by Edward Brody
You have gained 2700 XP!
“You’re reckless,” Rithnar said, scraping ooze and guts off his skin.
“Reckless is my middle name,” I said. “Not really, but you know…”
“I don’t think you even told me your first name,” Rithnar said.
“Gunnar,” I said. “Just call me Gunnar.”
“Well, Gunnar,” he said as he looked down to the rotwing corpses—or what was left of them, “these offer little loot, so we’re best to move on.” He grabbed a health potion from his bag, popped the cork, and drank it quickly, healing the burns from the gas.
“The body over there,” I said pointing to the corpse that the rotwings had been circling.
“I almost forgot,” Rithnar said.
We both marched up to the fly-covered corpse. It was a tall giga-goblin lying face down in a dried pile of blood. Two holes were on the back of its chestpiece where something had pierced it—probably a rotwing. I kneeled and began to search it.
You’ve received: Blood Diamond. Durability: 100/100. Quality: Exceptional. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 0.1 kg.
You’ve received: Ruby. Durability: 100/100. Quality: Exceptional. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg.
You’ve received: Fine Aged Whiskey. Durability: 3/3. Quality: Exceptional. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.4 kg.
You’ve received: 5700 Gold Pieces
“Holy shit,” I said. “That’s a lot of gold.”
“A deserter, most likely,” Rithnar said. “Perhaps he stole a cache or looted someone’s home before trying to sneak away in the night.”
“I guess I owe you half,” I said, counting out the spoils.
Rithnar held up his palm. “You keep it. Allow my half to serve as additional payment for this task, along with my gratitude if I survive my duel with Ergoth.”
I smiled as I stood back up. “What about the other items?”
“I have no need,” Rithnar said. “I only wish to preserve my bloodline.”
I was surprised by Rithnar’s generosity. Last time I had ventured out with a stranger was with Liam—a human who was insistent on getting as much loot as possible whenever he was with someone else. Now I was with an orc—a race at odds with humans, and yet he was acting courteously, now that we were getting to know each other.
Rithnar pointed towards the distance. “The beetles are this way.”
I nodded and followed behind him as we continued our walk.
There were several snakes, birds, and other non-aggressive creatures along the way, but we ran into no other monsters.
“There,” Rithnar finally said when we reached a large leafless tree with roots rising from the dirt as if someone had tried to yank the tree from the ground but stopped halfway. I noticed nothing of interest near the tree as we approached, but when we were right upon it, Rithnar pointed to a cavity below its elevated roots.
He knelt down in front of the tree and inspected the area before saying, “Yes, this is it. They’re still here.”
I knelt beside him and scoped things out. At first glance, I saw nothing but dry, grainy soil, but upon closer inspection, there were three small, yellow beetles resting on the underside of the roots. They looked almost like tiny cockroaches from back home but were no bigger than a fly, with flat wings and two tiny antennas.
Name: blight beetle
Race: Insect
Level: 4
Health/Mana/Stamina: 20/20/30
Status: neutral
“This is what’s going to allow you to defeat Rithnar?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “One of these little things?”
“Small but powerful,” Rithnar said. “But just as easy to kill as any other bug.” He quickly snatched one of them up, held it out and in front of me, and crushed it with his thumb and index finger, shattering its exoskeleton and exposing its yellow insides.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” I said. “Why’d you kill it? I thought we needed to tame one.”
He tossed the dead beetle aside and rubbed the guts across the dirt below the roots. “Don’t worry, there are several here.” As he continued to rub, three more beetles poked their heads out of the dirt to see what was going on.
“They don’t seem aggressive,” I said.
“Normally, they’re friendly creatures and only eat dry wood or spoiled meat. If they feel threatened or confused, they may try to attack, but they’ll usually only bite when one tries to tame them or when commanded by their master.”
“I see…”
“Go ahead and try to tame one,” Rithar said.
I held my hand out to one of the beetles. I had not tried using Beast Lore for a while, so it felt a bit awkward to try listening to the beetle’s feelings and connect with it. I tried to imagine myself as it, resting silently on the dried wood of the tree. I tried to imagine what it was like, what it felt, what it wanted to— “Ow!” I yelped.
I jerked back, looked at my hand, and saw the beetle I had been trying to connect with fly off of it and away. The bite was subtle, like a mosquito bite, and I probably wouldn’t have even noticed it if I hadn’t been focusing so closely at the time.
Rithnar grabbed his stomach and started laughing.
“Come on…” I groaned. “Did you know it was going to do that?”
Rithnar nodded. “You’re still too low-level to tame a blight beetle, but I wanted you to experience what one of their bites is like.”
I shook my head. “You should’ve just told me.”
Rithnar grabbed one of the branches of the trees, broke it off and inspected the other end. Tiny, black ants started pouring out. “We’ll start you off trying to connect with these, once the effect wears off. We’ll retry the blight beetles when you’ve gained a few levels.”
“When the effect wears off?” I questioned, looking at my hand. “I don’t feel anything yet…”
“Well, yeah,” Rithnar said with a nod. “Just wait for it.”
“Okay…”
“Wait for it,” he repeated.
“My hand is stinging a lit—” I suddenly leaned over and projectile barfed all over the ground. I dropped to my knees, my eyes watered, and my entire body felt weak. I glanced to my status bars and a flashing icon was below it, showing a bright green ball with tiny dots all over it.
Blight: A toxic venom courses through your veins, causing you to be sickened, weakened, and disoriented. Duration:10 minutes. Source: Blight Beetle
I leaned over and puked again, and again, throwing up all the drope meat we had eaten the night before. When my stomach was completely empty, I dry heaved several times. I looked up to Rithnar and muttered, “What the fuck, man?”
Rithnar laughed again. “I’m an orc, not a man. Now imagine fighting someone like that.”
I stood up and blinked several times. I was wobbly, and sweat was starting to form across my brow. “Now I understand…” I whined. “I don’t think anyone could fight like this… or at least not well.”
“Small but powerful,” Rithnar repeated. “Now we wait for the effect to subside, and we’ll continue your Beast Lore training.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
2/22/0001
You have reached level 8 in Beast Lore!
I had been trying to communicate with ants all day, grinding my Beast Lore skill. One after another, I’d tame an ant or fail, and once I succeeded, I’d release it from our bond.
“Level 8,” I said.
“Good. We’re making progress,” Rithnar acknowledged. “I think you can try a blight beetle now.”
“You can go now. Released!” I said, looking down to the tiny ant that I had just tamed. Once it scuttled away, I stood and walked over to the roots where the blight beetles were.
“Let’s hope you don’t get bitten this time,” Rithnar said with a laugh.
“Are you sure I should try now, or should I do more ants? I don’t have anything else in my stomach to hurl.”
“You might get bitten again if they become agitated,” Rithnar said. “There’s
never any guarantee. But I believe you’re at the minimum Beast Lore level in which people are able to tame a blight beetle.”
I looked up to the sky, noticing the sun going down. “Let’s hope so… It doesn’t look like we’ve got much light left.”
Rithnar nodded. “You know what to do.”
I kneeled down and placed my hand over a blight beetle, which was resting peacefully on top of one of the roots of the nearby tree. Like the ants I had been taming before, I first focused on trying to understand the beetle, trying to communicate with it.
Can you hear me? I projected. Listen to me.
I got nothing.
I continued to try, attempting to feel the beetle, imagine what it was like to be it, trying to pass my energy into it while its energy passed into me. Can you hear me? I projected again.
Buuuuuuu, came a sound.
Yes, I sent back.
Buuuuuuu, I heard again.
I’m Gunnar. Join up with me.
Buuuuuuu.
The beetle flew on to my hand, giving me the impression that it had bonded with me, but as soon as it landed, I felt another bite.
“Ow!” I yelled as I jerked my hand back. “Motherfucker!”
“Bit again already?” Rithnar asked. He had moved to a sitting position nearby with his back turned to me.
“Yeah… looks like it.”
It took a minute or so before I started dry heaving, and then experienced the same sweats, weakness, and feeling of sickness that I had before. This time, however, I ignored the pain and discomfort, and just continued to try to communicate with the beetles. I didn’t want to be there all night, and if I got bitten again, I might as well take it while I was already sick.
Come on, come on, I said. Listen to me.
Buuuuuu.
Yes, I projected
There was no light left in the sky, and I had tried for the hundredth time to tame a beetle. Each time, I had failed, and I had been bitten four more times.
Eat. Food. Sleep soon.
Not yet, I projected back.
It was strange when trying to communicate and share energy with small, unintelligent insects like the blight beetle. They couldn’t say much and generally only projected very basic ideas such as hunger, feelings of hot, cold, a need to mate, sleep, or desire to explore a new area. It was quite mundane actually.
“Come to me,” I whispered low.
The blight beetle fluttered its wings several times and flew around the roots of the tree, and eventually landed on my hand. I clenched my teeth, bracing for another bite.
“Maybe we should call it a night,” Rithnar said. “I thought your Beast Lore was high enough, but maybe I miscalculated.”
Buuuuuu. Yes, the beetle projected.
You have reached level 11 in Beast Lore!
“Wait,” I said, holding my free palm up slowly. I could feel something from the beetle. Something more than I had felt before—a connection, as if it were listening to me more clearly than the others.
Are you with me? I projected.
Buuuuu. Yes.
I lifted my hand to show the beetle to Rithnar. “I think I got it,” I said.
“Did you?” Rithnar asked.
“Fly to him,” I said. “Don’t bite.”
The beetle immediately opened its wings and zoomed over to Rithnar, landing on his shoulder.
“Come back,” I said.
The beetle did as I said, and flew back to me, landing on my hand.
“Yes!” I cried. “Finally!” I rubbed my brow, thankful that I wouldn’t have to endure another blight beetle bite.
Rithnar snarled and slammed his fist into an open palm. “Now we’ve got a chance.” He frowned a bit and swallowed. “One chance, but it’s enough.”
Boom!
Rithnar turned his head towards the loud sound. “What was that?”
I looked for the noise and could see faint lights in the distance. It was hard to tell from where we were standing but the light jittered and danced a bit as if they were torches. “Is someone over there?”
Rithnar shook his head. “I don’t know, but it’s not normal for anyone to be in this region at this time of night.”
“Well, we have the beetle now. Maybe we should leave before anything happens.”
Rithnar continued looking in the distance for a long moment before shaking his head. “We should check it out. I need to handle Ergoth, but this is still my home. I must know if there are threats in the Wastelands.”
I groaned. “Okay, let’s check it out, but let’s not waste too much time.”
The Divine Sight I had cast on myself earlier wore off, so I raised my hand and cast a round on both me and Rithnar.
“Let’s fetch the worg,” Rithnar said. “We’ll ride to them.”
I nodded and looked to the beetle. “What should I call you?”
Buuuuu, it projected. It was clearly not very intelligent.
“Ummm, okay,” I said, rubbing my chin. “How about Wug?”
Buuuuu. Wug.
You are now bound with Wug! Your beast companion is bound to you for life and cannot be transferred to any other characters.
You have completed the quest: Bite of the Blight!
You have gained 10,000 XP!
I could feel an energy pass from the beetle back to me, sensing that it had accepted the name. “Alright Wug, you’re released. I’ll call on you again soon.”
Wug fluttered its wings and flew to the sky, going to whatever land that tamed beasts went when you dismissed them.
Chapter Forty
2/22/0001
“It’s coming for me!” a woman with long brown hair, holding a white staff with a crystal ball at the top squeaked. She was tall and wore a plain grey dress with white belt cinched around her waist.
One of her two friends—a man in shiny plate armor and a helmet with two long horns jutting from the top took a step forward and yelled loudly, a move I was sure was an Intimidating Shout.
A creature with a large body similar to a rotwing, but with no wings, a turtlelike shell, and three long crablike legs on each side turned its attention from the woman and to the shouting man.
Name: Rotwalker
Race: monster
Level: 32
Health/Mana/Stamina: 280/80/100
Status: unknown
As the rotwalker ran towards the man, it fired several subsequent lobs of thick yellow gelatinous balls, which the man blocked with his oversized shield, and once it was in striking distance, he stepped forward and hammered at the creature’s shell with a double-sided battle axe.
A third man wearing leather pants and a cloth shirt with cutoff sleeves was with him. He had a tall, black mohawk and held a torch in his hand as he lobbed what appeared to be Fireblasts at the creature.
When the armored man was bitten by the rotten teeth of the monster they were fighting, the woman raised her hand and healed him.
Rithnar and I were sitting on top of the worg nearby, but far enough out of distance that the group wouldn’t notice us.
“Humans…” Rithnar muttered with a growl.
“Oh, hell yeah!” the man with the mohawk yelled when the axe wielder slammed his shield at the monster’s face and followed up with a hard swing to its fleshy underside. “Fuck that bitch up, broski!”
Reborns, I thought. At least one of them…
“That axe is from the Scourge,” Rithnar said. “He’s wearing an orcish helmet as well.”
“So, you mean…”
“They’ve killed an orc or stolen it somehow,” Rithnar said.
“And then came all the way out here?” I asked. “How could they have gotten past everyone?”
“Just north of here is another small entrance into the Wastelands. It’s not often used, and it’s guarded only by a handful of orcs day and night. The only way they could’ve gotten through is by killing our guards.”
“Shit,” I muttered. “So, these must be the Reborns or immortal ‘reapers�
� that your people think are invading because of the Gilgaroth.”
“Reborns?” Rithnar asked, turning to me. “Why do you suspect they’re immortal? We haven’t fought them yet.”
“Just by the way one of them talked,” I explained.
“I don’t understand,” Rithnar said, shaking his head. “How can you tell an immortal by the way they talk? Do you have some sort of special powers?”
“No, um… Don’t worry about it.” I waved a dismissive hand. “But I’m pretty certain that the one with the mohawk is a Reborn.”
Rithnar stared intently at the man. “I’ll take your word for it.”
I sighed and slouched my shoulders, knowing that I needed to do something. If the group of Reborns we were watching was part of the reason that Ergoth was attacking the Freelands, I had to at least try to get them to stop. They probably had no idea how much their actions had an effect on the world around them.
The woman squealed when a rotwing aggroed her out of nowhere, but between the three, they quickly took down the new attacker and the rotwalker without taking much damage at all.
“Oooh yeah!” the man with the mohawk cried as he climbed atop the dead rotwalker. He got in an almost prone position, raised one of his arms, and started thrusting his pelvis up and down on it. “How you like that? You gonna take that ‘D’ when you fuck with us!”
The man with the helmet laughed. “Man, get the fuck off that thing.”
“Oooooh, yeah!” the mohawked man wailed, continuing his inappropriate thrusts.
The woman crossed her arms. “Must you do that every time? It’s really quite strange.”
The man with the hawk slid off the beast and pointed at her. “Come on, girl. You know we’re just playin’”