Chapter 11: Finishing the Quest
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake sat down, crisscross applesauce as he raised the crystalline stone into the air, inspecting it.
<span style="font-weight:400">
<b>[Skill Stone: Debuff] [Umon]</b>
<ul>
<li><b>Unlocks a random skill from the Debuff tree</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Requirement: Open Skill Slot]</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight:400">He had gotten a couple more Skill Stones and one Sub-tree Stone <span style="font-weight:400">from the fight, but this was probably the most valuable out of the bunch. But it hadn’te from the Apes, at least that is what he suspected. He had gotten one from Bear earlier, but since this one was right outside of the hole he had dug for the nameless person, his mind connected the dots to something he would rather not think about.
<span style="font-weight:400">When he finally got done and buried the corpse, marking it with the sword that was lying right next to the stone. So he presumed that people could actually drop stones as well. It was a chilling thought he would have to deal withter, the implications of it not exactly being very pleasant if it was true.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake had managed to reach level 7 after the fight and was now only 3 Vampiric Apes away frompleting the quest. He hadn’t received a new title so not much had changed outside his base stats rising and him uncharacteristically putting his free points into Intelligence, even though he was barely hovering over 30% health.
<span style="font-weight:400">The sun was now setting but Drake was in no condition to move yet. His arm was actually broken, but he could feel it slowly mending thanks to hisrge Vitality stat. The feeling of the bone healing underneath his swollen ck and blue arm was unsettling and itchy but he was honestly just happy he wouldn''t have to splint it and possibly have to fight with one hand from now on, or at least until he found someone who could heal it. He had also broken a few ribs from the monster’s swing but they had healed fairly quickly.
<span style="font-weight:400">The stats assistance to healing him was amazing but although it healed him to peak condition, there was surprisingly a type of phantom pain from therger wounds, like he had noticed when Bear had saved him. So he now guessed that he had most likely broken several bones previously, before breaking his current ones.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake wasn’t going anywhere soon, so he kept himself upied by staring at the brush line in the waning hours of the twilight. Honestly hoping something woulde out of it so he could at least finish his first quest. He could feel that he was pretty close to level 8 and he would like to see how the reward system worked for these quests.
<span style="font-weight:400">And as if the system had heard him, out of the tree line walked a singr Vampiric Ape.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake smiled. "Hey there, beautiful," he whistled at the monster to get its attention, chanting out a Mana Bolt quickly after not bothering to get up from his sitting position. Hitting the monster right through the chest.
<b>[You have subjugated Vampiric Ape level 7] [Experience Earned, 45 Tutorial Points have been awarded]</b>
<b>[18 of 20 Vampiric Apes have been Subjugated]</b>
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake sighed a breath of relief.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Two to go! Hopefully, they all juste one by one like that..." he muttered.
<span style="font-weight:400">But a rustling of the bushes on the tree line dashed his hopes away as two more Vampiric Apes walked out from the foliage.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Mannnnnn.... I really hope making gs for myself doesn''t be a habit," Drake scoffed, a cold sweat forming on his face, as he nced at his status, then back at the pair of Apes.
<span style="font-weight:400">The Apes soon noticed Drake, one nudging the other then pointing with its finger, a hungry smile creasing its thin lips as its long fags gleaned in the twilight of the day.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake was in trouble, he had no stamina to move and was stuck in a sitting position.
<span style="font-weight:400">The Apes gave no quarter and dashed forward, quickly trying to close the distance to their fresh meal given to them on a silver tter.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Oh fuck! No way in hell am I dying after all that!" Drake snapped, propping up his useable arm as best he could with the weight of his staff, taking aim and waiting for the faster of the two to get into range.
<span style="font-weight:400">He quickly chanted his spell, but held the activation word until the Monster was almost upon him, "<i><span style="font-weight:400">Manifest my power,"</i><span style="font-weight:400"> the first Ape only a few steps ahead of the other, closed in only a foot away from Drake, "<i><span style="font-weight:400">Mana Bolt!"</i><span style="font-weight:400"> he shouted the ape colliding into him a secondter.
<span style="font-weight:400">The bolt shot out piercing right through the Ape''s chest, as they both tumbled across the ground, then finallying to an abrupt stop. The dead bleeding Ape on top of Drake with his staff stuck in the small hole his spell had created, sticking right through its body.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake shook his head to rid himself of the disorientation just in time for the second Ape to rush to him, wing and scrapping to pull its deadrade from on top of his meal.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Don''t you have any respect for the dead!" Drake screamed, fighting to orient his staff to aim at the beast. But the Ape''s weight locked it into ce underneath the dead monster.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake grit his teeth and tried his best to maneuver the staff even a small amount.
<span style="font-weight:400">Suddenly the staff gave way underneath the monster as the remaining Ape, slightly lifted the body. Drake''s staff smacking it on the side of the head.
<span style="font-weight:400">The Ape gave an irate growl from its throat as it grabbed the staff in its hands, pulling it down enough to aim at its own chest for a moment.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake grinned noticing the movement, and took advantage as he chanted as fast as he could.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">"Manifest my power. Mana Bolt!" he shouted.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">The staff glowed for only a second before the st of mana shot forward piecing the monster''s chest just like it had the previous Ape, it slipping down lifelessly on the staff like a shish kabob on top of Drake.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake grunted with an ''oof'' as the monster fell on top of him.
<span style="font-weight:400">"F-fucking filthy a-animals! Uhhhh..." Drake struggled to roll the dead monsters over to get them off of him, but thankfully his vitality was paying dividends as it finally allowed him to recover enough to do the task after a time. But not without a significant amount of pain to boot.
<b>[You have subjugated Vampiric Ape level 6] [Experience Earned and 35 Tutorial Points have been awarded]</b>
<b>[You have subjugated Vampiric Ape level 7] [Experience Earned and 45 Tutorial Points have been awarded]</b>
<b>[20 of 20 Vampiric Apes have been Subjugated. Quest Complete]</b>
<b>[You have been awarded Experience]</b>
<b>[Congrattions! You have increased to Mage level 8] [14 Free Points have been rewarded]</b>
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake''s eyes widened as he sat upright, bugging out at the experience he was just handed.
<span style="font-weight:400">He quickly put the points into Intelligence again, ignoring the blinking message for the moment. Bringing his Intelligence to a whopping 137, nowfortably outpacing his Vitality.
<span style="font-weight:400">Finishing up his stats, Drake brought up the shing prompt window in anticipation.
<b>[Vampiric Ape Subjugation Quest Complete. ept Reward?]</b>
<b>[Yes] [No]</b>
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake mentally selected yes and another prompt filled the window.
<b>[Reward epted. Please roll twice for the Rarity of items.]</b>
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Roll for Rarity? Roll what?</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Drake thought. Then suddenly remembering the ck die he was given at the start of the introduction. He willed it into his hand from his inventory and rolled it out in front of him without preamble. Not willing to wait any longer for his sweet, sweet loot.
<span style="font-weight:400">The die jumped and bobbled until it stopped, a 3 facing upwards.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Fuck!" Drake cursed, picking up the die for his second roll.
<span style="font-weight:400">Dropping the die again in front of him he began to sweat as it rolled. His head crept downward as he prayed for a high roll. Finally, the die stopped, a 7 ring back at Drake.
<span style="font-weight:400">"NOOOOOOOO!!" Drake wailed as if something had struck him in the chest, dropping onto his back. Two stones materializing above his head, dropping right onto his face.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake rubbed his nose incredulously, picking the crystalline stones off the ground next to him.
<b>[Subtree Stone: Soul Mastery] [Umon]</b>
<b>[Unlocks Soul Mastery Sub-tree branch]</b>
<b>[Requirement: Have one or more empty Subtrees. Have a Mage-based Main ss tree unlocked.]</b>
<b>[Subtree Stone: Weapon Mastery] [Common]</b>
<b>[Unlocks Weapon Mastery Sub-tree branch]</b>
<b>[Requirement: Have one or more empty Subtrees. Have the Main ss tree unlocked.]</b>
<b></b><span style="font-weight:400">He continued to lie down for a moment while he went over the descriptions. He was really starting to get impatient. Wondering when he would be able to use these Stones and gain some other skills. Mana Bolt had done right by him, but he was ready for some new toys.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake nced at the top left of his vision at his health, it was now hovering above 60% which Drake thought was good enough for him to get going, it would be dark soon and he needed to find a ce to hole up.
<span style="font-weight:400">He put the stones and die into his inventory with the rest of his spoils. Rolling his previously broken arm to get a feel for it. Unfortunately, a sharp pain shot up it as he did. It wasn’t broken anymore but it was still very tender, the swelling and blue coloration going down.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake grunted a bit, not entirely surprised by the pain after he had almost died again. He was sure it wouldn''t be thest time either, he just had to get used to the pain he thought. As they say no pain no gain.
<span style="font-weight:400">Looking to the grave next to him marked with the sword, and put his hand on the hilt.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Thank you for the lesson, person I don’t know. I’ll be sure to live for the both of us." Drake said solemnly.
<span style="font-weight:400">Walking towards the treeline of the clearing, he looked over his shoulder one more time,
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Goodbye, my weak old self. I hope to never see your stupid face again. Drake thought, going into the sea of trees that were the forest.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake aimlessly walked through the forest for around an hour before he had a resounding thought go through him.
<span style="font-weight:400"><i><span style="font-weight:400">I’m so lost.</i><span style="font-weight:400"> He cried internally.