Extra Credit

by J. Arthur Klein

  I nervously flexed my hands, trying to decide if I should stand or flee, but my indecision cost me the choice. The nail-bat wielding goblin rushed forward and swung at me with a wild overhand swing.

  I dodged to the side but wasn’t fast enough. A searing line of pain flared down my leg as the nails from the crude weapon ripped through my clothing and into my flesh. Dark red blood stained my starting clothes and my hit points dropped by a third.

  I heard a choking sound from the direction of the wrestling match followed by the clickity clacking of bone on stone as my minion tried to assist me.

  My distraction almost cost me a punctured skull from the goblin’s attack. I barely ducked under the blow, using my small size to my benefit. I slashed at the goblin with my knife and felt a slight resistance as it cut through its flesh, eliciting a grunt of pain from the goblin.

  The goblin’s arm was still extended and I was within reach, so I decided to make use of my racial skills. With a small hop, I bit down on its weapon hand, shaking my head back and forth like a dog with its favorite chew toy.

  The goblin screamed in pain and began flailing at me with his off hand, doing minimal damage against my scaled hide.

  It tried to pull its arm free, yanking me off balance but serving to do more damage to its arm than to me. A lucky shot with his offhand connected with my jaw, stunning me and finally loosening my grip.

  The debuff wore off seconds later, but it was enough to cost me my advantage. I was laid out on the ground, looking up into the face of a very pissed off goblin, and two hit points left to my name.

  I crawled away from the goblin, and saw my Rot spell pulse again, bringing the goblin to join me at the brink of death, but I was pretty sure he had the advantage. My heart was pounding and all I could hear was the pulsing of blood through my veins.

  The goblin opened its mouth in an evil grin and raised the nail-bat over its head, rushing forward to finish me off.

  I closed my eyes and hoped the pain settings wouldn’t let it hurt too much. Death system tutorial here I come!

  A second later my head was covered in a warm wet liquid, and I sighed. Good, no pain at least, I thought, but opened my eyes in confusion when no death message appeared.

  Laying on the ground before me was the goblin, its throat ripped out and a dripping wet skeletal groundhog sitting on top of it, its teeth buried in the goblin’s throat.

  With a shudder, the goblin went still.

  You have killed 2x Goblin Fisher! You have gained 40xp!

  Quest Objective update! Goblin Fishers killed with Lesser Create Undead 5/5

  Quest Objective update! Goblin Fishers killed with Rot 5/5

  Objectives complete! Return to your trainer for your reward!

  I let out the breath I’d been holding and laid back, shifting into a comfortable position, and took a minute to breathe… slowly.

  I called my minion over and patted it on the head. “Good job,” I said. “I think you’ve earned a name. I’m calling you Little Fat from now on.”

  It tilted its head quizzically, but immediately collapsed into a pile of bones as the magic animating it ran out.

  “Typical.” I said, gathering up the bones and dumping them back in my bag, making a note of which pile of bones was Little Fat. My other minion was a second pile of bones halfway between the first goblin’s corpse and me.

  I looted my would-be murderer, getting a couple more copper coins and its nail-bat. I took a few practice swings, but the weapon was much too unwieldy for me.

  I tucked it into my bag, hoping I could at least sell it for some coin, and then headed over to the other goblin. Another two copper and, bingo, another scavenged set of Goblin Teeth.

  Success! You have obtained Goblin Tooth x2! You have gained 5xp!

  I gathered up the remains of my other minion and added them to the rest of the broken bones in my bag. Maybe I’d be able to trade them for something or turn them into Bone Dust for my Rot spell later on.

  Brushing off my tattered, bloody clothes, I headed over to my instructor who was sitting near the cavern entrance. He looked up at me and grinned. “That seemed to go relatively well, all things considered,” he said, handing me five silver coins. “Enjoy your reward.”

  I tucked the coins into my bag while reading the prompts as they scrolled past.

  QUEST COMPLETE – Training Part 3

  You have gained 100xp!

  You have gained 1 Rank in Necromancy! (Pending Level Up)

  Warmth and pleasure rushed through me as I leveled up.

  CONGRATULATIONS! You have reached Level 3!

  You have gained 2 Intelligence!

  You have gained 3 Attribute points and 5 Skill points!

  Your Hit Points, Mana, And Endurance pools have increased!

  NOTE: Skill points may now be used for Class skills.

  You have gained 1 Rank in Necromancy!

  I added my attribute points to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Fortune once again, and since my skill points were unlocked, I used two to max Dissection.

  With each point spent, a small pulse of energy radiated from my body.

  The albino trainer looked at me and nodded his approval. “A wise choice, Apprentice. I know it must have been difficult seeing those goblins lying there just waiting to give up their flesh and bones for our art.”

  He glanced over my shoulder and shrugged. “Well, too late now.”

  Looking back, I saw the last of the goblin corpses dissolving into mist and cursed.

  ***

  5

  “Are you ready for your next lesson?” Balaka asked, looking me up and down. “This one may be a bit of a challenge, but I think you should be able to manage.”

  He gestured towards the lake and continued. “This water is rightfully the property of the kobold people. These goblins need to be driven out. This band of goblins is led by one of their shamans who is camped on the far side of the lake. Take out their shaman, and the rest of the goblins should go back to whatever hole they crawled out of.”

  QUEST RECEIVED – Training Part 4

  Cut the head off of the goblin snake. Travel to the far side of the lake and eliminate the Goblin Shaman.

  Criteria: Slay Goblin Shaman. (0/1)

  Reward: 5sp, 200xp.

  As I read through the quest messages, he reached into his robes and produced a new scroll. “Take this,” he said, holding it out to me. “This spell is designed to allow you to repair your skeletal minions. It would probably work in a pinch to fix a living target’s bones as well… but I wouldn’t recommend it. The pain would be quite intense.”

  I took the offered scroll, opened it up and confirmed that I wanted to learn the new spell.

  You have learned “Mend Bone.”

  Mend Bone

  Range: Short

  Type: Repair

  Requirements: Somatic.

  This spell can be used to repair broken bones. When used to heal a living creature the process is quite painful.

  Balaka smiled as the cloud settled over me and held out another scroll, “This one represents the true duality of our art. It allows you to take life from your foes and use it to heal your own wounds. Take enough, and it can even fill you with vitality beyond your normal means.”

  As that scroll transformed to mist and was absorbed, I read through the spell description.

  You have learned “Drain.”

  Drain

  Range: Short

  Type: Offensive

  Requirements: Somatic, Verbal, Channeled

  This spell latches onto the life force of the targeted creature, dragging it forth and adding to that of the caster. Hit Points gained from this spell can exceed the caster’s normal pool but will fade quickly once the spell is released.

  I gave the instructor a grateful nod. “Thank you, these will be quite useful,” I said, but he just shrugged and headed back towards the main settlement.

  “Don’t be too long, we have much to do before your training here
will be complete,” he called from further down the tunnel. “I’ll meet you in my workshop when you are done.”

  I was starting to get annoyed by this guy’s attitude, but it wasn’t like the game gave me much of an option as to who my trainer was. At least his last outburst seemed to imply that I wouldn’t be stuck with him forever.

  Looking out over the cavern, I started to formulate a plan of action. I renewed my casting of Dark Shield and took out the bones of my first minion who had its skull caved in.

  I laid the bones out, finding the most damaged of the lot and cast the new Mend Bone spell. Another set of ghostly hands appeared and moved through a new pattern that was much more complex than my previous spells.

  I almost missed a few of the transitions, but once I found the pattern, I was able to keep up. Each of the gestures seemed to pull energy out of the air, gathering it around my hands and then directing it into the bones. The larger pieces shifted and started to knit back together, but then the magic faded and the entire skeleton crumbled to dust and disappeared.

  Mend Bone Failed – The target was too damaged to be repaired by this spell.

  Bone Dust! I thought and tried to grab a handful for my Rot spell, but the substance dissipated into nothingness. A little disappointed, I sighed and took out the next damaged skeleton.

  The bones were damaged, but nothing was outright shattered like the first had been. I lined up the bones and began casting again. The spell wasn’t the fastest, but it had a pretty low mana cost, so I wasn’t worried about depleting myself too much in case of wandering enemies.

  When I completed the spell, the energy settled over the broken bones and they fused together, leaving no sign of the previous damage.

  Taking out Little Fat’s bones, I cast the spell again and repaired the damage done to my current favorite groundhog. Repairs complete, I tucked the skeletons into separate slots in my bag and headed towards the far side of the lake to complete the next stage in my training.

  I focused on moving quietly, trying to avoid as many of the goblins as possible on the way. Wouldn’t want to keep the old grouch waiting, I thought.

  Eventually I got to a point where there was no clear path forward without running into at least one goblin, so it was time to strategize.

  Keeping my chosen target in sight, I took out the bones for Little Fat and one of her little friends and animated the pair, keeping Little Fat for last to maximize her duration. I took note of the timers of each minion and noticed that the health bar for Little Fat was actually labeled with her name. That would certainly make it easier to keep track of my army of minions… once I was high enough level to have one.

  Stalking closer to my prey, I continuously scanned my surroundings to make sure I didn’t run into any other goblins, and moved until I was within range to attack.

  There didn’t seem to be any other foes around, so I sent my pets in and waited until they were almost engaged before casting Rot on the creature.

  The goblin turned to engage the skeletal rodents just as the spell took effect, the dark mist settling into his skin. I followed up immediately with a Necromantic Bolt.

  The dark purple bolt burst forth and slammed into the goblin’s chest, dropping its hit points by half. The bolt, in conjunction with a damage pulse from Rot and the continuous assault of the skeletal groundhogs quickly brought the goblin close to death’s door.

  Taking advantage of the situation and wanting to test out my new spell, I called my pets back and moved into range to cast Drain.

  It was my first channeled spell, so I was unsure of what to expect, but the somatic portion was no different from any of my other offensive spells.

  I followed the guide through the hand gestures and chanted the verbal portion, repeating the words of the spell to keep the magic going, “morte in vitam, morte in vitam.”

  A dark purple arc of lightning flashed out of my hand and struck the goblin in the chest. A second bolt arced back from the goblin and into my hand, bringing with it a feeling of warmth and vitality.

  My mana dropped slightly with each repetition of the spell’s mantra, pulling the life-force from the goblin and bolstering my own. I could feel my blood swell with a sense of power as my health bar grew beyond my max, a dark red extension of my health bar appearing next to my current one to contain the new hit points.

  The goblin stumbled closer to me, its face a rictus of hatred, but the drain on its health was too much. It managed to take a few steps, but crashed to the ground as the last of its life force was stolen away.

  You have killed a Goblin Fisher! You have gained 20xp!

  I looked at my health bars, seeing the pulsing bar of deep red start to drain slowly.

  HP: 32/18 (178%)

  I’d almost doubled my meager hit points with that spell, but if I needed those hit points, I was probably in way deeper shit than they could get me out of.

  Taking out my utility knife, I knelt down next to the corpse, looking forward to finally being able to improve my bone collection.

  I searched through its clothing, collecting a few coppers before activating Dissection. Four icons popped up: A skull, a hide, a steak, and a heart. Of the four options, only the skull was within white. The other three options were orange. Since a failure could cost me the entire corpse, I started with the skull and watched the progress bar fill.

  Success! You have obtained a Goblin Skeleton! You have gained 10xp!

  When the process was complete, the blurred-out corpse was replaced by a small pile of goblin bones. I got excited for a moment at the thought of an upgraded minion, but when I examined the bones, my hopes were dashed. The system considered them “Medium” creatures.

  Grumbling a bit under my breath, I tucked the skeleton into my bag for future use and continued my shaman hunt.

  The trip around the lake took longer than I planned, forcing me to make a short pit-stop before my animation spells ran out. I found a dark corner where I was out of sight of the roaming goblins and repeated my preparations, reanimating the pair of groundhogs and recasting Dark Shield for good measure.

  Once my mana had a chance to refill, I ordered my minions to follow and resumed my trek.

  As I neared the location marked on my map, the vague outlines of a group of structures appeared at the edge of my visual range, resolving into a circle of small tents as I approached.

  In the center of the tent circle was a small, smoldering fire, its soft light standing out like a sore thumb in the darkness of the cavern.

  My bearings acquired, I crept forward, trying to maintain a stealthy approach and mentally commanding my minions to move as quietly as possible.

  About halfway to the campsite I heard the scrape of something on stone and froze, commanding my minions to stay perfectly still.

  I scanned the cavern between me and the campsite, looking for any sign of something moving in the darkness.

  Perception Check… Successful!

  Between me and the campsite I spotted the vague outline of a goblin walking patrol between me and the camp. As it came into range, its information popped into view, revealing its health bar, and bright yellow name.

  < Goblin Scout >

  The yellow text worried me a little. I hadn’t fought anything above my level yet, so I didn’t know what kind of challenge to expect. With two minions on my side, taking down a single yellow opponent shouldn’t be outside the realm of possibilities, but nothing was guaranteed.

  The fact that it was a scout probably meant it depended on Stealth as its primary advantage, so it was worth a shot.

  Since it hadn’t spotted me yet, I decided to play it smart. I stood patiently, waiting for the goblin to turn away. As soon as its back was to me, I attacked. My Necromantic Bolt leapt from my outstretched hand and streaked across the cavern.

  Sneak Attack Successful!

  Sneak Attack Damage Multiplier x2!

  The spell slammed into the goblin’s back and dropped its health bar by more than half. Success! />
  As soon as the bolt slammed home, I cast Rot and ordered my minions to attack. They charged across the cavern, their tiny claws skittering along the stone.

  Before they were halfway there, the scout pulled out a bow and sent an arrow streaking towards me.

  The arrow hit my Dark Shield and popped it like a bubble before sinking into my thigh.

  My hit points dropped by seventy-five percent, and I dropped with them, falling to my knees.

  I fought through the pain and cast another bolt at the scout who had dropped his bow and pulled out a short sword as my minions finally reached melee range. The goblin nimbly evaded the opening attacks from the skeletal pair, slashing out with his blade to keep them at a distance.

  At the last second, the goblin twisted out of the path of my bolt, taking a glancing blow that caused it to stumble into range of Little Fat who wasted no time in sinking her teeth into its calf.

  The scout kicked out, sending Little Fat skittering across the cavern floor. My other minion darted in, but the goblin leapt into a roll, soaring over its head and coming to its feet closer to my position.

  I cast bolt after bolt, draining my mana and dropping its health to fifteen percent.

  Little Fat dashed in again, teeth gnashing but the goblin was having none of it. It lashed out with its shortsword and connected with the groundhog in midair breaking off both of her front legs and then stepping to the side as she faceplanted into the stone.

  The other groundhog leapt at the Scout’s exposed back, trying to end the fight by severing the goblin’s spine. The scout managed to turn at the last instant and blocked the skeleton’s bite attack with an upraised arm.

  The skeleton knocked him over, its jaws blocked but its hind legs still free to rake the goblin’s green flesh.

  My hands flashed through the gestures of my bolt spell as the scout tossed my minion to the side and regained its feet, clutching at its ruined thighs.