《Hunters Dream Online: Ascension》 Ch. 1 Lord Of The Weaklings Prologue It was the year 2023, a company by the name of Remtech had made its way into the gaming community. Boasting a new MMO by the name of ¡°Hunters Dream Online¡±, Remtech introduced a new level of immersion allowing new players to play the game while they slept, bringing all waking senses into the game as the player rested. Utilizing a combination of tech and the creators own dreams as a basis, the game boasted flexibility that no MMO¡¯s before it possessed. There were few true basic starting classes, but rather, the game itself took in the players own mindset when choosing a starting class.presenting them with the option to stick to toe beaten path or strike out on their own. At the same time, the game focused more on equipment and skill utilization than to simply make levels equal in game power. You had to think in this game, predict, and prepare for each new challenge. Due to this and the trade rate for in game currency to real world cash, the game quickly grew in popularity. The term ¡°Hunter¡± coined as a title for those whose living was earned via selling in game crafting and armor components won from hunted monsters and beasts. To be successful in that, a hunter had to be prepared in every sense. If the hunter used a blade, he needed keep it sharp, used magic, they had to manage their mana. They needed to be ready for any terrain and weather as well. To not be prepared meant certain death and it was not only the monsters that needed to be worried about. Save for the 5 man party max, there were no true rules of engagement. As such, there were pkers and individuals who would swoop in to take kills and steal loot if the opportunity were presented. Due to this, the teams needed to be prepared, act fast, and be ready for even other players to interfere. In Hunters Dream Online, you were either ready, or you were dead. Chapter 1: Lord of the weaklings After scrounging up for nearly a year, I finally had enough money to get this damn Remtech visor for the release. It ain¡¯t always easy being a broke college student but I have my ways. The thing was damn near twice the price of the other systems out, but this kind of immersion is worth it. Ever since high school, I''ve wanted to really experience that whole fantasy world deal. The fighting giant monsters, versing other players, hell, just being in another world seemed like a dream. When I found out about Hunters Dream Online, it drew me in like moths to a flame. Fortunately, the release date lined up with my schools fall break, so I got that goin for me, which is nice. After a quick trip to our local gaming store ( you know the one), I was back home, setting up, and ready to rock. While it was doing its initial booting up I skimmed the information packet that came with it. The last thing I needed was to be trapped in some damn virtual world or have my brain fried. Apparently, The visor actually induced rem sleep even if you aren¡¯t tired. Which is good, because my sleep schedule was all kinds of fucked. So, no scrambled egg brains and good sleep, well shit, sign me up. Once everything was together, I laid in my bed. The visor properly fixed on my face, I hit the power button. The screen lit up with a click and the wrrrr of electronics as the Remtech logo blurred into view. After some rudimentary account forming and agreeing to the terms that I definitely read, the game started up. It led me through a tutorial on how the game worked, syncing with the mind to induce a sort of false sense of tiredness and formed a link with the game as the individual fell asleep. By the time the tutorial was finishing up, a prompt appeared on the screen, ¡° would you like to begin playing Hunters Dream Online?¡±, to which I hastily affirmed verbally. It was at that point that visor¡¯s humm intensified as my body grew heavy. It was if an unknown force was ushering me into unconsciousness. Closing my eyes became the only available option as I drifted off. Seconds later my consciousness snapping back to awareness as I found myself floating amongst a vast sea of white. My incorporeal body floated weightlessly in place as my mind still swam from the boot up. It was then that a voiced echoed throughout that white abyss ¡°no character data found, create new character?¡±. As if out of thin air, two large buttons appeared in front of me, beckoning me to affirm or deny that request. ¡°Hell yeah create a new character!¡± I thought to myself as I motioned my hand to select the yes button. After affirming, the game moved forward with yet another option for free choice character select for my base class or a mental scan to potentially unlock a rarer classes. Notifying me that I had to apparently pick one or the other. Once I did so, I could not go back and create a new character, which sucked a bit but hey, the risk reward difference made for an obvious choice, I went ahead with the scan. It was at that point when I felt a slight ping in the back of my mind as various small balls of light spilling out of me, each housing small images from my youth. Clips of my first bike ride, my friends, family, my lovers, everything was brought in front of me. Then, just as quickly as they appeared, they vanished and my whole world went black. After a few seconds, 3 lights from above shined down revealing 3 individuals , 3 classes the scan brought up. Moving closer, I went to the first one. The character springed to life. ¡°I am a Spellsword, I wield both sword and magic to take down my enemies. Should you master my class, you may become well rounded and proficient in all things¡±. A tempting offer really, but for the sake of argument I pressed on. Moving to the second figure, I reached out once more. ¡°I am necromancer! I summon minions from the other world, deal damage and blight my enemies with dark magics and resurrect the dead!¡±. This guy definitely looked the part too. Black robes adorned with various designs and flourishes as well as that demonic looking staff? Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure this guy would win a game of spot the antag. Still, I do like me some minions. I should probably see the last option though, you know, for good measure. Approaching the last figure, there stood a man in brown robes with a long thick beard and thick unkempt hair. He had no weapon I could see, but he seemed to exude strength. He too spoke, ¡° I am Druid, protector of nature. I possess the ability to shape-shift into various animals and wield the power of runes. While my feet are planted on clear soil, my strength does not wane and I know no fatigue¡±. Now that idea was appealing, being able to keep fighting without stopping sounds great, even if just on soil. I was, however, not the biggest fan of becoming animals to fight. I mean, hell, yeah a bear or owl would be cool, but how long would it be before I started hearing bear puns all day? Yeah, no, let¡¯s stay away from that one. I took a moment to consider, spellsword or necromancer? I did like being able to be well rounded, but that also meant I wouldn¡¯t necessarily excel at anything. On the other hand, minions. Oh do I want those, give me an army, that I may lay waste to the lands! A dramatic cackle then bursting out from my incorporeal lips. Ok, so apparently this is going to happen. I chose necromancer, and with that, I began to set my own avatars appearance. Going with something close to my usual self, albet with black hair and ice blue eyes. My character would be about 5¡¯11 and with a fit build, not too skinny yet not too muscular. There were racial options such as elfs, orcs and the like as well, but I wanted to start this one out slow and went with human. That, and whereas the elfs had Sharp Shooter for arrow accuracy and the orcs had Blood Of The Clan for strength as racial perks, humans got the Jack Of All skill. This skill basically meaning I could build myself any way I pleased. Humans being the race that could essentially do any task despite not being able to fully master them as well as the perked races. After such, one last promt came into my field of vision reading, ¡°names hold power, adventurer, which will you take with you into the dream?¡±. I had nearly forgotten about a name. There were two slots present, presumably for a first and last name. I suppose I couldn¡¯t just go with my usual handle of ¡°DatBoi420¡±.I thought for a moment, I¡¯m a necromancer, a tactician of sorts given the minion option. After a few moments of consideration, it hit me. I would go by Robin, based off of a tactician from one of my favorite strategy titles. As for the last, I went with Graves. Because that was basically the plan, after all. I chuckled to myself for a moment at my own shitty humor. After looking it over for a few moments, I selected confirm, and the world once more faded from view. When I regained consciousness, I was standing in what appeared to be a city plaza. A large digital banner in the middle of my vision reading Nocturne: City of Dreams. It was and old city, clearly medieval esk, with worn stone floors and buildings styles you would expect in this sort of time period. Nearby vendors had various shops open, selling everything from potions to swords. People were actively buying, selling, and doing the usual haggling you¡¯d expect. After a moment of surveying the landscape, something came to my attention. It was odd, I felt completely normal, as if I were in my actual body. Moving came easy and the only thing out of the ordinary was a small blinking box in the corner of my vision. I tried focusing on it and it enlarged. The message read, ¡° Hello adventurer and welcome to The Hunters Dream. In your inventory, you will notice a novice box containing a set of beginner gear for your assigned class as well as some gold to start your journey. To assist in your navigation, there will also be a map of the city you can call upon to help you get around. If you need help finding specifics, try asking an NPC at the adventurers guild for assistance in getting started. Well, that was interesting, I suppose I should be grateful I don¡¯t need to fight monsters in my present attire, which resembled something a peasant would wear. Linen shirt and shorts hardly screamed ¡°adventurer¡± to me. Trying what worked with the notification, I focused on inventory, it just popped right up. That''s pretty handy, I thought as I looked it over. Naturally, it was basically empty. After coming to the novice box, I motioned it to open. You have received: 1x Mages Robes, +2 armor,+3 to int 1x Mages Staff, +3% to casting speed 1x Mages shoes, +1 armor 5x Novice Potions, restores 25 hp Not too shabby,I thought to myself as I equipped my new things and mentally focused on a equipment bar. It brought up an image of myself with different slots for head, arms, etc. My staff was pretty cool, it had a wooden short handle with a dark purple gem on the tip. It resembled something between a magic wand and a old school wizards staff, being about two feet long. My robes were a dark blue, complete with an ominous mages hood. I was never a big fan of the robes but hey, I can always swap out for more style points later. Getting down to business, I consulted my map, trying to figure out how to get into a field or somewhere I could get a barring on my character. I was always the hands on type so why not get a feel for any skills I have fighting some monsters? It appeared that there was a gate just a 15 minute walk from where I spawned. Manned by two guards, the gate was gigantic, a true entrance to the high walled city I had just passed through. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! As I walked by the two guards, one spoke up. ¡° I don¡¯t believe I have seen you around here before, you new?¡±. ¡°You are correct sir, I just arrived a bit ago¡± I said while reaching out to shake their hands. I did not want to give out that I had just spawned in from the ¡°real world¡±, not sure how that would roll over the guy. ¡°Ah, very good¡± said the guard, while taking my outstretched hand. ¡°Just make sure you are back by dark¡±. ¡°At night, we raise the bridge as stronger monsters tend to appear after dark¡±. ¡°Thanks for the advice, do people often get caught out?¡± I asked. The guard considered for a moment before shrugging and said, ¡°we wouldn¡¯t really know since those who are caught out usually don¡¯t just get to sit outside and wait until morning, if you get my meaning¡±. Well, that was good to know, there be monsters in the dark, apparently. ¡°I''ll be sure to be careful¡± I said pleasantly, thank you again for the advice. Pressing on, I found myself in a large open field, tall grass swaying gently in the wind. This making for easy cover for any potential mobs. Now though, it was time for some light hunting. I just needed something to break in the new gear. I scouted the area in search of potential sport, the first monsters one would usually encounter were your typical low level mobs. The likes of rabbits, slimes, and a few foxes, from what I saw. I figured rabbits would be a good call, so I started making my way over towards their section of the field. Focusing on them, I could see a tag with a name and level, Field Rabbit, lvl 1. There was no real HP bar, but I figured it was not like the fuzzy little critter was a raid boss so I figured I was fine. It was at that moment that I realized, I had yet to check my skill bar. Bringing it up, I saw that presently I had only one skill at level one, Dark Orb. There were other skills, but none I could use at the moment. Dark Orb: lvl 1 Casting time: 2 seconds. Effect: fires a ball of concentrated dark magic at a single target. A wide grin found its way to my face, this was going to be good. ¡°Time for a little target practice¡± I said as I pointed my staff at the rabbit and focused on the skill. After a second of channeling, a orb of dark energy shot from the staff towards the rabbit. You hit rabbit for 15 points of dark damage. Alright, this wasn¡¯t so hard, now to move to the next target. The rabbit started moving toward me. Wait, it''s not dead, how much hp could this lil guy have? The rabbit let out a battle cry, in the form of a high pitch squeal and started aggressively hopping towards me, determination in its eyes. After channeling another two Dark Orbs, the lil fella was brought low before he could reach me. The guy couldn¡¯t harm a hare on my head! I frowned for a moment, I need to stop with the bad jokes I thought as I reviewed the battle log. You have killed Field Rabbit, lvl 1. Exp gain, 52, items dropped, rabbit meat x1, rabbit pelt x1. First kill and the guy didn''t even get close to me, this was a piece of cake! What I did not notice however, was that the rabbits battle cry had summoned another 5 rabbits to attack me, and two of them were within melee range, lucky. I immediately rolled to the left as they both jumped, the closer of the two grazing my right leg. Field Rabbit hits you for 17 damage Damn, the little bugger took a sizable chunk out of my 200 hp pool. It landed and joined its companions as they all slowly hopped towards me, fur bristled in agitation. I began channeling Dark Orb towards the closest one, getting to my feet and backing away as I took potshots at the mass of bunny¡¯s. Issue being that judging by the ever decreasing blue bar in my vision, my mana pool was not meant for me to be constantly casting like this. Over the course of a few minutes, I had drained most of my mana, having to resort to running and punting the rabbits when the opportunity presented itself, which only did about 8 damage per kick, but they deserved the disrespect. The two that ended up surviving my gorilla style attack patterns were following me all over the damn field. My mana just barely recovering enough to use one last another Dark Orb. Just as I was about to cast the spell, the intended target jumped at me for an attack. With Half reflex half sheer panic I yanked my staff to intercept and managed to hit the critter point blank. You have hit Field Rabbit with Dark Orb for 32 Dark magic damage. Field rabbit defeated, you gain 51 experience. With its other compatriots gone, the last rabbit looked significantly less menacing. Which, for a rodent, looking menacing at all was an accomplishment. I smugly walked up to the rabbit with but a sliver of health left, reared back my leg, and punted the fucker half way across the field, ending the little bastards reign of terror. Over all, the whole experience only got my exp bar up about 40% which was not too bad. The drops of rabbit fur and meat were also welcome. The only issue being that given the chuckling I heard from behind me, someone had apparently witnessed my struggle with the hoppers. Turning around I took notice of a rather large man with a bemused expression on his face. He was tall, about 6¡¯3 and built like a tank with long red hair braided at the back. He also sported a thick beard, looking like he could have been a viking if not for the bear pelt cowl and what looked like a animal tribal necklace around his neck. Save for that, he was bare chested, a perfect portrait of one of those man''s man. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised the wee ones gave you such trouble¡± he responded, chuckling. ¡°Well, if you would like to show this feeble magician how it''s done¡± I trailed of as I gestured to another 3 rabbits, a sly grin clear on my face. If this guy thinks he¡¯s all that, better see what he can do. ¡°Well, I¡¯d hate to disappoint you¡± he said then cracked his knuckles, making his way over to the mob. As he approached, the rabbits took notice of him, fur bristling, readying themselves for battle. It was then that he glanced back at me, winked, and then something odd began to happen. His figure began to change,shifting and becoming larger, furrier. Within seconds a large grizzly bear stood where he just was, a towering figure of intimidation. The bear then inhaled deeply, letting out a ground shaking roar.What was odd though, was that the rabbits didn¡¯t run away, they seemed to all target him and rush in. It must have been a taunt skill, I mused to myself. The bear then proceeded to swipe, bite, and stomp the mobs until they were all wiped out, seemingly taking little to no damage. Afterwards the large bear trotted back towards me and shifted back into the man. ¡°That, is how its done, he said smugly. Names Ogma O¡¯Sullivan, must have been unBEARable to have them give you the runaround, perhaps you need a tank? I joined the game with a couple buddies of mine, so ur welcome to join if you don¡¯t mind some ballbusting here and there. Judging from the dark magic you use, I¡¯m guessing you are some kind of ranged dark magic class and those are usually pretty handy to have around¡± he said with a wide grin. So, this Ogma guy basically scouted me to be pulled into his party. I could always use a meat shield, I mused. Besides, these kind of games are always better with a group for dungeons and stuff. The benefits clearly outweigh the risks. ¡°Alright¡± I said as I put out my hand, ¡°names Robin Graves¡±. A shit eating grin appeared on Ogma¡¯s face as he grabbed my outstretched hand and shook it with a iron grip. ¡°Pleasure''s mine, and uhh..nice choice of name there¡± he said while chucking. Damn thing was so powerful I got a -1 health notification in the battle log, hell. ¡°Where are these other members¡± I asked, glancing around the area and seeing not a single person. ¡°Oh, bear with me a second, Ogma said, his eyes going distant for a second. Map says they are a bit closer to the town, just outside the gate. Something tells me my sister is messing with the guards¡±. ¡°How would she be doing that¡± I asked, curiosity written on my face as we made our way over. ¡°Well¡± Ogma mused ¡°she is our resident edge-lord and thief so I would imagine she is testing out the limits of her sneak skill. Hopefully, Okane can keep her in line¡±. Getting closer to the main gate, I saw what looked to be someone in dark brown clothing with a hood trying to shoot rocks at the guards without them noticing. The guards themselves visibly restraining themselves as who I could only assume was Okane, tried to placate them. Wait, was he trying to bribe the guards? I wonder how effective that would be here. The man was decently tall, from what I could tell, short brown hair, wearing what I could understand to be some light leather armor around his torso. He seemed to be trying to offer them money or something to look the other way. Pretty ballsy for what I could only presume was still a low level character, so what he could even have to offer is beyond me. As we approached the new party members, it seemed as if Okane had succeeded in placating the guards. ¡°So, What did you offer them¡± I asked. ¡°Couldn¡¯t help but notice your little wheeling and dealing there¡± I said, mouth angled at a smirk. Okane let out a smug grin. ¡°Well, it costed me little outside of some pretty words If you play the fool, the NPC¡¯s will usually overlook this kind of stuff. I told them that she was simply testing out her new skills against a strong opponent and that being a traveller takes some time to adjust to our new bodies here and that Morrigan meant no real harm¡± he said while gesturing to the thief to our left. ¡°Speaking of which, who might you be?¡±. ¡° I''m Robin¡± I replied in a casual tone ¡°your resident necromancer and future dark lord¡±. * Okane chuckled, ¡°Well the robe and staff do give off that ominous vibe, man¡±. Ogma then put his arms around the three of us, grinning widely. ¡°I figure we could use us some dps and rabbit slayer over here seemed to fit the bill¡± he said and chuckled. ¡°You have met Okane, our resident merchant, and Morrigan here, is my sister. I would say don¡¯t try anything funny with her but, frankly I¡¯d find it entertaining if you tried¡±. I glanced over at Morrigan, who simply smirked and pulled back her thief¡¯s coat revealing twin daggers. ¡°Try me¡± she said in a coy voice. ¡°Well, introductions aside, why don¡¯t we test out this party comp eh¡± I said rhetorically. ¡°So, we got a tank, two dps between myself and daggers over here, and we have a merchant. What exactly does a merchant do, I asked, looking a bit skeptical¡±. Okane smiled, ¡°Well, better to ask what I can¡¯t do. As a Merchant, I do have the wheeling and dealing you would imagine, but the class also has other perks in combat. I have attacks that scale with my amount of money and depending on my carts weight¡±. ¡°What do you mean carts weight, I don''t see anything.¡± I asked. ¡°Give me a second¡±, Okane said as his eyes went distant like Ogma¡¯s had. A second or two later, a small pull car appeared behind him. Okane then proceeded to walk around as the cart followed behind him in close proximity. Okane grinned and slapped the cart, ¡°this baby can fit so much stuff in it!¡± ¡°Ok, but what else can it do?¡± I asked, mild annoyance in my tone. I was a bit skeptical about what some pull along cart could do in battle. ¡°Well, since you asked so nicely¡± Okane said as he took a very ominous pause. He then proceeded to grab the personal cart by its handles and swing it almost effortlessly in my direction. The cart came to me at dizzying speeds full on smacking me and knocking me back a few feet. The system log showing what had happened in the lower left corner of my vision. You have been hit by Cart Destruction for 15 Damage, you are now dazed for 5 seconds. My head was spinning, and after a few stumbling attempts I saw that I couldn¡¯t get up. The world shaking in my vision. In the upper left corner of that vision was a small icon of a head with a dizzy symbol above it. Huh, so that''s how status effects work in this game. It feels so real, not that I have been smacked with carts frequently in my childhood. After the counter for the status effect blinked out, I slowly got back up. ¡°Sorry there guy, I made sure to lessen the weight in the cart, so the damage should have been minimal¡± said Okane, slight abashed. ¡°Damn, if that was a light tap, I¡¯d hate to see you hit with a full cart ¡° I said as I rubbed my arm. My HP was recovering slowly, which was pretty good. Not that I was a fan of being on for less than a few hours and having already gotten smacked by players and monsters alike. I hadn¡¯t even gotten the chance to get some of the sweet sweet necromancy skills to back up my orb game yet. ¡°I take it you don¡¯t doubt my clearly elevated fighting prowess then?¡± asked Okane, clearly enjoying himself. ¡°Yeah, yeah, you got me there, but lets stop with the smash the necromancer thing while we are ahead, already dealt with that enough with the rabbits¡± I said and we both chuckled. ¡°Speaking of rabbits, why don¡¯t we strut our stuff and go tackle some mobs?¡±. Chapter 2: A Battle Between Packs Chapter 2: A battle between packs Ogma took the lead as we made our way out into the field once more. ¡°What exactly do you have in mind?¡± I asked. I was l wondering what exactly the guy would consider a good challenge for the group. ¡°Well, I was thinking that rabbits are a bit too easy for our jolly group, so why don¡¯t we try a little something else, like say...wolves?¡± Ogma stated matter of factly. That didn¡¯t sound like a bad idea, so, I gave a curt nod and we moved forward. As we made our way through the fields passing players and monsters alike, Okane casually spoke about their ventures thus far. Apparently the group started out as beta players and as such were able to carry over a few perks from play testing the game. For example, they got to keep some items and what levels or skills they had acquired. The window for such was small though so they were only around level 3-4 each. Apparently I missed some good loot for not getting my stuff sooner. Still, I was just hyped to be in here and potentially have some gaming buddies in this new venture. After about 20 minutes of walking, at the edge of my vision I could see a forest. Large trees grew to ungodly heights. The brush in the area was also thick and provided good cover. Ogma stopped walking, spinning around on his heel and proclaimed, ¡°This is where we make our stand! There are wolves in these parts. They are strong, sneaky, and they work as a team, which makes it perfect for us to learn to do the same¡±Ogma said as he folded his arms and gave a knowing grin.. ¡°What level are these suckers¡± I asked, looking around for signs of the mob. ¡°They range from about lvl 4 to lvl 6 from what I have seen thus far¡± Ogma stated. ¡°It''s the scouts that are lower and as we get real attention, expect to see more. What we will do is, I¡¯ll take the aggro in bear form, Okane and Morrigan will flank the enemy while trying to give you some cover. You on the other hand, hit em with all you got!¡±. With that, Ogma turned around, his form growing and changing shape. In mere moments, the man who stood there was gone, being replaced by a large bear. ¡°Here comes the fun part¡± Morrigan said with a giddy expression. Ogma let out a giant roar, the projection intimidating enough to even make me flinch a little. The landscape then grew quite, save for the sound of birds fleeing their treetop homes. It was at that moment, that as the birds were fleeing a lone wolf could be seen in the distance. At the edge of the forest it stood watching us intently. After assessing us for a few a few moments, it too let out howl. Suddenly, various patches of grass began to rustle as the wolf''s compatriots howled their responses in the distance. Their mostly hidden forms moving into position for an attack. ¡°They are going to look for openings, don¡¯t give them any¡± Ogma¡¯s ordered in my mind. ¡°Whoa, I yelled, what was that!?¡±. ¡°Party chat uses telepathy¡± Okane stated matter of factly. ¡°It works quite well in that no one will know our plans but us. Just think the response you want and will it to the party, we will hear you¡±. ¡°Fair¡± I responded to him mentally, trying to adjust to the new information. ¡°I don¡¯t have any usable skills or spells at the moment save for Dark Orb but Expect some spell flinging¡±. I didn¡¯t bring much to the table at this level, but I wasn¡¯t exactly planning on rolling over either. ¡°Just make sure not to hit me with any unless you want a knife in the kidney¡± Morrigan responded. ¡°Uhh, she''s kidding right?¡± I asked nervously. ¡°I prefer my bodily fluids stay in their respective sacks and or pouches¡±. There was no time for a response though as it was at that moment that the wolves charged in. Twin trails could be seen weaving through the grass at high speeds., the top of the wolves backs barely visible as they made their way towards us. Simultaneously, the wolves emerges from the brush, lunging at Ogma. His bear form smacked one wolf mid leap and send it sprawling to the ground, tearing up grass as it clawed to maintain balance. The 1 remaining wolf sunk its teeth into his arm. Ogma¡¯s hp bar only dropping a sliver for the wolf¡¯s efforts. The wolf held fast to Ogma as he raised his arm high above the ground. Ogma then proceeded to slam the wolf to the ground, the sudden impact stunning the wolf, its jaw releasing him. Ogma¡¯s fur now sporting a red patch of fur for its efforts. With two prone targets shown, the rest of us acted fast. Okane rushed to the stunned wolf from the left flank, lifting his cart effortlessly and slamming it into the side of the wolf, sending it rolling. It let out a loud yip as its body slid from the impact, shocking it out of its stun. At the same time, Morrigan managed to get a double stab with her daggers on the other wolf while its attention was on Ogma. Her form simply flickered and suddenly both her daggers had been deeply sunk into the unsuspecting wolf''s back. She then proceeded to repeatedly stab the now prone target until it snapped back at her, forcing Morrigan to jump out of its reach. Seeing that Morrigan had everything under control, I focused my efforts on Okane¡¯s target. Getting into range, I raised my staff, aiming the tip at the downed wolf . After a moment''s channeling I fired a Dark Orb directly at it. As the ball impacted, it splashed onto the wolf, smoke seeping into its fur. You hit wolf scout for 35 dark damage. I kept channeling, releasing volley after volley as The wolf scrambled to its feet, baring its fangs at me. It was at this moment when Okane pulled out an axe, brandishing it at the wolf. Seeing it was outnumbered, the wolf attempted to fall back and regroup. So much for mindless mobs, these things are clearly thinking. Rough part though is while Okane¡¯s wolf managed to escape, Morrigan¡¯s was clearly having trouble between the thief and the large bear. Ogma and Morrigan kept themselves positioned so that one was always in the front and the other behind the wolf, not allowing it a chance to escape or get its bearings. While Ogmas large bear swipes were powerful, they were not as fast as the smaller wolfs reflexes. Issue being, when one would attack, the other would plan to engage at the spot the wolf retreated to, never letting it fully disengage us. Seeing this dance between my teammates and the wolves, I channeled and shot a few dark orbs at the remaining wolf. While the first one missed, as the wolf bobbed and weaved, my second orb landed right on its hind left leg. It let out a yip as the dark magic crippled its hind leg, dealing 40 magic damage on impact. It was then that Ogma mentalled commanded for us to stand clear. ¡°This is going to hurt if you get caught in the aoe!¡±. He raised his bear claw above his head, the wolf directly below him, attempting to get away, but to no avail. Ogma¡¯s eyes and raised claw glowed a crimson haze as his claw descended onto the wolf, slamming into it and leaving a small indentation onto the ground where the wolf was. . The wolf laid still, defeated, my notifications for the battle blinking in the corner of my vision. You have defeated 1 wolf scout, experience 160. This brought me up to 87% experience, which was by no means bad. Still, we had little time to celebrate, as the primary force of the pack descended upon us. The one surviving wolf had regrouped with its leader, using the distraction of Ogma¡¯s aoe to get away. The leader now seeing the shape of its subordinate decided to join the battle as well. It let out a piercing howl, which noticeably healed the remaining beaten scout and bolstered its defences. After such, the lead wolf rushed down the field, the scout following in suit as well as two larger wolves that had remained hidden in the brush. Perhaps they were the damage dealers of the group. Frankly, I¡¯d rather not test how my robes armor stands up against those fangs. ¡°Five wolves¡­.five freaking wolves, are you kidding me?¡± Okane exclaimed. ¡°Well, at least while your corpse is distracting them, we can finish them off¡± Morrigan replied in amusement. ¡°I find your lack of faith in Okane to be unBEARable, sister¡± Ogma chimed in with a mental chuckle. The other two groaned over Ogmas word play. Great, I thought, this is the group I am stuck with while fights a literal pack of wolves, good stuff. This time the wolves didn¡¯t simply rush in. They drew close, attempting to encircle us as the leader challenged Ogma, baring its fangs. Ogma again letting out his taunting skill on the group yet it seemed to take no effect. They must have resisted the taunt due to the leaders buff. This was going to be rough then. ¡°The taunt isn¡¯t working¡± Ogma mentally yelled. ¡°Fall into a defensive position, protect our squishy!¡±. ¡°On it¡± replied Morrigan as she took position parallel to Ogma, with myself in between them. Okane in turn nodded and took his spot to my left, leaving only small gaps in their position for the wolves. As if there were some unseen signal, the leader lunged at Ogma, aiming for the bears neck. Ogma instinctively raised to his full height in an attempt to hinder the lead wolfs attack. Ogma then tried to sweep the wolf with his massive claws, yet it was far to nimble to be caught off guard. Simultaneously, the scout and one of the larger wolves drew closer to Okane, testing the merchants metal. The larger of the two attempted to bypass Okane¡¯s axe, going straight for his arm, only to be met by my own dark orb hitting it in its exposed face. You hit wolf hunter for 46 damage in a vulnerable area, damage increased. The wolf recoiled, moving back as Okane brought his axe down on it. The remaining scout however did not miss its opportunity to move, using the opening to bite down on Okane¡¯s now exposed arm. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Okane yelled in pain, the other wolf seizing the opportunity and lunging at his exposed throat. Both wolves now upon him, wrestling for dominance. Okane could do little but struggle, mentally calling out for aid. Morrigan immediately responded to the cell responded. ¡°Robin, take my spot against this wolf, its on its last leg, don¡¯t you dare die!¡± Morrigan said, then Her form flickered once more and was upon the wolf at Okane¡¯s throat, daggers blade deep into the wolves eyes. The wolf had no time to react only let out a whimper as it fell to the ground dead. For Okane thought, the damage was done, the two wolves had dealt enough combined damage to kill him, his body going limp and falling to the ground. ¡°Damn it¡± Morrigan cursed as she squared against the remaining scout, daggers drawn and bloodied. ¡°How could you die right in the middle of a fight?!¡±. The lead wolf and Ogma took turns, bobbing and weaving in between the others attacks. It seemed as if while the wolf was more nimble, its attacks were not very effective against the tank. In Ogma¡¯s case the wolf could only chip away at his hp, but he could not catch it to do any real damage, he could only keep it tied up and hope one of us finishes our fight and in turn could join his. In my case, I had another issue to deal with, this wolf was far stronger than the damn rabbit I fought before. The wolf bore its fangs at me, drawing slowly closer as it sensed I was likely easy prey. At the same time, I was desperately trying to come up with a plan to fight back. I had my staff pointed at the wolf, a dark orb already charging. I waiting for skill activation to shoot, but if I missed it would likely be all over. It was in this moment that I noticed Okane¡¯s body on the ground, it had a faint red glow to it. I thought to myself that for a necromancer, I should have some kind of familiar or spirit to not have to deal with this exact situation. The wolf suddenly deciding to lunge, the movement causing me to flinch and release my dark orb, hitting it just above the front left leg. You hit wolf hunter for 34 dark damage. The wolf, now in pain, used its momentum to carry it forward. It knocked me to the ground and notification elected it. You take 10 neutral damage, status gained, knocked down. You may not perform any skills until you have regained your footing. Well, isn''t that just peachy, I thought to myself as the wolf attempted to bite my face off. I instinctively put my arm up for defence. It gladly taking the limb as a substitute. Wolf Hunter damages you for 30 bleeding damage, status gained, bleeding. You will lose 5 hp per second for the next 10 seconds. Agh! What the shit is this, I mentally yelled, trying to wriggle free. Thinking quickly, I used my staff as a bludgeon, slamming it on the wolves exposed noggin. You hit Wolf Hunter for 9 blunt damage, Wolf Hunter stunned. The wolf''s jaws released my arm as it momentarily lost control. Quickly, I used the opportunity to roll to my feet, hand reaching out towards Okane. Oh please please PLEASE do something useful, I cried out, hand outstretched and flaring in pain. The system responded, would you like to use the ¡°Raise Undead¡± skill? The notification window prompted me for a yes or a no. I speedily motioned for yes, the window quickly disappearing. Okanes body beginning to ominously leak smoke as the red glow grew in intensity. As it did, a skeleton rose from Okane¡¯s corpse, as if his body were a portal. ¡°Okane!¡±, I yelled, ¡°Is that you?!¡±. The skeletons bones then rattled, as if in amusement. It was then that an ethereal voice spoke in my mind with but a single word, ¡°no.¡± I stared at the skeleton as it¡¯s words registered in my mind. Motivating me to take a closer look at it. It stood a good 6 feet, which was a bit taller than Okane. The blue flames of its eyes bore into me, meeting my gaze unflinchingly. Clearly this was a summon, not a resurrection. Before I had time consider those implications, the wolf recovered from my blow and once more was upon me. As it lunged, the skeleton moved reflexively, it slammed its club right into the wolfs rib cage, staggering it. Skeleton Minion has hit Wolf Hunter for 32 blunt damage. It then proceeded to pull the wolves aggro with an onslaught of blows. The wolf not yet having a chance to collect itself, could only stagger back, fangs bared. As the wolf moved did so, I spared no time, channeling and firing my Dark Orbs in succession. Between the skeletons blows and my own spells, the wolf quickly succumbed to our combined efforts. Glancing over at Morrigan, I saw she was holding her own against her wolf, which looked significantly worse for ware than she did. Cuts being clearly visible across its body. Ogma, on the other hand, was not looking as good. All those small chips of hp the lead wolf had been doing had taken a toll on him. His bear forms fur bloodied on the arms and torso.¡°Skeleton..uhh..guy I said hesitantly, could you go help Ogma?¡±. ¡°Afterwords, I expect a name¡± it replied testily and moved to flank the lead wolf. As it did so Ogma visibly jumped, yelling in our party chat, ¡°What the hell is that?!¡±. ¡°Its ok, it''s one of my minions¡± I assured him. ¡°Just do what you can. I¡¯m going to help Morrigan and then we can all put the leader down¡±. Having sent some aid to Ogma, I now focused my efforts on helping Morrigan, only to have her deal the finishing blow to the Wolf Scout as I approached. ¡°You still breathing?¡± she asked me in mock worried tone. She looked a bit ruffled, with some cuts here and there, but save for that she appeared ok. ¡°I¡¯m fairing about as good as you¡± I responded, motioning us to move to aid Ogma. I mentally told the skeleton to move behind the wolf, effectively cutting off any escape route as Morrigan and I flanked it from each side. The lead wolf now surrounded, it''s head darted around in search of its comrades only to find them all dispatched. The lead wolf was quickly taken down, lacking the aid of its comrades. As the battle came to its conclusion, Ogma took his human form. Turning to face us, Ogma took one glance at Okane and shook his head. ¡°What exactly happened and what is that thing?¡± he asked pointedly, hand gesturing to the skeleton. As he did so, the skeleton nonchalantly smacked him upside the head, uttering in my mind that he was an ungrateful shit. Ogma stumbled forward slightly at the skeletons surprise blow, asking ¡°What the hell was that?!¡±. ¡°You apparently offended him¡± I responded, chuckling. Morrigan too was trying to hide barely audible giggles, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°Ok, Fine¡± Ogma stated, ¡°well what is this and what do we call it? I remember you saying you were a necromancer so is this one of your skills?¡±. ¡°I am pretty sure it is and the skeleton can mentally speak to me...to some degree¡± I said. ¡°Basically, when Okane died, his body glowed a low red and I figured I could interact with that somehow¡±. Usual video game logic and all that. Suddenly I got a prompt and there he was. ¡°Now, as to what it is, you may have to give me a moment to read up¡±. Both Ogma and Morrigan nodded. ¡°In the meantime, I will reach out to Okane and see how he is doing¡± Ogma stated. Okane¡¯s body having long since disappeared. Reviewing my list of skills once more, I noticed that there was now a raise skeleton skill at level 1 as well as a similarly ranked companion skill. I apparently had two skill tabs, one for learned skills and one for skills that I could learn through effort and application, odd, but it made sense. There were some interesting skills I had yet to try as well. Next time we get out there, I¡¯d not mind trying a rooting ability called ¡°Grasping Hands¡±. Moving forward, I went over my battle log, I saw that considering the skeleton was my only present ¡°minion¡± it defaulted as a companion, which apparently could be leveled for increased stats. At the same time, that meant that I could potentially have more than one minion out at a time, with restrictions, of course. The game could hardly have me summoning an army of undead and swarming towns. What was interesting thought is considering my companion was humanoid, I could gift it equipment. Before I got too carried away reading though, I still needed to give it a name still. After careful deliberation, I decided to go with Charon and entered it under minion name in his status bar. That being the name of the ferryman who took souls across the Acheron river. Now that that business was behind me, I was able to address the blinking notifications in my vision from the battle as well. Our entire team fared quite well, dealing good damage and it seemed that Ogmas thick fur was as good as any armor. Also, apparently I leveled after I defeated the Wolf Hunter, having made significant progress towards lvl 3 as well. I had dismissed the notifications early on as they were distracting in battle and I needed to focus. Still, It allotted me 5 stat points to place where I like. Considering I am basically a mage, I decided to go with 3 in intelligence and 2 in agility, the agility to help me get around. Last thing I need is to get caught by wolves or some other creature with a penchant for mages. This bringing my stats to Vit 10, Dex 9, Str 9 , Int 14, and Agi 11. Not too shabby for beginner stats, but we had a long way to go. Turning back to face my party, I began my explanation. ¡°Judging by the size and voice I heard, I want to say the skeleton is a guy. That being the case, went with Charon for the name. He is my summon and companion, which means he will be staying. I can probably summon more skeletons and other things, but I can only designate one companion at a time. All others will be significantly weaker and have a set time limit that they can be out. Also, he can hear and understand what you guys say and has a mental link to me, similar to mind chat¡±. ¡°Seems pretty convenient for a squishy like you to have something to take the hits for you¡± Ogma mused, a shit eating grin plastered on his face. ¡°Well, it''s not like we have any other good tanks to do that¡± I replied, in mock distress. ¡°Hey, hey, I¡¯ll have you know, the only reason I couldn¡¯t hold aggro was because of the damn leaders skill¡±. Ogma protested. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to send that, with your condolences to Okane¡± Morrigan jabbed. ¡°Yeah¡­that was a bit rough, I did warn him to get a shield though¡± Ogma said pointedly. His class has more utility than damage so the guy needs more defence. After discussing out plans to pressure Okane into purchasing a shield, we proceeded to loot the wolves. While the leader dropped some decent craft items such as fur and, bones, and meat, the remaining wolves dropped little more than a few coins. After dividing that amongst ourselves and setting aside a portion for Okane, it was already late day so we decided to make out way back to town. Truth be told, I did want to see what the shops had to offer and to take some time to review all of my options as a necromancer. From what I got so far, I have decent damage output and a companion, as well as the ability to summon more from monsters and players if need be. The more skills I level up, the more I may also end up unlocking as well. The only question being, just how much utility I would have as a necromancer to offset my clear lack of defence. I¡¯d rather not end up playing whack- a -mob with my staff again. Name: Robin Graves Lvl: 2 82% experience Spells: Dark Orb Lvl 1, Summon Undead lvl 1 Grasping Hands: lvl not yet learned Casting time: Instant Cooldown: 3 minutes Effect: Call forth the grasping hands of the dead to root a single target, dealing 40 dark damage. Hitting the target will release the root. Chapter 3: A Very Greedy Gnome Chapter 3: A Very Greedy Gnome The walk back to town was a bit slow although lively with Ogma constantly teasing Morrigan, whose rebuttals often involved smacking him upside the head. It definitely made for good entertainment. We greeted the guards on our return, who spared more than an occasional glance at Charon. He, in turn, made the ¡°I¡¯m watching you¡± gesture with his hand at them as we passed by. This visibly unsettling them as I rolled my eyes. I¡¯m actually a bit surprised they even let him in. After which, we made our way to the busy city square. To that end, I had mentioned to the pair that I was on the lookout for some armor and perhaps a weapon. Something cheap I could buy between my beginner gold and the loot we got from combat. I was now nearly level 3 after we had finished off all the wolves and while it did not exactly make me a force to be reckoned with, I was starting to get an idea for exactly how my class handled. After meeting back up with Okane, who waited patiently in town, it was the Morrigan this time who guided our bedraggled lot to a shop that she had figured would facilitate my needs. Our walk to this little hole in the wall shop took the better of 10 minutes. Morrigan having a grin plastered on her face the entire time. The scenery of crowded areas and large richly decorated shops gave way to narrow passageways, the once stone floor becoming dirt paths as we journeyed through. ¡°I love this guy, his stuff is great quality, but he will try and rob you blind¡± she said bemusedly. Great, I thought to myself, the thief is guiding us to another one. ¡°Maybe you both can have a good chuckle about robbing us blind over a drink¡± I responded sarcastically. As we approached the supposed shop, I noticed an old wooden sign hung above the archway of a well kept older building, reading ¡°Zootwick¡¯s Stocks The Very Best¡±. Morrigan ushered us through the doors, the smell of something tangy yet bitter assaulting my senses. The inside of the shop was rustic. One side of the shop was dedicated to many pieces of armor and weaponry, the other, an even larger assortment of potions and the like. In the middle of the large assortment of potions was a counter, manned by what I could only imagine was a gnome. Zootwick was clearly too small to pass as a dwarf and lacked the laid back demeanor of what I assume a hobbit would possess. The gnome himself was dressed in plain attire, a white button up shirt with a brown vest, the rest hidden behind the counter. He was likely only about 3 feet tall with blonde hair and striking green eyes, sporting a full beard and eyebrows thick enough to shield his face from the any storm. Zootwick nodded to our group, his discerning eyes passing over each of us until he landed on Morrigan. ¡°Ah! My favorite customer, how have you been? Come to rob me blind?¡± he asked, a glint of amusement clearly visible in his eyes. ¡°Not this time shorty¡± Morrigan responded, a wide grin splayed on her face. ¡°We are here for our newby, who apparently needs some equipment¡±. ¡°Ahh, I see¡± he said as his eyes passed over to me. ¡°I presume the bag of bones is with you as well¡± he queried. ¡°You would be correct¡±, I replied, ¡°His name is Charon and I may be in the market for something for him as well¡±. Zootwick¡¯s beard pulled back into a wide predatory smile, revealing two rows of sharp and pointy teeth, ¡°very good, very good, let us see what we have in store¡±. The armor section sported a row of armored mannequins of varying design. Going up and down the mannequins, I glanced at the price tags for some of the more interesting models. In particular, I had my eyes on a light plate mail set for Charon, something to help him tank for me and quite frankly to enhance his badassery score. This particular set being dark grey, the helmet concealing the entire face but the eyes, and adorned with two wings on the sides of it. The torso piece designed in a sleek yet effective pattern that shielded all vital spots from external forces. Though, truth be told, it''s not like Charon has any real vitals to hit, I mused to myself. Curiously, I glanced at the price tag, it read a whopping 4000 gold! ¡°You see something you like?¡± Zootwick asked as he drew to my side. His voice sounding enticed by the possibility of profit. ¡°Well, I would love this set for Charon, but between my beginners gold and what we got from the battles thus far, the amount of money I''m rocking is significantly less what''s listed here, and I¡¯d still need some left over for potions and supplies¡±. Zootick frowned, ¡°hmmm¡± he said, pausing for a moment. ¡°How much of this money do you have?¡±. ¡°We might be able to work something out¡± he said, greed clearly audible in his voice. It was at this point where Morrigan spoke in the party chat, ¡°DO NOT tell him how much you have, he will rob you blind¡±. ¡°If you need stuff for Charon, try and get him a shield and a sword first, then see how much you have¡±. That was a very fair point, I thought to myself, glancing back to Zootwick. ¡°For the time being, I think I¡¯ll start with a basic sword and shield, something sturdy¡±. ¡°A fine idea!¡± he exclaimed, leading me to another section which sported everything from swords to mage staffs. The weapony section was about as small as the armor sets, which made sense considering this wasn¡¯t a specialty store. Sporting about 5-6 swords, spears, staffs, and other items of interest. All ranging from low quality wood to high steel. What caught my eye however, was a spear and kite shield. The spear allowing him more range to attack and place the enemy even further away from myself. ¡°How about this one¡± I said as I motioned to a very plain looking spear. It does about 20-30 damage on impact, prior to the influence of stats, which was quite good, I had thought. ¡°This is a good choice, my friend¡± Zootwick said as he clasped his hands together. ¡°For the low low price of 1400, she can be yours!¡±. I paused for a moment, considering when it was Ogma who spoke this time ¡°try and haggle with him!¡±. So, I was supposed to haggle with this greedy little gnome, was I? Ok, fine, time to con the con artist, I thought to myself. ¡°You know Zootwick, I would really love to get it, but the most I could offer would be about 600 for the spear¡±. Zootwick let out an exaggerated gasp, ¡°But sir, this is a very sturdy spear, and the craftsmanship is excellent, I cannot bear to part with it for any less than say...1200 gold¡±. ¡°900 gold¡±, I responded, ¡°far better in my hands than still in your inventory, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±. ¡°1150, this spear, she is very close to my heart, how could a father let his children go into the world without a proper dowry?¡±. The glint in his eyes returning as his hands clasped together in a greedy fashion. ¡°Perhaps sir, but keep her too long and she would be passed a marriageable age, how about 1000?¡± I asked. In the background, Okane speaking in the party chat, ¡°be sure to treat the lady fairly, he said, giggling with amusement¡±. ¡°Yeah Robin, and ask if you can take her out for dinner too¡± Ogma chimed in, the group then chuckling together. My lord, these people, I thought to myself as I mentally shook my head. Zootwick put on a clearly exaggerated saddened expression, ¡°I am sorry, but the least I can do is 1100¡±. I paused for a moment, looking at the gnome as I considered if it was worth it. I had already shaved off a few hundred, so that''s not too bad right? Decision made, I reached out my hand ¡°You got a deal, I said, a friendly smile visible on my face. Zootwick took my hand, shaking it firmly with a toothy grin, and said: ¡°Very good choice, you still needed a shield yes?¡±. Going over the small selection of shields, I found a decent looking one for about 1000 gold. Having only about 800 left on my pocket, it was time to get my haggle on. ¡°How about 700 on the shield¡± I offered. Zootwick, again, looking distraught, replied, ¡°I cannot part for any less than say¡­ 950¡±. ¡°750¡±, I countered ¡°This is a beginners shield, and as much as I hate to admit it, my coffers are lacking due to said title¡±. ¡°That is fair¡± Zootwick responded, stroking his beard, ¡°what about 850?¡±. ¡°Shave that by 50 and you got yourself a deal¡± I responded, one eyebrow raised in an unspoken query. ¡°Very well, you drive a hard bargain, but I am clearly no match for you!¡±.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I was fairly certain the gnome had hustled me, but hey, now at least I had a better meat...err..bone shield to protect me. We made our way to the counter, a toothy grin clearly visible on Zootwick¡¯s face. After squaring up, my coffers were now dry. I mentally reached out to Charon, who casually walked up to me. These are for you buddy, I said as I handed him the spear and shield. This way, you can protect yourself while you protect me. Charon¡¯s blazing eyes looked at me for a long moment before he took the items, equipping them to his own slots. As he did so, I could feel gratitude through our mental connection. ¡°Thanks, you would be surprised how many would be necromancers just use us as fodder, never giving us anything since they could just resurrect us,¡± he said, slightly abashed. ¡°Just don¡¯t get used to me being all nice, or not out of the woods yet,¡± Charon said with a mental jab. I was a bit surprised by how he was acting, considering this was intended to be a game. Still, if the game was supposed to be filled with AI (artificial intelligence) then it would make sense that they would think and reason. That aside, my business with Zootwick now concluded, I browsed the potion section as Ogma and Okane haggled with him over potion prices. The gnome, clearly working them over, judging by the strained expression on Ogma¡¯s face. For as much of a pain in the ass as Zootwick was, his potion selection was on point. Potions of varying colors, ranging from light yellow to pitch black were displayed shelf to shelf. He had simple potions such as stamina, mana, and hp regain, but also spell infused ones as well. A red one, in particular, caught my attention, convincing me to pick it up. I then examined said bottle and rotated it to the back, taking notice of the instructions written in clearly defined print. Potion of Incineration, throw at the intended target, allowing at least 10 feet of distance. The potion, once detonated will explode, dealing 200 fire damage to the target and 150 fire damage to anything within a 3-foot radius of impact. 150 damage, hell man, I could get me some real payback on those damn rabbits. Just walk on over there, fucking up peter cottontail and his whole damn crew. People would ask me, Robin, why are the fields on fire? I would just sit there, with a big old shit-eating grin and reply, well, some people might say rodents aren''t flammable, but I disagree. After the shit they put me through, those little bastards had it coming. I continued to plot mischievously, my hands clasping together as I let a low cackle escape my lips. The group then taking note of the spectacle and regarded me cautiously. Our business with Zootwick now concluded, we all made our way towards the door. Zootwick unexpectedly tossing me the fire potion I was eyeballing earlier, winking and saying that first one was on the house. Wow, maybe he isn¡¯t so bad after all I mused. ¡°He must have taken a liking to you,¡± Morrigan said bemused. ¡°It''s not all that often he gives things away for free¡±. ¡°Well, it¡¯s that or he felt guilty for the upcharge¡± Okane jabbed. ¡°Wait, I was overcharged?¡± I asked, face showing a look of mock surprise. I knew the guy was going to try and rob me blind. Knew haggling likely wouldn¡¯t offset the price too much, but it was still fun. ¡°So, where to next?¡± I asked Ogma. We had already gotten some supplies and I was unsure of exactly what I could do in this city. ¡°Well, before we were just getting a feel for the team comp he said. Now, we should look into securing some hunting quests. For that, we need the quest board in the adventurers guild¡± Ogma said as he gestured back towards the city''s center. ¡°Now time to follow me, little flock¡± he added. Morrigan rolled her eyes, but reluctantly gave in and fell in behind the towering giant. The rest of us following in suit. All this walking around town had really made me miss being able to use my car. Where are those pulling cart guys when you need them? After about 8 minutes of walking, we found ourselves in front of another large wooden building. Azure banners hung to the left and right with insignias that I could not recognize. In the center stood two large oaken doors and a sign reading ¡°Welcome all those in search of adventure! There are no races, no borders between us, come and find your compatriots, find yourself!¡±. Well, that was one hell of a slogan they had there. Sadly, my compatriots had already found me getting my ass kicked by rabbits. ¡°Now, before you can accept quests Robin, you will need to register with the adventurers guild, Ogma said. It''s just a quick form notifying you of the risks and an agreement not to hinder the progress of other adventurers either. Basically, put the team before yourself kinda deal¡±. I nodded at Ogma, who then placed his hands on large oaken doors, pushing them so hard they slammed as he moved to enter. The act, of course, drawing virtually everyone''s attention. ¡°Did you really have to slam the doors?¡± Morrigan asked, a bit nervous with all the onlookers. ¡°You have got to make a good impression for the newbie right?¡± Ogma replied with a chuckle. ¡°That, and I get great pleasure from your discomfort, dear sister¡±. ¡°I know where you sleep, dear brother, and I do have a buzzer¡± Morrigan stated matter of factly. I could see a devilish grin barely hidden from beneath her thief''s hood. ¡°She¡¯ll do it too,¡± Okane said while giving a slight elbow to my side and winking. The front desk was populated by an elven woman in business casual attire and a name tag reading ¡°Arden¡±. She had short blond hair that cut off at her ears and piercing blue eyes. Although Arden only stood to be about 5¡¯5, she gave the impression that she was more than a simple desk clerk. ¡°How may I help you,¡± Arden asked in a light and pleasant tone. ¡°Well, I am new to this world, er..city, and I would like to become an official adventurer¡± I stated, a bit flustered. She was pretty cute, npc or no, and On top of that I was a bit out of my element. The combination of the two factors clearly not sitting well with me. ¡°Ah, if that is the case, give me just a moment, she said pleasantly¡±. The woman then started looking under her desk for what I could only assume were the papers. After a few seconds, her face lit up a bit. She then proceeded to place 3 forms in front of me, explaining each as Ogma had. ¡°Once you submit these, you will be able to take on quests that have been posted by the city or other individuals in need,¡± she said. After filling out the forms, Arden took them and placed them into an outgoing mail heap for the central office. This hall is one of very many apparently. After which, our merry group made its way to a large wooden board with various job requests on it. Things ranging from the simple missing items to fighting off orcs in the north. Ogma, however, had chosen about 4 quests that had yet to be taken on by others. Showing them to the group, I saw another one for wolves, one for the pact leader, one returning goods stolen by goblins, and lastly, to defeat a roaming field boss. Our business now concluded, we made our way out of the adventurers guild and toward the main gate. Charon seeming very pleased with his new spear and kite shield during the walk as his flaming eyes seemed to focus on them. It somehow gave me the feeling of contentedness, or perhaps that was just the feeling he conveyed through our bond. Now, you do know how to use that thing right, I mentally asked while motioning to his spear. Somehow his facial expression conveyed smugness as he replied: ¡°hit bad guys, make fall down?¡±. I chuckled loudly and the group all turned to look at me with questioning expressions. ¡°Charon and I are just discussing the proper use of a spear,¡± I said. The guards were significantly more at ease seeing us pass by this time, perhaps they were becoming more familiar with our odd bunch. Making our way through the field, Ogma finally spoke up. ¡°Ok guys, next order of business is to take down the pack leader, get us some good loot, and level our skills!¡±. To which Okane let out an exaggerated whooping sound. I suppose I finally knew who was the hype man of the group. As we got close to the wolves territory, something a bit peculiar happened. A small group of about 7 goblins rushed out from the forest. Ogma mentally called formations in the party chat, assuming his bear form and taking the front position. The odd thing though, was the goblins did not look like they were ambushing us so much as fleeing. As they drew closer, one of the goblins yelled out ¡°No attack! We no harm, help please!¡±. ¡°The goblins were asking for help? This could be some kind of trick¡± Morrigan said with narrowed eyes. Her daggers already at the ready position. ¡°Possibly, but maybe we should hear them out just in case¡± Ogma reasoned. It was at that point when Okane nodded and took the initiative. ¡°Stop right there and don¡¯t come any closer, what is it you need,¡± he asked. ¡°Humans attack village, our warriors try and hold them off, but too strong!¡± the frontmost goblin cried. Well, it was not that uncommon to grind mobs, I thought to myself. Still, if they need help, maybe we should give the place a look? Just as my thought had concluded, a window popped up in my vision for a quest. The title reading, Save The Goblin Village: The goblin village is under attack. A small squad of fleeing goblins have asked for aid and are being assaulted by another group. fend off attackers 0/1 Reward: 600 exp, 400 Gold So, this was a real deal quest then, and a spontaneous one at that, I mentally mused. Got to give the developers credit for the creativity. What should we do, I mentally asked the group. Well, I presume we all got that quest notification right, Ogma asked. The other two affirmed, their bodies slightly relaxing, which also seemed to calm the fleeing goblins as well. It was then that Ogma shifted back to human form, 2 of the 7 goblins stumbled back. ¡°If you guys are pulling anything, I will literally eat you,¡± Ogma said pointedly. ¡°Now take us to where we need to go¡±. The goblins quickly gathered themselves. The frontmost one of them pointing north towards the woods, yelling ¡°this way¡± as they took off. Our group swiftly followed the goblins without much difficulty, their tiny legs making it easy to overtake them. After about a 6 minute run, I could see smoke from between the treetops. Faintly audible cries brushed by my ears. ¡°We must be getting close to be ready¡±, I said out loud while mentally nudging Charon to take the defensive. He nodded, swiftly moving to cover my front. His spear at the ready position. After a moment, we found ourselves in a clearing. There were assorted huts on fire and a small tribal village in chaos. Bodies littered the floor as a small band of people were destroying the village. As soon as we reached the village, Ogma shifted to his bear form, letting out a powerful roar. The loud noise startling many of the fleeing goblins and caused most of the invading group to pause. ¡°What exactly is going on here?¡± Morrigan demanded, her teeth clenched in anger. Now that we were closer, I could see a total of 5 invaders. One of them broke out of the shock of Ogma¡¯s roar and came slowly walking towards us. His hands raised in a gesture of peace. ¡°These gentlemen and myself simply took it upon ourselves to rid the area of these thieving goblins¡± the man stated, a small smile visible on his face. He was about 5¡¯10 with slicked back silver hair, blue eyes, and a black cleric''s robe. His belt holding a bloodied mace, evidence of his recent exploits. ¡°Who exactly are you and how is slaughtering an entire village for thievery a viable punishment¡± I asked in a growled tone. ¡°My name is Ignis, and I am a cleric of the dark god Zenrir¡±. His eyes momentarily flashing a crimson red. My fellow guild mates and I hail from a guild called Catalyst with other like minded individuals. ¡°My god demands tribute, you see, and these thieving goblins fit that bill just fine¡±.