“Something like that is going to get messy,” Hawke said.
Messy as in cities burning, thousands of people dying, armies slaughtering each other.
Kaiser shrugged. “Messes can be cleaned up afterwards. This world isn’t a low-productivity medieval setting, much as it appears to be, but we can improve it a lot. Magic makes a big difference; now throw in automation, better organization, tighter controls. We can bring about a mini-industrial revolution, double or triple that productivity. Find ways around the restrictions on modern weaponry; use magic to substitute for gunpowder and steam, for example. Modernize the natives.”
“A lot of people won’t care for that.”
“Frankly, I don’t give a damn. We’ll put their lazy asses to work, whether they like or not. I won’t sugarcoat it: we will need high-coercion methods to get things done, at least at first. Forced labor. But after we reform society, we can ease up the restrictions, bit by bit. Eventually, we’ll set up some form of representative government, if only for show.”
“Hey. You are dumping a lot of information on someone who just showed up.”
Kaiser smiled. “Maybe it’s that top-notch armor or your high Charisma, Hawke, but I have a good feeling about you. You strike as someone who isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty. That’s just who we need in the Herders. Are you in?”
Hawke realized that Kaiser was a revolutionary, the kind of guy who was ready to burn down entire societies and rack up huge body counts as long as he got to put his pet theories into practice. And he seemed to have ensnared a small army of idiots to follow him. The Nerf Herders were a disaster in the making, and Hawke would have to stop them. Not until after he took care of things in Orom, however. His best bet was to walk away and come back when he was ready.
“Can I think about it? This is a lot to take in.”
Kaiser’s smile disappeared. “I’m afraid I’m going to need a decision right now, Hawke. You will sign the charter, swear the oaths to follow our orders, and set your respawn point to this compound. You can join our happy family and do very well here. Trust me, you won’t like the alternative.”
And there it is. “That’s going to be a problem.”
“Not for me.”
Somebody stabbed Hawke in the back for an agonizing fifty-nine points of damage despite his Masterwork armor. Backstabbed! The sudden pain was followed by a numbness that spread from the wound and paralyzed his limbs. He dropped to the carpeted floor, unable to even hold his head back. He saw the Rogue’s feet as he walked past him.
“You still laughing, sucker?” Naruto said. “Dibs on his swords.”
“A nerve agent poison,” Kaiser explained. “It won’t kill you, Hawke, but will render you quite helpless. I am sorry, but we can’t let someone with your potential wander around loose, especially after I explained my plans to you.”
Some days it doesn’t pay off to get out of bed.
Fifty
“You left me no choice,” Kaiser said, sounding like a business owner regretfully firing a well-liked employee. “Eternals are precious commodities, and if our Guild can’t have you, we’ll have to make sure you cannot be used against us. Naruto, my favorite assassin here, and yes, I know his name is too on-the-nose, will take care of you.”
The Rogue chuckled at that.
“By which I mean, he will torture you until you bind your respawn here, and then he will continue to kill you until you are gone for good. Your gear will be put to good use once it is no longer soul-bound to you. Waste not, want not. I’m sorry you turned out to be a poor fit for the organization.”
While the guy was droning on, Hawke had been busy accepting his Level Seven bennies. He dumped all six Attribute points on Constitution, because he suspected he would be soaking up a lot of damage pretty soon. The level jump undid all the damage, as well as the paralysis effect. He used one of his new spells a moment later:
Twilight Step
Time to Cast: 1 second (Instant). Cooldown: 5 seconds. Cost: 20(16) Mana. Effect: An instant teleport that bends light at the arrival point, enveloping a 15-foot radius vaolume in a cloud of darkness that only you or your Party members can see through.
Hawke disappeared and teleported right behind the Rogue. As darkness surrounded them both, Hawke drove both blades into Naruto’s back, one for each kidney. The combination of Backstab and critical hits dumped well over six hundred points of damage on the wannabe Ninja. The guy never knew what hit him.
For slaying your foe, you have earned 423 XP (+10% ambush bonus). Current XP/Next Level: 7,049/10,000
Nice! Hawke still didn’t like PVP, but at least he was getting over ten percent of the guy’s experience point total. A loot bag appeared over the dead Rogue, netting him two gold and seven silver, as well as one healing potion.
“Can’t target him!” the Mage who had been by the door shouted.
“Use an AOE, moron!” Kaiser screamed.
A suit of white and blue armor had magically appeared around the Nerf Herder boss, courtesy of his inventory; he hefted his oversized sword with one hand while he gestured with the next. Hawke figured a massive magical attack was about to hit the shrouded area.
Fortunately, the cooldown of Twilight Step was over. Hawke teleported just as a fireball and half a dozen lightning bolts rained down on top of Naruto’s corpse, adding insult and more injury to injury. Hawke teleported behind Kaiser and did a double-stab on the big guy, aiming for his neck. The white-and-blue suit of articulated plate was very good; it stopped thirty points of damage from each attack, and reduced the remainder by twenty-five percent. The backstabs inflicted 121 and 127 points of damage, respectively, which after the armor absorption became 91 and 97, which reduced by twenty-five percent apiece turned into 60 and 72, which then turned critical and quadrupled to 240 and 284 because Hawke hit both jugular veins, for a grand total of 524.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to kill a guy with six hundred and sixty Health.
Roaring like a berserker, Kaiser spun around, sword raised high for a blow. He appeared to have some sort of night vision, because the cloud of darkness didn’t affect his aim. Some enchantment in his armor triggered at the same time and healed the chief Nerf Herder by a hundred and twenty points. Hawke ducked away, which removed him from the globe of darkness. The mage, given a target, launched another fireball that landed, inflicted fifty points of damage. Kaiser came after him, moving shockingly fast for a guy in heavy armor, and thrust his sword right at Hawke, who deflected it with a swipe of his left-handed sword and thrust the other blade into the Nerf Herder’s chest. Only sixty-three points of damage got through, but Kaiser howled in pain and swung his sword again – just int time to watch Hawke disappear.
His target was the Mage, who had another fireball floating in front of him but had hesitated before launching it, worried about hitting his boss. Backstabbing the poor bastard was too easy, and the massive damage from two spinal hits was more than enough to send him off to respawn.
For Slaying Your Foe, you have earned 440 XP (+10% ambush bonuses). Current XP/Next Level: 7,489/10,000
The Mage had been close to level seven. Now he would have to start over. Hawke didn’t have time to gloat, but he did grab another thirty silver from the obligatory loot bag. Kaiser was prepping a new area-effect lightning bolt, but Hawke cast another Twilight spell:
Twilight Shroud
Time to Cast: 3 seconds (Instant). Cooldown: 10 seconds. Cost: 8(5) Mana. Effect: The Caster is rendered invisible, revealing only a vague shimmering outline if moving. Chances to spot are reduced by 95% if standing still, by 65% if moving slowly, and by 40% if moving rapidly.
Invisible Hawke walked out of the cloud of darkness moments before the lightning spell hit. He made it out of the office and flattened himself against a wall just as the front door guards came rushing in – and ran right into Kaiser, who had stepped into the cloud of darkness Hawke’s spell had left behind. Trying to
finish off the big guy was tempting – the Experience for taking out a level twelve would be amazing – but killing the top Herder would only take him out of commission for a few hours and Hawke had better things to do.
Hawke moved slowly and managed to exit the manor just before every Nerf Herder in the yard crowded around the entrance. Hawke kept walking. Casting a Twilight Step would reveal his position due to the darkness cloud it created. Annoying. Invisibility was good, though.
Congratulations! Your Stealth Skill has been raised to 2!
Look at me, messing with my enemies and improving myself at the same time. Hawke was feeling pretty good about himself, at least until a lightning bolt hit him while he was still halfway to the front gate.
Enduring a hundred and eight points of lightning damage must feel a lot like being on the bad end of an electric chair. Hawke staggered, insta-cast Touch of Light on himself, and looked back. Kaiser and his merry men were running after him. The boss must have used some doodad to spot him and nailed him with his spell. Hawke ran for the gate as spells and arrows rained around him; most of the Nerf Herders still couldn’t see him, however, so most of their attacks missed. Hawke took another thirty-two points of damage, but casting Healing Touch had him almost back to full by the time he neared the gate. It had been closed, and the two Warriors on watch were rushing toward him, but he didn’t care. As soon as he was close enough, he cast Twilight Step and teleported to the other side of the wall and out of the Nerf Herders’ compound.
He refreshed his Twilight Shroud and kept walking. The Nerf Herders reopened the gate, but didn’t run out. They couldn’t hunt down somebody in broad daylight, not in the Warriors’ Quarters, where hundreds of mercenaries and Adventurers were gathered. Breaking the peace would bring the city watch down on everybody. Since the Herders weren’t exactly beloved by the locals, Hawke was sure the gathered fighting men and women would be happy to pounce on them for breaking the peace.
Congratulations! Your Stealth Skill has been raised to 3!
There probably was an ordinance against walking around while invisible, however, so after Hawke had put a few buildings between him and the Eternals’ guild, he found a secluded spot and took steps to make it harder for the Herders to find him. First, he sent his armor to his inventory, keeping only his fire lizard padding. He still had more than enough Mana to activate his Twilight Templar ability, Hidden Status: Hawke Lightseeker, level seven Paladin, became Marko Clades, third level Warrior. He figured the real Marko wouldn’t have minded, even if he ever found out Hawke had temporarily stolen his identity.
Going to have to hide you, he told Saturnyx. You are too noticeable.
He sent the swords into his inventory, replaced them with a Shoddy Trident, dropped the invisibility spell, and walked out. He spotted lots of Nerf Herders walking around in small groups, all looking for him. He managed not to laugh at them as he walked past. They had messed with the wrong Ninja Paladin Mage.
I didn’t know you could do that.
Let him try. Think of all the experience an entire guild of Eternals is going to get me.
Kaiser is going to be sorry he ever met me.
Fifty-One
Leaving town without alerting the Nerf Herders took a bit of finesse, but Twilight Templars were masters of subterfuge.
Hawke spent some of the loot he had earned to buy a set of fine robes and a cape with a hood. After letting Tava know what was going on, he left the city by a side gate on the northeast of the city, one less frequented than the larger entryways. Without his armor and twin swords, he looked like another traveler among thousands and he used his Hidden Status ability to alter his name and level yet again. On his way out of Akila, he noticed a couple of Nerf Herders – their Guild Membership was floating next to their names, for everyone to see – standing by the city gate, checking everyone leaving. Kaiser must have his people watching every way in and out of town. They ignored the second-level Rogue he was pretending to be.
Feeling is mutual. But I won’t make any vows to come back and kick his ass yet. Don’t want another Quest hanging over my head.
All that love is making my head hurt.
From the gate he had taken, it would take him three days of travel to reach Eagle’s Watch. Hawke stayed in his disguise for all that time. The fifty-Mana investment he needed to keep the magical effect going was worth it; nobody would be able to report a Paladin to the Nerf Herders. He would drop the disguise when he and his band of bros were back on the little-traveled section of the Legion’s Highway that led back to Orom. Before leaving town, Tava told him the group was going to leave in another day, and wait for him at Eagle’s Watch.
The first day on the road went by without incident; he stayed at an inn on the northern route and paid much less than he had at the city. That night, he did more work on his Manna Channeling. Once he could see all his Mana ‘pipes’ flowing, he focused on his central Chakra, the one over his solar plexus. After about an hour, he began to understand the glowing ball was a gate of sorts, linking him to the Mana flowing outside his body, and that it was closed. Maybe ‘awakening’ meant opening that gate. He figured that pushing on it might do the trick. He visualized the Mana flowing through the channels connected to the Chakra, and then tried to direct that energy the way he sent Mana into a spell, putting pressure on it.
A spike of pure agony ran through his solar plexus, as if someone had poked him there with a heavy stick. His concentration broke and he ended curled up in a ball, trying to learn how to breathe again. He didn’t take any actual damage, but the pain was more than enough to discourage doing that ever again.
Very helpful.
By the time he recovered, he was too tired and in pain to keep trying. He decided to work on it in a day or two. Maybe a week. There was no time limit on that Quest.
On the second day, the road went through some scrubby land with only a few goat-raising settlements alongside it, interspaced by large open areas. To the north of the road, he could see the glimmer of a distant body of water. The land in between wasn’t exactly a swampland like he’d heard the east of the city was, but it didn’t look very fertile, either. He checked his map app and discovered that Akila was in the middle of a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Sea of Pearls. The swamplands where most Eternals in the area had been dumped was on the furthest edge of the peninsula. Maybe one day he would visit the Sea of Pearls. Become a Ninja Paladin Pirate. Could be fun.
Watching the distant sea distracted Hawke enough that he didn’t spot the group coming from the opposite way on the road until they were a couple hundred feet away. There were four men, riding comically small horses and wearing robes similar to his. He moved to the side of the road and continued on his way as the men approached. They looked like most Imperials, but on the rough side; unlike the mostly clean-shaven citizens Hawke had seen, they had beards and long hair. Their broad-brimmed hats were also unusual. Bows were stored in cases hanging from their horse saddles. Hawke glanced at them as they rode past, using his True Sight. They were normies, with names that didn’t sound Latin or Spanish; a different culture, he figur
ed. They didn’t greet him or say anything as they passed him by, but he noticed the sidelong glances that they gave him. He was still wearing a nice set of clothing, and he was keeping the Saturnyx Twins – a nickname the Fury hated with a passion – hidden under his robe. He kept walking.
Hopefully, they’ll figure a lone traveler must be someone who can take care of himself.
Are you serious?
Hawke turned around. The Fury had been right; the four riders had stopped maybe a hundred feet away and were grabbing their bows. From the looks of it, they weren’t even going to ask for his valuables but planned to take them from his cooling corpse. That pissed him off.
Guess we’ll kill them all, he told his sword, a little surprised at how little the decision bothered him.
“Good. We are in full agreement.”
The four Cydians drew their bows and leveled the nocked arrows at Hawke as he calmly walked towards them with his hands up as if he was surrendering. What he really wanted was to get closer. He only had two ranged spells, Hammer of Light and Hammer of Twilight, and their cooldowns would only let him get two of the bandits before they rode away. He had no intention of letting any of them escape.
They let him walk for about fifty feet before they decided he was close enough and they loosed their arrows in a staggered volley. Hawke activated Step of Twilight and reappeared in the middle of the group of riders before the arrows flew through the space he’d occupied a few moments before. He stabbed the closest rider in the back.
Twilight Templar (The Eternal Journey Book 1) Page 30