quest!

  Congratulations! You have been offered a Quest: Creative Spark I

  The true calling of any Crafter is to create a Masterpiece. Long is the road to this most hallowed of destinations, however, and there will be many stops along the way. The ranks of crafted items are trash, poor, average, above average, well crafted, exceptional, superb, exquisite, and masterpiece.

  Success Conditions: You are tasked with creating 5 superb quality items using designs you create yourself.

  Reward: One-time boost to Creativity to be used at your discretion.

  Penalty for Failure or Rejecting Quest: None

  Do you accept? Yes or No?

  Absolute no-brainer, he thought. He couldn’t wait to try his new skill and flex his new creative mentality. As a new apprentice in Crafting, he had a low chance of making superb quality items. It was effectively the highest rank of item he would be able to create. It was much more likely that he would produce above average, well crafted or exceptional objects, at least until he further leveled up his skill. There was a very, very small chance that he would make either average or exquisite items, but it was so low that it was practically negligible. Still, he knew that with practice he could finish the quest. Richter accepted it.

  Dismissing the final prompts, Richter walked along beside his Companions. His mind was alive with possibilities. He was so distracted he didn’t even realize they had reached the Forge until he heard the voice of a cherished friend that he’d missed more than he’d realized. Due to the content of what Krom was saying though, it wasn’t exactly a Hallmark moment.

  “Ay swear by the pussy beard of yer goblin mother that ay’ll shove every gods damned ingot in this smithy up yer pus-boiled sphincter. If ye dinna get yer cock lint mustache out of my forge yesterday ay’ll taint-slap ye! And yuuu! Dinna think ay canna see the state ye left my tools in! And what are ye poor excuses for split cock sacks duin just looking while there be work ta be dun? Move yer shit-soaked britches and help stoke the fires. What are yew doing here? What be yer name? Stop! It dunna matter. Ay’ll just call ye ‘Head.’ It looks like yer balancing a boulder on a toothpick. Go help Bowdin, if ye can, hauling that gargantuan cranium about. Dinna make that face at me, Head! Just do yer work and tonight ye can cry yerself to sleep on yer huge pilla!”

  “Goddamn,” Richter said to himself. He’d never seen Krom so worked up before. The crowd of onlookers that had been at the Forge earlier had cleared out. He wondered if their presence had been what had initially set the dwarf off. Krom was as jealous of his forge as a man dumb enough to take his girlfriend to a Wu-Tang concert.

  Krom looked over as Richter walked in and his expression changed to a wide grin mostly hid by his salt-and-pepper beard, “It be good to be home, yer lordship! Ye can use a capital ‘S’ when ye call me Smith now, and na just because of me Job!”

  That smile told Richter everything he needed to know, but he still used Analyze. A grin grew on his own face. The dwarf was now a Professed Smith!

  Name: Krom

  Age: 47

  Level: 14, 28%

  Race: Mountain Dwarf

  Profession: Smith

  Disposition: Loyal

  STATS

  Health: 240

  Mana: 160

  Stamina: 270

  ATTRIBUTES

  Strength: 30

  Agility: 16

  Dexterity: 15

  Constitution: 24

  Endurance: 27

  Intelligence: 16

  Wisdom: 15

  Charisma: 10

  Luck: 10

  SKILLS

  Smithing: 46, 16%

  Repair: 28, 62%

  Heavy Armor: 29, 72%

  Medium Armor: 17, 93%

  Hammer Wielding: 17, 81%

  Stagger Blow: 5, 12%

  Earth Magic: 26, 33%

  Life Magic:
5, 28%

  Mace Wielding: 15, 84%

  Mining: 28, 56%

  Enchanting: 3, 55%

  RACE DESCRIPTION

  Mountain dwarves are a hardy folk that get bonuses to Constitution and Endurance each level. They have keen eyesight that gives them excellent night vision. Natural miners, it is said mountain dwarves can “smell” veins of precious metals. Increased resistance to negative physical effects. Each level provides 3 free Attribute Points and +1 to Constitution and Endurance.

  Richter looked at the Professed Smith’s personal level in some surprise, but thought he already had an answer for why it was so high. Though the chaos seed’s Limitless ability was wonderful and had catapulted his skill progression, there were still some benefits to obtaining a Profession the old-fashioned way, namely decades of hard work and struggle. As soon as someone gained their Profession, they had access to new quests that offered Talent Points as well as experience. These were simple “if-then” quests. Such as, if you forge ten superb quality swords then you fulfilled the requirements for a quest, and most likely unlocked the next link in the quest chain. If the first link required ten swords then the next would most likely call for a hundred.

  The best part about these quests was they could be awarded retroactively if you had already met the terms of completion before your Trial. In those cases, you could get a massive windfall of Talent Points and experience all at once. Judging by the fact that Krom was now level fourteen when he’d only been level ten or eleven before his Trial, the dwarf must have crushed a buttload of his Profession quests thanks to his decades of smithing.