Life Reset_EvP_Environment vs. Player

by Shemer Kuznits

  Luckily, the construction was external to my existing house, so I skipped over a pile of logs and ingots and slipped inside. I still had to finish enchanting the Ogres’ armor and the pile of new items that had grown in my absence.

  There were still a few hours until the end of the day. I sat down in my comfy new armchair and got to work.

  ***

  I barely managed to open my eyes the next morning.

  Due to the urgency of our situation, I had stayed up late enchanting all the armor and weapons, resorting to a simple strengthened version for most of the equipment. Then, I moved on to the remaining 12 partially Runecrafted Viridium spheres and finalized their enchantment.

  A few messages flickered before my eyes, alerting me to my sorry state and the debuffs I gained from lack of sleep. I forced my eyes to open and cast Mana Infusion. Cool, pure magical energy flooded my veins, invigorating me like a strong cup of coffee. The spell’s bonuses somewhat mitigated the debuffs, though not entirely. I couldn’t afford to sleep in; the attack could come at any moment.

  Blueprint Research Completed: Obstacle Course [Barracks extension]

  I dismissed the message. Zuban and Kaedric knew what to do well enough without my intervention.

  I lumbered stiffly to the mess hall. The throng of soldiers and goblins moved aside, letting me pass through as I sat down tiredly at my table.

  Gandork soon came by, carrying the usual assortment of dishes. “Good morning, Dread Totem! Or shall I say, good night?” He was in a good mood, whistling as he laid the plates on my table. “We can hold a month-long feast with all the oxsaurian meat the soldiers have brought. The mess hall is finally starting to look like a respectable establishment.”

  I glanced around. The log benches were gone, replaced by actual benches. Gandork was right, the place was looking more civilized. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I sort of liked the rustic, outdoorish vibe it had before.

  I started eating, though I was too tired to really appreciate the meal. I watched the orderly manner my clanmates were following. All the seats were being used; as soon as one was vacated, another individual took its place and a meal was served to him. It was efficient and time-saving.

  My gaze was drawn to something blazing.

  A foblin entered the mess hall carrying a large container. A bouquet of flowers came out of it like it was some sort of misshapen vase. Some of the flowers were glittering like they were on fire.

  The small critter made its way toward me, his big eyes bright and shiny.

  “What do you have there?” I asked, then wrinkled my nose. A putrid smell came from the container he was holding.

  A few hobs noticed the smell as well and turned their heads toward the foblin, their eyes open in sudden realization.

  “Gift to Chief! Me get gift too!” the foblin declared stupidly.

  The agitated hobs jumped out of their seats and charged at him. I realized too late what was going on.

  The blazing flowers reached the surface of the container and the whole thing ignited. Liquid fire erupted in all directions. The poor foblin holding the container got the worst of it and was immolated in front of my eyes. Sprays of the burning liquid hit everyone within a few meters’ radius. I stood up, gaping, as I watched my clanmates burn.

  I finally snapped out of my shock and cast Heal Followers. It was too late to save the nearby foblins with their low levels and hit points. At least ten of them dropped dead, their bodies charred and smoking. But I was quick enough to save the nearby workers who had gotten scorched. The warriors, with their higher levels and health pools, suffered only moderate damage.

  There was yelling, panicking, and running. Some parts of the wooden floor ignited as the liquid fire continued to burn with unnatural intensity.

  A group of soldiers led by a lieutenant came running into the mess hall, their weapons drawn, looking for someone to fight, but their presence only contributed to the rising chaos.

  “ENOUGH!” I shouted.

  Channeling my mana, I gathered shadows into a thick, condensed mass and extended it over the burning liquid like a dark blanket, gradually smothering the flames.

  I looked at the lieutenant who barged in with his troops. “What’s going on?” I demanded. “Where did that foblin come from?”

  The lieutenant, Dwax, sheathed his sword. “We were patrolling near the Breeder’s Den when we detected the smell we were told to watch for. We went to investigate when this little guy ran past us, carrying a vat of stink, so we started pursuing him. We didn’t catch him in time and he made it inside, Chief. I take full responsibility for our failure and am ready to face my punishment.”

  I looked at him sharply. “You detected the smell before or after you saw the goblin?”

  He looked confused. “Eh … before, my chief.”

  I felt the blood freeze in my veins. “And you left the Breeder’s Den unguarded?”

  Comprehension dawned in his eyes, he turned toward the door and I rose to follow.

  BWOOOOOOM

  A massive explosion rattled the walls.

  ***

  I teleported outside and stood in front of the blazing remains of the Breeder’s Den.

  I summoned shadows and smothered the flames, but the damage was already done. The once pristine building was completely charred and an entire section of the wall, along with the roof, was missing. There were a few black lumps inside, too burnt to make out what they were.

  I was pissed. The unknown culprit had struck again, and this time, they had hit us hard.

  Still, it was only a minor setback. I opened the Construction Interface, selected the mess hall first, and clicked ‘Repair.’

  Repair mess hall (92 energy required, 10,056 available). Yes/No?

  I clicked yes and within seconds the building was patched up with shining blue energy.

  I selected the Breeder’s Den next and hit the repair for it as well.

  Command cannot be executed

  Reason: Master-ranked building. Max constructor skill level too low. Minimum required: 51 (Expert rank)

  “NO!” I exclaimed with conviction as if refuting the message would make it go away. “It can’t be!”

  I stood looking at the charred and smoking building. The Breeder’s Den was the source of my clan’s success. It was what made our rapid growth possible. Without it, our development would stagnate. No more workers, no more soldiers. And I had just brought in enough food to nearly double my forces. I ground my teeth. In short, we were screwed.

  There was no way for us to fix the building; the system message made it crystal clear. Zuban would have to reach the Expert rank in his construction skill first. Even I hadn’t reached the Expert rank in any of my skills yet, though I was getting close.

  My mind was reeling, considering the possibilities. Zuban will need to hit level 40 in order for his skill cap to reach level 51. I’ll have to hunt oxsaurians with him, just the two of us, day and night until he reaches that level. That realization settled me down a bit. I knew I could do it; it was only a question of time. We could overcome this obstacle. But not before the players’ attack. There was not enough time for that.

  Staring at the smoldering remains, I clenched my fists. I will have to win this with the troops I already have. I have to! I will!

  But first, I’d have to deal with the culprit once and for all. I still didn’t know who was behind it. It was clear they were intelligent, which didn’t help to narrow the list of suspects much. All the players in my clan seemed to be smarter than average. Whoever it was, they were smart enough to create a diversion, sending that foblin suicide bomber to draw attention away from the Breeder’s Den. They were smart enough to sabotage the lumber yard without leaving any evidence. I wasn’t even sure anymore that Riley, the dwarf player, was indeed the one behind the murder of the two lumberjacks. The person responsible could have planted a false trail, making him the scapegoat.

  The commotion had drawn the attention of several players. T
wo came to stand behind me.

  “What happened here?”

  “Someone bombed the building. Weird, why would anyone do that?”

  “Maybe it was a quest?”

  “I don’t know, it doesn’t match the general theme here. Maybe …”

  “Get out!” I barked.

  The two players stopped their conversation. “What was that, Chief?” one of them asked.

  “I said GET OUT!” I barked louder. “All of you!” I looked around hatefully at the nearby travelers. “I want every single one of you stinking travelers out of my clan, NOW! You can’t be trusted. It was one of you who did this! Get out of my clan before I unleash my hounds on you!”

  As if answering my threat, large Shadow-Touched mastiffs started to manifest from the shadows around us, growling threateningly at the travelers.

  “But the arena championship is today!” one of them dared to complain.

  “Yeah, and I almost reached friendly reputation with the clan,” another protested. “Come on, I just need two more –”

  “Enough!” I yelled, baring my teeth at them. “I’ve been working my ass off developing this settlement, building it up from scratch. I bled for this place! And now a group of stinking travelers who are hell-bent on destroying everything I worked for are only days – maybe hours – away from here. I will not let that happen! You are the same as they are. Just as bad, just as … untrustworthy!”

 

  “Shut it, Vic!” I was breathing hard now. “Only goblins can be trusted! Real goblins! Not half-breeds like you. You have a minute to leave before I order my troops to attack.”

  An area quest prompt opened up, instructing all players within my clan to leave or be killed. I approved the quest, setting massive reputation loss for those who failed to comply.

  Rhynorn came to stand behind me, slapping his oversized mace on his palm, leering at the surprised travelers.

  “He’s lost it,” Tenchi, the snake-looking one muttered. “I’m out of here.” His body became translucent, and within seconds he was gone.

  One by one, the others disappeared as well. Only goblins, hobs, and Ogres remained.

  I looked around at my gathered brethren. “We will win this on our own, and we will teach those damn travelers not to mess with us. They want a fight? We’ll give them a fight! To the GreenPiece Clan!”

  “To the GreenPiece Clan!” they all cheered.

  “Now get back to work!”

  ***

  I stood inside the Dark Temple, facing the shrine.

  With maybe hours away from the fight for survival, it was time to further tip the odds in our favor.

  I focused my will and touched the shrine.

  Missing 59 Faith Points to purchase Eternal Night, Rank 2.

  That wasn’t really a problem.

  Purchase 59 Faith Points for 590 energy points? Yes/No

  Yes.

  With my clan generating over 1,500 EP a day, spending 590 on something I could easily gain by slaughtering oxsaurians didn’t bother me overmuch.

  I accessed the Eternal Night details and reviewed the upgrade.

  Zone Blessing [Eternal Night: Rank 2] purchased!

  Modifiers:

  Three external empowering shrines: +100% effects

  Blessing Rank 2: +100% effects

  Shadow-Touched creatures receive:

  +30% max HP & MP

  MP & HP regen increased by 150%

  +30% damage

  Upkeep reduced by 50%

  Noncombat skills +15% effectiveness

  Enemies suffer:

  -30% XP gain

  -75% HP & MP regeneration

  Special:

  Enemies slain within the valley will be consumed by darkness (generates Void Crystals and Faith Points).

  New Eternal Night upgrades unlocked!

  “Hmph,” I huffed approvingly. With these bonuses, a level 15 grunt was more than a match for a traveler of similar level. A lieutenant would probably be able to beat one two levels higher. Our situation was looking brighter already. To top it off, every traveler killed inside the valley would be consumed by darkness, and that meant more void crystals. I could work with that.

  Vic interrupted my train of thought.

  Uh? Told me what?

 

  I frowned, trying to remember.

  “Wait … That was like a month ago!” I protested.

 

  Despite myself, I snickered. “Meat-based memory system? Good one, Vic.”

 

  I examined the area blessing menu again. There were new options to upgrade its effects: blinding enemies, summoning shadow monsters, reducing the enemy’s max level, and even blocking unauthorized teleportation. All of which cost way more FP than I could hope to gain within the short time frame I had. I could have converted energy for FP, but the conversion rate was brutal.

  I had tinkered enough with religion bonuses. It was now time to resort to cold, calculating tactics and make the best use of the forces I had at my disposal.

  I accessed the Settlement Interface population data and filtered it to show only the soldiers.

  Kuzai: Boss Tier 1, Level 28

  Kilpi Shīrudo: Boss Tier 1, Level 21

  Yulli: Boss Tier 1, Level 21

  Rhynorn Bloodore: Boss Tier 2, Level 19

  Infernal Ogres: 6 Level 16

  Goblin Adepts: 3 Level 12, 1 Level 20

  Hobgoblin Lieutenants: 3 Level 17, 2 Level 18, 3 Level 19

  Hobgoblin Scouts: 16 Level 14, 4 Level 15, 4 Level 17

  Hobgoblin Warriors: 14 Level 14, 4 Level 16, 4 Level 17

  I had a total of 64 soldiers and four bosses under my command. If my intel was accurate, we should have no problem facing the first wave of travelers, particularly since we had already sent a quarter of them for a respawn. The second wave would be more problematic, but I could easily resurrect any of my fallen soldiers after the first skirmish, and those that survived would have progressed their level significantly. Nothing was more XP-rewarding than slaying travelers.

  I allowed myself a small smile. We were going to make it. My hard work and dedication over the long weeks had paid off. Even with the Breeder’s Den destroyed, we were ready.

  Not everyone was fully equipped yet, but most of what they had was enchanted. It was now time to work on my own skills, for what little time I had left.

  ***

  I sat cross-legged on top of the temple’s roof, looking at the valley spread below me. I needed a quiet place to meditate, and my house’s renovation was raising a racket.

  After the fight with Rikush and her cronies, I had noticed the spells I used while in my shadow clone had leveled up more than expected, probably due to the extra mana required to invoke them.

  Using this little discovery, I had teleported to the temple’s roof, closed my eyes, and summoned my shadow clone. The ambient Dark Mana that saturated the temple flowed easily, powering up the spell to new heights. My clone’s body seemed denser and stood half again as tall as normal. I looked down at my real body, sitting serenely, balanced on the edge of the triangular roof. Then I looked at the valley’s forest. The darkness was alive and pulsing with energy. I located a dark channel of energy and leapt into it, using the sweeping flow of power to propel my body forward. With hardly an effort, I emerged from it, standing on top of the arena’s training pit.

  I immediately noticed a new interesting fact. My mana pool was still at the maximum. Thanks to the recent levels I had gained, and more importantly my new headdress’s bonus to mana regeneration, my pool was being replenished faster than my clone could drain it, at least at such a
close range.

  There were no players present. Two groups of hobs, each led by a lieutenant, were engaging one another in mock combat. A lone goblin adept was standing behind each group, occasionally sending a wave of healing magic at his teammates. Bob stood next to me, shouting at them to fight harder.

  I nodded to my lieutenant. “Carry on,” I said, my shadow voice as cold and dispassionate as before.

  I summoned my mana to my hands and shaped the power, building it up. Then I brought my hands together and let the surging energy wash over the soldiers below me, buffing them with Dark Protection.

  That single spell, though it cost 250 MP, was enough to progress my skill up to level 15 and halfway to 16. The goblin healers were doing a good job at healing the most critically wounded soldiers, but I noticed that most were lightly wounded. I swooped down to the center of the pit and cast Heal Followers. As I had already reached the Apprentice rank, the spell radius of five meters was enough to reach all injured members and heal them up by 22 points of damage. The spell level jumped by one point to 13. Though the mana cost was increased, it did look like casting spells through my clone was straining them to level up faster. My combat-related spells were relatively high already, so this was good practice for my support spells.

  I spent a few minutes watching the soldiers fight. I noticed all of them had reached the Apprentice rank for their combat skills, and their group fighting form was admirable. Nero had done a good job training them. They would give any traveler their level a tough run.

  I spent an hour alternating Dark Protection with Heal Followers, making sure not to completely heal-steal from the adepts. Once I leveled both skills to 20, their progress rate declined dramatically.

  There were a few hours until the end of the day, but the lack of sleep was getting to me. I teleported to my house and made to lie down on my bed when I realized I was still using the clone body. I chuckled lightly, the sound coming out as a flat, mirthless cackle.

  I withdrew my consciousness back to my real body and opened my eyes. I was back on top of the Dark Temple. It was midday, but Mana Infusion was no longer enough to keep me on my feet.