Ascend Online

by Luke Chmilenko

  “Onwards the inept Adventurer goes!” I muttered to myself, choosing the northern path. At least I was able to see where I was going now.

  With my flare in one hand, and my sword in the other. I walked down the tunnel, in hopes of finding another way out. I took it as a good sign that the further I walked the more I noticed a slight incline to the tunnel. I figured if I got close enough to the surface – I could always take my pickaxe out and dig myself through a little bit of rubble or backtrack and try digging myself out at the other blockage.

  As I walked down the tunnel, I started to notice large gashes and burns that adorned the walls. To my untrained eye, it looked like a running battle was fought here once, a long time ago. With still only one way to go, I followed the signs of battle until I came to a doorway. A heavy iron door that once used to bar the passage lay twisted against the ground. From the amount of corrosion on it, I had to guess that this door had been lying here for ages.

  I quietly stepped over the door and entered into what appeared to be an ancient storeroom or staging area. Everywhere I looked I could see burn marks and shattered pieces of weapons and armor - whatever this place used to be, its inhabitants certainly didn't go down without a fight. I bent down to take a closer look at a scrap of metal on the floor, but unfortunately for me, it didn't even register as an item.

  Skreet Skreet

  What was that sound?! I lifted my meager torch higher into the air as I turned to where I heard the noise coming from.

  Skreeeet Skreeet

  Out of the dark, a shambling skeleton appeared slowly shuffling towards me. It was covered in tattered, decaying armor with a long broken sword in hand. Standing from my crouched position, I brought my ‘torch’ higher and readied my sword. With the added light I noticed that the skeleton was missing its right arm and foot forcing it to walk oddly slumped due to the missing bones, in fact, it looked as if the entire right side of the skeleton was covered in burns. Warily I focused on the creature to gauge its strength.

  [Decaying Commander – Rare – Level 5]

  A rare mob! I thought to myself excitedly as gripped my sword tight, watching creature shamble into range. I wonder what loot it’ll have!

  Leaping forward, I smashed my sword into the skeleton’s side while trying to send it stumbling with my boot.

  You slash a [Decaying Commander] for 10 points of damage!

  You kick a [Decaying Commander] for 4 points of damage!

  A [Decaying Commander] hits you with [Heavy Slash] for 173 points of damage!

  The blow from the skeleton sent me flying across the room before I crashed into the wall.

  Aaaah! What the hell was that ability?! It took off nearly half of my health in one hit! I wheezed as I gasped for breath, the blow knocked the air out of me. Wincing in pain, I groped around in the darkness as I forced myself to stand up blindly, I had lost control of my Flare spell when I was hit.

  Skreeeet Skreeet

  It was on the move again! I hastily conjured my flare again, bathing the area in a dim orange light.

  How was I going to kill this thing?! The skeleton lumbered towards me slowly on its unsteady limb. It’s not that fast, plus it’s missing an arm, maybe I can get around it!

  I stood ready as the decaying commander closed the gap between us, I waited until it wound up for an attack and rolled hard to its right. The skeleton’s broken sword sailed over my head, leaving a brand new scar on the wall as it lumbered to turn after me slowly. Shit, it’s strong! But slow too.

  Taking advantage of the slow turning rate of the creature, I shoved the skeleton, sending it stumbling off balance. I slashed out, landing four solid hits before I backed away from the creature.

  I can fight this! I smiled to myself for a moment before I saw that the hits I had landed so far only accounted for 3% of the skeleton’s health! Tough bugger! But then again, using a sword to cut a skeleton apart probably isn’t the smartest idea!

  I drew the skeleton away from the wall, and into the slightly more open area in the middle of the room. I glanced around the chamber to see if there was anything I could use to better fight the skeleton.

  Nothing! All I could find in the room was rubble and shards of broken metal. I ducked under another powerful blow as the skeleton closed the gap and landed a few more hits on the monster. This time, I darted in close to the skeleton as it attempted to turn on its broken leg and threw my shoulder into it trying to knock it to the ground.

  When I made contact, I found the skeleton to be much lighter than I expected and ended up tackling it straight to the ground. I lost my flare as I landed atop the skeleton, plunging the room back into darkness. I flailed with a fist and was rewarded with the sound of snapping bones.

  Conjuring a flare once more, I barely managed to duck a swing of the skeleton’s blade. Reaching out instinctively I grabbed the skeleton’s remaining arm to hold the sword at bay, dropping my flare yet again. Despite its lack of actual mass, a wicked strength surged from the skeletal arm. It was all I could do to hold it at bay.

  A [Decaying Commander] bites you for 34 points of damage!

  “Aaaah!” I felt teeth crunch into my shoulder and tear through my armor. I fumbled in the dark for my blade, but my hand only came down on loose rubble.

  A [Decaying Commander] bites you for 36 points of damage!

  Blinded by pain at the second bite, I grabbed a chunk of rubble and swung it in an arc hearing a satisfying crunch. I swung again, and again and again. I kept swinging until I saw a burst of messages appear on my screen.

  You have slain a [Decaying Commander]!

  You are the first person to kill the rare creature - [Decaying Commander]!

  You have gained Experience!

  You have gained Bonus Experience for defeating a Rare Creature for the first time!

  You have gained 50 Renown for defeating a Rare Creature for the first time!

  Congratulations! You have reached Level 6!

  You have 5 Attribute Points Unspent!

  “Ugh!” I gasped from the rush of killing the creature and the pain vanishing the moment I gained a level.

  “How…?” I checked the combat logs.

  You crush a [Decaying Commander] for 41 (+200%) points of damage!

  You crush a [Decaying Commander] for 49 (+200%) points of damage!

  A damage bonus? I slowly lifted myself off the commander’s remains and conjured a flare. My half-dozen blind attacks ended up crushing the skeleton’s head nearly to dust. Aren’t skeleton’s typically weak to blunt damage? I thought I was done for!

  Brushing myself off, I assigned my newly gained attribute points into strength.

  Being the first to kill a Rare creature certainly, pays off in experience! I thought to myself as I bent down to pick up the loot from the skeleton.

  Commander’s Broken Sword

  Slot: Main Hand or Off Hand

  Item Class: Relic

  Item Quality: Normal

  Damage 1-1 (Slashing)

  Strength: +2 Agility: +2

  Durability 0/0

  Weight: 1 kg

  Note: A skilled smith might be able to re-forge this item.

  “Oh! Bonus stats!” I admired the looted sword – it was certainly worse for wear… I idly wondered if Jenkins would be able to help repair the sword for me.

  Deciding to keep moving, I explored my surroundings a little further. Before whatever battle forced this place to be abandoned, this room used to be a combined sleeping area and storage room. I could see the remnants of a few bed frames along with a number of long since rotted crates. The signs of the battle disappeared as I walked further into the room, keeping a sharp eye for anything else that could be lingering in here.

  At the far end of the chamber, I found a second hallway with yet another mangled door on the ground. The hall appeared to split in two different directions, to my right there was a rubble filled passage that seemed to lead deeper down, followed by another that led to a series gentle switchback
s that led upwards.

  Might be worth to come back down here one day and dig further down, but I really want to get back to the village, I mused to myself. Choosing the upward route, I continued up the switchbacks until I eventually felt a cool breeze.

  There's a way out somewhere here! I started to walk a little faster until the tunnel I was following evened out.

  "Ah, shit." I cursed as more and more rubble began to fill the tunnel until it was impossible to go any further. The breeze I felt was the strongest here as it floated in from along the ceiling “Well, it looks like I’ll have to dig after all…"

  Holding the flare in one hand and using the pickaxe proved to be a difficult, slow, and annoying task. Eventually, after an hour’s work, I was able to one-handedly dig my way through all the loose dirt and rubble that had accumulated over the tunnel's entrance, pushing all the excess further down the switchbacks. The moment I saw my ‘Mining’ skill hit level 4 though, I didn’t mind digging my way clear. Whatever structure the tunnel led into was long gone, but with only bits of rubble and dirt remaining, I pushed my way through the gap I had dug, and out into the fresh evening air.

  "What a day!" I gasped, as I paused to catch my breath and brushed myself off. The switchbacks led me back up to the plains and out of the crater. I took a few steps away from the hill I had dug myself out of and looked to the sky, the last lights of the sun poked over the western horizon, along with small wisps of white smoke rising into the air.

  “That must be Aldford,” I said to myself, happy to have a direction to walk in. “Time to get back, and get some sleep.”

  And so ended my first day in Ascend Online.

  Chapter 8

  Tuesday, February 5th, 2047 – 6:00am

  Aldford

  Good morning, players!

  Due to numerous complaints of Ascend Online’s pain settings, we have implemented Patch 1.01.

  All maximum pain thresholds have been reduced by 58%.

  Thank you, and enjoy your time in Ascend Online!

  -CTI Development Team

  The next day I woke feeling refreshed and excited. By the time I made it back to Aldford night had fallen, if it weren’t for the gate’s rebuilding efforts and the extra lighting Jenkins’s needed, I’d have probably ended up getting lost once more. I was especially thankful that I was left alone by the roaming creatures during my trek back too. My guess was nothing in the immediate Aldford area was willing to tangle with a level 6 player.

  I sat up in the cot the villagers had given me in the corner of the Town Hall, then stood with a stretch. I heard noise coming from elsewhere in the hall along with the smell of food. Tasty, delicious, smelling food!

  With a rumble from my stomach, I followed my nose and made my way to the kitchen.

  As I turned the corner, I heard a snarl. "Hey! What you doing here?" A large, elderly half-orc woman holding a spoon stared at me. “Yous not supposed to be here!”

  "Um… I smelled the food…" The kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off inside it, a number of pots had been trashed and were piled into a corner. Bits of food were swept into another pile. I was surprised anything was capable of being cooked here. “I was hoping for a bite…”

  “Oh no! I don’t be having enough to be feeding the villagers, let alone lay-about adventurers!” The woman began to advance on me with the spoon. “Your lot are as bad as the goblins that trashed mine kitchen! No. Nope. Out! Out! OUT!”

  “Wait! Wait! I have food, lots of food!” I shouted as I opened my inventory with a gesture, taking out the beetle and snake meat I had from hunting yesterday. They appeared as simple slabs of white meat. A counter in the corner of each indicated how much I had.

  Chunk of Beetle Meat x 37

  Chunk of Snake Meat x 19

  The woman stopped her advance when she saw what I was holding. “Meat!” There was a tinge of respect in her voice. “Okay, maybe yous isn’t useless. Give.”

  “Sure… do you need help?” I handed over the meat to the half-orc cook. “I can cook, a little. My name is Lyrian by the way.”

  “I’s Ragna,” the woman grunted as she snatched the beetle meat from my hands. “Yes, need help! Last assistant eaten by goblins, hope not happen to you. You useful so far. Take pan, fry snake meat with oil. Watch.”

  Ragna grabbed a single chunk of snake meat from my hands and threw it into a pan on the stove, along with some oil. A moment later she pulled the meat out of the pan with a fork and ate it whole. “Tasty. Now you, fry all. Break pan, I break you. Last pan.”

  Following Ragna's instructions, I repeated her actions and fried the snake meat in the pan. A few seconds later a system alert popped up.

  You have learned the recipe: Fried Snake

  Fried Snake - Food - Snack

  Benefit: Satiate Hunger for 45 minutes.

  Regenerate 3 health every 5 seconds for 45 minutes when not in combat.

  Requirements: Chunk of Snake meat, Cooking Oil, Pan.

  Level 1

  It certainly was an improvement over the charred meat I made yesterday! The extra bonus to regeneration would be a great help during solo adventuring. Currently, I regenerated about eight hit points every five seconds. I quickly continued frying the remainder of the snake meat that I had.

  Your Cooking skill has increased to level 2!

  Your Cooking skill has increased to level 3!

  "Good. Much still learn. But not burning meat." Ragna looked over the pile of snake meat I had fried. "Beetle stew next. Mix with herbs. Already cut, watch."

  The half-orc chef pointed at a large pot that I had barely noticed. It was filled with water, beetle meat and a green herb.

  "Cut meat into bits, add water and Hollyleaf. Simple, but taste well, helps with sickness and health." She handed me a spoon and pointed to another bowl with all the ingredients already prepared. "Add slowly, cook until almost boiling."

  Setting myself to the task at hand, I added the meat and herbs to the stew stirring it carefully. At first, it didn't look all that appetizing, but as the minty Hollyleaf smell took over, my mouth started to water.

  "Pay attention!"Ragna shouted at me and swatted me hard enough with a spoon to inflict a single point of damage. "Boiling!"

  "Errr… right! Sorry." I quickly took the pot off the stove to cool.

  You have learned the recipe: Beetle Stew

  Beetle Stew - Food - Meal

  Benefit: Satiate Hunger for 3 Hours.

  Regenerate 10 health every 5 seconds for 3 Hours when not in combat.

  Remove one Poison or Disease debuff when used.

  +10% Resistance to Poison and disease damage.

  Requirements: Chunk of Beetle Meat, Water, Hollyleaf, Pot.

  Level 3

  Your Cooking skill has increased to level 4!

  Your Cooking skill has increased to level 5!

  My eyes shot up. Now this was a meal! It would certainly make adventuring easier, though I had no idea where I could get Hollyleaf. I said as much to Ragna.

  “Hollyleaf? It grows everyplace, like weed. You not spot?” She frowned at me as she began to ladle the stew into wooden bowls.

  “No, I haven’t learned how to spot or harvest herbs.” I watched as Ragna ladled the soup into smaller bowls.

  “Heh. Was right! Lay about adventurer!” Ragna grunted and gave me a horrifying fang-filled smile. “Still, yous helpful. Ragna make you more helpful.”

  Wiping her hands on a cloth Ragna pushed away some of the clutter – broken pots and dirty food left over from the goblin attack and reached up onto a shelf, grabbing a book.

  “Here, Herbing Primer. Ragna has no time to show you properly. Bring more meat, herbs. Ragna show you how to make cook.”

  Surprised at having been given a reward without a matching quest, I activated the book in my hand without a further thought.

  Tradeskill Primer - Herbalism

  Do you wish to learn this Tradeskills?

  This will consume the Tradeskill Primers
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  Yes / No

  The book crumbled to dust again as soon as I confirmed my selection. So far I hadn’t found any indication that there would be a limit to the amount of Tradeskills I could learn, likely the only limit would be the actual cost of materials.

  I was painfully aware that at this moment I didn’t even have a coin to my name, but from looking at the empty values in my wallet, I could see that the currency scale went from Copper to Silver to Gold and finally to Platinum. What the exchange rates between them all was still a mystery to me, however.

  “Good. You learn fast.” Ragna interrupted my train of thought. “You not needed anymore. Here extra foods you cook.”

  You have received Fried Snake x 10

  You have received Beetle Stew x 10

  "Thank you, Ragna," I replied graciously. "I'll be sure to bring back some more meat for you!"

  As I left the kitchen, I checked out the new skill I had just learned.