He cast Twilight Step again, this time appearing in front of the monster’s six-eyed face. He locked gazes with it and delivered Death Stare. The massive beast shuddered in agony as the magic curse drained it of over two hundred Health. Before it could recover from the painful spell, Hawke thrust his blades into two of the Tarakken’s eyes, scoring massive criticals that did more damage than the Death spell. Even then, it wasn’t quite dead yet, but Korgam took care of that by using Coup de Grace, an ability that did extra damage to heavily wounded enemies. The monster froze for a second before it slowly and almost gently settled down on the ground; a loot bag appeared over its head.
At around the same time, Hawke’s Darkness Guardian went down; it had fought valiantly but its higher-level opponent had been too much for it. The fight had been brutal for both monsters, though, and the Great Tarakken was down to half its Health. Hawke started his attack by severing the monster’s tail. After that, it was just a matter of everyone piling on and whittling down the monster while avoiding its deadly attacks. When it went down, only two smaller critters remained, both still fighting the other summoned pets.
“Leave me that one,” Hawke said, pointing at the less-damaged of the Young Tarakkens. “I’m going to try and Tame it!”
He’d been a Monster Trainer for well over a month and hadn’t tamed a pet yet. These things were hideous but deadly. By putting one to work, he might help undo some of the damage it had caused.
As Nadia’s spiders withdrew from the monster, Hawke used Stop Beast on it. The demi-Elemental hesitated for a second, trying to overcome the alien mind pushing into its own.
Young Tarakken has been Stopped.
Do you wish to Tame Young Tarakken? Y/N
Hawke confirmed the attempt. For the next twelve seconds, all he could do was concentrate on bending the creature to his will. The rest of the team quickly finished off the last beast. Nadia and Gzzatt kept the arriving Arachnoid reinforcements and the rallying townspeople from attacking the last monster. The Arachnoids relented without much trouble; the ability to tame beasts was known among them, and they didn’t hold grudges against near-mindless monsters, which made them more rational than your average species.
Young Tarakken has been Tamed. Taming duration: Fourteen hours.
For Taming a monster, you have earned 96 Experience (12 diverted towards Leadership; 12 diverted towards Node Mastery).
For slaying your foes, you have earned 1,120 Experience (140 diverted towards Leadership; 140 diverted towards Node Mastery).
Congratulations! Your Leadership has increased to Level Nine!
You have found: 12 gold; 2 Rejuvenation Potions, 1 Mana Potion, 1 Healing Potion.
Current XP/Next Level: 18,503/30,000. Leadership XP/Next Level: 15,187/25,000
Current Node Mastery XP/Next Level: 7,875/8,000.
After glancing through the notifications and pocketing the loot bags, Hawke went off to help Nadia, who had gone into the town to heal anybody who needed it. His new Leadership choice could wait until things settled down.
His duties didn’t end when the monsters were dead. In many ways, that was when they began.
Seven
By the time Hawke joined Nadia, there were only a few patients left. He helped a female Arachnoid with massive internal injuries, healed a worker with a missing limb, and rescued a couple of people trapped under a collapsed dwelling, lifting the debris off of them and taking care of their wounds afterward. As he had feared, most of the people who were hit by the Tarakkens were beyond any help, mundane or magical. He glanced at his beast, which was obediently following him. Maybe six feet tall, with about the same width from pincer to pincer, and nine feet long. It wasn’t covered in the black blood of Arachnoids, but Hawke had no doubt it had killed some innocent villagers. Was keeping it around a violation of the tenets?
Yeah, there is that.
Anything his pet did from now on was his responsibility. He had seen how Tava always took extra care to ensure Rabbit didn’t accidentally hurt anybody, which took some work, since the Dire Bear was closer in size to a rhino than to your typical ursine, and even a playful swipe of one of its paws could put a heavyweight boxes in the hospital and anybody smaller in the morgue. The Young Tarakken was probably dumber than a bear, making it more dangerous to have around people. Or was he? Once there was nothing he could do to help, Hawke turned to the creature and used Analyze Monster and his Advanced Mana Sight on it, studying it from the inside out.
Young Terakken
Demi-Elemental (Earth, Life). Level: 12
Attributes: Strength 40, Dexterity 30, Constitution 45, Intelligence 9 (Non-Sapient), Spirit 20, Perception 20, Willpower 24, Charisma 10.
Characteristics: Health 600 Mana 120 Endurance 600
Armor: Physical: 40/50%, Elemental (All): 25/40%, Forces (All) 20/20%.
Attacks: Tentacles: 40-120 (Physical), Pincers: 50-150 (Physical).
Special Abilities: Burrow (100-feet/minute through earth, 50-feet/minute through stone), Poisoned Attacks (35 Life Damage per second for 20 seconds), Resistance to Mind Control (+10%).
His Mana Sight saw deeper into the creature. Demi-Elementals were hybrids, created by fusing an animal – some sort of crustacean from the looks of it – with a spirit of Earth. Life magic made the union possible, and the result was a being that could hibernate for centuries, eat through rocks, and was nearly invulnerable to normal weapons. Most Arachnoid Warriors could inflict maybe twenty to thirty points of damage with their attacks; against these things, they might as well try to tickle them. And it wasn’t as dumb as he’d thought, either. The pet would obey commands at least as well as a trained dog. He could work with that.
“One of the survivors showed me the nest,” Nadia said, walking up to him. “Or sleeping chamber, I guess. Didn’t see any eggs. Looks like whoever left them behind ordered them to go dormant and attack any intruders. The poor bastards who drilled into their chamber didn’t know what hit them.”
“It was Trogg work,” Korgam added. “There may be more chambers like this, scattered throughout the mountains. The Troggs are not as adept at building as my own folk, but they know their way around earth and stone.”
“Hopefully, they didn’t forget too many more of their pets in those chambers. Nadia, if you can pass on the warning, maybe the Arachnoids will be more careful opening up new tunnels.”
“There will be precious little digging for the foreseeable future, at least in Big Web,” Nadia said. “Rebuilding the walls and homes is going to take all of their time and energy for several weeks, if not months.”
“Too bad I can’t use Structural Mana to help fix things,” Hawke commented.
“You could if Big Web officially joined your Domain,” she said. “If the town’s leaders were interested. would you accept it? This place isn’t run by a tribe; it’s controlled by a Matriarch whose family built and maintains the walls and keeps the peace. I can talk to her.”
A part of him wanted nothing to do with expanding the Domain any further; he had quickly learned that the more people and settlements he brought in, the more meetings and mind-numbing admin stuff he had to do. But if he could help the town and gain another trade route, it would benefit everyone in the Sunset Valley. The Arachnoids were not only far more numerous than humans, they produced a lot of stuff that the people of the valley would find valuable.
“Talk away, but no pressure on either side, okay? Don’t want the Murk tribes to think the new Lord of the Dead is trying to boss them around.”
“I will be very diplomatic,” Nadia said.
“Do you think you’ll be done by the day after tomorrow? That’s when I’m leading a party to one of the Dungeons.”
“Not sure. Have you picked a Dungeon yet?”
Hawke shook his head. “Going to check both of them out first. I’m also planning on scouting
the area, making sure the Woodlings aren’t gathering a new army, and maybe tracking down the damn Revenant.”
“If I don’t make it by the time you leave, Gzzatt and me will catch up with you a day or two later.”
“Good. Well, I guess I’ll head back to the Spire and pour some more Mana into the Domain reserves. Looks like we might need it.”
He managed to spend some quality time with Nadia later that night, but they were too exhausted to have as much fun as they had hoped for. Just another day on the job.
* * *
The next morning, Hawke had breakfast by himself – Nadia had left to do more Arachnoid outreach – and checked on his Leadership options, now that he had earned another level:
Leadership Boons (Boon Level cannot exceed Leadership Level)
Charge I: Members in the Party are stronger when attacking. +10% to damage and spell effects when on the attack. Each additional level raises the bonus by 10%.
Chosen Foe II: Your Party will be stronger when facing an enemy of your choice, gaining a 20% bonus to all attack and defense tasks, damage, and effects. One species or kin can be selected. Additional levels will increase the bonuses against the same species. This Boon can be taken more than one time to choose additional enemies.
Command IV: Increase the maximum number of people in the Party from twenty-five to thirty-five, and remove level limits for Party members. Each additional Command level increases that total by ten.
Defender I: When standing on the defensive, all Resistances, attempts to overcome magical effects, and other defensive modifiers are increased by 10%. Additional levels increase this bonus by 10%.
Eyes of the Leader I: You can see through the eyes of any Party member within a hundred yards per level of this Boon.
Generalship III: You can raise the effective level of all Party members by three. Members who are not on the Path will become third-level Warriors with adjusted Characteristics but no new Abilities or Attribute bonuses.
Messenger II: You can speak to anybody in the Party and they will hear you as if you were standing next to them, at up to 100 yards per Leadership Level. Additional Levels increase this range by 100 yards. You can only use this Boon to reach one member at a time.
Shared Magic I: You can share some of your magic knowledge with your Party. At level one, one Party member of your choice can cast one spell you know. The spell’s effects will be determined by the member’s level, who will also have to spend the Mana necessary to activate it. Additional levels will allow you to teach more spells or increase the number of Members who can be given a spell.
The new Boon available, Shared Magic, could be extremely useful. Hawke ended up choosing Command IV, however, which would allow him to include as many as thirty-five people into his Party. Being able to raise the level of that many people could make a huge difference in combat. If war came to the Valley, he wanted to give the people under his command all the advantages he could.
Hawke took a look at his ‘character sheet’ after he was done. At fourteenth level, it got hard to keep track of all his abilities and spells. It didn’t hurt to review them regularly:
Name: Hawke Lightseeker. Race: Half-Elf, Eternal. Class: Twilight Templar, Monster Trainer. Level: 14
Experience/Next Level: 20,199/30,000
Attributes:
Strength 26(54), Dexterity 20(43), Constitution 37(69), Intelligence 22(26), Spirit 22(28), Perception 24(30), Willpower 20(26), Charisma 20(22)
Characteristics:
Health: 686 (20.9/min)
Mana: 562(862) (20.8/min)
Endurance 574 (19.9/min)
Identity: 18
Skills
Blacksmithing 3, Climbing 2, Detect Traps 3, Disarm Traps 2, Dodge 7, Lore 4, Shield 7, Spear 4, Stealth 4, Survival 3, Sword 7(21), Swimming 2, Tracking 3
Languages: Common Fey, Vulgate, Lesser Celestial
Perks
Aegis of the Fae, Dark Vision, Elementalist, Mana Sight, Sidhe Caster, Sidhe Speed Casting, Speed-Casting (Life and Light Magic), True Sight, Undying, Unlimited Potential
Spells
Animate Shadow, Armor of Life, Aura of Light, Bless Crops, Bolt of Darkness, Bolt of Life, Bulwark of Light, Burning Light, Consecrated Ground, Dark Step, Dark Tendrils, Deadly Roots, Death Stare, Death Cyclone, Enlightenment, Fireball, Gift of the Martyr, Growth, Hammer of Light, Hammer of Twilight, Healing Blows, Healing Wave, In Extremis, Indomitable Aura, Lesser Healing, Nature’s Grip, Nature’s Guardian, Send Thought, Sense Life, Shadow Leech, Shield of Light, Shroud of Darkness, Shroud of Twilight, Simple Spell Inscription, Song of Sorrow, Terror Gaze, Touch of Light, Transference, Twilight Mantle, Twilight Step.
Special Abilities
Analyze Monster, Dual-Casting, Evolve Monster, Greater Bond, Identify Spell, Mana Channeling II, Dispel Magic I, Leadership IX (Chosen Foe I, Command IV, Generalship II, Messenger I, , Node Mastery IV (Node Recall, Node Sight, Advanced Node Travel), Monster Pet (Level 12 Young Tarakken), Ritual Magic I, Seal Inscription I, Spell Deconstruction, Spellcraft III, Stop Monster, Summon Monster, Tame Monster, Tantric Touch, Timeless Mind, Tulpa Creation I
Arcane Vocations
Blacksmith (Level Three, Mining (Level One), Skinning (Level One), Steward (Level Four)
He didn’t know what future levels would bring, although he expected that the next stages would mainly involve refining and strengthening the abilities and spells he had already acquired. But what he knew for sure was that the Realms would throw greater challenges in his way, to either increase his strength or kill him so that someone or something else could feed on the power he had accumulated.
It was a primal struggle, and the second-place winner lost everything.
Eight
The full moon shone bright purple, reflecting the light of not only the sun but also the colorful galaxy currently filling the northern half of the sky.
“Luna Purpura,” Tava Kintes said. “It only glows in that color a handful of times a year. It is said that wishes made while bathing in the purple light have a way of coming true.”
“I wish we get two healthy critters that won’t try to eat our faces.”
“Scoffer,” she chided him. “I know you Earthlings don’t put much stock in such things, but they are real in the Realms.”
“Speaking of Earthlings, how are things going with the Ranger course?” Hawke asked her. Talking business was necessary even when they were taking a break; there just weren’t enough hours in the day.
There were several Rangers, Scouts and Hunters among the Eternals who had stayed in Orom, and their skills would keep other Adventurers alive when they ventured into the wilderness areas in the valley and beyond. Most Adventuring around Orom would take place in the woods and mountains; a small town just didn’t have a lot of leveling up opportunities. Tava had volunteered to help develop their skills by running practice runs in the Highlands Forest, which was dangerous but not lethal as long as she was with them. Seven of them had accepted, and she had just come back from a training run.
The Ranger-Slayer grinned. “They are learning to trust the instincts they gained upon their transformation. And they should thank their lucky stars they did not have Father as a teacher, for he would have been a lot harsher than I. One is lazy, another two keep whining about their phones, whatever they may be, and most of them are laughably squeamish, worse than the children of the most pampered nobility.”
“Life on Earth wasn’t very rough, at least in the places where they grew up.”
“It is clear that none of them had to butcher a deer, or even a rabbit. The first time I showed them how, two became ill.”
“My dad took me hunting, so I could handle that. Most players lived in cities, where food comes pre-killed and ready to be eaten.”
“They are learning, although a few of them may give up the Adventuring life.”
“We need craftsmen, too. Nobody’s complained about you so far, so that’s good.”
“Don Juan didn’t come with
us this time, claiming his duties with the Guard prevented him. On his last run, I think he may have become a little smitten with his teacher, but has the good sense to limit himself to casting wistful glances at me when he thinks I’m not looking. I hope he sets the silly feelings aside and returns to us.”
“Can’t fault the man’s taste. And he did good work at the Stronghold yesterday. As long as he doesn’t harass you, I guess he’s okay.”
If the Elven Ranger did more than look, things would go bad for him, of course. Tava would slap him silly, or feed him to her pet bear if things got really out of hand. Hawke’s fiancée could take care of herself and she enjoyed the Adventurer’s life. They really worked well as a couple. He gave her hand a squeeze and they exchanged grins, equally excited about the birth of their ‘kids.’
Tava stood beside Hawke on the top of the Prefect’s Keep, her light brown hair tied back, her athletic figure covered by her dark green leather armor set. A short distance behind her, Rabbit the Dire Bear was lying down and taking a nap, its snores only slightly less loud than a running chainsaw. Hawke was also in full armor, and his tamed pet was also there. It would take him a day and a permanent sacrifice of twelve Mana points to permanently place Digger under his control; he would be done sometime the next day. The new pet and Rabbit mostly ignored each other, which was probably for the best. And now Hawke was about to bring another addition to the family. Two of them, as a matter of fact. Which was one of the reasons they were in full battle gear. They were about to let two Fae creatures into the world, and anything involving the Fae had a way of going sideways.
Hawke held the Seed of the Fae in both hands and lifted it up, letting the purple light of the full moon bathe the golden egg that he had found three months ago while exploring his first Lair. The first two times he had done so, he had caught glimpses of not one but two critters, which was why Tava was there. Hawke was big on sharing the many gifts some god, Arbiter or Maker kept sending his way.
Labyrinth to Tartarus: A LitRPG Saga (The Eternal Journey Book 3) Page 5