That presented a rare opportunity. With the immediate area now safe, this was an excellent chance to train my most important skill. I turned back to the shrine and placed my hands on it again. “See you in a bit, Vic.”
“Wait, what about that chalice thing?” The purple goblin pointed at the metallic item.
I was so caught up with all the recent developments, it had completely slipped my mind.
I went to the spot where Kusitesh had disappeared, bent down, and picked up the blood-smeared chalice she left behind.
Chalice of Infernal Energy
Description: This chalice has been damaged by improper use during a demon summoning ritual. As a result, the summoned demon’s essence was absorbed, causing the chalice to become saturated with unstable infernal energy. Any non-demon who drinks from the chalice will experience varied effects. Note: In order to drink from the chalice, a creature must willingly fill it with its own blood. Caution is advised.
Type: Miscellaneous
Rank: Epic
Effect I: Random demon aspect
Effect II: Random infernal feedback
For a ‘damaged’ item, this one was pretty cool. The ‘demon aspect’ effect reminded me of Barska when he manifested his demon powers. I wouldn’t put it past that scheming bastard to orchestrate this entire deal with the Ogre only to produce this chalice, thus increasing his own power. Heck, that just might have been how he got his powers to begin with. Maybe he drank from a similar chalice and had the good fortune of scoring ‘permanent’ as a random effect.
With eyes glistening, I willed my dagger to hover above my arm, then slashed down, inflicting a shallow wound. My dripping blood swirled inside the chalice, taking on a deep sheen of blue.
“Err, Boss? What are you doing?”
“Getting stronger,” I said, raising the cup to my lips and downing the contents in a single gulp.
The sensation was immediate and incredible. Fire coursed through my veins. It was not painful; quite the contrary. The fire warmed my body, making me feel powerful and radiating heat. I clenched my fists and felt the energy swirl around them. Both my fists grew, becoming larger. I uncurled my fingers and stared at my palms. Sharp, long talons grew out of them. Then the feeling of hot power intensified and I felt myself growing taller, stronger. It was intoxicating.
My lips drew back in a smile, revealing razor-sharp teeth. I grew muscles all over, and I felt the flesh on my back rippling open, a pair of leathery wings popping out.
I stood, twice as tall as before, towering over Kuzai, who looked mildly impressed.
I couldn’t help it, this was all too exhilarating. I started laughing. “Ahhh-Haaa-haaa!” My laugh was wild and free. This felt fantastic! The chalice was an amazing find. I punched a wall and watched with satisfaction at the cracks that appeared on it. My laughter intensified as I felt my blood boiling, calling for action, for more blood.
I looked eagerly around the cave. There were no enemies in sight. Well, there was a creature that oozed of darkness and one purple goblin.
I gave a toothy ear-to-ear grin. “Fodder!”
I took a step toward it, my hooved feet leaving a visible indent on the rocky ground.
The purple goblin fell back “Boss, what the heck are you doing?”
“Come here!” I growled at it, grinding my fist into my palm.
The voice sounded familiar. I had heard the same words not long ago. I shook my head, feeling the heat drain away from my brain, my mind gradually clearing.
I found myself a step away from Vic. My poor companion was pressed against a wall, a worried expression on his face.
“Err, sorry, Vic.” I was still possessed by the heat that called out for blood, but I resisted the urge.
Vic rolled his eyes, visibly relaxing. “You’re one crazy meat suit, you know? You can’t just go around drinking liquified demons.”
I felt the remainder of the heat drain away, taking with it the last slivers of bloodlust. I smirked at my companion. “Come on, it was fun. What’s the worst that could have happened?”
I was fully back in control now, master of my own mind with this awesome, powerful body to boot.
And then I exploded.
***
I was still screaming in agony as scattered pieces of my body magically reattached together. Kuzai was standing over me, casting his dark healing spell over and over again.
As my flesh knitted back together and my wounds closed, the pain slowly subsided until I regained control. I was back to my old goblin self; all traces of hooves, wings, and other demonic aspects were gone. My mind was reeling from the experience, trying to piece together what had happened and most importantly – How come I’m not dead?
As if to answer my question, a message popped open in front of me.
Ring of Bound Soul activated
Your soul remained forcibly attached to your body, preventing death.
Max HP reduced by 10.
Ring durability reduced by 1.
Durability remaining: 2
The ring. That damned ring. Having my body explode into pieces was a new experience for me. A very unpleasant one. My deep immersion with NEO forced me to experience the ordeal fully. While my flesh was scattered, I could feel every torn body part screaming in agony. It was an impossible scenario, which reminded me yet again how precarious my situation was.
There was no longer any doubt in my mind. This realm, this prison, despite all its wonders, was a glorified torture device; I had ample evidence of my innermost thoughts being accessed, my mentality overridden by outside forces, and excruciating, unrealistic, unfathomable pain inflicted upon me on a regular basis. Had I not gone through my previous torture sessions, which fortified my endurance, I would have probably lost my sanity from the pain. Heck, while I was busy being shredded to pieces, the only coherent thought I could muster was the wish to die, permanently.
Still lying down, I removed the accursed ring from my finger and gave it a hateful stare. This was the real cause of my ordeal. It was not a beneficial magic item, it was a cursed one. A device meant to prolong one’s suffering. I nearly threw the damn thing away, but then thought better of it. I would never wear it again. Dying was preferable. But it didn’t mean I couldn’t give it to one of my followers. I didn’t particularly object to having Rhynorn wear it. The Ogre seemed impartial to pain anyway, so the ring would fit him well.
I didn’t need it anyway. Nihilator’s Sanction was a good enough method to escape death. Granted, it only worked once per day, but if I found myself in a situation where I could be repeatedly killed, I would rather respawn normally anyway to escape it.
Kuzai cast the last heal, bringing me back to full health. “I hope it will not waste any more of my time with additional spontaneous explosions.”
I was pretty sure he was being spiteful, but with his demented mind, he could have been sincere. In any case, I’d learned my lesson. No more fiddling around with unpredictable demonically infused items.
I let a moment pass, then frowned. I fully expected some snarky comment from my companion.
I slowly got up. “Where’s Vic?”
“Your minion was destroyed by the explosion.”
Now that he mentioned it, I’d been lying in a small crater. It seemed my explosion had quite the destructive force behind it.
Steeling myself for even snarkier remarks, I summoned Vic for the third time that day.
The purple blob built up in the air, transforming back into Vic’s goblin shape in seconds.
“Thank you for summoning me again, oh great and powerful master.”
I cringed. This was going to be bad.
“In his infinite wisdom, the master knows best.”
“Give it a rest, Vic.”
“No, the master is an expert on all things to do with self-explosion, tempting fate, goading evil god-like entities, and much more. I would never presume to advise you
otherwise.”
I rolled my eyes. “I get it, I should have listened to you.”
“No no, please don’t hesitate to engage in any other self-destructive activities on my account.”
“I get it!” I raised my voice. “Next time, I’ll listen to your advice, okay?”
“Damn straight you will,” Vic huffed. “Sometimes I wonder how a meat suit like you has managed to survive this long.”
“That’s because I had the assistance of my most valuable puppet companion,” I said with a straight face.
“Hmph,” he snorted, though I could tell my over-the-top flattery got to him. “So, all it takes is a bit of blowing up to get you to see reason? Good to know.”
Despite my ‘outburst,’ the chalice seemed undamaged. I picked it up carefully and dumped it into my inventory.
I needed to rest. I needed to get out of this damp, dark place. I needed to be back with my clan. But I was still not done here. I returned to the shrine and placed my hands on it. “I need to meditate for a while. Poke me in a few hours if I don’t come out of it on my own, okay?”
“You got it, Boss. By the way, if sometime during your introspection you get the option to blow yourself up, consider not taking it.”
“Thanks for the advice, Vic”. I closed my eyes and reconnected with the flow of dark energy. It was like swimming through the vastness of dark space … weightless, limitless, all-encompassing. The lingering shadow pain eased, leaving me floating serenely in the darkness.
Dark Mana skill level increased to 34.
I came back to my senses. I was still standing by the shrine. Kuzai was a few meters away, mumbling something to himself
“Thank Guy, you’re finally up!” I jumped at hearing Vic’s voice in my ear.
“What happened? Why are you shouting in my ear?”
“Boss, you’ve been meditating for a couple of weeks! I tried to wake you but nothing worked.”
What! I’ve been gone for two weeks? I thought in alarm. The repercussions of such a delay would be disastrous. That can’t be right!
“Yep. Just kidding, Boss; it’s been more like five hours.”
That little runt bastard!
“But I did try to wake you and failed,” he added. “Your mind was far away. I couldn’t reach you at all.
I calmed quickly, finding it remarkably easy to get past Vic’s antics. My mind felt clear. Not just clear … I was adjusted. I could think properly again. As a proper human player.
During my time in this fort, my goblin persona had taken over, and I mostly acted on instinct. Now, my mind was fully my own. I could plan ahead, optimize my chances. Crunch some numbers. And avoid thinking about all the horrifying ordeals of the last several hours.
Instead, I considered my situation. Five hours wasn’t so bad. Even through combat, which was the best way to increase skills, gaining a skill at that level in five hours was incredibly quick.
At level 25, with my boss bonuses, my Mental attribute was at 29, meaning the skill cap was 39. Another 25 hours of meditating at the shrine, and I should reach the cap. At that point, it would be relatively easy to keep Dark Mana at its maximum as I leveled up.
“I’m going to mediate some more,” I informed my unruly companion. “Keep watch and stay out of Kuzai’s way.”
“You got it, Boss. But before you go, you received a message from Malkyr while you were out.”
I didn’t particularly feel like having to start explaining what transpired after the twins had died. “What did he want?”
“Just asking how you survived and won the fight. He left the items he was carrying for you back at the clan. He mentioned that he and his sister got the completed quest notification and that they’ll log out for a few days to wait out the death debuff.”
Good, that would save me the hassle of having to explain things. At least for a while longer.
I approached the shrine again and glanced at Kuzai. He was having an animated discussion. With his own shadow.
You would know.
I closed my eyes and meditated.
17 – The Mob Squad
Raystia materialized back in NEO, standing next to the cemetery’s single headstone.
She sighed with satisfaction and took in her surroundings, smiling. She played for 12 hours straight yesterday, trying to find a suitable ‘candidate’ to fulfill Kaedric’s quest. After sweeping the valley’s forest for nearly ten hours, she eventually called it quits, having not found anything more interesting than several weird, metal-skinned armadillos. So out of better ideas, she decided to venture outside of the valley’s protective walls.
After wandering the thick forest for a while, she reached a swampy area where she encountered a bunch of green, semi-intelligent looking creatures. This time, she was woefully unprepared for the encounter and the small yellow-eyed creatures swarmed and killed her in seconds.
At which point she quit the game out of frustration and ran some errands.
Now, several hours later, she had another full hour of game time before needing to turn in for the night.
She couldn’t help but worry that dying as a monster would be permanent. So when she found herself back in the valley, a tremendous sense of relief washed over her.
Standing on the stone ledge the locals dubbed ‘Totem’s Watch,’ she looked at the budding settlement below. She’d been away for only four hours, but the progress during her absence had been staggering. New roads spread all over, connecting the buildings, and the new marketplace construction had progressed significantly.
These goblins sure know how to build quickly, she reflected.
She went down the ladder and made her way toward the valley’s center. There was a small gathering next to the warehouse. Three people she’d never seen before stood in front of the building, arguing.
“I’m telling you, going out of the valley is suicide at our current level and lack of decent gear.” The speaker had an obvious British accent. She looked like an elven maid, though her ears were wrinkled and wider than any elf she’d seen before.
“There’s nothing to hunt inside the valley,” a gruff, yellow-furred goblin answered. He was the largest goblin Raystia had ever seen. Tall as a human but much wider and heavily muscled. “Besides,” he said, pointing at an open kiosk window at the side of the warehouse, “even the shit-quality items are too expensive for us and the gremlins’ prices are so high it’s a waste of time to even browse their stores. So the only thing we can do to get ahead is get out, find something we can kill, gain experience and some loot to sell.” He eyed the goblin merchant behind the counter then bared his teeth in a monstrous grin. “Or … we could always take what we want. Some decent XP and loot sitting right there.”
The third individual, a stocky-looking goblin, shook his head. “I’m thinking not. We’ve been lucky enough to get into the beta testing. You don’t want to aggravate the natives, especially when there’s no alternative starting location.”
Raystia cleared her throat. “Hmm, excuse me, are you new here?”
The elf female looked at her and grinned. “That is some badass looking catfolk character. Yeah, we all started today. I’m Misa Gavriilu. Who are you? Another lost soul in monsterland?”
Blushing slightly at finding herself the center of attention, Raystia said, “I’m Pen– … Raystia. I’ve played for half a day and I’m level 4.” She coughed, embarrassed. “I overheard some of your conversation. If you don’t mind me saying, Misa’s right. It’s too dangerous out there at our current level, especially without decent gear. I also think getting on the bad side of the GreenPiece Clan is a bad idea. You don’t want them angry with you.” She shuddered as she remembered a certain encounter. “They have an Ogre.”
“An Ogre, really? Cool,” said the stocky goblin.
“This place is bloody hardcore.” Misa nodded. “That’s why we should tread carefully.” She turned back to Raystia with a wide smi
le. “I’ve only been playing for a couple of hours and already died once. I just met these guys. That’s Fox,” she gestured to the large, yellow goblin, “and that’s Riley Stonefist,” she nodded toward the short, stocky one.
“I’ve never seen goblins like you two before,” Raystia said.
Fox huffed in annoyance while Riley bellowed a laugh. “We ain’t goblins, kitty. I’m playing a dwarf. After the system slapped me with the goblinoid template, this is how I ended up.”
“And I’m a bugbear,” Fox grumbled. “Pure breed.”
“Oh.” Raystia felt her cheeks flush. “Sorry.”
“So, Miss Level 4, any suggestions for us newbs?” Misa asked, a twinkle in her eye.
“Have you tried talking with the NPCs?”
“A little. I asked how to get better gear and they sent us here.” The woman indicated the warehouse.
“I got the freaking ‘rat in the cellar’ quest, believe it or not,” the squat goblin complained.
Raystia didn’t remember the warehouse doubling as a store. On the counter in front of her was spread an assortment of crude weapons, armor, and tools. Behind the counter stood the goblin shopkeeper who looked at them with intelligent eyes. Two fully armed hobgoblins stood behind him looking alert and menacing.
“Well, I talked to a few of them and they were really nice to me,” Raystia countered. “The bowyer made a bow especially for me after I helped him. And Kaedric, the clan’s seneschal, even gave me a unique quest.”
“Really? A unique quest at your level?” The goblin dwarf gaped at her. “I tried talking with a few of them, but all they want is more food. One wants meat, another fish, another vegetables. I’m a ruddy dwarven adventurer, not a grocer!”
Misa nodded. “I got similar requests. Everything seems to revolve around food with these guys.”
Raystia opened her mouth to object, then, remembering the nature of the request Kaedric made of her, closed it again. She thought back hard on her previous interaction. “I think … you just need to find the right person to ask,” she finally said. “Some of them can give you interesting quests. I believe you have to first figure out your place here, then go find someone that can help achieve what you want.” She touched the bow slung across her back. “That’s how I got my bow.”
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