For a second, I thought about calling him back and asking for his help preparing for the coming attack, but I decided against it. Malkyr was already doing all he could to contribute, and I didn’t want him distracted. I still had about three weeks ahead of me to prepare; there was plenty of time before I had to alert everyone.
I sat back down at the table and took out the first of the 12 Viridium spheres. It was enchanting time again.
***
It was close to the end of the workday when I finally quit working. I had finished enchanting half the Viridium spheres. I now had a total of nine of the Runecrafted, glowing pieces. I decided this was enough to test my idea.
Concentrating on the spheres, I poured my mana into them. Each one required 100 MP. I was nearly drained by the time I had finished powering them all up.
Then I started playing. First, I made the balls connect with each other, then I made them pile up. The balls rolled up on top of each other into a column, like a pile of spherical magnets.
I flexed my will and the shape changed. Two pieces moved down to the base to strengthen it, and another two at the top leaned 90 degrees to the side and started rotating around the main column faster and faster. I picked up one the finished swords from the table and gently put it in the path of the rotating spheres. The metal balls were heavy and the impact knocked the blade out of my hands. It flew across the room and embedded in the wooden wall with a thud.
I grinned. There was no question about the potential damage I could do with these. But there was a drawback to using the spheres: They were mana hogs. Once I had finished enchanting all of them, even my sizable mana pool, now over 1,300, wouldn’t be enough to power them up to keep them moving. I was missing something …. something that could hold a charge and allow me to control them without taxing my own mana reserves.
The missing piece to the puzzle felt almost like an itch. The solution was right in front of me, but I couldn’t see it. No combination of runes I could think of would help in this case. I needed something else, something that could … then it hit me.
“The gremlin!”
Excited, I jumped to my feet and went out.
This time, I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
26 – Gone Hunting
I entered ‘Gadgets & Magic,’ Anikosem’s gremlin shop.
“Ah, welcome again, Dread Totem,” the elderly gremlin welcomed me from behind the counter. “How may I help you?”
“I need you to teach me the Zu rune.”
The gremlin opened his arms wide. “We already discussed it. I’m afraid I can’t help you unless you have reconsidered and can pay me 50 magmashrooms.”
I shook my head. “Even if I wanted to, I don’t have enough.” I held his gaze steadily. “An army of travelers are on their way here. They will kill and destroy everything in the valley, you included. I need every advantage to prepare for their arrival, and that includes your rune of motion.”
My words seemed to have made an impact on him. He looked at me with fear in his eyes for a moment, then shook his head. “Maybe that’s true, but if you expect me to disclose my peoples’ sacred knowledge, I need something of equal value in exchange.”
“Damn it!” I banged the countertop, causing the many magical devices to rattle. “I don’t have time for that. I’m going to hunt oxsaurians tomorrow and I need that rune now!”
His expression changed. He cocked his head. “Oxsaurians you say? Those beasts are dangerous.”
“I know.” I leaned forward over the counter. “That’s just one task on my list to get us ready for the attack. Everyone in my clan is working tirelessly toward that goal. Even the new travelers pitch in, gathering more resources, building defenses, and such. Only you gremlins do nothing. You sit all day in the fancy, expensive marketplace I built for you and don’t lift a finger to help.”
He frowned. “That is unfair. We helped develop your clan’s economic status. Your people and the newcomers are stronger thanks to the goods we brought. Besides, the marketplace supplies you with steady tax income. You will return your investment soon enough.”
I heaved a sigh. Damn, that gremlin was sharp. He had a logical counter to every approach I tried. Well, I had one more angle. I could always threaten him. Financially. I could change the tax rate at will, and if that old furball wasn’t willing to see it my way, it was going to cost him.
I opened my mouth, and Anikosem raised his hand to stall me.
“I can see in your eyes you are about to say something we might both regret later on. But there’s no need for that. I have another proposal; one that doesn't involve magmashrooms.”
I closed my mouth and took in a long, steadying breath. “What do you have in mind?” I asked in a composed tone.
“Oxsaurians. They are hard to find and harder to kill. As creatures that are completely cut off from mana, their horns might be useful for my research of magical blockers, a component in a variety of magical items. Bring me ten oxsaurian horns for my experiment and the Zu rune is yours. I can use a little redundancy, so I will also pay 100 gold per horn over ten.”
You have received a new quest: Oxsaurian Horns
Anikosem, the gremlin magic trader, wants you to bring him 10 oxsaurian horns.
Optional: Bring 10 extra horns
Horns in inventory: 0/20
Quest type: Simple
Reward: ‘Zu’ rune, 100 gold per horn beyond 10 (max 10 more horns), 5,000 XP
Finally!
“You got yourself a deal,” I said, and we shook hands.
I turned away and walked back to my house. With this new rune, I should be able to –
I stopped abruptly and looked around. Something felt different. The surrounding darkness was suddenly thicker, heavier.
Eternal Night blessing has been extended. Location: Raider’s Camp
That explained it.
I had nearly forgotten about the goblin adept I’d sent with the coal shipment. He had finally reached the altar at the old hobgoblin camp and was channeling its power back to the clan’s Dark Temple.
With him and Kuzai’s shadow maintaining the shrine at the Ogre fort, I only had to wait for The Mob Squad to escort the other adept to the last shrine to activate it.
I went back to my house and continued enchanting the remaining Viridium spheres.
***
I woke up with a yawn.
I’d worked longer than usual yesterday enchanting the remaining six Viridium spheres.
I was still a little tired but I had no time to waste. I was planning to take the soldiers out of the valley for some live combat, and I had a few matters to attend to first.
I walked to the mess hall and took my usual seat. Gandork soon brought me a steaming bowl of excellent tender meat with thick mushroom sauce. Now that our farmers were producing a steady supply of mushrooms, we could once again enjoy this flavorful dish.
Kaedric came to me, bowing his head. “Good morning, my lord.”
“Hey, Kaedric.” I waved at him with my fork, splattering sauce on the floor. Three foblins charged the still steaming liquid and started growling for the right to lick it off.
Kaedric’s mandibles cracked open in annoyance at the critters blocking his path. With a single hard stare, the three were sent running away, yelping in fear.
“Kaedric, I’m taking the troops out for a few days,” I told my seneschal once he had seated himself across from me. “I’m leaving the clan in your capable hands.”
“Yes, my lord.” He bowed his head. “May I raise a few issues regarding the clan’s efficiency?”
“That’s what you’re here for,” I said lightly.
“Wolrig, the goblin constructor, reached his Apprentice rank yesterday.”
Weird, I didn’t get any notice about it.
No need. Thanks, Vic.
I turned my attention
to the hob before me. “If I recall correctly, that means he can now manage six builders, right?”
“That is correct, my lord. The extra hands should expedite our construction rate significantly.”
“Hmmm …” I chewed on my lip. Four new workers translated into 120 units of food. I was at a point where I wanted more soldiers, not workers. Then again … more builders meant faster development, which in turn would lead to greater gain.
“Alright, summon four new builders.”
“Very well, my lord. I shall invest the required 468 energy points to raise them all to level 3.”
I winced. There went another good chunk of energy. Just this morning we’d crossed the 5,000 mark for the first time, only to now have it back down into the 4K range. “Very well. Anything else?”
“With the recent recruitments, our food supplies have dwindled significantly.”
“I am aware of that, but thanks to the Eternal Night blessing, our daily production is about four times the upkeep.”
“Yes, my lord. However, that is not the point I was trying to make. Except for gathered ingredients, we are using most of our food ingredients as they come in. We have built a significant stock of that which mostly goes unused.”
He had a point. The clan’s workers gathered both edible ingredients – potatoes, roots, and the like – and herbal ingredients that were used mainly for flavoring. We didn’t have too many recipes that made use of those.
I concentrated briefly and whistled when I realized we had over 600 units of gathered ingredients. “I see what you mean. Suggestion?”
“You may instruct Gandork to research a new recipe, one that makes heavy use of those ingredients, or you may instruct the gatherers to concentrate more on collecting edible ingredients.”
I played with the meat on my plate while I mulled over his suggestion. The gathered ratio between the two was balanced, which provided the maximum yield in total. However, if it was just sitting there, eventually it would spoil, even with the warehouse’s special storage ability.
“We’ll do both.” I decided. I opened the Settlement Interface and changed the gatherers’ ratio to 70 percent edible. “Gandork, come here please.”
The fat goblin cook approached, wiping his hand on a towel. “Yes, Dread Totem?”
“Do you think you can invent a new recipe, one that mostly uses gathered ingredients?”
Gandork pondered my question for a moment. “If I dice them all together, and maybe add a pinch of vegetables and mushrooms for chewiness, it could make a nice salad. I don’t think I’ll ruin too many of the ingredients while I experiment.”
“Good, do that.” I looked at my seneschal. “Anything else, Kaedric?”
“The research center will be completed tomorrow, my lord. The builders need the remainder of the silver today.”
“Zuban sure works fast.” I chewed my food slowly as I tried to figure out what to do.
Each day, after purchasing iron for our smiths, I was left with 65 units of lumber. That was enough for a single silver ingot, but I needed three more.
I opened the Export Office Interface, selected the silver, and browsed through the list of items my clan could offer in trade.
Poison gland, no. Rabbit pelts, no. Gathered ingredients … no. Then I stopped. We had 15 crude goblin-sized leather armor in stock. I’d forgotten we had those. Kaedric had already persuaded Vrick to craft only hobgoblin armor instead.
Every five pieces would trade for a single silver. Since we had absolutely no use for them, I gladly traded the lot for the three silver we needed.
In the back of my mind, I pictured Trillian, the exporter, and her gofer running to the warehouse, rounding up all the armor and hauling it back to the Export Office. I hoped Vrick wouldn’t take it too badly.
I finished eating the last few spoonfuls off my plate and went to the table where Bob and the other trainers, Zia and Yulli, were sitting.
“Dread Totem.” My lieutenant nodded respectfully. “My men and I are nearly ready; 23 hobgoblin strong in total.”
I shook my head. “I will take only the new recruits with me, the Ogres too. You and Bek will be the only senior members to join this expedition. I need the others here to protect the clan in our absence.”
Bob nodded. “As you command. Shall I assemble the troops to leave?”
“Yes, bring them to the forest clearing and wait for me there.”
“Yes, Dread Totem.” With a single gulp, he emptied his bowl and rose to leave.
“Ladies.” I nodded to the two female trainers then followed Bob outside.
I stopped by my house first. My table was overflowing with enchanted weapons. The cursed chalice’s green flame danced in their reflections.
I put all the weapons in my inventory and went back outside. The large Stalker Pins were especially heavy and I was annoyingly slow carrying them.
Outside, I whistled to Tempest and mounted him when he came running. I had spotted Rhynorn’s head above the barracks and turned the demon wolf toward it at an easy trot. The large canine had no issue carrying me and the heavy load.
Once we arrived, I guided Tempest into the courtyard. I found the Ogre gladiator sitting at the edge of the pit, looking with disdain at several players who were training below. He was wearing his new armor; thick Oxsaurian leather covered his entire torso and upper legs, leaving his arms free, letting his shoulder spikes out.
“What are you doing?” I asked, inspecting his new appearance.
“Watching weaklings,” he grunted. “I be the champion, but boss-man say not hurt new travelers.”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling at his misgivings. “I said don’t attack them. You can still challenge them to a duel, but you must accept it if they refuse.”
The Ogre brightened up at that. He lumbered to his feet, looked down at the pit and bellowed; “I, RHYNORN BLOODORE, CHALLENGE YOU PUNY TRAVELERS TO A FIGHT!”
His challenge was accompanied by interesting strings of information. His proclamation had just issued a general arena quest for all the players. Whoever managed to beat him in a single duel would receive a hefty dose of XP and earn the Ogre’s respect. Seeing as none of the players present were higher than level 8, I doubted they’d manage to beat the level 16 boss even if they banded together.
“Here, I think you’d like these.” I took out the two Stalker Spears and passed them to the Ogre.
He looked impressive holding the oversized spears, one in each hand. He examined the weapons closely then made a noise of approval. “Good weapons, fitting for The Champion.”
“Glad you like them.” I patted his shin. “I’m leaving the valley for a few days. Guard my people while I’m gone.”
“Hrrrrr,” he huffed. “Yes, Chief.”
I was taken aback by his gratitude. If I’d known the spears would make him more cooperative, I would have made them sooner.
I turned Tempest around and we rode toward the forest clearing.
***
My troops were already waiting for me when we arrived. Fifteen hobgoblin soldiers stood in three orderly rows. The three Ogres stood idly behind them, each holding a club made of tree trunk as a makeshift weapon.
I should remember to ask Kadoc to make proper weapons for them, I realized. I could easily envision the Ogres holding giant, spiked metal cudgels.
Bob and Bek stood at the front. The little goblin looked different somehow. I paused and inspected him more fully. He was no longer fidgeting. In fact, there was an air of confidence about him. It looked like forcing him to stand up to his adept peers was just the thing he needed to boost his confidence.
Bob stepped forward. “We are ready to leave at your command, Dread Totem.”
“Good.” I made Tempest walk back and forth, like an old-school general addressing his men before entering combat. “I guess you’re all wondering where we’re going.”
Several of the hobgoblins nodded. Blemtoff, the dual-axe wielder, stood out from the rest with his t
win battleaxes held in his crossed hands. “Yeah, we are!”
“We are going to hunt oxsaurians,” I announced. My soldiers exchanged puzzled looks. “They are large and aggressive herd animals. Their territory is one day’s travel from here. Any questions?”
One of the new hobs cleared her throat. “Forgive my bluntness, Chief, but oxsaurians are formidable beasts. Even the three Ogres can’t hope to defeat one on their own.”
“Oxsaurian stupid.” Bek gestured dismissively with my old skull-staff. “But taste good.”
I chuckled at the small goblin’s bravado.
I took out the four swords and two battleaxes I’d enchanted and gave them to Bob. “Here, I’ve enchanted these especially for this hunt. Hand them out to the soldiers. Even if we don’t have enough for everyone, they should still give us a decisive advantage.”
Bob nodded and replaced his own sword with an enchanted one, then handed out the other weapons. I noticed he gave both enchanted axes to Blemtoff, a clear vote of confidence in his skills.
Once he finished, he came to me again. “These weapons will help penetrate the beasts’ tough hide, but even with them, we will no doubt suffer casualties.”
I straightened in my seat and gave the lieutenant a harsh stare. “It is unbecoming of you to shirk away from a fight.” I raised my voice, addressing everyone. “Do not worry, men, your Chief and Totem will go to war with you. Together, we will bring down any oxsaurian that crosses our path.”
The hobs and Ogres cheered. Bob looked deflated.
I felt a twinge at my harsh rebuke. The hob lieutenant had served me faithfully during these last few weeks. But he apparently still did not fully trust my power. It was a good opportunity to show him, and the others, what I could really do.
With a flick of my mind, I formed up a war party, including all the gathered soldiers. “Follow me,” I commanded, leading Tempest toward the exit.
Life Reset: EvP (Environment vs. Player) (New Era Online Book 2) Page 43