Life Reset_EvP_Environment vs. Player

by Shemer Kuznits

  They kept walking through the valley, circling the row of cabins. Once they neared the pond, they spotted the seneschal. He was staring intently at a goblin who was busy making leather armor. The hob’s mandibles twitched and a speck of spit dripped from one of them.

  The goblin, which Raystia was pretty sure was named Vrick, shifted uncomfortably. “Stop staring at me like that you oversized ant,” he said. “I’m working on the armor for you darned hobs, just like you wanted.”

  “Um, hello, Kaedric,” Raystia said hesitantly, approaching the seneschal. “We brought you the … er … item … you wanted.” She gestured at their prisoners.

  Kaedric shifted his gaze from the goblin and focused on the woman. “I see. Let us move to a more secluded area. I shall meet you by the shrine momentarily.”

  “Alright, let’s go,” Fox said.

  They kept walking through the valley, passing the pond and arriving in full view of the cave. With a little joint effort, they hauled their victims up the ladder to the stone ledge above.

  Somehow, Kaedric had beaten them there and was already waiting, standing between the shrine and the cemetery tombstone.

  “Greetings, newcomers,” the monstrous hobgoblin greeted them cordially. “I trust you have all been well?”

  “I … ahem … yes. As I said earlier, we brought what you asked for.”

  With a grunt and a flick of his wrist, Fox heaved the bound creature off his shoulder.

  The seneschal’s eyes followed the rolling creature that came to a stop at his feet. His mandibles extended, and a thin, snake-like tongue protruded, licking them. As if suddenly realizing he was not alone, the hobgoblin snapped his tongue back in and met the adventurers’ eyes. “I’m afraid the feeding process is a bit … graphic. You might want to retreat for a few minutes while I … partake in your offering.”

  “Oh, no – I want to see this.” Misa crossed her arms in defiance.

  Raystia was already moving toward the ladder when she noticed none of the others were following. “Oh, ahem,” she coughed nervously. “No, I’ll stay too.”

  Shrugging, Kaedric stared directly at the green creature who was still struggling against his bonds. The creature stopped thrashing at once and remained perfectly still. Then, like a mummy rising from a sarcophagus, it lifted itself into a sitting position.

  Kaedric hunched over, a predatory glint in his eyes, mandibles extending far to the sides. He reached the small creature and lowered his head. His mandibles shut with a snap, biting deep into the poor creature’s skull, fixing it in place. The vegepygmy remained motionless. Then, another thing came out from the seneschal’s mouth. It shot straight down, puncturing the vegepygmy’s head and digging deep into the brain.

  Then the slurping noises began.

  The others watching looked slightly green in the face. Greener than their goblin heritage would account for. Even the gruff Fox looked a bit ill. For some reason, the sight only hardened Raystia’s resolve. Everyone had to eat somehow; this was just Kaedric’s way. It was not his fault he was built this way. Seeing him slurping her offering made her feel … strong, somehow. In control. She was the provider and he was the one in need.

  It took Kaedric nearly a minute to finish his gruesome feast. When he was done, he extracted his mandibles from the now-hollowed skull. The body tumbled to the ground.

  “An excellent meal. I thank you all.”

  Quest Completed: Braaaaains!

  Kaedric, the administrator of Goblin’s Gorge, has asked you to bring him a living, intelligent humanoid creature to eat. Though it barely met those requirements, you have successfully provided a vegepygmy for the hungry seneschal.

  Reward: +50 reputation with the GreenPiece Clan, +200 reputation with Kaedric, 400XP, 20 gold

  “Sweet!” Misa exclaimed. “I leveled.”

  “Me too,” Riley and Fox said.

  Kaedric wiped his face clean with a cloth. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I shall take my leave.” He walked to the edge of the shelf and went down the ladder.

  “Guess it’s my turn,” the goblin dwarf said and went to the shrine. He dumped the body he was carrying onto the small construction of white bones and black stones, then stopped, staring at something in the darkness beyond.

  “What are you doing?” the bugbear demanded.

  Riley shook his head “I thought I saw something for a moment in the darkness, but there’s nothing there.” He sighed and took out the crude starter dagger from his belt, holding it over the vegepygmy’s chest. “Come on, I ain’t got all day.”

  “Yes.” Misa nodded, though she sounded more sympathetic than the barbaric bugbear. “Just get it over with. It can’t be worse than what happened to the other one.”

  Raystia looked sharply at Misa. The first vegepygmy’s fate was her own doing, but the other woman’s face was not accusatory.

  “Ah, what the hell,” the dwarf said. “It’s just a game.”

  He struck down hard at the helpless creature’s chest, killing it instantly. Blood poured freely, painting the shrine red.

  “That’s it?” the dwarf demanded. “I didn’t get any –”

  He stopped talking, and his eyes opened comically wide as he stared at the body on the shrine. Instead of red, the victim’s corpse was oozing black liquid. The body shriveled as the flow increased until all that remained on the shrine was black goo.

  Riley dropped to his knees and grabbed his head, his mouth open in a mute cry. Raystia made to reach for him but found she could not move. A message flickered at the edge of her vision, but her eyes were glued to the sight before her.

  The blackness oozed from the shrine toward the dwarf like it was a living thing. It clung to his feet and climbed up his legs, covering his torso, reaching all the way to his head.

  Riley just stood there, motionless, covered in darkness.

  After several long moments, something changed. The black liquid solidified, losing some of its sheen. With a jerk, the dwarf broke through, like larvae emerging from its chrysalis. He shed the black stuff, which drained into the ground. But some remnants remained. The dwarf’s skin was a few shades darker, and he had asymmetrical black patches all over his body. He also looked slightly taller and more fit.

  Just like those makeover shows, Raystia reflected.

  “God, that was intense.” The dwarf looked at the dagger in his hand. The weapon had turned black. He looked at the rest of the party and Raystia noticed his irises had become completely black.

  “What the hell happened?” Misa asked.

  Riley shrugged. “I got a ton of messages. Apparently, I’m now a priest of Nihilator. I received two new spells, one for healing and an area debuff. Oh, I also transformed; I’m now a Shadow-Touched creature, whatever the hell that means.”

  “So we got our healer. Now can we finally go look for more stuff to kill?” huffed the bugbear.

  He seemed a single-minded kind of guy to Raystia, though Zuban appeared impressed with his knowledge. This contradiction didn’t sit well with Raystia. She hated not knowing.

  “Sure,” Misa said. “What do you have in mind?”

  ***

  I watched the four players descend the ladder into the valley and stepped out of my hiding spot.

  I’d used the shadows as a shroud to conceal my presence. The weird-looking dwarf nearly spotted me when he first approached the shrine. I figured that as a dwarf who was also part goblin, he had enhanced night vision.

  Knowing he would soon be anointed by darkness, I hid behind the tombstone. My ability to manipulate the shadows would not hide me from another Shadow-Touched creature.

  So my master now has another follower … I mused. If the uncompromising, scornful Nihilator was willing to accept this Riley as his minion, he must be someone of worth.

  Vic snorted. He gave me a meaningful mental stare.

  Pfh, you wouldn’t have even made it through the preliminary trials, I retorted wi
thout thinking.

  A long pause followed.

  Vic finally said.

  “Whatever,” I mumbled.

  I walked over to the stone ledge and looked down at the four players walking across the building-strewn valley. So far, they hadn’t caused any significant trouble. In fact, according to Kaedric, they’d completed a few quests and helped wall up the valley’s entrance. They could become powerful allies that would help increase my clan’s strength and development. Riley’s consecration by Nihilator was another good indication of their dedication and reduced my worries of betrayal.

  This presented an interesting opportunity. Introductions were in order.

  I waited until they were several meters away, then I used Shadow Teleport, instantly appearing in their path.

  “Shit!”

  “What the hell?”

  The two men cried, reaching for their weapons.

  The women were less vocal. The goblin-eared elf produced shackles from her belt and the catgirl unslung her bow and drew an arrow in a single, smooth motion.

  Vic said.

  ***

  Raystia was as surprised as her friends at the sudden appearance of the dark goblin in their path. He was taller than the other goblins by at least a head and had a slender build with strong, wiry muscles. His sunken eyes projected intelligence and she could tell he had them all measured with a single glance. He wore simple clothing and had no visible weapons. A lavish, rich-looking purple cloak hung from his shoulders.

  Suddenly, she knew without a doubt who was standing before them. She lowered her bow, pointing the arrow down and bowed her head in greeting. “Well met, Dread Totem.”

  ***

  Well, at least the cat one had some manners. “Well met indeed, travelers.”

  “Is he an NPC?” the shaggy-looking bugbear whispered hoarsely, still holding up his axe and shield.

  “No, it is that guy who started all of this.” The elven woman relaxed her guard and smiled at me. “I like what you’ve done with the place, quite impressive. I’m Misa Gavriilu, this is Raystia. The bugbear’s name is Fox and the small black guy is Riley Stonefist, our newly crowned healer. We are The Mob Squad.”

  I laughed openly. “Like the movie?” I felt traces of my goblin instinct evaporate at the sudden injection of realism. “How fitting. Pun intended?”

  “Well, duh.” Misa rolled her eyes.

  Fox, still carrying his weapon, stepped closer and loomed over me. “So you are this mysterious and scary Totem everyone keeps mentioning? You look like a weakling to me.” He bent down and looked straight into my eyes. Oh, he was looking for trouble.

  I stared back, unflinching, at the bugbear, and in light of his threatening demeanor couldn’t help wondering, How the hell did he manage to get such a short name? I shrugged. I can just ask him, once he’s on his back.

  “Hands off the goblin, he’s mine!” a clear feminine voice rang out.

  Shadow-crap. I groaned inwardly. It was Hoshisu, coming to collect her due.

  Fox straightened and looked at the newcomer. “Who’re you?” he demanded.

  “Hoshisu Matsugaya,” the woman said lightly. “Now hands off the chief; I was here first.” She stood a step away from the bugbear, hands on hips, giving him a challenging look.

  The bugbear huffed. “Now listen here, scrawny-face, I haven’t seen you before. I’m level 7, so you better piss off before I get angry.” He used his shield to push the woman away.

  At least he tried to.

  Before his shield made contact, Hoshisu activated her flashy skill and with a blur, appeared behind him, both her daggers at his throat.

  He froze. Even his breath slowed in fear of cutting himself on the daggers.

  “You were saying?” Hoshisu asked sweetly.

  “Err … ladies first, that’s what I always say.”

  Misa snorted and Raystia put a hand to her mouth.

  “Found you.” Hoshisu smirked at me after releasing the poor bugbear. “As I recall, you owe me a duel.”

  “I thought you and Malkyr were away for a few days,” I said.

  “We were just about to leave our apartment, but I had a hunch I’d find you here. I’ve got ten minutes to spare IRL. That’s plenty of time to kick your ass over here.”

  “Fine!” I wasn’t happy about it, but a deal was a deal. I couldn’t risk losing my credibility. Not that I was really worried. We were both level 26, and I had the advantage of being a tier 2 boss. She stood no chance against me. If she wanted to be sent for a respawn so badly, I guess I’d have to oblige her.

  I turned away. “Let’s go find us a secluded –”

  Hoshisu moved to block my path. “No. You’ve postponed this long enough.” She held up her daggers. “We’ll do it right here, right now. If you will please excuse us,” she said sweetly to the four bewildered players, “this won’t take long.”

  “You got that right,” I replied and activated my Mana Shield. Both twins had witnessed the full extent of my strength, so there was no sense in trying to hide it from the newcomers. Once your secret’s out, it’s out. This fight could actually be a good thing. I could make Hoshisu an example to the others not to mess with me or my clan.

  I pulled out my new staff and pointed it at her. “We’ll fight until one of us hits zero health.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You could just say, ‘to the death.’”

  “I like the way I put it better.”

  “Whatever, bring it on!”

  ***

  We stood facing one another.

  Hoshisu started to circle me slowly. I tightened my grasp on my staff and spun, following her every movement, waiting for her to make the first move.

  “Nice staff,” she remarked, still circling me. “But where’s your other gear? I’d hate for you to excuse your defeat due to lack of equipment.”

  I gave her a crooked smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t. As long as we’re talking about equipment I guess I should warn you not to try using your saw-chain against me. Not unless you’ve gotten tired of having it.”

  Hoshisu narrowed her eyes. “You put in a fail-safe or something?” Her upper lips peeled back into a sneer. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on using it, I have other weapons in my arsenal.”

  “I can see that.” I looked pointedly at the bandolier she wore strapped slaunchways across her shoulder. It was the same one she’d worn back at the Ogre fort when she thought we were about to throw down. The bandoleer held eight slender throwing knives, positioned in such a way that she could easily retrieve and throw. I sensed a faint glimmer of power coming from the knives. Definitely not strong enough to worry about.

  Ignoring my comment, Hoshisu finally decided on a course of attack. She bent low, holding her main daggers at her sides, and charged me.

  I looked at her, bemused. She reached me in a second and delivered a flurry of sharp blows, all of which were easily repelled by my shield. The damage output wasn’t even high enough to strain my mana reserves. I could take a nap if I really wanted to, and she would still be unable to get past my shield.

  “Come on, that’s the best you can do?” I taunted her.

  “No, try this one for size!” She sent one of her daggers flying upward, and with a fluid motion used her free hand to draw a throwing knife and hurled it at me point blank. She then caught her soaring poniard before it hit the ground. The throwing knife smacked against the shield and bounced off. “Damn it!” she fumed.

  “That was an impressive display, I’ll give you that.” I brandished my staff. “But now it’s my turn. I think you’ve seen these before.” I launched a volley of drilling arrows at her.

  To my surprise, Hoshisu performed a one-handed backflip with the agility of a circus acrobat and somehow managed to dodge all three arrows.

  “How the hell did you do that?” I gaped at her. “You’re no
t supposed to be able to do that.”

  She grinned at me wickedly. “I gained a useful skill back at the fort after dodging all those fireballs and fire darts. You were also kind enough to attack me once with those arrows. I learned a valuable lesson from that.”

  If what she said was true, it was damn impressive. Drilling Arrow homed in on the selected target by magic and was not supposed to be blocked by anything short of magic resistance. I launched another volley to test her claim. She deftly dodged them all, then retaliated with her own throwing knife. It banged uselessly against my shield and fell to the ground, its point embedded in the dirt.

  “Congratulations, your evasion skill seems to be the real deal. Prime badge?”

  Her devilish grin was the only answer I got in response.

  “You know I’ve been watching you fight as well, right?” I asked her. “I know your fighting style pretty well. The second I drop the shield you’ll do your fancy flash move and slit my throat. Well, that’s not gonna happen. Since my arrows are useless against you, try your luck dodging Rex, Max, Buddy, and … uh … Fluffy. Shadow Hound!”

  The shadows gathered around me, forming into four level 12 Shadow mastiffs. The hounds lurched at the woman, snarling and biting.

  Hoshisu spun on her heels, evading teeth and claws, slashing with her daggers at every opportunity. Her weapons caused no damage to the shadowy hounds. She had excellent form, but it was only a matter of time before she missed a step, then it would be all over.

  I remained in place, watching the skirmish with interest. Hoshisu jumped over a mastiff, dodged another, drew a throwing knife and flung it at a third. She missed, and the knife sailed on, hitting my shield, again as harmless as the rest before it.

  “Damn you!” she spat.

  “You asked for this,” I reminded her. I could end this at any time I wanted to. I could bind her with Shadow Web or Freeze, then the hounds would rip her apart. But I was enjoying the spectacle. With how much she was gunning for this fight, a little lesson in humility wouldn’t hurt her. I chuckled to myself. Stupid human spawn.