World-Tree Online

by EA Hooper

  Your party has been named: The World Knights.

  “Everyone, switch to party chat,” Vincent told his new teammates. “Let’s try to reach the dungeon before nightfall.”

  Jim waved at the guards on the wall, and they raised the gate. “Let’s go, team!”

  The World Knights stepped through the gate and marched south for the dungeon.

  Chapter 10

  Player: Noble Vincent

  Location: Teramor (World) | Southern Badlands (Region)

  Class: Ranger

  Subclass: Mage

  Vitality: Lv 32

  Spirit*: Lv 38

  Resolve: Lv 35

  Perception*: Lv 45

  Agility: Lv 37

  Strength: Lv 31

  The World Knights neared the mountainous rock that could be seen from anywhere in the badlands. They had encountered several camps of goblins on the way there, but Quinn and Jim had cleared each one in seconds. Since Jim couldn’t fight in the dungeon, he didn’t mind going all out against the camps.

  “No guards?” Jim muttered, staring at the cavernous entrance below the giant rock. “I was hoping to grind some more kills before stepping into the dungeon. It’s not every day that I get to travel with a party across the badlands.”

  “If you came with us to the other worlds, you could get a lot more level-grinding done,” Vincent commented.

  Jim shook his head. “Sorry, Vince, we’ve already been over this. You three head inside the dungeon, and I’ll watch out here. Keep me updated over the chat.”

  Vince nodded and stepped into the shadows of the dungeon’s entrance. He equipped his True Huntsman’s Cloak, pulled the hood over his head, and switched his HUD to party chat.

  >Vincent: Let me go ahead of you two. My cloak will keep me hidden.

  >Quinn: Got it. I’ll protect our little Cleric here and make sure goblins don’t jump her.

  >Alexandria: Thank you, miss.

  >Quinn: Don’t thank me yet. You have your Lotus Capsule ready, right?

  >Alexandria: It’s sitting on my tongue. What happens if I swallow it by accident?

  >Quinn: You’ll explode.

  >Alexandria: Uh, then I’ll try not to do that.

  Vincent snuck through the wide, empty passage. He saw exploding barrels, which the goblins used for their assaults on the city wall, lined up on both ends of the cavern. I should destroy those on our way out. That’ll slow down the next goblin invasion.

  His eyes followed every dark shape, catching each flicker of light from the lanterns hanging overhead. However, he saw no goblins and heard no footsteps.

  Where are they? I thought there’d be at least a score of them at the entrance. Monsters have a sixth sense that tells them to get ready when players are near dungeons. Then again, our small party might mean the goblins aren’t on high alert.

  >Jim: Hey, don’t forget to update your local map. I have an old map the guild gave me of Sharky’s Cavern, but the goblins use magic to alter the dungeon after every raid.

  >Quinn: I just gave Xan a mapping rune. Do you know how to use it, Xan? It’s pretty simple. Activate it and aim at the walls and floors. We’ll all see a 3D map on our HUD.

  Vincent checked his HUD and watched the 3D map of the entrance manifest. He also noticed small holes he’d overlooked at the sides of the passage.

  >Vincent: You see those tunnels? They go deep underground—either to the goblin city or nests. Keep an eye on them because goblins could climb out anytime.

  >Quinn: I wouldn’t mind that. I could go for a game of Whac-A-Mole.

  >Alexandria: Why would you whack moles? They’re so cute.

  >Quinn: Whac-A-Mole is an old game from Vincent’s time.

  >Alexandria: Oh, it was an old video game?

  >Jim: No, they were real moles. It was a real bloody sport. Glad they banned it at the turn of the millennia.

  >Alexandria: Those poor moles.

  >Vincent: He’s joking. It was an animatronic game. You smacked them with a fake ham—

  Vincent stopped in his tracks and eyed the tremendous drop before him. The massive cavern spread in all directions with dozens of bridges built across the gaps. A hundred lanterns glowed in the cavern below, and Vincent spotted the shadows of dozens of goblins meandering across platforms and bridges. His HUD changed the region name from Southern Badlands (Region) to Sharky’s Cavern (Dungeon).

  He glanced to the left and right, looking at the narrow stone ledges that wrapped around the giant cavern. So, where are we supposed to go? I’ve heard this dungeon was pretty big, with multiple branching paths, but I didn’t expect it to be this large. It could take us hours to find Sharky and his treasure.

  Quinn and Xan approached, and Vincent raised a hand for them to slow. Xan turned the mapping rune to the cavern, and the 3D map expanded to such a size that Vincent had to zoom out to see the entire thing.

  >Jim: Woah. I’ve done six other dungeons, but this is bigger than any of those. At least I have plenty of hiding places to avoid combat. Too bad I don’t have a cloak quite like yours, Vince—though I do have a Shadow Cloak that’s the next best thing.

  >Quinn: Do you have boots with Wall-Walking? I’m equipping mine right now. It’ll make this dungeon a breeze.

  >Jim: I have boots with Limited Wall-Walking. They can keep me off the ground for twenty seconds at a time. I’ll hang back in the entrance until you find a good hiding spot for me to move to.

  >Vincent: Alright, Jim. Quinn and Xan, let’s circle around and look for passages. I don’t trust those rickety, goblin-made bridges.

  The three teammates carefully watched the drop as they moved along the ledge. Even in the dim lanternlight, Vincent could see fear on Xan’s face. The young woman moved at a much slower pace, and the older players had to wait for her to catch up at the entrance of a branching passage.

  >Quinn: Pick up the pace, girl. We don’t have all night.

  >Vincent: Xan, it’s okay. We actually do have all night. Countless nights, even. We’re stuck in this game, remember? Might as well try to develop our teamwork now while we’re near a city.

  >Alexandria: Sorry, I’m a little afraid of heights.

  Once Xan reached them, the three players stepped into the dark passage. Vincent hurried ahead, walking down the steep, twisting path.

  >Quinn: Afraid of heights? So, what’ll you do when we use Jump Crystals to fly to other worlds?

  >Alexandria: Close my eyes really tight.

  >Jim: No shame in that, Xan. I closed my eyes every time I’ve used one.

  >Quinn: Seriously? Now I’m glad you’re not staying in our party.

  >Vincent: This passage is clear too. Come on, you two.

  Vincent stepped back into the center cavern. He glanced at the roaming goblins a couple of floors below him. The goblins ran back and forth with explosive barrels. They brought the barrels from the darkness far below and stacked them in chambers to the sides of the cavern. What the heck are they doing?

  A gray goblin in armor waved and shouted commands at the underlings, directing them where to stack the barrels. The goblin gave several orders, and then raised its fist in the air with a chant. All the green goblins repeated the chant. “Murka-durk-rah! Murka-durk-rah!”

  >Vincent: Hey, team. I think I know why the dungeon seems a bit weird right now. It looks like the goblins are moving resources to prepare for an upcoming raid.

  >Jim: Already? The wall is still being repaired from the assault that happened during your going-away party.

  >Vincent: Yeah, we might have to call off this expedition and focus on destroying those barrels.

  >Alexandria: Can we blow them up at the same time?

  >Quinn: No, those barrels use a special kind of goblin magic to trigger the explosion. You can destroy them individually, but we can’t trigger them all at once. Although, perhaps we could toss them into the cavern. They should break on the bottom.

  >Vincent: The goblins can gather the exploding powder and make more. Tha
t’ll only slow down their attack by a few days.

  >Alexandria: Can you store them in your inventory?

  >Vincent: No, too big.

  >Alexandria: What about the powder? We can smash them open and take it.

  Every level in Strength adds one more inventory space to the original fifteen. Between the four of us, that’s over two hundred spaces. Each space can hold ten to twenty pounds, depending on the shape, type, and material of the item. So, we might be able to carry up to four thousand pounds of exploding powder.

  >Vincent: That might work. Worst-case scenario, they’ll go into the next assault with a lot fewer barrels.

  >Jim: Plus, I already sent the City Watch Guild a warning message. They’ll be well-prepared for the next attack.

  >Vincent: Quinn, keep watch on the goblins coming back and forth. I’ll hide under my cloak and bring barrels to you two to smash.

  Vincent waited until the goblins moved away from their supply of explosives. He rushed down the walkway, lifted two barrels under his arms, and returned to the passage with Quinn and Xan. He grabbed four more before the goblins returned.

  Quinn ripped the barrels open, and the group gathered exploding powder into their inventory. The goblins didn’t seem to notice the missing barrels, and when the monsters disappeared into the darkness, Vincent snatched more.

  Vincent, Quinn, and Xan spent half an hour grabbing barrels whenever the groups of goblins moved. Three different times, the gray goblin in charge flashed a curious look at the shrinking number of barrels. The goblin would then scratch its head, shrug, and finally disappear into the darkness.

  >Jim: You guys almost done? I’ve scouted most the passages and platforms branching from the main cavern. I almost got spotted by goblins in one of the tunnels opposite of you guys, but these things are pretty stupid. I hid on the wall above them, so they gave up.

  >Vincent: Let me grab a few more barrels. Our inventories are about full, so you’ll need to take some of the powder.

  >Jim: I need to keep space for the treasure. We’re still going after it, right?

  >Vincent: Maybe, but I’m worried there’ll be a lot more goblins down there, since they’re preparing for an assault. It might be even riskier than normal.

  He approached the barrels, but then a spark of magic shot past him. Vincent dove away just before ten of the barrels exploded, and the blast tossed him into the open cavern. He caught the gray goblin out of the corner of his eyes as he fell. The goblin smirked at Vincent, and then disappeared from his line of sight.

  Lanternlights flickered past Vincent as he tumbled. He crashed through several rickety bridges and platforms. His Mana Shield vanished on the first hit, and he felt every hit afterward. He used his tongue to hold the Lotus Capsule against the roof of his mouth, but struggled not to swallow it from the repeated impacts. Even with his level of Perception, Vincent couldn’t count how many surfaces he smashed through during his fall. Finally, he collided with a stone ledge and came to a stop.

  A pained groan escaped his bloody lips. He climbed to his feet in a daze and brushed the dust off his cloak. Above him and all around, Vincent heard the shouts of goblins. Dozens of moving lanterns danced across the platforms as goblins shined lights in his direction. He tried to use his cloak to camouflage himself on the rock surface, but a goblin witch cast a fireball in his direction.

  Vincent leapt away, and the fireball exploded where he’d been standing. He grabbed the support structure of a platform and swung himself over to a ledge. His teammates asked him if he was okay, but he ignored the team chat and equipped Gazalblade1.

  Green goblins with knives and short swords approached from both sides, and they rushed at Vincent with no fear of him or the nearby ledge. The goblins almost tripped over one another as they advanced.

  He dove toward the nearest group and ran his sword through the first two goblins. With its 150 rating, Gazalblade1 ripped through their branzium tunics with ease. He shoved with all his strength, and then ripped the blade sideways, knocking the two impaled goblins and the three behind them into the depths of the pit.

  A goblin leapt from behind him, but Vincent turned and blocked its sword with his. He slashed through its neck, and it fell backward into its friends. Vince blocked another attack from his left, but he found the crowds of goblins closing in on him. He eyed a hanging platform several meters away and ten meters down.

  Vincent jumped and landed on the hanging structure. The ropes swayed, swinging the platform around with his momentum. He held out his arms and struggled to keep his balance. A flash of fiery light caught his eyes, and he bailed from the platform before a witch’s fireball struck it, engulfing the wooden structure in flames.

  He fell a long distance, but landed on his feet on a stone ledge. His legs trembled from the impact, but at his level of Vitality, it didn’t hurt that bad. He stood and rushed into the narrow pathway in front of him. The voices of his teammates still called over team chat, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying over his own panicked breaths and pounding heart.

  >Vincent: I’m alive! Running for my life, but not hurt yet. Might have to swallow the Lotus Capsule, so don’t risk your lives coming after me.

  Quinn said something in response, but Vincent’s attention shifted to the monsters blocking the path. Two gray goblins stood in his way. A witch readied her staff, and an armored warrior tightened his claws around the hilt of an oiron longsword.

  Vincent held up Gazalblade1 just as the the witch launched a fireball from her staff. He sidestepped the fire, and then his blade met with the warrior’s as it dove forward. Their blades clashed several times, during which time Vincent noticed the witch preparing another spell. He pushed away from the sword-wielding goblin and slid across the dirt as the fire spell flew. The witch’s spell hit her armored companion, and he released a pained scream and rolled across the ground.

  The Ranger dashed forward before the witch could ready another spell, however she blocked his next attack with an enchanted staff. She jammed the bottom of her staff into the ground, and a shockwave blasted Vincent five meters backward.

  The shockwave snuffed out the flames on the other goblin, but he still moaned with pain. The witch waved her staff, and magic light cured nearly all of the burns. The warrior goblin grabbed his sword off the ground as Vincent climbed to his feet.

  Vincent heard the chatter and footsteps of goblins from the cavern behind him. “I seriously don’t have time for this.” He aimed his fingers, trying to line up both gray goblins in his sight.

  He fired Void Gun, and it put a hole through both monster’s heads. Vincent sprinted past their bodies while chugging an ether to replenish his empty mana.

  Void Gun takes most of my mana, and it takes most an ether to ready another shot. If I get trapped with no mana down here, I’ll just have to bite the capsule.

  At a turn in the passage, Vincent found five more green goblins running toward him. They waved short swords in the air while screaming and chanting. He gripped Gazalblade1 with both hands and cut down all five in less than thirty seconds.

  Those five weren’t trained. Probably barely adults. I must be near a goblin nest.

  Green hands reached out of the holes at the sides of the passage, and goblins began to claw and climb from their hollows. The Ranger picked up his pace, fleeing down the barely lit tunnel. The goblins had only set up lanterns at the turns and splits of the passage, and Vincent felt unnerved at every misshapen shadow he saw.

  A goblin grabbed Vincent’s sword arm as he passed its hiding spot, and he broke its nose with a jab from his other fist. He didn’t bother to finish off the goblin, and instead continued through the path.

  How do I get out of here? Almost every passage goes deeper—that’s the opposite of what I want.

  Vincent discovered an oiron-plated door underneath the lanternlight, but a dozen goblins had emerged from their holes in pursuit. He outpaced them, swung the door open, and then threw it shut behind him.

&nbs
p; The horde of goblins collided with the door before he could latch it, and Vincent unequipped his sword. He kept the entrance closed with both hands as the goblins tried to force it open. His boots dug into the dirt, and his muscles strained.

  “Come on,” he shouted. “Just shut!”

  Vincent’s body trembled, and he gnashed his teeth. He pushed as hard as he could, and then tried to exert himself beyond that. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he prepared himself to swallow the Lotus Capsule.

  Strength Level Up: 31>32

  The Ranger roared and shoved with all his strength. The door slowly closed on the goblins, and he flipped the latch to lock it in place. He collapsed to the dirt and gasped for air. After wiping the sweat from his brow, Vincent forced himself to stand and familiarize himself with his new surroundings. The oiron-plated door had led him to a hallway that looked like part of a building.

  >Vincent: I’m in a hallway of some kind deep underground. This might be connected to Sharky’s lair.

  >Quinn: Can’t talk. Fighting goblins.

  >Jim: I can talk, Vince. I just finished luring a group of goblins away from those two. Somehow, I didn’t get hit. I might still finish my Class Quest if you can lead me to Sharky’s lair.

  >Vincent: I don’t think we’ll manage that. There’re tons of goblins down here—they’re popping out of holes everywhere. I’ll use a mapping rune to show you how deep I’ve gone.

  He equipped a rune and mapped the hallway. It appeared on the dungeon map in his HUD a long distance away from the last section Xan had added.

  I hope that girl isn’t dead. Maybe I shouldn’t have dragged someone so young into something like this. What was I thinking? If I was her age, I would be horrified right now. I mean, I’m still frightened, but it must be even worse for her.

  Vincent noticed his Mana Shield had remade itself, so he felt safe journeying through the hall. He sipped on ether to restore the mana cost of his shield, and then walked to the first twist in the hall, where he glimpsed two armored goblins in front of a door. With his cloak making him blend into the background, they didn’t spot him at a distance. He took a deep breath and weighed his options.