《Master Of Everything (Completed?)》 Chapter 001 - Alternate Ren After years of physical and mental abuse, experimentation, and drug trials conducted by his parents, Ren was rescued by the police and his parents were taken away. The court case was sensational and captured the public''s attention while it was in the media''s spotlight, and when it was over, Ren was shuffled off to a permanent care ward of a hospital and assigned round-the-clock nurses to give him the constant care that he required. It took years for him to recover enough to be able to move around without assistance, and the constant babying and pampering had eaten away at his personality and mental state just as much as the experiments had. He knew that the nurses really cared for him; especially his night nurse Barbara. She was like the mother he never had, and that was a bitter pill for him to swallow. She thinks she''s so much better than my own mother. Ren thought. I know with every good deed she does for me, she thinks it''s earning her points with me. He never let any of his real thoughts show, because he knew that if they suspected how much he hated being confined to the hospital, he''d be under constant psychiatric monitoring from, in Ren''s opinion, that completely sadistic bitch, Suzie. Ren smiled every time he thought of her. She still didn''t suspect that his amnesia had been a complete fabrication; or that he remembered she was a part of the team of scientists that regularly visited him while he was under the care of his parents. Ren did his physical therapy every day; but, not because he wanted to get better. He had overheard the doctors saying that he never would. What he was doing was staying in everyone''s good graces. He knew that he would eventually have to leave the hospital, and hoped that he could manipulate a few of his personal care workers away with him when he did. It had taken years of hard work, but he had finally convinced everyone that he was a well-adjusted individual, and they had all gathered together to watch the announcement of the VR contest the latest company had run. He had written the saddest story he could think of, milking his history for all of it''s now irrelevant details, and even had several of the nurses endorse his submission. ¡°And the winners of the 5 special classes are...¡± ¡°YES! I''m first pick!¡± Ren yelled, and threw his hands up in the air, and the nurses there cheered and hugged him, then he felt a sharp pain in his chest. ¡°N-n-n-no!¡± He said, and collapsed because the excitement was a bit too much for him. It had taken another week for him to recover enough to receive his special class, and he''d regretted not getting the Heroic Prince one. When the doctor finally said he could load up the game, he entered the simulation for the first time and did all the physical calibrations that it asked him to do. He had so much fun that he was almost disappointed when it was over and it said a guide would log in to meet him. ¡°This... this is amazing! I''ve never run so much ever!¡± ¡°That''s because the Stamina system isn''t in effect until you enter the game. You could run forever and never get tired.¡± Ren turned around and met the most beautiful redheaded amazon woman he''d ever seen. She was almost 2 feet taller than him, and his eyes widened at her partially revealed gigantic chest. ¡°You are Ren Haddon, correct?¡± The woman asked. Ren nodded several times. ¡°I didn''t think the character creation option was open for you. Did you pick a halfling race already?¡± ¡°No, this is how I normally look.¡± Ren said. ¡°The doctors said I have a growth impediment, and won''t look any older than I do now.¡± ¡°And how old is that, may I ask?¡± ¡°I''m 17.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I''ll be...¡± ¡°Eeee! You''re so cute!¡± Elise said and took him into a hug to bury him in her massive chest. He flailed his arms by reflex, even though he technically didn''t have to breathe and was actually enjoying the sensations of her soft mounds. She noticed his flailing arms a few moments later and let him go, then introduced him to the game called F.L.O.W., made him a cute elfling character, and gave him his class. Ren thought about how cooped up he was all the time and not being able to do anything, and realized that being an Artificer, a master crafting class, would suit him much better than being a plain fighter like a couple of the other special classes were. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Elise asked. ¡°It''s awesome!¡± Ren responded, and she smiled. ¡°You''ll find the level ups are different than the other classes, and they''ll be assigned automatically.¡± So, I''ll have something else that''s going to tell me what to do all the time. Ren thought, but didn''t let it show. ¡°That''ll be less for me to worry about, then. All I have to do is play!¡± Ren''s enthusiasm was hitting Elise''s cute-o-meter pretty hard, and she was trying her best to resist smothering him in kisses. ¡°I guess that''s it. Good luck!¡± Elise said, then couldn''t resist anymore and hugged him again and buried his face in her chest. He reached out to grab onto her massive chest, then he faded away to go into the game. Ren appeared in the game, set his name, and wandered around the city. He mentally mapped it, so he would remember where everything was. When he got to the Artesian District, he looked into various shops, and found one with an older lady sewing a dress. She invited him inside, and her attention piqued when he said he''d like to learn crafting. She taught him how to make simple coin pouches and gave him a quest. He sat down at the workbench and completed the quest quickly and easily. When Ren looked up the skill trees and saw how complicated they were, his eyes sparkled. He could do a lot of things with this new class, and immediately started thinking of what to do next. Even though he had finished the easy quest, he knew there should be something else for him to learn at such a low level. ¡°Sally, can you show me something else?¡± Ren asked her sweetly. ¡°You''re such a great teacher.¡± ¡°I... well, I suppose.¡± Sally said and smiled knowingly. ¡°You are enthusiastic about it, at least.¡± ¡°I''ll learn anything you have to teach me.¡± Ren said, and moved over on the seat and pat the available space with his hand. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Sally said, quite happy to have someone so young interested in her trade. She sat down and Ren hadn''t quite moved his hand out of the way. ¡°Oooo!¡± She said hopped up. ¡°I''m sorry!¡± ¡°No it''s my fault.¡± Ren said and pushed blood into his face to make it look like he blushed. ¡°I was trying to hold the seat steady for you.¡± ¡°So gallant.¡± Sally said and sat down again. ¡°We should both be a little more careful from now on. I wouldn''t want you to get hurt.¡± ¡°I don''t want you to get hurt, either.¡± Ren said and beamed a smile at her. Oh... oh, my. Sally thought, then started to show Ren her basic stitching techniques. Ren stayed there for nearly 2 months real time, worked day and night, and learned everything he could from her. He had treated her like a queen, and bought her presents with what little money he had earned in the shop. Ren had convinced her that it was the time he spent with her that mattered, and not the money she paid him. By the time the 2 months was over, Sally was well and truly in love with the dashing young man. He had learned all of her secrets; but, he wasn''t quite at the Master level for his Tailoring Skill. It wasn''t far off, with only a few levels left for him to grind. ¡°I can''t believe you have to go.¡± Sally said as Ren embraced her to say goodbye. ¡°I''m going to miss seeing you every day.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll still come by and visit, Sally.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not leaving the district. I''m only going to see what else I can learn.¡± ¡°You can keep staying here with me, then.¡± Sally said. ¡°Rather than waste your money at an inn or sleeping on the ground outside.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I won''t be able to pay you rent or room and board until I...¡± ¡°Pish-posh!¡± Sally said and waved his concerns away. ¡°Having you around has been a balm to this old woman''s lonely heart.¡± ¡°Sally, we''ve talked about this.¡± Ren said and she bent over slightly so he could kiss her cheek like he did every day. ¡°You''re not old. Just experienced.¡± Sally''s face flushed a deep red as his lips met her cheek, for what she thought might be the last time. She was so tempted to turn her head at the last second to get an actual kiss from him, just to see what it was like, and her face showed her desire. Ren saw her reaction, and took pity on the old woman. ¡°Sally, can I... I mean... um...¡± Ren stammered because he knew women loved the coy game. ¡°What is it, dear?¡± Sally asked. ¡°What do you want to ask?¡± ¡°Come closer.¡± Ren said. Sally bent over again and turned her head so he could whisper in her ear; but Ren put a hand on her chin and moved her head to face forward, and her eyes widened in both shock and pleasure as he kissed her. Sally''s heart couldn''t take the onrush of feelings she experienced, and she started gasping for breath. ¡°Sally, what...¡± Sally put a hand over her heart and fell to her knees. ¡°Sally?¡± Ren asked and knelt in front of her. ¡°You...¡± Sally gasped. ¡°I... lo...¡± She grasped his hand. ¡°You... are... my...¡± She squeezed his hand. ¡°Master... Tailor.¡± She said, then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed to the floor in a heap. I guess her heart couldn''t take the excitement. Ren thought as he got the popup for the Master Tailor title, and it pushed everything he''d learned from her up those last couple of levels to Master. Nice. He thought. ¡°Thank you so much, Sally.¡± He said, and looted her body. Thanks to his title, he received a Master Tailor Sewing Needle that let him do free repairs to clothing and the deed to Sally''s Shop. The deed included the surrounding lot, the warehouse out back, and the attached apartment. He was surprised when he found a few platinum coins as well.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Wow, platinum coins! Ren thought in amazement, then received another popup telling him that he was the new business owner, and could change the name of the shop. Ren declined, because he knew he would lose a lot of customers if he did. A little key appeared around his neck, and he closed the shop up for the day. Ren walked down the street, wearing new clothes, and quite happy with the way things had turned out so far. I wonder if there are any other older ladies running things around here? He asked himself and searched. The only other old person he found was the old man alchemist, and Ren went into the shop. ¡°Hello, sir. I''m looking for work.¡± Ren said. His affinity with the Artesian NPCs was quite high, thanks to all the time he had spent with Sally, and the old man was more than happy to let Ren work for him on the side. For the next month real time, Ren hunted and gathered herbs and ingredients during the nights, and made clothing for customers during the day. With the pause quest feature, he could leave any difficult tasks for when he had more time, and he enjoyed milking the customers sympathy over Sally''s death, just as much as he milked the nurse''s sympathy in real life over his own predicament. Ren learned as much as he could from the old man alchemist over the next 3 months, more than he ever could have discovered on his own, and built a large stockpile of potion ingredients that anyone would envy... if he ever told them about it. He could make Health potions, Mana potions, Poisons, Antidotes, Acids, Tonics, Vials, Elixirs, and everything else that any alchemist worth his weight could do; including both offensive and defensive potions. It was unfortunate that Ren couldn''t convince the old man into giving up the business so that he could get a lock on the market himself. He left the old man''s shop both wiser and richer, however. With his nights now free, he looked along the shops and saw the line of people waiting to get into the blacksmith''s shop. You know, blacksmithing could be a lucrative job if handled properly. Ren thought and joined the line at the end. When he reached the blacksmith, Donan was tired after working all day. ¡°What do you want?¡± Donan asked the kid that stood in front of him. ¡°I''d like a job, sir.¡± Ren said in as innocent a voice as he could muster. ¡°Sorry, kid. You don''t look strong enough to wield a hammer, let alone be able to smith properly.¡± ¡°Then show me how to swing a hammer!¡± Ren said enthusiastically. ¡°Let me show you what I can do!¡± Donan looked at the kid and after a few moments, reluctantly nodded. Ren''s affinity with the Artesian Districts NPCs was extremely high at this point, and Donan handed him a hammer and pointed to an anvil. ¡°If you can break this hammer before sunset, I''ll think about teaching you.¡± Donan said, and knew the scrawny little kid would never be able to do it. Ren took the hammer with confidence and struck the anvil with it. The shock and vibrations went up his arm, and he gripped it with his other hand. He''s trying to trick me. Ren thought and looked at the hammer. Okay, let''s do this! He lifted the hammer up high in his right hand and struck the anvil again, and the same thing happened. His arm vibrated, but this time he had taken 2 Durability from the hammer. Yes! Ren thought and kept going. His arm started to go numb with half of the hammer''s durability gone and thought about giving up to try again tomorrow, then he glanced at the blacksmith and saw his smug face. Oh, I''ll show you! Ren struck the anvil again, with anger and hate for the man driving him to strike even harder. He imagined the anvil was the blacksmith''s face, and smiled as he drove the hammer into the metal. ¡°Only... a little... more!¡± Ren said and struck the anvil again. His arm had no feeling left in it, but he held onto the hammer with an iron grip. ¡°I won''t...¡± Clang. ¡°...let you...¡± Clang. ¡°...beat me!¡± With a resounding smash, Ren vented his hatred onto the metal, and the hammer shattered into tiny pieces.
Notice!
You have unlocked new skills: Iron Grip Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Shock Absorption Level 1 (Beginner 0%)
Ren did two more of the blacksmith''s tests over the next two nights and let his anger help him cope with the nearly impossible tasks. During one of the tests he met the enchanter Issac, and thought he would be a great target for manipulation. Ren passed the trials, much to the blacksmith''s astonishment, was quickly named his apprentice, and Ren learned the Repair skill. For the next 6 months, Ren learned everything he could from Donan. How to properly smelt, how to forge, how to cast, how to use the Repair skill properly, and how to form metal into any shape that he needed. It was then that he learned how to make everything that a blacksmith would ever need to know. With the money he made during the day running Sally''s Shop, Ren could easily afford to buy the ore from the mines to keep his forging lessons going. He worked tirelessly day and night and slept when he could, and Issac had come by several times to enchant the things he and Donan made. Ren asked Issac if he could teach him how to do that, so he could make better weapons and armor, and Issac agreed because Ren''s affinity with the Artesian NPCs was so high that no one could refuse him such a simple request. ¡°Come to me on your days off, and I''ll see about giving you a proper education.¡± Issac said. Ren nodded and Issac left the blacksmith''s shop just as a messenger arrived with a letter, and Donan opened it. ¡°It seems there''s a quest for the city that needs a blacksmith.¡± Donan said and held up the letter. ¡°How would you like to do it?¡± Ren looked at the letter and thought about it. ¡°Well, I haven''t done a real quest in a long time.¡± He said. ¡°I guess I should.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Donan said and slapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°You''re reluctant to leave the forge.¡± He smiled. ¡°Good, good!¡± ¡°Well...¡± Donan handed him the letter. ¡°You''ve got the Repair ability mastered now. Go ahead and show them what a real blacksmith is made of.¡± Ren nodded and left the shop to go to the mansion in the center of town. Ren looked at the opulent building and wanted it. He wasn''t sure how he was going to ever get one like it; but nevertheless, he put the thought in the back of his mind that he would either build or buy one just like it someday. He went to the door and was taken inside to meet the Lord of Aurora, Eric. They had a brief meeting where Ren repaired an ornamental sword, and knew whoever had made it hadn''t done a proper job of it. He discovered the plans for it and smiled. When he got back from the quest, he''d make a much better version of it. ¡°You have three days to prepare.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°Be ready.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren said, bowed slightly, and left the mansion. Now that he had three free days, he took Issac up on his offer. ¡°No, no.¡± Issac said and wrote out what books Ren needed. ¡°Read these first and then come back to see me.¡± He said. ¡°Ignorance won''t help you with enchanting.¡± Ren took the note and left Issac''s shop. You could have told me that before and saved me the embarrassment, you idiot! He fumed in his head and went to the Library. Ren walked inside and looked around. Whoa! Look at all these books! He thought. I bet there''s lots of things in them that I could learn! ¡°Like what you see, do you?¡± A female voice asked. Ren turned and looked at the young woman that sat behind the reception desk. ¡°I like it very much.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°Hi, there. I''m Ren, an elfling.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren. I''m Rosie.¡± ¡°That''s a pretty name.¡± Ren said. ¡°It matches you perfectly.¡± Rosie giggled. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°What can I do for you, cutie?¡± ¡°I can think of a few things.¡± Ren said, and he saw her face flush a little red. ¡°For now, I wonder if I could get a loan of these books.¡± He said and handed her Issac''s note. ¡°I normally would have to get the head Librarian in to issue a Library card.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I think I can skip that with Issac''s recommendation.¡± She smiled at him ¡°Why don''t you have a seat over there, and I''ll have these brought to you right away.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren said and walked over to the closest desk and sat down to wait. He kept glancing over at her, and made eye contact with her several times. With his great hearing, he could hear her giggle each time. Ren saw a worker come over to her with the 4 books from Issac''s note, and she came over to his table with them and his Library card. Ren thanked her and read through the books quickly. They were only short, and when Ren finished with the first one, he gained the Speed Reading ability and read the others much faster. He learned about the element the books were based on, then gained both a little bit of affinity and resistance to them. Now that he knew what these kinds of books could do for him, he went back to the reception desk with as big of a smile as he could muster, and returned the just borrowed books. ¡°Rosie, are there any other books like these?¡± ¡°Of course there are.¡± Rosie said. ¡°Would you like to see them?¡± ¡°I really would.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would that be okay?¡± ¡°Well... they''re a little above your level...¡± ¡°Is there... ah... a place in the back... where you could show them to me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Privately?¡± Rosie looked around and gave a little wave to someone. ¡°Come with me.¡± She said to Ren and came out from behind the desk when her replacement arrived to take over the reception desk. Rosie was about the same height as Ren, and he followed her without looking at anything else except her backside as she walked. Rosie opened the door to the side hallway, and motioned for Ren to go through. He did so, and she shut the door behind him. She pointed to the third door on the left. ¡°I''ll be right in with the books you want to see.¡± Rosie said. Ren put a hand on her arm and spoke in a slightly deeper voice. ¡°Thank you, Rosie.¡± ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± Rosie said and smiled sweetly at him, then made shooing motions with her fingers. Ren went into the side room and saw it had 4 chairs and a table. Rosie came in a few minutes later with 5 more books, and they had elements he hadn''t heard of being in a game before. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and looked at the covers of the books. ¡°Rosie, I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°Say, ''I like you Rosie''.¡± Rosie said, and her face flushed red. Why did I tell him that? Ren put the books on the table and stepped close to her. They locked eyes, and Ren leaned in close. ¡°I like you, Rosie.¡± Ren said in a deep voice, then pressed his lips to hers. Rosie shivered slightly, and Ren wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back, and they made out like that for several minutes. Rosie suddenly broke the kiss and leaned back; but, she kept her arms around him. ¡°I... I have to go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do I do with the books when...¡± ¡°Just leave them here on the table.¡± Rosie said. ¡°The workers check for books in the rooms when they''re empty.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thank you, Rosie.¡± He said. ¡°You don''t know how much this means to me.¡± ¡°I hope it means enough that you''ll come back to see me again.¡± Rosie said and her face burned a deep red. ¡°Wild horses couldn''t keep me away.¡± Ren said and gave her a quick kiss. Especially not from this treasure trove of knowledge! He let her out of the embrace and gently stroked her face. ¡°See you soon, Rosie.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Rosie said and left the room. Ren sat down immediately to read the books. He read through them quickly, and learned about 5 more elements and gained extra affinity and resistances for them, then a special bonus of resistances for learning about all 9 elements at once. So, learning a set of knowledge gives you extra bonuses. Ren thought. Good to know. He thought about reading through them again, but he really didn''t want to waste any more time. He left the room and the hallway, gave a little wave to Rosie before he left the Library, then he went back to Issac''s Shop and told him he had read about all 9 of the elements. Issac was so surprised Ren would go so far above what was asked of him, that he didn''t hesitate to teach Ren about runes, glyphs, and enchanting; which imbued objects with elemental magical power. Issac gave him a small book of the starter runes and told him he would have to find other runes on his own. Ren enchanted a simple copper ring with Lightning, and Issac stopped him when he tried to pick it up. ¡°Whoa, there.¡± Issac said. ¡°If you put that on, you''ll shock yourself with Lightning. You would eventually die when it wore all of your Health away.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said, and remembered to keep that idea for later. Something like that could always be useful. He thought. ¡°Try using Earth instead.¡± Ren did so and the ring granted a +2 to his armor value, which was kind of useless since he wasn''t wearing his armor at the moment. But I can equip armor whenever I want. He thought and smiled as he put the ring on. ¡°It worked!¡± Issac nodded. ¡°You''re now on the road to becoming a great enchanter.¡± He said. ¡°I have no problem declaring you my novice.¡± Ren dismissed the popup about getting bonuses for being in Issac''s shop while he enchanted, since he was probably never going to be back in the shop anyways. Issac himself had said that Ren had to discover the runes himself, and he wasn''t going to find any if Issac guarded them as well as he said enchanters do. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Ren said and gave Issac a hug. ¡°Hey! Um, okay. Get along now! Go out there and see what you can do.¡± ¡°I will!¡± Ren said and ran from the shop. He shivered in disgust at the feeling of Issac''s body when he had to hug him; but, he did it to keep up appearances. He made it a habit to hug everyone that helped him significantly, and he would keep doing it. It always pays to be nice. Ren thought and went back to Sally''s Shop. I''ve got two days to grind my enchanting. He smiled. Let''s see how high I can get it before the quest starts. It turned out he could get it pretty high, actually. Ren had taken out one of the many swords he had in inventory, and had enchanted it continuously. First with Earth runes, then he hit Beginner Level 5 and could do glyphs with 2 runes combined. It used more Mana, but that was pretty high because of the Wisdom and Intelligence bonuses he''d gained while he worked for the old man alchemist and created potions and Elixirs for himself to boost them. Ren had several slots filled with Full Health and Full Mana potions, and when he ran out of Mana, he drank a potion and kept going. After almost 48 game hours straight of enchanting, with a brief break to log out and eat and use the bathroom, Ren had his Enchanting skill up to Intermediate Level 1, which gave him 2 glyphs of 3 runes each. They are going to be so surprised. Ren thought, and left the shop. I can''t wait to show them what I can do! Chapter 002 - Alternate Aurora Quest Part One Ren showed up at the required time to attend to the quest, and found the other contest winners were waiting for him. ¡°Well, if it isn''t the little pipsqueak.¡± Tristan said. ¡°I hope you''re not planning on actually fighting!¡± ¡°I don''t have to fight when I have cannon fodder like you to stand in front of me.¡± Ren said, and the others laughed. Tristan turned on them. ¡°Hey, I thought we agreed to keep him separate from us.¡± ¡°No, you agreed to that.¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages said. ¡°We just didn''t want to argue with you over it.¡± Tristan frowned at her. ¡°Listen, you...¡± ¡°No, you listen!¡± Ren said and pointed a finger at him to get his attention. ¡°Despite what you may think, this is a game quest for all of us, not just for you.¡± He said. ¡°Either you suck it up and play nice like the rest of us, or you can just trot off to the side over there and wait for us to come back with your share of the loot.¡± The other contest winners nodded their heads, and Tristan glared at Ren. ¡°I''ll remember this.¡± Tristan said through gritted teeth. ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hate it when I have to repeat myself.¡± Selene, the Mistress of Dance snorted a laugh, and Ren winked at her. Tristan huffed and sat down, and Ren sat at the other end of the 5 chairs. Sanctimonious ass. Ren thought. If he was better at hiding how he felt, like I am, he could use his class for a much bigger advantage than he is. Ren looked down the row of seats at the other three players. The two girls smiled at him, and the other guy avoided his gaze, even though he sat right beside Ren. Lord Eric gave a long speech about honor and valor, about helping your fellow man, and a bunch of other stuff Ren wasn''t really paying attention to. What he was actually doing was examining what everyone wore. He got the plans for all of their clothing and the gear that they wore externally. He couldn''t see any weapons on Lara, the Sage of Ages, or on Talon, the Shadow Weaver. He wondered if they just had them stored, and then wondered what they were. Tristan wore his sword openly in a scabbard on his hip, and it looked awkward as hell to move around with. Selene on the other hand, wore a pair of blades on her back. It made sitting down difficult and probably uncomfortable; but, the ease of access for drawing them was unprecedented. Depending on her Dexterity and Agility, she could probably draw them from there faster than she could pull them from her inventory. Ren thought. ¡°Now our 5 chosen heroic leaders will pick their teams of 10, and they''ll head into the bowels of the darkness to fight the evil that threatens us all!¡± Lord Eric said loudly, and it pulled Ren from his thoughts. The 5 contest winners stood up at the same time, and went through the 300 or so players that had shown up to join them in the special game quest. They were canvassed to see who had what abilities, what their levels were, and what they could do to keep the soldiers alive. Unlike the others, Ren wasn''t looking for high levels or powerful characters. What he needed was someone to specifically help him maintain his facade of helping others while benefiting from it himself. Tristan could learn a thing or two from me. Ren thought as he talked to a cowboy. A genuine cowboy from an actual ranch. ¡°Ah don'' see how signin'' up witcha helps me at ahl.¡± Clint said. ¡°Well...¡± Ren leaned in conspiratorially. ¡°...I can enchant those bow bracers with extra element damage.¡± ¡°How much extra?¡± Clint asked, wary of being suckered into a weak deal. ¡°Depending on what you''re shooting at, anywhere from 8 to 12 damage.¡± Ren said. ¡°More, if it''s vulnerable to that element.¡± ¡°Yer kiddin!¡± Clint said. ¡°Tha''s the same as mah normal damage per bolt!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°So, is it a deal?¡± ¡°Ah dunno.¡± Clint said, pretty sure he would take the deal anyway; but, he wanted to see if he could get a little more out of it than just enchantments. ¡°What ah really want is a better pair of these.¡± He said and lifted the bow bracers. ¡°May I?¡± Ren asked, and Clint unhooked one and handed it to him. Ren checked it over and moved all the parts to see how it worked, and received the plans for it. ¡°Hm. Well, it seems they''re a special class weapon for you.¡± ¡°Tha''s righ''.¡± Clint said. ¡°I''m not surprised there''s no place around that sells them.¡± Clint laughed. ¡°Ah looked high ''n low, and nevah saw a sign of anythin'' like ''em.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I don''t have the skills to make certain parts of them.¡± He admitted reluctantly. ¡°But, once I do get the skills, I can make a better set.¡± ¡°Then ah don''t mind yer leeching mah XP, if''n ya can git me a better set o'' these sometime in tha future.¡± Clint said and held a hand out. Ren chuckled at his honesty and shook the offered hand, then he gained the Haggle skill. Ren received a friend request from Clint soon after. Well look at that. Ren thought. I gained more than I thought already. He enchanted Clint''s bow bracers with glyphs made of 3 Fire runes, then went around to the stragglers and odd people that the other contest winners avoided, and chose the other 9 people for his squad. Ren had warned them they might not see a lot of action, since he was part of the support crew for the soldiers; but, a few of them were relieved to hear that and signed on right away because of it. He wasn''t surprised when he received a popup after 5 deals were made.
Stat Change!
Haggle Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Ren made the other 4 deals, enchanted the things his team members wanted enchanted, then went over to stand with the other players when they were called to gather together. With everyone picked, Lord Eric declared the Aurora Expedition quest was a go, bid everyone good luck, and the players joined the soldiers on a trek out of the city towards the hills. Their destination was a cave that was rumored to have had nasty things come out of it, and they had caused a lot of mayhem in the surrounding countryside. Along the way, Ren enchanted the soldiers armor and shields with Earth runes, and gave them bonuses to their Defense. He used a couple of his Full Mana potions to keep his Mana bar full while he kept enchanting, and added 8 to 12 elemental damage to all of their weapons as well. He had even leveled up Enchanting 2 more levels. By the time they had arrived at the cave entrance, all of the soldiers had something enchanted, even the Captain of the Guard. ¡°I doubted you would be a benefit to the expedition.¡± The Captain said, then let a small smile escape through his mean look. ¡°I''m glad I was wrong.¡± Of course you were wrong, you fool. Ren thought and smiled. I can repair your armor, weapons, and clothing for free, with no loss of quality or durability! ¡°We''re camping for the night!¡± The Captain said to the soldiers, and the players groaned. ¡°Why can''t we go in right now?¡± One of the players asked. ¡°The cave is right there!¡± ¡°Because that would be stupid.¡± The Captain said. ¡°We need a rest after a long march, and you need to be wary about going into a dark cave at night!¡± Several of the soldiers and players laughed. ¡°Now, hit the sack! We move out at first light!¡± The Captain said and walked over to the other support crew to supervise the building of the tents for his soldiers. ¡°I better log out until then.¡± Ren said to his team. ¡°See you later.¡± * Ren logged out and ate a meal, used the bathroom, and hugged his nurse. Out of all of them, Lucy is the nicest and the one I like the most. He thought as he rested his head on her chest. He was tempted to slip his hand down a little to touch her behind and say it was an accident; but, he didn''t want to give his dirty thoughts about her away. She''d probably never forgive me if I mauled her like that. ¡°You really like hugs, don''t you?¡± Lucy asked him, and Ren moved his head off her chest and looked up at her. ¡°Especially yours.¡± Ren said and beamed a smile at her. Lucy''s heart went pitter-patter at how cute and innocent Ren was, and she ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I like your hugs, too.¡± Lucy said, and moved her hands down to take his hands. She slid them apart slightly, then moved his hands past her hips. Ren''s eyes widened as his hands were moved down the sides of her pants, and his fingers grazed across the thing he had just thought about grabbing himself. It was the most pleasant way to find out that she didn''t have anything in her back pockets. ¡°L-Lucy?¡± ¡°You''re so cute.¡± Lucy whispered, then she gave in a little bit to her desire and let his hands go. Ren took the cue and very gently, but firmly, grabbed her behind with both hands. Lucy caught her breath at the strength in his hands, and she sighed as he moved his hands back up to her back and gave her a tight hug. ¡°Lucy, I... I''ve wanted...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lucy said, and ran a hand through his hair again. ¡°You''ve wanted to do that for a long time.¡± Ren nodded into her chest. ¡°You''re so beautiful... and... and I...¡± ¡°You better get back into bed and log in.¡± Lucy said. ¡°You''ve got a long quest ahead of you.¡± Ren nodded again, and let her out of the hug. He climbed back into bed, put on the VR headset, and logged back in. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lucy said as she watched Ren''s inert form on the bed. ¡°I really shouldn''t tease you like that.¡± She sighed. ¡°I''m your nurse. We can''t... I mean... I can''t take advantage of you.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ren was unconscious and didn''t respond; but if he could, he would have vehemently told her that he would like nothing better than for her to do just that. * Ren woke up long before the expedition was to go into the cave, and he was surprised to see a large gathering of players in front of him. ¡°We overheard your team talking.¡± One of the players said. ¡°Is it true that you can repair things without damaging them?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I can also enchant them.¡± ¡°Could you do the same for us?¡± One of them asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was a perk I gave the people that signed on with me. It wouldn''t be fair if I did the same thing for everyone.¡± A low groan went through the crowd, and Ren smiled mentally. He could see that a few of them would probably beg him to do it once their gear''s Durability dropped below a certain amount. ¡°Well... on the other hand...¡± Ren started to say, and everyone looked at him with hope in their eyes. ¡°I can''t in good conscience let players charged with protecting the soldiers, lose their gear because it''s damaged or broken.¡± Several of the players did a quick high-five, and a few could be heard sighing in relief. ¡°I won''t do it for free, though.¡± Ren said, and the players looked at him like he was going to fleece them for all of their coins, and he chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry everyone; I don''t want money.¡± ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°All of your junk drops.¡± Ren said. ¡°You want our junk?¡± One of the players asked. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°Only a little.¡± Ren said, and a few people laughed. ¡°I need crafting materials, so I can practice my skills.¡± He explained. ¡°With all of you working at gathering everything you can find anyways, just give me the garbage stuff that you don''t want, and I''ll repair your damaged items.¡± ¡°I want proof.¡± One of the players said. ¡°Can you really fix our stuff without damaging it, or are you just playing us?¡± Ren looked at the faces of the players, and saw a few of them thought the same thing. He stood up and looked through the players to find the one with the most worn out and ragged clothing. Surprisingly, it was one of the main fighters. He had shining new armor and a gleaming weapon, but the rest of him looked like a peasant playing hero. ¡°I assume you sunk all your money into the new armor and sword?¡± Ren asked him, and he nodded. ¡°Store your armor, please.¡± The fighter looked at the other players, then sighed and stored his armor without comment. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and took out his Master Tailor Sewing Needle he''d gotten from Sally when she passed away, and used his Repair skill. The fighter''s clothes reformed into their original state and Durability in a few seconds. ¡°Wow.¡± One of the players said. ¡°His clothes look brand new.¡± Ren pointed to another player than had slightly old and beaten armor. ¡°You next.¡± He said, and took out his blacksmith''s hammer and used Repair again. The armor regained it''s original color, smoothness, and Durability. One of the other players held up an old bent sword. ¡°Do this one!¡± ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Ren asked as he took it. ¡°I found it jammed in a doorway inside an old Keep.¡± The player said. ¡°For some reason, I couldn''t bring myself to throw it away.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll see what I can do; but, no promises.¡± ¡°Hey, I just wanna see if you can repair it.¡± The player said, and several people laughed. ¡°Yeah! Me, too.¡± One of the girls said. ¡°Show us, Ren!¡± Ren nodded and examined the blade.
Damaged Sword
This sword is so damaged, no info can be gained from it''s examination.
Neat. Ren thought and concentrated on the blade. He held his blacksmith hammer in his hand and funnelled Mana into it. He always had an easier time repairing older things if he charged the hammer beforehand. ¡°Repair!¡± Ren said as he touched the blade with his blacksmith hammer. The broken sword was engulfed in a bright golden glow, and players had to turn away from the brightness. When the glow died down 30 seconds later, they gasped when they looked back at it. Ren was just as surprised when he examined it with Identify.
Ancient Sword of Cleaving
This sword has a special enchantment that allows it to cleave through even the toughest opponents. When an attack is made with this weapon, a second backhand strike can be performed for free, with no cost to Stamina. This sword grants: Free Strike (Temporary Skill), +20 Damage
Ren gained the plans for it and handed the now very useful weapon back to the player that had given it to him. ¡°Good god.¡± The player said when he equipped it. ¡°Ren, thank you so much!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, quite happy that he could reproduce the weapon as many times as he wanted, and it only cost him a tenth of his Mana to repair it and get the plans. ¡°Well, I''m sold!¡± The player said. ¡°Ren, if you''ll fix my things, I''ll give you everything that I pick up and don''t want.¡± Ren shook the player''s hand, and then all the other players shook his hand, too. Except for Tristan who wasn''t there.
Stat Change!
Haggle Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
All the players went back to their chosen spots to wait for the call to enter the cave, and Ren sat back down. ¡°Tha'' was some negotiatin'' ya did there.¡± Clint said. Ren nodded. ¡°It was the only way to show them that it was worth it to make the deal.¡± He said. ¡°If I''d just said ''trust me'', they''d have laughed in my face.¡± Cling snorted a laugh. ¡°Hell, I''d have laughed in yer face!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a good thing I already suckered you in then, huh?¡± Clint nodded and pat Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Ah''ll give ya my junk drops if''n ah get any.¡± ¡°We all will.¡± One of the healers said. ¡°It''s not likely, but we don''t know what this cavern is going to be like.¡± ¡°Just make sure you stick close together.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mutual support is going to get us through this.¡± ¡°You got it, man.¡± Another player said. ¡°We''re gonna stick to you like glue!¡± It was Ren''s turn to snort a laugh. ¡°I''m sure you''re a nice guy and all, but I don''t think I want you quite that close to me.¡± Everyone laughed at that, and Tommy introduced himself. Ren greeted him, and then his team sat quietly to wait for the Captain of the Guard''s orders. The order to assemble came less than 10 minutes later, and they all gathered together and chose the teams for the front, flanks, and rear of the soldier''s formation. Ren and his squad were at the rear of course, so they would be the most protected. ¡°It looks like you were right, Ren.¡± Tommy said. ¡°We''re not going to see a lot of action.¡± ¡°Not at first.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I''ve played a lot of games. Once we''re inside and the creatures start spawning...¡± ¡°Ahl bets ''er off!¡± Clint said excitedly, and Ren nodded. The entire expedition moved into the cavern and received a popup that said they were the first to enter the forbidden cave, and the first monster killed would provide the biggest boon to the one that slayed it. The other players immediately abandoned their posts and rushed further into the cave, and the soldiers hunkered down while the Captain of the Guard tried to corral the errant players. ¡°How stupid are they?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They''re supposed to protect the soldiers!¡± ¡°We''ll spread out a bit.¡± Tommy said and knocked an arrow on his bow. ¡°We can give the soldiers a little coverage.¡± Ren nodded and took a step to the right, fully prepared to use a Health or Mana potion if needed. He deeply regretted that his class couldn''t use standard weapons; but he did have access to some of the nastiest potions available in the starter city. He took out a Poison and an Acid potion and held them at the ready. He turned around to see if anything was coming up from behind them, and heard a crunching sound.
Congratulations!
You have killed the first monster in the forbidden cavern.
¡°What the?¡± Ren asked as he looked down and saw a very squished beetle under his boot. ¡°Is that... no, it can''t...¡± He knelt and looted the body. It dissolved and left a ring in it''s place. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± ¡°Wha'' is it?¡± Clint asked and came over to see what Ren was looking at. ¡°It''s a ring.¡± Ren said as he picked up the ring and identified it. He''d been using Identify for months now, each and every time he made an article of clothing or a weapon at the blacksmiths, and it was at the master level.
Beetle Crown (Ring)
This crown possesses the trapped soul of the Beetle Prince, Teepo. It can be worn like a ring, and you may communicate with the spirit inside of it.
Is that even possible? Ren thought. Well, I guess there''s only one way to find out. He examined the ring to get the plans for it, and was surprised at the recipe.
Beetle Crown (Ring) Recipe
Ingredients: One High Quality Item Soul Bind (Spell) Fresh Corpse
Once you acquire the Fresh Corpse, killed within your Aura within the last 5 minutes (by either you or someone else), you must touch the High Quality Item to the Fresh Corpse and cast the spell, Soul Bind. Depending on the Health of the subject (before death), it can take anywhere from 10 seconds to 10 minutes for the soul to be transferred from the body into the High Quality Item. Once complete, the soul can take Astral Form when summoned, and is essentially Immortal. Warning: If the Soul-Bound High Quality Item is ever altered or destroyed, the soul is set free from it''s container to continue on it''s way. Since it has no body, it will expire as it should have when the original body died.
Show info for Soul Bind. Ren thought.
Notice!
You do not know the Void (Arcane) spell, Soul Bind (Level 5 - Master)
That''s very interesting. Ren thought as he slipped the ring onto his index finger and concentrated on it. Hello? Ring spirit? Teepo? Are you there? ¡°Huh... wha...what? Who''s that?¡± I''m Ren. Ren thought. This is really weird. ¡°You''re telling me!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Where my uncle?¡± He''s... well, I don''t know how to tell you this, but... I squished him. ¡°You WHAT?¡± I''m sorry. Ren thought. It''s dark in this cave and I didn''t see him. ¡°You stepped on him?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°He''s dead?¡± Yes. Ren said. I looted his body and found the ring. ¡°YAAAAYYYYY!¡± Teepo yelled, and Ren stopped himself from grabbing the sides of his head. Ow, that hurt. ¡°Sorry!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m just really glad he''s dead!¡± I got that. Ren thought with annoyance, then he realized that he could feel the spirit''s feelings. Hey, I can... ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re wearing the crown, so... we can feel what the other feels.¡± How? Ren thought. You don''t have a body! Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Just say, ''Summon Teepo'' when no one is around, and I''ll appear.¡± When no one''s around? Ren asked. ¡°People will think you''re crazy if you start talking out loud to an invisible beetle.¡± Ren chuckled. Good point. ¡°Wha''s so funny?¡± Clint asked. ¡°I just got the best boon for killing the first monster in the cavern.¡± Ren said, and the soldiers and his team stared at him. ¡°You WHA''?!?¡± Clint exclaimed, and Ren laughed. Word spread quickly that Ren had gotten the first kill, and nearly everyone had congratulated him. They were disappointed when he said he didn''t know what the ring did, but Ren agreed with Teepo. Keeping him a secret was going to be essential if Teepo was going to be useful in the future. Over the next game day, they traversed a good portion of the cavern and met several groups of creatures. Giant Bats and Giant Spiders were the normal fare for the players to fight, and they kept the soldiers at bay. At the end of the day when the soldiers camped, the players visited Ren and he took their junk loot in exchange for repairs and enchantments. Ren received spider fangs covered in weak poison, poison glands, bundles of spider webbing, and even giant bat wings. The poison glands and fangs were pretty much useless to him for what they were; but thanks to his alchemy mastery, he could use them as substitutions in other more powerful potions, vials and tonics. He didn''t get any real treasure until the next day. The creatures that the players and soldiers encountered as they went deeper into the caverns were goblins. Lots and lots of goblins. The group was constantly attacked, and Ren and his team had their work cut out for them while they protected the soldiers from the rear. Ren had to constantly repair both the weapons and armor of players and soldiers alike as the day progressed, and he didn''t even look at the things people gave him in exchange. They made it to a nice clearing where they could set up a good base camp, and the player teams kept going out to fight, then came back to rest and get repairs. With the constant enchanting Ren was doing, he leveled up his skill several times and got it up to Advanced. That gave him 3 glyphs of 4 runes each, and once he''d enchanted his team''s items, word spread quickly that he had achieved such a rare height so soon. Everyone came to him to have their enchantments upgraded, and since they had already given him their junk drops not long before, several of them gave him the things they picked up that weren''t quite junk. Ren was more than happy to accept these items, and kept his Mana up by absorbing the old enchantments. It still cost Mana; but every time he leveled the absorb skill up, he recovered more and more Mana and it cost less and less to enchant. By the end of the day, he was exhausted from all the work and his inventory was almost full. He looked at how much space all the individual items took up and had an idea. Ren used his Bag Craft skill to make a huge sack, and dumped a pile of spider silk web bundles into it. He got about 30 of them in it, then stored it. He made another one and filled it with another 30 bundles and stored it, and was happy that it went into the same slot as the first huge sack. He laughed and kept working, despite being so tired. He let his enthusiasm over finding a loophole in the storage system give him energy, and he cleared out nearly half of his inventory of individual items and funnelled them into only a few slots. When he was done, he took out his bedroll and got in it. ¡°Pause Quest.¡± Ren said and relaxed. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 003 - Alternate 18th Birthday Ren slipped off the VR headset and was greeted with a huge surprise. ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± All the nurses gathered said. They were tempted to yell, but they didn''t want to disturb the other patients. ¡°You... you... remembered.¡± Ren stammered, and brought a tear to his eye. He''d been practising doing that for a long time, and it worked like a charm. The nurses took turns giving him a hug and wiping off his face, and Ren could tell which of them enjoyed the hug as much as he did. He wasn''t surprised that one of them was Denise, since he was pretty sure she had a crush on him. He''d seen her watching him a bit more closely than the other nurses when she took a turn taking care of him. What had surprised Ren was that Lucy wasn''t wearing a bra, and he very distinctly felt exactly how excited she was. He was also glad she''d waited until last to hug him, and he had a chance to adjust the blanket so that his response wasn''t so obvious. Lucy had noticed his movements and helped him fluff up the blanket; then she smiled at him. ¡°Should we do presents or cake first?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Definitely cake!¡± Ren said, and everyone laughed. ¡°Well... it''s your birthday.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Cake it is.¡± ¡°YES!¡± Ren yelled and everyone laughed again. He got the first piece and he took his time with it. He wasn''t allowed to eat cake normally, so he wanted to savour it as much as he could. They''re doing the same thing that my parents did. Ren thought angrily, but he didn''t let the thought show. They wouldn''t let me eat anything like this, either. Ren was given a small glass of soda pop and he sipped it slowly. Everyone talked and mingled in the hospital room for about 20 minutes, and after the cake and pop was served and everyone had eaten a piece, it was time for presents. The presents were mostly just little knick-knacks, since Ren didn''t have a lot of room for personal things in the hospital room. He thanked the gift-givers as if their tokens of attention meant the world to him, and then Lucy passed him her gift. Ren looked at her as he took it, and she smiled sweetly at him. He unwrapped the 10 inch long box and gasped. ¡°Lucy! You... oh, my god.¡± Ren said and took out a very stylish watch that had the face split into 4 sections, so he could tell when it was day and night in the game. ¡°Lucy...¡± He said, and this time the tears that rolled down his face were real. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lucy said and sat on the edge of the bed to take him into a hug. He put the watch down and wrapped his arms around her neck. ¡°You... you shouldn''t have.¡± Ren said. Lucy didn''t suspect that he knew all about her tight financial situation, and she assumed he was crying over getting the gift; but, it was actually over how expensive it must have been and that she would put herself into more dire straights for him like that. ¡°I think we''ll call this an end to the party.¡± Barbara said and smiled. Ren let Lucy go and looked at everyone. ¡°Thank you all very much.¡± Ren said. ¡°Especially you, Barbara.¡± He said. ¡°This was a great party.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Barbara said and helped get everyone else out of the room to leave Ren and Lucy alone. ¡°Let''s get you changed and ready for physical therapy.¡± Lucy said, and Ren groaned. ¡°Can''t I just skip it today?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Come on, it''s my birthday!¡± Lucy chuckled. ¡°I knew you''d make that argument.¡± She said. ¡°How about you take a shower and we head out to the mall for a while?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, and hoped beyond hope that she wasn''t teasing him. ¡°I already cancelled your therapy.¡± Lucy said. ¡°So get out of bed and get your butt in the bathroom.¡± ¡°Oh, Lucy!¡± Ren said and slid out of bed. ¡°I''d give you another hug, but I''ve already tortured you with the sweat I''ve gathered all night.¡± ¡°I think I can stand a little more sweat.¡± Lucy said and hugged him, then let him go quickly. ¡°The smell has to go, though!¡± She said and waved a hand in front of her face theatrically. ¡°My eyes are watering!¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°It''s not that bad.¡± He said and walked into the bathroom, and Lucy stood by the door in case he needed her help. Ren took a quick shower, got dressed and put on the watch she had given him, then Lucy pushed him and his wheelchair to the front desk. He was required to stay in the chair when he left the hospital, so he wouldn''t potentially fall and hurt himself. Lucy went to get changed while Ren signed out for the day, and when she came back wearing a t-shirt and tight jeans, they took a taxi to the mall. He always enjoyed this time with Lucy, because she never treated him like he was special, or needed extra care. She knew exactly what he was capable of, and didn''t baby him when he didn''t want her to. Lucy pushed his wheelchair and they browsed the shop windows; then they fantasized about all the different things they could do with the things they saw. Skiing in the mountains, swimming in the ocean, visiting Paris to watch fashion shows, and anything else that tickled their fancy. They eventually made it to the food court and had big servings of gravy fries. They weren''t the best, and his diet would be restricted even more for the next few days to make up for it; but, he didn''t care. He was with Lucy and eating forbidden food. Life was good. One guy tried to interrupt their date, and Lucy told him to buzz off. The guy was persistent until Ren told him to buzz off, too. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± The guy asked. ¡°Roll over my foot with your chair?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I can do is yell for help from a nasty man trying to take advantage of me.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The guy looked at Ren with surprise on his face. ¡°Who do you think they''ll believe? You, with your dirty clothes and awful smell; or me, freshly showered, well-dressed, and in a wheelchair.¡± Ren said and made a really sad face. ¡°Yes, Mr. Officer, sir. He... he touched me... right... right in my special place.¡± The guy''s face drained of all it''s color, and he didn''t know what to say. ¡°Get lost, and don''t bother us anymore.¡± Ren said. The guy glanced at Lucy and saw a huge grin on her face, shook his head and walked away. They heard him mumble about weird kids and about the crazy things they said these days. When it looked like he was far enough away, Lucy started laughing and leaned over to take Ren into a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lucy said, and kissed his cheek for several seconds. ¡°I always have a hard time getting them to go away.¡± She said, and looked deep into Ren''s eyes. ¡°I think he''s going to leave me alone from... now... on.¡± Ren stared right back at her, and he could almost see the desire there. He let his eyes fill with the same thing, and Lucy took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°Ren...¡± Lucy said. ¡°I... well, I-¡± ¡°Lucy, when that guy touched your arm...¡± Ren interrupted her. ¡°I... I was so mad that he... he had the gall to... to...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I''m...I''m not saying this right.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Lucy asked, her face so close to his that they shared the same air. ¡°I didn''t want him to touch you.¡± Ren said. ¡°He shouldn''t touch you without your permission.¡± He said. ¡°But, he did make me realize something.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Lucy whispered, almost directly into Ren''s mouth. He smells so nice. She thought as Ren reached up to caress her face. ¡°Lucy, I... I love you.¡± Ren admitted to her. Lucy caught her breath and it moved her face that infinitesimal distance that had been between their lips, and they kissed. They both felt a thrill go through their bodies at the intimate contact. It was their first kiss. They both knew it was also a forbidden kiss; and that sent another thrill through them. Ren moved his lips a little and tilted his head slightly, because he thought if he broke the kiss now, he probably wouldn''t get another chance as good as this one. Lucy felt Ren try to encourage her to keep kissing him; but, what he didn''t know was that she didn''t need the encouragement and wanted to kiss him. It had started only a month or so ago when she started to see him as a male and not as a patient. It had only been for a brief moment, when she had watched him work so hard in the game at the blacksmith shop, using fire to forge metal into different shapes, and had looked at him and wondered what he would be like if he hadn''t been experimented on from such a young age. She wondered how tall he would be, how muscular, and how good he would be in bed.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Lucy had frozen in shock at the time, and she squashed the inappropriate thought right away; but, it had started to seep in more and more as Ren''s birthday approached. She''d taken care of him for years, held his hand when he cried in frustration after a particularly bad nightmare, and even bathed him after physical therapy when he worked too hard to stand up in the shower by himself. The lynch pin had been when Ren had kissed Rosie in the back room of the Library. Lucy had felt a strong jealous urge to punch the television, and she''d caught herself before she did. She looked at Ren''s inert form and didn''t know what to do about it. She knew what to do now. Lucy gave in to her desire and kissed him like she had wanted to for weeks, then moaned as Ren mimicked her movements. After a full minute, Lucy let reason and reality come back to the forefront of her mind, and eased down her enthusiasm. Ren felt the change, and knew if he tried to keep going, it would scare her off before they could go any further. He broke the kiss before she could and looked at her slightly red face. ¡°That was the best birthday present I''ve ever gotten.¡± Ren whispered to her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lucy said and her face flushed more red as she leaned back, then let her thoughts go where they shouldn''t normally go. She glanced down to see how much Ren actually liked her kiss and was more than pleasantly surprised. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± Ren didn''t try to cover himself or try to apologize, and Lucy looked at his face. ¡°Ren, you...¡± ¡°It''s all for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I know this body is... well, I''m... look, it''s... god, why can''t... I just want to tell you...¡± ¡°I think we should go.¡± Lucy said and stood up. Ren looked at her face, but it didn''t show him anything, and he nodded. Lucy gathered up the remains of the food and tossed them in the trash, then pushed Ren out of the food court and across the mall. She called a taxi and they waited in silence, and when it arrived, she helped him into the back seat. She folded the chair up and gave it to the taxi driver, then got into the other side of the taxi to sit beside Ren. The taxi left the mall and Lucy and Ren stayed silent, and then he felt her hand take his. Ren looked down at his hand, then at Lucy''s face. She didn''t show anything, but Ren didn''t mind this time and he intertwined his fingers in hers and smiled. The taxi ride passed quickly after that, and when it came to a stop, Ren didn''t recognize where they were. Lucy let his hand go and got out, prepped the wheelchair, and helped Ren get in it. She paid the taxi and it drove away, and left Ren and Lucy on the side of the road. ¡°Lucy?¡± Ren looked at her. Lucy didn''t say anything, and pushed his wheelchair down the driveway to a small house, then she unlocked the door. ¡°Welcome to my home, Ren.¡± Lucy said. ¡°You... you brought me home.¡± Ren said, his voice full of wonder. Lucy''s face changed from the emotionless one she had worn since the mall, to one that had the bright smile he liked so much. ¡°It''s only small, but it''s all mine.¡± Lucy said. Ren stood up and walked past her as he ventured into Lucy''s place. ¡°It''s so nice.¡± He said as Lucy brought in his chair, then she told him to sit. He did, and she took him on a little tour. He commented on everything he saw, and then the tour ended with the last room in the house. The bedroom. ¡°I am so jealous.¡± Ren said without thinking, and he didn''t notice Lucy''s surprise. ¡°All of this is yours, and you can live a normal life.¡± He touched the soft bed. ¡°You even get to sleep in a real bed every night, and all I have is a hard hospital mattress.¡± He sighed. ¡°I don''t know if... if I''ll ever get to sleep in a real bed.¡± Lucy put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I think we can change that right now.¡± Ren looked up at her. ¡°I said that out loud, didn''t I?¡± Lucy nodded and helped him stand, then had him sit on the bed. She moved the wheelchair out of the way and knelt in front of him. ¡°You can''t very well sleep with your clothes on.¡± Lucy said and started to unbutton his pants. ¡°L-Lucy... I... there''s something... I mean...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Lucy said. ¡°You don''t have to explain anything.¡± ¡°I don''t?¡± Lucy shook her head and pulled his pants down. ¡°I''ve seen it all before.¡± ¡°Not... well, I mean...¡± Lucy smiled and slipped off his shoes, then took off his pants. ¡°Ren, trust me. I know what it looks like.¡± ¡°Lucy!¡± Ren pointed a finger at her. ¡°You peeked on me!¡± Lucy laughed and folded his pants to put on a nearby dresser, then she started to unbutton his shirt. Ren helped, and she folded it up and put it on the pants. Lucy stood up and looked at him in just his underwear, and her mind had fully switched from seeing him as a patient to someone who was almost naked in her bed. She shivered slightly, and Ren saw it. ¡°I... ah... think it''s your turn.¡± Ren said, and Lucy smiled at him. She hooked the bottom of her t-shirt with her thumbs and lifted as she crossed her arms, and the t-shirt slipped up and off in one smooth motion. It left her in just a white bra, and he could see that she was excited. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°You haven''t seen anything yet.¡± Lucy said and started to take off her jeans. ¡°Lucy?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Can you turn around?¡± ¡°What for?¡± Lucy asked and stopped undressing. ¡°Is it okay to say that I want to see you from behind when you bend over?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s more than okay.¡± Lucy said sweetly and turned around. She wiggled her ass a little, and she heard Ren take in a sharp breath. Her heart beat faster, because she was indulging herself and teased him a little, then she started to slide her jeans down. They were tight and they fit well, so they peeled down without much effort. She bent over at the waist, to make sure Ren got a good view of her, and he gasped. ¡°Good god.¡± Ren said. Lucy was so happy that he was enjoying her little show; but, she held in her laugh because she didn''t want him to think she was laughing at him. She left her jeans on the floor, stood up and turned around, and noticed the significant bulge in Ren''s underwear had grown. She walked over to the bed and sat down beside him, and her heart went pitter-patter as he stared at her. ¡°You have such beautiful eyes.¡± Ren said to her, and Lucy caught her breath. She was surprised he was staring at her face right then, and not at anything else. She reached back and unhooked her bra before she changed her mind. She was really self-conscious about her chest; but, that faded away as her bra slid down out of the way and she saw how Ren stared at her breasts. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said and reached for one. ¡°Can I...¡± ¡°You can do whatever you want.¡± Lucy said, and Ren took her at her word. He touched the sensitive tip and Lucy caught her breath as the feeling of naughtiness increased. I can''t believe I''m letting him... ¡°Ah!¡± She gasped as Ren started to suckle. She ran a hand through his hair as he sucked and played, and her breathing became heavy as she became very excited. He stopped suddenly and looked at her. ¡°Lay back on the bed.¡± Ren said, and Lucy didn''t question him this time. She moved back and laid down, and Ren smiled at her. He put his hand on the edge of her underwear and tugged. Lucy didn''t try to stop him from pulling her underwear down, even though she knew she probably should have. She was a bit too far gone into her fantasy to stop now. When he moved her legs apart and kissed her thigh, she tried to tell him that she didn''t need to be pleased like that. Ren used his mouth to respond, but he didn''t respond with words. He kissed her like he''d kissed her at the mall, only he kissed her between her legs instead. Lucy was at a loss for words as Ren kept kissing her, over and over. He had laid down between her legs so he could conserve his energy, and only moved his mouth and tongue. How... how can he be so good at this? Lucy thought. He''s still a virgin! Lucy didn''t know that Ren had thought about doing this to her over and over for a long time. He wanted to pay her back for all the years she had taken care of him, and this was the only physical way he could think of to do it. He knew when it came to actual sex that he was going to be severely lacking in the endurance department, so he had to do as much as he could with as little physical effort as possible. Lucy went several times as Ren kept kissing her, and her body went limp after the fifth time. When her body stopped reacting, Ren stopped and looked at her. ¡°Lucy?¡± ¡°Give....give me... a minute.¡± Lucy said, dreamily. Ren nodded and moved up on the bed to lay beside her, and she turned her head to look at him. ¡°I... covered your face... with...¡± Lucy tried to say as she reached out to wipe off his face. ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said, and licked her wet hand. ¡°You taste delicious.¡± Lucy laughed and her chest jiggled. Ren reached out and caressed her breast. ¡°I must be dreaming.¡± Ren said, his voice full of wonder again. ¡°I''ve imagined doing something like with with you, but...¡± ¡°The reality sure is different.¡± Lucy said as she recovered. ¡°Lay on your back.¡± Ren laid back and she slid down to his mid-section. She pulled his underwear down to reveal that he was very ready for her, and she smiled. ¡°That looks like it hurts.¡± Lucy said and smiled wickedly at him. ¡°Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Ren said. Lucy kissed it and he caught his breath, then she moved it up and did more than just kiss it. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Ren gasped. Lucy revelled in the feeling of his throbbing flesh in her mouth, and the rush of adrenaline from finally crossing that line made her quite vigorous in her actions. ¡°Lucy! I''m gonna.... I''m... AHHH!¡± Ren yelled as he went, and Lucy plunged down onto him. He stared at her as he kept going, and she stared right back at him. This went on for nearly a full minute, and then she felt him relax slightly. She very carefully removed him and took several deep breaths. ¡°That was surprising.¡± Lucy said, and Ren laughed. ¡°I was going to say the same thing.¡± Lucy let his member go and waited for the swelling to go down; but, when it didn''t, she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Ren? Why isn''t it...¡± ¡°It''s going to stay like that for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Going just once isn''t anywhere near enough to calm it down.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lucy said with wonder in her voice. She moved up to straddle across his abdomen, and positioned herself on top of him. ¡°Tell me if this hurts at all, or if you want me to stop. Okay?¡± Ren nodded to her, and she gently sat down. Lucy gasped as he entered her, then she stopped breathing as they fully joined. After a few moments to get accustomed to him, she started to move. It didn''t take long for Ren to finish again, and Lucy thought he would be done; but, true to his word, Ren could still keep going. ¡°I can''t... believe that... you can keep going... like this!¡± Lucy leaned down and kept moving. ¡°Good god, Lucy.¡± Ren said and held onto her hips. ¡°I never want you to stop!¡± Lucy nodded and kissed him. It was great, because all he had to do was lay there, and she could move around as much as she wanted. And she did. They lost count of how many times they had sex that day, and it honestly didn''t matter. It was the best birthday Ren had ever had. They took a shower together when they were done, which led to a bit of playing with each other; then they finished washing and got dressed. Lucy called another taxi and while they waited, she turned and spoke to him. ¡°No one can ever know what we did.¡± Lucy said. ¡°At the very least, I''ll be ostracized at work and probably shunned.¡± She said. ¡°I could even lose my job.¡± ¡°Lucy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll never do anything to jeopardize your job.¡± ¡°We can''t do anything at the hospital, okay?¡± Lucy said. ¡°We can''t let on that...¡± Ren stood up and put a hand on her face. ¡°No one but us will ever know.¡± He said. ¡°I love you.¡± Lucy took in a deep breath and nodded. ¡°I love you, too.¡± ¡°Now give me a kiss before I have to pretend this wasn''t the best day of my life.¡± Ren said and grinned at her, and Lucy smiled as she gave him one last kiss. Chapter 004 - Alternate Aurora Quest Part Two After one of the best birthdays Ren had ever had, he was back in his hospital bed and settled in to continue his adventure on the large player quest. He slipped on the VR headset after telling Lucy he would see her at supper. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the cave floor and saw that everyone was still milling about. ¡°Resume Quest.¡± He said, and immediately the soldiers stood up at the ready. ¡°That''s it, everyone! It''s time!¡± The Commander of the Guard said. ¡°We''ve finally got our blacksmith back!¡± ¡°It''s about damn time!¡± One of the players said as he stood up. It was Tristan, of course. ¡°We''ve been sitting here all day waiting for you!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re an essential component to the mission.¡± Selene, the Mistress of Dance said unhappily. ¡°We can''t continue without you.¡± Ren looked around at the other players, and he could see a lot of anger and even some with open hatred; just like he saw on Tristan''s face. ¡°Look, I''m really sorry I didn''t come back right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was busy.¡± ¡°And we''re not?¡± Tristan said. ¡°We might have even finished this quest by now.¡± He said with false confidence. ¡°Do you think your time is worth more than ours?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him with surprise on their faces. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages asked. ¡°You... really think...¡± ¡°Think? No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Believe? Yes.¡± ¡°You smug bastard.¡± Tristan said. ¡°Just because you''re the blacksmith-¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Ren said angrily, because he was tired of Tristan''s attitude. ¡°You don''t know what I go through every day! You don''t know what my life is like!¡± He pointed a finger at Tristan. ¡°Don''t you dare judge me!¡± No one spoke as Ren let some of his pent-up anger out. ¡°Do you want to know why I didn''t come back right away?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Do you?¡± He looked at everyone. ¡°I''m in the hospital!¡± He said, and several people''s faces lost their color. ¡°Unlike all of you, who have nice comfy beds to sleep in and homes to live in... I live in a hospital! I''m under constant care, because my condition has to be monitored by a nurse at all times!¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lara whispered. Ren heard her, thanks to his elfin ears; but, he ignored it for now. ¡°Look at me!¡± He said and started to pace. ¡°This isn''t just a character that I play; this is my real height! The only real escape I have is by coming in here! I can walk without gasping for breath! I can probably run for miles if I wanted to! I can do things in here that I can''t even imagine doing in real life!¡± Everyone stared at Ren as he ranted and paced back and forth in front of them, then he stopped in the middle of them and looked at their shocked faces. ¡°So, yes! I really do believe that my time is more valuable than yours, because you have so much more of it than I do!¡± Ren spat at them, and a couple of the girls gasped. He took several deep breaths and then sighed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said and turned around to face away from them. ¡°I... I shouldn''t just blurt out things like that.¡± Ren felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned his head to see Lara. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Lara said after a few moments. ¡°We all have something in real life that...¡± She sighed and then smiled. ¡°I shouldn''t blurt it out, either.¡± Ren smiled at her, and she squeezed his shoulder. ¡°If the love-in is over, let''s move out!¡± The Captain of the Guard said. ¡°This cavern needs to be explored, and we''re going to thrust our way into it as hard and as fast as we can!¡± A few people chuckled, and Ren snorted a laugh and equipped his armor. ¡°It''s a good thing we brought protection, then.¡± Ren said and tapped his chest plate. Several people laughed, and he was glad to see that his rant had placated most of them. The group moved out and delved deeper into the cavern. They had cleared out nearly all of the goblins already and there were only smatterings of attacks now. As they walked, Ren repaired, sharpened, and polished all of the junk daggers the goblins had carried and that the players gave him in trade. Ren repaired and polished the small bucklers next, and he knew he could sell everything right away for a ton of money; but, he also knew that people had seen him with them all. If he didn''t have them later, assuming someone even asked him about them, they would discover that he was actually a business owner and was able to sell items to the system for a slight loss. Normally that wouldn''t be a problem, since he could charge a small fee for each item; but, they were bugging him enough with all the repairs and enchantments as it was, without having him be a re-seller, too. The group had broken up some, with a few players going off on their own, while the soldiers rested near the beginning of a giant bridge that spanned a huge open part of a large cavern. It looked to be bottomless, and a few people had tossed rocks over the side to see how far they would fall before they heard a sound. When they didn''t hear any kind of sound after several minutes, everyone stayed as far away from the edge of the bridge as they could. ¡°Okay, rest''s over!¡± The Captain of the Guard said half an hour later. ¡°Let''s start moving across this thing.¡± He said. ¡°Squad deployment. We don''t know how safe this thing is, and we don''t want to test it with all our weight at once.¡± The first squad of 10 soldiers went across first, with the Captain leading them, and several of the players went along with them. They walked at a normal pace, since it was a long bridge, and they knew they had a lot longer to go on their journey before the day was over. The next group went, and then the next. Since Ren and his team were with the support part of the expedition, they were going to be one of the last groups to walk across. They heard several bangs and shouts, then several players came out of a side tunnel near the start of the bridge. The ground even shook a little bit for some reason. ¡°Run!¡± A guy said as he ran past Ren and his team. ¡°Ruuuuuuunnn!¡± The soldiers and the support crew grabbed their gear and took off at a good run. ¡°Wha''s goin'' on?¡± Clint asked, but the next couple of players didn''t say anything as they ran past. ¡°Ah think we betta'' go, too.¡± Ren nodded and stood up, and then a gleam of white armor caught his eye. Tristan came out of the tunnel and he had something amazing chasing him. It was an ogre. It''s massive fleshy body was moving pretty fast, considering how fat it was, and it held a giant wooden club the size of a tree. The ground shook a little with each step it took. ¡°RUN!¡± Clint yelled to everyone, and the rest of Ren''s team took off as fast as they could. Ren on the other hand, stood there and frowned. Stupid Tristan! Ren thought and took out several vials of highly-concentrated Acid, and then a large bottle of something he''d been saving for a special occasion. It figures he''d stir up trouble! ¡°Ren!¡± Tommy yelled back as he ran. ¡°Let''s go, man!¡± Ren didn''t say anything as Tristan and the giant approached him. If I time this right... ¡°I''m great at timing!¡± Teepo said. Tristan ran past and sneered at Ren. ¡°I hope it chews you up and spits you out!¡± ¡°I''ll give you the signal!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Get ready!¡± Ren smiled as he hefted the large bottle of dark liquid and prepared to throw. ¡°3... 2... 1... NOW!¡± Teepo yelled and Ren threw the bottle as hard as he could. The large bottle smashed as it hit the ogre right in the chest, and the dark liquid contained inside was set free. It spilled down the front of the ogre and covered everything it touched. It flowed down the creature''s legs almost instantly, covered it''s feet, and the ogre slipped as all friction disappeared. It''s feet went out from under it, and it landed with a loud thud. It slid across the ground to the sound of scraping flesh on rocks and dirt, then it stopped right in front of Ren. ¡°It''s called a Greater Potion of Oil Slick.¡± Ren said as he uncorked the vials of concentrated Acid. ¡°It took me weeks of experiments to make it.¡± The ogre looked up at Ren with confusion on it''s face. Even though Ren told it what had happened, it didn''t know what he was talking about. ¡°Yeah, I know. I''m wasting my breath.¡± Ren said, dumped the vials of Acid on the ogre''s face and neck, then jumped back out of the way of it''s flailing arms and legs. Since it was still in the middle of the oil slick, it couldn''t get any traction at all. The flailing was getting it nowhere. * Most of the Aurora Expedition had reached the other side of the bridge, and they had all looked back to see what was going on. The only things they could see were the remaining soldiers and the other players running towards them, however. ¡°Og...og...ogre!¡± The first guy that had passed Ren''s party said when he got to the other side of the bridge. ¡°Tristan... woke... it up.¡± He said and sat down to catch his breath and let his Stamina recover. ¡°We have to get back there!¡± The Captain of the Guard said. ¡°Men! Form up! Proper ranks!¡± ¡°Hey, why isn''t the ground shaking anymore?¡± One of the players asked, and when Ren''s team arrived at the other side, the way was clear for them to see. Tristan had almost crossed the bridge, but he was completely alone. There was no ogre... and no Ren. ¡°Wha'' didja do ta him?!?¡± Clint asked Tristan, and grabbed him by the front of his armor when he could reach him. ¡°Wha'' didja do?!?¡± He asked again and shook Tristan. ¡°Nothing!¡± Tristan said. ¡°I told him that I hoped the ogre ate him as I ran past!¡± He said. ¡°That''s it!¡± ¡°You left him alone with an ogre?¡± The Captain of the Guard said. ¡°Our only blacksmith?¡± ¡°Hey! Don''t rag on me about that!¡± Tristan said. ¡°You all left him, too!¡± Everyone fell silent at the truth in his words. They had all run away at the thought of having to fight an ogre, and hadn''t given Ren a second thought. ¡°Hey, look!¡± Tommy said and pointed. The whole expedition watched as Ren calmly walked across the bridge all by himself. He didn''t run or scream like a lot of the soldiers and players had when they saw the ogre and thought they were about to die. * Ren could see their faces, and he laughed mentally at the shock and surprise on all of them; especially Tristan''s. I''m going to savour this memory. Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in laugher. ¡°It''s always nice to be underestimated.¡± Teepo said. That''s true. Ren thought to his new friend. They never expect to see you coming. He came to a stop in front of them and smiled. ¡°Are we taking another break already?¡± The Captain of the Guard looked at Ren. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The ogre slipped and fell before he reached the bridge.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s neck was damaged, so I stood there and waited for it to die.¡± The Captain frowned. ¡°Well, I guess we do need another rest after such a run.¡± ¡°Why don''t we break for lunch?¡± Ren said and took out an entire cow from his inventory. ¡°This should be enough for everyone to have a great meal.¡± Several people gasped, and a few of the cooks from the support crew came over and started cutting it up right away. ¡°This is fantastic!¡± One of them said as the other couple of cooks prepped the frying pans and stew pots. ¡°Once we get all the choice cuts off, we''ll have enough left over to have stew tonight!¡± The soldiers cheered at the sound of two great meals, and even a couple of the players said they wouldn''t mind a nice steak. ¡°Before you ask.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I got it as loot from the ogre, and I identified it. It had a quick death from a broken neck. There''s no other wounds, signs of infection, or even ogre teeth marks.¡± Several people chuckled.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I''m not sure why it was saving the cow for later.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°I guess it doesn''t matter now.¡± ¡°Well then.¡± The Captain said. ¡°I suppose we can stop long enough for a quick-¡± ¡°Let''s eat!¡± Tommy exclaimed. Nearly everyone laughed as they shifted around into their respective eating sections and sat down to wait. Clint sat next to Ren and waited until they were relatively alone. ¡°Is tha'' everythin'' tha'' happened?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Pretty much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I used a special potion that I only had one of to make it slip, I damaged the neck with Acid, then I stood there and waited for it to die.¡± ¡°Why didn'' ya tell ''em alla tha''?¡± Clint asked. Ren looked around at the other players and sighed. ¡°They''re already treating me differently because they know I''m in the hospital.¡± He said. ¡°If they knew I took down an ogre with just a potion and a couple vials of Acid, instead of having a big fight with crossed swords and fisticuffs...¡± Clint nodded his understanding. People treated him differently because of how he acted and spoke, too. One of the cooks brought over a plate of food with a huge piece of steak on it. ¡°The first piece is yours, sir.¡± ¡°You didn''t have to do that.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°I''m sure the Captain...¡± ¡°Is already eating the second piece.¡± She said. ¡°You...¡± She sighed and knelt, and put a hand on his arm. ¡°Out of all of them, you were the only one that didn''t run.¡± She said. ¡°You stood your ground, and that bought everyone enough time to get across the bridge.¡± ¡°I didn''t... I... I mean... I did, but... that wasn''t what I was thinking at the time!¡± Ren said. ¡°I know.¡± The cook smiled and started to stand, then leaned forward and kissed his cheek. ¡°Thank you for risking your life for us.¡± She said, finished standing up, and walked back to the group of cooking fires without looking back. ¡°Ah think she''s swee'' on ya.¡± Clint said, and Ren looked at him. ¡°She''s just grateful.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t think that... that she''d want...¡± Clint guffawed and slapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Yer easy ta tease.¡± Ren shook his head and started to eat. This is really good. He thought. I need to learn how to cook like this. ¡°That would be helpful.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Especially if you''re going out on adventures all the time.¡± About that... Ren thought, and explained what was going on and that this was his first big adventure. ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said, and Ren felt how happy Teepo was. ¡°I was your first dungeon treasure!¡± Yes, Teepo. Ren smiled. Yes, you were. The expedition finished the meal and continued on into the cavern. They encountered more spiders, bats, and a few goblins; but, it wasn''t anything major. Ren thought they might have mined out the smaller creatures by now, and then he heard a shout. ¡°Hyenas on the right!¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°If I recall the lore correctly, those aren''t real hyenas.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re frenzied hyenas.¡± ¡°You don''t mean...¡± ¡°Gnolls!¡± Someone else shouted. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Tommy said and knocked an arrow in his bow. ¡°There''s something else... I know there is...¡± Ren said, and looked at the next group of players. ¡°Sage of Ages!¡± Lara looked over at him. ¡°Frenzied Hyenas! What are they resistant to?¡± Lara closed her eyes for a moment and opened them. ¡°Ice, Fire, and Lightning.¡± ¡°Damn!¡± Tommy said and looked at his flaming arrow. ¡°That''s what all our offensive weapons have on them!¡± ¡°Spread the word of the resistances up the line!¡± Ren said. ¡°Tell the teams to rotate back if they can and I''ll switch the enchantments!¡± Clint held his bracers out and Ren absorbed the Fire enchantment and replaced it with Wind. ¡°It''s not as much Damage, but they''ll shoot a lot faster.¡± Ren said to him and did Tommy''s bow next. Then he started to replace the offensive enchantments in Lara''s team since she was closest. He worked fast, and then moved on to replace the soldiers sword enchantments with Earth glyphs. Ren worked fast, because he knew that if they were attacked from behind, there was barely anyone around to help them. That was why he had the idea to have teams rotate back, so there would be more people to cover him and the soldiers. Several hyenas appeared from a side cave and attacked. Clint took two of them out right away with his bow bracers, and Tommy hit one in the side. All that one did was yip a couple of times, bit the arrow, and pulled it out. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Tommy said and knocked another arrow. Ren took out a Poison potion and threw it at the hyena. It smashed and splashed over the hyena''s side and face, and it howled as the poison sank in. It ran in a circle a few times, panted twice, then keeled over. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said, grabbed a pile of arrows out of Tommy''s quiver, and poured a Poison potion over the arrow tips. ¡°Go for it, Tommy!¡± He said and slid the arrows back into the quiver. ¡°Thanks, man!¡± Tommy said and switched the arrow for a poisoned one, and several more hyena appeared. ¡°I think a gnoll is close by!¡± One of the soldiers said, and then a 6 foot tall partially armored hyena man jumped out of the shadows and attacked the soldier. The spear the gnoll had attacked with glanced off the soldier''s chest plate, thanks to Ren''s Earth enchantment, and the soldier swung his sword up into the gnoll''s belly. Unlike any other creature that had been stabbed fatally, it dropped it''s spear and grabbed the soldier by the arms, then pulled the soldier in close, impaling itself. ¡°The gnolls are frenzied, too!¡± Ren said as he watched the gnoll plunge it''s slavering jaws into the soldier''s shoulder and gnawed on the metal. Ren picked up the creature''s spear and turned it to strike, then tried to stab with it. The spear disappeared into his inventory and he cursed. I can''t use a potion, because it''ll hit the soldier, too. Ren thought and looked at the soldier''s shield. He took out one of the goblin''s bucklers and enchanted it with 2 glyphs of Earth runes. He could feel that was the limit of the Mana he could infuse into the weak metal, then swung with all of his might as if he was using his blacksmith hammer. The hyena man had stopped chewing on the soldier''s shoulder, and reared back with it''s mouth open to chomp down on the soldier''s face. The soldier was too terrified to even scream at the sight, and then the edge of the goblin buckler was jammed into the creature''s mouth. The impact activated the Earth enchantment, and a rock-covered fist formed and punched upwards. There was a sickening crunch as the top of the gnoll''s head snapped backwards and the jaw split in half. The lifeless body of the creature slumped to the ground as it let the soldier go. ¡°Thanks.¡± The soldier said, and when 3 of the group of hyenas disappeared he turned to the other soldiers. ¡°Keep the hyenas at bay, but concentrate your strikes on the gnolls! Killing the gnolls kills the hyenas!¡± ¡°Passing the word!¡± The next soldier said, and soon everyone was concentrating on the harder to kill gnolls. Ren looked at the shield he had in his hand, and thought about how it had felt to unleash such destructive power that wasn''t from an actual weapon. He smiled and looted the body of the gnoll to get it out of the way, which gave him a few silver coins and a set of hyena claws. The expedition kept fighting wave after wave of hyenas and hyena men, and Ren distributed enough Poison potions for everyone to dip their arrows into them. After a while, they retreated and formed a circle to become a cohesive defensive force, because both the players and soldiers had started to get tired from the constant fighting. Unfortunately, when people got tired, they made mistakes. A loud scream pierced the cave as one of the hyenas managed to sneak inside one of the female fighter''s guard and bit her leg. That wasn''t what made her scream, however. She had looked down to see how bad the damage was from the hyena that had bitten her, and the hyena man she had been fighting took the perfect opportunity to reach out and dug it''s claws into the side of her neck. She screamed for several seconds, until it was cut off when the gnoll''s thumb claws dug into the front of her throat and pulled it''s hands apart. Blood gushed out and into it''s waiting mouth; then it howled as her body fell to the ground. It followed her body to the ground and started to feast on her. ¡°NINA!¡± One of the male fighters yelled, kicked the gnoll he was fighting between the legs, and backhanded his broadsword across it''s throat. The gnoll''s head flopped back as it''s tongue stuck out comically, and it''s dead body fell to the ground. ¡°RRRaaaHHHH!¡± The fighter hollered as he activated his own Frenzy ability and leaped across the 10 feet to jam his sword into the creature''s back that was eating his girlfriend. The gnoll took no notice of this, because it was engulfed in it''s consumption of it''s prey, and several normal hyenas came over and started to eat as well. The fighter, now straddling the hyena man''s back, reached down and grabbed the sides of the gnoll''s head and twisted it with a loud pop and a crunch. The gnoll died before it even knew what was going on, and the fighter did the hyena''s next. They tried to bite and scratch him, but he ignored the damage and killed all 6 of them. Another gnoll tried to come close to all of the dead bodies, because it didn''t care who''s body it was as long as it could feast. The fighter yelled wordlessly at it, and it kind of hunkered down; but, it didn''t pounce. Instead, it turned and tried to attack the soldiers because they would be an easier meal. The soldiers had seen the display of attacks that would work and did the same thing. The hyena man was quickly kicked between the legs, and two different swords swiped at it''s neck to decapitate it. The fighter kicked the hyenas and gnoll''s bodies aside from atop his girlfriend''s motionless body and picked her up. He brought it over to the group of healers, and they told him it was too late. He knelt with her in his arms and felt despair. Ren didn''t laugh at him, mainly because everyone would hate him for it. He also didn''t remind the fighter that she would be back in 6 hours, and then her body dissolved and left behind a short sword, several gold coins, and an unidentified bracelet. The fighter stored the items and stood up. He was exhausted from his all-out attack; but, he didn''t care. When he tried to walk back through the soldiers to reach the front, Ren grabbed his arm. ¡°WHAT?¡± The fighter yelled at him. Ren smiled at him instead of flinching, and a few people noticed his lack of reaction. ¡°Take this.¡± Ren said and gave him an Energizing Tonic. ¡°It only lasts 5 minutes, and you''ll be unconscious for half an hour afterwards; but, that should be long enough for you to do what you need to do.¡± The fighter looked at the small vial, then at Ren. He took the vial and drank it without asking what it was, and he felt energy go through him. ¡°Ha... haha... hahaha!¡± The fighter laughed and slipped through the soldiers easily, pulled his sword out of the gnoll it was stuck in, then attacked the hyenas and hyena men like a demon. ¡°Wha'' the hell was tha''?¡± Clint asked and shot another hyena. ¡°It''s the Tonic of Last Call.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your Health and Stamina bar freeze for 5 minutes.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Tommy said and shot a hyena man in the neck. The poison arrow had a similar effect on it as it did on the hyenas, but it took a lot longer. He shot it again, and Clint shot it in the eye. It howled and turned to them, and a solder stepped forward and jabbed his sword into the thing''s neck to hold it at bay. It died a few seconds later, and they thanked the solder. ¡°We''re in this together.¡± The soldier said. ¡°Now don''t just stand there! Keep fighting!¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Tommy said and they all kept fighting. They were close enough now that the healers could heal people while they were fighting, and Ren fed everyone Health and Mana potions. People were surprised at first with all of the different things he was doing. By the time the fight was over, however; they had all been through the worst fighting experience any of them had ever had playing the game, and were more than grateful for his help. ¡°I think that''s it!¡± The Captain of the Guard said as the potion-drunk fighter killed the last hyena man they could see and the last 4 hyenas that were stalking them disappeared. The group cheered and hollered, and then collapsed almost at the same time as the fighter did. A couple of his friends went over and picked him up, and dragged him inside their perimeter. ¡°Soldiers!¡± The Captain said. ¡°Dirt barricade 10 feet out! Support crew! Get those fires going and get the stew served right away!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± The soldiers and support crew said at the same time, and set about making a temporary camp for the expedition to stay in. ¡°How far down do you think we are?¡± Tommy asked after he had gathered up most of his arrows. ¡°2 miles.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s straight down.¡± He said. ¡°It''s about 30 miles in distance.¡± Thanks, Teepo. ¡°It depends on how you want to think about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°How far have we walked? I''d say about 30 miles.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Tommy sat down with a sigh. ¡°How far straight down?¡± ¡°If I had to take a guess, I''d say about 2 miles... give or take 2 miles.¡± Ren said, and Clint and Tommy laughed. ¡°Tha''s pretty accurate.¡± Clint said sarcastically. ¡°I try.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Can I sit here?¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages, asked. ¡°Only if you like having dirt on your butt.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I''m so glad we can just store our clothing to clean ourselves and the clothes.¡± Lara said and sat down. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hyena blood stinks!¡± Lara nodded, and looked at Clint and Tommy. ¡°I can''t believe I''m asking this, but... can Ren and I speak alone for a minute?¡± ¡°Shore, little lady.¡± Clint said and stood up. ¡°C''mon Tommy. We c''n help deliver som''o tha food.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± Tommy said and stood up, too. ¡°We can sneak some for ourselves first!¡± ¡°Tha''s no'' wha''... jus'' c''mon.¡± Clint said and dragged Tommy away. ¡°Well, I know it''s important if you sent the only people who talk to me away.¡± ¡°Hey, I talked to...¡± Lara saw Ren''s single raised eyebrow and smiled. ¡°Okay, we haven''t had a conversation or anything yet.¡± ¡°Yet, huh.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I assume this will count as one.¡± Lara nodded. ¡°Ren, we''re in trouble.¡± ¡°No kidding.¡± Ren said. ¡°Those hyena men nearly tore us all apart.¡± ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Lara said. ¡°Ren, I...¡± She looked around and leaned in close. ¡°I''m the Sage of Ages. I''ve seen what can happen if we keep going like this.¡± Ren raised both eyebrows this time. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± ¡°Since I''m personally involved, the game...¡± Lara sighed. ¡°I''m not allowed to discuss my abilities in detail, but suffice it to say that the odds of us succeeding in this quest is dropping the further we go.¡± Ren thought about what she said. ¡°We weren''t supposed to meet the hyena men at all, were we?¡± Lara shook her head. ¡°I''m surprised we only lost three soldiers and one player.¡± She said. ¡°The gnolls were on equal footing with most of the players highest levels.¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to get a lot worse from here on out.¡± Lara said. ¡°What do you suggest we do?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Lara said. ¡°After we crossed that bridge, I... I thought something was going to happen there, but...¡± ¡°The ogre.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t supposed to defeat it, was I?¡± Lara closed her mouth and sat back. ¡°Lara...¡± Ren said and took her hand. She took in a sharp breath and her face went blank for several seconds. ¡°Lara?¡± Lara''s hand twitched in his, and then life came back into her face. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± She said, leaned forward, and kissed him. Ren had never been kissed like that before, and reacted without thinking. He reached up and hugged her, and Lara felt his response. She wrapped her arms around him as well, and they made out like that for several minutes. ¡°Ahem.¡± Tommy said from behind them, and Lara froze. Ren broke the kiss and looked at him. ¡°Yeah, what?¡± ¡°Supper.¡± Tommy said and had a tray with two bowls of beef stew on it. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and took them, and Tommy left without another word. ¡°I''m sorry about that, Ren.¡± Lara said. ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked and handed her one of the bowls. ¡°It shouldn''t have happened.¡± Lara said. She dropped her head, ate a spoonful of stew, and then whispered. ¡°Not yet anyways.¡± Ren had heard her clearly. ¡°Why is that?¡± Lara looked at him, and he pointed at his ears. ¡°Damn, I forgot your hearing is as good as mine.¡± ¡°So, when was it supposed to happen?¡± ¡°Not for a long time.¡± Lara said. ¡°But... when I saw what... what things could be like between us, I... I really wanted it.¡± ¡°You can see that far into the future?¡± Ren asked. Lara opened her mouth to explain, then sighed. ¡°One possible future.¡± Ren held his hand out. ¡°Do it again.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°Not for our relationship, or whatever it was you saw.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to think back to the bridge. I want you to use your prediction knowledge to tell me what could have happened.¡± ¡°It doesn''t work like that.¡± Lara said. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ve done things in my class that I didn''t know were possible, and gained new skills out of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Take my hand. Remember back to what could have happened, and tell me the possible future.¡± Lara sighed and put her bowl of stew down. ¡°This isn''t going to work.¡± ¡°Don''t doubt yourself.¡± Ren leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Do this for me, baby.¡± Lara gasped because he had called her baby, stared into his eyes, and grabbed his hand. ¡°Don''t let it take you anywhere.¡± Ren said. ¡°Think back. Remember what you saw on the bridge. Now tell me what happened.¡± ¡°The... the ogre chased... chased you...¡± Lara said, her eyes blank. ¡°Tristan... that... that ass tripped you!¡± Her hand gripped Ren''s hand tightly, and he smiled. ¡°You... the ogre, it...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can''t...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°Don''t concentrate on the details. Tell me what happened.¡± ¡°The bridge... it broke apart and collapsed.¡± Lara said, more confidently. ¡°You and the ogre fell... down into the bottomless pit.¡± ¡°It''s not bottomless.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I don''t know how, but... you survive.¡± Lara said, awe in her voice. ¡°With Teepo''s help, you travel a few miles upstream to the mole men''s camp.¡± ¡°We''re screwed.¡± Ren said, and Lara nodded. ¡°They already had the summoning circle complete.¡± Lara said. ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°You drowned them.¡± Lara said and then her eyes weren''t blank anymore and she grinned at him. ¡°You drowned them!¡± She said and hugged him tightly. She got a popup telling her that she now had a new ability; but she couldn''t tell Ren about it, even though he was the one that had given it to her. ¡°We have to tell the Captain right away!¡± Lara said and stood up. ¡°He''s not going to believe you.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°So I''ll come along and punch him in the balls if he objects to turning around.¡± Lara snorted a laugh. ¡°Punch him in the balls?¡± ¡°He''s a big man.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s as high as I can reach on him.¡± He grinned and she laughed. Chapter 005 - Is That The End? ¡°We might just save this quest!¡± Lara said and grabbed his hand, then dragged him behind her as she ran around the various groups who were eating. ¡°Captain!¡± She said, came to a stop a respectable 5 feet in front of him, and let Ren''s hand go. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°We''ve gone too far.¡± Lara said. ¡°We need to go back a mile and take a side tunnel down.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The Captain said. ¡°The mages in town said to follow the main tunnel.¡± ¡°They''re wrong.¡± Lara said. ¡°We were never supposed to meet the hyena men! We have to go before it''s too late!¡± ¡°Too late for what?¡± ¡°The mole men are making a summoning circle as we speak.¡± Lara said. ¡°If we don''t get there soon, it''ll be too late... for all of us.¡± The Captain stood up and glared at her and Ren. ¡°You''re the blacksmith.¡± He said when his gaze shifted to Ren. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I''m here to punch you in the balls if you don''t believe her.¡± Ren said. Lara covered her mouth to stop from laughing, and every soldier around them stood up and held their swords at the ready. ¡°Ha.¡± The Captain of the Guard said. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± He clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°You have convinced me, young blacksmith!¡± He said and looked at everyone. ¡°Pack up! We''re heading down another path!¡± The soldiers bent down to gather up their things and to pack up the camp, and the Captain watched with stern eyes as he gave them their orders. In the commotion, Lara and Ren walked away to gather their own things. ¡°I can''t believe you said that.¡± Lara whispered really low, and her hand found his again and held on. ¡°I told you I would.¡± Ren said. ¡°You weren''t supposed to tell him!¡± Lara stopped walking and pulled him in close. ¡°You''re so bad.¡± ¡°So are you.¡± Ren said and hugged her. ¡°Seeing what you want and then taking it.¡± He said. ¡°Damn, I want to kiss you again.¡± He sighed. ¡°I need to carry a box around with me or something.¡± Lara laughed and bent over slightly. ¡°I won''t always be standing up.¡± She said and kissed him passionately. ¡°Go gather your things, and lets show these people how to deal with mole men.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and saluted, then took off at a jog. The expedition expressed their displeasure over having to backtrack, until they went down the side tunnel. Then things changed and they were too busy to complain. Giant spiders, giant bats, and giant worms attacked them as they progressed deeper into the cavern. The next creature they encountered was a surprising one. A Howling Banshee knocked half of the soldiers out with a single scream, and 10 of the players. ¡°Ren!¡± Tommy yelled. ¡°Do you have holy water?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said and gave it to him. ¡°Who else needs holy water?¡± Several players held their hands up, and Ren tossed them bottles of holy water. They all dipped their arrows in it, and everyone tried to shoot the banshee. It was then that Ren had an idea. ¡°First Rank! Preseeeent shields!¡± Ren commanded them, and the soldiers in the first rank sheathed their swords and held their shields at the ready. He gained the Command Aura with a 5 foot radius, and shook his head mentally. 5 feet is almost nothing. He thought and replaced the Earth enchantments with Light enchantments. Since the shields were metal, he used his full Enchanting ability of 3 glyphs with 4 runes each. ¡°Archers, draw!¡± Ren said and ducked as the second row of soldiers drew their bows and pulled back an arrow. Activate! All the Holy Light enchantments on the 10 shields activated at once and lit up the tunnel with a bright white light for nearly 100 feet. Three banshees were caught in it''s beam and they writhed in pain, which was two more than the one they thought they were fighting. ¡°Fire!¡± Ren commanded, and the soldiers and players unloaded their holy water arrows into the banshees. Each arrow ate away at the banshee''s ethereal visage, and once each of them took enough damage from arrows, they collapsed in on themselves and disappeared. ¡°Good work!¡± The Captain of the Guard said to the soldiers, then leaned down to Ren. ¡°Next time, consult me before commanding my men.¡± ¡°Sorry, there wasn''t time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would suggest interspersing the Earth and Light shields for better coverage.¡± The Captain nodded. ¡°Can you turn them off?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. Deactivate. The shields turned off and the cave was a lot darker. ¡°Say, can we turn a couple of them on?¡± One of the players asked. ¡°It''s really hard to see now.¡± Ren activated 3 of the 10 shields, and it lit up the tunnel a lot, but it wasn''t blinding. ¡°Thanks.¡± The player said, and several people nodded to Ren. ¡°It''s gettin'' ta tha poin'' tha ya don'' need us at ahl.¡± Clint said and laughed, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I can''t use standard weapons, so I think I''m always going to need a good party around me.¡± Ren said. Clint nodded and the expedition moved on. They encountered a few wights, or ghostly knights, and dealt with them in almost the same way. This time, Light enchanted swords were used to deal with them, and Ren stayed busy switching enchantments back and forth as necessary. He had used up a good portion of his stored Health and Mana potions by this point; but according to Lara, they were almost there. * ¡°Damnation!¡± The mole man shaman said in his native language, which was indiscernible from rat squeaks and mouse squeals. ¡°The summon spell almost has enough souls!¡± He turned to the mole man beside him. ¡°Give me more sacrifices!¡± ¡°We''ve used up the old, sick, and lame.¡± The mole man said. ¡°Then get me more Adventurers!¡± ¡°We''ve used all of them up! There is no more!¡± He said. ¡°No one ever comes this deep into the cavern!¡± A mole man came over and squealed in despair. ¡°Soldiers! They''ve come to kill us all!¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°I don''t know!¡± The mole man said. ¡°They are surrounded by Adventurers!¡± The mole man shaman squeaked in pleasure and bared his teeth. ¡°Let them come.¡± * Ren had just reached Advanced Level 5 in his Enchanting skill, which gave him access to another rune in his glyphs, when the expedition finally arrived at their destination. ¡°This is it, people!¡± The Captain of the Guard said. ¡°Form up! Prep spears! They won''t know what hit them!¡± You just told them what was coming, you idiot. Ren thought. ¡°Sir? If I may speak to you for a moment.¡± ¡°What? Oh, all right.¡± The Captains said and looked at him. ¡°Give me 20 minutes and the best diggers you have.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If we can sneak around and open up the dam, we can drown the rats without having to fight.¡± Several players nodded agreement. ¡°No.¡± The Captain said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°If you open up the dam we will drown, too.¡± ¡°With all due respect.¡± Ren said, but he didn''t have any respect at all for the oaf. ¡°We''re on the back side of the cavern and on a very gentle slope. We will need to retreat only a short ways, until the tunnel entrance is covered, then the water can''t rise any further.¡± ¡°Are you sure of that?¡± ¡°As sure as I am that a lot of your men and several Adventurers will die for no reason, if you attack head on.¡± ¡°Sir, I think it''s a good idea.¡± One of the soldiers said. It was the one Ren had saved from getting his face munched on, and a few more players nodded their heads in agreement. The soldier stepped out of formation and pulled out a collapsible shovel. ¡°I''ll volunteer to go with him.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Another soldier said. ¡°I like digging.¡± Three more soldiers stepped forward and the Captain of the Guard held up a hand. ¡°All right, you fools.¡± The Captain said. ¡°You can follow this crazy nut if you want; but, you are going to hear a stern lecture about following proper procedure when we''re back in the city.¡± Ren grinned and nodded at the soldiers, then walked through the formation and out the back. ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± The Captain asked. ¡°Shortcuts are overrated, so I''m taking a long cut.¡± Ren said, and a couple of the soldiers smiled. ¡°People don''t like a smart ass.¡± The Captain said. ¡°It''s better than being a dumb shit.¡± Ren responded, and several soldiers laughed. ¡°He''s definitely not a dumb shit, sir.¡± One of the soldiers said to the Captain, and intentionally misdirected the insult from the Captain back to Ren. The Captain grunted and turned around to face the tunnel entrance. Teepo? That crack is going to lead us to the cavern, right? Ren thought. ¡°It sure will.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s a water fracture. The only way to get that is if this place was flooded before.¡± Ren found the small crack and examined it. ¡°It''s going to be tight.¡± He said and looked at the soldiers. ¡°Give me your armor.¡± They handed over the armor without question, and Ren stored it. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said and stored his own armor, then slipped into the crack. He was thankful to have Teepo around, because when they reached the end of the crack in the wall, Teepo warned him of the mole men that were coming. Ren eased back in the crack and Teepo crawled out to watch. ¡°They''re going to smell you any second now.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Get ready.¡± Ren took a shallow breath and held it. The 2 mole men walked right in front of the crack Ren and the 5 soldiers were in and froze when they smelled fresh meat. ¡°Now!¡± Teepo said. Ren slipped out of the crack, grabbed the two mole men by the back of their necks, and used Iron Grip. Both necks snapped as Ren squeezed his hands into fists, and blood squirted out. They didn''t even have time to squeal in pain before they died, and Ren dragged them over to the crack. He waved the soldiers out of the crack, and 2 of them helped stuff the mole men''s bodies inside. The other three soldiers cleaned up the blood as much as they could, and covered what was left with fresh dirt. Teepo climbed back onto Ren''s shoulder and led the soldiers over to the small but deep river. Ren slipped into the water and eased over to the other side to hold on, and the soldiers followed him. Ren nodded to them and they made their way up the river and into the main cavern where the ritual was being held. They tried their best to not make any noise as they moved through the water, and made it past without incident. What a relief. Ren thought. ¡°Stop moving.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Mole man coming.¡± Ren held a hand up to the soldiers and sank lower into the water, and the soldiers all stopped moving and did the same thing. The mole man half-walked half-hopped by them, then stopped. One of the soldiers eased a sword out of the water and prepared to strike; but, the mole man sneezed and kept going. The soldier almost laughed at the absurdity of the scene as the sword disappeared, then they moved on up the river and came to the dam a couple of minutes later. Ren slipped up onto the side of the river and rolled over to get out of the soldier''s way, then stood up and looked at the dam.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Damn, that''s a big dam.¡± Ren whispered. He felt, more than heard, the soldiers'' whispered chuckles. ¡°Okay, you''re the experts here.¡± He whispered to them and took out a mining pick. ¡°Show me what to do.¡± ¡°No picks.¡± The closest soldier whispered. ¡°Too noisy.¡± Ren nodded and switched to a shovel, and the soldier pointed. ¡°Shallow dig there.¡± He said, moved over a foot, then pushed hard to get the shovel into the dirt. He pried a small chunk out, then did the same thing beside it. Ren did the same thing where he was told to dig, then after a few digs, joined his hole with the one the soldier had made. ¡°It''s only 15 feet thick.¡± A soldier whispered and slipped out of the water. ¡°I couldn''t see the top on the other side.¡± The other soldiers smiled as the last soldier joined in their efforts to dig a good portion out of the dam wall. They got almost 10 feet in when they heard the first resounding crack. ¡°That''s it, boys!¡± One of the soldiers said in a normal voice when a stream of water shot out from where he had stabbed the shovel. ¡°Let''s get out of here!¡± The soldiers hooked the shovels on their belts and started to run. ¡°Someone wait for me at the main cave!¡± Ren said and kept digging. For some reason, he knew that one little break wasn''t going to do it. ¡°Are you crazy? Let''s go!¡± ¡°Make sure you catch me!¡± Ren said and switched to his mining pick. He didn''t really know how to mine, so he just swung randomly at the wall. Cracks upon cracks appeared, several water jets shot out, and he heard an ominous rumbling. ¡°Now it''s enough!¡± He said and started to run. ¡°Go, Ren! Go!¡± Teepo chittered in delight as Ren ran, and then a huge chunk of rock shot past him. ¡°Oh, CRAAAAAAAP!¡± Ren said as a torrent of water followed it and picked him up. ¡°AHHHHH!¡± He screamed as he was pushed faster and faster along the river, and as he approached the main cave, a hand shot out for him to grab. He reached out and grabbed it just in time, and the force of the water flung him around and he landed beside the soldier he had saved. The other soldiers had braced him so that the force of the water wouldn''t drag him along with Ren. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Less talk! More run!¡± The soldier said, and the 6 of them ran for all they were worth across the cavern. * ¡°Why haven''t they attacked yet, and what is that rumbling sound?¡± The mole man shaman squeaked in his native language, and then froze as a small group of soldiers ran through their religious gathering. ¡°What the...¡± He looked at the other mole men. ¡°Don''t just stand there! Get them! I need their souls!¡± Two groups of mole men ran after the soldiers, and the mole man shaman felt happiness for the first time in his life. Soon I shall control a Minor Demon, and this world will remember the name of- ¡°Glllurrrgghhhh!!¡± The shaman''s thoughts were cut off as the torrent of water rose faster than anyone could have imagined; then he and his fellow mole men drowned before their bodies were pushed towards the Lost City that he and his entire race lived in. The Aurora Expedition was quite fortunate that the flood of water had distorted the summoning circle just enough to break the ritual, since it had just acquired enough souls from the drowned mole men. * ¡°We''re being chased by mole men!¡± One of the soldiers said. ¡°Forget them! Get to the tunnel!¡± ¡°Run faster then!¡± Ren was falling behind because his legs were shorter and he was exhausted; then he thought this might be it. I''m... I''m not going... going to make- His thoughts were cut off as a hail of arrows flew past him and killed all of the mole men that were chasing him and the soldiers, and he saw a large group of Adventurers and soldiers were in an archery stance. The front row knelt and the second row stood so everyone could shoot without blocking anyone. ¡°We got them!¡± One of the soldiers said as the 5 soldiers and a very tired Ren flopped down at their feet, then the water level rose to almost 4 feet in an instant and they grabbed on. ¡°Pull!¡± The entire group was pulled back by ropes up the tunnel as it filled with water, and then the rising water covered the tunnel entrance. There was several bubbles and gurgles as air tried to equalize on both sides, then the water stopped rising. ¡°Well, you made it.¡± The Captain of the Guard said to Ren, when they got everyone out of the water and onto dry land. ¡°Right at the 20 minute mark, too.¡± Ren nodded, because that was all he could do at the moment; then Lara appeared in front of him and covered him in kisses. ¡°Go, Ren! Go!¡± Teepo said, and chittered in laughter. Some people clapped, a few whistled, and several soldiers congratulated him. It was then that everyone received the popup that said the quest had been completed and to return to Aurora for the reward. They all cheered and hollered, then congratulated each other. After a short rest, so that everyone could recover a good portion of their Stamina, the expedition headed back the way they had come. Since all the hard things had already been defeated, the players actually had fun on the way back hunting down all the creatures they had skipped on the way through the first time. Ren on the other hand, gave the soldier''s back their armor and then didn''t have much else to do after that, since the quest was over and he had already repaired everything. The players still gave him all of their junk drops, even though they didn''t need repairs or things enchanted. Ren smiled because he was getting stuff for free, then let the smile fade when he caught a glimpse of Tristan. His clothes were ragged, his gold-trimmed bright white armor was dull and cracked, and his sword was pitted and scratched. Even his hair was a mess. ¡°Excuse me for a minute, Lara.¡± Ren said and let her hand go, and he moved through the crowd to walk beside Tristan. ¡°Go ahead and say it, pipsqueak.¡± Tristan said. ¡°I''ve been waiting for it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. The conversations around them died down, so that everyone could listen in. ¡°I want to repair your stuff.¡± Ren said, and he heard a few people gasp. ¡°Yeah, I figured you''d call me an asshole for the way I... wait, what?¡± Tristan looked at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°You''re an arrogant, blustering idiot for not coming to me for repairs right away.¡± Ren said and saw Tristan''s eyes squint and his mouth turn from a sneer to a scowl. ¡°We''re heading back into town, probably for a parade and a hero''s welcome... and you look like something the Captain of the Guard would scrape off the bottom of his boot after he stepped in it.¡± ¡°Why you little...¡± Tristan started to lift his sword, and a soldier''s sword darted out and touched his neck. ¡°Until the quest is over, Ren is still the asset that is needed to complete it.¡± The soldier warned Tristan. ¡°You''ve already lost Fame for abandoning him with the ogre. Don''t lose more over something like this.¡± Tristan stared at the soldier, then turned the sword in his hand and handed it to Ren handle first. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and used his blacksmith hammer to repair the very damaged sword as the soldier removed his sword from Tristan''s throat. ¡°Now your clothes.¡± ¡°I''m not going naked just to get them mended.¡± Tristan said, crossly. Ren chuckled and took out a folded piece of cloth. ¡°Equip this.¡± He said. ¡°It''s a dressing gown that I use to mark patterns in my shop.¡± Tristan looked at it for a moment, then sighed and equipped it. It stored his armor and tattered clothing, he handed over the clothing to be repaired, then heard several chuckles. ¡°What''s so funny?!?¡± Tristan asked and whirled around. No one said anything, and no one told him that there were different color frills, pieces of lace, and ribbons scattered all over the back of the dressing gown as sample pieces. Teepo chittered in delight as he got an eyeful of it, and Tristan turned back to face the front. Ren hid his laughter as he used his Master Tailor Sewing Needle to repair the clothing, then handed it back. Tristan equipped the clothing and handed him the dressing gown, and Ren stored it before Tristan could get a good look at it. The armor pieces were next, and Ren repaired everything and Tristan equipped it all. ¡°I hope you don''t think I''m going to thank you for this.¡± Tristan said when Ren was done. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t do it for you. I did it for me.¡± Tristan looked at Ren and knew he was crazy. Ren slowed his pace slightly to get out of his reach. ¡°We''re going to meet Lord Eric to finish the quest.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I couldn''t have you show up with us and not look pretty.¡± Several people, and even some soldiers, laughed out loud at that. ¡°You are so dead when this is over.¡± Tristan said and clenched his fists. ¡°Only if you think your Fame can take it.¡± Ren said and moved back through the crowd. ¡°It just might be worth it.¡± Tristan said. Lara took Ren''s hand when he was close enough. She sighed and then smiled. ¡°My mother has a saying about poking bears with a stick.¡± ¡°Make sure it''s a boomstick?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°No, silly.¡± Lara said. ¡°They have a tendency to eat the things that poke it.¡± ¡°Hey, that reminded me of a joke.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, I can''t wait to hear this.¡± Lara said and he smiled. ¡°A bear and a rabbit were taking a dump in the woods, and the bear asked the rabbit if he had trouble with it sticking to his fur. ''No trouble at all.'' the rabbit said. So the bear picked the rabbit up and wiped his butt with it.¡± Lara burst out laughing, and several of the soldiers nearby laughed, too. ¡°Ren, that''s awful!¡± ¡°Yeah, it''s crap.¡± Ren grinned and she laughed again. The expedition made it back to the large bridge that had spanned a very deep pit, and saw the water level was almost up to the top of it. ¡°Would you look at that.¡± One of the players said. ¡°I guess that''s why the bridge was here in the first place.¡± ¡°Just imagine how hard it would be to cross back if it wasn''t here.¡± Someone said. Ren and Lara exchanged glances and smiles, then went with everyone across the bridge. They didn''t stop on the other side to rest, like they had on the way down, because they weren''t trying to rush back. Everyone took their time and didn''t push themselves, so you would think it would take longer; but, since they didn''t have to stop to rest for extended periods of time, they made it back out to the mouth of the cavern much faster than they had when they entered it, and stopped at the entrance. ¡°It''s still several hours to get back to the city.¡± The Captain of the Guard said. ¡°I leave it to you, Adventurers.¡± He said. ¡°Camp for a rest, or go on.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± Everyone said at the same time, and the Captain chuckled. ¡°On it is.¡± The Captain said and turned to the soldiers. ¡°Move out!¡± The expedition made it back to the city several hours later, and Ren had been right. They were greeted with a parade, cheers, and a hero''s welcome. The townspeople ushered the Adventurers and soldiers through the city streets and to the town square. Ren kind of turned off Lord Eric''s blustering over how grateful he was that they had succeeded in the quest, and then pretty much ignored the rest of the long speech. Get on with it. Ren thought. Even though we took our time, we''re still tired. Lord Eric finished his praise for them, and declared the quest finished. Several players gasped as they got popups for ending the quest, and Ren smiled when he received his.
The Aurora Expedition
Congratulations! Lord Eric of Aurora praises you. Your party has successfully completed their assigned task. Rewards: 5,000 XP
Ren dismissed the level popup he received after that, because the points were assigned automatically anyways and he didn''t need to read it. ¡°Now, as per the conditions set before you left.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°Rewards for contribution points. Since there are too many variables to impart to you I won''t give you the full run down; but, my mage accountants have assured me that the numbers are completely accurate.¡±
Contribution Award
Congratulations! Your contributions were well received and quite numerous. You have gained an additional: 10,000 XP
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said and dismissed the level up popup. He was tempted to ask Lara how much XP she got, but he knew she wouldn''t talk about it. ¡°Ah, and there we go.¡± Lord Eric said and smiled. ¡°You''ve all been awarded in accordance to how much you helped the expedition. Now, for the extra bonus award for the most contribution points! I know you''ve all been waiting for this!¡± Lord Eric reached over to one of his staff who passed him three bags. One small, one medium, and one large. ¡°In third place, with 342 points... Healer Montegue!¡± Lord Eric announced. ¡°Come, come! Don''t be shy. It''s just gold.¡± The crowd gasped because Lord Eric was giving out gold coins as prizes. A figure wearing traditional healers robes separated from the players and got up onto the stage. Lord Eric handed him the smallest bag. ¡°There you go! 10 gold for your efforts on the city''s behalf. Spend it well!¡± Healer Montegue took the bag without a word and left the stage. Only 10 gold? Ren thought. I can make that in less than a day in Sally''s Shop. ¡°Hmm. You''re welcome.¡± Lord Eric said under his breath, but everyone could clearly hear him and some people laughed. ¡°Well... now on to the second highest contribution point total. In second place, with an astounding 897 points... Selene, The Mistress Of Dance!¡± Selene had stood near the stage the whole time, almost as if she knew she would get an award. She haughtily leaped up onto the stage, did a little pirouette, two skips, and a half twirl to end up right next to Lord Eric with a dazzling display of sparkles behind her. Lord Eric lifted both eyebrows briefly, but didn''t comment about her entrance. He handed her the mid-sized bag with a bit of flourish. ¡°For you, dear lady. 25 gold coins. Both the city, and I, thank you.¡± Selene graciously accepted the bag and bowed to Lord Eric. She spun on her heels, flipped off the stage in a cartwheel and landed right back where she had stood before, as if she''d never left the spot. Lord Eric lifted his eyebrows again brielfy, then turned back to his waiting audience. That''s what they were... an audience... and they had witnessed quite a spectacle so far. People in the crowd whispered about how she must have killed a lot of monsters to get so many points. ¡°Last, but not least... the holder of the highest contribution point total. In first place, with a total of... wait, is this right? Hold on...¡± Lord Eric put the last sack of gold on the podium, turned away from the crowd, and walked over to the other three people on the stage. They conferred with each other for a few moments, and then Lord Eric pointed at one of them. The person held out a scroll of parchment that he read intently. The crowd''s noise level picked up as people talked among themselves. Something weird was definitely going on. Lord Eric chopped his hand sideways to cut off the people he was talking to, handed back the scroll to the one that he got it from, and walked back to the podium. He stood there for a moment and took a deep breath before he spoke. ¡°I''m not sure how it was possible for someone to get contribution points of such a high amount on so short a quest, but my mages have assured me again that the numbers are correct. I''ve seen the actual numbers myself now.¡± Eric shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Well... without further ado... the first place winner, with a surprisingly high grand total of 12,546 points...¡± Lord Eric paused dramatically, then spoke. ¡°Ren.¡± Silence filled the town square for a few moments, and then someone hollered his name. ¡°Ren!¡± It was soon followed by a few players around him. ¡°Ren!¡± Lara joined in this time, and so did all of the soldiers that had been on the quest. ¡°REN!¡± Ren looked around at everyone. Is everyone crazy? He thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Well, come on up here.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°Go on, Ren.¡± Lara said. ¡°Give them a show.¡± Ren smiled at her, and she bent over and kissed him. A few people in the crowd whistled and someone even hollered for a kiss. Lara broke the kiss and chuckled, and Ren walked towards the stage. ¡°Since he''s coming up now, let me explain how the contribution points worked for this quest.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°There were various levels, in fact. You got points for killing monsters, healing party members, repairing weapons and armor, dealing the most damage, shielding party members, for assisting outside of battles, for assistance in each kill, for keeping as many soldiers alive as possible - thank you all very much for that by the way - if you help soldiers level up, keep the morale of the expedition up, and inspiring others.¡± Everyone got really quiet when the long list of requirements was finally revealed for them all to hear. Ren''s pace slowed down and he looked around. They all had a contemplative look on their faces, and Ren thought about the list, too. I''m a little surprised it''s not higher. Ren thought in amusement, but only showed a blank face as he walked to the stage. Lord Eric explained that Ren had made repairs on people''s armor and weapons half a dozen times, and did just as many enchantments on them. He told them Ren did the most damage, his enchantments hit the most and killed the most creatures, and how he had led a small band of soldiers to finish the quest. Ren climbed up onto the stage to dead silence, and he slowly walked to the center where Lord Eric waited for him. ¡°I haven''t gotten all the details yet...¡± Lord Eric said, and gave Ren a glare that said he would get the details. ¡°...but because of his actions, the evil was stopped and the goal of the quest was completed.¡± He said. ¡°So... for coming in first place in contribution points, I present to you, Ren...¡± He took the large bag from the podium and passed it to Ren. ¡°...my eternal gratitude, a party at my mansion tomorrow night, in your honor of course... and 100 gold coins.¡±
Notice!
Fame Increase! You have gained 1,000 fame.
Fame XP and bonuses Unlocked!
While your Fame is above a certain level, additional XP and special bonuses can be gained from doing quests for those that know of your exploits.
Cool. Ren thought and stored the sack. He looked out at the crowd, saw Lara''s smile, and took out a small vial. ¡°Time to go!¡± He lifted it above his head and threw it down to smash it at his feet. He was immediately engulfed in a big puff of smoke, and several people gasped. He stood there for several moments, then the smoke dissipated and everyone saw that he was still standing there. ¡°Well, that didn''t work.¡± Ren said and someone laughed, then someone else joined in, and soon everyone was laughing. He dismissed the Fame increase popup, turned and walked calmly off the stage, then went through the crowd to stand beside Lara again. ¡°That was cool.¡± Lara said and took his hand.