Base Mana Regen: +50%
Base spell effect +10%
New Spell acquired: Mana Shield(M) level 10 [active, monster race]
Creates a bubble of mana force around you that absorbs incoming damage.
Especially strong attacks may bypass the shield’s absorption capacity.
Each absorbed damage point drains mana from your mana pool. If the mana available is insufficient, only part of the damage will be absorbed, and the shield will fail.
Higher levels of this spell increase the absorption threshold and lessen the mana drain. Cost: 20
Current level 10 (0%): Novice.
Effects I: max damage absorbed: 33(30)
Effect II: mana drain; 1 damage = 0.9 mana.
New Skill acquired: Blood Wrath(M) level 10 [active, monster race, boss]
A unique ability for Totem type Bosses. As you sustain injury, you can transform your pain and rage into raw force to push away enemies around you. Affected creatures may be knocked down.
Available after every 20% hp loss.
If not used, effect strength is doubled for every additional 20% of hp loss.
Can be used as an area effect with the radius centered on you, or in a straight line of effect.
Current level 10 (0%): Novice.
Effects I: push force: 840kg(740),
Effect II: radius; 2.1(2) meters, OR line effect: 6.6(6) meters
Congratulation! You’ve acquired a new trait: Soul Companion
Through the application of mana and blood, you've fused your soul with that of another sentient being (AKA The Amazing Vic).
Your companion has its own abilities, which can grow as you share experiences and strengthen your connection.
Quest completed: Investigate ghost in the cemetery
You found the ghost to be a stranded VI and helped him.
Reward: +100 reputation with Dripper clan, +240xp(200)
I stared wide eyed at the messages. I’ve been classified as a boss monster?
Holy crap! My head was spinning.
That’s absurd! That’s unheard off! That ridiculously OP! That’s…. might be my ticket out of this mess.
I carefully read through the new system messages, closing each one as I finished reading it. Apparently, I had become a goblin ‘magical’ boss, and it came with some nifty abilities. Two new spells, each at level 10 already, just shy of Apprentice rank. Also my Mana Manipulation skill effects had been ridiculously improved.
Not to mention, as a boss I would be granted bonuses directly tied to my character level. That was amazing.
Normally, only skill levels affected overall character strength, while levels granted you attribute points that affected your hit points and mana pools. But it made sense, boss monsters were unique, they represent an elite challenge to players, and as such had to have some unique abilities and powers.
Now I had that extra edge.
I needed to check my new character screen.
“Holy crap” I whispered in awe.
My stats tripled in terms of raw strength:
Title: some unremarkable goblin Totem
Level: 5, (93%)
Race: Monster Race [Goblin]
Type: Boss I [Totem]
Deity: Corgoram
Attributes: [3 points available]
- Physical 2
- Mental 4
- Social 0
Pools:
- Hit Points: 67 (20[P], 20[M], 25[lvl], 2[misc])
- Mana: 112 (40[M], 10[P], 50[lvl] 12[MM 12%])
Skills:
- Murphy’s Bitch 3 (45%) (Prime)
- Analyze 1 (95%)
- Tracking 1 (20%)
Skills (Spells):
- Mana Manipulation 2 (96%)
- Drilling Arrow 2 (18%) (Prime)
- Mana Shield 10 (0%)
- Blood Wrath 10 (0%)
Traits:
- Goblinoid (+1 Physical, -1 Social)
- Quick learner +20%
- Boss boon I
- Soul Companion: Vic
It looked like the character sheet had gone through an overhaul. I spotted many new additions and changes from the last time I viewed it.
I frowned.
What’s up with that insulting title?
“Vic,” I asked reprovingly, “Why does my character title pin me as ‘some unremarkable goblin Totem’?”
“Oh that” he chuckled lightly, “I had to somehow translate your designation. Since you don’t actually have any impressive accomplishment to your name, the feedback I got for your title was just a bunch of ‘na.na.na.na.na.gob/TTM’. I thought I did a pretty inspiring job of translating it to something more meaningful“
He looked a bit too smug with himself in my opinion.
“After all, you still have a ways to go before you can be called something impressively cliché like ‘the dark one’,’” he chuckled.
“If you’d like another title, you can set your sights a little lower. How about ‘the one who screwed a goat?’ I wouldn’t imagine it be too difficult to achieve.” He was trying to contain his laughter.
“Just keep it plain, please. A simple ‘Drippers clan Totem’ would do just fine.”
“Sure thing boss” he chuckled, probably amused by calling me ‘boss’, in my current predicament.
“And what’s with the character sheet format?” I tugged on one of my pointed ears, “It’s different than before.”
He shrugged
“it's just more orderly that way. I separated the non-magical skills from the spell skills, added some hidden information, like your type, deity, and detailed pool calculations.”
I turned my attention to my pool information and was shocked to see how high they were.
I had over 100 mana, 112 to be exact. And I was only level 5, without even assigning my level up points yet. It was higher than what a level 10 pure mage player would get.
But it came with a high price, I reminded myself somberly.
Power in the game is great, but my life is actually at risk now.
I had to take advantage of every boon I was presented with, and made use of it to its fullest potential if I wanted to find a way to survive.
I continued reviewing my character screen.
I had 67 Hp, a huge amount for a 5th level mage type character. That was about the same as a well-equipped 6 level warrior with decent equipment.
Just another item in my arsenal toward my survival I thought coolly, trying to stave off my mounting excitement. I must stay focused.
Those abilities are no longer just fun gaming aspects. They could very well become the difference between real life and death for me.
With that sobering thought, I invested all my available points into Mental.
I also remembered I had DurDur’s loot in my inventory and took the items out. Now that I had Vic, I could once again access my inventory and use Analyze on them:
Totem feathered headdress [monster race]
Description: primitive headgear that offers some protection. Decorated with the magical feathers of a harpy.
Type: armor [head slot]
Rank: magical
Durability: 18 /20
Armor: 2
Effect: +20 max mana
Analyze Skill level increased to 2
Totem feathered kilt [monster race]
Description: A primitive kilt that offers some protection to one’s privates. Decorated with the magical feathers of a white harpy.
Type: armor [waist]
Rank: magical
Durability: 17 /20
Armor: 5
Effect: +20 max hp
Totem staff [monster race]
Description: A Staff decorated by the hideous fashion sense of some twisted goblin crossdressers....
“Vic!” I said with reproach.
“Sorry boss!” He replied brightly. “I can tone it down more if you'd like, here you go!”
Totem staff [monster race]
Description: A gnarl
ed staff decorated with the skull of a goblin’s ancestor.
Type: weapon [main hand]
Rank: magical
Durability: 36 /40
damage: 6-8 (magical)
Effect: +5 mana regen
“Better. Thanks.” I nodded.
These items were a decent haul for a 6th level monster. They were not rare, as it was a common find for slaying low-level bosses. The game didn’t award high-quality items that easily. You had to earn those by completing a quest, or through crafting.
The items all had the ‘monster race’ descriptor to them, meaning they were unusable by normal players.
But those restrictions no longer applied to me.
I held my breath as I put on the headdress. It slid onto my head easily.
“Yes!” I exclaimed and put on the kilt. Then I grasped the staff.
It worked. I successfully equipped all DurDur’s items. I felt invigorated as their magical enchantments empowered my body.
Exciting.
I took a moment to collect myself. Breathing deeply I reminded myself that it’s just a means to an end. Just one more step to salvation.
After my excitement subsided, I called up my character screen again and watched the significant increase to my pools in satisfaction.
Title: Dripper’s clan Totem
Level: 5, (93%)
Race: Monster Race [Goblin]
Type: Boss I [Totem]
Deity: Corgoram
Attributes: [0 points available]
- Physical 2
- Mental 7
- Social 0
Pools:
- Hit Points: 102 (20[P], 35[M], 25[lvl], 20[kilt], 2[misc])
- Mana: 168 (70[M], 10[P], 50[lvl], 20[headdress] 18[MM 12%]).
- Armor: 7
Skills:
- Murphy’s Bitch 3 (45%) (Prime)
- Analyze 2 (10%)
- Tracking 1 (20%)
Skills (Spells):
- Mana Manipulation 2 (66%)
- Drilling Arrow 2 (18%) (Prime)
- Mana Shield 10 (0%)
- Blood Wrath 10 (0%)
Traits:
- Goblinoid (+1 Physical, -1 Social)
- Quick learner +20%
- Boss boon I
- Soul Companion: Vic
Being a ‘boss’ and with the magic items equipped, I was a level 5 character with the hit point equivalent of a 9th level warrior and a mana pool of a level 15 mage.
Pretty good start, a hint of a smile on my face.
“By the way, boss” Vic interrupted my train of thought, “there’s a lot more meta data I didn’t display, for convenience sake. If you want, concentrate on any element of your character and I’ll open its full description. You can view the mana regen formula, for example.”
I nodded
“Thanks Vic, that would be very helpful”.
I was exhausted. A lot had happened in the past hour and I felt overwhelmed. I needed time to rest and gather my wits.
“Vic, please don’t get me wrong, I appreciate your help, you’ve certainly came through, but right now, I need a little time to myself absorb it all.”
Vic shrugged, his little purple goblin body looking strangely out of place.
“I also have a lot of questions for you,” I rubbed the back of my neck, “our conversation has left a lot of issues we should discuss. Later.”
He shrugged, “whatever you want boss, I’m just here for the ride.”
And apparently to use me to kill some of your enemies, I thoughts sarcastically.
“Shit.” I was still not used to him reading my mind. It would take some time to get used to this new form of communication.
We started walking back toward the main cave, Vic following behind me.
As we emerged from the tunnel we run into Tika, waiting for my return. She stared dumbfounded at the little purple goblin following me.
“Totem, what is that?” she pointed at Vic.
“Err…” I thought how to explain Vic’s presence.
“Do you know what a familiar is, Tika?” she nodded.
“Well, this one is called Vic and he is my new familiar.” Vic snorted loudly, but I didn’t feel like going into elaborate explanations at the moment. Especially when I myself wasn’t sure who he really was.
I noticed other goblins throwing suspicious looks toward Vic. A trio of brawling goblins even stopping their skirmish to stare, mouth gaping, at their smaller, purple doppelganger.
“Tika, Vic here is under my protection and should not be harmed. would you please spread the news around?”
Vic snorted, “please, as if any of those walking meats suits could harm me.”
Tika looked unsure, but nodded regardless.
“Yes, Totem.” She walked away, talking with various goblins, occasionally pointing toward us.
Alright, now that’s taken care of, I could really use some rest. I thought numbly. I’ll just head back to DurDur’s...MY chamber and--
“Alarm! Alarm!” A wounded goblin stumbled in through the main entrance, disturbing my train of thought. The goblin ran into the cave past me, his shoulder bleeding.
“Hobgoblins in mountains! They come for us! Alarm Alarm!”
7 - Relatives Troubles
“Alarm, alarm!”
A quick Analyze showed me the wounded goblin was a generic level 2 goblin scout. He ran through the cave, yelling his alarms and disappeared into the tunnel leading to the chieftain’s chambers, no doubt to alert Bogan of the coming troubles.
No rest for the wicked, I grimaced.
I was really looking forward to a decent nap, but it looked like it just got postponed.
I glanced at the main exit. It was getting darker.
Doesn’t look like I’m going to get any rest for the next few hours. I shrugged to myself and followed the scout to the tunnel.
When I arrived at the chambers, Bogan was questioning the scout for information.
Bogan raised his head and waved me to approach.
“Totem.” his voice was respectful, “There is trouble headed our way.” He nodded at the goblin scout sprawled on the floor catching his breath.
“The scout reports sighting a heavily armed and armored hobgoblin war party, a dozen strong marching our way. They are coming for us.”
Monsters attacking monsters? I didn’t understand that.
“Why would they attack us?”
The chief looked surprised by my question.
“Our hobgoblin cousins consider us resources to be used, or pests to be exterminated. They could be looking for slaves, or cannon fodder for their wars. It is not an uncommon thing.”
He pondered for a moment.
“Sometimes the greater clans simply conquer the smaller ones and absorb their power. Our own clan used to be much larger, and much feared, among other goblinoids, but that was a long time ago. We went through hard times and this small clan is all that is left.”
He looked at me, his eyes showing concern.
“We cannot allow them to reach the cave. We are too vulnerable here, we don’t have good defensive positions to hold them off. Most of the clan are noncombatants, they’ll be slaughtered.”
He nodded toward his left guard.
“I’m sending Vrick here, my lieutenant, along with most of our warriors to ambush the hobgoblin group before they get here. If Corgoram wills it, we will be victorious. But if they can’t stop them... it will be up to you and me to hold the line.”
I realized something, this can’t be just a coincidence…
“A few hours ago I had a dream about a group of well-armed hobgoblins traveling through the mountains.” It was more than weird, I had stopped dreaming altogether when I started playing NEO. It can’t be a coincidence that I suddenly started to now.
Bogan straightened in his seat, and glared angrily at me.
“Corgoram’s beard! You had a vision about the coming attack? Why didn’t you inform
me immediately?” he demanded.
“It… it was just a dream,” I stammered in confusion, “how can I dream about something I have no knowledge of?”
Bogan stared at me for a long moment, then frowned and shook his head. His aggressive posture eased.
“You are a new Totem, so perhaps you do not know.
“A Totem is more than just the clan’s magic support, you are also our spiritual guide. Through you, we are connected to the mighty Corgoram, who in his wisdom, grants his Totems visions, alerting them of pending danger.”
He looked at me and spoke earnestly, “This changes things. Having such a vision is a sign from Corgoram. I want you to lead our warriors in battle. Support them with your magic and do all in your power to eliminate the impending threat.”
Those are pretty big words for a goblin, I thought dazedly.
Okay, that makes sense.
The chieftain was still looking at me intently, “As the clan Totem I cannot force you to go. Do you accept this task?”
I sighed. What choice did I have?
I nodded to the chieftain, “I accept.”
You received a new quest [Defeat the Hobgoblin Raid]
A group of hobgoblins are making their way to the Dripper’s clan. Stop them before they reach the cave and destroy the clan.
Time limit: 5 hours.
Quest Type: advanced
Reward: improved reputation, 500xp
“Good.” he nodded in approval. “Vrick, gather all your warriors and wait outside, the Totem will be with you shortly.”
Vrick saluted and left the cave.
Once we were alone, Bogan continued in a quieter, serious voice, “you must do all in your power to stop them. If they are allowed to reach us, and I cannot stop them the consequences will be dire. They will desecrate our ancestral cemetery, preventing our resurrection, and through us, the clan’s. Though Corgoram might resurrect us elsewhere, the Drippers clan will be doomed.”
Life Reset: A LitRPG Novel (New Era Online Book 1) Page 12