《Olympus》 Prologue: How life decided to fail me. (PRd) Hey folks! Decided I''d pop the prologue of this out several days in advance of Blood Born volume one ending. This is partially do to the desire of attempting to create a kind of hype for my second work, and the hints I''ll drop about volume two in the author notes here later on. Also, credit for the idea behind this story go to piedpiper1, it isn''t the Viking Saxon theme you wanted in your recommendation, and I am sorry for that. However it will be interesting, a mix of Roman, and Greek history, filled with legendary figures. It is not in itself historically accurate, a warning to all there, but will instead be how I want it to grow and change. Without further suspense however, I welcome you to Olympus! (PR credit goes to RogueMyst
I was a happy guy, you know? I had landed a job I loved as a police dispatcher, and had plans to continue in that field as a cop., Eventually making it to homicide detective if my cards played out. My chief said I''d make a good one due to my sociopaths mind frame. Takes a psycho to catch a psycho, right? Anyway, life was good. I''d finished my degree in criminal science, I had begun working out daily to get into shape for the academy, using my free time at work and home to lift weight. I had a few hobbies, I loved to write, and I loved to crotchet, it was very relaxing. I had a girl I was sweet on. Bit of a wild child, but she did it mostly to hide her own fear and sweetness within. It was often painful to watch, I could do little to help her through her biggest issues aside from being there. Anyway, getting off topic. A year went by with no issue. I''d made full time as a dispatch, proved myself to my chief and was sponsored into the academy by the P.D. I was literally on cloud nine. Then life came crashing down on me with harsh reality. You see, I have an advanced and severe case of scoliosis. Working out helped deter this, and I felt I''d be fine as long as I was careful, but one of the courses was set in a wet environment. Nothing bad, but I did the wall climb; and my world changed for the worse. I fell, yep, nothing grand about that. I fucking fell, and hit the ground hard enough it paralyzed me from my ribs down. I couldn''t shit alone, I couldn''t even piss alone. From there it spiraled down. I lost my job, depression kicked in and I couldn''t take the stares of pity from my co-workers. It hurt to much. Their There eyes always said ''poor thing, in his prime and now his dreams are shattered'' well fuck you to pumpernickel. I tried to stay strong, I''d love to say I succeeded, but I didn¡¯t. My only saving grace were my animals, and their constant love,; as well as my only friend and his fianc¨¦, Clint and Tarah. Amazing people whom I loved . They kept me from killing myself. In fact, the fianc¨¦ bit but was new. They hid it from me until they could ensure a surprise. See, they wanted me in that wedding, I was going to be the best man. Clint and Tarah had changed there wedding to make sure the wheel chaired guy could be a full part of it. They never looked at me with pity, they were a constant support, and when I heard they did this I cried for hours, each one holding me. They were all I had left, my parents were gone, my job was gone, and the sweet girl I cared for didn''t want a cripple., Not so sweet after all all right? Anyway, enough about my said love life. I threw myself utterly into this event, I help Tarah with the venues, the catering, I went with her and Clint to each thing. They refused to leave out a single detail. They may not have been the family I was born into, but they were the family I chose. Jesus, they even went so far as to move me into their own home, because they hated me being alone in my house. So I sold it, brought my ferret, Lionel, and my dogs Drake and Duchess. These two, I would do anything for. I even continued the damn pointless physical therapy because they didn''t want me to give up on walking again. I didn''t have the heart to tell them everyone said it was pointless. Clint was my brother, for all intents and purposes, and Tarah my sister in law. I loved them with all my heart. When it came time for the Bachelor party, we went to Vegas. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Clint refused anything I could not enjoy, though I finally talked him into the strip joint. The other guys looked pissed I was there, this soothed there ''ego'' a bit. Plus, just because I could feel anything from my ribs below, didn''t mean I didn''t like to watch the very flexible vixens tweak for my dollars. Time passed, the wedding came. Clint got an amazing job at a game developing company, and told me all about it. We were both gamers. But he saw how slowly I began to drift away again. I felt a burden to them, and their starting family. I voiced it once. Tarah smacked me and ran out crying while Clint told me I was his brother, to stop the self pity shit and accept It was never a burden. I had money of course, settlement, and house selling funds. I was twenty five now too. Still young, and no chance at a real family of my own. I felt like shit, and finally went to find Tarah and tell her I was sorry. She held me and cried while Clint had his hand on my shoulder. It was awful. Months went by, I hid my pain from them as best as I could. I played with my animals, and watched their romance flourish with delight. I could never begrudge them what I''d never have again. One day, Clint took me with her to dinner. They said they had amazing news. I was going to be an uncle, Tarah was three weeks pregnant. I was so happy for them! Even as my heart broke. I was alone, but I could spoil my little niece or nephew at least. Then Clint dropped another bomb, their VRMMORPG , the company he works for had been developing was set to release in six months, and they needed beta testers. Five thousand people would be given the chance to do this, and he had pulled strings to allow me to be one of them. He told me about it, but really all I heard was I could walk. I broke down right there in the restaurant and cried like a baby and they just held my hands. I could walk again, and feel. The realism was set to 99% everything beyond amputations, and death would feel just as it would in reality. I could build a life there. Then, the fated day arrived, my birthday no less, August first. He''d had the capsule installed in my room while Tarah took me with her to shop for baby clothes . They were having a little girl. She was also as big as a house! Three months pregnant. When I got home, I begged them to let me get in. While they inserted the gel he read some of the features to me. I could own property in game, if I had the currency or found a rare quest giver. It was set in ancient Rome, but the Greek states remained, well, one did anyway. Sparta, and they were at war with each other. Sparta was surrounded on all sides, though during the initial start the Spartan forces would be three times stronger and able to expand to colonize Greece fully and allow them a fighting chance when players could join beyond the testers. I could rise in the military, or pursue any life I wanted in the game. Each real life day, equaled a week in game, to allow full access to features, and make the most of my time as a gamer. Then, a secret no one was allowed to know, the npcs could get pregnant...I stared a bit. I could build a life... but I was also informed it was set to be as realistic as possible. Slavery was there, rape, murder, raids. There were no monsters, per say, but, but quests that had you clear out re-spawning bandit camps. Only the town npcs, and soldiers never re-spawned. It was perfect. I gave him a hug, and he helped me into the gel. Closing the capsule he told me with his joking smile, and happy voice. "When it''s time to release, I''ll join you Matt. Have fun bro." Then the capsule closed and a sign appeared.
Welcome to Olympus, the world''s first vrmmorpg. You are an unregistered user, would you like to register.
Chapter One: Creation (Prd) I decided to update this with the first chapter. It is Monday and I can''t update Blood Born until I reach a computer, I won''t risk massive issues because of my phone there. For this one I will however, it''s in the early stages and easily fixed before continuing haha! Enjoy folks. Thank you Roguemist for PRing this chapter. ^.^
New user registered. Commencing character creation. Showing background options. Noble: a young noble starting out on their own. Trained from birth in politics, and manipulating people. Trader: A new trader out to gain their fortune. A shrewd customer with all things sold and purchased, your deal making ability is profound. Ex-Gladiator: a freed gladiator, you have gained freedom from your master through hardship, and trials within the ring. You wish now to live a life of freedom. Slave: An escaped slave, you were used from a young age, abused and trained to be servile, will you break free?
I looked at the background options in wonder. So amazing! I thought, just like dragon age, my favorite game. Grinning from ear to ear, I chose slave. Each background had its advantages and disadvantages of course, it actually changed how the Npc¡¯s see and react to you. The interface also advised that each player received there own unique background choices based on there appearance, and public records profile such as Facebook which is looked up by the system and gone over. Slave would give me the hardest beginning, but the perks are well worth it. If I managed to escape slavery through the in games customized first quest, I''d receive a special reward of my choosing. Oh! I chose the Greek States as my faction, I love the underdog. Fighting the hardest for the better reward, in this case shifting the balance of power for when beta ends. "System, do we choose our rewards for the quest prior to entering the world, or after?" I doubted it could answer, it was a computer program now matter how advanced.
User, as one of the first ten to register the system has allowed you the option to choose. You may choose from three options, a weapon of your choice that evolves and grows strong as you do. A piece of armor with the same quality, or a pet.
I contemplated that for a time. The first two had obvious perks, but...I was an animal person. And I knew pets in this game would be rare and hard to acquire. Few would as well because they always came in infant form and would take two in game years to mature enough to be of real help. "If I choose the pet may I pick the species, and if possible have two?" I was stretching it, but I had a plan. I only hoped it would allow me to do so.
User advised, as the only one of the first ten to choose the pet as your reward, knowing it''s downside, you have been given the ability to do this.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I smiled at the female guide, one of my few truly happy smiles...did it just blush? Never mind. I quickly went to the options of available species in the European area of ancient Greece. A literal horde of animals, and there adult version¡¯s, appeared before me. I went through them, finding the one I wanted. Lion, they were common enough in Rome and one of Hercules twelve labors dealt with the Nemean Lion. "Two lion cubs, male and female. One black, and one white please! I was so excited when my choice was confirmed. Then came the character customization stage. I was greeted with an exact copy of my current self, its eyes dead and listless for now. Six feet one inch in height, the body a little out of shape around the gut because of my crippled state, but not ungodly so. Arms toned, and fit, legs a little scrawny but decent enough. My face, stubble from my beard shown plainly on a square, somewhat angular jaw. Not unattractive, but certainly not a GQ model. Blond hair, and vibrant, emerald green eyes. I could change some things, but I decided not to. This was my body, and the world I was going to would be my home. I smiled, and hit accept.
Unable to complete character creation, user name not given. Please input first and last name of your character.
I face palmed. Of course I''d forget the single part that was truly needed. "Crispin Leonholdt" the same name of my characters in other RPGs, and also the character I''d been writing about for fun for years. I hit create, and with a blinding light I was thrown into the world. What greeted me, was a small dirt pile surrounded by bars, and on my right shoulder a brand in the shape of Ares the Greek god of war, still fresh.
Congratulations! You are the only player to choose the Greek States as your faction at this time! (You poor basterd, so lonely, go cry) as a result you will be given the title of Loner, and your rewards from quests, and events will be increased for a period of one week in game
.....what the hell?
Here you go folks! It''s a start and I have some fun plans. A reminder and advisory. This will be based on history and a lot will be thrown in. However, it is a game, and some characters will be from fictions to increase game liking in there world, for instance Xena may show up, perhaps others. There will be beasts from Hercules twelve trials at some point as well, though hardly what they seem :p. I hope you enjoy this short chapter. Length will increase from now on. Chapter Two: Life of a Slave (PRd) Hello folks! Figured after chapter 22 of Blood Born I''d pop out chapter 2 of Olympus for you all. I hope you enjoy it. Give a big thanks to Roguemist ^.^
I read over that message again, and again in shock before dismissing the blue box. The comment in parenthesis was very annoying. But, hey, I gained a title right? I looked at it, and damn near bashed my head on the ground.
Title: Loner
Description: You are a loner, you dislike the company of others. All those of lower, or equal level feel this, and work to avoid you.
Minus 20% in stats when fighting in groups larger than three.
What in the literal fuck is with this? So basically, I can never be in groups larger than three thanks to this title. Son of a bitch! Alright, alright. Fine, I will be fine. Moving on from that, I look at my surroundings. What I thought were bars were in reality just really. Really wide wooden planks with large gaps in them. I was in a lean-too, with a dirt floor. Manacles bound my wrists and ankles. Ok, this sucks so far. I decided to check my status.
Status Window
Name: Crispin Leonholdt Level: 1
Class: Slave Gender: Male
Titles
The Loner
-
Health:50 / 50Health Regen:1.30 / Sec
Stamina:50 / 50Stamina Regen:1.30 / Sec
-
Strength:5Agility5
Vitality:1Inteligence:5
Leadership:0Luck:5
-
Attack Damage:10Defence10
Skill List
None.
Ok, this could be worse. All the stats are low as hell, but it gave more room to grow, right? Besides, I love the underdog....I finished lamely. I didn''t have much time to contemplate that dismal display before footsteps could be heard. I looked up and saw, quite literally, the fattest man I have ever seen. I swear to god that he was a perfect circle. My eyes bugged a little, and I stifled a laugh. But it was too late, a mistake to start laughing I learned. No sooner had this fat man seen that, than he ordered his guard to whip me. His voice was reedy, and insolent. "Guard, GUARD! Whip this insolent slave who dares to laugh at his betters." I heard the gate open, and I tried to fight, but the guard was stronger. When I tried to check his status it was a skull. That was frightening. He then dragged me into the courtyard, where several other slaves are present, and tied me between two posts.
Minus 5 health
It hurt like hell. Ninety-nine percent realism for you, I suppose. This continued until I had only ten health left. I was spent, and exhausted. Drained of everything, including stamina. God damn it hurt. I remember reading in the manual that scars occur in this game if the wound is not healed with a poultice, or bound. Which means I''ll likely have scars all along my back, another mark to match the slave tattoo on my shoulder. I groaned as the guards released me, and dragged me to my fat master. I couldn''t walk, so each held one arm, and moved me forward, my feet creating furrows in the dirt. Dropping me before him, he began wailing at me to stand. I tried, and when that failed he kicked me, sending my health dangerously low. I forced myself up, I didn''t want to die this early. Stolen novel; please report. When I stood finally, the fat blob was speaking. "I am Denarius, and your Master. You will obey me in all things, or perish. Understood?" I nodded at him. I would never call this bastard master however. I had to find a way to escape. I was thinking about that for a time, after being dismissed and forced into a line of slaves that seemed to be training with wooden swords. That''s when the blue box appeared, right as I was handed a wooden sword, and told to begin training. Meanwhile, several of the others were looking at me as they trained, talking as they did. The noise of the clashing wooden blades act as a damper for there voices. But I clearly heard. "Can we use him?" before I was dragged away by the, according to his status, Gladiator Trainer.
Quest: Earn the Gladiator Slaves Trust
Description: Earn your fellow slaves trust, and learn what they are planning. Perhaps it is a path to freedom?!
Rewards:Unknown, 50 copper
I accepted it without question, it seemed fun. I did however request for a different weapon, I disliked the feel of the sword. He took it, and told me to use my hands then. So I began striking the wooden dummy, sweat flowing down my back, and into my open wounds. It stung like crazy. But I kept at it. Then another blue box appeared.
Strength increase by 1, agility increase by 2.
New state learned, Endurance (initial stat 5)
Endurance increase by five do to your training through pain.
New skill gained: Unarmed proficiency.
I stopped training a moment and almost shouted in joy! I had increased stats, and that fat bastard had even ensured a new stat for me. I kept at it, working hard. By the end of the training, I had recovered my health and my wounds beginning to heal. My Strength had increased to 15, my agility to 24, and my endurance to 20. It hurt less to strike the wooden dummy with my bare hands now too. I smiled, pleased when the Trainer returned, grunting in surprise at the pummeled wooden dummy. The others saw, and seemed to like what they saw as well. I didn''t know it of course, but my growth for such a weak, and beaten slave was astonishing. They were bred fighters under there Masters Control. To see a new slave, freshly whipped, manage that astounded them. So they began there own planning to include the strange blond haired slave. I however, went back to my dirt pile, and fell face first into it, smiling. I could sleep in this game, the pain and current circumstance withholding, I loved it. I could walk! I could feel! I was no longer the helpless cripple that I thought of myself in here. In this world, I wouldn''t burden anyone. I passed out, and looked forward to tomorrow, and maybe rushing through this quest. I wanted my pets.
"Did you really have to give him such a sad title baby?" my wife asked me as she watched the screen in front of us. I''d brought my work home with me today, I knew Matt wouldn''t be out of that capsule for a while. I''d winced when I saw him whipped, but knew my Bro could take it and move on from it. "Also, those stats..." Yeah, I married a gamer girl. Smiling at her, I placed my hand on her swelling stomach, my little girl would be born soon, and kissed her forehead. "its ok baby, Matt was always a loner in school. He''ll get around it. You''ll see." She just nodded, and replayed the recorded video of his first full day in game, about an hour and a half real time I think. I didn''t care about that part. Today was a good day, I had finally been able to give my best friend the ability to walk, though I had hoped he''d choose the noble option. He''d have gotten his pets as a gift then. But, he was always one to take the hard way.
Here you go folks! Ok, this was my first attempt at so many damn boxes. I''m sorry if they fail miserably. But I tried haha. If they did, will edit it later. I hope you enjoy this chapter however. Day two-5 will be next. It''ll be a big one haha. When I update it anyway. Might be a day or two. Chapter Three: Risk, and Reward (PRd Hey folks! Figured I would go ahead and update Olympus. I''m going to try and update this more regularly as well. I know some people want it more often, but my main focus is still Blood Born until volume one is finished. However, I do hope you enjoy this portion, but I wish to stress this fact. This story is based on a game, there will be historical portions that are accurate, however, the game itself is not entirely historically accurate. In this game, Rome has conquered the world, Sparta and a few other places down toward egypt are the only remaining ''free'' territories. There will be ''event'' battles that occur that truly happened in history, and those will be between the original people, and Sparta, This is based in no set time frame, therefore the events will be spread out through different centuries as the other factions manage to grow, and break free from Roman rule in game. The battle for thermopylae will occur as well, for those ''300'' fans. Depending on what I want, the battle will not end as history dictates, it''s a game fiction, while historically based, it is not in itself historically accurate. If you do not like this fact, I am sorry. But, without further hesitation, here is our story!. This chapter has been PR''d by Roguemist. ^.^ Be sure to thank him for me.
I woke while being nudged, it felt like a foot. Opening my eyes, I looked down at my leg, yep....a foot. Alright then. I hurried to get to my feet, feeling a difference in my strength from yesterday, stats are amazing. Turning to look at the one waking me, I froze a moment. It was a beautiful woman, long black hair that reached her waist, bright hazel eyes that showed a depth I could not describe, and long, long legs. Something was off though, she wore a simple cloth tunic that was similar to my loincloth, was she a slave? I checked her status to be sure.
Scillica Level 5
Class: House Slave Stats: Analyze skill to low to see further information
"Right then, so apparently the analyze skill is something I have, though it wasn''t shown in my Status screen. A hidden skill that levels as you use it, but without the ability to track it''s progress? Or something that only shows up once you use it enough? I didn''t care, honestly. So, she was a house slave, and a beauty...Which also meant she was likely used for pleasure. For some reason, that pissed me off, royally. "What''s your name?" I unconsciously asked, I wanted to hear her voice. "Scillica..." Her voice was soft, and seemed beaten down. The officer in me yelled out to end this unjust occurrence, I think my eyes may have even shined a great deal with this because she ducked her head and fled. Damn it...I wanted to talk to her more. It could wait, I had that quest to do. If it led to freedom, I could easily snatch her up in the chaos and make sure she is freed too. Regardless of anything else, I disliked slavery to begin with. Once more the part of me that had wished to be a cop I suppose. Though those dreams were long gone, perhaps I could make them a reality here. But first, this quest... Earn their trust, how would I do that? They were all gladiators, which was actually odd now that I thought about it. Spartans didn''t have a gladiator system, not really. That was more Roman. Could we be being trained in Sparta then sold to Rome? That would make the noble that ran this place a traitor by Spartan standards. One did not treat with an enemy. I thought this while I went toward the mess hall where everyone was eating breakfast, I refused to think about what time it was. I hated mornings. As I was seated, and eating the nasty porridge like food they served with some bread, I swore to myself then and there I would learn how to cook in this game the second I could. This truly tasted awful, like dirt with dry crunchy leaves. While savoring my feast, a few of the other gladiators came over to where I was seated, my eyes all but lit up as I felt giddy I may have completed my first quest. "You there, new comer" one said, I looked at his status. His name was Gallica, and his level was five. Perfect for the starting area I suppose. I raised an eyebrow at him and he continued. "You showed extreme growth yesterday, I''d like to see what else you can do." I nodded, confused a bit before he led me to the main training area and threw a heavy crudesword toward me. So, basically, show me what you can do so I can see what use you will be. Charming, alright, let''s do this. I readied the wooden gladius, using a basic stance I had learned back when I collected medieval weaponry and went to events that let me learn all sorts of fun things. Right foot forward, arms relaxed at my sides, and back foot angled slightly to the left. He came at me, and I sidestepped his downward slash, bringing my sword up to crack him in the ribs. The level difference and stat difference likely made any real damage minimal, but I was happy hearing him grunt in surprise. Then his sword was swept to the side, and I barely blocked it. Really it was more of changing the direction of his sword by meeting it with the point of my own wooden blade, and twirling it along the length to send it flying, In theory anyway, what happened in reality was my sword jolted into my hand, jamming my fingers and I believe I heard a snap as my thumb bent back at an odd angle. The shock keeping pain at bay. ''Son of a...'' The wooden toy fell to the ground, and I grabbed my thumb while trying to dodge swings and forcing it straight as quickly as I could. "Woah now, easy!" I yelled at him. Jesus Christ, at least the dodging was increasing my speed stat slowly. After a few more minutes he relented, and I kept my distance all the same before he nodded satisfied. Motioning me toward him, and walked with an arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear. "We could use you, new comer."
Quest Completed.
Quest Chain Found
Gain Freedom!
You have been accepted by the Gladiator leader, Gallica. Join him and those involved in revolting and breaking free when the time is right.
Quest Reward: Rewards unknown, 1 silver
A chain quest! Alright! But the rewards for the first portion, I looked at my inventory there was nothing, not even the fifty copper. An accumulative reward? Had to be, it made me smile randomly and I got weird looks from those around me. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. I shrugged it off and kept on grinning while I trained. Something interesting I did learn, was that I can level through training as well as quests it seems. After my strength and dexterity increased to thirty each I actually leveled to level two. The message was interesting. [td4] Congratulations! Due to your hard efforts to increase your your stats regardless of your dismal start, you have been granted the ability to level via stat gains that will increase in increments to accompany the difficulty as you increase your stats. This does not stop you from leveling through experience.
You have leveled! +5 stat points [/td4
My eyes had gone wide at that message, it meant I could level, for now at least, by simply training each stat to a certain fixed point that would increase as my stats increased to make it harder. This system was fucking amazing! I hurried to check my own stats again.
Status Window
Name: Crispin Leonholdt Level: 2
Class: Slave Gender: Male
Titles
The Loner
-
Health:100 / 100Health Regen:3.30 / Sec
Stamina:100 /100Stamina Regen:3.30 / Sec
-
Strength:31Agility25
Vitality:12Intelligence:5
Leadership:0Luck:10
-
Attack Damage:55Defence55
Skill List
Analyze: The ability to see details of all you look upon. Level: 1 Experience: 80%
Unarmed Proficiency: The ability to fight bare handed. Level 5 Experience: 50%
Sword proficiency: Ability to wield one handed swords Level 3 Experience: 45%
I had placed my five points into luck, the stat was all but useless early beyond a small percentage increase to better drops, or quest rewards, but I had never been the luckiest individual, obviously, and I liked the idea of increasing that. I''d gained Sword proficiency, and though I had no intention of using a sword once I left here, the skill could be useful later on. Analyze was apparently a hidden skill as well, it showed up after I used it. I''d be leveling that as much as I could. I smiled at my overall increase in stats, pleased with the rewards, the risks involved were surprisingly massive however. Depending on the injuries you sustained, you lost a few points in the stat most affected by it. For instance, while my thumb was broken I had lost two points in strength until it fully healed. It was a frightening system, and meant that in the heat of battle if I were hamstringed, poisoned, or hell lost a limb I would suffer sever stat reductions based on the severity of the injury. The penalties are reduced by a small percentage the higher one''s endurance is however, and because of that I vowed to increase endurance like a mad man. I had hoped to catch sight of the servant girl again and when I asked around after her, Gallica took pity on me and telling me I was better off not asking for her. She is apparently a daughter of a fallen noble house in Rome who had been sold into slavery. A gift for there ''master'' for training Gladiators as Spartan warriors are trained. There ''master'' was intelligent enough it seemed to not reveal how Spartan warriors were truly trained, and he himself knew nothing but the basics, but he kept them from the Romans to ensure his own income. I growled a bit in frustration. A fallen noble sold to slavery in what is in essence, an enemy state. She had no doubt been scared greatly by the fat ball that owned her. I''d find a way to help her escape, along with the others during this quest. The manual had said the quests sometimes have hidden objectives, even if it did not, I would help free everyone involved. But with the day done, I made my way back to my little dirt bed, and to my surprise, saw a small blanket placed inside. Cold was an issue of course, but I didn''t think someone would do this kindness, and it made me wonder who would have. I had fanciful thoughts that it had been Scillica, but it was unlikely she would be that interested. Shutting my eyes, I slowly drifted off to sleep, what I imagined as I lay there smiling was my own business of course.
I palmed my head into the palm of my hands and avoided looking at the screen as Matt/Crispin, treated himself to a lovely night before passing out. Jesus man, I did not need to see that. Shaking my head, I finished inputting the code needed for a patch that would be released in a few days for the game, and smiled. At least he was having fun. When I finished that, I went to see my wife, and held her close. We had both managed to at least ensure he smiled once again, and for now, that was enough.
Here you go my lovelies, a chapter of Olympus. I won''t lie, this should have been released yesterday but I forgot it was saved in my draft folder haha. And I will say sorry ahead of time for a slow start, I am still learning the bb code, as well as trying to find the best box style for me. It''s kind of neat. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and to all those who read this but not my first, I ask you check out Blood Born, Volume one will end within this week and this story will begin to increase in release time frames while I work out my story board for Volume two. As always, much love and cookies, and of course, please; Rate, Follow, Favorite, and comment. Have a lovely night. Chapter Four: Night Attack Begin! (PRd) Hello my lovely readers! I have FINALLY got the first part of a two chapter update for Olympus put from paper to this site. Just saying this again, I truly hate BB-code at this time haha. I hope you all enjoy this chapter however, a fair warning, some tragedy (for the MC at least) does occur within this portion, ( the two chapter release portion) he also completes his quest and gains his adorable little fluff balls!...I mean ferocious tiny mew factories at the end of the two chapter update. Proof-Read by Roguemist. be sure to thank him for me folks. ^.^
I got woken up by Gallica this morning, I tried to hide my look of forlorn loss from not being greeted by the curvy sight of Scillica, and followed him toward the mess hall. My mentality told me that being so close to him after so little time would be a red flag to anyone in charge; blame the cop brain I suppose. However, nothing seemed to change, and each of the slaves in his circle were talking about when they should strike. There were five others, not including myself or Gallica, two had actually been former Spartan Hoplites captured in the last real incursion against Rome before Athens fell. They could be useful, though there levels were five as well. I had no idea how we were going to get past the guards with fucking skulls shown for their levels. I had to assume that was part of the quest, to search for the proper time to strike. It had been in the description after all. I listened as the conversation turned toward a far more interesting topic, one I knew of but wanted to see how the NPC''s took it. "The Spartan army has begun to move again; Tale, tells of King Leonidas marshaling the last true pride of Spartan might to strike back against Rome." - Spartan warrior one "Our king will drive them to the mainland and Greece will once more be ours!" - Spartan two, yes I dubbed them that. Gallica piped in his own views as well, apparently he was from Gal. "I hope so, then we can begin taking back Gal from those bastards." He also aimed a very unfriendly look toward one of the guards who smirked. "We need to worry about leaving here, before contemplating the implied measures behind Spartans move, boys" I said calmly, finishing my bowl of nasty ass gruel. I left the table, not really waiting for an answer. I needed to train more, my stats were still woefully low compared to a normal start. So I continued my training, ignoring the boxes that popped up as I did so. I practices on the wooden dummies first, and then began asking Gallica to strike me over and over with the wooden sword. My health dropped dangerously low, but my endurance had almost doubled in points. Thank god! I all but screamed when I saw that. That would mean a tremendous boost in my defensive stat as well. Which pleased me greatly, I was always more inclined to be a tank like character anyway. Slowly but surely, my stats were reaching what should be normal for my level. When I stopped, to allow my health to regenerate I saw her. She was across the quad, ludus, whatever the hell you wanted to call this Roman style gladiator training grounds. Scillica, a picture of loveliness. What I did not enjoy, was the fat dough boy placing his plump fingers on her ass, while he shoved her against the wall out of sight. I could see her face, a bruise had appeared. I started to rise up, but apparently Gallica had seen it as well. He held me down with ease. I struggled, cursing at him for not letting me stop the atrocity I was witnessing, and he just shook his head before leaning down to whisper in my ear. "Leave it, Crispin, she is a slave. Like you, and has no choice but to please our Master¡¯s whims.¡± I am too pathetic now to so much as attempt to stop what was basically rape. It made me sick to my stomach, and I turned away from the shadows. Luckily, the grunts of the training men as they took strikes or struck out with there weapons covered the noise. I went back to work; pretending the wooden dolls were a great deal wider, and a lot bloodier. This continued for another two days in game. I had been in the game four days total now. I was happy to say I did not see any more occurrences of Scillica being taken by force, neither had I seen her however. We were seated at the table in the meal area. Really it was just a few wooden tables beneath a roof beside the open ground where we trained, but it worked I supposed. Gallica was whispering to our little group, the size had grown somewhat, another three had been added to the ranks. "I heard from one of the house slaves that the guards will all be leaving to escort the Master''s wife and child to Athens. The Master will remain with a few of the newer guards on staff" I had wondered why over the last two days I had seen other guards with poorly made equipment and levels ranging from 5-7. The system is making ready for the escape no doubt; which meant this may very well be a form of event quest. "Oi! did you hear this as well? The fat bastard managed to get his hands on a pregnant female lion from Rome. Big little beastie as well." Spartan 1 stated. My head shot up at that, my promised reward? Pregnant female, perfect. I honestly hoped I would not need to kill the mother to get her cubs. Naturally, I had no real idea that this was part of it. I just assumed. I had managed to get my own level to level 5 within the last two days as well. I had thrown myself into training my stats; the levels were a result.
Status Window
Name: Crispin Leonholdt Level: 5
Class: Slave Gender: Male
Titles
The Loner
-
Health:350 / 350Health Regen:20.30 / Sec
Stamina:300 /300Stamina Regen:15.30 / Sec
-
Strength:55Agility40
Vitality:20Intelligence:10
Leadership:0Luck:15
Endurance: 100
-
Attack Damage:100Defence180
Skill List
Analyze: The ability to see details of all you look upon. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.Level: 5 Experience: 40%
Unarmed Proficiency: The ability to fight bare handed. Level 8 Experience: 20%
Sword proficiency: Ability to wield one handed swords Level 3 Experience: 45%
The one upside to being a slave was right there, given proper meals and training my stats rose quickly. I was still below par when compared to Gallica, but he was considered an Elite NPC. I had forgone leveling sword mastery, having it was enough for the time being. I had a clear path I personally wanted to take for my weapons, but I would likely need to make them; or purchase them within Sparta when I made it there at last. "We strike tonight.." there went the bomb! Gallica stated tonight was the night we would move out. Finally, a chance to complete this quest. I wanted that fat fuck in the ground for what I had seen, I would finally get my chance. We all spent the remainder of the day doing light training. Pulling blows, it was rather staged but the new guards were too green to fully notice, thankfully. I had finally picked up one of the wooden round shields during this time, and used it to take blow after blow. I wanted the skill.
Skill Learned
Shield Mastery
Through repeatedly blocking strikes you have been granted the shield mastery skill. All blows received while a shield is equipped reduced by 5% All damage received reduced by 10% when blocked fully by a shield. Mastery level: 1 Experience: 90%
Shield Mastery Level
Shield Mastery Level
Shield Mastery Level
My eyes widened at the series of boxes. I had just gained it, and leveled it to level 4 almost instantly. I''d read up on that occurrence when I logged out after finishing this quest fully. I wonder if my relative stats increased the speed I learned certain skills, or if the easier it is to acquire them, the easier it is to level early on. Personally, I hoped it related to my stats. I pulled up the Shield Mastery skill menu, and almost had a heart attack. [tr][tr]
Shield Mastery
The ability to block incoming damage with a shield. Higher Masteries allow for a greater damage reduction. Level: 4 Damage Reduction while using a shield: 30%
What in the hell was with this OP as shit skill? It was a common one in any fantasy game. But seriously? Level 4 and 30% reduced damage if I block the blow? Would it rise further and further? If it did, would the relative shield quality change its overall percentage reduction? So much to fucking learn. But I was loving every second! I grinned, and struck my arm out at the incoming sword wondering what would happen.
Skill Aquired.
Shield Bash The ability to stun a foe temporarily after striking them with your shield. Stun Duration: 1 second. Level: 1
Fuck yes! I jumped a little for joy, confusing my partner who struck me in the ribs lightly before saying in the most deadpan voice I have ever heard. "You jumped and died. Where is your cliff?" Gallica was my partner by the way. I just shook my head and laughed, it was a shitty joke but it was funny to me. Then we continued training, the sun slowly cresting the horizon, moving toward dusk. We all went to the bathing chamber, really it was where we put olive oil over our entire bodies and scraped it off. I can honestly say I now know what it feels like to be utterly hairless along my body. It was a freaky feeling, but at least I was clean. Gallica had told us to move silently through the courtyard when the house slave with the key frees us. I could hardly wait for night to fall now. When it did finally come, my little lean too that was traded in for a cell when I had shown my strength, was unlocked by a feminine hand. I left the cell, taking the short sword she gave, and the shield before looking into her face. Scillica! Before I could say her name she told me to follow her, and we went slowly from cell to cell releasing everyone. Gallica was the last, and when he was released and armed he led us to an inner area of the mansion like house. I found it odd we found no one to stop us, no guards, and no other slaves. Gallica had even released the other fighters who joined in the hopes of returning to Sparta, or their other homelands. Our numbers had reached twenty in total. When we reached the center plaza itself, we were met by a shield wall of the green recruits, and a few archers on the level above with the fat bastard standing there smiling.
Quest Update!
Night Ambush
Your master has learned of your plans somehow and prepared an ambush for you all! Fight your way clear to be free!
Objectives
Escape with your fellow slaves, killing all Roman Guard Recruits in your path. Success Succeed in escaping with Gallica, Scillica, and as many other slaves as you can. Failure Gallica, or Scillica fall in the escape.
Rewards: Unknown, 2 silver
Here you are my lovely readers. The first of two chapter update. The next one will be up in a few hours. Then I am back to finishing Volume one of Blood Born. It''s gonna be a fun chapter. Chapter Five: Quest Complete! (PRd) I finally got the BB-cod to work! Good god that was annoying. It was a very minor mishap in the code I did earlier. But here you go my friends, the promised second chapter for the time being. It will become daily after Blood Born Volume 1 is complete. Proof-read by Roguemist. ^.^ be sure to thank him.
Quest Update!
Night Ambush
Your master has learned of your plans somehow and prepared an ambush for you all! Fight your way clear to be free!
Objectives
Escape with your fellow slaves, killing all Roman Guard Recruits in your path. Success Succeed in escaping with Gallica, Scillica, and as many other slaves as you can. Failure Gallica, or Scillica fall in the escape.
Rewards: Unknown, 2 silver
Oh. My. Fuck! Alright, gotta get through this alive; I got this. "Shield!" Gallica screamed, and he along with Spartan 1 and 2 raised there small buckler shields and started rushing forward with the rest of the fighters. Son of a ...I rushed in behind them taking an arrow in my shoulder before I could block it in time. A blue window popped up before I could hit ignore notifications showed me losing three strength. Shit. Two of the twenty fighters had already fallen to the arrows, then we were in a melee with the Green Roman Guards. When I reached their small blockade of shields, it was already crumpling due to inexperience. I took a sword point on my shield causing the durability to lower a bit; then I jumped up a bit and angled the sword down into the youths neck.
Fatal blow! Due to your ingenuity and skill at striking your foe''s weak point you have instantly killed the Guard. You have gained +5 intelligence You have Leveled
I ignored the box and quickly raised my shield to block a downward thrust aimed at my ribs from the left, before forcing my sword through the guards ribs, my right flank covered by Spartan 2. Yep, shield wall bitches! It was a melee of gruesome porportions though. Not all of our fighters were trained enough, several were only level 2. They had been a fresh batch smuggled over the border from Roman occupied Athens. As such at least three of them fell in the melee, and we were having trouble due to the archers up top. Two in the beginning, and a following three, make that four, which brought our combat force down to fourteen. Fuck! I had reached a break in the combat, the Green Roman Recruits having been reduced to about six soldiers who were fighting desperately against the heavy strikes of Gallica, and Spartan 1 and 2. Note to self, never piss them off. I rushed through the foyer, and to the stairs leading to the next level. I had to get rid of those fucking archers. When I reached the top, another Recruited Roman Guard was present. I blocked his downward strike with my shield before thrusting my own sword in a straight thrust through his skull. Nifty trick with the game, if the attack was aimed at the vitals and landed full on it could be an instant kill, the only problem was it worked mostly with those at or below your level. It took a portion of luck and strength to do it to those higher, like the Guard I was fighting now. He was level 7. I smiled as I pulled my sword free and rushed the level 5 archers; happy I had spent stat points in luck now. I quickly dispatched the Archers, their defense was pitiful due to there light armor, and ranged focus. Hunting for the fat man, I saw the tubby roll toward the end of the hallway on the second floor. It had to lead toward his private chambers. Good god, how fucking big is this place? I wondered as I sprinted off after his fat ass. A few of the Recruits appeared and blocked my path. Two, but shit. Both are level 9. I didn''t know my own level, pulling up the screen would cause me to miss my timing. Keeping an eye on my health and stamina; health was about 75%. I silently thanked the shit out of my Shield Mastery bonus. Taking up my own stance as I faced the two guards, right foot forward, left foot back; right shoulder angled up with my shield and left curled back at the elbow before I started smacking the shields side and yelling at them. They charged forward, and one just fell face first as an arrow sprouted from his chest. I looked back quickly and saw Scillica with a bow and a few arrows. I love that woman in that moment; then I met the other guard head on in battle. It was anti-climatic sadly. He was afraid, and had received a status effect due to that. It made killing him easy. At the end of the hall, I took the right path I had seen the fat bastard reach and immediately threw my shield up on instinct. I had no idea why, but I was suddenly thrown back a foot, and fell onto my ass. What the hell? I heard growling...oh, oh shit. I slowly looked up, like someone does in a horror movie and saw one of the largest fucking lions I have ever seen. It was the female lion, she sure fucking doesn¡¯t look pregnant. I stared into the gaping maw of the lioness as she roared at me, causing fear to flow down my spine as I stood up, and looked at her status box.
Barbary Lioness (Elite)
Level: 10 Ownder: Fictus
Description: One of the last of her kind, this female Lioness was purchased by the Spartan Traitor Fictus to be used as a show of status. She has recently given birth.
I stared at her box a second longer and all but began cursing like a sailor. "Mother fucking sonofabitch! Cunt licking twat waffle.." You get the point, I was being a naughty sailor as I cursed up a storm. The lioness just kinda stared at me dumb founded for a moment, before pouncing, her powerful back legs bunching and giving her the strength to cover the distance. I readied my shield, and lowered my body, counting slowly in my head. I wanted to jump to the side at the last moment and hopefully slowly nick her health down, a whopping 1000. An arrow struck the Lioness'' side mid jump though, causing her to roar in pain and stopped her jump short. I saw her health drop by 200, it had to be a crit. I thanked the Gods for allowing that, and dashed in on the other side while the Lioness'' aggro was taken by Scillica. I thrust my sword as hard as I could at her neck. The tough fur that covered it kept my sword from going to deep, but it took another 150 health off the Lioness. Progress! I almost shouted before that big fucking head jumped around and took my shield arm in her maw, using her powerful jaw muscles to crunch down. My arm broke, and my strength went down to a simple 10 points. Son of a bitch! She started shaking me like a dog, and I screamed at Scillica. "Shoot this fucking thing!" while I whacked at the side of it''s head with my sword over and over. Personally, I hated it. Before she had been meant to kill me, she was also a beautiful creature that was primal, and predatory. It broke my heart inside, but I refused to die this early in my first quest. So I struck. My own health bar was ticking down quickly, while the Lioness'' was moving at a fast pace. I was dealing less damage because of the un-aimed, rapid strikes, but Scillica''s arrows were eating the health away. It was a race to see who would die first. All fear a Mother protecting her Cubs; I refuse to accept that fat bastard owned such a beautiful creature. When all was said and done, the Lioness fell to the arrows. The light dimmed in those big brown eyes, and her massive body fell limp, with a total of 5 health left on my own bar. I took my arm from her limp maw, and discarded the broken shield. My health Regen was good enough that in a few moments I would be able to move again. But I doubted we had that time. Gallica and a whopping twelve of the slaves, including him, arrived at our location. We had lost another two. Spartan 1 and 2 were alive at least. I like them, they are funny. "Where is he Crispin?" Gallica asked, and I nodded my head down the hallway. "There Boss. I had to fight his pet, I couldn''t keep chasing after it all was over." I was smacked in the back of my head by Scillica, who was binding my wounds. Far different from the woman I met those days ago "The idiot put his arm in the lions mouth and let it gnaw on him." I winced as she tightened the splint on my broken arm, and just smiled. My health had reached 50 and I could stand once she finished. We all left then, after I told Gallica to piss off when he recommended I stay behind. I didn''t trust them not to harm the infant cubs that the Lioness had birthed. When we entered the room at the end of the curving hallway, Gallica and the others dispatching the few guards left, we found the fat tub of lard in his bed under the covers. It looked like a mountain. Spartan 1 walked up to it and grinned at us before poking the fat rolls of his ass that were sticking out of the blankets with his sword. A loud piercing scream escaped his lips as he literally jumped five feet into the air, I didn''t think he had it in him. I ignored them past that, Gallica was talking. Spartacus reborn! Haha, anyway. I searched the area; there, in the corner. I found what I was after, I limped my way there. Scillica had her attention focused fully on the fat tub; her eyes were scary when I looked at them. I saw two small little fluff balls that were still wet from the birth fluids. The mother had not even been allowed to clean them before he sent her out. One was white, and one was black. I went over to them, and knelt down slowly. They were mewing pitifully, there eyes still shut. I looked at there stats. [tr]
Infant Female White Barbary Lion
Level: 0 Owner NoneDescription: A lost strain of Barbary Lion reborn from one of the last Females of the species that is slowly being driven to extinction. It is a new born, and will die without care.
[tr]
InfantMale Black Barbary Lion
Level: 0 Owner NoneDescription: A lost strain of Barbary Lion reborn from one of the last Females of the species that is slowly being driven to extinction. It is a new born, and will die without care.
I picked them up, and winced as the little black males tiny claws popped out and he struggled against my broken arm, the female did the same on my lap and was currently trying to suckle the cloth from my loincloth against my thigh. I grinned and steeled myself as I ripped the cloth from the top of my splint off with my teeth and hand before gently wiping all the birth fluids from there tiny little furry bodies. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I gently rubbed it free of there ears, and eyes, along with there little pot belly like tummies. God damn they are so fucking cute when they mewed and fought to escape it, but couldn''t. When they were fully cleaned I pulled the little bit of water I had received upon finishing my character creation, and gently had each one drink some. They did, after I forced some of the liquid into there mouths, but it wouldn''t last them. They slowly fell asleep and I watched the show finish as Scillica decapitated the begging fat man that was our Master. I was then flooded by boxes, it seems that my box blocker goes away when the initial quest ends. [table] Well fuck yes I hit yes. [table]
Quest Complete!
You have successfully aided in the rebellion of your fellow slaves leading to your freedom! Surviving slaves: 14 of 21 (A.N the extra number is for Crispin, he didn''t count himself in the numbers fully.) Scillica has survived Gallica has survived. Rewards: You have received two silver, your reputation with slaves has increased to the maximum. You have been granted the title Freedom Fighter Description: You fight for freedom where ever you are, your strong sense of justice will be a beacon for the weak! Plus 20% stats when fighting against those doing evil actions. You have leveled
Bonus Objective cleared!
You have taken charge, and provided the minimum care for two new born Barbary Lions to allow there imminent survival. You have been given the option to take them on as pets. Yes/No
You have been given ownership of the two lion cubs, as such you may now name them. [/td4
I named the little white female Winter, and the black male I named Fang. [td4] Your pets have been registered. As the first player to gain pets you have been given the option of a unique class
Beast Master
Description You are one with beasts, any and all pets you receive will grow stronger under your loving care. They will follow you without question out of love once you have gained there trust, as such once you have gained that trust there loyalty is maxed and can never be lowered. 20% extra damage done by beasts you have tamed 10% easier to tame new pets in the wild.
Do you accept?
My eyes almost bugged out, and I hit accept instantly. Such a class would be paramount to helping raise my little puff balls.
Multiple Skills gained due to actions done during your quest, and earning the unique class Beast Master
Animal Husbandry
You are able to instinctively know the best food, and care needed to raise your pets properly 50% chance of successfully raising you pets stats to there maximum level through training. Level: 1
Animal Language (Passive)
You are able to understand your animals want''s and needs, along with them being able to understand your commands easier. This does not allow you to actually speak with your pets as a normal person would. 40% chance to have your commands understood and followed by your pets. Level: 1
Perseverance (passive}
Due to your extreme resistance to death while fighting you have gain the ability Perseverance. You are harder to kill as you are simply to stubborn to lay down and die (Die for once!) 20% chance to survive a fatal blow 10% chance to survive overwhelming damage
You have leveled 5 times during you quest you have gained 20 strength You have gained 10 Agility You have gained 15 intelligence You have gained 5 vitality You have gained 5 leadership You have gained 10 Luck You have gained 30 endurance
Ok, the stats were amazing, but what the literal fuck was with those parenthesis in the Perseverance skill? Were they trying to fuck with me? It didn''t matter. I put the stat points I had gained, 25 in total, into my stats quickly. 5 went to agility, 5 to vitality, and the rest went into luck. Yep, I wanted to insta kill shit if I had the chance too. It would also probably boost my ability to tame full grown beasts.
Status Window
Name: Crispin Leonholdt Level: 10
Class: Beast Master Gender: Male
Titles
The Loner Freedom Fighter Animal Lover
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Health:500 / 500Health Regen:32.50 / Sec
Stamina:700/700Stamina Regen:50.50 / Sec
-
Strength:75Agility55
Vitality:30Intelligence:25
Leadership:5Luck:40
Endurance: 130
-
Attack Damage:180Defence200
Skill List
Analyze: Level: 9 Experience: 40% Unarmed Proficiency Level 8 Experience: 20% Sword proficiency Level 7 Experience: 45% Animal Husbandry Level: 1 Animal Language (passive) Level: 1 Perseverance (Passive) Level: 1 Shield Mastery (Passive) Level: 9 Shield Bash (Active Skill) Level: 6
Yes! My stats were fucking awesome now! I had also seemingly gained another title, it had to come with my class change. I checked what it meant, and just smiled from ear to ear.
Animal Lover
You are a lover of animals, and all creatures of the world will know this from your calm aura when near places yet untamed by man. 10% increase to all stats when in forests. 10% increase to taming animals.
That will help a great deal, even more so because Greece should still be filled with forests, and so should the rest of this world. I looked forward to all my future adventures with these sleeping little puff balls. Along with any others I may gain. Hell, with this I could even tame wild full grown beasts and sell them to provide income in hard times. Though I disliked that notion, I enjoy pets a great deal. (A.N Pet Hoarder Alert!) After I finished looking at all of the gains I had received, Gallica was walking toward me. "Thank you Crispin, Battle Brother, we gained our freedom in large part due to your aid. I beg you to join us on our way to Sparta. The twins over there want to return home and warn Leonidas that some of his borderland nobles may be traitors, aside from the slime we killed."
Quest Received!
Return to Sparta with your fellow freed slaves.
Join your fellow slaves as they move toward Sparta. Time limit to reach Sparta is one week. Success: Arrive safely with your fellow slaves Failure: Any of your group perishes Fail to reach Sparta before the time limit
"We will be here a short time, at least three days while we gather supplies for the journey. Think it over?" I nodded, and leaned my head back against the wall a moment. "I will go with you, Gallica, but I need a day or two to myself. Will you watch over my new little friends here while I am away?" Gallica looked down at my lap then and saw the cubs. He frowned, before smiling like a maniac and agreed. "Of course, Brother! I know not what you need to do, but I am sure we can keep those lion cubs alive for you until you get back." I smiled, and shut my eyes with the cubs nuzzled together in my lap, my arm protectively around them. Sleep time.
Gallica POV That little slave had truly shocked us all. We heard from Scillica what he had done, and some of the younger ones were in awe that he survived the female lion. Personally, I was more shocked he had claimed her cubs as his own. That would be no easy feet to raise them. I knew he was also someone different. He had to have been sent by Ares himself to aid us; I may be from Gall but I followed the Greek Pantheon more. There Gods seemed more attuned to the world. I''d watch when he left, Scillica will probably take them from me though. I had a feeling she was going to claim Crispin before he was known to the world. I felt he had a great destiny before him, and hoped to live long enough to see it come about. I also looked forward to watching Scillica claim ownership, no doubt Crispin would save anyone he could. I snickered a bit at the thought of him dealing with her, and preventing the death of any female too stubborn to back off. Oh, it would be so fun to watch. I went back to directing everyone to gather the supplies, entering the Masters...Former Masters treasure room myself. Perhaps more things could be found here. Maybe even something suitable to reward Crispin for his aid in our freedom.
Here you are folks! I am sorry it was late. Took a bit to get the BB-code working. Now before this becomes a daily release, I will be focused utterly on finishing the last chapter of Blood Born. Expect that in the next day or two. Much love and cookies, as always; Follow, Comment, Rate, and Favorite please. ^.^ Chapter Six: Guide (PRd) Hey folks! Here is an installment of Olympus. This chapter will mostly be dedicated to the player re-reading the game guide; along with hidden facts he can learn about thanks to his best friend, Clint, being one of the lead game designers. I will be putting in game time as well, a bit later in the chapter. But this will be dedicated to information about the game, and real world life for our MC as he talks to clint about several factors within the game that are confusing after reading the guide. Also, as a special treat, butt jiggling shall be seen. Mwuahahahahah. Proof-read by Roguemist. Remember to thank him folks! ^.^
7:00 AM 7:00 AM I opened my eyes and told the capsule "Open." Ugh, another early morning. I had spent all night playing. It simulated sleep in a way, and with four days down; each day roughly three hours and some odd minutes in change in the real world. I''d spent roughly twelve, or less hours within the game. I smiled before calling for help, Clint would be up by now. He came and helped me into my wheelchair and I moved toward the couch he had been sitting on, watching the news. "Reports indicate that Olympus has become a huge hit with the beta testers. Word has said many are beginning to solidify their power bases within Rome. Attempting quests to take control, or be given land to do with as they will, and NPC servants to help them grow it." I cocked my eyebrow at this, land? That would be very fun. The screen suddenly went silent, Clint had muted it, and he asked me a great deal of questions. One of which made me wince. "So, did you enjoy walking again? As if I need to ask. How did the little puff balls you got feel? How was the training, and life as a slave? Also, why on earth did you wank one out after seeing that Scillica individual?" He laughed when I nearly had a seizure at what he said. "What the fuck! You were watching me? You sick...sick Bastard!" He just laughed harder and I breathed deeper trying to calm down and ignore that fact to the best of my ability. "The puff balls, as you call them, are adorable and I love them too death. Naturally walking again was amazing! Thank you for that, and the training was fun. But I feel I grew to quickly, and life as a slave was interesting." I saw Clint snort, and explain the details of just why the starting quest for each person was like this, my slave class had added an extra 20% growth rate until my first and only class change. Apparently all players experienced abnormal growth and EXP gain in there starting quest area, then after gaining a class it became more leveled and difficult to garner EXP, or level stats through training. In my case, I was ahead of the pack by about two levels due to my Slave class gaining better EXP gain and stat gains early on to make up for the dismal start at the beginning. However, now I would have to work twice as hard as the other players to gain EXP and level everything. The downside to starting with such an OP boost, I should have trained more, and then changed my class. The Beast Master Class itself provided gains for my stats in regards to any full grown pet I tamed. It meant I''d be hunting down an adult beast to tame when I joined the other slaves on there way to Sparta. "You know, I knew you would pick that Slave class the moment you got it. You hated ancient nobles in our history class back in high school, and despised math so I doubted a Merchant. ¡°But I thought for sure you would have chosen the warrior route." I snorted at him, imitating his earlier snort. "I love the underdog, you know that. I was shocked at the title I gained, and who the fuck works with the descriptions, I feel like they have it out for me!" I saw Clint get a secretive smile, and it clicked. This bastard, he only did that when he was feeling smug. "You! Oh I will get even, remember that when you start to play with me!" He just laughed more and I called him a dirty fucker. He went on further to explain a few details left out in the guide, before handing me my copy again. "Ah, a hidden factor in the game with death, you saw how it says if you die, there will be consequences right?" I nodded of course, but the guide never went into full detail. I got a feeling of dread as he smiled cruelly. "Well, if you die in game you are reset instantly to level one, regardless of your level. Your stats are reset to the base amount for a level one; and you have to utterly remake, and rename your character. The world is set to have it so players AND NPCS can change it''s make and set up. However, we wanted it as real as possible. Therefore, death means that character dies." He paused a moment, letting me absorb that little bit while blinking my eyes. I swear he was laughing at me now. "Which of course means no head first diving by you! You do however get to keep your gear, however there is a restriction upon it. You cannot use it again until you reach your previous level, and stats. You will also be unable to pick the same starting faction you were in the beginning. I''ll tell you a secret though, there are quests in game to defect to another nation once you earn their trust. So someone can always go back. You also retain your class, and subclasses earned in game. Your skills are still present, though each one is reset to level 1 and you have to grind them back up. In your case, as a BeastMaster, you will also lose your pets. However classes with unique pets like the Beast Master and another hidden class, you may gain a quest to reclaim them under your new character. ¡°It is a one time quest each time you die, so if you fail, they are lost to you forever. They also are reset to level one, with a 30% reduction in stats and unable to be used to power level yourself. They are set to defend only." He laughed so hard when my eyes bugged. "The fuck Clint!" I yelled "No one will keep playing with that!" He just shook his head, and grinned. "There is a reason, you know more factions open up over time. How do you think that happens? It''s through players dying and being thrown into a random Faction upon reviving with those penalties. This allows them to level properly again, and not instantly make any one nation a true powerhouse." I...was speechless, to say the least, but ignored it and grumbled about it in general. He had a point, but it would still suck. I sighed, and set the book down a bit. It had been two hours since he started that explanation, and I heard Tarah starting to move around. I winced a little at that, hoping I had not woken her. "*sigh* Alright, Clint, I get it. No more secrets, I may die from an aneurysm at this rate. I guess there are some perks to having one of the lead designers as a best friend, and brother in the ways that matter." He laughed and punched my shoulder lightly while saying cryptically. "You have no idea, Matt. It''s 9 however, and you have therapy today I believe." His tone went firm, and I groaned at it. Damn it! "Fine..." I muttered and started pouting. "Oh stop that ya big baby, your luuuuv is there today. I checked." Well, that cheered me up some. The quote, unquote, luuuuv he spoke about was a very ungodly blessed woman in her later twenties that literally had an ass that went for days, with amazing legs, and giant breasts. Her face was youthful, so she looked kinda like an overdeveloped teen; but god damn I loved when she worked on my therapy days. All that juicy flesh touching me, and her thinking I still couldn''t enjoy the sight of her breasts grazing my legs, even if I did not feel it. I perked up and yelled over my shoulder at Clint to hurry the hell up; the other reason of course being that I wanted to return to the game before long to do my quest. On our way to the hospital, and my therapy lesson, we jammed to Maroon 5, and good ol'' Metallica. Gotta love it. Haha. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. We arrived sooner than I wanted to, all the same. But it made Clint and Tarah happy for me to do this, so I would do it. More so after they gave me the chance to feel again. They deserved any and all the hope they clung too...Secretly I did as well. The brain was still mostly unknown after all, perhaps with enough time I will walk again, feel again, and, well, fuck again. But each time was a failure, and my only real hope lay in their shared hope for me. I signed in at the counter, ignoring the smell of the sterile room I rolled into. I hate that bleach smell. Reminded me to much of death. I waited another hour, a day had now passed in game with my body likely still utterly dead to the world there. Then she called me up, and I ''jumped'' to attention and rolled over to her. Making sure to flex my overdeveloped arm muscles from always rolling around for her. "Easy now, Matt, you''ll make me faint." I grinned at her and responded in kind, we had our routine. "Good, then I can molest that juicy body while you¡¯re unconscious!" She slaps me upside the back of my head, and I aim the resulting motion into her breasts. She hits me harder and laughs. God I want to do so much to this woman, but naturally it would never happen. "Alright Christy! Let''s get Failure 298 out of the way!" She rolled her eyes, and undid a button on her white nurse outfit to show off a small portion of her cleavage. "Correct it, and I''ll pretend you don''t intentionally grab my ass when I work with your legs." "Christy, let''s begin the hopeful rehabilitation of my spine, and nervous system so I can take you home and utterly wreck you!" A soft sigh escaped those full lips, "Good enough". She started massaging my leg muscles, and working them here and there. I got to admire her from there, her ass even more. She was really only about 5''5 and proportioned to godly levels. Her bust had to be triple D, with a slim toned waist, I knew for a fact she worked out (Stalker alert!), to a very large bubble butt that was all but obscene the way it just...bounced, and wiggled with each step; her breasts were held in place. Probably under-wired bra. Speaking of bouncing, I reached a hand out and slapped her butt from the bottom with just my fingers. The tips sinking oh so amazingly into her ass before lifting up, and it just danced for me. God....why? Why not at least let my penis work! I heard a little giggle escape her, hey! you promised I thought "The flies are so awful this year, aren''t they, Matt?" She looked over her shoulder at me, blinking those big baby blues at me, they were brown eyes really, her long red hair shifting to the side to reveal her breasts on my thigh... I hate God so much right now. I just gulped and nodded, which caused her to giggle. I was beginning to suspect it was on purpose because it showed how her breasts moved, even in that bra, with the breaths she took to giggle. Then she returned to her work and began humming and moving a little. I got entranced in her ass. Before I knew it, our time was up. I pouted at her and she kissed my cheek. "See you next time, Matt." We had a flirting relationship, though I suspected pity was more her reason for acting that way with me. I didn''t care much, she is amazing! haha I rolled out too Clint after I was helped into the chair by Tit''s Mcgee. He was just grinning like that cat that got the creme. "Shut it" I said, and we went home. I read the guide on the way home. Stats Stats are unique within the game, each stat increase directly affects the skills you learn, and how fast you can level them. The higher a stat is, the faster that skill will level. An example is the simple Shield Bash skill. This is directly tied to your strength, AND agility stat. Once unlocked however, it changes to a hidden stat you earn through game play. But, it will level very quickly the higher those two stats are, or how high the hidden stat is. That had to be my Endurance, because my shield related skill leveled way to quickly. I had almost nothing really in speed, or strength right now after all. Classes Each player will start with a pre-determined class depending on their background check, and personality survey answers. This class is replaced upon level 10, where you are given a class change option through NPC, or hidden events within the game. (Each starting area for players has the chance to give a unique, or rare class depending on there actions taken in game; be mindful!) I smiled at that part, I had earned a unique and amazing class thanks to taking my pets. Sub-classes Each player may earn up to three subclasses in game. One of which may be rare or unique, the rest are set to be common. So choose wisely when picking. Each subclass can be used to help your main class, or used to create an entirely unique second class by combined and training the three subclasses! I grinned at that, oh I would have fun there. But I needed to be self sufficient, so I would take my time in that regard. Players Starting Area Each player, depending on their Faction, gains a unique hidden trait specific to that faction. This is gained upon entering the capital city of your starting faction (Sparta as it is the only Greek State available, being the Greek capital, and Rome being Rome''s; naturally.) These unique, and hidden traits will give each player a unique bonus ability custom tailored to their faction, and first class change. (This means everyone will get a unique skill made by the A.I to match them the best. More than one player having a single skill that is the same will be rare, but not impossible.) I was only skimming the key-points of the guide however, and I enjoyed what I read and had missed before. I''d read it in more detail when I further progressed in the game. I could hardly wait to get back. We pulled into the driveway just as I finished skimming, we were only half an hour from the hospital, or an hour with Traffic. My mind kept wandering as well while I was reading so I kept to a short skimming of key information I might need, or was interesting. Clint got my Wheelchair from the back, and set it up before letting me get into it on my own. This I didn¡¯t allow help with honestly, Tits got it because I liked feeling those melons on my back. We went in, and I had to have him help me into the capsule, it was to high for me. I said Hi to Tarah first of course. "Don''t look at me at night, you perverted bastard!" I told Clint that, and he laughed while Tarah chimed in causing me to blush. "But it was SO entertaining to watch you go to town. I saw the clip!" She burst into giggles and I just cursed at them both before logging in. I''d get even with them, just wait and see...
Here you go folks! First of the starting daily updates, and a SMALL quick glimpse into his life outside the game. There will be more of these, and I will work on my ability to do this portion as well. It was fun! Now then however, a shout out to 91Blodhevn for the idea regarding what happens when players die! Please, feel free to PM me, or comment what you would like to see in this story. I want more ideas so I can keep it going as I progress. Each winner of the comments will have the chapter I put it in, dedicated to them as well. This one is for you, 91Blodhevn I will also be doing more chapters with Guide references when it goes Real World. The MC skims a lot, and misses details. This is because I am evil, and have not thought them all out yet as well haha. As always, much love and cookies: Please Follow, Rate, Comment, and favorite! Chapter Seven: Caring for Cubs 101 It''s a little late, I know. But here is Chapter Six of Olympus. The reason it is late is due to family emergencies that occurred. I should have a few chapters out tonight now that it is over however to thank you all for your patience. This chapter will be dedicated mostly to the trip from the outskirts of Spartan territory toward Sparta itself; and the caring of the MC''s new pets. perhaps a new acquisition. Unsure at this time.
I logged in finally, going through the basic login screens that popped up in my head when i closed my eyes and fully synced with the machine. A flash of light, and boop, I was there. I opened my eyes slowly, and blinked in confusion. I was in a large, fluffy bed, and I currently felt two weights on my stomach wrestling around. The soft nip of a claw here and there with the notification of losing one health every now and then. Apparently they had moved my body, I knew it had been at least two days since I logged out in the game. I felt heavy though, like you would after sleeping too long, head clouded and a bit groggy. I shook my head, and was suddenly pounced by two fuzzy mewing fluff balls when I did the motion. A paw went in my mouth, another on my nose, and one on my eye while a small set of teeth started to chew the very bridge of my nose and another was suckling my cheek. I sputtered, and gasped while flailing at the sudden assault, and laughing the entire time as I shook my two hellions off my face and grabbed them in a hug. They purred, I found that odd because a lions were one of the few cat species that were unable to purr, had to be because they were cubs. In the last two days, they had also changed a bit. Each looked rounder, first off, and they were play wrestling while still learning to walk properly which was adorable to watch while they waddled when I set them down on the bed. I moved to all fours, and started growling playfully with them, and the fight was on. They would waddle at me mewing with their fur on end and doing that adorable huff hiss kittens would do while pouncing a hand that I let them. Then I bowled them over and tickled their tummies. Winter seemed to actually enjoy it, while Fang decided he did not and latched onto my hand with it little fangs and nommed it. I laughed harder, and picking all five pounds of his little fuzzy ass up, held him upside down, and looked into his eyes. "I''m going to eat your tummy!" I saw what may have been fear flash in his eyes before I set my mouth on the squirming cubs belly, and raspberried it causing him to squirm, and meow at me before digging claws into my face. When I sat him down, he seemed to huff and glare at me while trying to waddle away. I pulled him back, and Winter jumped onto my hand and started to gnar on it a little; I''d need to break them of that eventually, but they were babies right now. It was also so damn adorable. Making sure Fang could not escape, I lifted her up and did the same. She seemed to enjoy that even more; I had a feeling she liked playtime. I continued doing this for a time, and after a while I noticed I was being watched. I looked up and saw Scillica in the doorway wearing a shrew smirk. I currently had Winter on my head biting my hair, and Fang trying desperatly to escape my tickle session on his stomach. I stared at her a moment. "How long have you been there?" I asked once the silence had stretched. Her voice, seemed wry when she spoke. Like she didn''t expect to be ignored for so long. "Around the time you blew on their bellies." Finally, she snorted and turned to walk away giggling at me. I just frowned, I had checked her status again now that I''d increased my analyze skill. It made me very certain I did not want to piss her off; with a feeling Gallica may be even stronger. Elite, unique, characters were very frightening.
Scillica Julia (Elite)
Class: Sharp Shooter Level: 15
Health:1500 / 1500Health Regen:75.50 / Sec
Stamina:2000/2000Stamina Regen:75.50 / Sec
-
Strength:120Agility157
Vitality:70Intelligence:100
Leadership:15Luck:25
-
Attack Damage:300Defence100
Those stats...were frightening, and her class was interesting to me; but it seemed to cause her to have a lower defense rating, but with her strength and agility that would hardly be an issue. My skill was not high enough to allow me to see her skills, or any hidden stats she might have either. Hardly mattered, I swore right there I would do my utmost to not piss her off. HEr strength stat was frightening, regardless of her slim build. Then the fact she jumped to level 15, it made me damn near cough in surprise. Had the NPC''s also gotten the boost I did for being part of my starting quest? Or was it unique to key figures within the game, or the NPC''s own growth ability as a fallen Roman noble? Questions I wanted answered by CLint when I next logged out. That growth was insane! I was dragged away from my thoughts by something sharp suddenly piercing what should never be pierced. I screamed in shock , throwing Winter onto the bed, and trying not to smack Fang away, his slaw was currently in something soft and delicate that hung a bit too freely in this starting loin cloth gear. I had to have spent at least twenty minutes easing his claw from my sack, this made worse because they both thought I was playing with them. These two children would be a handful, I could tell that now. I used this as a chance to test some of my animal skills, and teach them to not, EVER, claw that part of me. I swear I saw Fang smirk, how he did I don''t know, and Winter looked confused at my gestures and slow commanding toned words; but didn''t go near my family jewels again. I took another look at my cubs, they had grown in weight in the last two days; it likely meant their growth cycle was accelerated compared to what a real lion would take to reach adulthood, which was roughly five years. Judging by their five pound weight, they were obviously still infant stage, but the walking made me think they would reach the point they could move on there own and play freely soon, which normally took two weeks to do in reality. I remember the AI saying that they would take two years to reach adulthood, which meant I could likely expect the adolescent stage, which took three years or so to grow out of, within a few months, and watch them grow to their full height, and weight from there for the remainder of that stage of their lives. It made me both sad and happy. Sad, because I wouldn''t have these cute ass puff balls to play with so easily for long, and happy because then I could work to train them into amazing fighters, and defenders. I would personally try to grow stronger because I disliked the notion of them dying, or getting hurt. These were now my babies after all. But it was a necessity of my class, it reminded me of the Hunter from WoW. But in that game, the pets didn''t remain dead. IN this one, they did. It meant I would be making plans, and methods of fighting to keep them alive, and myself. I disliked the notion of losing my babies until I got the quest to gain them back. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I doubted anything was really ready to go now, but you never knew; so I decided to just keep playing and bond further with my two cubs. They didn''t touch that which should not be touched again, at least. After an hour or so of playing, Gallica came to the room in a shiny set of armour that reminded me of Gladiator Elite armour used in Ancient Rome. It was shiny, and seemed new however. There was also a bundle within his arms that seemed odd. "Ho there Brother! Welcome to the world of the living, we feared you would never wake up. I have never seen someone sleep so long, no doubt it was thanks to your ordeal, and need to heal fully." I wisely just nodded. "What''s with the bundle?" He looked at it, then toward me. "This is my thank you for your aid in freeing us." He smiled, and it seemed almost predatory. Him, I swore to NEVER fight, I might survive Scillica, but seeing his stats...What in the fuck was he? A bloody Boss mob?
Gallica Trillica (Elite)
Class: Frenzy Warrior Level: 20
Health:2000 / 2000Health Regen:100.50 / Sec
Stamina:2500/2500Stamina Regen:100.50 / Sec
-
Strength:180Agility140
Vitality:100Intelligence:80
Leadership:20Luck:30
-
Attack Damage:400Defence400
Not to mention his class. I double checked it, but it just showed the class title. Interesting, so either you could not view the details of another''s class, NPC at least, or my Analyze skill was not yet high enough. I''d test it later when I raised it, and met other players. But god damn, those stats....I shook my head when he saw me with my mouth open, confused. I accepted the bundle, and my cubs sat beside me looking at Gallica curiously, he waved his fingers at them, and they actually hid behind me. Smart; he was a beast in his own right. The bundle contained simple armor, and pants, PANTS! I could kiss him.
Bonsu Rewards
Leather Patns Leather Bracers Leather Boots Leather gloves Leather chest piece Golden Freedom Ring Simple Bronze Sword Simple Knuckle Dusters
Golden Freedom Ring
This is a Ring worn by a once famous free slave who went around doing his best to free others. +5 strength +5 agility +5 luck +5 vitality
Simple Knuckle Dusters
A unique hand weapon, along the knuckles is a brass bar with small spikes. Designed to pummel foes into the dust.
Alrighty then, the first parts of the gear were basic defence items, and gave me an overall extra 100 points in defence, the ring was amazing! I slipped that puppy on and admired it, before putting the knuckle Dusters on, really a glorified version of brass knuckles. The sword, I regarded a moment, before handing it back to Gallica. "The fist weapons are good for now. Thank you, for the reward." He shrugged those massive shoulders and took the weapon while I put on my new gear. Finally, no more dangle berries! "Ah, I also found this, it''s what Scillica has been using to care for your cubs the last few days" I actually wasn''t sure about that knowledge, both happy and sad. Weird. In his hand was a cows bladder of milk, I sniffed it and it smelled sweet as hell, and the cubs smelled it too because they began pouncing at it; they were hungry. I grabbed the bowl off the ground, and poured some milk into it on the bed. They promptly spilled it everywhere, and I just sighed while Gallica laughed and left me alone. Oi! I need help here! Ignoring him, I took the bowl away and picked them up by the scruff of their necks carefully. They instantly went limp. Good, this would be easier. When I sat them down, they both were looking at me intently. "Alright, drink gently" I told them when I refilled the bowl, keeping my hand on it this time. They tried to pounce, and I blocked their access. "Careful!" I commanded, and the next attempt was less quick and more restrained. Though I could tell they hated it. I began loving my perks with animal taming so much right then. They would understand the basic meaning of what I told them, and I could feel understand some of their wants and how they felt by body language. It was amazing! I spent this time to teach them proper eating methods, to lessen the mess I needed to clean when they finished. It took, thank god. I didn''t even need to wipe those cute face; though I did pick them up and kiss them on the forehead before petting them and telling them what good cubs they were. Fangs tail twitched, and Winter mewed happily. Smart babies! I spent the next while just cuddling the piss out of them. So fluffy! But alas, it had to come to an end. Gallica returned, and informed me that they would leave within the hour. I nodded, and picked up my little brats, one in each arm. Fangs deemed to climb my arm and rest on my shoulder, Winter took purchase on my head. I sighed at that. But putting the milk, bowl, and the pillows along with the clean blanket from the bed into my inventory; oh yea, sleeping in style on this trip ya bastards, I made my way to the exit, apparently I was on the first floor. With everyone lined up, a total of five extra slaves were there, bringing our total to 25, not including me, they must have been house slaves that had hidden during the fight. And then we were off toward Sparta, heading do West; we really were close to the Roman occupied Athens border. I was grinning, of course. I had my two fluff balls, and intended to tame a full grown beast to help me defend the slaves, and help me care for the cubs. If I were lucky maybe I''d find a wolf, they should be plentiful in this area, preferably a female wolf. But really, anything would work in the end. And so we set out, all gathered up, our motley little train that looked like a surviving trade caravan from bandits. One horse drawn cart with supplies, and several worn out looking slaves, though they were fresh, years of slavery took their toll on anyone. LEt''s make today, a good day!
Here you are folks, I know this one is short, sorry for that. Doing this at work again, and still a bit of family crap I have to deal with. The next chapter will be longer, and should be up later tonight. I hope you enjoyed this comedy like chapter, and the little glimpse shown in raising cubs, and the playing haha. Look forward to the first trip in the next chapter. As always, much love and cookies; please Follow, Rate, Comment, and Favorite. Chapter Eight: Complication! Here you are folks, and sorry to say family shit and work are...hectic. But I will still maintain a steady release as best as I can.
Everything was honestly rather lack luster upon our leaving the dead noble''s'' mansion, though I was interested in discovering it encompassed almost ten leagues (A.N Roughly 10 miles in game measurements. Yes, I know that is not a real measurement, I did it because I wanted to.) along with a small, border village it seemed. That''s where the five house slaves came from originally, apparently the village has been used to lure, and capture others to become the nobles slaves, and sold to Rome through back alley channels. That angered me greatly, struck a nerve mostly. Again, the damn part of me that still wanted, and believed, he was a cop. I stuffed it down, and rubbed Winter''s head gently; she had meowed and shivered with all the new sounds, and smells of the woods outside the mansion complex. Scared lion syndrome I dubbed it, but it was cute, I would break it later when I was able. Fang was looking at everything and randomly suckling on my ear lobe, we will ignore the natural body reaction that wanted to occur there. It disturbed me far too greatly. Shaking my head that, I had a moment to be glad that at least the village would be somewhat safe for the time being in regards to that. I merely hoped the civilians received a new Lord that gave a rat''s ass about protecting them, and the border properly now. It may not happen of course, ancient world nobles, much like present day people of power were prone to corruption with a few that were truly good. Far too few. I shrugged it off. The only good point in my mind was the fact I got to continue along with the game. I did look forward to bombarding Clint with all the things wrong, I had to live up to being a BETA tester after all. Hehehe...he. Straying from my thoughts, I regarded the surroundings. A rather sparse amount of trees covered either side of the road, seeming to grow thicker the further in you looked, I desperately wanted to go in there; however Gallica had said that the woods are full of beasts that are very powerful. Wolfs, Bears, and what he called Hydra. I snorted a bit at that, the game was not designed to hold such fanciful creatures at this time. Maybe a giant snake of some kind; perhaps komodo dragons? Doubtful, they were not that native to this region as far as I knew. God I wanted to explore. I shrugged off the urge, and looked at the small wildlife surrounding the roadside. Almost all of them were level ones, and comprised of small birds, rabbits, and insects. A fox here and there. The birds made me think, I wanted a bird of prey badly for a pet. As a Beast Master I could gain stat boosts depending on the pets I tamed, and bonded with fully. The problem was that I needed an adult to get those boosts. The bonus would go a long way to evening out my overall stats, and hopefully make it easier later on in battle. I still needed to explore this class, there were likely hidden aspects that would be revealed as I leveled up personally, and the unique skills that went with the class when I got it. I''d have to see about recommended a class up system where after a certain point you could gain an increased version of your main class, assuming there was not one in place yet. Luckily I had plenty of time to see for myself before the BETA ended. "Thadius, ready to return home at last?" Spartan 1 asked spartan 2, aka Thadius. "Who knows Raxus. Our duty to our king needs us too however. I still can''t believe that fat pig tricked us so easily." This was a normal conversation between the two. They had both been captured at the village we would pass by in a day depending on our rate of travel. From there it would be three days to Sparta, cutting it dangerously close to the week time limit on my quest. I heard a soft, feminine, cough beside me. I looked toward it, and saw Scillica. "Yes?" Master of conversation was I. I saw her sigh, and snag Fang off my shoulder, to his immense displeasure; He voice said displeasure with a hissing meow that ended in claws racing over the top portion of her breasts that had been left bare to the world. She winced, but held on to him and rubbed his ears until he calmed down.
Your pet, Fang, has been calmed after reaching a high peak of anxiety and fear due to being grabbed suddenly. He has gained the calm trait through repeatedly being calmed and shown it was alright.
Calm (trait)
Your pet will now show a calming like display to all around him. As he grows into adulthood this calm appearance may disturb many as nothing will perturb him, or anger him through normal means.
I re-read that message and blinked slowly. Well then, that wasn''t OP as hell. So, pets could gain passive traits. Hmmm, I had no idea if this would continue into adulthood, or was an infant stage ability only. I''d have to read into that, or better yet, ask Clint when I logged out again. To be on the safe side however, I think I will be doing certain actions and creating scenarios that will, with luck, trigger such traits to develop. Time to play the SIMS! Scillica was looking at me odd, as I had just fist pumped and I coughed before grinning at her to hide my embarrassment. "You are...ugh, pretty good with my little cub there, Scillica." God damn her name was a pain to say properly. I saw her smile, and my mind went blank a moment. "Well, I did care for them for a few days. They are rather cute compared to the monsters they will grow into." I saw a small shadow race through her eyes, similar to fear, and frowned. I didn''t want anyone to be afraid of my little puff balls unless needed. Least of all her, when they are fully grown. I shrugged a bit at her, and reached over scratching Fangs head, followed by rubbing Winter''s after she batted at my nose for attention. "They will always be cute fur balls, Scillica." She giggled a little at the play by play before handing Fang back to me and moving back down our small little column toward the cart. I so did not watch her walk away; mesmerized by her tight pert little bum. I was also NOT scared shitless when I heard Gallica laugh right by my ear in a feminine echo of his own. Suffice it to say the imagery it created of Gallica in a frilly dress with screw driver like pigtails and retaining his manly physique was one that would haunt me until the day I died. Fang stayed calm, but Winter dug her claws into my hand and was shaking. Wincing, I reached up and pried her from my skull and did my best to calm her down.
Your pet, Winter, has been calmed after reaching a high peak of anxiety and fear due to being grabbed suddenly. She has gained the calm trait through repeatedly being calmed and shown it was alright.
Calm (trait)
Your pet will now show a calming like display to all around her. As she grows into adulthood this calm appearance may disturb many as nothing will perturb her, or anger her through normal means.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Yes! No more claws in me! I damn near jumped for joy; but after a brief moment of Gallica smiling, his face turned serious, and motioned me to follow him toward the head of the group. I did, and what I saw when I got there was...disturbing to a degree. The group had stopped at this point, and gathered to look. A family seemed to be butchered along the side of the road. Scavenger animals have been picking at their corpses, and they appeared a few days old by appearance alone. The bodies were so savaged it would be almost impossible to know what caused it without having seen it. "What do you think, Crispin? Animals, or bandits?" He was pretty calm, most of the ex fighting slaves were. The few house slaves all looked ill, a tinge of green showed on ones face before he went away and the sound of heaving could be heard. They were rather nasty. "I...don''t know, hold Winter and Fang a moment? Maybe I can find out." Gallica took them, a bit hesitantly, and I went to the bodies. Oh god, the stench. I gulped air down, and calmed myself. Too much fucking realism, and I found it frustrating that seeing this butchered family of five; a male, female, and three children at varying ages, upset me more than the aftermath of the fight for our freedom. Kneeling down, gulping in a bit more to swallow vile; refused to throw up on the crime sc...the scene before me. The smell actually created a simulation through olfactory means that made it seem I was tasting the putrid meat, though I remained stalwart in my attempt to not throw up on the dead bodies. I went through the bag that was in the males hand, and found little beyond basic foodstuffs, and water jugs.Oh god, I did NOT want to do this; the bodies were too old, and they had been savaged to badly to go by what shreds they were wearing. I.pulled the male body out, and patted down his body, carefully. No weapons, no notes, nothing aside from that bag...Why? Why me? I found the largest wound on his body and pressed my finger into the start of the gash; too ragged to be a sword unless it was a serrated blade. Pushing my finger in as far as I could, doing my best to ignore the sheer realism of the dead flesh; the dry wet mess I was stroking my finger down inside while it clung to it. So fucking unsanitary and frightening. After what felt like an eternity, and hearing several people gasp and more heaving sounds, I pulled my finger out and found nothing in the male. No metal pieces from chipped weaponry, because yes, bones broke basic shit like that and you could sometimes find slivers in the flesh; more so with the weaker copper weapons these people used. Bone was just too annoying for the weaker points of a blade after all. But nothing; it didn''t rule out weapons, but showed if it were, it was a strong one. Gently pushing the male to the side, I repeated the process to the ravaged female, though I had to rush off mid way through. Her wound was on her stomach; she had been pregnant. The half formed body of an infant that had been gnawed upon by scavengers was too much, and I threw up off to the side. "What could have done this..." I heard whispered while others talked. Truly it wasn''t that uncommon a sight, to see dead along the road. Bandits were always a plague, and seeing predators starved attacking weak people was common as well. But the savagery of this scene was a new one for most of them; only Gallica, and Spartan 1 and Spartan 2 remained stoic. When I went back to the bodies, I resumed the process on the female, hunting through the wounds only to find nothing, and to know that this would haunt me for years; it was too real. The smell, the sight, it was like the worst o the old murder case files I had been forced to watch come to life. Then it was the children''s turn, I really didn''t wanna do this... But I did, I started with the smallest, it couldn''t be more than three, I say it because it was so torn up that you could not judge by what remained of the body. Fifteen minutes of hunting in that little broken body finally yielded results though. A fang, yellowish and sharp as hell was imbedded at the child''s collarbone, rather under it where it had to have snagged and in a frenzy the beast ripped it free. That would also explain why tendons were what held the damn thing together, barely. I examined it closely.
Lost Fang
Quest Item
A fang found in the body of a small child; the owner of this fang slaughtered the child''s entire family in a gruesome act of insanity and violence seldom hear of outside of the realms of myth and legend. Find this fangs owner, and end the threat the crazed beast represents for all that travel the roads on the outskirts of Greek occupied lands.
Quest objectives
Locate the creature that could cause such carnage and savagery and slay it. Success: Find and end the threat of the mysterious beast killing people traveling the road. Failure: The beast lives, and you die: you do not locate the creature. Rewards: unknown
Wait, woah, wait, what? Oh hell no! Shit shit shit. A quest, I have one that''s on a time limit here you bastards! "What did you find Crispin?" I heard Gallica call out, and I sighed, standing and moving far from the bodies toward him; showing him the fang. "This fang, I don''t know what sort of creature has this. Too small for a bear, but too big for a wolf I think." Hell if I knew what critter it went too, I knew almost nothing in that regard. Gallica examined it a moment, and his face paled considerably. "Hydra..." I heard a soft whisper come out from him. Not a moment later a loud Scream that reminded me of a woman or child crying out in fear echoed out from the woods, and Gallica was suddenly all action; yelling and sending out orders left and right toward the small group to get to the cart, and form a circle with shields up, and to keep their eyes on the ground! We all rushed to obey, I stuck the cubs in the cart; both were afraid, which thanks to their trait let me know this was not normal at all. Scillica was on top of the cart, while the house slaves were in it. She brandished her bow; the string drawn and an arrow nocked and ready. That''s when I heard rustling, the brush that was on the left of the road shook, and seemed to lift. The sight that followed was not natural; a loud hiss echoed out from the creature, and everything froze.
Yep, I know this is a bit short, and a cliffhanger. I am very sorry folks. Things FINALLY calmed down though to a degree; and my head is on straight. The chapters may or may not be daily for now. Sorry for that, but it will be more often than it has been. I promise that. Get ready to see what this world relates as one of the ancient beasts of myth and lore in the next chapter. Chapter Nine: Learning Curve Here you are guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Savage Hydra (youth)
Level: 19 Tamable: Un-tamable
The offspring of a full grown Hydra, this monster is of the Savage Variant, thought extinct though making a comeback in recent years. This beast variant is a rare strain of Hydra, and had been hunted regularly for their highly aggressive attitudes to any within their claimed territory, and highly dangerous with their breeding rate.
A massive creature around twenty feet in length, covered in plate like scales, black in color; multiple heads, around three or so for a juvenile. Fangs the size of my forearms, and just as thick as my biceps. That''s what you would assume right? Well was I let down. It''s impressive of course, though no where near what you would expect. It was twenty feet in length, no legs, it did have black scales, and smaller red ones creating a pattern along it''s body length. It was like a massive anaconda from that old movie, Anaconda, but it''s mouth was filled with serrated fangs; each about as large as my index finger; and nearly as thick. It''s mouth was currently open and saliva was falling from it''s mouth. Other than that it was rather lack luster. There went my dreams of cutting off a hydra head and burning the stub with fire. I pouted sum, and Gallica frowned at my expression and started screaming out commands. "Scillica, aim for those eyes! No one let it touch your leg, if you feel ANYTHING brush you jump back. It likes to snag things with that little barb at the end of it''s tail and crush it in it''s coils. The babies are not poisonous, but there fangs don''t let go when they latch on!" Well then. I bashed my fists against each other, and took up a wooden spear behind me that had not been claimed. No shield needed, that fucker hits me I''m dead. The spear itself was pretty pathetic, it was just a wooden stick, really. But beggars could not be choosers. "Shoulders tight! Aim for the eyes, and just beneath the jaw if able when striking!" Yeah yeah, I get it already Gallica. It''s a baby monster anaconda from hell and it''s scary. I saw it open it''s maw and hiss, it sounded like a tea kettle at it''s apex up this close. It''s body moved back, curling into itself like a giant S. Oh shit... Why is it looking at me? A blur, and me being shoved back by a powerful arm followed by screaming, and the his of the beast. I was dazed from the sudden action, and when I finally blinked my eyes clear, and could make out the noise once the adrenaline of near death went away; I saw arrows raining down onto the snakes hide, it''s skin was to touch and only a few had stuck. Gallica was living up to his own Class; each blow he struck took a big chunk from the HP. He was the real monster here. The snake would strike in a blur, and as if on instinct he would sidestep and strike down with all his might, cutting blood furrows in it''s hide. How bloody long was I out? I don''t even remember zoning out this badly. An arrow struck the Hydra in it''s eye, and it reared back, screaming it''s odd hiss in pain and fury. I got to my feet, and more or less said fuck it mentally. This stick was useless, may as well throw it. I hefted it over my shoulder, cocking my arm at the right angle and took a small two step jump; my aim was for his wide open mouth. I felt the spear leave my hand. In my mind it was a perfectly well aimed throw: football two years baby. What happened in reality is that it wobbled like a limp bird fighting a hard on of horse proportions. But it was true enough, thank you luck stat, it struck it''s open mouth. I saw it''s health bar tick down a full third! What? It had to be because of where I hit it. That opened possibilities later
Skill Gained
Thrown Weapon Proficiency
You have learned the basics of throwing a weapon! You will now deal an additional amount of damage for any weapon you throw that strikes true (Even if the throw sucked) 5% bonus to damage when you strike with a thrown weapon. Level: 1
Well then, firstly, fuck who says those parenthesis. Secondly, that''s rather useful. You never know when launching a sharp pointy thing at something will be needed. Riiiight. Moving on then. I was hunting for another pointy ''stick'' when one more message popped up for me.
Upon reaching 35% of it''s overall health, the Savage Hydra (Youth) has entered a state of berserk frenzy. All damage dealt to it will be lessened by 10% All damage dealt by the Savage Hydra (Youth) will be increased by 10%
Well fuck...I looked back behind me. It looked like it had fucking engorged itself, puffed up so to speak, and was going to go boom. It was near constant in that loud hissing scream it had, and for some reason those cold, cold, eyes were trained on me. I felt a chill go down my spine; why the hell was it focused on me? Then I felt a little tickle on my ankle while everyone was busy, and Gallica was shouting orders. I had just enough time to think ''Oh shit..'' then I was grabbed, and pulled forcibly to the ground and dragged. I clawed at the dirt with my hands, yelling for help. Scillica heard me, and I saw her torn between keeping up her stream of dwindling arrows, or trying to help me. "Keep firing! I''ll do it!" Gallica, yay! Elite to the rescue. I felt a very painful snap as my ankle bone gave way.
Warning
Due to your ankle being broken in a fight your agility has gone down 30 points, you will feel constant pain with the risk of furthering your injury, and time to heal that injury, if you continue to fight, and use it. Strength reduced by 10 points, you cannot use your foot work, and therefore place enough weight behind stikes to fight properly.
I yelled in frustration at that while the beast pulled me out, hissing louder and loud as Gallica, having reached me, was hacking at the end of it''s tail with a great deal of force. It barely penetrated the damn armor like scales since it went berserk. I heard Gallica screaming, and the people trying to survive the constant strikes it lashed out at the small shield wall with it''s large, angular head. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. It seemed surreal, would I die already and lose my puff balls for months, if not years? No, NO I would not allow that to happen. I happened to make the mistake of looking at the wagon itself and saw said puffballs looking at me, and I had a feeling they were meowing in fear that there ''mama'' was about to die. Fuck this. "Give me your sword!" I screamed at Gallica who looked at me in bewilderment a moment. I rolled my eyes, and nabbed it from his hands and stopped all pretense of trying to keep from being dragged away. The snake had a hard on for me, let''s see what it feels about having a hard on for it. "Move! Get out of the way" is what I tried to yell, it came out more like a ''oomph'' as the snake tail suddenly pulled with all it''s might and I went flying toward it. It''s body did an odd underpass like motion, and coils fell around me before closing up around my body and slowly starting to squeeze. ''Oi! You sadistic bastard!'' It''s head was just above me, and I had managed to get my arms just above the coils to allow some form of resistance to it trying to EAT ME. It looked down at me, and hissed; a real snake hiss this time. Then the pressure started. Arrows had stopped shooting at it, Scillica likely did not want to hurt me. I could hear shouting, kind of. It felt distant, even though I was at most five feet from the line. Yeah, being crushed hurt. I saw the rather massive head, up this close at least, lift fully above me, and aim down. It struck with a sudden wait, and pain while at the same time I braced both my arms against each other while holding the sword and looking into the slavering, hissing, jaws of death. ''Coming with me you fucker.'' It struck the sword, I could feel my arms being crushed under the force and weight of it''s head as it struck and shoved my upper body into it''s gullet. I felt fangs shred portions of my flesh, and my health bar was steadily getting lower from blood loss. About 25% left. It''s coils contracted once the moment the sword pierced the inside of it''s skull, and into it''s brain; god it hurt. I looked at it''s health, then my own. 10% for me, 5% for it. Well fuck, this was a loosing battle. The only upside is the critters strength was all but gone alone with mine. My strength stat was actually in the damn negatives right now. It still kept it''s head there though, seemed we were of the same mind. If one dies, we both do. Well fuck you to Mr. Pumper-noose. Yep, delirium was setting it. 8% for me, 4% for the Hydra. This was a wee bit redundant don''t you think? I think I heard a screech again, and my first thought was ''Another one...shit.'' But instead of that, the Hydra seemed to be struggling like crazy to pull free of me. It''s health had instantly dropped to 1% and I felt an extra weight on it. The fuck? 2% for me, yep vision going black, 0% for the Hydra. Ok, losing consciousness. I believe I tried screaming for someone to get me out of the snakes mouth, it came out as a wet gurgle. Notifications popped up left and right. I focused on the one most suited at the time, and likely the reason I lived.
Quest Complete!
You have slain the young Savage Hydra that left it''s fang behind during it''s last meal. You have leveled! You have obtained Hydra Fangs! (Craft Ingredient) You have gained a mysterious egg (Perhaps something will hatch from it in time.) Through killing the Hydra with a unique method (I.E you killed it with your nasty taste!) you have been given the the skill Unnatural Vigor.
Well fuck you too writer. I checked my health, it''s back to 6%! Thank you level up save. My body was still broken however, but at least the level up stopped the worst bleed effect on me from so many laceration. My health regen could manage the small ones. Instead, I checked out my new skill while waiting for whatever it was currently onto of the hundred pound head, now heavier, to get the fuck off it. [table] Unnatural Vigor (Passive) You have an almost God like ability to withstand pain. This has been gained by repeatedly throwing yourself into the worst possible situations (Dumb ass) Anytime you''re health drops to 30% you will gain an addition 50 strength points, and 20 agility points for ten seconds. Health regeneration increased by 20% until above 30% health as well.[table] Ok, that was nice. I blinked a few times after reading it; in part due to the insane boost, though the stat increase was not taking affect due to my battered body, but the massive increase to my health regen which now had me at a whopping 8% health. Go new OP Skill! However, I was also staring and blinking because when I dismissed the screen what greeted me was a hole in the snake, and a very large, very frightening looking bird that looked funky as shit to me. Reminded me of a vulture. It stared down at me, and I stared up at it. Let''s say that staring contests with birds, and shock induced freak out session, applied to me beginning to laugh. Yes, we will go with that and ignore the piss that dribbled down my leg. If it isn''t one thing, it''s another. It looked at me a moment longer, then took to the air, and disappeared from my view. After about a minute, and me scream coughing for help along with another 2% of health given back, Saw Gallica and was being pulled free. Thank god for that. When i was fully pulled free, I was disoriented, and still weak thanks to blood loss, which actually penalized my bonus health regen to a shocking degree. But I was still gaining it back at a nice, even pace. About 2% every minute or so. "Fuc...Snakes.." I muttered, and Gallica laughed his ass off. Awful thing to laugh at, but stress and fear would need to be gotten rid of. Lot of my officers when I was a dispatcher did that to release the pent up things and stay sane after an insane case. I remember him setting me down in the wagon with the house slaves, and my two puff balls meowing a storm up until they reached me and laid on my chest. I didn''t like seeing them cry, but they passed out a second before I did. Theirs likely from fear, and the sudden comfort of me being alive, and mine from exhaustion, and a broken body.
Hey folks! I finally finished a chapter! woot woot. Haha, next one should be tonight. I have a lot to make up for. Also, expect Blood Born Volume 2 Prologue sometime tonight as well. The big ol'' bird he saw, will be shown again btw. What is in the egg I wonder? Ooou, so much fun now planned. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next one I pop out. Much love and cookies, and as always: Rate, Follow, Comment, and Favorite please. ^.^ Chapter Ten: On the Road Again Heya folks, time to get a move on with this chapter me thinks. I read the comments on what everyone thinks, and wants that egg to be. I liked the anaconda baby that eats him one, made me laugh. At this time I am unsure what I will make it. So I would love suggestions; but please remember that this Game does not currently have actual mythological creatures such as gorgons. Unicorns, or pegasi. I may make that happen in a planned patch later on, however the only "Mythical" creatures are ones that once existed with a few tweaks made to fit a game setting. However, no actual monsters of yore such as Minotaurs and centaurs, or Gorgons. But that may change later as I said. I do intend to implement Gods (A.I''s) at a later time as well. So perhaps then the critters will begin, for now however stick to creatures, yes there once was a snake that size with massive teeth, to things that once existed and can be plausible for now. ^.^
It''s official, I hate wagons. I sat there with my arms crossed over my chest, and two puff balls looking at me oddly because I was pouting. The reason i was pouting? I was forced to sit in the goddamn wagon the rest of the way to Sparta. It had been two days since the Hydra thing we fought was killed.
Broken ankle (severe)
Due to the strain of continuing to fight with broken bones, and the severity of resulting injuries during that time you have been given a severe debuff. For three days in game you will be unable to walk on that leg, and it will act as if broken in real life without the downside of extended weeks of recovery.
I looked once more at the reason behind this, and silently debated on throttling Clint for such a dick system regarding people who throw themselves into combat willy nilly, like me, and survive. I grumbled, and finally Winter seemed to have enough and pounced up at my face; batting at my nose with a paw, the claws sheathed. I''d gotten them both a new trait; thankfully no possible scars would be given now. It took a bit of praising and punishment practice though. It was a nice trait. /tr]
Restraint (Trait)
A pet trait acquired through proper guidance and careful use of praise, and punishment methods that allows your pet to understand the difference between playing, and being mean (Mean to you maybe) This trait will also allow them to hold back their power in a fight, or training sessions when learning new traits, or skills.
I looked at the generic meaning of the trait rather than through Winter individually, it was an interesting contrast of notions, and word use. Made me laugh. But it was a good trait that would help them later in life with training, and I could use this restraint knowledge to have them subdue a wild beast that was tameable and allow me to work on taming it without injuring it so badly it can''t trust me. I gave in, and smiled a bit and poked Winters nose lightly and she rolled back down my body into Fang. He had been napping. The fight was on, they started mewing at each other, and wrestling. It was fucking adorable and I never wanted them to grow up! But they have been growing somewhat quickly, though considering it takes about 5 weeks for a real lion cub to reach this stage after birth, I was not shocked due to the 2 year wait time. I imagined they would be up to my knees in height before things slowed down at the end of the month. I could begin training them properly then. That thought made me smile, I always did want a lion pet. But sadly my state didn''t allow them as exotic pets. Here, I had two; a white and black and they were fluffy demons of cuteness! One of the house slaves, I believe her name was Triscia, was giggling at me. She was a quiet girl, and one of the few that did not get raped by our former Master. She was shorter, less fierce than Scillica and gave off the vibe of being the perfect wife material. Redhaired, fucking sexy right there, with small freckles lining her cheeks, and bare shoulders. I wondered if there was a scattering of them on her moderate bust, or her thighs. I found myself staring at her, intently, and she ducked her head and blushed. It was adorable! Sadly, she was also around 16 years of age. True, in this age that was well past legal, but I was not about to make advances onto what I considered a child, even it a very mature looking one. Instead I started to feel a bit brotherly toward her in the last two days I''d been stuck here. For some reason she went toward the front of the wagon during the times Scillica was here, I didn''t know why. I suspected it had to do with when she was near me, legs curled under her, and she played with the cubs with me. Scillica looked like she was about to have an aneurysm, and I found it funny. But I must of missed more than that, that first day. Obviously Triscia didn''t want to be around Scillica, and I think she was afraid of the fierce woman. I could only shrug at that, and motion for her to join me in wrangling the two monsters that were on my broken, and now hurting, ankle. "Help me out here?" she laughed, and went to pick Winter up, who promptly turned around and started nuzzling her. I got the ferocious little fang with big boy issues. Winter was a cuddler, and a lover; Fang seemed to think himself the largest, and most dangerous thing, therefore he should be treated like a big boy. Yes, I am referring to them that way, get over it. They are my babies. I scratched his chin, and he melted before realizing what I was doing and trying to puff up. I laughed, and plopped him on my chest. The bastards had also stripped me of my armor, did I mention that? Mean fuckers. "Do you like my puff balls Triscia?" I asked after a moment of picking on fang more. I heard her giggle, and suddenly felt another small weight crash onto my chest, and into Fang again. I rolled my eyes, and let the tiny shits have their fun. "Oh yes Sir, they are so adorable. I use to work on a farm as well so I know how to han.." She cut herself off, and blushed fiercely, yep, adorable. It always happened when she realized she had lost herself in her description, it seemed she had not been allowed to talk before and now that she had the chance, she couldn''t turn it off easily. I wanted to pick on her for it. "Oh? What kind of animals? Did you have to help birth them and such? Anything you can teach me?" She shook her head, and started to scooch away. Oh my god I wanted to just eat her up, but refrained from that train of thought, hating she was so young, for that way there be dragons and cuffs. I just grinned at her, and went back to playing with my puffballs. Gallica had told me already that we should be reaching one of the towns near Sparta later today, or early tomorrow. From there it should be another day''s travel. Which would be within the time limit for the quest, barely. I was just happy I''d be able to walk tomorrow! God, I fucking hated not walking. Aside from the cubs, a few cute moments outa Triscia, I was a very cranky bastard. One upside, the big ass bird that had ended up finishing off the Hydra was actually following us. It had white plumage all along its elongated neck, with black and white primaries and tail feathers. It looked like it was the size of the giant eagle I''d read about before; but it was clearly a Vulture of some kind, as opposed to a bird of prey. I believe the technical term for this bird was actually the Egyptian Vulture. Another name I remember from my college days, only because it made me laugh my ass off, was Pharaoh''s Chicken. It was actually rather pretty, to me at least. I checked its status once more.
Carrion Feeder (adult)
Level: 13 Tamable: Yes (30% success chance
A large carrion feeder that is most common in Egypt, likely brought to Greece through traders.
So basically, my class and skill set actually allowed me to see a bit of history on animals in the game, some background. It also appeared that the Hydra was an Elite, and I could not tame those. Though I could turn my pets into Elites; or so I hoped, based on the information I was given when choosing my reward during creation. The Vulture had a low as hell success rate, but when added with my luck stat, and my passives that aided in taming it was closer to 60%. I liked the odds, and really wanted that avian monster. True, it was not an elite, but it was rare for this area of the world, and was strong enough to actually finish off the snake. Beyond that, it had gone beyond it''s instinct to scavenge and assaulted the snake. Not eating me helped with that as well. It had also been following us for a time, and it made me wonder if I would get my chance before long to attempt and tame it. I checked my status after a moment, I was excited to see some things. I was a bit pissed that nothing actually leveled after killing the snake. But I had that huge penalty from my previous class, along with the leveled field created after leaving the starting area.
Status Window
Name: Crispin Leonholdt Level: 11
Class: Beast Master Gender: Male
Titles
The Loner This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.Freedom Fighter Animal Lover
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Health:550 / 550Health Regen:32.50 / Sec
Stamina:725/725Stamina Regen:50.50 / Sec
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Strength:78Agility58
Vitality:38Intelligence:30
Leadership:5Luck:43
Endurance: 133
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Attack Damage:190Defence215
Skill List
Analyze: Level: 9 Experience: 43% Unarmed Proficiency Level 8 Experience: 20% Sword proficiency Level 7 Experience: 50% Animal Husbandry Level: 1 Animal Language (passive) Level: 1 Perseverance (Passive) Level: 1 Shield Mastery (Passive) Level: 9 Shield Bash (Active Skill) Level: 6 Thrown Weapon Proficiency Level 1
Traits
Unnatural Vigor (passive)
I eyes my stats, ok...that was a bit sad. I had put all five of my stat points from the level up into vitality, and it gave me 25 health for those 5 points, along with a 25 base health increase through the level up. The same to Stamina. It seemed each stat also only went up by 3 points, minus the leadership stat; I had to actively earn those points. My proficiencies had barely crept up. I was somewhat regretting the Slave class because of this severe penalty after changing my class, and to make up for the increased gains early on. As one of the few bonuses, it seemed Unnatural Vigor was in fact a Trait for people. I liked that small tidbit, and wanted to force myself to learn more. It also implied I could teach my pets that one day, though the implications of how to do it scared me. Once more I wished I could go back and train better. But I don''t truly regret it, I have these puff balls after all; and the skills I have make up for the drastic decrease in stat gains through the passives. I just sighed as I regarded it a moment before making it go away. My cubs had at least fallen asleep in a bundled ball of white and black fur. Just like babies, eat, play, sleep; rinse and repeat. But I truly did love them, didn''t care that it was a game. This was more real to me thanks to finally walking than a lot of the real world. Minus Clint, and Tarah at least. My own animals would have been involved, but the last of them had past a few months ago. It had caused a lot of my depression at the time. These two puff balls currently asleep, and rolling into my lap since I am attempting to sit up, helped me greatly. I regarded the confines of my ''prison'' once more. It was a relatively small wagon, it held most of our basic supplies on the inside, with enough room to cram five house slave, and myself into a single confined area. Cheap oak wood, roughly hewn, and crafted. It was a crying shame to me. It could have been marvelous in caring hands. No treatment was used, at all, and I know damn well they had treatment materials in the era. This was just straight sloppy. But it at least would get us where we were going. My critical eye for sloppy work aside; at least it wasn''t falling apart. *thump*....ignoring the ground I now see beneath me, slightly to the left by my ass, yep...ignoring it. I scooched a bit over, and put a protective arm around the sleeping cubs while we hit bumps left and right. I was seriously considering saying fuck this, and kidnapping Spartan 1 to give me a piggyback ride. This damn thing was a death trap! This is what most of the rest of the trip consisted of, grumbling, teasing Triscia, and looking out at the big ass buzzard following us. The main event of course, is when we stopped for the night. The bastards unloaded me, and sat me by the central area where the fire would be made. Scillica was currently in charge of my munchkins who seemed to want to run around the campsite like little hoodlums; adorable, and I was secretly cheering them on because every time she tried to pick one up by bending over, and they eluded her I got a glimpse of shapely heaven. Oh yes, this was the fun time of the night for me. I firmly avoided the less covering the Triscia had on her body while carrying the sticks needed for a fire however. I even more firmly ignored the flesh that kept slipping out, around her chest area, of her ragged cloth dress. I watched the former slaves make the camp, and begin cooking food. I felt useless, so i distracted myself by drawing random sketches into the dirt with a stick I found underneath me. [/tr]
Skill Gained
Sketching (minor)
You have learned the skill, Sketching (minor) through drawing random stick figures in the dirt. These are low quality, and worth nothing. But if you practice, it could become more. (That''s right, you suck! ^.^)
Ok, first of, I am killing that mother fucker who writes those parenthesis...and the goddamn face, really? I received odd looks when I gave the sky the middle finger. I shrugged, and re-read the message. So, I could draw here, huh? Sketching minor implied there were levels to sketching as well. The message hinted it could grow into something more as well. It didn''t give me any bonuses, and seemed a passive ability with no combat worth; however I enjoyed it. Artistic mind and all that. It would be fun to fiddle with at a later date. As such, I continued drawing doodles that I improved with different methods and strokes and leveled sketching up a whopping two levels! Yeah, this was going to be fun. At this point, Gallica had taken a seat beside me. My puff balls had run to me a few minutes earlier with a very flushed, and sexy looking, Scillica behind them eyeing them like naughty children. I just grinned at her, and she humphed at me. I got a nice view of the back of her thighs as she turned and walked away at the time. "So, how''s the foot?" Gallica asked before prodding it with a stick. I winced, and punched his arm, lightly. "It''s still tender you jack ass." He grinned at me, before growing serious. "You need to get better, Crispin. You were the main factor behind our escape, and release. I want you to get the credit." I eyed him a moment, confused, for obvious reasons. Foiling Roman expansion and control within Spartan borders, as well as freeing slaves that were not meant to be slaves would likely give a huge reward. "I have my reasons, so get rid of the look. I don''t want to be in the spot light. Give it time, I''ll share that knowledge. But I want your aid in the future, should I require it. Can you promise that?" He seemed...desperate, and beseeching when he asked.
Aid Gallica
Gallica has requested your aid in the future, should he need it. Success Accept his call for aid when given Failure You die before it is done, or you refuse when it is requested. Rewards: Unknown
I contemplated that quest a moment, but nodded and hit accept. "Of course Gallica, even without you bribing me with what should be a huge reward, I would have helped. You''re my friend." Gallica laughed boisterously and slapped my shoulder, hard, I winced and ignored the message saying I was maxed out on reputation with the scary Elite. Not truly scary, but his stats were. I wondered what he would become in the game in time. It made me excited for the future. After some more talking, he rose and left. We all ate the soup, Hydra was tasty by the way, and began preparing for sleep. I pulled my puff balls in against my chest, and curled around them for comfort. I could hear the cry of the Pharaoh''s Chicken in the distance before it went silent, and the sound of the night took over; the crackling of the dying flames all that remained. Then sleep took me. It had been fun today.
Here you are my lovely readers. As always, much love and cookies. I know it''s slow right now n the story, but I am trying to add in sub plots for later. I think it''ll be fun to see how you all react to what I plan. But I digress, enjoy! As always, please rate, follow, and comment. ^.^ Chapter Eleven: Off the Trail Hey folks! I know it''s been a few days, and I apologize. Had a wild ass weekend however, and wished to enjoy it without the worry of keeping a schedule . Here is chapter 11 of Olympus for you all however, with Blood Born chapter 1 to follow later tonight or early tomorrow morning. I hope you all look forward to the changes I place in that story when it''s put in full swing. ^.^ As always, much love and cookies.
Status effect removed.
Your injury has fully healed, and you may now walk without issue.
That was what I awoke too, and I actually shouted, a bit groggily, in joy. This caused my puff balls to startle awake and accidentally claw me. I winced at the pain and went about ensuring them everything was alright; ignoring looks of question as I did so. When the cubs were assured all was right with the world they started moving toward the prone form of a sleeping Triscia. I coked my head to the side as I watched them, slowly sitting up and stretching as I did so. What were they...Oh no. Fang had just crawled under her dress on her rear, and it was hiking a bit more than I cared to admit I may have enjoyed, while Winter was licking her ear and suckling on it which caused the woman to make interesting sounds. Dear god, my puff balls were perverted. I rushed over and collected Winter before she caused more damage; the few others awake laughing at the scene of me doing this, and contemplating out to remove Fang without causing a larger issue. I frowned at the area he was currently at, and ignored the wiggle that came forth when he likely stroked an area he should not have. Shit..."Fang! Get your ass out here you little brat." I whispered fiercely. Winter looked sad now, because serious tones that held anger seemed to frighten her. I saw the wiggling mass freeze, and a moment later the black furred head of my Fang popped out, accompanied by a meow, he was apparently trying to seem innocent. I pointed to where we had been sitting a moment before. I caught the gleam of a stubborn streak enter his eyes, but snatched him by the scruff of his neck. The back of my hand grazed Triscia''s ass lightly, I ignored that bouncy soft feeling, along with the accompanying sound. The laughter around the camp escalated causing her to wake up slowly. Shit...I rushed with the puff balls back toward my area and tried to look nonchalant as she rose up, and blearily blinked her eyes at her surroundings. When she looked at me, her face actually went beat red, kinda like a tomato, and she rushed to moved away. ''Hey! What the hell did I do to deserve that? What on earth were you dreaming woman!'' was my almost immediate thought, followed by my head being flung forward slightly and a pain in the back of my head. I yelped, and looked back to see the retreating form of Scillicia behind me. What the hell did I do? Women...confusing creatures. I frowned at her backside, and muttered as I turned to regard two puff balls currently trying to be very cute and get out of being trouble. I ignored the fact they were cute and bobbed them both lightly on the head. "No, bad babies. You do not molest the innocent youths in there sleep just because Daddy has a bit of a hard time controlling sexual urges." I whispered that of course, didn''t need to be thought of as a pervert after all. Why did I suddenly feel a chill run down my spine, and that I was too late? A thought for another time I suppose. Both my cubs were now meowing at me like I was a mean villain that never let them have fun. I narrowed my eyes at the growing cubs, they each had to weigh almost eight pounds now, and rolled them onto their backs and assaulted their tummies with tickle pets. Fang started to try to run, and Winter just froze from being startled. Ha! No escape you little brat. I nabbed Fang and started to tease my ferocious perv more. After a while, Winter tried to escape as well, smart girl, she knew it would mean more pets, and playtime with me. We did this until it was time to pack things up. Taking a small break for breakfast, I gave most of mine to the growing cubs. I was hungry, of course, but they were growing munchkins and I wanted them to never go hungry. I didn''t feel as useless today, Gallica put me to proper work, hauling the heaviest of the supplies and packing them back onto the death trap with wheels, as I have named it. I would not be sitting in there, willingly, again. When everything was packed, and the five ex house slaves were loaded up, we headed out toward Sparta. Gallica planned to bypass the town entirely and reached Sparta today instead via a shorter path that had us edge several miles out around the town. When I asked him why he had said - "I don''t trust the town to be fully on Sparta''s side. Too much has changed, Rome grown too strong to trust the common folk much more than any nobility. We need to reach Sparta first and foremost." - It had been an interesting reply to my question. Maybe even accurate. It also showed him as a paranoid bugger and I said as much; earned a laugh for my troubles. So we took this detour, and I was bored beyond belief. I enjoyed walking again after a few days in the rolling death trap, but I was so very bored. This was a game afterall, and little was being done to advance myself within it. It damn near brought a tear to my eye. The only fun I really had was Fang and Winter running along behind me, and pouncing on random bugs that flew buy, or eating the small birds they could catch. It was really fun to watch them practice skills they would need to hunt, and battle. They had even gained some interesting things over the last few hours. Again, traits, no skills yet. I just took this to mean that until they were old enough to battle they would not learn actual skills related to combat. It would probably take about three months in game before they reached adolescent age. Then they would be large enough to perhaps start learning combat skills, based on game statistics. Though until they were adults I would gain nothing from them. I checked the few traits they had both earned.
Stalking (trait)
Your pet has gained the stalking trait. This owner of this trait is able to, with practice, blend into their surroundings, and stalk their prey without showing signs of their activities. Perfect for predator based pets, and hunting in the wild.
Now that trait was awesome! And I know why it said practice. They were adorable, but they failed a lot of the time when stalking the birds in the tall grass off the side of the trail. That told me that some traits were more practice oriented and could be improved based on condition, and practice, or made worse depending on the area.
Predator Sense (trait)
This trait allows your pets to sense prey around them, it is unique to active predator pets, and allows them to gain skills based upon this trait when old enough to do battle.
Now that one was interesting as hell to me, it made me wonder if some traits would allow a unique pathway of learned skills, or skill sets for my little puff balls of adorable deadliness. Through this, I was also praising and guiding them slowly, showing them how to pounce, it looked weird according to Gallica, but he accepted it as me training what would amount to dangerous animals in the future. Strengthening my bond, so to speak. Though that was maxed thanks greatly in part to my class. They trusted me, and thanks to my passive my bond was maxed. I had also managed to level up animal husbandry, and animal language a few levels as well during this process. I had even gained a trait of my own, not a skill, but another trait to match unnatural vigor. This made it rather annoying, because it threw what I felt would help me gain these traits, which so far were passive and allowed unique bonuses that did not level, or change my overall stat base; but rather allowed me to do unique and interesting things through passive traits my body adapts too.
Trainer of Beasts (Trait)
You have gained the trait of teaching beasts under your sway through practice. You exude a calm, nurturing aura when training your pets that allows them to understand from their mistakes and learn better, as opposed to growing frustrated and developing bad traits. 30% less likely to fail in learning skills upon reaching needed age to fight. 20% chance of gaining traits to aid in their future growth during childhood. 10% chance of instantly learning unique, and powerful skills upon reaching combat age. (Pets gained from birth only)
This trait, like my Unnatural Vigor, gained me a bunch of interesting and unique traits that aided my overall character class, and play style. It also gave me more incentive to get pets from birth, or their growing period, and raise them properly for a chance at a unique and specialized skill. This also meant that any pet I gained that I could not, in honesty keep for one reason or another, would be sold to a player or NPC I trusted to treat them right for a higher price. This of course is assuming they gained that trait. The percentage was low, but I think it can be affected by my luck stat. It also increased the chance to gain new and more useful traits during their baby phase. This set home the fact traits could only be learned in a set period for pets gained at infancy. That was good, honestly. It meant that I could not make them gods with traits galore throughout their lives. It also meant I''d have to be tougher with them before they left this phase of growth. That part made me sad, but I wanted them to survive in this game. I''d be devastated if they died because I could not be strict. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. With that in mind, I let them play and follow me at their own pace while staying in sight. I was going to plan a strict training regimen for them to go through when I had the free time to put them through it. I also contemplated the egg I had gained, and just what the hell it was. Oddly, the Vulture was still following us. It had made me curious after it started getting a little past the afternoon. I handed my munchkins to Triscia, they behaved better with her, and told Gallica I wanted to check something out real fast, and that I would catch up. He reluctantly agreed, and I went off the trail, ignoring the pitiful cries of my puff balls for ''mommy'' as I did. Oh my heart, it stung after hearing those meows. After a bit, five minutes or so of walking, I sat down and waited to see if the bird followed. It had, and was a LOT bigger looking. Oh dear god...it was coming down. Now I know in my mind I wanted this, but it was a big bird. It had a relatively large wingspan, around ten feet from the looks of it, and it''s height reached a little over my waist when it landed. That made it at least 3-4 feet tall. It regarded me when it landed, it had been somewhat majestic in it''s landing, it''s face had no feathers on it, a bare pink color was what I saw, but from the tip of his head, and down its neck were feathers with white and black mixed in. The combination made me think of a rusty tan-ish white, honestly. Which fit considering it was from Egypt mostly. It''s talons were large, four inches at least, they also looked very sharp. The eyes were yellow, and cold looking. What you would expect from a raptor, even a carrion raptor. I gulped, unintentionally, as it regard me with its head cocking to the side. It made a soft shrill sound before taking a step forward. It''s eyes had gone from me to what I had in my hand the second I called it from my inventory, and that was the reason for it''s step. For some reason I had the sudden regret that I had forgotten my armor in the wagon. Goes to show how scatterbrained I could be. It looked at the egg, then at me, and back and forth. It''s plumage slowly rustled and it...it hissed at me. Oh dear god, I was gonna die. I slowly, ever so slowly, bent down and laid the egg on the ground, backing up a foot or so. I ignored that I could have lost a lot when I realized the Vulture was literally a foot from me when I did that. I was sweating a great deal in fear. No armor, no weapons, a vulture two levels higher than I was, and likely a hell of a lot stronger. But I was shocked as hell with what popped up on my screen. [table] My eyes bugged a bit, and the Vulture gently scooched the egg back to me with a curled tallon. It looked at me expectantly, and something clicked. Not as...deeply as with my cubs, but a bond formed. I was given the notification of accepting the Vulture as a pet, I accepted of course. From there I named her Ma''at, after the Egyptian Goddess of Truth, Justice, and Harmony. It seemed fitting, because she was all I could recall in that Pantheon being affiliated with birds that was female. I knew there was another, but I couldn''t recall her name. Notifications assaulted me shortly after. [table]
Hidden Bonus Quest Completed!
Return the Egg to its Mother.
You have returned the egg of the Carrion Feeder to it''s mother. Rewards Trust has been maxed with Carrion Feeder Carrion Feeder may now become your pet Carrion Egg has been added to your inventory to hatch at owners convenience.
You have Gained a Pet!
Your Pet''s level has been reduced by 2 to fit your current level. A debuff has been placed on her stats until she reaches her original level.
You have reached the current max amount of pets you may own, this may be increased by leveling Animal Husbandry, as well as gaining true affiliation with your current pets to the point that they no longer consider themselves pets, but family.
Ok, that was awesome! I also learned that there was indeed a limit to pet ownership, at least combat pets. I''d be able to work around that with Animal Husbandry, and making sure my pets knew I saw them as family, not beasts. I felt Fang, and Winter were close to that. It would take time to get Ma''at to feel that way. For one thing, she was a wild born adult, albeit a unique and unknown bonus quest reward, still a full grown wild beast that did not have a reason to trust man. I''d gotten lucky. I looked at her beak again, very lucky. I checked her stats, now that I had full access to them.
Ma''at
Level: 11-(13 origin) Owner: Crispin Leonholdt
Health:1000 / 1000Health Regen:75.50 / Sec
Stamina:1000/1000Stamina Regen:75.50 / Sec
-
Strength:50 (-20)Agility50 (-10)
Vitality:50 (-50)Intelligence:30 (-10)
Skill
Swoop - Dives down upon an enemy for a sweeping aerial attack. Peck - Assaults foes with it''s beak Talon Strike - Lacerates enemies with it''s deadly talons Carrion Eye - Shows the location of the dead within a 200 meter radius (Usable only while flying)
Traits
Flight - Enables Flight Keen Eye - Able to see things clearly from over 200 meters in distance. Carrion Feeder - Gains experience by eating the recent kills of others. Aerial Predator - Increased damage done while striking from above
Holy fuck balls! It was simple stuff, but I could train her properly, and her overall stats, even with the reduction, showed me how valuable a full grown pet was. It made me imagine the beasts my puff balls would grow into with the proper direction of a Beast Master like myself. It also made it abundantly clear how much money I''d make off of taming, and selling pets when I was able. These stats were ridiculous. I''d have to speak to Clint in regards to what that would entail, because I know it''ll be an option. Beast Master was a unique class, but pets were not reserved for them alone. Just the ability to tame them easily, and hold more than one combat pet, I believe.
Trait Shared! [/b
Keen Eye
You have gained the Trait Keen Eyes from your pet, Ma''at, increase your understanding of one another, or avian raptors more, to gain more of her traits.
Oh my god, fuck yes! Alright. This was perfect. I should myself from these messages after a moment, because Ma''at was looking at me with confusion. Through the link we had she could sense my emotions better and the sheer joy I felt was odd to her because she did not see what I did. I just smiled at her, and slowly approached her, instincts at work (A.N His skills passively telling him what to do to properly handle such dangerous creatures.) I held a hand out slowly toward her, and she regarded it like so much dirt, but extended her head a bit, and let me scratch the thoughts of feathers on her neck. She crooned, before moving away. She reminded me of a cat I had a long time ago, weird since she was a bird. I felt the little line strengthen a little, and instructed her to take flight and follow. It took a bit for her to understand. She didn''t have the Obedience trait, and was a wild Beast not long ago. But thanks to my traits, and skills, along with my class she understood after a moment. I got myself an adult Pet! I''d have to check if it boosted my stats later. For now, I needed to rush back to the group. It had been at least an hour. I had a lot of ground to cover. I smiled as I ran, hearing the cry of Ma''at above me while she circled and kept pace. I was going to enjoy the looks of the group, and Gallica shitting a brick when I had her land down and peck him, gently, for revenge for something, I''d find it, haha. Introducing her to my cubs would be tricky. I''ll be treating her like any other newly tamed predator, or animal. Slow introduction, and careful monitoring. I didn''t want to risk her eating my babies. Fuck! No more dawdling,The sun was starting to set I need to rush back. Today was a weird, fun day, full of surprises, and learning. Along with a new friend. Haha, I could hardly wait now to reach Sparta. I could advance better in the game now, with an adult pet to boost my Class, and stats along with combat aid.
Hello beautiful people! You''re author for the second note section haha. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it''s not uber long, but it''s decent with growth, and the acquisition of an adult pet, along with what that egg is. Next time, it will be action, I promise that. It''s been slow as I goof off, and advance my MC, and give life to the world, and get him ready for the things to come. But no more! Prepare yourself! Only warning. Mwuahaha. As always, please Rate, Comment, and Follow. Much love and Cookies! Chapter Twelve: Bandit Strike Hey folks! I''m dedicating most of this weekend to writing some chapters and popped them out for you hungry folks! To the one who drooled on me, sir, I love you hahah! But yes, as promised some action shall occur in this chapter. It won''t be much, but enough to tantalize the senses I hope. A lot of the quests the MC will get are not from actual quest givers, but pop up event quests meant to aid the Spartan people, or hidden quests for his class. I know that is odd, but there will be many active and needed quests as well. A lot of that will occur more when Beta ends in about ten chapters or so, maybe longer. Depends on how I feel honestly. But I shant bore you longer, here you are folks. As always, much love and cookies ^.^
I had finally reached the rest of the group just as they had finished setting up camp. Let me say, it was wonderful to see their reactions when Ma''at landed in the center of the camp by the fire pit. A few grabbed their weapons, some ran toward the edge of camp, and I heard someone scream really loudly. I smiled at them as I explained who, and what Ma''at was. Gallica just looked at me funny, and Scillicia seemed like she might blow a gasket. Triscia was the least affected, beyond the scream, and brought my cubs to me, while hiding behind me the entire while. I was somewhat close to Ma''at after all. She''d freaked a bit when Triscia had screamed, and her wings had flapped a bit causing a minor gust storm to occur. So I had gone up close, slowly, and laid my hand against her feathered breast to help calm her. It was doing the trick, but now with Triscia so close I didn''t dare take my hand off. She was in a new area, around new people where once she was a wild beast. I didn''t want to risk her lashing out, so I kept my hand on her and spoke to Triscia calmly, without raising my voice or whispering. Doing all I could to instil a natural vibe around the area that was calm, as if nothing was wrong. It was slowly working. First off, the people surrounding the camp were slowly relaxing, they had noticed it set Ma''at on edge. It was tricky, and I regretted having her land dead center inside the camp area. But what was done was done. Oddly, my leadership stat went up two points during this. It made me grin a bit, and Triscia slowly calmed down as well, keeping the cubs tight to her chest while they squirmed to be free and see the new big bird. It was at my request of course, I didn''t want to risk their lives. They however were very adamant in their desire to see the new addition to our little family. After a while, I just sighed, and told her to put them down. She did so, and they pounced forward before slowing down at Ma''ats squawk while she looked down at them. I was almost sweating bullets, but I tried very hard to not let my obvious stress, and anxiety transfer toward her or the cubs. That would lead to a disastrous end. I used my foot to keep them from getting to close, and Fang and Winter just tackled my foot. They were babies, their attention span was shorter than a damn goldfish. I sighed, and regarded Ma''at. Wondering how to do this properly. I just shrugged after a bit, it''s a damn game, and adult beasts hold a portion of intelligence, I hope, so I went for broke and spoke to her. "These are ''chicks'' my babies, and your siblings." I took the egg I had received back and laid it beside them, gently to show they were one and the same through symbolism. Ma''at looked from me, toward the egg and cubs a few times. Cocking her head from side to side to view us properly in turn before squawking at me, and curling down on her haunches, sitting beside the cubs and egg. The cubs were somewhat tired, so they just drifted toward the warmth she radiated from her large feathered body, and snuggled into her. I held my breath, keeping my hand on her neck in case I''d have to dive bomb and strangle her into submission. I really did not want to tango with this beast in that regard. But my luck paid out, she curled her head inward, and tucked the cubs, and the egg that was close into her body, slightly under where is was warm before regarding me, and using her head to knock me on my ass and drag me close as well. "Oi!" I called out before I realized it, and she regarded me steadily. Oh dear god, I got a mother hen. Fuck my life....I sighed, in defeat, and nuzzled in as well. I felt the bonding line between us strengthen further and I gained an interesting trait to follow up with my others.
Beastial understanding (Trait)
This trait allows you to understand a species of animal you own through quality time, as such increasing the chance to learn new fact about the creatures species, or type of beast they are. From avian to aquatic, the more quality time spent with your pets, the more you learn. (That''s right dumb dumb, love your pets or suffer!)
I loved the trait I gained, but I swear to god I will kill whoever writes these out. I know it''s someone fucking with me, and I have a feeling I know who. If it was him, I''d strangle him in his sleep or put fucking glue in his toothpaste. The main good thing about this so far, I may be unable to level everything properly, or quickly, but I gained traits easily enough. A perk to having pets, or my class? I didn''t know just yet. I wasn''t going to think too much on it however. It was a useful perk, it would allow me to learn more about a species, or creature just by bonding with them. This trait also promoted spending time with each pet owned so they knew they were loved. It was a nice system mechanic in my mind. I drifted off to sleep relatively quickly after that. I ignore the looks, and Gallica trying to get my attention. Mama hen demanded it was sleep time after all. I grinned and waved my fingers at him before I passed out, his frown my last sight. When I woke up, it was to a suffocating feeling. I struggled for a good three minutes before I realized that Ma''at had decided to sit on me in her sleep, with the cubs curled around my throat, luckily I had put the egg in my inventory to stop it from hatching from warmth, or quickening it''s cycle as I passed out the night before. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. But damnit, I can''t breath! In fact my health was slowly going down. I quickly used my dead arms to get the cubs off of me and took some deep breaths.
You have removed air constriction, life no longer in danger
No shit sherlock. Fuck you system, seriously. I took a few more deep breaths, and swatting Ma''ats big flank got her to move and look at me curiously. I rolled my eyes and wiggled my way out from under her now that her weight was semi off of me. Freedom! "Crispin!" shit... I turned to look at Gallica who had a serious look in his eyes again. God damnit, now what? "Yes?" Master of eloquence and word play was I. "We reach Sparta in a few hours. Lead the train, I''m staying in the rear with the two Spartan brothers. It''s been too calm, I don''t like it. Can you have your new...pet act as a scout?" Now that was a good idea, and one I was not sure of or not. I regarded Ma''at a moment, and tried to convey my feelings and desires through the link we had as master and pet. She understood, at least I hoped she did, because she took off a moment later; creating a dust storm in the process that sent me a foot back, and my cubs tumbling playfully in a ball of fluff. "Yeah, she can.." I said, trying to send the thoughts more clearly toward her. Gallica nodded, and we finished packing. I swear I heard him mutter something about Beast tamers when he left. Confusing, but I let it go for now. We were Sparta bound! Gallica guessed we were around ten hours from Sparta. He also ensured I didn''t sneak out of leading the former slaves to Sparta. Cheeky bastard. I had sighed in defeat by then, and asked Triscia to watch my cubs. She declined when Scillicia showed up and looked at her a moment before taking them with her toward the middle of the train....Ok then, ignoring that chill. Taking the lead of the small train of people we headed down the barely cared for trail. How to pass the time? The fuck if I know, I just started humming a ditty I remember always being sung to me as a child, and old Irish lullaby, to me at least. ''I''m looking over, a four leaf clover. That I''ve overlooked before! One stands for sunshine, the second for rain, the third is for roses that bloom in the lane, and there''s no need explaining, the one remaining, it''s somebody I adore! Oh, I''m looking over, a four leaf clover, that I''ve overlooked before.'' Now, rinse and repeat. Yep, I hummed that same tune for damn near an hour. When that began to bore me I slowly started to test my bond with Ma''at. Mostly this involved me giving her visual maneuvers to attempt with my hand. I could do this mostly because she would swing forward along our main path and then back in a constant circling loop, and when she saw me she would mimic my arm motions. The beauty of the Keen Eye perk I suppose. This went on for a few hours, and it had the added benefit of leveling my animal husbandry skill, along with my Animal Language skill. It was a level each, but it was a nice factor. I also gained further insight into avian creatures. Not much, but enough to aid me in finding more in the future no doubt. By this point we were, at most, four hours from Sparta. That''s when it occurred, Ma''at let out a cry that was different from the norm. She cried out in alarm, and began swooping toward us. Oh shit.. I called out for Gallica and the others to get ready. Just in time as well, because an arrow struck right where I would have stepped. I was unsure if it''d kill me, but it would have hurt. I ran back toward the others, Catching a javelin that was tossed my way by someone, and picking up a shield before rushing toward the defensive line. I made use of my keen eye trait from Ma''at to pick out a shadow within the forest, and hefting my javelin launched it toward the figure. I heard a scream, and a lot of shouting shortly after it hit home. I didn''t receive a notification of instant kill that meant just a flesh wound. A group of fifteen bandits dove at us from the underbrush alongside the road. More or less equal in number. I checked their status before disabling notifications and focusing.
Bandit
Level:12ClassBandit
Well, that wasn''t very useful. Shit, I hurried and intercepted a sword stroke with my shield, and punched the perpetrator in the face with my studded brass knuckle like gloves. I heard a satisfying crunch, then another person was in front of me. Son of a bitch! I looked up after hearing a cry from Ma''at, she was circling above and seemed conflicted with instincts. I started waving my free arm around, and clumsily blocking random blows thrown my way to get her attention. I wanted her to dive them. She did, after a moment, making a wide arc in the sky to come swooping down and using those massive talons she rent the flesh from bone on these bandits. The gore was very real, and the screams they made as some died were frightening to me. It felt like an actual firefight, minus the gunfire. The only good part is, that the fight last all of a few minutes, Ma''at swooping down more or less broke the bandits. But they also got us good, a few of the ex slaves had lost an arm, and one was in need of medical attention badly. From there is all became a bit of a blur as we moved to try and save lives, myself included, not truly caring about the quest at this point. I just wanted my friends to survive.
Hey guys! I know this ended a bit abruptly, but I''ll have the next chapter out later today, and I''ll have a Blood Born chap out as well. Look forward to it. ^.^ Proof reader search Hello all! This is not a chapter, sorry. This is my attempt to finally hunt down a proof reader for both Blood Born, and Olympus. I''ll be placing this in Blood Born as well. I feel I simply cannot properly maintain the sheer number of errors I induce while writing. It''s a flaw of mine, and I understand this. It has also hampered several other: the Grammar Nazi''s and such, from enjoying my story as it should be. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Due to this, I place out a call to anyone who wishes it, to PM me in regards to being my proof reader. We can discuss more intricate details that it will entail through the PM''s. Thank you for your patience, and of course the continued support of both stories. ^.^ Much love and cookies, also expect a chapter of Olympus in a few hours, or early tomorrow morning. Have a lovely day/night. Chapter Thirteen: Sparta Hello my lovelies, you will be happy to know I have gotten a PR, Roguemist, this chapter is not Proof-read at this time however, because I am at work and have no means to send it to him. HOWEVER, he will PR it at his own pace, and any and all releases after this will not be done until he has PR''d them. I will be sticking to a 2-4 release time frame for the foreseeable future with his aid, and I hope you enjoy the smoother flow he will enable. Much love and cookies to all. This chapter, you guessed it, SPARTA! Haha, will be making it as long as I can. Tried placing in details that would be needed. Big turn point in the game for the MC occurs here, and a fun little tid bit at the end. ^.^ As always, please rate, follow, comment. ^.^
The aftermath of the short, I use that word loosely, battle was staggering. We had no casualties, and through the efforts of Scillica, and Gallica we were able to cauterize the wound of ex slave who lost his arm, stopping the blood flow. Most of the others suffered minor wounds, a few missing fingers, or broken bones. Hardly a major issue, but they were hurt. Three minutes of intense fighting felt like an eternity, even in this game. A few good things that came out of this affair, no one was afraid of Ma''at any longer. At least not openly so, not after her diving attack ended up breaking the bandits fully. Of the numbers that had attacked us, her strike had killed three. It further impressed upon me the strength of an adult pet. I could hardly wait to see my cubs full grown after witnessing it. I also received the experience, and shared it with Ma''at in full. A benefit of my class perhaps? 100% exp sharing between pets regardless of who finishes the kill. It was a pleasant discovery. The other upside, I was currently reading in front of my eyes.
Skill Learned
Beginner Medicine
You have learned the basics of healing, and medicine use. This will allow you to bind your wounds, and those of others to decrease damage, and increase the healing process. Level: 1 Experience: 35%
It wasn''t much, and even though I used it a great deal on the less wounded people it had barely gone up in experience. But it would aid me greatly in the future when the experience debuff was finally removed from everyone in the Beta phase. I closed the window, and went to find Tricia, she had my cubs after all. I also needed to wash the blood off my body. I found Tricia after a short period of hunting for her, she was in the death trap on whe...I mean wagon. She and the cubs were alright, though she seemed somewhat spooked. The cubs were looking at her and trying to get her to smile, my sweet puff balls indeed. I should ignore where Fang was mostly ''playing'' I had a perverted child. I coughed a bit to get her attention, she seemed off in her own world. The noise caused her to jump, and squeak, it was adorable. This in turn made my cubs turn toward me, and rush to the edge of the wagon making mewing sounds. I got the distinct feeling they were blaming me for something. I regarded them and grinned before moving close and sitting at the edge of the wagon, facing outward, and ignoring the small sniffle I heard as I took a seat. My cubs also went up beside me, and taking one arm each, began licking the blood off of my hands and arms. That..felt odd, but it was full of protein, right? Ignoring it, to the best of my ability for now, I started speaking. Mostly to myself as I didn;t wish to force Triscia to feel she needed to talk. So I looked at my cubs, Winter''s face had a distinct red color from the blood she was licking off, and talked to them. "You know, the first time someone sees violence directed at them, or with the knowledge they won''t make it out alive if either they, or those fighting for them fail, is frightening." I heard another sniffle, and felt the wagon shift a bit along with the sound of fabric moving as she moved either closer or further away, followed by Fang mewing at me, before continuing to lick my arm. For all the world responding to me. "I remember the first time I ever had to fight, my life wasn''t on the line but it was violent. Screaming, yelling, the smell of blood along with the sound of bones breaking. It was a free for all back alley fight. I was young, and stupid. Feeling invincible. I also remember a fist coming out of no where, and everything going black. It was one of the single most terrifying events of my life. But I took away an experience from it, that no matter what. The fighting may be horrible, and violent, but you cannot let it freeze you, like it did me. Had it been a true fight, I''d have likely died. But I also learned that you must only ever fight for the right reasons, as a last resort." Yeah, it was the longest I think I ever spoke, and honestly some shitty advice, but I felt her move up behind me on her knees, and hug me from behind while sniffling. She was just a kid, honestly. sixteen years, and forced into this dangerous stuff. Yeah, in this time frame she is an adult, and by all account had she not been a slave would be married with a child or two already. She was beautiful, but I had finally managed to steer my mind to think of her as a child in full, similar to a little sister. Though feeling her breasts pressed against my back made that falter, slightly. I heard a muffled thank you as her arms circled my neck, and she buried her face against my back. I reached up, with a slightly wet though clean hand, and gently patted her arm. "It''s ok to be afraid, Triscia, but I won''t ever allow someone bad to harm you. I promise." I heard quiet meows from my cubs and looked down to see them staring at her now too. Oh dear..I think I may have caused them to become protective. No sooner had I thought that, than a box appeared in front of me again. One for each of them, so I read the trait itself, rather than the boxes detailing it to them by name.
Trait Gained!
Protective (Trait)
A trait gained through the extreme desire to protect something. Any pet with this trait will fight to the death for those they have grown protective of, or attached enough to want to protect. This trait provides a strong chance to learn powerful defensive skills upon reaching the required combat age for your pets. It also increases their natural defence, be it fur, scales, feathers.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Of course my shock at this announcement, along with pleasure, was slightly inhibited by the fact my neck was being strangled by a suddenly stronger hug, and I was unable to breath. I started patting her arms gently, but urgently while gasping for air. "Need...Air.." She let go quickly enough, and was murmuring her apologies while I was getting air back into my lungs. After a moment, and some odd looks from my cubs who thought daddy was acting weird, I looked back to see Triscia looking down, blocking her face with her hair, and the visible skin was beat red again. My one thought, was adorable, promptly followed by a chill going down my spine as I realized the issue that this may have caused. She was sixteen, young and attractive, and I was beginning to get in shape through the training, and fighting, somewhat attractive. and I had just helped calm her down and become a stabilizing pillar for her fractured life. Add to that the fact that in the time frame this game was based in she was very much legal...Oh god, what did I do? I just smiled at her, and gather my cubs before making my escape from the wagon. Her eyes, when she looked up, were questioning, and scared. Oh fuck me and call me yankey doodle. She had feelings for me. Must run, must flee from possible pedophile encounter. When I did make my escape, my cubs fighting me somewhat because they thought we were playing, I ran smack dab into Gallica, and fell on my ass. Jesus, what was he made of? Stone? I glared up at him, and shifting my cubs around somewhat, took his offered hand to stand again. "What has you running like you''re being chased?" he asked questioningly. Of course, right about then Triscia came out of the wagon, looking around; likely for me. Gallica looked to her, then to me, and smiled like the cat that had gotten the cream.Great... "Ooooh! Well, well, well. Scillica won''t take this well. But don''t worry, I will keep it a secret for you." Then he just walked toward the wagon, and smiled at Triscia who was looking at the ground and playing with the hem of her tattered slave dress. Shit....I sighed, and just went to the front of the column, in the time I had spoken to Triscia, the wounded had recovered enough, and they were bearing the man with a missing arm to the wagon now. We couldn''t daly here, no telling if the bandits would be back. I raised my voice slightly "Get the dropped weapons, and armor, then line up. We need to move out!" A few looked at me, a moment but started doing what I said. After a few minutes we were set, and finished our trek toward Sparta over the next three hours. When we arrived at Sparta itself, we were tired, my cubs asleep in the wagon again, but when we saw the massive stone walls of the proud, warrior city, we gaped in awe. Even those who had called it home. It was a bastion of safety for us, and truly marvelous to behold. The walls were at least twenty feet high, having archer parapets every ten feet along the walled city, and manned with soldiers all along it''s length. The entrance we were moving toward had at least ten guards stationed there, and they were screening the merchants, and others that were trying to gain entry. I felt relieved, honestly. We had arrived at Sparta. From here, I could truly begin playing. When we arrived in the queue to enter the city. I heard the gossip of Merchants, and Peasants about news from the border. "Did you hear? Leonidas is putting a call to arms" - random peasant "Yeah, we can earn a fortune fighting for our country!" - Patriotic Peasant. "More like die, let him put a call to arms, All I care for is the increase in business" - Merchant. I rolled my eyes at the merchant talking, but was intrigued by the peasants words. Perhaps something was there for me? Who knew. After about an hour of waiting, it was our small, battle worn, groups turn to be inspected. After suffering the grueling questions, and keeping them from trying to take payment through carnal favors from Scillica, or Triscia, we finally entered Sparta.
Quest Updated!
Meet with King Leonidas!
You have arrived in Sparta within the specified time limit, find a way to meet with Leonidas and inform him of the events occurring along the border between Rome occupied Athens, and his minor nobles. Succeed: Meet with King Leonidas Failure: Gallica, Scillica, or you die.
Ok then...Kinda figured I''d need to do that already, but thanks for making it clear you dirty bastards. I sighed, at least Ma''at wouldn''t be a worry. I''d told her to hunt in the woods, and enjoy herself while I was busy. I could call her to me if needed after all. I read the second message that popped up, and a smile graced my lips as I read it.
Sparta!
You have arrived at the capital city of your faction! Sparta, the seat of power for Greece is a war like Greek state, and from the bustle of the people making ready for war. For entering your faction''s Capital city you have unlocked your hidden ability.
Here you are my lovelies! This is not Proof-read at this time, please keep that in mind. It may very well change slightly when it is. But, I digress, enjoy this chapter, and the evil cliff hanger I left you all. Mwuahahahahah You will enjoy his unique hidden skill, I think. However, I will bid you all goodnight, and good day for the time being. I will be working on the next chap of Blood Born next. As always, much love and cookies. Please, Rate, Comment, and Follow. ^.^ News Hello all, this is your Author, and cookie lover, Lions. I see comments regarding this story. Yes, it is still going on, I just have destroyed the set schedule because I cannot keep to it. The next chapter will be put out in a few days, if I can manage it. I am working on a 25k word chapter to dump on you all for the long wait, but even then I am having trouble getting it in the direction I wish. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I can promise I won''t drop this, I don;t drop stories. It will go until it''s end. Sorry in advance for all of you who jumped in joy at seeing this, it is not a chapter. But expect it soon.