《Gate to Utopia》 1 - Beginning "Poor aptitude my ass!" Alex Hall smashed his second monitor that day after receiving an email from his favorite game developer "International Gamers Coalition", the creators of the world''s first VRMMORPG ||Gate to Utopia||. Alex was fortuitous to have been blessed with two parents with high paying jobs. Were it not for Alex''s parents being incredibly wealthy, he would not be able to live the life of luxury he had been enjoying up until now. Alex discarded the broken monitor and replaced it with a brand new one laying beside his "gaming fortress". He read over the terms of the email for any hint that he would be able to play the beta if he retook the test, but there was no such luck. The International Gamers Coalition (IGC) required potential candidates to submit a mental health test and a signed non-disclosure agreement prior to releasing personal machines to beta testers. Alex was one of the first to sign up to beta test, thinking that the mental health test was going to be no problem. However Alex struggled on some of the questions, becoming frustrated and making mistakes the more he filled out. It had not even crossed his mind that he had failed the mental health test in the two weeks that he waited for the email. First, he was depressed while moping around his one bedroom apartment and making instant noodles. Next came anger, like a flood washing over his body a wave of emotions sent him punching his table and throwing glass cups at the wall. Alex was a product of bad parenting, two parents who could not properly discipline their child or pay him any attention. Only by acting out and throwing a fit could he get the attention he so desperately needed and it became a habit he developed into his adulthood. The first friend he made only paid attention to him because he was equally as loud. As his friend got into gaming so did Alex, however Alex had the luxury of buying top of the line equipment and any new game system that came out. Even after his friend stopped playing games and transitioned into a young man going into the workforce, it was too late for Alex. With the introduction of games into Alex''s life, he found the outlet he needed for his special attention and skill. His "online" friends would constantly compliment him, and receive gifts from Alex in return. This became a circle of instant-gratification for Alex who was too naive to understand that he was being taken advantage of. This was the first time Alex had ever been deprived of something in his life. Tasting rejection for the first time, he could not comprehend the feelings that welled up inside him. This gave birth to a powerful need for revenge within him. Alex sent hundreds of emails within the span of a month to the developers of ||Gate to Utopia|| to let them know how big of a mistake they had made in not choosing him for beta testing. He received no reply emails, which only further fueled his anger towards the company. A month later, the personal machine for ||Gate to Utopia|| became purchasable at select stores across the world. When it came time to buy the actual personal machine, Alex was one of the first in line. During the time where he waited for the personal machine, he affirmed to himself his goals. He read every article he could find from early game reviewers, bought the in-depth strategy guide that was secretly released on the dark web, and had been practicing movements based on the "activation" of certain skills to ensure he had the advantage when the game officially started. In order to show the developers how much of a mistake it was to not allow him into the beta, he intended to start along with every other commoner on the release day and establish himself as rank 1 on the server. After all, this level of handicap was necessary to make sure everyone knew he was the best. While the main server was down until the release date, the personal machine could be donned and a character could be made while players waited for the official launch of the game. Alex made his character, a slim but muscular human-like body. The reason it was human-like was because (race) was a grayed out option for him. The option itself was stuck on human, and Alex figured it would unlock on release day. While waiting, he created a visually appealing character according to his taste. Alex crafted his figure with black hair, black irises and a slight Asian look, attempting to give his character a more "demonic" look to intimidate anyone who spoke to him. When he was satisfied by the look of the character he turned off the personal machine and crawled into his cold bed. The countdown for the official launch had begun. The opening was slated for exactly 12:00:00, and his alarm was set to coincide directly with the launch time. As the time drew closer, Alex became more and more flustered with his character''s visual appearance. Ten minutes before launch, Alex re-entered the personal machine and changed his character model to look less demonic. Instead of black irises, he changed to red eye color with white irises, and made his facial features a little less delicate. Eventually the changes had slowly shifted his visage from Asian to North-American, with a more pronounced chin and slightly tired looking eyes. This gave his character a more "rogue-like" look, which he thought would serve his purposes more if he had to resort to PK''ing for resources. PK''ing referred to the ability to kill another player (player killing) and was a perfectly acceptable action in the game. This action of course came with repercussions, for when you become a PK''er other players can attack and kill you without penalty. There is even a reward for hunting down and trapping or killing PK''ers. Two minutes before the games official launch, Alex laid down at his bed and watched the alarm clock he had set. One minute... 30 seconds... 15 seconds... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The visor on the personal machine brightly displayed the character model. A musical note played from the speakers of the headset. "Thank you for playing ||Gate to Utopia|| please enter your in game name below!" An autonomous female AI voice spoke. "Reaper." Alex spoke out loud. "Sorry, this name is not available, please try again." The female voice monotonously answered. "Shadow." Alex spoke, slightly irritated. "Accepted. Import previously created character model?" The female voice asked. "Yes!" Alex was getting flustered, all he wanted to do was jump right into the game. "Accepted, previously created character model being imported. Gender is correct, calculating character model proportions. Login commencing. Have fun!" The female voice disappeared and a small musical note played. The first jump was always the hardest according to the reviewer panel, and Alex braced himself for the worst. All five of Alex''s senses seemed to stop as he was suspended in a pitch black void. Suddenly the world began to slowly be created around him. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. What he expected to see was vibrant colors of a brown dirty street and a blue sky, but he did not. Instead, the first thing he saw was black iron walls surrounding him and pillars made of crushed bones. When his eyes properly adjusted, he saw a large room that could easily fit a small village inside it, but was otherwise hollow and void of life. Alex raised his hands to eye level, checking over his features and clothes. Everything had appeared exactly the way he wanted during character creation, so the model was accurate, but he had weird spiked growths all over the back of his arms. His arms and the visible parts of his legs were covered in patches of black scales. "Something isn''t right." Alex''s other four senses were returning now. His olfactory sense kicked in and all he could smell was brimstone and burnt flesh. The smell was nauseating and he could not help but wince from it. He touched the scaled skin and felt the texture, it was tough and stretchy, like the body of a lizard. The sound of flesh touching scales was extremely coarse, like sandpaper. The taste of burning flesh rested on his tongue, making him involuntarily gag a couple times before he closed his mouth. His stomach growled but he paid no attention to it. Alex looked around the room and noticed a large throne made of bones behind him. Previously while he was getting his bearings, he had mistakenly sat on the large throne. He stood from the throne and began to run towards the only exit he could see, two large black iron doors roughly 15 feet high. Just the journey to the exit was a twenty minute jog, and Alex was a little winded when he reached it. When he finally reached the door, he pressed his hand against the black iron and his hand print began to glow a beautiful blue. The black iron door creaked open and Alex got his first view of the outside world. In a word, the view from the black iron door outwards could be described as a hellscape. Ghouls, wraiths, undead and demons were torturing npc souls as they screamed in anguish from being stabbed and whipped. The realistic screams of the damned made the landscape a living breathing horror. In the distance, a larger and much taller black iron gate protected the entrance to the inner grounds of the castle Alex was in. The walls attached to the black iron gate were at least 50 feet high, and were guarded by colossal demonic monsters with 6 arms and 4 legs. Each arm of the colossal demons carried a weapon of a different variety, and the armor looked to be attached to their tough skin. Blood and fire oozed from their wounds like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. Before any of the monsters noticed the black iron door opening, Alex closed it in a panic. "Oh right, the status screen!" Alex, visibly flustered, remembered one of the most important aspects of the game. Alex operated the status screen just like how the official strategy guide explained. Using his mind, he envisioned a box with his character status, and it appeared in front of him. The strategy guide mentioned that in the status screen there was a logout button underneath the GM call button. "Let''s see." Alex rubbed his chin. Alex assumed this was just a bug and felt relieved, he can just log out, contact a GM and start over in the beginning town. However the more time this took, the more others would have an advantage on him. Thinking about it now, he became furious. Name: Shadow Level: 1 Race: Demon Class: Demon King Title: One who rules the underworld Skills: - - - Pet: None -Stats- Strength: 10 Dexterity: 10 Endurance: 10 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 10 Spirit: 10 Health: 100 Mana: 100 -Equipment- Weapon: None Off Hand: None Head Gear: None Chest Gear: Beginner''s Robes Leg Gear: Beginner''s Leggings Foot Gear: Beginner''s Shoes Ring Slot 1: None Ring Slot 2: None Neck Slot 1: None Special 1: None Special 2: None Alex was speechless. When he looked below the GM call button, there was no log out button like there was supposed to be. Alex panicked and began to issue verbal commands quickly. "Exit! Leave! Return! Menu! Escape!" Alex attempted to open additional character related AI boxes, but only the status window showed up. Alex focused his mind and clicked the GM call button. There was no use panicking when it can all be resolved by the GMs. After ten minutes, the GM call button came through and a GM spoke directly to Alex. "Hello player, what seems to be the issue." The GM appeared before Alex as an angel with wings of pure white. The GMs eyes were closed, and he was looking down in the direction of Alex. "Your game glitched and put me here, and even gave me the wrong race and class, also I don''t know how to log out." Alex was noticeably angry. How dare they make him wait 10 minutes. "Everything is working as intended." The GMs eyes remained closed as he smiled. The type of cold smile that unnerved you as you realized you had made a powerful enemy. Undeterred, Alex stared at the GM in disbelief. "What do you mean ''working as intended''? This is ridiculous, I can''t even log out!" Alex stomped his foot in grievance. "You are the demon king, you cannot leave your domain. A word of advice, you should seek to get powerful quickly. For the demon king, dying in the game means dying in the real world. It would be utterly pitiful if you died as a level 1." Alex was in a daze at what the GM said. The GM opened his eyes to reveal a blinding white light. When the dazzling light faded, the GM had disappeared and only a small iron dagger was where he stood. Attached to the dagger was a parchment. ''If you wish to call my bluff, kill yourself and see if you escape this world. Either way, no one will miss you.'' Though the words were written beautifully, they hid a murderous intent behind them. Alex laughed at the note and grabbed the dagger, but when it came down to it, he could not slice his wrists. If it turned out to be true, he would really die. He sat on the cold damp floor and held his head in his hands. 10 minutes passed before he suddenly stood up and removed his gaze from the floor. "It just so happens that becoming rank 1 on the server was always my mission!" Alex stared up at the ceiling of the large black iron castle. A single tear slipped down his face, but was quickly brushed away. "Watch me, you shitty GMs. Nothing will stop me!" Alex shook his fist to the ceiling before returning to the black iron door. He slowly placed his hands on the door and the hand print glowed magically before the large door opened. Equipped with only a small iron dagger, Alex ventured out. 2 - Resources "I may be level 1 but i''ll be damned if i''m gonna bow my head to anyone!" Alex spoke as he looked out once more into the demon lord''s castle courtyard. Alex watched as many demons, wraiths and monsters roamed around awkwardly as their A.I. pathing looped in a circle. Suddenly, he remembered something useful from the leaked strategy guide. The strategy guide stated that if at any time you get stuck in the game, picture the word "help" and a column will appear. Alex reluctantly tried to materialize it and to his surprise, the help column really did pop up in front of him. Alex quickly read over the prompts and guidance section to see what abilities a level 1 demon king would have. Unfortunately, demon lord was not an available class out of the fifteen classes in the list. "Of course I wouldn''t be that lucky..." Alex scratched his head and kept reading. It could be said that in this moment, Alex was extraordinarily calm despite facing the threat of death. Whether his calm was out of ignorance or stubbornness was unknown. "Here we go, in the status column is an advanced section that gives full details." Alex focused and opened the status screen. When he had succeeded in opening the status screen he then focused on getting more information. An additional screen opened beside the status screen, displaying the things the status screen previously did not. Name: Shadow Level: 1 Race: Demon Class: Demon King Title: One who rules the underworld Skills: - - - Pet: None -Stats- Strength: 10 Dexterity: 10 Endurance: 10 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 10 Spirit: 10 Health: 100 Mana: 100 -Equipment- Weapon: Iron Dagger + 1 Off Hand: None Head Gear: None Chest Gear: Beginner''s Robes Leg Gear: Beginner''s Leggings Foot Gear: Beginner''s Shoes Ring Slot 1: None Ring Slot 2: None Neck Slot 1: None Special 1: None Special 2: None Experience: 0 of 1100 Languages: Common, Undercommon, Demon Money: 0 Mithril 0 Platinum 0 Gold 0 Silver 0 Copper Special Abilities: Dominion, Territory Management "Dominion, huh... I also definitely feel like I can speak demon and undercommon if I try." Alex thought about what this meant. Alex focused on the word dominion, and an additional dialogue box popped up. A small volume button appeared in the top right hand corner. Alex clicked it. "Dominion: Control over the denizens of Hell. NPCs and monsters will not directly attack the owner of this special ability. This special ability does not allow you to control demons or monsters in any way. Angering an NPC through the wrong dialogue will still prompt them to attack." The A.I. chimed in. "This could be expectantly useful for me. Next, the other special ability..." "Territory Management: The castle of the demon king has existed for thousands of years. As the new demon king is appointed, all existing structures are removed from the castle to start anew. The new demon king has absolute control of all territory within the demon lord''s castle." The A.I. chimed again. The same monotone female voice spoke out. Considering his options carefully, Alex left the demon king''s castle and closed the door behind him. He made his way down the large stone steps and through the monsters. As if he was invisible to the monsters, they continued on their predetermined path and walked around autonomously. Alex smirked as he kept walking toward the massive black iron gates protected by the 2 colossal demons. Quite naturally, Alex spoke to the colossal demon in it''s own tongue. "Can I walk through these gates?" Alex spoke carefully. The colossal demons, as if confirming something, looked at each other and looked down at Alex. "Granted." The jaw of the colossal demon looked as if it was about to fall off just from speaking that one word, and Alex truly believed the only reason it hadn''t fallen off was due to the massive screws holding the jaw in place. The two colossal demons stood from their sitting position and pushed open the massive black iron doors. Though Alex only required a small crack in order to traverse through, the A.I. was set to fully open the doors unless the colossal demons were attacked. As the doors opened slowly and a dust storm kicked up, a completely new view came into his sight. Although the view as Alex shifted his head up looked like it was on fire with dancing reds and blacks intermingling, it was as true a sky as any other. The land that came into his view was also quite unexpected, in a very pleasant way. The path split into three different routes, and in the middle of the road was a large disk the size of a fountain. The disk rotated slowly but began to twist faster as Alex approached it. The hills beyond the three paths were deep and seemingly unending, with many different monsters howling and flying around just beyond plain view. "Is this... A warp gate?" Alex pondered. From the information given on the strategy guide, a warp gate was placed in every beginning town, minor and major city and at the entrance of party dungeons. In order to activate it, one must step into the disk and a popup will give all available locations per level. That is to say, if you are in an advanced area that is beyond your level, you can use the teleport to go back to a place equivalent to your power but you could not use that warp gate again until you unlocked it at the appropriate time. Alex was confident in the information from the strategy guide but consulted the Help button before trying it. "Warp Gate: Allows one to use ancient magics to teleport from one location to another. Level restrictions apply when teleporting." The A.I. voice spoke thusly. "Let''s try it out..." Alex was not one to shy away for no reason. He stepped forward and the wrap gate began to twist and sparkle with him inside. just as the strategy guide said, a popup with the available warp gates appeared. "Town of Bells, Demon Lord''s Castle. I have two?" Alex thought about it, but eventually clicked the Town of Bells. Alex''s vision blurred for a few seconds, and when he opened his eyes he found himself in the middle of a sleepy little town. The great sky of red and black was no more, replaced with a typical sky of blue and white with clouds flowing against a golden sun. The town was small, with many small paths leading in every direction. The smell of soot and brimstone was nowhere around this nice vibrant town besides clinging to Alex. Looking around, the NPC children were playing on a looped A.I. kicking a ball around the square. Many of the housewives were taking down laundry and the sounds of heavy machinery could he heard from the distant mines. Though the town seemed normal enough, with the NPCs going about their business, something was peculiar about them. More than a few NPCs had twisting tails and black irises, just as Alex had envisioned his previous demonic character model. In large demonic print was a signboard beside the warp gate with notifications. This was in the strategy guide under -Guide Post- that detailed available quests and was also a handy map to the town. Alex looked over the available quests, and then at the town map. He had completely forgot, but considering there is no playable race for demon then wouldn''t he not have to share resources? As if to confirm this suspicion, he walked around town looking for other players. Just as he suspected, there was no one in sight. It was just him, all alone except for the NPCs. Alex headed back to the -Guide Post- and looked for anyone that could give skills. Normally there was at least one or two NPCs that could give skills. One was for the beginner skills, and the other was for the advanced version of the skills. "Skill apprentice..." Alex found out the address of the NPC and headed over. An old demonic looking hag was sitting on her porch in a rocking chair, knitting an intricate looking cloth. Though it looked like she was knitting, her hands were in fact doing the same movement and she was not making progress at all. "Excuse me, skill apprentice?" Alex walked onto her porch and stood within a couple feet of the old hag. "What do you want!" The hag yelled. As she did, a display column appeared in front of Alex. Alex looked over the skills but found that only a few of them were in the strategy guide. Some of these skills were not a part of the original fifty skills that the game claimed to have. 1 - Minor Contract Summon - 10 Silver 2 - Poison Use - 20 Silver 3 - Skinner - 10 Silver 4 - Herbalist - 10 Silver 5 - Blacksmith - 30 Silver 6 - Unholy Magic - 40 Silver 7 - Soul Force - 40 Silver 8 - Soul harvest - 20 Silver 9 - Alchemy - 15 Silver 10 - Fiend Form - 20 Silver 11 - Shadow Magic - 40 Silver 12 - Magical Weapon - 50 Silver 13 - Tough Hide - 50 Copper 14 - Siphon - 20 Silver 15 - Taking The Lead! - 15 Gold The lowest costing skill was 50 copper for Tough Hide. Alex sighed and walked away from the old hag. The dialogue box closed automatically when he got five feet away from her. "Good for nothing!" The old hag yelled as the dialogue box closed. Alex walked away, obviously peeved, but this was the beginning town, naturally the first thing he had to do was make some money. Even if he did not have the skill for it, one can still attempt to do the skill itself when it came to gathering like skinning and herbalism. There was a much higher chance of failure, however. Alex headed back to the -Guide Post- and accepted a few available quests. One quest was to find a goblin den and see what has riled them up, another was to pick 10 bundles of a certain herb from the plains of asphodel. The final accepted quest was to hunt a large boar in the nearby pumpkin patch that had been terrorizing the farmers. Quest: Goblin problin Accepted. Quest: Plains of Asphodel Accepted. Quest: Here piggy piggy! Accepted. The last quest had a recommended level of 3, so Alex decided to heed that advice and save that quest for last. Naturally the easiest would be to gather the herbs, so he pinged his map for the plains of asphodel and headed in the direction. Along the way the houses became more scarce and forest became much more noticeable. The tree colors were different shades of green to red, as if the forest was a large dancing gentle fire. There was no sign of wind or rain coming anytime soon. When Alex arrived at the plains of asphodel, he saw a beautiful sight of many multi-colored flowers just waiting to be picked. From his knowledge he knew that many of them were not poisonous, but could be compounded to make low level healing potions if one had the alchemy skill. Alchemy was one of the cheaper skills to choose from, so he decided it would not be a bad idea to pick that one up early. It was just as he had suspected, there were no other players and that meant he got the share of their resources as well. This was an obvious perk to being the only player in a specific race and class. Forget being alone, this was about survival. He began to attempt picking up the flowers with fervor, an eventually he had picked the fields of asphodel clean. With a success rate of 30%, the amount of flowers in his inventory could be considered quite good. He also got the 10 needed items for his quest. Now it was on to the next quest before heading back and turning them in. Alex pinged the map for the goblin''s den and headed along the recommended path. The path winded and twisted, but as he neared the entrance he could quite clearly see goblins in a very aggressive stance guarding the perimeter. In undercommon, Alex called out to the goblins. "Goblins, what has caused you to be so agitated?" "Pah! Someone has stolen! Stolen from US! Our precious FIRE! We find and kill! Probably Stupid kobolds!" The goblin retorted. Just as the special ability Dominion stated, the goblins were neither passive nor overbearing. It was a calm neutrality between them and the demon king, despite them being on high alert. "May I approach and see if I can help?" Alex asked. "You help? Bring 5 kobold heads, that help!" The goblin spit at the ground. A quest screen popped up in front of Alex with a large blinking light around the Accept Quest button. Alex accepted the quest and asked the goblin for directions to the kobold camp. Quest: Kobold headhunting Accepted. The only reason he accepted the quest was the promised experience. 500 exp for 5 kobold heads was not much work from what he could tell. On his way to the kobold camp, he came across a snuffed out campsite that had recently been used. 3 kobolds slept huddled close to each other not far away, with 2 other kobold guarding by watching the same direction. Alex couldn''t help but snicker to himself, as these creatures seem quite dull in the head. According to the strategy guide, the kobold race was clever and enjoyed ambushing players, but rarely came out of their cramped caves unless something compelled them to. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It would appear this issue is larger than it appears. First the goblins and now a pack of wandering kobolds. Alex shrugged his shoulders and readied his dagger. He crept up towards the kobolds keeping watch as quietly as possible. First he slit the throat of the one on the left, and then stabbed the one on the right in the gut with the innate skill of the dagger (plunge). Alex twisted the dagger into the kobolds body and pulled it out, causing both kobolds to have a bleed effect. The bleed effect was often caused by striking a critical weakness of a certain enemy. Having similar anatomies to humans, the jugular and kidney would both definitely be considered weak points. The kobold with his throat sliced attempted to stand and ready his weapon, but quickly fell over from excessive blood loss. The body disappeared, leaving behind a pile of loot. The kobold that was stabbed screeched in terror, waking up the other 3 sleeping kobolds. As the stabbed kobold attempted to ready his shield, his health disappeared rapidly until it hit 0. The kobold disappeared just as the other one did, leaving behind some loot. One of the pieces of loot left behind was a shield. Alex quickly grabbed it and equipped it onto himself. Though the shield was made for a small person, it still served him adequately well in that moment as the three kobolds readied their weapons. Two kobolds lunged at Alex, but their attacks were incredibly telegraphed, to the point that Alex was able to completely evade with a swift tumble left. The kobold that did not lunge was hurriedly attempting to cast some type of spell. The words it spoke were unrecognizable to him, so the kobold was clearly not talking undercommon, the language of Hell. Before the chanting kobold could finish his spell, Alex lunged forward and pierced the kobold''s skull with the iron dagger. A critical hit to the kobold''s head meant instant death, and it''s health gauge slowly drained from 50 to 0. "RAKKKkkkk!" One of the kobold screeched as it again attacked Alex, the other standing behind defensively. This time it was a straightforward attack with no weapon skill or overly complicated movement. Alex remembered that the A.I. was very specialized for low level beginners, and was programmed to allow only one attack for multiple aggressive targets against a single player except during an ambush. This intuitive system was why ||Gate to Utopia|| received such high praise in the first place. Alex raised the shield up and successfully defended the attack, but took 10 points of damage in the process. Before the kobold could strike again, Alex sliced it''s chest with the dagger to force it to back up. The kobold took the slice to the chest and staggered backwards from the force, taking 30 points of damage. Out of 50 points of health, it was already over half dead. The kobold standing in the back began to chant just like the previous one, but the chant was somehow different. A white light encircled the kobold as it casted the spell, pointing at the injured kobold. Alex understood that it was attempting to heal the damage the kobold had taken, but before he could strike it down the heal spell went off. Luckily, the healing spell only healed 10 hp and was not even enough for the kobold to survive a second hit from Alex''s dagger. The kobold fell to the ground with the second wound flowing blood, and it''s loot appeared where the body fell. One final kobold left. "Kuruuu...." It seemed to be completely defensive, and Alex dove into it''s bosom to bait an attack. As the kobold opened up to attack Alex, he dodged the downward slice with a left tumble and sent two swift slashes at the kobold''s chest. Two deep gashes sliced open the kobold''s leather armor, and in an instant the last enemy had fallen. Relieved, Alex quickly went to pick up the loot and return. Kobold Head x 5 Kobold Shield x 2 Broken Kobold Sword x 5 Kobold Armor x 4 Small Short Bow x 3 Small Arrows x 15 Kobold Magic Staff x 2 15 Silver 73 Copper 1 Broken Necklace (!) Returning to the goblin den, Alex quickly handed over the 5 kobold heads. "You do good! Filthy kobold head to eat later!" Goblin laughed hysterically. Exp + 500 25 Copper Goblin reputation + 10/10 Reputation: Not Enemy "Why you still here?" The goblin lifted his small spear and poked Alex. 1 Point of damage. "Ouch!" Alex flinched after getting prodded. "I''m here to help you get your fire back!" Though he felt no pain from being prodded, for some reason he still reacted as if he did. He surmised it was most likely an unconditional side effect from the dive. "OH! You can bring FIRE? Come! Come! we LOVE fire!" The goblin walked further inside the goblin den. The inside of the goblin den reeked of rotten meats and feces. Alex had to hold his breath in order to convince himself to not start swearing at the horrid smell. The goblin den itself was nestled firmly underneath a large oak tree on top of a small mound. This allowed the goblins to have the high ground during fights against their hated foes, the kobolds. As if to affirm his suspicions, he found a few barrels of hacked up kobold chunks. "We eat later! Come meet chief!" Seeing Alex interact with the barrels prompted the goblin guard''s additional dialogue. Alex couldn''t help but laugh at all the effort these bastard GMs put toward the game. "Chief, I brought a humy! He''s not dumb and weak like the others!" The goblin gestured for Alex to approach the throne of the goblin chief. "Shut up, I can see that! He is different! Go AWAY NOW!" The goblin chief threw a small bone at the goblin guard and laughed hysterically. The goblin guard ran away in fear, cursing at the goblin chief. "Thank you for seeing me, goblin chief. I heard you have no more fire?" Alex bowed. "You have fire? Bring it quick quick and I won''t kill you. I promises!" The goblin chief smiled a large toothy smile. Anyone could tell he was lying. Alex thought about it for a moment. "I could give you the fire, but wouldn''t the kobold just take it again?" Alex openly answered the goblin chief''s secret fear. As if the goblin chief had been completely seen through, he cursed and kicked up dust at the thought. "You not weak humy, bring me stupid kobold king head! Bring me head and give me fire! I give you my riches if you do this!" The goblin chief''s eyes sparkled. There was no lie there, he really would give up his most valued treasures for such a good event to happen. It would appear that Alex had passed the required verbal prompts as a popup appeared in front of him. He accepted the quest only after some deliberation. The time limit was 3 days, so he had to ensure he had enough time to get it done. Quest: Head of the Kobold King Accepted. "Why you still here? You go now!" The goblin chief was digging a hole beside his makeshift throne with his hands. Alex was resigned and left the goblin den, as he was leaving, the goblin guard that had accompanied him in walked up to him. "Did you give us fire?" The goblin asked questioningly. "I''m going to bring you the kobold king''s head, then I will make you fire." Alex responded. "Might as well bring 5 more kobold heads then too!" Another quest appeared. The quest was exactly the same as the first one he accepted from the goblin guard, but the experience was only 250. With nothing to lose, he accepted the quest and left the goblin area, returning to the Town of Bells. Repeat Quest: Kobold headhunting Accepted. After traveling back to civilization, he could openly tell that the smell was completely different. Unable to stand his own stench any longer, he entered a nearby Inn and paid the fee for hot water to wash up. Without having to fear being taken advantage of by other players, he left his clothes to be cleaned by an NPC while he bathed. Though he was washing himself, the automated system of an NPC washing clothes was complete in only 30 seconds. Therefore his clothes were fresh and ready to be worn by the time he dried off. As he donned his clothes, he remembered the Broken Necklace is his inventory. An A.I. voice chimed in, "Broken Necklace: A small necklace with the initials R.C." As Alex studied the necklace, a quest popup appeared. "Return to Rudy Chaplin?" Alex pondered but since there was no downside, he started the quest. A new marker appeared on the map within the Town of Bells. Quest: Rudy''s Necklace Accepted. "Oh!" Alex had forgotten to check how much experience he had earned for the kobold killing and quest turn in. Needless to say he already had 500 for the quest, but you also received a smaller amount for defeating an enemy. The status screen opened quickly as Alex thought about it, and checked the advanced section. Experience: 1000 of 1100 So a kobold is about 100 experience for one. Alex took this information, closed the status screen and headed to turn in the quests. Just as he closed his status screen, he noticed that the damage he sustained during the fight with the kobold was gone and it showed 100 / 100. First, he went to the alchemy house and turned in the fields of asphodel quest. As he did, he received 500 experience and 20 silver. As the new experience amount surpassed the level 1 limit, Alex''s body began to glow a bright gold and white. A wave of energy spread out from Alex, and then returned to him, disappearing into his body. As he checked his status again, the level had changed to 2 and the experience cap had changed to 2300. His health had changed to 150 and his mana changed to 125. His attribute points also increased in accordance with his class. Alex quickly headed to the other turn in point. The guard post had been the ones to ask why the goblin''s were acting up, and Alex had accomplished his mission. The turn in experience was 500 points, and he was already close to leveling again. He received 30 silver as a reward and left the guard station. Traveling down the road, he accidentally walked past the house that Rudy Chaplin was in. Doubling back, he took a quick look at the place, but found that the house was incredibly rundown, shoddy, and the windows were all smashed in. This was clearly no house for a small girl to be living in. Alex didn''t give it much thought though, as they were just A.I. NPCs. Alex knocked on the door of the house and a layer of dust fell from the door as it rattled. A small twin-tailed girl in a pink dress answered the door cautiously. "Yes, Mister?" The girl hid behind the door. "I''m looking for Rudy, I found something that belongs to her." Alex could see the marker over her head, but decided not to say so. "Rudy has nothing in this world, Mister. Not anymore." Rudy continued to hide behind the door. Alex removed the Broken Necklace from his inventory and showed it to the little girl. Though her eyes lit up initially, she could not bring herself to accept the necklace. "Mister, the necklace is broken, therefore it isn''t mine." Rudy pouted as she grasped the hem of her skirt tightly. "How about you take the necklace and keep it safe for me, and when I come back we can fix it up." Alex brought the necklace closer to the girl''s hand. After slight hesitance, Rudy eventually accepted it and asked for Alex''s name. "You can call me Shadow, can I call you Rudy?" Alex asked. "Uh-huh." Rudy nodded. "Then, Rudy, when I return, we''ll see if we can get that restored. I have to leave for now, i''ll return soon." Alex waved goodbye. Exp + 300 Just as the quest completed and gave him his experience, it was just enough to level up once again. A larger glow of gold and white expanded and retracted, and another quest popped up in front of Alex. Since he was getting easy experience, he might as well accept the quest. Quest: Restore Rudy''s necklace Accepted. He quickly opened up his status screen and advanced tab. Name: Shadow Level: 3 Race: Demon Class: Demon King Title: One who rules the underworld Skills: - - - Pet: None -Stats- Strength: 10 + (4) Dexterity: 10 + (4) Endurance: 10 + (4) Wisdom: 10 + (4) Intelligence: 10 + (4) Spirit: 10 + (4) Health: 200 Mana: 150 -Equipment- Weapon: Iron Dagger + 1 Off Hand: Chipped Small Wooden Shield Head Gear: None Chest Gear: Beginner''s Robes Leg Gear: Beginner''s Leggings Foot Gear: Beginner''s Shoes Ring Slot 1: None Ring Slot 2: None Neck Slot 1: None Special 1: None Special 2: None Experience: 2300 of 3600 Languages: Common, Undercommon, Demon Money: 0 Mithril 0 Platinum 0 Gold 65 Silver 98 Copper Special Abilities: Dominion, Territory Management 3 - Surprise "Now that the quests have been turned in, it''s time to grind out some skills. Which ones should I choose..." Alex had left Rudy Chaplin with her necklace and headed back to the hag skill apprentice. While walking over to the hag, he decided to read more in depth about what the help section had to offer. "The inventory can be manipulated into folders for storage purposes, like quest items being in one folder and regular items in another..." Alex trodded along the dirt path and spoke quietly to himself. The NPCs looked up from their duties as he walked within a certain range of them, but immediately went back to their work when he continued walking. The black irises and twisting tails that once gave Alex a momentary fright were now commonplace to him. "The Notes function can be activated to privately record information. Just picture a diary to open the screen." Alex thought of a diary and the Notes page popped up in front of him. Alex rejoiced a little as soon as it worked. Now that he had some form of recording, he could use it to document the skills and compare them while out in the world. He wouldn''t always have access to a skill apprentice, it would be best to grab as many skills as possible and record the skill information in the Notes. "According to the Help button, you can buy as many skills as you want, but you can only have three active at a time, and if you want to switch them out you have to talk to a skill apprentice or possess a certain item from the dungeons." Alex contemplated which three skills to choose. Tough Hide, considering it''s cost, was an obvious purchase. Anything that increased his immediate survivability would be the correct skill to choose. Upon arriving at the hag''s house, the sun had begun to set and a cold blue mist surrounded the town. "What do you want!" The hag yelled. The skill display column appeared in front of Alex once more and the skills that were displayed had not changed. Alex looked over the skills until he found the one he was looking for. Under the skill for Tough Hide was a small purchase button. When Alex clicked the purchase button another prompt appeared. Purchase Tough Hide skill Yes or No Alex clicked yes and a small golden glow enveloped his body. Upon opening the skills panel, his first skill appeared with a blue flashing button that said ''activate''. Alex activated the skill and saw his skin turn a slightly red color. He stretched his skin and it seemed to retain the same elasticity as before. "What else do you want!" The hag seemed a little more pleased at Alex''s purchase. Each skill had a detail panel beside it, and Alex chose to open each panel simultaneously to record the information in his notes. 1 - Minor Contract Summon - 10 Silver - Summon an imp familiar that is bonded to you through blood. All experience will be split in half, familiar is A.I. Controlled but will do as commanded. The higher level the familiar the stronger spells it can cast. Can only produce fire element spells. 2 - Poison Use - 20 Silver - Player cannot be poisoned when handling various herbs and poisons. Higher level increases chances of successfully applying poison and successfully resisting natural poisons. No effect against magical poisons. 3 - Skinner - 10 Silver - Player can remove the hide of animals they have killed. The hide will automatically be added to inventory after the skill finishes. The user cannot skin another player''s kill unless in a party together. 4 - Herbalist - 10 Silver - Player is able to recognize various herbs and their medicinal effect. Higher levels increase chance of removing herbs with success and amount of herbs given. Herbs are presented in green on the mini map for player. 5 - Blacksmith - 30 Silver - Create armor and weapons from ingots. Higher levels unlock different ores to rework and the quality of the finished product. Quality affects durability and level of applied abilities such as gems and enchants. 6 - Unholy Magic - 40 Silver - (Restricted to Necromancer, Cleric and Vampire classes) Derived from the darkest magics, unholy magic allows players to apply curses and raise the dead. Cannot resurrect other players, only NPCs and monsters. Higher levels increase number of resurrections and chance of successful casting. 7 - Soul Force - 40 Silver - (Restricted to Monk and Songweaver classes) The soul is the essence of the human body and can allow for many incredible feats of strength. Soul force allows players to protect themselves, blast ki from their palms, strengthen their bodies and heal their allies. 8 - Soul harvest - 20 Silver - (Restricted to Vampire and Necromancer classes) Harvest the soul of fallen enemies to bolster yourself and your summons. Higher levels give higher rates of successful casts. The stronger the enemy, the more strength you receive and the longer the duration will last. 9 - Alchemy - 15 Silver - The ancient art of mixing herbs and other ingredients to create potions, curatives and pills. Higher levels yield more items and increase chance of success. Recipes are not included, and must be crafted by players themselves. 10 - Fiend Form - 20 Silver - Take the form of the demons of old, morphing your body into a monster for a short time. During the duration, your reach increases, you gain pain and fire resistance, and you gain the temporary ability to fly. Higher levels increase resistance and duration time. 11 - Shadow Magic - 40 Silver - (Restricted to Rogue and Hunter classes) Wield the magic of shadows to become one with the darkness. Higher levels decrease chance of detection and allow you to traverse through connecting shadows with incredible speed. 12 - Magical Weapon - 50 Silver - A magic developed exclusively for fighting mythical monsters with tough skin. A magical weapon that looks exactly like your currently equipped weapon (including stats) is created and moves according to your gestures. (A.I. controlled) 13 - Tough Hide - 50 Copper - The most basic resistance skill. Higher levels increase the amount of damage one can take, and negates low end damage from even affecting the target. 14 - Siphon - 20 Silver - (Restricted to Vampire and Necromancer classes) Siphon the life from your enemies. Chance to convert enemies into allies for a short duration upon successful cast. Higher chances increases duration of control and amount of life taken. 15 - Taking The Lead! - 15 Gold - Call upon the denizens of your home to aid you in your trials! You gain an ally (A.I. controlled) that follows you and does whatever you tell them to do. Will assist you in combat and other necessities (building campfires, hunting, scouting). Ally level will always match your level. Alex copied all the information from the skills into his Notes. Despite the exhaustive amount of information that he just received, he felt it necessary to include every small detail so as to not overlook anything. He thought it odd that even with the (Restricted) button, he still had the option to purchase the skill. After careful deliberation he decided to take the Unholy Magic skill. Since having more allies meant more meat shields for himself, he decided to take Unholy Magic despite it''s initially high cost. Purchase Unholy Magic Skill Yes or No Alex clicked yes and the same golden glow danced around his body. Just as he thought about what his last skill would be, he heard a bloodthirsty howl from a nearby beast. The howl seemed incredibly close, despite him being almost near the middle of town. With a sudden sense of unease, he quickly selected Siphon as his last skill before leaving for the Inn. Purchase Siphon Skill Yes or No Alex hurriedly clicked Yes and began to run, a cold sweat flowing down his back. As the golden glow twirled around him, more howls began to fill the night sky. "Come again soon!" The hag laughed just as an old crone would and went back to knitting her weird cloth. As if to answer his fears, the monotonous female A.I. voice appeared while a quest window popped up. "To all players in the ''Town of Bells'' the special event has begun! The citizens of the Town of Bells have been struck by a terrible curse, and are doomed to become werewolves when the sun goes down. Kill the caster to release the curse, or hide and hope they don''t find you! The warp gate has been disabled and a barrier has been placed around the town! Whoever survives the night will get a special prize!" Quest reward: "Werewolf Hunter Set" - 1500 Exp - Reputation + 500 - Title: Savior of the Town of Bells The church that towered over the other buildings rang it''s bell heavily as NPCs began to scream in pain. As if to spur Alex''s decision, an older looking female NPC began to shape shift into the horrifying beast right beside him. First her hands and feet grew longer, and her fingernails became elongated and sharp. She began to moan in pain as her spine protruded from her back, tearing off the skin to reveal coarse hairs all over her newly forming body. Her teeth popped out as her mouth slowly turned into a muzzle, and new pointed teeth grew in. Her once normal looking human-like eyes grew sharper and red, filled with killing intent. Alex decided not to wait around to see if Dominion would kick in, and ran away from the werewolf. The werewolf, sensing fleeing prey, shifted to all fours and began to chase Alex through the streets. "Damn it all, if i''m gonna be hunted anyway, I might as well accept the stupid quest!" Alex accepted the quest in front of him and quickly opened his skill column while deftly avoiding barrels and crates in the side streets. Special Quest: Town of Wolves Accepted. Alex moved his hand over the two skills and pressed the activate button. Activate Unholy Magic skill. Activate Siphon skill. Just as he activated the two skills, a flood of information began flowing directly into his brain. Unable to control the flow, Alex couldn''t help but double over in a daze as magic chants and hand gestures began to fill his head. The werewolf, sensing it''s prey to be in a weakened state, sized Alex up before going in for the kill. The claws of the werewolf sunk into the nearby buildings as it leapt up high to devour the demon. As the werewolf dived down, Alex came to his senses just in time to see the werewolf''s mouth fully open to devour him. With little time to act, he pulled out his iron dagger and aimed for the underside of the werewolf''s gaping mouth. The werewolf''s claws sunk deep into Alex''s arm and shoulder, but he still had enough range of movement to thrust his dagger into the werewolf''s jaw. As the dagger pierced into it''s jaw, a spray of blood drenched Alex''s Beginner''s Robes. The werewolf howled in pain but did not loosen it''s grip on Alex. Likewise, Alex kept his grip on the iron dagger and twisted it 90 degrees. More blood began to pour excessively from the wound as a bleed effect appeared on the werewolf. Both Alex and the werewolf were losing health because of their open wounds, but the werewolf had less health to start and it''s wound was more severe. It''s large body eventually fell over from blood loss as it died. A prompt appeared over the werewolf''s body. Siphon body? Yes or No Alex immediately clicked yes, and a torrent of blood from the werewolf was absorbed into Alex''s body. Alex watched as his wounds closed up without leaving a scar, and his health was nearly restored to maximum. When the prompt disappeared, the werewolf body slowly shifted back into a woman''s body, which disappeared leaving only her loot behind. Woman''s Clothing x 1 Diary Page x 1 2 Silver 10 Copper Engraved Bronze Brooch x 1 Alex gathered the loot and checked his skill screen quickly before leaving the side street. Tough Hide: 1 - 50 of 100 Unholy Magic: 1 - 0 of 100 Siphon: 1 - 50 of 100 "If only I had known about that, I wouldn''t have almost died just now!" Alex cursed his helplessness considering the situation. What''s the point in having unlimited resources if he''s dead? As he walked through the streets, he surveyed the area around him. All of the townspeople, including women and children had all shape shifted into werewolves and were now pacing up and down the streets with a bloodthirsty hunger. Alex took the chipped small wooden shield from his inventory and held it in his left hand, preparing to go fight another werewolf. As soon as he saw one isolated from the others, he threw a pebble to get it''s attention. The pebble his the werewolf square in it''s face, and it howled in anger as it rushed Alex''s position. Ready for a battle this time, Alex held the small wooden shield and braced for impact while picking up his iron dagger from the ground. The werewolf smashed into the shield, both hands grasping the edge while it tried to get it''s mouth around the top. Alex''s health decreased by 30 as he took the brunt of the charge. With no room for error, Willem flipped the shield up and bashed the werewolf in the face, leaving it''s stomach exposed. Alex pushed the iron dagger deep into the werewolf and gutted it with viciousness as it let out a expression of severe agony. The werewolf collapsed on the ground as blood poured out of it''s open wound. Unable to watch it suffer and writhe on the ground, Alex sliced it''s throat to quicken it''s death. Despite his hatred for the GMs of the game, he couldn''t help but acknowledge how well they had built the A.I. and it''s actions. When the werewolf died, a prompt appeared before Alex. Siphon body? Yes or No Alex chose no this time and began to cast unholy magic on the werewolf. He completed the hand gestures and complex verbal spell required to raise the dead. As the spell went off, the werewolf''s body was surrounded by red and black mist that slowly reanimated it''s body. The werewolf returned to ''life'' and looked at Alex, awaiting orders, while the loot that was on it''s body dropped below it. "Come to my side, werewolf." Alex watched as the werewolf''s stats appeared above it''s body. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Name: Werewolf Level: 2 Owner: Shadow Strength: 16 Dexterity: 17 Endurance: 10 Wisdom: 2 Intelligence: 2 Spirit: 2 Health: 50/100 Mana: 0 As the werewolf moved, Alex went to pick up it''s loot. The werewolf sniffed the loot it dropped and whimpered while looking at Alex. "What a bizarre spell, it appears to keep some sentience of it''s life as an NPC." Alex stated as he sifted through the loot drops. However, when he looked at the loot drops, it was as if someone had smashed his insides with a hammer. Small pink dress x 1 2 Copper Broken Necklace Slowly, Alex lifted his arm and pressed the additional details of the Broken Necklace. The A.I. voice spoke. "Broken Necklace: A small necklace with the initials R.C." As if all the wind had been knocked out of him, he looked at the werewolf beside him. The werewolf, unsure of what to do, obeyed the command to heel at Alex''s side. Alex took the Broken Necklace from his inventory and presented it to the werewolf. As he did, the werewolf whimpered again. "Damn it, why did it have to be you!" Alex cried out dejectedly. Out of all the people in the town, it had to be the little girl with the Broken Necklace that he chose to attack and kill. Alex, despite being in danger, gave himself a moment to express his grief. He quietly placed the Broken Necklace around the werewolf''s neck as it stood patiently awaiting orders. On the corner of the status window for the werewolf, there was an edit button beside the name. Alex clicked it and renamed the werewolf to Rudy. When he was done, he commanded Rudy to follow him closely as he snuck around to the Inn entrance. Peering inside through a window, Alex saw two werewolves stalking around looking for something fresh to kill. With little time to hesitate before the next werewolf on the street began to circle around again, Alex commanded Rudy to disable the werewolf nearest to the door. Alex quickly opened the door and the fight began. Rudy gave no quarter as she lunged toward the werewolf, grasping it''s neck with her large sharp teeth and wrestling it to the ground before it even had time to react. The werewolf in the back of the inn howled as it attempted to jump across the bar, but by the time it got up, Alex had already drove the iron dagger through the pinned werewolf''s stomach and killed it. Now, faced with a 2 versus 1 situation, the werewolf maintained the higher position on top of the bar as it growled menacingly. However the growl was filled with as much anger as fear, and not even the A.I. Rudy would be afraid of the empty gesture. Alex gave the command, and Rudy circled around the empty chairs and tables to flank the werewolf. Alex took to the other side and bashed his shield with his iron dagger in an effort to distract the poor stupid creature. Surprisingly to Alex, it worked, and the werewolf dove for him as the shield protected his body. From behind, Rudy clamped onto the werewolf with her powerful jaw and threw it to the ground just as Alex had predicted. Alex took the iron dagger in both his hands and sunk it deep into the chest of the werewolf. As it bled out, Alex kept cutting away to ensure that it died quicker and without suffering. Alex attempted to Siphon both werewolves when the prompt came up, but only one successfully activated. However that was enough for him to be fully healed for now. As the werewolf bodies reverted back to their human form before dying, Alex recognized the one from behind the bar as the woman that had washed his clothes earlier, and the one closest to the door was the barmaid that owned this particular Inn. Alex collected their loot and looked around the Inn. Rudy sniffed around while remaining by Alex''s side. Woman''s Clothing x 2 Bronze Knife x 1 Silver x 27 Copper x 9 Diary Page x 2 There is was again, another Diary Page. Thinking about how odd it was to receive not one or two, but three of them convinced Alex that it was no longer a coincidence. Alex quickly read the first Diary Page, from the woman that almost killed him in the streets. -I await my love with bated breath. In the great war between us demons and the filthy humans, he put his life on the line in order to make sure we were safe in this lovely little town, far from the capital. Though I have not heard from him in a few years, I know within my heart he will return to me. The old hag down the street called out to me today, and told me that she had a vision of my love. She said that without me to guide him, he would surely be lost forever. All it took for her to help me guide him home was a simple lock of my hair. I did not hesitate to draw my knife and cut my hair for her to cast her spell. Though it grosses me out to no end that she insists on touching my skin during her spell cast, she assured me of its success and for that I gave her my thanks. Please return home soon my love, you are the light to my darkness.- "The hag down the street?" From what he could tell, there was only one, and it was the skill apprentice. However in the few times that he visited her, he never saw her interact with other NPCs. He read the Diary Page of the barmaid next. -Despite my best efforts, the Inn seems to be in worse shape than I thought. I attempted many times to garner more interest from this little old town, but there are no travelers that come through and those who use the Inn just drink all the alcohol and leave. I cannot afford to keep this up much longer. If anything, I may need to cut my losses and sell it. An old crone came into the shop today, and told me something I sincerely did not want to hear. She said that without her assistance, the Inn was doomed to die a slow, withering death. Though she said it with disdain in her voice, I felt compelled to listen to her inane ramblings, hoping for a sign that she would help me restore this Inn to it''s former glory. According to her, she could employ magic and that would help bring the people to the Inn. Though it was rather unscrupulous of her, I did not wish to see the Inn my Grandfather built with his own hands fail because of my inability. Despite my better judgement, I agreed to her proposal. All she asked for was a lock of my hair and a private room to cast her spells. I reluctantly agreed and when she was done, a crowd of people immediately came to stay for the night. Never had I seen such fast acting and wonderful magic.- "Crone is just another word for that hag apprentice. Now I know for sure something is definitely going on with her as the epicenter." Alex put away the Diary Page of the barmaid he had just finished and was preparing the last Diary Page to be read. -I wonder when my fated person will arrive? Back in The Emerald Grove, I had suitors from all around the forest lining up at my door just to look upon me. The only reason I declined them all was because of their ugly countenances. Now that I am here in the great ''Town of Bells'' that everyone is talking about, I cannot fathom as to why people love it. Sure, it is a much bigger town than anything nearby, and the wealth from the mine keeps all the young and old women covered in gems, but that doesn''t make the weight of their ugly hearts any better. On the contrary, no matter which young master of a distinguished bloodline comes, they all just pay me and send me on my way! Not even one of them attempts to woo me or chase my skirt. Was I always such an ugly duckling that even the young masters would not touch me? An ugly old witch came up to me today and told me that I was destined to never be loved in my life for as long as I stay within this town. Though she said this with no sign of contempt, the fact that she could touch upon my deepest scar pains me to no end. Under duress, I ask her how to get the young men in the town to see me as worthy of worship. "My dear, I need only cast one spell to make it so" she said she could make me the most appetizing woman and only required a single lock of my hair. Was it really so simple to be loved and adored? I gave a lock of my hair, and as simple as chanting a few words, all the men in the Inn began fawning over me as if under possession. If I commanded them to jump, they jumped. If I commanded them to dance, they danced. With an army of men by my side, how could my life get any better?- Alex knew for sure that the skill apprentice had something to do with the werewolves of the town, however whether she herself was the perpetrator or not remained to be seen. "Time to go Rudy." Alex put away the Diary Pages back into the inventory and peered out the Inn''s doors. The patrolling werewolves had just passed out of sight, and the coast was clear, but only for a few moments longer. Alex swung the door open widely and Rudy stayed by his side as they traversed the back alleyways and side streets of the town. Instead of confronting the werewolves that walked past, Alex decided that stealth was the best approach so as to not be caught by werewolves and fight, thereby wear himself out for the confrontation with the old hag. After some time had passed, he finally arrived across the street from the old hag''s house. The old hag was still on her porch, rocking back and forth in her rocking chair while sewing the same weird cloth, muttering something to herself. When he believed himself to be ready, Alex commanded Rudy to remain by his side while he confronted the old hag. Now that he saw her on the porch, completely unharmed and not transformed, he was sure she was the mastermind behind this curse. Alex quickly crossed the street and when he stepped within ten feet of the old hag, a large barrier appeared around them. Rudy was forced out of the barrier under the extreme amount of pressure and Alex himself could not escape the purple sphere. "So, you figured it out, huh? You demonfolk like to take your time doing things!" The old hag stood from her rocking chair and peeled off her face to reveal a young human female. "It took me 2 years to lay down the network for this curse, I won''t let you undo everything in a single night!" The young woman slipped her hand into the sleeve of her gown and produced a short cane the size of a twig from a tree. The short cane glowed magically as she began casting a spell. Due to Alex''s Unholy Magic skill, he understood she was casting a curse towards him that would leave him befuddled and vulnerable. Alex began casting the counter curse as soon as he understood the effects of her spell, and as the young woman''s spell went off, a large translucent skull flew toward Alex. Alex''s counter curse went off and rebounded the translucent skull back to the young woman. As she was hit, her arms and legs seemed to lose all strength as she crashed to the ground in a daze. A small status appeared above her head to show that she had been afflicted by a disabling spell. Alex briskly stepped toward the young woman and brandished his iron dagger. He laid the woman out to expose her navel and sliced her open from navel to neck. Her body began to convulse as blood spurted in every direction. Suddenly, the cloth that she had been weaving as the old hag began to glow sinisterly. Before Alex had any time to properly react, the cloth detonated and blasted Alex against the barrier. Alex hit against the barrier and fell to the ground heavily, the dust kicked up and made it extremely hard for him to breath. As he checked his status screen, he saw his health. Health: 1 / 200 Siphon body? Yes or No Alex laughed at the prompt as he chose yes. The blood removed itself from the witch and entered Alex''s body, slowly revitalizing him. Health: 50/200 With the effects of the Siphon skill, Alex could now barely move. He slowly lifted his body and propped himself against the barrier. The young female mage''s body slowly disappeared as a small pool of loot appeared in her place. Alex crawled over to it and picked it all up. Ring of Beast Calling x 1 Mage''s Spellbook x 1 Bronze Short Cane x 1 Quick Change Mask x 1 Diary Page x 1 1 Gold 60 Silver 50 Copper A flood of prompts came in all at once and a familiar monotonous voice spoke out. "Special event complete. The witch is dead and the curse has been lifted. The townsfolk will be turned back into demonfolk and all survivors will be given their special prizes!" Shadow has been rewarded with: Werewolf Hunter Set Items 1500 Exp Reputation + 500 Title: Savior of the Town of Bells A familiar golden glow basked over Alex as he leveled up. The barrier shattered and fell away as Alex felt the soft wet nose of Rudy pressed against his bare back. The explosion had destroyed all of his equipment, save for the iron dagger. Unfortunately, Rudy did not change back as she had already died by the hands of Alex, and would retain her werewolf body until he released her to death or she died in his service. Name: Shadow Level: 4 Race: Demon Class: Demon King Title: One who rules the underworld Skills: Tough Hide 3 Unholy Magic 2 Siphon 2 Pet: Rudy -Stats- Strength: 10 + (6) Dexterity: 10 + (6) Endurance: 10 + (6) Wisdom: 10 + (6) Intelligence: 10 + (6) Spirit: 10 + (6) Health: 50/250 Mana: 25/175 -Equipment- Weapon: Iron Dagger + 1 Off Hand: None Head Gear: None Chest Gear: None Leg Gear: Loincloth Foot Gear: None Ring Slot 1: None Ring Slot 2: None Neck Slot 1: None Special 1: None Special 2: None Experience: 4800 of 5000 Languages: Common, Undercommon, Demon Money: 0 Mithril 0 Platinum 1 Gold 94 Silver 109 Copper Special Abilities: Dominion, Territory Management 4 - Gathering Armies Alex could not bring himself to release Rudy as a Pet because he did not wish for her to disappear. Remembering the lonely child in the broken home struck a chord with Alex, who had just wanted to help the poor girl. At least he could still fulfill his promise to her of fixing the broken necklace. He opened his inventory to look at the Werewolf Hunter set. The familiar symbol for an advanced description appeared on the corner of the item. Werewolf Hunter Set: Auryon Grey was the first hunter to successfully trap and kill a werewolf. Until the day she died, she continually chased after the Alpha Werewolf that killed her Husband and Child. The spirit of her vengeance was infused with the clothes she died in. Werewolf Hunter Chest Armor: +5 Health +2 Armor +1 Dexterity +1 Endurance Werewolf Hunter Leg Armor: +5 Health +2 Armor +1 Dexterity +1 Endurance Werewolf Hunter Leather Helmet: +5 Health +1 Armor +1 Dexterity +1 Endurance Werewolf Hunter Leather Greaves: +5 Health +1 Armor +1 Dexterity +1 Endurance Full Set Bonus: +10 Health +2 Armor (Hidden Bonus) (Hidden Bonus) The equipment itself had many spikes and sharp ends, like the thorns of a rose. The color was a mix of green and brown for the best possible camouflage. The leather helmet reminded him of a dragon rider from a movie he once saw. The entire set was made of a sturdy weaved leather, provided maximum comfort and ease of movement but incredible durability compared to the Beginner''s Set. As Alex equipped his new armor set, he felt his vision sharpen to the point that he could see much finer details from a farther distance away. He could only assume it was one of the hidden bonuses provided by the armor. The other must be night vision, he surmised, as he could clearly see within the dark recesses of the night sky the sluggish movements of the NPCs as they awoke from their curse only to continue along their predictable A.I. path. As for why they were considered hidden bonuses, Alex had no idea why. Nor could he even make an accurate conjecture, due to the fact that the guide he had read had no information of hidden bonuses. Alex thought to himself for a moment before accessing the Help button. He toggled the search function and entered Hidden Bonus. A small description came up and he decided to read it. Hidden Bonus: Bonuses are hidden from the players upon set completion. While some bonuses are obvious, others may not be and will have to be tested to figure out what they do. The bonuses often reflect an aspect of the set it comes from. Content with the answer, Alex closed the Help box and brandished his Iron Dagger + 1. Out of everything that got caught up in the blast, a normal looking iron dagger was the only thing to survive besides himself, barely. Without the blacksmith skill or a similar skill, he would not be able to tell what materials it actually was. It was fairly easy in the game to just name a weapon whatever you want, but you need the blacksmith skill in order to do it. You could name an Orichalcum Greatsword (Copper Pickaxe) and it would remain that name until another blacksmith renamed it. With only 200 experience to level up, Alex dusted himself off and readied himself to head out in the morning. For right now, however, a powerful hunger came over him. Since his adrenaline had been spurring him onward to his next goal the entire day, Alex had yet to notice his continually growling stomach. Luckily after his fight with the werewolves at the Inn, he had found some mutton and bread for later and had quickly stuffed it into his inventory. Before consuming the food, he confirmed the status to ensure there were no problems. Mutton: Heal +30 Health and become partially sated. Bread: Heal +10 Health and become partially sated. With no abnormal statuses to be seen, Alex consumed the mutton and bread with gusto. The taste was plain, and he tore off chunks of meat from the bone while mumbling to himself about some good spices to add to it. Rudy sat beside Alex but did not dare look too long at the mutton delicacy before her. Alex saw Rudy trying to sneak a peek at the food and decided to offer her some to eat. Though he was unsure if she actually required food as a newly undead creature, she reluctantly took the morsel of meat and gulped it down with vigor. After the meal, he headed to the newly abandoned Inn and took a key off the exchange table behind the counter. Twirling the key around his finger, he led Rudy upstairs to the comfort of the largest room the Inn had to offer. As he entered the plain looking but large room, he closed and locked the door behind him, removed the Werewolf Hunter Set and climbed into the large feathered bed. Despite the extreme events of his first day, Alex couldn''t help but smile as Rudy nestled beside him with her wet nose resting against his shoulder. As his eyes slowly closed, he had his first dream inside the new world. In his dream, he was the champion of a large magical world, with a team of loyal companions who stood by his side against all manner of enemies. In the dream, his group had been tasked with defeating an evil black dragon that was poisoning the water supply of the Kingdom. In the throes of battle, Alex swung his mythical sword, Durandal, to behead the ancient dragon before it could deal the final blow to his allies. After the fight it was discovered that his best friend and most trusted confidante had sustained a poisonous strike from the black dragon and was destined to die a horrible death. Before Alex could find a cure for the poison, he was awoken by the sounds of birds chirping outside his window. As he awoke, a small tear escaped his eye while Rudy whimpered beside him. From his right side, Rudy stood with a large open wound on her stomach but no blood escaping as she licked his face in greeting. Alex shooed her off while he removed the blankets of the feathered bed and stretched his body. He equipped the Werewolf Hunter Set again and lifted himself off the bed while Rudy jumped off beside him. His stomach growled once more as the light of the sun peeked through the window. Alex, while rubbing his stomach, unlocked the bedroom door and stepped lightly down the stairs. Looking around the Inn, he found a broth that had been cooked seemingly the night before and prepared a bowl for himself and one for Rudy. "Eat up Rudy, we''re going to go hunt some Kobolds later okay?" Alex spoke as he rubbed the top of Rudy''s head. Rudy sniffed the bowl of broth and began to lap it up like a dog. Alex couldn''t help but think highly of the GMs in terms of their background research. Since dogs and wolves have common ancestors, having a tamed pet werewolf act like a dog is not completely unfounded. Alex quickly drank the warmed broth and checked his inventory. Beside the useless items, there were still a couple things from the Special Event that held his interest. He clicked the advanced information on each of the fives items he received from the female human mage. "First i''ll look at this Ring of Beast Calling..." The additional dialogue appeared before him. "Summon an Owl by your side to assist you in battle or scouting. Cooldown 24 hours... Since it''s a summon, it won''t interfere with my Pet right?" Alex slipped the ring over his middle finger and continued reading the other dialogues. "Next up, Mage''s Spellbook... A spellbook provided to certain caster classes to store newly learned spells. I never got one, so I guess Demon King isn''t considered one of those caster classes. It also says it''s restricted and cannot be opened by any class other than a Wizard or Warmage." Alex closed the dialogue box of that item and continued to read. "Bronze shortcane: The lowest level catalyst for spellcasting for Wizards and Warmages. Simple enough..." After realizing that he was just murmuring to himself, he stopped talking out loud and just read the items. Quickchange Mask: Invented by a famous magical thief to more easily hide his face. Cooldown 24 hours. Diary Page: The diary entry of a female mage hiding within the Town of Bells. While eating the broth from the wooden bowl, Alex opened the Diary Page and read it, hoping to glean the mage''s purpose in unleashing a curse upon the town. -Even Magic cannot bring back my love anymore. After several attempts to resurrect my Husband, both at the local church under the guidance of our patron God and with my own magic power, his soul is lost forever to the afterlife. If I had known it would be like this, I would have never let him go off to war with those detestable demonfolk. They mutilated his body so badly with poisons and burns that he no longer had a vessel for his soul to return to. After finding out that I could not bring him back, I settled myself to find where the demonfolk live to unleash a curse upon their people for our revenge. I petitioned my Master to teach me a curse that could be unleashed on an evil town, and he was happy to teach his shining pupil the strongest curse he knew. I gratefully took it and traveled far away, beyond the Gates of Hell, to the Town of Bells. After remaining here for 2 years, I am finally ready to unleash the curse upon this town. Before they even realize that it was me, they will be turned to bloodthirsty beasts and begin to turn on each other. When I am done here, I will head into the forest and tear apart that Dark Elf settlement next. Vengeance is so sweet. I will join you when I am done my love.- As he finished reading the Diary Page, a quest popup appeared. Alex, having nothing to lose on the matter, decided to accept the quest. Quest: Investigate Jack''s Mysterious Death Accepted. Something did seem quite weird as he read through the letter. Demonfolk warriors do not use poison to fight, it was against their beliefs according to the Race information. This meant that something definitely was wrong about this line of thinking from the widow mage. As Alex and Rudy finished their broth, they left the Inn side by side and headed outside the town, toward the forest that the goblins inhabited. On the map, Alex saw a few small red dots to indicate enemies. A small burrowing wolf was the first thing they came up against, and Rudy killed the monster by herself with relative ease. To confirm something, Alex checked her status and experience to confirm that she received any from her kill. Previously, under the Owner: Shadow there was nothing. Now there was a new tab for experience: 1200 of 2300. This must be the difference between a Pet and a Summon. Although Rudy had taken 10 points of damage during the exchange, the Unholy Magic skill had an equivalent undead healing spell that did not cost an exorbitant amount of Mana. Alex casted the undead healing spell and Rudy was brought to 50 Health, despite her maximum Health being 100. The spell consumed 25 Mana for 25 point of healing which to Alex was a good conversion rate. This meant that for the time being, Rudy''s Health was capped at 50. Two more red luminous points on the map remained within range. Alex wandered over to the closest one, and watched as Rudy tore apart the Gnoll that was sitting on a log, eating some bugs. According to the guide, and most mythology on the topic, a Gnoll is a humanoid with a hyena''s head and are a race that by nature are predisposed to commit evil acts. Normally clad in full metal armor with a pike or axe in hand. The battle was quick but decisive, while Rudy was the one who rushed the Gnoll as a surprise, it was the Gnoll that had a better position due to being in full armor. Not being able to secure a hold on the Gnoll, Rudy was forced to take a few hits in order to get close enough to wrap her powerful jaw around the neck of the Gnoll. After lunging for the Gnoll''s throat and using her hind legs to tear apart it''s legs, the battle ended with Rudy''s victory. With only 20 Health out of 100, Rudy limped away from the battle bloody but victorious. Alex noticed that in both kills, there was no loot drop for him despite it being his Pet. Considering it was a solo kill though, he could definitely justify not receiving loot. Alex began casting the undead healing spell once again, healing Rudy back up to 45 Health at the cost of another 25 Mana. The final fight within this patch of the forest was within sight as Alex and Rudy approached a Giant Spider nestled within it''s woven webs in a tree. Unfortunately, there was no way for Rudy to retrieve the Giant Spider from the tree without attempting to physically jump up and grab it, risking a poisoned attack. "Rudy, remain by my side and do not attack this one." Alex gave his command and Rudy remained wary while she stood beside him. Utilizing the unholy magic within his mind and standing at the maximum range possible, Alex began casting a spell which triggered the battle sequence of the Giant Spider. While the Giant Spider twisted down the spider web reinforced tree branches, Alex continued to chant his unholy magic spell unfazed, twisting his arms and hands hypnotically and reciting an ancient incomprehensible language. Before the Giant Spider could reach within Alex''s range, the spell finished and a red and black flame bursted forth from the cephalothorax of the Giant Spider. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. A single Giant Spider leg reached out to stab at Alex as he brandished his Iron Dagger + 1. As the red black fire began melting the abdomen of the Giant Spider, Alex parried the strike and attempted to riposte the leg as it backed away. The lower section of the Giant Spider''s leg was cleanly severed by Alex as it placed more weight on it''s right side to balance itself out. A second strike and another parry from Alex, while the red black fire slowly ate away at the Giant Spider until it''s Health reached 0 and it quietly shriveled on the ground. The stench of burning hair and blood spread around the Giant Spider. Siphon body? Yes or No Alex chose to Siphon the body as it disappeared and the loot replaced the shriveled broken husk. Broken Carapace x 1 Diluted Poison x 2 Cracked Spider Eggs x 2 The Broken Carapace and Cracked Spider Eggs were considered common items and were placed in the appropriate item tab, while the Diluted Poison was placed in the ingredients tab that Alex had previously created. A golden glow floated around Alex''s body as he received his experience from the Giant Spider and leveled up. Considering how long it took to cast the Black Flame curse and it''s mana cost, it was not efficient to continue using it until he could continually regenerate mana to justify it. "At almost level 5, I was able to defeat a level 2 in three strikes. The strength of this Werewolf Hunter Set and iron dagger cannot be underestimated either." Alex and Rudy continued walking forward, only stopping to drink from a nearby river or to pluck some berries to eat as a snack. Despite the hectic first day, Alex found solace with Rudy by his side in this strange new world. With a close Pet and the knowledge from the guide and Help button, Alex was sure he would be able to survive any trial within the starting area. As they walked deeper into the forest, Alex and Rudy came across a Squad of Kobolds, seven in total, marching disorderly in broken chainmail with small pikes and even smaller patched leather shields. Alex checked his resources and thought about how the A.I. intended to act. If the player is 3 or more levels above the A.I. then multiple creatures can attack at the same time without triggering the beginner A.I. code of single combat. The extent of this multi combat system was only briefly tested before the beta was closed and the guide was published and thus had little to no help in this situation. The Help button would not provide anything on the functions of the A.I. so that was out of the question as well. Considering the minimal damage both Alex and Rudy sustained during their fights, he decided to fight the Kobold Squad. While the majority of the Kobold Squad had their backs turned, Alex and Rudy rushed their position with a brandished dagger and thick wolf claws. The Kobolds whom had been taken off guard did not have time to lift up their shields as an iron dagger pierced the throat of one Kobold, horizontally slashing through the neck and into the Kobold beside him, cleaving it''s head entirely off it''s body.. In the Undercommon language, a call to arms was yelled by the leader of the Kobold Squad. "Protect me! Kill the bad man!" The Kobold yelled in fear. Rudy sunk her claws through the broken chainmail of two Kobolds, straight into their chests, rending their flesh until they were nothing but a pile of mauled skin and bone gushing blood. The savagery and dispassionate killing of the werewolf was a far cry from the normal little NPC girl that Alex associated with. If it wasn''t for the fact that he knew she was still in there, he would not have kept the werewolf as a Pet to remain by his side. With three Kobolds down and four remaining, the defense of the Kobolds got tighter as they raised their shields to protect their frail bodies. However as level 1 creatures, they stood no chance against a level 5 player and his Pet. Alex viciously slashed horizontally, cleanly slicing through the shields of the Kobolds and partially cutting into their already broken armor. With no shields to hide behind and broken armor almost falling apart, the Kobold A.I. kicked in and they gave a last ditch effort by assaulting the player as the 4 of them together. In terms of strength, 4 Kobolds attacking in unison would be equivalent to a level 3 player. Alex parried three Kobolds attacks with his 22 Dexterity, and only one landed on his new Werewolf Hunter Chest Armor. The dull pike hit the embossed leather chest piece and the head of the pike broke off the shaft and flung away into the grass nearby. Sparing no second, Alex used the opportunity after the parry to gouge out the eyes of the Kobold in front of him with his iron dagger. With no sight to rely on, a Disabled condition appeared above the Kobold''s head as it swung blindly in all directions. The feverish swings ended up hitting his allies who had previously been closely knit in a defensive formation, making them take unnecessary damage. Rudy attacked the Kobold that struck out with his pike toward Alex, gripping his head in between her powerful jaw and chomping down until the kobold''s brain matter and blood spilled into her mouth. With her left paw, she reached out and tore a deep gash into the Kobold to the left of her previous victim. As the Kobold in her mouth twitched, the Kobold that took the body blow fell into a pool of it''s own blood as it''s Health quickly deteriorated to 0. With only 2 remaining and one permanently disabled, this was a complete victory on the side of Alex and Rudy. Yet Alex did not let up, thrusting his iron dagger into the clavicle of the Kobold and slicing vertically straight through the broken chainmail like a hot knife. A one hit kill condition appeared above the Kobold''s head as it''s body disappeared and loot appeared in it''s place. With one final strike, Alex lifted his Iron Dagger + 1 and cut deep into the skull of the Kobold. After a few twitches, the final Kobold fell to the ground. Seven prompts appeared in from of Alex, all saying the same thing. Siphon Body? Yes or No Alex Siphoned from all seven, using up 35 mana in the process. With almost half his mana depleted, he collected his loot and trudged further on toward the Kobold''s known hideout on the side of a nearby mountain. Kobold Head x 5 Broken Kobold Shield x 5 Broken Small Pike x 2 Broken Small Axe x 1 5 Silver 32 Copper Alex remarked at how he only received the 5 Kobold heads despite defeating seven of them. For him this meant it was not possible to collect any more than a particular quest requires. As Alex approached the side of the mountain where the Kobold tribe resided, he could hear thunderous sounds of drumming and the sound of loud tinkering with continuous movement. On the crest of a small hill nearby, Alex watched as hundreds of Kobolds feverishly created simple traps or mined around the mountain edge. The sound of drums marked the arrival of the great and noble Kobold King, wearing the broken skull of a Hobgoblin atop his head as a crown. Alex was too far away from the Kobold King to hear his speech, but the Kobolds began to work even harder when he finished. As Alex prepare to leave, the mountain and the surrounding area including where Alex was currently kneeling, shook from deep within the earth. Many of the traps the Kobolds were making went off, breaking apart as they did, much to the dismay of the Kobolds who made them. Alex left the mountain behind and headed back to the Goblin camp to seek assistance. There was no way he could single-handedly defeat hundreds of Kobolds unless he had a wide area attack magic, which his Unholy Magic Skill did not have. The only ones with the wide area of effect magic needed would be Wizards, Elementalists and possibly Warmages at decent levels. On his way back to town, he allowed Rudy to hunt stray Kobolds, Wolves, Dire Rats and Gnolls by herself with the intention of leveling her up. A quick look at the Pet status display showed that Rudy had already hit level 3 in no time at all and her Maximum Health had now changed to 125/125. When they finally arrived at the goblin camp, the sun was already beginning to set and night was to soon come. Alex headed to the Guard that gave him his repeating quest and conversed in the Undercommon tongue. "Hey humy, you back! Bring FIRE yet? Do you have stupid Kobold heads to eat?" The easily distracted goblin guard completed the quest and Alex received his experience and reputation increase. Experience + 250 Goblin Reputation 20/50 Reputation: Not Enemy "Take me to the goblin chief, little buddy." Alex responded. "You real funny sometimes, so we decided to eat you last, ahaha hahaha. Ha..." As if the wind had been knocked out of him, it took the small goblin guard a couple of seconds to get his bearing back after laughing to himself so much. Alex chose not to respond to that particular prompt. As he is led into the Goblin Den once again, he remarked at how much more clearly the stench of fetid decay was compared to last time. Apparently the more he turned in the repeatable Kobold head quest, the more stock they would have of it. Rudy received the same reputation as Alex, so he did not fear her being attacked unless he was also attacked for whatever reason. If the goblins even needed a reason to attack him. "Chief, humy is back and he wanted to talky talk. Go now humy go go go talk." The goblin poked Alex on his behind with the spear he had been holding. 1 Point of damage. "I have returned with news for you, goblin chief. The Kobolds are amassing an army of hundreds to come and take your home from you. I saw it with my own two eyes." Alex decided to say it this way after some careful deliberation. If this played out the way he wanted, he could reap a large amount of benefits all at once. "My scout says same thing before I cut his head off. I guess I believe you... Unless you are also the same scout..." The goblin chief scratched at his head with one hand, and his behind with the other from atop his makeshift throne. "I am not the scout you sent and then killed. The Kobolds are coming to kill you. Do you have an army to fight back?" Alex was certainly perplexed by the level of stupidity of goblins. "Tell goblin guards to send word to the other goblins in the forest, we need to attack together. Say I say oso so so. Say so... We attack tomorrow. Humy will personally take the head of kobold king and bring it to me." As the Goblin Chief spoke excitedly while clapping his hands, another quest popped up in Alex''s view. He accepted it without hesitation. Quest: Army of Goblins Accepted. "Humy, you too stupid to lead army, I send my best, meet army here when shiny yellow round pops up over ground. If you late we leave without you and I not share my treasures." The goblin chief shooed Alex out of the goblin den before squatting in the previously made hole beside his makeshift throne and patting the dirt and mud down. With another successful verbal prompting, Alex left the room with Rudy with the intention of returning to the Town of Bells. The goblin guard rushed to Alex and a quest popped up again. The quest was different from the others, it boasted a higher reward and more reputation. "Retrieving 15 kobold heads should not be too difficult in this coming battle..." Alex accepted the quest. Quest: 15 Kobold Heads Accepted. "Bye, humy!" The goblin guard giggled incessantly like he had just told the funniest joke. Alex returned to the Town of Bells and to the Inn, drawing water from the basin and washing himself before preparing more warm broth for himself and Rudy. After successfully leveling both himself and Rudy once, he locked the door to the largest room and removed his Werewolf Hunter Set before going to sleep. Name: Shadow Level: 5 Race: Demon Class: Demon King Title: One who rules the underworld Skills: Tough Hide 3 Unholy Magic 3 Siphon 3 Pet: Rudy -Stats- Strength: 10 + (8) Dexterity: 10 + (12) Endurance: 10 + (12) Wisdom: 10 + (8) Intelligence: 10 + (8) Spirit: 10 + (8) Health: 330/330 Mana: 200/200 -Equipment- Armor Bonus: 8 Weapon: Iron Dagger + 1 Off Hand: None Head Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leather Helmet Chest Gear: Werewolf Hunter Chest Armor Leg Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leg Armor Foot Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leather Greaves Ring Slot 1: Ring of Beast Calling Ring Slot 2: None Neck Slot 1: None Special 1: None Special 2: None Experience: 6000 of 6500 Languages: Common, Undercommon, Demon Money: 0 Mithril 0 Platinum 1 Gold 99 Silver 141 Copper Special Abilities: Dominion, Territory Management - Name: Rudy Level: 3 Owner: Shadow Strength: 17 Dexterity: 18 Endurance: 11 Wisdom: 2 Intelligence: 2 Spirit: 2 Health: 125/125 Mana: 0 Experience: 2900 of 3600
Finished just in time to watch the sunset. :D 5 - Times of War Morning quickly came for Alex as he had had a rather restful sleep, unperturbed by the events of the outside world. The howls of nearby NPC beasts did not pierce the thin glass of the windows within his room at the Inn. Upon awaking near dawn, Alex first equipped his Werewolf Hunter Set and woke up the sleeping Rudy beside him. "Morning Rudy." Alex gently prodded her awake while poking her nose. Rudy snarled upon being woken up, but when she opened her eyes she stopped. "Even now, this level of detail in an A.I. is incredible. They must have been working on this for a long time..." Alex couldn''t help but admire. If not for his present conundrum, he probably would have dedicated all of his time playing this game attempting to reach the top. Alex began to think about all the leveling he had done yesterday and the enemies he fought. If he was to continue fighting with the same tenacity as before then he would need a stronger weapon, possibly one with reach. With the distance he would need to travel to reach the Goblin Den, there was no way he could reach in time to join the Goblin Army immediately. Therefore he decided to take a bit of time to grab some things he would possibly need for the journey to the next city. Alex climbed out of the comfy feathered bed just as the sun came peeking over the horizon and opened the door to leave. Rudy followed closely behind him, yawning and shaking her body. As he effortlessly glided down the staircase, he made his way out the Inn''s double doors and onto the busy street. Some NPCs hurriedly ran to and fro, while others sat on the side of the road hawking their wares. Alex looked over some of the street vendors but found nothing of value to be bought, so he briskly walked to the Blacksmith shop marked on the map. Down the main alley one would take to get to the hag Skill Apprentice, Alex turned right at a fork in the road and headed to a large building with two stories. The sign at the front of the building was a hammer and chisel in the shape of an X. The words in demonfolk read "Osiris Smithy". As Alex entered the building, two young lasses came into view from around the corner. One had a head full of brown hair, freckles all over her face and deep blue eyes that seemed dull and lifeless. The other was blonde, with green eyes and less freckles. Both women were stout and wore overalls, carrying goggles on their heads and hammers in their hands. Alex approached the brown haired lass and started her dialogue. "Oy, what''ll it be lad?" The woman spoke in a gruff voice, like a heavy smoker. An Item Display page appeared in front of Alex, with a list of weapons to buy and the stock they currently had on hand. Most of the items on the page were made of copper, with only two made of iron. The durability of the weapons and the damage they dealt were similar as well. Alex continued to look around, eventually looking through the other woman''s Item Display and then heading upstairs. On the second story, a gruff man with a thick grizzled beard and short stature hammered away at some heated iron on top of a steel anvil. There were three other anvils ready for use, but Alex did not have the Blacksmith Skill so he could not interact with them. "Ayy, fixin'' to grab a good ''eapon?" The dwarf let out a big toothy grin as he turned toward Alex. The Item Display page showed three separate pages of weapons. The previous copper weapons were all there, filling the first page. The second page was filled with iron weaponry and armor, and finally the third was filled with Recipes. At least he now had a choice in regards to which iron weapons he wished to purchase. Iron Dagger - 2 Silver Iron Sword - 4 Silver Iron Longsword - 4 Silver Iron Axe - 4 Silver Iron Battleaxe - 6 Silver Iron Javelin - 8 Silver Iron Spear - 10 Silver Iron Mace - 8 Silver Further below those options was the armor, though Alex knew exactly what he wanted when it came to that. Alex purchased the Iron Battleaxe, Iron Longsword, and from the armor section, Iron Kite Shield. In total he had spent 20 Silver alone just in this shop. If he didn''t have all the resources within the beginning area, it may have taken alot more grinding to afford them. Alex left the building with Rudy and headed down to the Apothecary on the map. According to the guide, this was where he could purchase potions for recovering Health or Mana. Right beside the large church in the middle of town was a small two story wooden shack that looked to be about to fall apart at any moment. As Alex entered, the door squeaked loudly as if to announce his presence. An old man and young woman sat behind two desks, balancing beakers and combining different fluids into a jar. Alex approached the old man first to see what he had to sell. "I wouldn''t mind a bottle of your blood!" The old man spoke off key. The Item Box appeared with a list of available potions to purchase. There were many separate potions to choose from, ranging from low to mid quality restoration. Level 1 Healing Potion (10): 20 Copper - Heals 10% of Health Level 2 Healing Potion (05): 50 Copper - Heals 20% of Health Level 3 Healing Potion (02): 1 Silver - Heals 30% of Health Level 1 Mana Potion (10): 20 Copper - Heals 10% of Mana Level 2 Mana Potion (05): 50 Copper - Heals 20% of Mana Level 3 Mana Potion (02): 1 Silver - Heals 30% of Mana Level 1 Recovery Potion (10): 40 Copper - Heals 10% of Health and Mana Level 2 Recovery Potion (05): 1 Silver - Heals 20% of Health and Mana Level 3 Recovery Potion (02): 2 Silver - Heals 30% of Health and Mana Alex bought the entire stocks for the level 2 and 3 Healing, Mana and Recovery Potions. He decided to sell all his useless normal items like the Kobold weapons and armor, small shortbows and anything else that did not have a purpose beyond being sold. He kept anything that could be ingredients used later, like herbs and spider poison. After getting rid of the unnecessary things from his inventory, he headed to the General Shop to purchase the final provisions. On the other side of the church, opposite of the rickety shack, was a completely normal looking well kept store. As soon as he opened the doors, the smell of citrus and lavender flooded his nose. "Welcome, weary traveler! Anything you may need, we most certainly have it!" A perky young girl of ten stood behind the showcase, her chin gently resting on the glass. The Item Display popped up in front of Alex, with four pages of items to be purchased. Most were unnecessary for Alex as he already had them from looting the Kobolds, but some things he did not have. "Let''s see..." Alex thumbed through the Item Display as he purchased 10 rations of food, 1 Copper Pickaxe, a Small Tent, and two books: A Guide to the Lesser World and Between Two Lovers; Fates Intertwined. Alex felt his face heat up a little bit as he purchased the second book, and as he confirmed his purchase, the girl spoke. "Mom says i''m not allowed to read that yet!" Alex turned as red as a beet as he ran away from the General Store, Rudy faithfully trotting alongside him. Approximately half an hour had passed, and the sun was now in full view. Alex mentally prepared himself as he began to jog towards the woods, heading for the Goblin Den. When he arrived at the Den, he noticed that no one was around, including the Goblin Chief and the guards that frequently walked around. Even the annoying pest that kept poking him was not here. He continued running toward the direction of the Kobold''s home at the side of the mountain. After some more time passed, Alex finally approached the hill that overlooked the Kobold''s mountain where he initially surveyed the Army. The Goblins and the Kobolds were locked in an epic battle, with hundreds of Kobolds fighting against hundreds of Goblins. The Goblins were not the only ones fighting the Kobolds, there were also mangy looking dogs and large Hobgoblins. "Our cavalry is here! You is late stupid humy!" The Goblin Chief reacted to Alex''s presence as he slashed the head off a Kobold. "Take the head of the King and all is forgiven, ahahaha!" Alex equipped his Iron Battleaxe and Iron Kite Shield before running down the slope of the steep hill into the thick of the battle. Rudy gave off a blood curdling howl as Alex gave her the order to attack all the Kobolds she saw. Alex, with his 18 Strength, began cutting through Kobolds with his Battleaxe like he was chopping through small trees. Loot began to drop as he paved a pathway straight to the Kobold King at the edge of the mountain, just outside the entrance to an underground lair. After killing ten Kobolds, a golden glow enveloped around him, though he did not stop to check his status. Many popups appeared as he cut down the foes in front of him. Thinking this would be a good chance to powerlevel his Siphon Skill, he accepted them as they appeared. The Kobolds attempted to fight back against Alex by trying to overwhelm him with numbers, but their chipped small weapons barely dented the Iron Kite Shield. His 22 Dexterity allowed him to nimbly dodge any attack that somehow breached his otherwise solid defenses. The smell of blood and feces began to permeate the field as both Goblins and Kobolds fell dead. Hoarse screams and roars rang out all over the battlefield. Alex headed straight for the Kobold King and finally broke away from the two armies fighting. "Come face me, King of nothing!" Alex attempted to taunt the Kobold King, and it worked. Enraged, the Kobold King dismounted the large boar he was sitting on and charged toward Alex, whom had differentiated himself from the fight going on behind him. "There is a reason I am the King!" The Kobold King shouted in Undercommon. Before Alex could strike, the Kobold King casted a small chant and disappeared both from in front of Alex and on the map. "Stealth Skill?" Alex took a defensive position as he waited for the King to reveal himself. One second passed, then two and three. All of a sudden, a sharp pain engulfed his right shoulder blade. "Haha! Die! Die! Die!" The Kobold King cried out as he removed the dagger that was previously embedded in Alex and swung awkwardly. The open wound Alex had sustained caused a ''bleed'' effect to appear above his Health bar. His Health slowly drained as he turned around to attack the Kobold King. "Take my loyal Piggy''s charge attack!" The Kobold King yelled out. Alex turned around and braced himself for impact, but instead he felt a profound pain on the back of his right leg. The Kobold King had tricked him into turning around in order to disable him. The ''disabled'' effect appeared above Alex''s Health bar as he felt his right leg go numb. His Health was now below 50%, and a couple more blows like that may kill him. The Kobold King licked his lips as he moved to Alex''s right hand side and lunged for his ribs. Risking the attack, Alex swung with near perfect timing to intercept the dagger and follow through with an upward slice. The dagger that the Kobold King wielded cut into Alex''s forearm as the battleaxe cleanly sliced off the Kobold King''s face, the smashed Hobgoblin skull crown falling to the ground. "Disabled'' and ''bleeding'' simultaneously appeared as the Kobold King began to shriek in pain and terror, his face split almost perfectly in half. Before the nearby Kobold healers could heal the Kobold King, Alex followed through with his upward swing by slicing down diagonally, cleaving the Kobold King from his right shoulder to his left leg. The healing spells aimed toward the Kobold King were successfully casted, but the Kobold King was already at 0 health and thus was dead before he could receive any points of healing. With no time to spare, he quickly looted the corpse and began slicing his way through the Kobolds still fighting near him as popups continued to appear in front of him. Siphon Body? Yes or No Alex clicked yes to the 9 different popups and readied his weapons for the next fight. Blood slowly drained from the bodies of the dead Kobolds and quickly flowed into Alex. Many of the Kobolds, upon seeing their King dead, began to flee with the ''fear'' effect on top of their Health bars. In response, some Kobold Generals shouted in Undercommon. "Glory to the King that he die in glorious battle to kill the filthy Goblins!" The Kobold General called out. Seemingly inspired by the words of one of their leaders, the Kobolds lost their ''fear'' effect and gained a ''courage'' buff in its place. Alex had taken plenty of damage and still had status effects against him, so he took out a level 2 Healing Potion and drank it quickly. The Potion in his inventory showed a cool down timer: 1 hour. "That would be the obvious downside of the Potion then..." Alex thought as he finished drinking. The Healing potion tasted like cinnamon and red berry. The ''bleed'' effect and the ''disabled'' effect disappeared as he finished drinking. He gained the feeling back in his right leg, and the wound on his shoulder blade began to close. Now that the ''head'' of the Kobold Army had been removed, he would be aiming for the ''arms''. The Kobold Generals that led the Kobold army in small skirmishes across the mountain were his next target. Without a proper command structure, the Kobolds would flee and the battle would be won sooner. Alex sliced through the Kobolds, sometimes picking up loot to fulfill his quest and sometimes leaving some loot behind in order to focus on his next prey. Rudy eventually joined him again and it appeared that she had killed enough Kobolds herself to level up. Alex was on the cusp of leveling up again despite leveling earlier in the war. Such was the nature of this full scale fight, where even though he received a diminished amount of experience compared to solo conquest, he was participating in as many battles as he could to reap the benefits. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Rudy was injured, and Alex took a few moments in between battles and looting to heal her with the Unholy Magic Skill while she continued to fight. Fight after fight, Alex and Rudy continued to cut a path to the nearby Kobold Generals, dragging them from their steeds and cutting their heads from their shoulders. After another fifteen minutes of fighting Kobold Generals and fighters, both Alex and Rudy leveled up again. With the involvement of Alex, Rudy and the Hobgoblins with their Goblin Dogs, the war between the Goblins and Kobolds was now clearly in favor of the Goblins. The hierarchy of the Kobolds had been completely destroyed, with no remaining Kobold King or Kobold Generals to lead the army. When the opposing Kobold Army finally fell to 10% of their total numbers, the special A.I. program kicked in and the surviving Kobolds fled while the Goblin Dogs gave chase from behind. Alex gave the command for Rudy to chase, as she was much faster and wiser than the mangy Goblin Dogs. She ended up catching and killing fifty Kobolds before returning. The Goblin Army cheered as they successfully fought and defeated their mortal enemies, the Kobolds. The Goblin Chief cleaned off his chipped iron dagger and moved to the base of the mountain that still randomly shook beneath their feet. As he stood above his Goblin Army, with the Hobgoblin Generals to his side, he raised his sword to the sky and shouted. "We win! We are the strong! Eat the stupid dead Kobolds!" The Goblin Chief gave a large toothy grin as the goblins immediately began stomping their feet and eating the flesh of the dead Kobolds littering the ground. Alex approached the Goblin Chief and turned in his quest. Experience + 800 Goblin Reputation 200/500 Reputation: Friendly Alex jumped two reputation levels, from Not Enemy to Neutral to Friendly. He left the Goblin Chief alone for a moment and spoke to the guard that gave him the quest for 15 Kobold Heads to turn it in. "Good job Humy, maybe you not suck so much!" The goblin guard laughed as he chewed on a Kobold eye ball. Experience + 500 Goblin Reputation 300/500 Reputation: Friendly The incredible stench of the battlefield finally hit Alex after not noticing it for so long. Besides the initial smell of blood and feces, the smell of burning flesh from Goblins now cooking the Kobold corpses made the hellish scenery even more memorable. Alex placed himself further away from the merriment of the Goblins in order to clean the blood stains from his armor, and to finally get some food in him. In his haste to reach the battlegrounds where the decisive battle would be fought, he had foregone eating to get there faster. The rations that he bought earlier in town were unfolded in front of him. Crackers, potatoes, thin slices of meat and two thick pieces of bread appeared in front of him as he clicked the item in his inventory. He quickly ate his portion of the food and shared the rest with Rudy. The ground continued to shake almost to the point that Alex could time it. To him the almost perfect timing meant that this would probably be some sort of event for the future. Wondering exactly what could shake a large mountain such as this, he watched from the sidelines as Goblins began to explore the underground entrance where the Kobold King had once stood. "Eat quick Rudy." Alex scratched the top of her head as she scarfed down the food in front of her as fast as she could. When she finished, the small wooden box and wrappings that the food came in disappeared as ration (1) was wiped from the inventory. "Chief, come quick quick! Crazy funny down here!" A goblin that had previously been exploring the entrance to the underground lair called out in what could only be described as a frenzied high pitch. The Goblin Chief slowly walked to the entrance at the side of the mountain and peered deep within. His beady little Goblin eyes slowly adjusted to the pitch black of the entrance and a huge sneer began to form on his face. "As your Chief, I tell...- Command you! Explore the ruins!" The Goblin Chief interrupted the celebration of the Goblins and issued his orders. After some mild yelling and clamoring, the Goblins that had their fill stood up and marched into the entrance. Alex and Rudy lit a torch hanging from the wall entrance and walked in with the second wave of Goblins. Some frantic yelling could be heard further below as the Goblins began tearing apart the area. From the light of the torch, Alex could finally clearly see what the underground ruins were. It looked to him like an old settlement, possibly made by dwarves or humans who were mining the mountain for it''s resources. The fact that the houses were inside and not outside suggested to him that it was previously a dwarf community. As he continued to descend down the spiraling underground passage, wooden support structures appeared every five feet, keeping the rocks above it in place properly. A mine track winded its way down the road Alex and Rudy traveled. After traveling for roughly ten minutes, the underground passage seemed to open up. Though the passage still spiraled down with a moderate steepness, the middle area had been completely dug out and one could view the continuing passage just by staring out of a large hole in the wall. Like a large coiling snake leading down to the bottom of the mine, the middle of the mine could be viewed from any point in the journey down. Every five feet, a support beam was left in order for the path not to collapse. The light from the torch only illuminated a partial distance down, and Alex still could not see the the bottom of the mine. Compared to Alex in size, this mine seemed to have been built for giants. Just the ceiling alone was roughly ten feet high, and Alex couldn''t help but think of how his guess at dwarven make may have been incorrect. The pitter patter of tiny Goblin feet could be heard resounding further below the spiraling staircase. Sounds of screaming and gurgling caught Alex''s attention quite quickly. "Come, Rudy, by my side!" Alex called out as he began to run full tilt towards the sounds of the scream. Alex arrived too late to the scene, as the Goblins that had forged on ahead found the houses that the Kobold women and children remained inside for safety. The Goblins indiscriminately slaughtered all the Kobold women and children within while cackling madly. Despite them being A.I., the fear on the Kobolds dead, broken faces wretched at Alex''s heart. "Come along Rudy." Alex said. Rudy did not raise her head, but appeared to be sulking with Alex. Grieving at the previous sight, Alex left the scene and continued further than all the other Goblins. After some time, he reached the bottom of the mine and the mountain began to shake right on time as he calculated. Besides the shifting of some dirt, the mine remained otherwise intact, but Alex could not tell for how long. Now that he was alone at the center of the mine, he chose to light all the braziers to see what he could find. Upon lighting all eight braziers that were equidistant apart, a small rumbling began as the middle of the room began to open up. A small stone staircase revealed itself reaching deeper into the mountain. With nothing to lose, and still in a bit of shock at the previous scene, Alex dumbfoundedly wandered down the staircase with torch in hand. Another two hundred steps down, the staircase opened to a wide room with a small barrier. As Alex approached the barrier, a prompt appeared. Do you wish to enter - Kobold Dungeon: Easy (Recommended Solo Level: 6) (First To Kill The Boss Receives A Special Item.) ? Alex was not in his right mind, but did not want to pass up the chance of getting specialized loot from the Dungeon. The recommended level was 6, and he was now only 400 experience from level 8. He also had a Pet that was level 5, almost 6. According to the guide, you could only enter a specific Dungeon once every 3 days. Alex clicked the help button and searched for Dungeon in the search function. Dungeon: A specific area designed for players only. Can be done Solo or as a Group. (Cool down: 3 days.) Alex refined the search to Kobold Dungeon. Kobold Dungeon: This mine holds valuable items for those who seek to gain them. Enter, do battle, and emerge victorious by defeating the Boss. Recommended Solo Level: 6. After some careful consideration, Alex clicked the No button and returned. First he snuffed out the flames of the braziers, and as he snuffed the first flame, the secret entrance closed. Alex carefully made his way back up to the entrance of the mountains, marking the location on his map. "What you want, Humy!" The Goblin Chief asked. It appeared to Alex that the quest line had been exhausted for now, since he did not see any pointer remarks or an additional dialogue box. "Haha that''s right Humy, walk away." The Goblin Chief mocked as Alex stepped away from his dialogue range. None of the other Goblins had an additional dialogue, but one of the Hobgoblins did. Alex headed over to speak with it. "Seems you''re on friendly terms with the Goblins, not bad for a humanoid. Maybe there''s a use for you after all. Come to our Hobgoblin village, tell them Kodo sent you, we''ll put you to good work!" The Hobgoblin grunted in approval. Alex accepted the new quest and headed back to the Town of Bells. Quest: Hobgoblin Village Accepted. Before leaving the Town of Bells for good, he decided to comb the streets and exhaust all dialogue with every town person to ensure he didn''t miss anything. "THE BOAR!" Alex slapped his forehead as he remembered the third quest he received in the Town of Bells, to remove the large boar from the pumpkin patch near town. With the Goblin dilemma and the werewolves, Alex had forgotten all about it. After walking a few minutes to the outskirts of town, he found the large boar in question and quickly dispatched it by charging and front flipping over it, slicing it open from head to tail. The quest turn in was nearby, at the house of the pumpkin patch in question. Alex knocked on the door and a tall demonfolk man answered. "Yes?" The man looked down at Alex. Alex was temporarily taken aback as this was the first demonfolk NPC he spoke to that talked normally. After a moment, he finished the quest and a golden light circled around him. Experience + 300 After turning in the quest, an additional quest popped up in its place. "Thank you for your help with that damnable boar. My sister out at Moonglow Shrine needs some help dealing with malevolent spirits. If you are headed that way, perhaps you could offer your services?" The man questioned. Alex accepted the quest and wanted to do one last stop before leaving town. Quest: Moonglow Shrine Accepted. Alex headed to the Church and entered inside. The Church had thirty to forty demonfolk either praying, reading or hymning. Alex did not see any quests, so he quietly left with Rudy. As Alex left the Town of Bells and went back through the forest, heading to the Dungeon, he allowed Rudy to gather all the small monsters in the forest and kill them. If she was ever injured, he would expend 25 Mana and cast the Unholy Healing Spell on her. He wanted her to be level 6 by the time they reached the Dungeon. After taking a divergent path instead of the straight one directly towards the mountain, Alex was able to level up Rudy to 6 before they reached the mountain. Alex circled back down to the bottom, where the Goblins had fully moved in and were already storing foods and bundles of sticks as well as other treasures inside. Alex had long since given up on the promise of treasure from the Goblin Chief. Alex lit the eight braziers and headed down the secret staircase. As the ground shook to reveal the entrance, some of the nearby Goblins spoke out. "Oooooh. Funny!" The Goblins cheered. As Alex reached the Dungeon entrance, he mentally prepared himself. "Time for a Dungeon crawl." Alex quietly said to himself and Rudy before accepting the teleportation. Alex''s vision went dark. Name: Shadow Level: 8 Race: Demon Class: Demon King Title: One who rules the underworld Skills: Tough Hide 7 Unholy Magic 6 Siphon 7 Pet: Rudy -Stats- Strength: 10 + (14) Dexterity: 10 + (18) Endurance: 10 + (18) Wisdom: 10 + (14) Intelligence: 10 + (14) Spirit: 10 + (14) Health: 450/450 Mana: 275/275 -Equipment- Armor Bonus: 12 Weapon: Iron Battleaxe Off Hand: Iron Kite Shield Head Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leather Helmet Chest Gear: Werewolf Hunter Chest Armor Leg Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leg Armor Foot Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leather Greaves Ring Slot 1: Ring of Beast Calling Ring Slot 2: None Neck Slot 1: None Special 1: None Special 2: None Experience: 9800 of 11600 Languages: Common, Undercommon, Demon Money: 0 Mithril 0 Platinum 1 Gold 55 Silver 196 Copper Special Abilities: Dominion, Territory Management - Name: Rudy Level: 6 Owner: Shadow Strength: 20 Dexterity: 21 Endurance: 14 Wisdom: 3 Intelligence: 3 Spirit: 3 Health: 200/200 Mana: 0 Experience: 6500 of 8100 6 - Dungeon Diving As Alex''s vision returned, he did not see a wall with a portal anymore. Instead, in front of him was a dimly lit and damp cobblestone path leading deeper into what appeared to be a mining cave. Two braziers hung off the side of the wall illuminating the path in front of him. Looking behind himself was a dead-end that did not lead any further. Alex walked down the only available path as quietly as possible, with Rudy following closely behind him. Upon reaching the end of the path, the room in front of him opened up and became much wider and brighter. As he entered the room, a large bonfire placed in the middle of the room self ignited. With the self ignition of the bonfire, a small fairy creature appeared out of a cloud of grey smoke. When Alex slowly approached, the auto speech of the fairy began. "Welcome to the Cave beneath the Mountains. I am the fairy spirit of the Cave, Gnome!" The soft faced female fairy fluttered in place. Alex looked over the fairy, and though she was incredibly small, she was still quite beautiful. She had distinct gentle female features like a young mother, with a sparkling brown dress and delicate ethereal wings. A small window prompt appeared in front of Alex. - Reset the Dungeon? Warning: Restores players to full Health and Mana at the cost of reviving all enemies slain. Enemies previously slain do not give experience until Dungeon cooldown resets. - Since this was the only information within the prompt, Alex took one more look and then left Gnome behind to look around the room. Just in the first room there was two veins of copper to be mined. Alex equipped the Copper Pickaxe he had purchased in town and began to mine the veins. Since he did not have the Mining Skill, he only succeeded in retrieving about 40% of the maximum possible yield. Undeterred, he unequipped the Copper Pickaxe, equipped his Iron Battleaxe and continued to survey the room. The room was large, and there were two separate paths to choose from. Both were well lit, but the mine itself had many twists and turns. The halls were both roughly five feet wide, enough to facilitate a path for a mining cart. Alex chose to first travel the right pathway, traversing close to the side of the damp wall to avoid the mud on the floor. As he continued down the hallway, a sense of unease came over him. Looking down at the floor roughly seven feet away from him was a fairly obvious Kobold trap. Alex knew it was a Kobold trap because he had seen the trap beforehand, when he first scouted the Kobold armies. The trap itself resembled a bear trap, though it was much smaller and was made of several broken shards of metal. Alex picked up a small rock and threw it at the trap, triggering it. The trap went off, as both sides that were previously on the ground smashed together in the middle before falling apart. The now broken trap disappeared and Alex received experience for successfully navigating through the trap without receiving damage. As he rounded the corner, the path turned into a dead-end with a copper vein at the end. Alex quickly mined the copper vein and doubled back to the main room. Upon entering the room once more, he immediately chose the other unwalked path and began briskly walking down the twisting passageway. The deeper in he traveled, the wider the trails became, from five feet to eight, and finally ten. A few of the paths became divergent but all had dead-ends, with a copper vein at each end. Finally and without much notice, his first group of enemies appeared. A small group of three Kobolds patrolled the passageway he was currently in, and he was forced to either draw aggression from them or retreat. Since he knew the level of the Kobolds was 1, taking on three at a time was no issue for him. Alex raised his Iron Kite Shield as Rudy growled menacingly. The Kobolds noticed his presence and lunged forward with their small chipped axes, swinging recklessly at the sturdy shield. None of the attacks penetrated his defense, nor did he take much damage from their combined strikes. As the first set of attacks ended from the enemy, Alex raised his Iron Battleaxe and plunged it deep into the skull of the closest Kobold. The face of the Kobold split in half as the Iron Battleaxe cleaved its way through the head and into the body. Rudy timed her strike perfectly to dive at one of the Kobolds and sink her teeth into it''s neck, killing it instantly. The last Kobold gained the ''fear'' status effect and began to flee from Alex. Before it could get far enough to warn the others, Alex charged forward while using his Iron Kite Shield to pin the Kobold against the mossy wall. The force of the momentum from the charge crushed the Kobolds ribs against its organs, slowly killing it. In the throes of death, the Kobold cried out as loud as possible for relief. When the Kobold died, Alex picked up the loot from the Kobolds and continue forward. The passageway led to a large room with multiple packs of Kobolds patrolling around. Alex threw a rock and struck a Kobold in the face, making it aggressive towards him. The Kobolds this time were different from the first pack, as it included a healer and a mage. Alex backed into the passageway, breaking the line of sight of the ranged caster Kobolds and forcing them to enter melee with him. With a few well placed attacks, even the healer and mage were no match for him. He quickly cleared the large room of all twelve Kobolds and accepted the Siphon Skill prompts before choosing to look around. The large room contained many crates and barrels filled with decaying flesh, blood and other various Kobold delicacies. As Alex entered the middle of the room, a small thumping could be heard as the floor in front of him opened up. In just the same way as the floor opened when he lit the eight braziers outside the Dungeon entrance, a staircase appeared out of the floor. The thumping got increasingly louder as a figure emerged from the darkness of the staircase. The monster that appeared in front of Alex was the Kobold King, whom he had killed just hours before entering the Dungeon. Dressed exactly the same and wielding a rusted dagger with the exact same markings, it gave off the same feeling as the one Alex dealt with outside. "This is my cave, stupid human! I found it!" the Kobold King snarled as he began to chant magic. Alex knew exactly what he was attempting to cast, and could not allow him to succeed. Before the magic was finished casting, Alex thundered forward as his feet pressed shallowly into the mud of the floor. Catching the Kobold King mid cast, Alex used the edge of the Iron Kite Shield to bash the Kobold King in the throat. A ''silenced'' status effect appeared above the Kobold King''s head as Alex crushed his larynx. The Kobold King spat blood as it attempted to stab Alex in retaliation. Alex could not react in time for the attack, but Rudy was already set to lunge and changed her focus to the Kobold King''s arm before the stab could follow through, catching the arm in her mouth. As the Kobold King was pinned by Rudy, Alex swiftly swung his Iron Battleaxe with as much force as he could muster, cleaving the Kobold King in half. Despite the challenge he initially had against the Kobold King in the non Dungeon world, he was now a higher level than he previously was. This difference in level allowed him to extinguish the Kobold King''s life without half as much effort as it previously took. The level 3 Kobold King''s body slumped to the ground as the Siphon prompt appeared as usual. Siphon body? Yes or No Alex accepted the Siphon, but ultimately the skill failed. It was of no concern to him as he had already healed thanks to the previous Siphoning. The Kobold King''s body disappeared as the loot dropped. Alex nonchalantly placed the items into his backpack and was now presented with a single pathway leading further down. The passage was very poorly lit and considerably steep considering it was a path for a mine. As Alex traversed the passage, he actively found and triggered several traps and dispatched packs of enemies whenever he came across them. The path twisted and turned several times before eventually leading into a medium sized room with two large treasure chests on opposite walls. The treasure chest on the left had clumps of moss growing on it, and was adorned with small jewels around the lock. The treasure chest on the right was pristine, with nothing to discern that it was even in use besides a small lock. Alex carefully checked the room before deciding to open the chests, and he very quickly noticed small slits in the walls of the room. With his previous knowledge of video games guiding him, he knew it was most likely some type of arrow trap triggered from the opening of one or both of the treasure chests. The arrow traps were placed just slightly above the top of the treasure chest height wise, so Alex ducked his head low as he checked the first chest. Since he had no way of disabling traps, he decided to just swing the chest open while ducking as low as possible. He chose to open the moss covered treasure chest first, since it was closest to him. Alex broke the lock of the chest with the blunt end of his Battleaxe and flipped the lid with as much force as possible, and just as he imagined, the arrow traps went off. The arrows flew from the southern and northern wall, before smashing against the opposite side and falling to the ground. With the chest open, Alex peered inside to see what loot he received. Cracked Earth Orb x 1 Ring of Earth x 1 "Interesting, i''ve never heard of a Cracked Earth Orb before." Alex checked his inventory and read the advanced description of both the Orb and the Ring. Cracked Earth Orb: Material used in the creation of lower level weapons. Grants 1 magical property. Ring of Earth: Equip to receive + 5 resistance to earth based magical attacks. Alex equipped the Ring of Earth and headed over to the other treasure chest. Rudy sniffed the treasure chest as soon as Alex approached it, and began to snarl at the chest. Even Alex thought it was weird that is was in such pristine condition. Alex struck the lock of the treasure chest but it did not break. Instead, the chest shook and unfolded into a monster. As the top of the chest opened, a long red tongue popped out around two rows of large sharp yellow teeth. An arm stretched out from both sides of the chest as it screeched in anger. "Guruuuruuu..." The treasure chest grumbled as pieces of gold coins and jewelry danced in it''s mouth. Fully awakened, the chest attempted to grapple Alex as the mouth of the chest opened, ready to consume it''s foe. Alex blocked the chest''s right arm with his Iron Kite Shield while Rudy chomped on the left arm. With no other form of attack besides a bite, the chest tried to jump forward to eat Alex. Alex swung his Iron Battleaxe down with a chop and struck the fleshy inner part of the chest. As blood and flesh flew around, the chest mimic recoiled and fell against the wall. A ''bleeding'' status effect appeared above it''s head as blood slowly oozed around it. In a matter of moments, the mimic had been successfully killed. As the mimic disappeared, the prompt for the Siphon Skill came up but it was ultimately another failure. Undeterred, Alex waited patiently for his loot. The loot never appeared, even after Alex stopped to eat a morsel of food with Rudy. Based on the damage that Alex received from blocking the right arm attack, the mimic was most likely level 2. Compared to him at level 8 and Rudy at level 6, if it took more than one blow to kill it he would feel ashamed. Such was the difference in levels comparatively. Continuing forward, Alex kept finding and killing packs of Kobolds, as well as discovering dead-ends and many copper veins. The path became more and more twisted as it spiraled deeper down. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The next room Alex entered was very similar to a circular fighting ring, with an iron fence engulfing the room. In the middle of the room was a bizarre looking beast with a lion''s head and body, large bat wings and a scorpion''s tail. "That is... A manticore?" Alex spoke out loud to himself before entering the room. No doubt this was another mini-boss, as he had already defeated the Kobold King and the Dungeon still continued on. According to old lore, the manticore was an amalgamated beast like a chimera, created from both geniuses and madmen who sought to create an ultimate being. The lion part of the manticore was hard enough to deal with, but the scorpion tail was the deadliest part of the monster. The scorpion tail secretes a neurotoxin that causes muscle spasms and renders the victim unable to move. The wings were large enough to carry the manticore, allowing it to fly. The flight of the manticore did not need to be considered in Alex''s assessment of the dangers, as the height of the room was only roughly twenty feet. Assessing the situation, Alex found it to still be in his favor. His Mana was almost full, having only used a handful of the Siphon Skill. His Health bar was almost full as well since he only took 30 damage from blocking the chest mimic''s strike. With favorable conditions, Alex stepped into the fighting pit with Rudy at his side. Since the worst thing that could happen from a manticore sting was loss of bodily control, Rudy could participate in this fight without worrying about death from lethal poisoning. The manticore roared as the door behind Alex closed with a heavy thud. "Who seeks to enter my domain! I will eat you, and use your bones to pick my teeth!" The manticore yelled at Alex. "I heard a manticore heart is a rare delicacy! Let me have a taste!" Alex retorted. The manticore was infuriated as it leapt on top of a crate and glided to where Alex stood. Alex was temporarily caught off guard, not considering that the manticore would glide instead of fly. The two claws of the manticore swung down forcefully onto Alex''s Iron Kite Shield as the weight of the manticore pushed down on him. Alex did his best to hold the manticore back as Rudy circled around behind the monster and jumped to bite the base of the scorpion tail. Rudy firmly bit the scorpion tail, rendering it useless, and Alex could finally bash the manticore back with his Iron Kite Shield. A ''stunned'' status effect appeared above the manticore''s head for a brief moment, which was enough time for Alex to uppercut the manticore with his Iron Battleaxe. As the status effect disappeared, the manticore howled and attempted to take flight. Incapable of supporting it''s own large body and also Rudy, the manticore fell over quickly while Alex followed up with another strike. The final blow was dealt to the manticore as Rudy finally tore through the scorpion tail, tearing it off the manticore''s main body. The manticore fell over in pain and howled in agony as the ''bleed'' effect appeared above it''s head. "There was so many things I hadn''t done. In the end I didn''t even escape." The manticore gave his final sentence as it''s Health reached 0. Siphon body? Yes or No Alex clicked yes and a large body of blood flowed from the manticore corpse into himself. Almost all the damage he sustained from the manticore and the chest mimic was healed as the loot dropped and the body vanished. Manticore Heart x 1 Large Bat Wings x 1 Scorpion Tail x 1 Scorpion Poison x 3 Once he was done collecting the loot, Alex mined the copper veins in the medium sized room and looked around to see if there was anything he may have missed. Alex found a sconce on the eastern wall that seemed out of place considering all the braziers lighting up the room nearby and decided to fiddle around with it. Upon pressing it down, a hidden staircase revealed itself, appearing from behind a thick stone wall and heading upwards. As Alex climbed the staircase to the top, he found himself at the very beginning of the Dungeon where the fairy appeared. "A shortcut, how convenient!" Alex remarked before heading back down the staircase. Upon reaching the room again, Alex placed the sconce upright and watched as the stone wall raised again. "Nothing to do but continue forward..." Alex headed to the only available passageway across the room from where he first entered. This current passageway was not large, only a few feet in width, and was incredibly muddy compared to the previous paths. The passage continued spiraling downward for a good few minutes only to lead into a large throne room. In the throne room, six large stone pillars stood an equidistance apart from each other. The path from the passage to the large stone throne was covered in a beautiful red silk carpet. Sitting on the throne was a large Earth Elemental, pounding his fist against the armrest. As he pounded the armrest, the entire room shook with force. The rhythmic pounding of the Earth Elemental''s fist was precisely like the sounds outside the Dungeon when the mountain shook. Alex eyed the Earth Elemental carefully as it continued to punch the armrest. The Earth Elemental resembled the fusion of a humanoid and a small mountain, as it had two arms, two legs, a head and a torso. On top of the rocks that comprised the Earth Elemental, clumps of moss and vines draped over it like a cloak that clung too close to the back. Alex considered his position but was fairly certain that he still had the upper hand, especially after equipping the Ring of Earth. He had no doubt that the Ring of Earth was meant for a tank, but since he was solo he did not need to worry about sharing loot. After careful deliberation, Alex and Rudy finally stepped forward through the entrance of the passageway. A stone wall closed off the path behind them as the Earth Elemental began to speak. "This place was my home, before I was hollowed out by those damned Duergar. Who will give me back my precious gems and stones? Your debt can only be paid with your life!" The Earth Elemental began to glide across the cobblestone floor as his legs melded into the stone beneath him. As the Earth Elemental glided through the stone floor, the floor remained unchanged and was not destroyed or moved in any way. Alex dodged out of the way of the Earth Elemental''s fist by tumbling left while Rudy jumped right. Rudy growled in order to catch the attention of the Earth elemental long enough for Alex to strike. With the Earth Elemental''s back turned to him, Alex horizontally chopped his Iron Battleaxe into the side of the great monster. The Elemental''s Health depleted by a decent chunk, and Alex drew aggression from the monster. Instead of turning around, the face of the Earth elemental appeared on the other side of it''s body, catching Alex off guard. The Earth Elemental''s two massive hands clapped together with Alex in the middle as Alex became ''deafened'' and ''stunned''. Unable to properly defend against the next attack, Alex took a punch directly to his body as he was flung away from where he was standing. When the ''stunned'' effect wore off, Alex finally snapped back to reality and saw Rudy defending his damaged body. Rudy herself was in bad shape, having taken multiple glancing blows from the Earth Elemental. Alex stood up, even though he was in an incredible amount of pain, and brandished his Iron Battleaxe. While the Elemental was still distracted by Rudy, Alex got the brilliant idea to dual wield his Iron Battleaxe with his Iron Dagger + 1. With two weapons in hand, he began smashing and slicing the Earth Elemental while ducking and weaving away from the colossal blows being rained down upon him. After an intense barrage of twenty attacks from both sides, the one to finally fall was the Earth Elemental. As it''s body crumbled to dust, a parting statement made its way to Alex. "I''m finally free from this burden..." It whispered. The body vanished without a prompt from the Siphon Skill, and a golden glow enveloped Alex''s body. Alex knew he leveled up, but he was much more curious about the loot from the Earth Elemental. "Kobold Dungeon: Complete!" The A.I. voice intoned. "First To Kill The Boss Receives A Special Item requirement met!" Earth Elemental Core x 1 Spirit of the Earth (Summon) x 1 Earthen Chestplate x 1 Heart of Mining x 1 Moonstone x 3 Special Item: Silver Ingot x 5 Alex was sprawled on the ground with Rudy at his side when the items came pouring into his inventory. Despite his reservations about entering the Dungeon, he was glad he got through it successfully. If he hadn''t, there was no telling when someone else would have got the Special Item. - Do you wish to leave the Dungeon now? - A prompt appeared in front of Alex and he clicked yes. As his vision went dark, he re-appeared at the entrance to the Dungeon he had just entered, sprawled out prone on the floor. Awkwardly, Alex stood up and left the Dungeon, the mining cave and the mountain side and headed to the marker on his map for the Moonglow Shrine. On his way over, the monsters of the forest changed from Kobolds and Gnolls to zombies and ghouls. The relative damage from the monsters was the same, so it was not as if he was worried about dying in this place. Still, it was best to be prepared for anything in this new world. While Rudy gleefully hunted down the unholy monsters near the Moonglow Shrine, Alex sought out the sister of the farmer. After more traveling and speaking with NPCs, he was able to find the sister he was looking for. The woman was quite literally a sister of the cloth, dressed in gently used white robes with a black and white shawl covering her head and shoulders. "You''ve come to assist me in exorcising the evil spirits of the Moonglow Shrine?" As Alex approached, the automatic speech began. Alex completed the quest and accepted the two quests she had to offer. Exp + 150 Quest: Spirit Fruit Accepted. Quest: Root of all Evil Accepted. Alex checked his status screen and advanced tab now that he had a moment to himself. Name: Shadow Level: 9 Race: Demon Class: Demon King Title: One who rules the underworld Skills: Tough Hide 8 Unholy Magic 6 Siphon 7 Pet: Rudy -Stats- Strength: 10 + (16) Dexterity: 10 + (20) Endurance: 10 + (20) Wisdom: 10 + (16) Intelligence: 10 + (16) Spirit: 10 + (16) Health: 500/500 Mana: 300/300 -Equipment- Armor Bonus: 12 Weapon: Iron Battleaxe (Damaged) Off Hand: Iron Kite Shield (Damaged) Head Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leather Helmet Chest Gear: Werewolf Hunter Chest Armor Leg Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leg Armor Foot Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leather Greaves Ring Slot 1: Ring of Beast Calling Ring Slot 2: Ring of Earth Neck Slot 1: None Special 1: None Special 2: None Experience: 11950 of 13500 Languages: Common, Undercommon, Demon Money: 0 Mithril 0 Platinum 1 Gold 59 Silver 212 Copper Special Abilities: Dominion, Territory Management - Name: Rudy Level: 6 Owner: Shadow Strength: 20 Dexterity: 21 Endurance: 14 Wisdom: 3 Intelligence: 3 Spirit: 3 Health: 200/200 Mana: 0 Experience: 6900 of 8100 7 - Wild Hog From behind the shawl of the sister of the cloth, beautiful red eyes glowed as the two quests were accepted. Since he had accepted the quest, and there was no timer for completion, Alex decided to explore the zone to figure out what he could and couldn''t do while he was here. In the worst case scenario, he could just return to The Town of Bells if he could not find something at the Moonglow Shrine. Though it had taken him a few days, Alex had mostly gotten rid of the lingering dread of being pulled into this death game. As Alex traveled around the Moonglow Shrine, he quickly realized how small it actually was. Though the buildings were comparably cleaner and had a certain rustic appeal, it was roughly half the size of the Town of Bells. The citizens that resided in the Moonglow Shrine were covered from head to toe in either white or black cloth, and a large barrier made of haze seemed to float around the town protecting it from the nightmares outside the gates. Try as they might, the creatures outside the barrier of haze could not enter. They would constantly run at the barrier, breaking themselves in order to test it''s strength with no concern for their decaying bodies. The most eerie thing from these seemingly useless attacks was the noise the undead made. Ever since Alex entered through the barrier, undead had begun ramming themselves against the haze in order to attack him. The sound the undead made as they rammed the barrier was like a a bird hitting a pane of glass. To Alex, the sounds were incredibly unnerving, so much so that he did not wish to stay in the Shrine any longer than he needed to. - System Message - A display box appeared in front of Alex as a large P.A. type announcement rang in his ear, just when he was about to go explore the Shrine. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | To all our lovely players, | | | | To show our appreciation for your continued support | | in making ||Gate To Utopia|| the best it can be, we | | invite all players to join our completely optional | | event "Catch The Wild Hog." If you choose to enter, | | you will receive instructions upon being teleported | | to the new zone. We hope to see you there! | | | | GTU Developers | | | | - Yes! - No. | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex had no doubt that for other players, this would be a rewarding experience. However for him, having to deal with forced events came at a hefty price. As Alex attempted to click the No option on the display page, he saw that it was grayed out and he could not press it. He also noticed the lack of an exit button for the display. "Cheap bastards..." Alex didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. If they intended to go this far, why not just teleport him anyway. Rudy tilted her head to the side at Alex''s frustrated face. Unfortunately for Alex it was not something he could ignore, as the display page almost completely took up his field of vision. With no choice but to accept, Alex quickly donned the Quick Change Mask in the cosmetic head slot option; choosing for himself the face of a young boy with fiery red hair, deep blue eyes and a small but slightly droopy nose. As Alex clicked Yes! and was teleported away from the Moonglow Shrine, a thought crossed his mind. What if the developers gave him the Quick Change Mask in preparation for this event... Before that thought could continue, Alex became engrossed in the environment he was teleported to. For the first time, Alex saw the other players that made up the world of ||Gate to Utopia||. Thousands of different players continued to teleport into the zone for the event, and soon Alex became lost in a crowd of people. This was the first time Alex had seen so many people gathered, even when he went to a gaming convention in the Metropolis he grew up in. Alex had never been so happy to see other human beings in his life. Everyone was excitedly talking among themselves, and those around Alex went up to introduce themselves to him, hoping to team up for the event. "Hey kid! Come join us!" An older looking gentleman called out to Alex. Alex responded by sheepishly walking toward the gathered group as they beckoned for him. For the first time in nearly a week, Alex had human companionship. "Come, Rudy." Alex spoke. There was no response, or nudge to his side. He looked around for a bit, but she was nowhere to be found and he could only surmise that she remained at the Moonglow Shrine. Rudy had not teleported with Alex to the new zone. "What''s your name kid?" The older man had a wide toothy grin as he spoke. The man set himself apart from his companions as the Team Leader just based on the gear he possessed. While the others had leather garb or robes and iron weaponry, the man was basked from head to toe in a silver glowing armor, with a hefted silver Greataxe on his back. Alex had never seen anything like it in his limited experience of the game so far, and he was shocked at how brightly the armor shined. "Shadow." Alex responded after looking the Leader up and down. Alex couldn''t seem to reconcile the Knightly aura and the brash personality of the Team Leader. "I''m Kit. This here is Recon, LoveLess, S0ldier and Cold. We are all friends outside the game so we struck a good balance of skills." Kit seemed to fire off names as he pointed at his companions. Recon was the typical rogue-type character, but curiously a lyre sat on his back ready to be played at a moments notice. Alex knew this item to be one of the starting instruments for the Songweaver class famed for their buffing and healing spells. LoveLess was of the Druid class, as evidenced by the wolf companion sitting beside her and the Greatstaff she carried in hand. A wreathe of cherry blossoms floated around her head like a halo. S0ldier looked like a very stereotypical mercenary type Fighter class, covered in latches and pockets filled with odds and ends to make his versatile job easier. The only thing that set him apart from the other Fighter types was the massive tower shield that covered his body. Cold was the Wizard of the group, responsible for wide area attack magic and dispelling the enemies buffs for combat. Her small Ironbranch Cane allowed for an increased casting time, something that Alex had been coveting for since he learned how to cast spells. Cold''s orb floated in her palm, held up by the magical properties of the item. Even more curiously, each of the aforementioned players were of different races. Kit was a typical Human, but Recon played an Elf, LoveLess played a Fairy, S0ldier was a Dragonkin and Cold was an Elemental. Not only had they greeted and welcomed Alex, some of the players seemed relieved after he was invited to the party. A display came up as Alex spoke with the group. ------------------------------------------------------- | | | Accept party invitation from (Kit)? | | | | Yes! No. | | | ------------------------------------------------------- Alex quickly clicked Yes! and saw the status of his new allies appear on the left side of his vision. Shadow: Level 9 Health: 500/500 Mana: 300/300 Kit: Level 6 Health: 350/350 Mana: 150/150 Recon: Level 6 Health: 200/200 Mana: 250/250 LoveLess: Level 4 Health: 150/150 Mana: 250/250 S0ldier: Level 6 Health: 400/400 Mana: 50/50 Cold: Level 6 Health: 200/200 Mana: 300/300 "Woah!" "Level 9..." "This is the first level 9 i''ve seen." "..." "What are your stats?" "Don''t be rude Kit!" Alex was bombarded with remarks as soon as he was invited to the group. They could only see his Level, Health and Mana but it was far beyond theirs. Even if they matched in level, the closest in stats to Alex would be Kit as a Paladin. "I''m quite curious as well Alex, what class are you?" Cold unhesitatingly asked with an icy demeanor. "W-w-w-wait! It''s rude to ask that, Cold! What if he leaves and we have to put up with Kit again..." LoveLess reprimanded Cold when she finished speaking and slipped in an ambiguous statement in the end. "I''m just the Vampire class, but I was the first to clear a special Dungeon and happened to get some rare gear." Alex responded with a small smile and showed off his Werewolf Hunter Set without giving any further details. "Oh... That makes sense then." Kit laughed as he puffed out his chest with shimmering silver armor. Undeterred, the party continued talking while players continued to port in. "How come your level is 9 but you seem to be all alone? Are you a Solo?" LoveLess brought up the question that had been on her mind since Alex joined the group. "Yeah, i''m a Solo..." Alex responded without skipping a beat in response. Solo was an unofficial term that referred to players whom did not join groups to hunt monsters or do quests, but chose to do everything alone. In this regards, Alex definitely qualified. As the conversation continued, Alex would often deflect the conversation away from himself and more to the other members of the party. From the flow of the conversation, Kit seemed to be a partner for a semi-famous law firm while LoveLess and Recon were a brother and sister combo that did everything together. S0ldier and Cold were friends whom went to the same high school together, and they all met through another game called . When the servers for went down, the release date for ||Gate To Utopia|| was announced. The party of five, on the last day of promised to meet at a certain location outside of the game and had been friends ever since they met up in real life. Alex was reminded of the friends he made playing various games through his high school years and wondered how they were doing. Now, more than ever, he wished he could see them again to apologize for the way he treated them. For the ''friends'' that used him for his money, he had a few choice words for them too. Looking back, he realized just how truly dense he was to give up good friends for friends that just told him what he wanted to hear. The number of players teleporting in began to diminish as Alex looked around at the crowd. The party that Alex had joined thought his behavior a little weird, but decided not to comment on it. For the first time, Alex saw the combinations of various races and classes, making his heart beat faster. Fey, Dwarf, Gnome, Catkin, Dogkin, Fishfolk, Changelings. All the races had various notable characteristics, with variance between all of them. The most exciting to Alex was the Fey and Fairy races, of which LoveLess was the latter. This was because, for the first time, Alex saw the race that was reported to have wings and could fly anywhere in the open world. Though there was a certain amount of danger in the skies when flying of being attacked by creatures with wings, there was also an unabashed sense of freedom that came with the ability to fly. Alex had every intention to choose a race that could fly when he first started up the game. "What is it like to fly?" Alex accidentally interrupted the conversation as he grasped the wings of LoveLess. "Awawawa-" LoveLess was completely caught off guard by the question and Alex''s action. Before Alex realized what he had done, Recon had grabbed his lyre and hit Alex in the face with it. Alex lost no Health for the interaction, but fell backwards in surprise. "What the hell, man!" Alex shouted in surprise. "That''s what I should be asking you, pervert!" Recon retorted. The party stared at Alex in shock as he stood up, a look of complete bewilderment on his face. "Do you not realize what you did." Kit lifted his hand to his face as he sighed. "Touching a Fairies wings if like touching their naked body." Cold spoke in an icy and calculating voice. Alex gulped down a mouthful of saliva as he realized what he had done. Immediately, Alex bent the knee and apologized to LoveLess. "I''m so sorry LoveLess, I genuinely didn''t know." Alex did not want to think about what would happen if the party kicked him and he went back to having no interaction with other players. LoveLess sighed. "I believe you. As compensation, you will be our friend and help us out." LoveLess had a sweet and innocent smile as she spoke. Alex was dumbfounded, and could only nod his head in agreement. "It''s decided then. Everyone add him to your Friends list." Kit laughed as he spoke. Simultaneously, all five members of the original party opened their Friends list and added ''Shadow''. The only one to hesitate for a moment was Recon, whom was still fuming at what Alex had done. However he understood that Alex did not know what he was doing and could only forgive him based on that fact. In the bottom left of Alex''s vision, five requests appeared for him to either Accept or Decline. Alex accepted all five requests and his Friends List display opened up. Alex had not even considered that there would be a Friends List display. The number of players teleporting in for the event finally slowed to a stop and a voice intoned in the ears of those who chose to participate in the hunt. "Thank you for joining us in the Special Event: Catch The Wild Hog! Players can form teams or go it alone, and the purpose is to successfully land the killing blow on the Wild Hog. The player that kills the Wild Hog will receive a special reward for defeating it. Fair warning, this is a PvP zone, and there are only two ways to leave this zone, defeat the Wild Hog or die and be resurrected outside." The voice faded away and a countdown began. In a panic, as the countdown went from 30 seconds down to 1, the players that joined began to scatter in every direction. Alex stood in shock as the group he had joined began running together in a certain direction. "Shadow, RUN!" Kit called out as he looked back to see Alex with a glazed expression. To Alex, the announcement was tantamount to a death sentence. Cold casted a quickened spell that launched her forward from her position over to Alex, and as she grabbed onto him she finished the cast to snap back to her original position. The sudden lurch forward sent Alex spiraling ahead at an unprecedented speed, making him vomit the food he had previously eaten while waiting. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Fortunately, this was enough for Alex to snap back to reality, and he wiped his mouth as he began running alongside the group. From the conversation he had with the players of his party, he was fairly certain they would not betray him in this event. "If one of us lands the killing blow, no one says anything rude. This is an event purely based on chance." Kit spoke out as they ran. The members of the group nodded their heads in agreement while they continued to run. 3. 2. 1. The final moments of the countdown finished and screams began to ring out from every corner of the zone. Many of the Solo players whom had decided not to join anyone were being picked off by the other larger groups of players. For Alex, the map that had previously been filled with numerous blue dots now only showed five blue dots, while the rest turned red. The group of six ran deep into the forest of the new zone and had made considerable distance without stopping, with Kit leading the pack and S0ldier covering the rear. Before they had even realized it, the group had been running for ten minutes straight and there were no longer any red dots in sight. They were almost at the edge of the zone, and finally felt safe for the moment. A few red dots would appear at the edge of the map, but would quickly disappear in the opposite direction when they realized it was a group of six they were headed towards. The screams echoed out for another half hour before they petered out and another noise took it''s place. The gradually increasing noise was a massive squeal filled with malice and fear. A single red dot illuminated the map of the six man party as Alex focused his vision on the woods they had just escaped from. Charging through the woods, knocking over rocks and trees alike, was a boar at least fifteen feet tall and weighing over two thousands pounds. The thick front and hind legs of the voracious beast trampled everything in it''s path as it headed directly for the group of players in front of it. Cold immediately began casting a quickened spell as soon as she saw the boar from the woods. "Dodge!" Alex yelled as he rolled out of the way at the last moment. Cold''s spell went off as the field turned into a gentle sheet of ice beneath the feet of the boar. Alex saw that she was about to be gored by the boar and hesitated for a moment to save her. In that moment, S0ldier dived and pushed her out of the way, getting gored himself before dying and leaving the zone. The massive tower shield that he faithfully used fell to the ground and disappeared with his body. "S0ldier!" Kit called out as he saw his ally get struck by the tusk of the boar. The boar could no longer control itself as it slipped on the ice and collided with the unbreakable barrier at the edge of the zone. Thousands of hexagonal patterns fluttered under the force of the boar but did not break. The group of five regrouped and ran back into the forest away from the boar, and the boar began charging to the north to get away from the players. "Dammit!" Kit punched a nearby tree. Alex understood that Kit was not angry at anyone, in fact they had performed as they were expected to considering the abrupt situation. Kit was instead angry at the fact that the boar chose to run through the forest and happened upon their group. Alex remained unconvinced that it was a coincidence at all, considering he was with the group. Of all the possible locations for the boar to run, through the forest and out the clearing, it just happened to meet them and attack. Now the group of six had one less vanguard to defend against surprise PvP or to suppress the boar. Alex only had the intention of surviving in the zone until the boar was defeated, while the rest of the party wanted to try for the killing blow. Alex''s hesitation had been noticed by both Kit and Recon during the previous exchange, though they chose to say nothing. "What do we do now?" Alex asked Kit. Kit brushed the dirt off his armor and stood up straight before surveying the area. Their location was only thirty or so feet past the dense brush of the outer edge of the forest, so they could still see the edge of the zone. "We''ll trace along the edge of the zone and if we encounter an enemy we''ll put our backs to the barrier. That way we can''t be flanked." Kit announced. It was a good plan and received unanimous agreement from the party. From the outer forest it was just a matter of them continuing along the edge until they could find the boar again. Fifteen minutes later. Though there was a fair bit of traveling from the group, the cautious movements had slowed them to the point that they did not cover much ground. This cautious behavior also kept them from being killed easily. The sounds of a squealing swine could be heard in the far distance alongside the noise of fighting. "Approach slowly and if the players try to turn on us, defend the casters." Kit said. Alex admitted to the group that he had never died before, and that he was too afraid and would not risk his life. Though they attempted to convince him to try dying once just to see that it wasn''t a big deal, he was adamant in his responses. Of course Alex had no intention to risk his life just for a potential event prize. "Recon." Kit grabbed a bit of dirt from the ground before clapping his hands together. The dirt coated his hand, making the handling of his silver Greataxe easier. "~ Oh Goddess of Wind, grant us your blessings. On the wings of momentum we carry your name.~" Recon began to chant rhythmically as he played the lyre flawlessly. "~ Oh Goddess of Fire, grant us your blessings. The hearth protects us as we carry your name.~" Recon chanted and strummed at a higher vibration. As the chants were finished, two buffs appeared above Alex''s status screen. "Movement Speed Increase and Defense Increase." Alex muttered as he looked over the buffs. Alex had gone through many new experiences and this unique casting included that. His own Unholy Magic Spells did not even use the common tongue as Recon''s did. "Your turn LoveLess." Kit muttered. "King and Queen unburdened, hear my song and feel my embrace. Renewal." LoveLess placed the end of her Greatstaff gently onto a mound of dirt on the ground while chanting. A small vine began to run along the ground, wrapping itself on the legs of her allies. Like a small ankle bracelet, the vine remained at the heel and pulsated along with the heartbeat of the player. "Healing 1 Health every 5 seconds..." Alex was astonished, this was clearly a superior method that he was not capable of using. "Your turn Cold, give us a level 5 AoE spell." Kit stood in a defensive pose while giving out commands. From the information Alex possessed, he understood that AoE meant Area of Effect, the small zone where a spell would be active and dealt damage. "~ [][][] . [][][][][] - [][] .~" Cold chanted some weird words that Alex couldn''t understand, no matter how much he tried. It almost seemed to him to be an alien language. A storm began to brew around where Cold pointed her Ironbranch Cane, at the horizon where the battle against the boar had begun. Thunder struck the ground randomly, hitting the players and the boar indiscriminately. "What the hell..." "Fuck, we gotta run!" "Kite him properly!" "I''m trying!" The sounds of battle became much more hectic with the addition of the lightning storm. Players began to run in many different directions, and only those with electricity resistance in their armor continued to fight the boar hoping to land the killing blow. The boar had become heavily wounded from the multiple fights it had endured through up to this point. The players that had previously hunted down Solo players had agreed to stop PvPing and focused on fighting the boar to take him down, letting RNG decide who got the killing blow. "It wasn''t us!" The casters whom were fighting against the boar denied creating the massive thunder storm. Over the small hill, Alex and the group appeared fully buffed and ready to charge against the other players. They had no verbal agreement with the other players to focus the boar. "Charge!" Kit screamed as his beautiful white celestial horse mount carried him forward unto the battlefield. "Paladin! Stop him from making this hallowed ground!" The leaders of the various groups shouted in unison, clearly understanding what Kit was trying to accomplish. "Too late! BENEATH MY FEET THE DEAD SHALL REMAIN, STRENGTH BECOMES ME. HALLOWED GROUND!" Kit shouted as he dug his Greataxe deep into the ground. A golden mist surrounded Kit as his form grew multiple times his original size. Standing well over twenty feet tall, Kit had become an Avatar of his deity. Taking on this form was a 24 hour cooldown, but this was precisely what the class specific skill was used for. The silver armor that Kit usually wore looked even more intimidating clasped onto the mighty form of his deity. The golden mist churned unending as the Greataxe that was dug deep into the ground grew in size to match his new form. Once the Greataxe had reached the proper mass, Kit removed it from the ground and the golden mist disappeared. The cast of the skill was successful and those that had attempted to rush to his position were now prime targets to be slaughtered. Kit stomped the ground with his massive foot to cause the area to tremble. Even the boar could not completely maintain stability despite it''s colossal size compared to the other players. The players shook and fell to the ground, unable to stand against the massive form Kit had taken. With a single sweep of his Greataxe, Kit dispatched two Fighters and a Warmage. "Kuuugh." "Bastard." Those whom were struck down could only utter brief sounds before being dying and being teleported out and resurrected. "Let''s see what a vampire can do!" Kit hollered back to Alex as he continued to fight off the other players. The boar, seizing the opportunity, charged after the caster players whom had continued to attack it. Alex couldn''t use his damaged Iron Battleaxe or Kite Shield until they were fixed, so he decided to use the known curses from his Unholy Magic. Now that his Unholy Magic Skill was level 6, he could cast his disabling spell on three additional enemies. Removing the Bronze Short Cane he had looted from the old hag, Alex began casting the curse spell from the Unholy Magic Skill. No one among the casters understood the language of the spells he was casting, nor their effects. The only thing they could do in defense was prepare wards to try and protect themselves. Fundamentally, the spells that were cast were in fact curses and could only be counter cursed. As the spell finished casting and multiple skulls shot out from Alex''s Bronze Short Cane, they struck four players and completely disabled them. Their arms and legs turned completely to stone, and their bodies turned grey like ash. "Arrgh!" "The wards did nothing..." "What the hell is this!" Cries of anger and bitterness flowed from the casters as they were trampled beneath the feet of the Wild Hog, unable to resist in anyway thanks to the curses. "Shadow, what language is that?" LoveLess was shocked at what she had just witnessed. To Alex, whom was the one to cast the spell, the words that came out of his mouth were completely fluid, as if he knew them his whole life. However to LoveLess and Cold, it was a foreign guttural language that seemed to almost be mocking the enemies as it was spoke. "Unholy Magic Skill, obviously..." Alex spoke matter-o-factly, but understood that this was a unique skill based on the expressions of the two other casters in his group. "Only demons can use the Unholy Magic Skill, Shadow." LoveLess was the first to tell him such a crucial detail. LoveLess was beginning to piece together in her mind what was actually happening, but she decided not to speak out as they were in the middle of the fight. Alex had his back turned to LoveLess and Cold as he was watching the actions of the Wild Hog, unaware of their facial expressions. The Avatar of Kit had similarly dispatched the melee classes that had charged at him, and now the battlefield was clear of obstructions. The Wild Hog saw the Avatar and began it''s charge toward the large target. Kit dug his massive iron heels into the ground to brace for impact as the Wild Hog burrowed into his chest armor. As the boar struck it''s blow, Kit swung the Greataxe into the belly of the beast. Alex racked his brains as to how he could help, since the sooner the Wild Hog was defeated the faster he would be safe and out of the PvP zone. Before he could think of a solution, Cold stepped in front of him and began casting a spell. " [][] - [] . [][][] [][][][][][] . " Again, to Alex''s dismay, the sounds coming from Cold''s mouth were alien and he could not comprehend them. As the chant finished, a massive glacial spike formed in front of Cold, rotating in place as it gathered momentum. As if all the air within the immediate vicinity was sucked away, Alex found it hard to draw breath. Cold drew her hands to her side and made the ''push'' movement with her arms. As she did, the massive glacial spike hurtled forward toward the Wild Hog. The already exhausted Wild Hog could not properly dodge away from the glacial spike as it was impaled through the neck. The damage was sufficient to finally bring down the colossal beast, and for a fraction of a section Cold let out a genuine smile. Alex saw her sincere smile and couldn''t help but have his heart beat a little faster. The body of the Wild Hog disappeared, just as Kit began to return to his original form. "That was a little too close." Kit admitted. "Shadow, good job dealing with the casters, i''ve never seen anything like it." "Haha, no need to be modest, that spell you cast to enlarge yourself was crazy. I''ve never seen the Paladin''s Class skills until now." Alex responded. LoveLess, Recon and Cold stood beside Kit but did not interrupt the conversation. "I believe now that the event is over, we will soon be going our separate ways. Hopefully we can talk to you soon." Kit bowed with sincerity. Alex was grateful, but he didn''t want to leave the group. An A.I. voice spoke in the ears of the surviving players. "Well done to all players! The one to strike the killing blow on the Wild Hog was Cold, the Elemental Wizard! Your reward will be sent to your mail, for your convenience." The gentle female A.I. voice seemed like it had even more to say. "As all of you are aware, the purpose of the game is to defeat the Demon King and ascend to the ||Gate To Utopia||. However, what we have failed to mention, is that the Demon King is a player just the same as you. Furthermore, he is in this very zone." Alex was in complete shock as the A.I. spoke. He had never considered they would announce his arrival in this zone, since he had survived to this point. "The zone will close in exactly 5 minutes."