《Path of the Ogre: Berserker》 Ogre Ogre opened his eyes to golden light shining in a powder blue sky far above him. He blinked slowly and breathed in deep. The dog smelled old stone, dust, and the scent of many beasts, the new atop the old in too many layers to count. He turned his head to the right following the path that the freshest scent took. Bright green grass tickled his muzzle as he spied a tall shape standing in an open field nearby. Ogre sat up placing a paw to his temple and rubbing his head to clear it of the fog that filled his memory. How did I get here? He noted the flowers of yellow ringed by white petals, some with violet hues, pink, and red with spots of orange that went from petal to stem. Ogre felt his brow scrunch against the slope of his forehead. I do not understand. He should have been choking on their perfume. All he could smell now was a feline. Strange. It was tall and male, with dark, almond-shaped eyes in a sleek head, golden fur with small chocolate spots, and a cream brown throat. Curiously, its studded leather armour, coat, greaves, gloves, and boots were the same color as the spots, a deep dark brown with polished silver for the metal bits. The matching colors of fur and gear made it seem as if the armour stained the beast. ¡°You are, awake yesss?¡± Said the Feline, ¡°I am called, Tulron for Low Earsss, such as yourself. What do you call yourself, dog?¡± Ogre felt his lip curl, bearing an upper fang that must have been thicker than Tulron¡¯s wrist. He could not help it, it was instinct. His hackles rose and he slowly got to his footpaws, but he edged back. The creature¡¯s shape said that it was a runner, like a wolf but sleeker. All cats possessed a wicked quickness regardless of their shape but this one just looked fast. Dare the dog turn tail? Could he hope to get away? ¡°I will not tolerate, insult, dog, I gave you my name, what is yoursss?¡± Its head is so small so the bite should be weak. It is lithe¡­Yet¡­It smells so powerful! I have a strong feeling that if I try to fight, that it will kill me with ease. I cannot beat it and I do not think I can outrun it. Ogre hesitated before speaking. I need to be careful. Since It speaks so oddly, it¡¯s taking me a while to reason out its words. I do not think I can afford to offend this¡­cat. ¡°I am Ogre.¡± Tulron¡¯s brows were lowered before, but they rose quickly and a long knife that the dog did not see before flipped expertly through the feline¡¯s right paw before vanishing into a hidden sheath within the creature¡¯s leather armour. Seeing the knife, Ogre stiffened and bent his knees in a fighting stance. Once he saw that his body was preparing to fight and die, Ogre stood up. He could not hope to remember where he learned it from, but it felt right to do it, even if his body did it without consulting with him. Conversely, Tulron was completely at ease. ¡°You are sssmarter than you look, Oger.¡± Tulron rolled Ogre¡¯s name in his mouth as if he were tasting a new sort of meat, a meat from a beast that should not taste well but was surprisingly delicious. ¡°With a monster head like that, one might think you are a cretin. Thick of head. Ah¡­excuse my words, I haven¡¯t had the chance to meet many of your low kind, but I have reason to be grateful to you.¡± ¡°Where am I? Why am I here? How did I get here?¡± Asked the dog finally gaining the courage to do so. ¡°Your wordsss are curt and unbecoming of the truth of your low station, dog, but you do not know our ways, I will excuse your impudence. You are in the Tutorial World Tower, a place that some say is as large as the Dream itself. It is certainly as expansive as the worlds beyond its wallsss, as you can probably see. As for the rest, I am getting to that. First, I wish to congratulate you.¡± A high pitch squeal echoed in Ogre¡¯s ears as he fell on his tail, eyes locked on the dark eyes that grew as big as the sky as they were abruptly just a nose¡¯s length away. The feline pressed its face extremely close to Ogre, faster than the dog could have reacted. It terrified Ogre. Excitement and glee, and a smell so powerful that hurt the dog¡¯s nose, far too strong for Ogre to completely discern, filled his senses. Nearly gagging, Ogre tried to swallow his heart. It pulsed sickeningly in his throat. He felt his paw clutch at the front of the tunic covering his front as if to manually push it down back to its proper place. The piteous squealing continued, making the feline¡¯s pupils dilate in predatory instinct, its nostrils flaring as it twitched, fighting excitement and predatory nature. ¡°You should stop that. I want to be friendsss.¡± Ogre¡¯s mouth dropped open, and the squealing stopped, the shame that he was making that noise was swallowed by surprise. The feline was not going to kill him? I can¡¯t believe I stopped myself from attacking. The dog moved before thinking and was grateful that the feline saw it as a weaker animal trying to ward it off from an easy throat bite. I am weaker, surely, I know that this monster can kill me easily. Why am I preparing to fight it? ¡°You¡¯ve made me soo¡­rich!¡± Tulron said. The feline¡¯s eyes seemed to film with so much adoration that it made Ogre feel even sicker. It was too much. The stench of the creature¡¯s emotions, the threat of death by it, the unfamiliar place and feeling of wrongness burst from him in a howl. ¡°Why am I HERE?¡± The feline blinked. Red flushed Ogre¡¯s nose. As frustration and anger filled him. Then, Tulron drew back and stroked the dagger that was under the breast of his studded leather coat. His frustration slowly bled back to fear. Once again Ogre¡¯s throat tightened as if paws were slowly twisting his windpipe close. After some time, the feline shrugged, and his toothy grin came back as if it never left. ¡°I suppose it would never work. Feli and Doggos and such. Perhapsss a favor at another time¡­wait¡­I have something, perhaps thisss will do? I am a Kiloton Hunter, after all and a Level 350 at that¡­ Great Heroesss or Slayers, or High Adventurersss, would not spurn a favor from one such as I. ¡± Ogre¡¯s face started to grow hard. He could not help it. He was confused, his mind was blank save for the storm of emotions and he was now angry. Why couldn¡¯t I pop its head in my jaw like a grape and bite down until it gave me answers? It¡¯s a Cat! ¡°I will answer your questionsss, Ogre, but first I will warn you. You will mind your scent of bridling, or you will die in any hamlet, village, or town in this Civilized Land. We Feli rule all here, and few are as benevolent asss I. I can taste your bloodlust, settle yourself, before I take offense.¡± Tulron said, before adding, ¡°Ah yes, you are in the Tutorial World Tower. Many like you come from many different worlds. You come with no memoriesss of a past life save for a few nightmaresss or so. You come to participate in the ceremony of becoming adventurers and perhaps one day, High Heroes of Yore. No queries, until I am done¡­you will not get it all until it is repeated many times. Just listen for now, doggo. Yesss, adventurers¡­Ah, I will tell you about the Status Archaia. Open up your Status Mirror, do this like so.¡± Tulron closed one eye and abruptly a glowing sheet appeared between them. Ogre started back but did not run away. The dog blinked slowly, ¡°What¡­how am I supposed to do that¡­¡± Before he finished speaking a duplicate of the scroll appeared just behind his left eyelid, glowing faintly as he closed one eye. He did not mention that he could see a lot more on his than what Tulron revealed to him. ¡°You will need to imagine it coming forth, to materialize it, dog. And just in case you seek to hide your status from me, I can see it clearly without your help. I have a skill called ¡®Appraisal¡¯ it can see all of your stats.¡± Tulron chuckled, ¡°Seek not to be duplicitous before me¡­I am a Feli after all.¡± Ogre clenched his jaw and brought his status forward. It reflected the same amount of information that Tulron¡¯s did. The dog gave the feline a quick considering glance form the corner of his eye, but Tulron caught his gaze and smiled slyly. No, I do not think I can hide anything in this world from him. Especially things he knows more about than I do. He knows exactly what is on my¡­¡¯so-called¡¯ Status! ¡°You will need to bring it forth like thisss, in order to level up.¡± Said Tulron, A sharp look stifled the dog¡¯s tongue and forced his mouth close with a clack. ¡°The Tutorial World Tower isss useful in generating potential, dog. A set sum of Tower Levels will determine how powerful you will be able grow in levels. Though soulweight potential is generated elsewhere, this is something you need not know right now. Most cannot absorb this metaphysical massss, and those who can usually do not absorb it in great excessss. The Tower also determines the amount of tribute the Lords, Sovereigns, and Higher Rulers can extract from it. You are a Low Ear, so naturally you will have no right to any loot that you attained in the Tower. Also, all the insight that you accrued in the Tutorial Levels of the Tower will stay in this place.¡± Ogre had many questions, that rose and then faded with every new bit of information that Tulron gave him. In the end he saw the logic of not answering questions right away. What was the point of asking about things he could not remember or items that he might have earned? Even if he performed some impossible task or finished a quest of great import what did it matter to him if the spoils went to others. It galled him that the beasts in this land would steal from him so easily and worse tell him that they were doing as if to rub his nose in offal. Still, they are Cats, what would I expect from such cruel, triangle-eared creatures? ¡°Ah yesss, there is a tax on wisdom and experience, in this great land¡­Also on soulweight. But as I said you need not worry about sssuch lofty matters¡­right now.¡± Tulron said before pausing, and giving Ogre a slow once over. ¡°Your name isss suggestive of strength, and it is reflected in your status. I received a fraction of a fraction the wisdom accrual that you attained in the Tower, and¡­it¡­wasss¡­immense. Far greater than any I have felt before. Your potential may be the closest to endlessss that any hero has ever known. However, Rulersss are of a different sort. They may take a percentage of all insight that you have accrued as you grow stronger, and this applies to every beast that attains wisdom. You will never outpace them Ogre. Heed my warning well, bow before your betters, for their strength is in ages of High Heroes of Yore, of Hunter Slayers, and of Runesworn Adventurers.¡± Could this beast read his mind? Could he trace every thought, no every emotion before he had a chance to attach an inkling to them? Ogre¡¯s jaw ached and his paws began to cramp. Slowly he released the fists he had been holding at his sides. His jaw was strong, the teeth hard, the muscles there stayed tight about his head. ¡°Approach,¡± Ogre hesitated for only a moment. There was little help in resisting the beast now. He could barely make out the sums on his and Tulron¡¯s Status Mirror, but his nose was true. He could smell strength wafting from the feline like smoke from a colossal fire. It did not take much in the way of steps to come close enough for Tulron to reach out and touch him. ¡°I will not count thisss as the favor owed, for it will benefit me too. However, you must be grateful, thisss is the first time since I became a Kiloton that I have given this honor to anybeast. You are the first ¡®dog¡¯ I have seen fit to touch, much less, bless. Still¡­that¡­power, wasss intoxicating¡­ By Honor We of Blood Cover the Weak, By Obedience, the Weak Strengthens the Strong, The Godlion Roars His Call, By Faithfulness, we continue to seek, By Hunting we remember the Song And the Godlion watches All, A Noble¡¯s Right: Shared Wisdom.¡± Tulron looked Ogre in the eye, ¡°Thisss is no contract of slaves, you will need to accept.¡± Ogre knew his answer before he asked his question, but he asked it anyways. ¡°Do you seek to steal this wisdom from me, because I have no true concept of what it means?¡± Tulron peered off in the distance, the dog followed his gaze to a tree that could have been many leagues away. Ogre froze as he regarded it. It was massive, so massive that it distorted the distance, throwing off his sense of space and scale. A strange thought circled in his head, but he could not pin it down. It was of a world of gray fog and red cloud. One that that when he blinked, he saw with startling clarity. However, when he blinked again it was gone. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°¡­Thisss is an honor,¡± the Feline said in a low breathy voice; he lifted one brow as if to say ¡®well?¡¯. ¡°One that could cost me if othersss of my kind know about it. Accept it and you will see the sort of beast that I am.¡± Ogre nodded his massive head. ¡°How do I¡­uh¡­¡± Glowing blue runes shaped like claw marks resolved in the print-runes that he understood. The words ¡°Accept¡± and ¡°Reject¡± stood next to each other. The moment he thought about accepting the feline¡¯s offer, the word glowed, and the status mirror vanished. Suddenly he felt as if he was plunged in ice cold water, but it was not unpleasant, it gave him a thrill of excitement that seemed to cut through his underlying fear. It was like a deep breath of air after sinking in the sea for hours. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I felt something¡­it shot straight through to my bones, what was¡­was that it?¡± ¡°Yesss,¡± Tulron said. The only indication that he felt the same was a slight widening of his eyes. Ogre noted it. He found the creature unlike the image he envisioned when he considered most cats. They were mercurial. Showing emotion in only in abrupt fits of violence and giving no real indication of what they were feeling. Felines did show true emotion. It was just so well hidden by a mountain of strange actions and odd smells. ¡°You will now have a five-fold increase in wisdom accrual. I will receive twenty percent, yesss, but you will have a Fisher¡¯s Net gain of four hundred percent.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good thing¡­I don¡¯t understand. You are a feline, why would you do this?¡± Ogre asked pulling back. ¡°I have told you already, you have made me very, very rich¡­and on top of that, you have made me stronger than I was.¡± Tulron said, with an impish grin. ¡°I still got the better of that deal. Though, you did receive something that not even an Everhigh can take from you. A gift from the Tower...you needn¡¯t ask me about that¡­You will find it when you need it, dog. Do you recall my status Mirror? There was a smaller sum above my level with a crossss mark.¡± Ogre had the image in mind. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That is the sum of levels that I will be able to gain. Every level in soulweight rank, allows leveling up to 999. From there a thousand-fold excess of soulweight is needed to ascend to the next level. It can take millennia to reach as high as I will rise with your contribution; even if you were to die right now, not having used the Wisdom Share I bestowed on you. Of course, my work is not over, I will need to hunt monstersss for soulweight. However, if I so choose¡­I could buy what I need with the jules I¡¯ll get from selling the loot from your Tower Run.¡± Ogre disguised his growl as a grunt. The dog knew he failed when he saw Tulron¡¯s broad smile. ¡°Humility, Ogre¡­humility will allow you to live long.¡± Ogre said nothing. ¡°It isss time for you to run along, dog,¡± Said Tulron abruptly, ¡°The group of beastsss that finished before you are already close to the Tree of Cosm¡­You will receive a classss there. You should consider being a Rogue.¡± The dog blinked at the abrupt dismissal. It took several more seconds for his mind to register it and another few seconds for him to act on it. Without another word, Ogre turned stiffly and walked away. The immensity of the place struck him like a bolt of lightning when he was just a few hundred paces from the feline. A tall black wall of closely fitted stone rose as high as a mountain opposite the great tree in the distance. It loomed behind him nearly so tall as if to touch the sky. However, the further he went away from it, the more it was swallowed by the space around it. How did I not see it? Even that giant tree in the middle of the field was invisible to me until the cat looked at it! How could I let myself get so caught in by that beast? Was that creature so terrifying? No¡­only a fool would turn away from an enemy. And despite what Tulron said, or likely because of a lot of what he said, he is little better than an enemy to me. Plus, it was likely the creature¡¯s strange speech distracted me so, Ogre said, to himself. Ogre peered at the sky. It was a perfect shade of blue, clear, cloudless. The sun which was directly overhead had not moved since he first saw it. Ogre blinked. What had Tulron said about the tower? Didn¡¯t he say that they were inside the tower? Impossible. And yet. Ogre continued to look at the sky and the sun. He could not smell any earth, no grass, no small creatures save for the beasts leagues distant near a tree that grew even larger than the black wall behind him. It was too much. The scale was insane. The tower had to be many leagues across, a day¡¯s travel, or was it a week? Once again, the sizes of the objects in the place skewed his perception of space and distance. With everything that happened to him since waking in this strange world, it was little wonder that he did not have a chance to ask the most important question that he had. Why did the World Tower choose him? How could it steal beasts and erase their memories, their very identity? Ogre looked down at himself as he walked. A short blue tunic, coarse and as threadbare as an old sack was the only dress he had. His footpaws, knees, and arms were bare save for a fine short coat of bluish gray fur. His limbs looked strong enough, the lines in them deep enough for a fit animal, the veins seen. He touched his head, feeling the dimensions with both paws. It was monstrous. Ogre looked at his arms, his head was worthy of his name, but his limbs were not, his body is not. I am yet weak¡­but if what that mange-cursed cat said was true¡­I can become strong! I¡¯ll make my body fit my head! Time passed in fits and starts, stretching as he went, then shrinking as he paused. Ogre could not know how long it was even if he were to count his steps. He was tired, almost bone-weary when he reached hailing distance of the other beasts clustered at the Tree of Cosm. The canopy overshadowed him for a long time, hours, days, moments, or heartbeats. The smell of it as he trudged closer was unlike any tree smell, though he could not recall a particular memory of what a tree should smell like. But he knew that it should not smell like fire without ash and smoke, like a night sky wreathed in bands of luminous blues, violets and scarlets. To smell it filled him with an expectation of strength to be had, like meat when growing from pup to juvenile. A few dozen beasts were pulling food and drink from glowing windows of blue-white; their Status Mirrors. The sight made Ogre aware of the void that dominated his belly. The moment he looked away that feeling of emptiness vanished. The camp looked relatively permanent. The grass under the canopy flatted in the shape of bodies that slept on it, but still green. The beasts in the blue threadbare tunics were fox, Carcajou, Otter, and Weasel. The beast that stood nearest to the tree was a boar. It was a hill of an animal more than three times Ogre¡¯s height, and as wide as it was tall. Four great yellow tusks ran along the sides of a long snout. Shiny steel armour clads it from hooves to chin. A shiny steel morningstar a full pace wide rested on its left, and a pavise with ivory tusks curling from its embossed surface, on its left. The bright chainmail that fell in a shower abouts its hoary face, rasped and clinked as it turned its great head to Ogre. ¡°Bah, you¡¯ve got a domeplate larger than me own, dog!¡± The boar said with such volume that Ogre had to stop himself from putting fists in his ears. ¡°And¡­you¡¯re barely knee high!¡± The dog took a step back at the even more vociferous laughter. It was like peals of thunder in a tin bucket. The throat guard must be catching the rolling words and ringing in tune with the boar. The creature stood and abruptly Ogre realized that it was even bigger than he thought, it was a hill rolling towards him, mace held loose in a thick three fingered hand, greatshield slipped on its back. Ogre smelled it keenly, a heady scent of wild musk and pine salt perfume. Its presence felt nearly overwhelming and if it had been the first beast the dog seen then he would have been sure that this was the strongest beast in this world. But this was not the first beast he saw. The boar was powerful, but not nearly as powerful as Tulron. ¡°The Lord Feli spoke to you for quite a while, dog! What could the likes of you have that might interest his Lordship?¡± Asked The Boar, before waving a huge gauntlet dismissively at him, ¡°Bah¡­it doesn¡¯t matter, you are late and so¡­you will get me short explanation of your place in this world!¡± Ogre winced but said nothing as the boar towered over him. ¡°You will slay greenskins and other monsters. You will lick the boots of your betters, acquire wisdom and experience, level up and feed the power of our Feline Overlords. If you are lucky you may live a comfortable life. Even non-cats may become wealthy if they can mind the laws of this land.¡± Said the boar, ¡°I am Borhelm Baere Son of Bearhand Bore Son of Baerebore the Pawsome. I¡¯ve been adventuring for nigh 300 years and I have attained the illustrious level of 1000 as a Cataphract. You should be honored to know me as there are few beasts as rare as meself! Now then as for the Classes.¡± Ogre ground his teeth before looking the great boar in its beady black eyes. ¡°I am Ogre¡±- -¡°Warrior refers to sword and board, great weapons, and those who work better as solo fighters.¡± Borhelm rolled right over Ogre with his words, as he strolled around the dog, gesturing with his free gauntlet, eyes to the painted ceiling as vast as the sky of a world. ¡°Fighters are best suited for ranks, like spearmen, guards, legionnaires, and odd-beasts-out like gladiators and martial artists. Projectilist like rifles, pistols, and crossbows. Archers wield longbows and greatbows. If you do range, you must needs, a melee weapon. A long fighting knife is good, or a dueling dagger. A Minstrel sings songs and dance about the field like an empty-headed loon, giving buffs and whatnot. Riders ride, with lances usually. They are likely noble born so don¡¯t even bother if you¡¯re not a cat. Other beasts might try it but It¡¯s not worth the effort unless you know somebeast in high places. Knowing a cat would work. But cats don¡¯t like other cats, and see other beasts as food, worms, or worst. So once again don¡¯t bother unless you¡¯re a cat. Healers heal with soulweight. Clerics heal with words derived from the mythic Oathkeepers and hit things with blunt weapons. Rogues use daggers and stealth and other things that cowards use. Unless they are a feline, in which case the sun shines from their hinde quarters and they can bloody bone use any means to slay yah. Don¡¯t you beasts forget it! Artificers dig in the dirt for old machines. Elementalists can call forth fire and lightning. The last two cost the most to join in truth. That is, if you want to join the class guild, you need heaps of gold and more than a smile and a keen word to register with a Hero Faction.¡± Ogre sighed as he tried to absorb as much of the torrent of words and noise as he could. Borhelm was loud and irritating, but the dog could not afford to call him out on it. He was in an unfamiliar world with no memory of his past life and a host of new rules that he had to learn in order to survive. Ogre could not afford to be picky on how he got the information. The towering boar stopped before him and snorted blowing out a gust of hot wet wind, that smelled of his stale breath. Ogre rubbed his nose, and breathed out quickly. ¡°You don¡¯t speak much do you dog? Everybeast else had a ton of questions for me, but you¡¯re like a crypt for quiet.¡± Borhelm absentmindedly spun the haft of his mace in his thick gauntlets, craping metal on heavy fire-hardened wood. ¡°And you¡¯ve yet to tell me a name¡­though most beasts say I¡¯m not good with names¡­faces¡­I¡¯ve got a calling for faces, I can recall them to a whisker. Though you dogs mostly look the same, just different sizes, all mostly small though. Hmmm¡­quiet does suit most lowears, less they are spoken to¡­well, speak dog.¡± Ogre opened his mouth and was cut off once again by another tirade of booming words. Long minutes passed before the dog got another opening. ¡°I¡¯m Ogre! How do I level up! How do I get my weapon and armour? and how do I pick a class?¡± Borhelm filled his chest as he leaned on his giant mace with both paws, tapping a lustrous sabaton against the grassy knoll as he opened his great tusked mouth. Ogre¡¯s yell stopped the boar for only a moment. However, the dog could not help but feel a certain level of satisfaction at that feat. ¡°Well¡­It seems you¡¯ve got a pair of lungs to match that stone-holder you call a head. What was it¡­Yes Ogie¡­Took you long enough, I¡¯m no cat¡­obviously, but my class is high enough above yours that I can slay you for taking so long to answer me, and with just a slap on the ole forehoof.¡± Said the boar, ¡°Ah yes, your questions¡­uh Ogbor. When you slay a beast, monster, or foe you will receive a fraction of wisdom and experience up to one percent of said foe¡¯s lifetime insight. Insight is a combination of wisdom and experience; wisdom at a rate of a hundred to one, and experience at ten times that. When you reach a specific threshold for leveling you will receive a message that explains that you can level up. Be careful with this. Try not to level up too fast or too often. You should already have weapons and armour from the tutorial levels you went through earlier, at the very least you should have figured out how to put the weapons into your inventory and call it back out again. However, when you receive your class you may acquire weapons then. Most have them fall right in their paws. Others, have them placed in their inventory. You can pick your class at the base of the tree. We had to wait for all the surviving participants in the Tutorial World Tower to show up before you all can begin. Are you ready to stop wasting our time now¡­O-beer? If so we can go to the Hall of Class Archetypes where you can pick your classes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ogre,¡± the dog said to himself, as the boar turned away from him and to the base of the sprawling tree that stretched above them for what seemed like leagues. Light streamed from the canopy in patchwork patterns that shifted in a breeze that Ogre could not feel. Even as he looked up bending backward to deal with the immensity of the thing and trying to spy the canopy at the top, he saw that the green mass overhead did not move. There was no wind, so it should not have been surprising, but the shifting patterns confused the dog. The trunk of the tree was so wide that it easily took up the dog¡¯s line of sight when he faced it, almost seeming to curve in towards the dog as Ogre swept his gaze back and forth. The roots alone, which were like strands of hair in comparison to the glassy blue green trunk, were thick enough to rest castles upon it with room to spare. It was worse than impossible. It seemed too large to exist even in the vast interior of the tower. The boar approached the group of beasts waving his gauntlets to indicate that he was ready to show them their class choices. Ogre abruptly thought about what Borhelm said. He said, I should already have weapons and that I should have already figured out how to use my inventory. It must be Tulron¡¯s fault. He showed me the status mirror, but he didn¡¯t really explain how to put things in it or take things from it. Did he explain it to the others? Wait why was Borhelm surprised that I spoke to the feli? Maybe the other beasts did not get the chance? Maybe, he was there to greet them as Tulron was there to meet me? Either way that cat has not given me enough information, a beast would think that Borhelm with that ever-open mouth might expertly fill me in on the things that I missed. Ogre hesitantly made his way over to the other beasts, sniffing the air experimentally, trying to get a whiff of their temperaments. Almost everything he said was useful, but there is so much here that I must learn, I need to find a beast that I can ask directly. Borhelm already managed to get the other beasts to their footpaws and on their way just as Ogre entered their makeshift camp. The boar clanked over to space in the jumble of towering roots that looked different from the mass about them. Roots rose above them in a vaulted ceiling, leaving bare grass beside a path of flagstones that lead into the tangle. A soft blue light spilled from the great space making the shade of the canopy beyond seem darker. As the group with Borhelm approached the glowing space the fox separated from them and waited for Ogre to draw close. Most of what he could smell of the group was old blood, much of it odd as if from creatures he did not know and some blood from animals like themselves. There was scent of expectation, excitement, and a hunger for power that stabbed into his nose like needles. The fox smelled sly, a scent that was both hopeful and filled with despair, a scent of complete ease and fear that made him want to swallow. It grew strong and then weak before vanishing almost so completely that Ogre thought he imagined it. The fox was tall, at least an ear or so taller than Ogre, but he was not so wide as the dog. He had a black muzzle, paws and ears and short red fur with white on the neck and chest mostly hidden by the same tunic that Ogre had. ¡°What level are you?¡± The creature asked him. When the dog took too long to respond, he spoke again, too quickly. ¡°¡­Good, don¡¯t tell anybeast what level you are¡­you won¡¯t have much choice with higher leveled adventurers with the appraisal skill, but it will only help you to be careful.¡± Ogre raised a brow at the fox before a question suddenly occurred to him. ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± The fox hesitated, but the only indicator of surprise was a slight widening of its large almond shaped eyes. He obviously did not expect the question. ¡°I do not recall anything before the tutorial levels and I¡¯m sure the others do not also, though I would not recommend you ask them. They may find some way to manipulate the fact that you have less information than they.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± This fox is too keen on telling how dubious the beasts here are¡­I need to be careful. ¡°I usually don¡¯t speak this long without exchanging names¡­I¡¯m Ogre¡­wait, you recall what happened in your tutorial levels?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± A scent of slyness, this time like rancid butter covered in honey, flared and died in Ogre¡¯s nose. He knows I do not know, but I can¡¯t worry about that¡­I need some answers, maybe he¡¯ll slip up trying to win me over? ¡°What can you tell me about the tutorial, do you really already have weapons and armour? If so, why aren¡¯t you wearing any of it?¡± The fox smiled. ¡°We should be friends maybe we can form a team and I can fill you in as best as I can, Ogre.¡± Ogre paused, ¡°What do you want in return¡­for your knowledge?¡± ¡°Once we form a team, we¡¯ll get the ability to designate a leader, give me that post I¡¯ll make sure to take care of you Ogre.¡± Said the fox, ¡°We canines are considered the lowest of the low in this land. Sticking together is the key to survival. I don¡¯t want to upset you but it dangerous here, beyond the ridiculously powerful Tower Guardians, the other beasts here are not shy about killing. More beasts made it through the tutorial levels than what you see here.¡± ¡°What are you saying, fox?¡± ¡°Please call me Lam,¡± Said the fox, ¡°This place, this world, these worlds are not straight-forward. There are many beasts who are hiding things and willing to do almost anything to improve their lot in life. However, more than that we are not simple adventurers. Are you aware of our true purpose here?¡± The dog went still, ¡°what do you mean? I was told that we all come from different worlds to become heroes and increase the power of our so-called Masters.¡± ¡°That is the simple answer, power is important here. However, there is a lot more to it. They are seeking those who can become High Heroes of Yore.¡± ¡°Yes¡­I was told. They seek them to make the cats more powerful.¡± ¡°Be careful how you refer to them, dog!¡± Lam snapped, ¡°It¡¯s not just geopolitical or simply based on caste. It¡¯s about the World-Eater.¡± Ogre scrunched up his face, ¡°Who or what is the World-Eater?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the reason why I can become a great friend to you, I know things that you do not.¡± Said the fox holding up an outstretched paw. Ogre stretched his fore paw out to take Lam¡¯s, before thinking. The fox jerked back, as if struck then scowled, before smoothing his angular face. ¡°Sorry about that, Ogre. I¡¯m a little jumpy. So will you join with me?¡± Ogre looked at the fox. Then he stepped back, shaking his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you did tell me to be careful.¡± Lam¡¯s face tightened, but the smile that came to his face seemed easy. ¡°You are free to do as you like, but I can tell you are strong, I can smell it. The others are likely between level 1-10. Though one or two might be as high as level 20. The fox paused as if considering whether or not he should tell Ogre something, ¡°I like you, Ogre. Even if you don¡¯t want to be friends, I like you and I don¡¯t want you to die. So, I¡¯ll give you this information. They¡¯re going to try to kill you and take what you have.¡± Level One Ogre trailed behind Lam, trying to figure out if the fox was telling the truth. What he smelled from the beasts was of little help, it was a confusing collage of their natural scents combined with the sharp odor of hot emotion. Even the camp where they rested still smelled strongly of them. That scent of blood that rested about them could have easily belonged to the creatures they killed in their tutorial levels. And with the strange way time behaved in the tower, it could have passed differently for them than it did for Ogre. There is nothing for it, for now I will just need to stay on guard. Ogre thought as he picked up his pace to enter into the luminous space in the gap between the Tree of Cosm¡¯s roots. Borhelm¡¯s voice carried in the vaulted space echoing loudly. He was bragging about the sum of dungeon raids, and world quests that he had the privilege of participating in. The group of beasts about him seemed only to half-listen to his words. The light radiated from a vast square of what looked like perfect pale green crystal, nearly as clear as glass. Large glowing lines of concentric circles in every color of the rainbow painted its surface. Runes made up those perfect lines, spiraling and making patterns of impossible detail within the visible borders of the lines. The colors repeated but the shades were all different. Ogre counted at least twenty-one different symbols all wonderfully complex, all unique. The crystal square floated just a paw from the strange grass of the tower and before it statues rose from the ground, on glossy black and white marble plinths. The gray stone statues had many forms, bearing various types of clothing, armour, weapons or objects. The creatures wearing them had flat faces and longer strands of fur on their heads than the rest of their bodies. Looking at them gave Ogre a chill. ¡°Approach at your leisure, touch the statue that you wish to be your class, and then you will be offered a nature.¡± Said Borhelm, ¡°I recommend you all to go for cleric or soldier, that way you get a shield and mace, both of which is bane to armoured foes.¡± Ogre quickly checked off two classes that he would definitely not pick. The dog snorted not caring if it was arbitrary. Tulron did suggest I become a rogue, as if I¡¯d give that pointy eared cat the satisfaction! Ogre waited until most of the other beasts chose their statues. It was a quick affair. Ogre whittled down the class that he could choose from by three but there were still many to choose from. It seemed that he boar only mentioned a handful of them. The dog passed a statue with a harp and lute, another with a sword and shield and several more, all bearing lance or spear or nothing at all. That statue gave Ogre pause. The flat faced creature had both arms behind its back and it¡¯s mouth was opened wide. The dog could only guess at what it represented. Was it a singer, an orator, a speaker or something else? Ogre moved on. Most of the other beasts in the group were done. Ogre could assume it was because their Status Mirror already gave them an idea of what class they wanted. Or, they just had a longer time to consider than the dog. Ogre paused between two statues. One was taller than the other and held a sword that was as tall as it was. The second held two axes in its paws. Ogre recalled a series of class names in his Status Mirror picking any of them would have been acceptable. ¡°Hey, Master Borhelm, you said that you wouldn¡¯t interfere didn¡¯t you?¡± Ogre touched both statues, imagining himself wielding massive swords in both paws. He would need to be strong to wield a greatsword, however, he would have to be a lot stronger than that to wield two. A halo of sigils appeared over each statue, slowly spinning until they became a uniform blur of multihued light. Every color melded, every nature was represented. In a blink of the eye, they vanished and Ogre blinked seeing brilliant multihued light flashing over his muzzle coming from something fixated above his head. ¡°Piglets play, and in this world the strong need only survive. You were not reprimanded for what you did earlier, correct? Limit your greed to your social class strata and you will be fine. Maggots are needed to eliminate dead flesh. And the weak¡­they are already dead.¡± The raucous laughter of Borhelm made Ogre wince and turn to look at the boar. As he did, he felt something strike his side. His footpaws left the stone. He tumbled through the air, and bounced along the ground as his chest seized and air blew from his lungs. Darkness cladded his vision in an abrupt murk that took long moments to clear, as he desperately tried to breathe. Copper filled his mouth, and the smell of blood filled his nostrils; his blood. The pain struck him like an afterthought. His right side felt as if it was on fire, his insides, bubbling with agony. He screamed as he bled and nearly passed out as more pain flooded him with each movement of his body. Ogre looked at the world about him with tears in his eyes. He could not help it. The space around him was quiet, he could not smell anything over the pungent copper of his blood. It took him precious moments to see the group of weasels approaching him from the beasts that had gone before him. They were headed by two wolverines, one of which leveled an arbalest at Ogre before firing once more. The bolt shot through his right paw, which he raised to shield himself, tearing flesh and twisting bones before it struck Ogre between his eyes with a booming crack. Warmth flowed between his eyes and his forehead felt as if there was a weight attached to it but Ogre knew that he did not have much time. I have seven and a half seconds before I die, less if I get hit again! The world about him sharpened, his heart pounded and he moved at the deadliest member of the group that attacked him. He no longer had time to think. The world went silent, and his body flushed so hot that he felt as if he was burning up. Ogre felt an incredible surge in his body filling him to bursting with vigor. The two wolverines were surprised that he charged so many of them, so much so that only the arbalest had the chance to raise the huge iron-bound crossbow between him and the dog as a shield. Ogre acted without thought, opening his maw wide and catching both weapon and the carcajou in his jaws. The great bands of muscle in his skull stood in relief as wood splintered, iron groaned and snapped, and skull-bone cracked like bolts of lightning close enough to touch. Even with its skull crushed the wolverine tore at him with its claws, its death throes making the blows strong enough to break and crack them and the bones of its paws. This time the dog could not feel any of it, but his fleshed seemed to grow harder as his life ebbed. Ogre spat out blood, beast, and weapon, and stumbled away from the other carcajou, who took a minute to check on its companion. They shot me in the head¡­right in between my eyes, how am I still alive? The thoughts came and fled from him in an instant. Ogre had to focus on the present. But his mind raced. Life ebbed from him in spurts and trickles from his wounds. The weasels circled him but did not make any move to join the fight. They would not have to. Ogre¡¯s life was fading, his stats dropping, his strength leaking from him slowly. After looking at the aftermath of Ogre¡¯s attack the wolverine no longer waited. It¡¯s eyes turned a glowing red. It seemed to grow bigger not just as its fur stood on end but with the thickness of muscle nearly twice its original size. Ogre felt something strike his footpaw and looked down at a red glass vial with bronze bands of color around its lip. The wolverine struck him before he had the chance to look up again or reach for the life the vial offered. Breath left him for a second time and blood painted the sky above him as he slammed into the ground. Twin Axes appeared in the carcajou¡¯s paws and slammed into Ogre¡¯s chest. The dog tried to scream but blood fountained from his nose and mouth choking him. The beast straddled him and sent blow after blow onto his body, so quickly so viciously that Ogre could do little to stop the mad attack. Half a dozen times the axes struck his monstrous head and bounced from his skull like pebbles skimming on water. Blood painted them both when the axes found purchase in his chest, limbs, and abdomen. He¡¯s killing me! Ogre thought willing his body to move, to fight for his life. Once the bleed dmg hit, he would bleed out and die. The dog reached up and grabbed the forepaws of his assailant, who lurched down to bite his throat and finish him. Ogre opened his mouth wide, taking the wolverine¡¯s head and neck into his jaws before biting deep. Bones crunched, fur, flesh, and cartilage gave way and blood gushed into his mouth and throat. Almost immediately the carcajou stopped moving. Ogre¡¯s heart pounded loudly in his ears driving his blood towards rents in his arteries and veins all over his body, where they would spray into the open air and empty his life on the strange too perfect grass and flagstones. He blinked at the approaching blackness forming his eyes, feeling his strength leave him. He saw the elixir at his paws and reached for it. His limbs felt so heavy. His paws grasped for his salvation, claws just touching just as a weasel¡¯s paw closed over the vial. Despair filled him. Pain crippled him. There was no hope now. He was dead. Nervous bestial laughter rolled over him as if from a bad dream. The sounds of the weasels venting their fear in celebration of ending him. Suddenly, gut-wrenching yells and sounds of fighting floated above him. Paws jerked open his slack jaw and cleared away the gore and bones lodged deep before pouring what felt like ice and fire down his throat. Ogre wanted to scream but he did not have the strength. Life ebbed back into him before his heart pushed it back out. It felt like minutes but only fractions of a second passed. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Godlion¡¯s black fang, live you mutant-headed cur!¡± A familiar voice cursed, as more ice and fire was poured down his throat. ¡°I can¡¯t hold them all off. You¡¯re going to have to keep fighting!¡± Ogre floated in darkness on the edge of life and death. He seemed to live and die over and over as the bleeding drained him and elixir sustained his life. He heard the beast rummaging over the bodies near him and heard the stoppers being pulled from more vials. Ogre opened one eye, as his health reached one hundred percent. In another three heartbeats it was down to ninety. His chest seemed to shake with force of his heart pounding against his broken ribs and torn flesh sending vibrations through to his wounded organs. More blood leaked from his mouth as he stood. Ogre guessed he should have been happy that his heart beat so quickly now as it had slowed before and made him grow cold and sleepy. He checked his health again. His stats were already down by half, with his recent wounds and the severe bleeding was still killing him. The Elixir cannot heal my wounds or stop my bleeding, no matter what I do I¡¯m going to die! Ogre looked at the weasels and the beast that helped him. The fox held a gash on his side and his eyes drooped a bit but three weasels were down, badly injured or dead. Lam held a long bloody knife in the paw that did not clutch his side. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but you are still bleeding severely,¡± Said Lam, ¡°You will need to level up¡­here.¡± Ogre took the elixir and downed it quickly before draining four more after it. Lam gave him ten more after that, all dark red vials shaped like small teardrops capped in dull bronze at the top with a tan stopper. It took only a thought for the vials to disappear into his inventory. Ogre didn¡¯t really understand how he did it nor did he have time to. He picked up the two pig iron axes. His paws were wet with blood and gore, that squelched between his phalanges. So I must kill as many of my enemies as I can before I go? Is it to help you out Fox¡­at the very least I can help you survive! But I don¡¯t even know how to level up or what wisdom, exp, or soulweight can do to help me. ¡°I¡¯ll slay as many as I can, Lam, run while I distract them.¡± Ogre shot forward. ¡°No you fool, dog! You will heal fully if you level up, get enough wisdom or exp and you will live! How much will you need?¡± Ogre moved as if he was fighting all his life, the flow of the axes felt right as they spun in his paws. But the words invigorated him. He hacked into the shoulder of one weasel as it tried a clumsy parry far too slow for the dog. The flesh gave easily. How much will I need level up? The thought was answered with a banner. What does that mean in terms of wisdom and exp? Ogre calculated, splitting a weasel¡¯s skull in three parts with blows that once bounced off his mammoth head. He was already stronger than they were, but he was growing weaker as his injuries drained his stats and life. Ogre breathed in deep, the weasels about him were getting set. Some had shields and swords, others, spears. He was grateful that none of the ones remaining had any bows or crossbows. The dog summoned the elixirs in his inventory with a thought and drained five back-to-back. He could not afford to get hit or to wait. He was a third less powerful as he was before the carcajou put a bolt through him. Ogre opened his maw, baring fangs to the root ceiling above him and howled his frustration and pain to the vaults above. Ogre froze, a slow vicious grin painting his muzzle with his red teeth. That is fortunate! They fell before him like wheat to a scythe, screaming as they were disemboweled, roaring as they fought for life, and whimpering as they died. The twin axes were special, they carved through iron-banded shields with great ease hacking off the limbs underneath. Some shields rebuffed him but he came back with a savagery of a beast one paw already in the grave. They cut him deep but the skill: Bloodlust gave him enough health to reduce the cost of severe bleeding and with the conditional passive of Deathknoll he had enough time to call forth the last of his elixirs. At full health Bloodlust would have run out in less than seven minutes, draining from him as the blood leaked from his red soaked form. However, as his health dipped his vigor surged from Trollblood Vigor, giving him a greater pool of vigor points to call forth. Ogre roared again, lifting a weasel overhead before clamping his jaws over its lithe torso, tunic and all and biting deep. It screamed and gurgled spraying blood from its maw as it drowned in its blood. Ogre tossed the broken body down and waded into another group of the weasels. His vigor points replenished itself as quickly as it ran out. At full health, the vp did not reset but Bloodlust was stretched and compressed as elixir and bleed warred for his life within his sweat, gore, and blood-soaked form. Eventually, Bloodlust left him. It took minutes for Ogre to activate Bloodlust again. It wasn¡¯t enough. Ogre felt panic rise in his chest as he swung the two axes at the same time at a weasel with a pair of daggers. What could it give me with its death? Fifteen more insight? What would that help? There were four more weasels left after the rogue with the daggers. If they had similar wisdom and exp as the others he was doomed. Ogre looked to the rest of the group that had yet to attack. They watched the fight carefully, stepping well out of the way. Many of them smelled afraid. They are too weak then, even if I could kill them in cold blood would it matter? Ogre calculated it quickly, feeling as if his mind was working faster than it should. No, not if they are at similar levels as the weasels. Two loud ¡®clangs¡¯ touched his ears what seemed like a heartbeat after his axes were parried up and wide. The daggers crossed his body in an ¡®x¡¯ pattern splashing blood over him and his assailant. The weasel grinned as Ogre stumbled back in shock. The other thirteen managed to strike him here and there, but they were all glancing blows, with barely enough force to make him pause. These blades cut deep. The cuts burned, his entire body hurt, the dog shook with the pain, swallowing the whimper that tried to leak between his clenched teeth. He looked at the other weasels, some of them were clad in pieces of plate, chainmail shirts or thick dark leathers. They were higher level than even the carcajou if they were all as strong as the Rogue. The weasel with the two daggers slipped close enough to embrace Ogre bringing one dagger in tight to his gut, a feint as the other slowly moved towards his eyes. His axes were still up where the beast parried them, so he brought them down, like a pair of thunderbolts. The weasel could not scream but the blood painted them both in arterial deep red. It was a critical attack, such damage couldn¡¯t be anything less than that. Ogre drug the axes from the torso of the weasel where they met and let the pieces of the creature drop to the ground before him. The wounded status no longer drained his stats but they were less than half of what they were before. All save for his power and hp and bloodlust boosted both. He turned to the other weasels most of which would have more health than the Rogue and roared his battle cry. He had less than nine seconds left before he bled out. Bloodlust drained from him once more. It was not enough. He was lucky the weasels he felled had elixir, they brought him so low together that he had use every one of the vials as he fought. It took minutes, and many vials and yet he still bled. Ogre was back up to twenty-two seconds of life, when Lam approached him, warily. ¡°You haven¡¯t leveled up yet have you? Why? You must have absorbed enough wisdom and exp to reach level 30 by now.¡± 20 seconds before he would die. ¡°No¡­¡± Said Ogre, ¡°I need 1000 insight to get from level 0 to level 1.¡± ¡°What!¡± The fox exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re level 0? And it takes you¡­a¡­thousand insight? That¡¯s not possible, for everybeast else it was only one. For me it was one.¡± Ogre smiled at Lam, ruefully. It would be that much harder for me, it¡¯s not enough that I¡¯m a dog in a cat¡¯s world! ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter¡­I¡¯m dead¡­I don¡¯t have enough insight.¡± ¡°¡­What about the others?¡± Lam asked. ¡°If you slay them, would it be enough?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t do anything to me, Lam.¡± Said Ogre trying the fox¡¯s name out. ¡°You will die¡­Ogre, we are running out of options.¡± ¡°I am out of options.¡± 15 seconds Left. ¡°You could ask, Borhelm, I¡¯m sure he has a higher grade of elixir that may heal internal bleeding.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even have enough time to try to convince him. Slaying those weasels only worked because I got elixir as some of the loot from their bodies. Talking to him might be useless, he¡¯ll likely use up the time I have by speaking about himself¡­no Lam, there is no point. I¡¯m going to die.¡± 10 seconds. ¡°Borhelm said¡­¡± Lam looked morose as he spoke, pausing as he looked at Ogre and then away. ¡°Soulweight could be used to unlock the full wisdom from a monster gem. But that is useless. I don¡¯t even think beasts have them. And worse only cats and those they deem worthy have even seen soulweight.¡± Ogre looked away from Lam towards the two statues that he touched. Did he really see all the natures dance over them before their light circled his head? ¡°I have soulweight. I got it as I slew those weasels.¡± 5. ¡°The gems?¡± Lam said hopefully. Ogre looked up at his tone and thought of an item he got as loot from the wolverines. The uncut gem was dark brown and weighed less than it should have by the way it fit his hand. The dog touched the gem, reaching out with his mind in desperation and offering a bit of the soulweight he gathered. 3. The gemstone glowed with a brown light, as Insight trickled into him, lowering the sum he needed. Hope rushed into him as hot as fire, as bright as the sun. He was about to die and he could save himself! 2. He put every bit of soulweight that he could into the gem. 1. Darkness took him. His eyes closed as if they were tied to mountains and cast into an abyss and ice clad him where warmth once leaked from him. I¡¯m too late. I figured out a way to live too late. If only I had longer.
Pleasure flooded him in impossible golden waves. His wounds closed and healed. His body filled with might and vitality that made his heart roar with the song of the mighty. But most of all it was the sweet goodness of it that shivered through his body from the claws of his footpaws to the tips of the hairs on his ears. It felt so good, it hurt so sweetly. His senses soared. The world grew brighter, more detailed, impossibly so. A soft wind that he could not feel before embraced him in a warmth that not even a mother could duplicate. It was too good. Abruptly it was gone. And it left Ogre wanting, needing more. He howled his lost to the vaulted roots above him. A Castle For A Copper Moaning shook him from his daze and wetness slicked the hairs about his eyes and down his cheeks. His body felt so strong that he kept opening and closing his forepaws feeling the strength surge in his limbs. Who was weeping so piteously? Will they not shut up? Did he leave a weasel cruelly wounded, pained and dying? He shook himself, feeling the vibration in his throat go still. The moaning came from him. Embarrassment made that near all-encompassing lost a bit smaller, easier to shove down into a corner of his mind. Lam watched him with a wistful expression on his face, everybeast around them did, as if they were all drinking in his strength. No! That was not it! They know what it feels like. By the Hound in the Sky it was likely they felt that¡­bliss, more than once. Ogre shivered then pushed it back down. Borhelm was different than the others, a smirk of understanding contorted his great tusked face rather than vicarious memory. If he was truly a level 1000 hero, he would have felt that goodness a thousand times over. The fox was no longer holding his side. And the blood that painted him, likely both his and the beasts he killed was gone. All the blood that spilled in pools, which did not sink into the strange grass and flagstones, was gone. Ogre recalled dimly watching the brown and fresh red gore evaporate from his body when he leveled up. The dog considered the chaotic body shivering, muscle blistering battle he just had. Images of the brutality, both committed upon him and by him flashed behind his eyes. It should have made him fold under pressure of ending so many, just to save his own life. However, he felt nothing. There was nothing but a longing for the bliss. You must decide now, Ogre! The dog said to himself. It¡¯s too strong, too wonderful to pursue such a sweet prize, without trying to control it. I must control it! Ogre blinked, then scanned the area. The bodies of the fallen were also gone. Did they fade into smoke just like the blood? Are there no corpses left in this world? What about meat? The banner appeared summoned by his thought. And the thought of meat, the image of it floating his head, made his belly growl like distant thunder. Lam started at the sound, it was so loud so insistent that some of the others, mostly otters, and a pair of foxes must have heard it. Ogre recalled some of the other beasts eating bread and dried meat and cheese as Borhelm first spoke to him. But he did not want to wait to ask the long-winded boar. Ogre willed the dripping deep red meat into his paws. It was a thighbone but the meat on it had been striped from an entire body, nearly half a weasels full weight. It was wrapped tight around the bone and still it was a mound of glossy red flesh. From the corner of his eye, the dog saw Borhelm turn away from the sight. Lam sided up close to Ogre as he tore into the bloody meat. ¡°It¡¯s a wonder that we survived this¡­more so that you were able to conquer that ridiculous bleed damage.¡± Ogre growled at the fox for how near it was to his food. Then stopped embarrassed once again when the fox quickly stepped back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± He said, between great mouthfuls, ¡°I feel like I haven¡¯t eaten for a month!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I should know better than to get between a dog his evening bone,¡± ¡°Dhu wuu want anme?¡± Ogre asked, holding up the empty bone, before blinking at it, then looking suspiciously at the fox. ¡°I thought there was more.¡± ¡°Fresh meat is a luxury, at least from what I have seen in the tutorial levels and out here before you joined us, if you don¡¯t dress the meat or just eat it from the source, the body fades quickly after death.¡± Said Lam pulling up his Status Mirror and positioning his body so that only Ogre could see. ¡°However, I am fine for now, the tower gave us vittles. Meat, bread, cheese, and some sweet-tasting wine-elixir. It should be there in your inventory.¡± I need to check that thing in full it seems to be bursting with things I might want or need. Ogre summoned another leg wrapped with meat, after cracking the first and sucking the marrow from the bone. ¡°How do I cook this?¡± A fire abruptly appeared, it was ringed by smooth round stones and had two forked poles on either side of it. The thighbone with meat was replaced in Ogre¡¯s paws with a long iron bar through it¡¯s center that had a hand crank attached to one end. After a second of thought the dog placed the spit in its holders and began to turn it. A timer of 30 seconds ticked off in one corner of his eye, as transparent circles with a plus or minus sign appeared and vanished, indicating the speed at which he needed to turn the spit. Roasting meat filled his nose, and everybeast, including Borhelm, leaned in where they stood, fascinated by the process. The timer flashed red, but Ogre was a second too slow in pulling it from the spit. The meat went from glossy, pinkish brown to burnt at the edges with a fan of black painting it. Ogre quickly absorbed the information that the banners showed him but paused as he got an indication that his movement speed was down. The cooked meat had a different texture, but did not have the same natural flavor that the raw meat had. Still, the meat of the mustels had a strong odor associated with them and cooking helped to mitigate that. Also, there were different benefits just as the banners indicated. The dog ignored Lam¡¯s status, though he appreciated the trust the fox displayed by showing it to him. ¡°I will trust you to tell me what you will about your status mirror. You saved my life at the peril of your life and for that you have my trust.¡± Lam nodded. ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m level 22, I have enough insight to reach level 25, now. I think if you haven¡¯t already that you should learn as much as you can about your mirror and whatever information it can give you by asking it. Once I recover from leveling up I can give you a rundown of everything I know so far. I¡¯m guessing that you have no memory of what happened during your Tutorial Levels?¡± Ogre hesitated only a second. I thought as much, I don¡¯t know why I am the only one that does not recall but either the other beasts including Lam did not lost their memory or that great Boar told them everything they needed to know. ¡°I do not, do you, Lam?¡± ¡°For what I heard, all beasts here can recall what happened in the tutorial levels, but none of us remembers what came before. I just wanted to confirm that you did not remember, I¡¯ll just be a few minutes.¡± The dog nodded feeling sluggish. The hint in the explanation of the skill: Glutton said I should sleep or meditate. Perhaps it will help mitigate the status debuff I got from overeating? I will try to see If I can nap after receiving my weapons, class, and nature. Let me check my inventory first. Ogre willed every weapon that could be in his inventory before him. A pile of daggers, axes, swords, shields, spears, a greatsword, a great axe, and maul rested in the grass at his feet. He looked at the weapons and sorted them based on their damage, ore-type, and kind. He paired specific weapons with the beasts that did the most damage to him and looked closer at them. (S) Pig Iron Twin Axes [Hack] Dmg: 175 (x2) Req: Wt: 23 (x2) (S) Pig Iron Sword [Pierce + Slash] Dmg: 135 Req: Str/Dex 15 Wt: 18 (S) Pig Iron Spear [Pierce] Dmg: 165 Req: 20 Wt: 22 (S) Banded Pig Iron Shield & Short Sword [Blunt/Crush/Pierce/Slash] Dmg: -563/105 Req: Str 200 Wt: 100/15 (E) Pig Iron Giant Great Sword [Cleave + Lance + Blunt] Dmg: 200 Req: Str 500 Wt: 200 Ogre listed off his skills in his head asked the mirror to explain each one. The dog yawned mightily, feeling a lethargy spread over his body like a thick oil. His eyes became lidded, and he thought that a nap might do him some good. After hearing what the system said concerning each skill, he summed it up so that he could recall it later. Work-Hymn is a song that allows one to put fatigue to zero during the song and after, it slows the accumulation of fatigue. Fatigue is an after affect of vigor consumption, which occurs with each action above normal activity. The voice told him that battle was so intense that it was by far the greatest contributor to fatigue, and that only near-death experiences effected the body more. Fatigue is that important? Ogre considered. The voice explained that like severe bleeding and other status debuffs high fatigue affects one¡¯s status to extreme levels, from making one be more susceptible to ailments, debuffs, and negative status, up to death by sheer exhaustion. So sleep, meditation and specific skills can reduce fatigue. I will need to keep an eye on fatigue as it will impact my ability to fight, and I can¡¯t readily see it. I can feel it though. Bloodlust I know by experience, I used it and it was used on me by that carcajou. Battle-Cry can also reduce fatigue, but I do think it is temporary. It also debuffs foes and buffs me and my allies. I¡¯ll have to use it to see exactly how. Telescopic-Eye is useful for ranged attacks and scouting as it can increase eyesight to an incredible degree. Silver-Tongue allows me to get better deals when dealing with merchants or in any exchange of goods, services, or jules. Ogre sniffed. It¡¯s value will be made evident later when we get to a town or city. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The passive skills activate automatically so I don¡¯t need to memorize how they work to use them but knowing what they do will allow me to understand how my body will respond to certain stimulus. Mule affects fatigue so much that even being on death¡¯s door will only affect me about half as much. That is likely why I could perform so well when fighting so many mustels. Workhorse, allows me to operate at extremely high levels, such as during battle, for as long as my super compensated fatigue holds out. Constitution increases my ability to weather fatigue, effectively doubling how long I can operate with fatigue inducing activities. Lethal-Paws allows an object to become as deadly a weapon as a sword in the paws one who does not have this passive. Charismatic may be the reason why Lam helped me. Hand-Eye-Coordination gives great control over my limbs. Veteran''s-Itch, gives an extra sense that reacts to danger. Durable makes me tougher to kill. Every one of those skills seems to fine tune me to battle. Ogre recalled his status mirror, the vocation and classes shown there. So that is what they are for they allow you to fight better with little to no training. It¡¯s powerful and very useful. Still, Learned, Visionary, and Eidetic fascinated him more. To Ogre it seemed that the kingdoms, empires, and high realms were just as deadly as creatures he was supposed to slay. That was embodied by what the cat said, what the boar explained and the fact that other adventurers tried to kill him. Learned gave him basic knowledge of all maps and advanced knowledge of all rulers, nations, and lands. It must only activate outside of this tower, as I cannot recall anything about any land right now. Eidetic allowed Ogre to have a perfect recall of what he saw. Visionary was a bit special; it was supposedly a passive skill, but it did not unduly affect his vision as the explanation of the skill indicated. Visionary is supposed to allow me to imagine in three-dimensional space and on top of that see everything around me precisely for ten paces, even if it is behind me. Perhaps looking behind me without turning my head is the active skill? Ogre turned his back to Lam and closed his eyes. Darkness and a small version of the status mirror waited behind his eyelids. He rolled his eyes in their sockets for a few minutes and was about to give up, when he sensed the small pin-print of light floating at the bottom corner of his eyes. It was hard to distinguish with the elaborate and bright status so readily available. When he peered into it the world opened to him. A circle of space opened to his questing mind, twenty paces across, with a radius of ten paces from where he stood in the center. At the periphery of this sight, a border vanished into darkness similar to the black of his eyelids, capping his new world. With a thought he could move his mind around in his bubble and even through the ground itself. Ogre could even change his perspective from a panoramic view that stretched and warped his sight to a top-down bird¡¯s eye view. This will be useful¡­especially being able to see through solid objects. Ogre opened his eyes and smiled. During the battle with the mustels he took more than a few wounds when some of them attacked him from behind. With this skill he could see the battlefield around him so well that no one should be able to sneak behind him if he were careful. With a thought Ogre allowed the piles of weapons to vanish back into his inventory save for three. The axes felt good in his paws, but the greatsword had a weight to it that felt right. During the battle Ogre knew that he moved and fought as if he had more than a little experience in fighting. Even if he did not directly remember his time in the Tutorial Tower Levels, it seemed that his body had muscle memory associated with battle. The axes felt comfortable in his paws. Would any weapon feel the same? What did I get up to in those levels? Ogre thought. The dog switched both axes to one paw before picking up the greatsword. It was heavy in one hand, hard to bring the tip up from the ground, holding the pommel of the sword. It weighs as much as I do, barring the weight of the food in my belly. Ogre had a thought. The dog placed the hilt of the greatsword between his teeth. In his jaws it was easy to lift. It should be no wonder I¡¯m sure strength has something to do with damage. And If I¡¯m right about that my neck and jaws are stronger than my arms and even legs. Ogre touched his head, self-consciously. Both Tulron and Borhelm commented on the size of my head. If it is truly monstrous, I will use it to my strength. Ogre realized that he had already done just that. Both wolverines fell to him by fatal bites. Ogre dropped the greatsword from his mouth, and sent the axes to his inventory. He then picked up the greatsword with his paws. The other beasts were still watching him. They did not attack with the mustels, but they did not lend a paw to help either. He would not trust them. Should I trust them? Is there a lesson to be learned from what happened? Should I be more trusting? Lam obviously saved my life. Even if his warning did not stop the attack, he did join in the battle to help me. I know for certain without his help I would be dead! I had no idea about the elixir. The dog felt a strange warmth for the beast. He bled for me. He, at least I can trust. Plus, I need the fox. Borhelm barely gave me any good information concerning this place. Ogre sought Lam out by looking over the space. The area was spacious enough that even the vast crystal square close to the trunk, easily a hundred paces high and wide did not make the area feel cramped. So, the thirty or so beasts spread over the alcove needed to be observed with more than one sweep of his eyes. If I could increase the range of Visionary by one hundred-fold then I can watch them all at once. Ogre thought. The dog knew that given the impossible size of the tree, he should not be surprised at grandness of the alcove near it. The opening to this place did not do it justice! Borhelm stood close to center of the statues watching them, primarily Ogre and mumbling to himself. Ogre ignored the words. His battle took him all about the center of the space, which in turn pushed the others to the edges, near the mountainous wall of roots. Lam was where Ogre left him, just twenty paces behind him, opposite where the boar waited. He looked to be done with his leveling, but his eyes had that glazed look to him and when Ogre sniffed in his direction his nose filled with the scent of unmitigated joy. The smell nearly made him feel sad. It would be a long time before he could feel that pleasure again. Be careful, Ogre! Even that cat told you to be careful! Ogre took a deep breath and looked away from Lam. The dog steeled himself and then strode for Borhelm. ¡°That was quite impressive, dog, I was not sure you would make it even when you defeated them all. Especially when you did not immediately level up to heal yourself!¡± The boar said. The words surprised Ogre. They were probing words, seeking answers to questions that Borhelm did not want to ask directly. Why? He is powerful enough that I cannot do anything to him, right? Why the charade? ¡°I am¡­lacking information that the others have, Master Borhelm.¡± ¡°That is an answer that I did not think you had the wit for, Ogreen.¡± Said Borhelm, he ground one of the spikes on his giant mace into the flagstones. It seemed to be an unconscious action of boredom. Now, Ogre was not so sure that the affectation was real. The dog forced his breathing to be even. The boar was obnoxious at best, and he gave those beasts leave to slay him. ¡°Why did you let them¡­attack me?¡± Ogre froze as he said it, then cursed his bubbling anger for making him speak so openly on how he felt. I cannot afford to make this beast mad at me right now. I must get strong first! Borhelm groaned, then took his beady eyes from Ogre and peered at his mace as if it was more important than Ogre¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s disappointing, dog, why would I stop them? They are not the only beasts with blood on their hooves. Every creature who made it through the Tutorial Levels had to slay their peers, including you. Yet you do not ask, why I didn¡¯t stop you. Did you?¡± ¡°They attacked me first, and my name is Ogre, not Ogreen!¡± Said Ogre, ¡°You let nearly twenty of the beasts attack one? How is that fair? If it is to ensure only the strong is allowed to leave this tower than it should not be determined by such treacherous methods. Another beast would have died.¡± ¡°Other beasts have already died¡­in their hundreds and thousands and much, much more. What do I care about fairness or even strength? I care only if you can survive and if you survive such treachery perhaps you will make it in the world beyond. Perhaps you¡¯ll become the pet of a cat, though I do think you¡¯ll get yourself killed way before then. I see those eyes, dog. You want to slay me right now, even though I¡¯m centuries beyond your capabilities.¡± Ogre opened his mouth to deny it, then closed it words left unspoken on his tongue. Borhelm leaned in close to Ogre. Despite his success with the mustels, just seeing the massive size of the boar was enough to make him want to draw back. Somehow, he held his ground. ¡°You are brave, you are willing to face death snout-first and you are willing to slay many to save your hide.¡± Borhelm said, he clasped Ogre on the shoulder with a great metal gauntlet. ¡°I wish to give something to you for the fighting spirit you showed in that battle. Will you accept it, Ogre?¡± The dog blinked and looked down. He was still angry at the boar, but if he truly meant to kill Borhelm for the part he played, wouldn¡¯t he have to kill the other beasts who ignored his plight? Ogre told the boar, that the fight was not fair. Was it fair to require them to put their lives on the line for him? They could have warned me! Ogre knew that Lam did warn him. And yet that warning did not stop the ambush from happening. ¡°I will not accept something unless I know what it is.¡± Borhelm smiled broadly displaying his tusks and large blunt teeth in a grisly manner. They were startlingly white. ¡°It is a gift of wisdom and soulweight. One that will multiply your strength if you survive this world as you survived those weasels.¡± Is it a wisdom bonus? The bonus from Tulron is one of the best reasons why I had enough to be able to level up and get fully healed of the severe bleeding. Though it was not quite enough. If he¡¯s offering this, wouldn¡¯t I be a fool to past it up? ¡°What do you want me to do, to acquire this gift, Master Borhelm?¡± ¡°You have already done it, dog,¡± Said the boar, ¡°You have earned my respect. Will you accept a token of it?¡± Ogre clenched his teeth and forced his muzzle to stay smooth. He wanted to snarl at Borhelm. But what about Lam? My initial thoughts about him were wrong. He bled for me, he fought for me and gave up precious elixir so that I may live. Perhaps I misjudge Borhelm Son of Bearhand as well? Ogre wanted that logic to be the reason why his heart yearned for the chance to gather wisdom and exp faster. He would not allow it to be for the fact that he sweated when he thought about leveling up again. The thrill, the sheer life of it was¡­incredible. ¡°I will.¡± The boar nodded before speaking. ¡°The Lord of the Sky is the Godboar, Still, the Godlion hunts true, One tramples the day to night, The other makes the day anew. The end of Night, brings the Beginning of Day. A Noble¡¯s right: Master of Wisdom.¡± The words floated red before Ogre¡¯s eyes, like blood and fire intermingled. He accepted it with a thought. Fire scorched him, radiating from where the boar touched his shoulder. Ogre moaned and tried to move away. Borhelm held him fast. The boar sighed but his smile grew. ¡°They always accept, usually without even asking their mirrors what it means. I¡¯ll tell you, though I have not bothered to tell the others. You will have a three hundred percent increase in wisdom and exp gain, however I will take ninety nine percent of your soulweight and eighty-five percent of all of your insight. In short I offered you a copper jule and you gave me a castle.¡± Ogre¡¯s eyes bulged working out the math almost before the boar was finished. He doen¡¯t know that Tulron also gave me that buff. So, he thinks he¡¯s leaving me with just fifteen percent. But even with the one oh five percent that remains¡­that is¡­too much! Ogre growled then glaring at the giant boar with eyes of such anger that he had to clench his paws to keep from calling his axes. Still, there was a small part of him, that was rational. He will kill you. And though you may think you will be satisfied that he could not steal from you if you are dead, you would still be dead! The dog turned away from the boar grinding his teeth before he lifted his muzzle to the root ceiling and once more howled his fury to its vaults. The Dreamslayer Stareater Maul Chapter Four The Dreamslayer Stareater Maul Ogre stormed away, so angry that he trembled. How could that¡­that¡­fat pig steal from me? And he did it so openly as if I were a bug and he a sparrow that might eat that bug! The dog felt Borhelm¡¯s eyes on him, he kept seeing the self-assured greed on the creature¡¯s face. Strangely, he smelled nothing, but the creature¡¯s natural odor and the scent of fear from the other beasts. He does not fear me, obviously, he¡¯s so strong that there is no way I can do enough damage to him to make him worry. And that¡¯s even if he was paralyzed, asleep, and oblivious for a full year. Ogre ground his teeth making a sound like iron scraping stone echo out over the space. He walked away from the statues, the questions concerning classes, weapons, and armours unasked. I will not give that pig the satisfaction! A wave of tiredness flowed over him, nearly dampening his anger. With a thought he pulled out another pile of meat wrapped on a thigh bone. He cooked it on the spit to give his paws something to do, other than clench and unclench, imagining the boar¡¯s fat neck underneath them. A thought flashed in Ogre¡¯ head despite the anger burning there. How much weight can I hold, on my person and in my Inventory? Ogre lifted his meat from the spit and scowled. He ate it all despite what he saw ignoring the dry charcoal taste of the flesh. That too was Borhelm¡¯s fault. I cannot let down my guard just because one beast was decent towards me! Lam was a fox that acted out of character, most beasts do not¡­pigs will be pigs! After he ate his weight went up further. He felt full to bursting and knew that his stats, at least his agility, and speed would pay the price for his angry feasting. He sat there fuming, barely able to keep his eyes from drooping for a full minute before he succumbed and lapsed into sleep. Darkness clad him in frictionless velvety nothingness and his mind fled away from the tower like an arrow shot from a bow. When Ogre opened his eyes again, he saw a sky swimming in rainbow hues as if all the heavens were cast in a luminous pale opal. He blinked and looked about him in awe. Trees Stood in small groves dotting hills and dips in the land, all as clear as crystal, taking the light of the world and throwing more rainbows about them. Their leaves were like precious metals, electrum, orichalcum, and platinum. The ground below him had grass the color of transparent gold, that was like velvet to the touch. The mountains in the distance were chalky blue, white, or gray all with the consistency of drifting cloud. But they were shaped as if molded by sand and water on a great beach with impossible perfect paws. When Ogre looked up above the dome of the sky he saw rings of light, multicolor suns set in a diamondglass halo, like burning gemstones. The light settled on the dog, soothing his aches and pains, touching his heart and draining it of anger. What do I have to be angry for? The thought slipped past Ogre¡¯s mind like a sigh in the wind. He breathed in deep smelling flowers that grew and bloomed as he strolled near them. They smelled like joy and singing, the cold wash of spring water on a dry-parched throat and the golden sugared smell of sweetmeats. The petals were flexible gems, as if cut by master jewelsmiths. They made fields of purple alexandrite and blue sapphire that popped up as his eyes swept to the horizon, their stems and leaves translucent emerald or jade. Ogre sat down and just absorbed the sights, smells, and feelings of soothing comfort. It¡¯s so peaceful. Ogre closed his eyes and opened them again and the world changed. Day or what passed for day in the place became night. Ruddy moons, from new to full, replaced the suns in a scarlet-black sky. The golden light that gave the dog such comfort transformed into a red edged shadow that hid the lands save for a colossal chalice. The Chalice rested on the same hill as he, a few dozen paces away from him, as tall as a tree and wide as a cottage. It was transparent gold, with streaks of iridescent pearl inlay that did nothing to hide the strange liquid bubbling in its bowl. The lip of the chalice was star swept black, darker than the deepest night but filled with light of moving stars, and celestial storms of light and energy. Look away from it! A voice commanded him, and he obliged. He felt his eyes and heart longing to stare at that black material, well past the time when his bones were bleached, and his life was less than a memory lost in the oblivion of time. The voice sounded like his. Ogre shook himself and peered at the liquid in the chalice. It was strange. It smelled like a future storm, too massive to be contained in the chalice, barely able to be held by the confines of the plane itself and yet it was held within it. The liquid made Ogre feel heavy just by looking at it, but at the same time he felt as if it was lighter than air. The dog did not even recall walking up to the chalice, but he touched it and felt a bolt of energy run through him. It was a blissful feeling, one that he had felt once before. It is like leveling up! Ogre realized and a sudden burning passion to climb over that huge lip of star-swept black and drown himself in that liquid, ran through him. ¡°You do not yet know the taste of true power¡­and yet you long to destroy yourself with just a modicum of your potential.¡± Said a deep voice that he knew as well as he knew his heartbeat. ¡°You are unworthy of your Vessel.¡± Every hair stood on end, as Ogre watched a large form walk from the other side of the chalice and look at him with pale blue-green eyes, swimming in purple-pink sclera. The head was as massive as his own, but the body was so muscular that it balanced it out. The paws were larger and thicker, the claws like a bear¡¯s, the canines longer and stronger, snow-white and glowing in the night. ¡°You let that buffoon fool you, that walking meat, that boar! And you let him make you angry before you can sate your anger with blood. Pathetic. A Berserker without strength, is a day without the sun¡­you are nothing.¡± Ogre finally found his tongue. ¡°You and I are the same are we not? You smell like me, you almost look like me, what are you?¡± The dog in front of him growled so viciously that Ogre¡¯s bowels turned to water. He stepped close and blasted Ogre with a blistering breath that smelled like his. ¡°Do we look the same?¡± He roared. ¡°You and I, pup, do I snivel like you?¡± The dog before him stretched out his arms balling huge paws into fists as thick around as Ogre¡¯s thigh, its fingers as thick as his wrist. It¡¯s body seemed to grow as he did, the limbs thickened, the chest and back grew heavier and even the head larger. This was a true monster. ¡°Look at me¡­truly look at me and see the truth.¡± Ogre felt his mouth drop open. No, this beast despite the many similarities between them could not be him. ¡°These numbers are impossible¡­aren¡¯t you a level zero, you haven¡¯t even leveled up?¡± ¡°You are weak, you waste the magnificent of our Vessel¡­And for that alone you deserve death.¡± His body going cold, Ogre reached out both paws and felt the twin S-class pig iron axes fall into them. He was a mole versus a mountain, but he would fight even if he didn¡¯t get a chance to swing his axes in defense. Another thought occurred to him, and he willed the pig iron greatsword from his inventory. He grasped the hilt of the greatsword easily in his teeth. The other dog grinned baring fangs that were as welcoming as a bloodcurdling scream. Pink drool leaked from those too white fangs. ¡°There is hope for you yet¡­but you will beat your body into bloody stone and mud until it is forced to know strength. Grind your bones to ash, shred your muscle to pudding and wear out your hide until you can see through it. Give it all that you have, and you will not have to face me. Give me less than everything and I will show you pain.¡± Sweat made the axes in Ogre¡¯s paws slip until he held then at the base of their axe heads. He can do whatever he wants to me, can¡¯t he? I cannot resist him at all! ¡°What do you want from me? What will it take to spare me!¡± The dog before him shifted and twitched as if barely constrained by a fraying lease. He howled to the sky of the strange world stretching claws that were like knives. ¡°Strength,¡± He said, before roaring a skill name, ¡°Bloodlust!¡± A shockwave of force seemed to peel the fur and the flesh from his bones and yet Ogre was forced to stay where he was, petrified by the skill. His heart quivered and a gibbering fear so great that it eclipsed even the pleasure from leveling up, filled him. It turned his mind to mush. He was not even aware when the other dog attacked and even if he had been, it would have been impossible to perceive its charge. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Ogre woke with a yelp, feeling his heart pound, his body being torn asunder by that mad hound. The dog lashed out flailing his axes and swinging the greatsword in his maw, like a mad wind. Howls, shouts, calls of panic and a deep rumbling laugh over it all took a long time to reach the dog. When it did, he dropped to his knees breathing as if he had run for leagues without rest, soaked to tip of his fur with sweat. Even after he stopped flailing it took long minutes before he saw the world around him. During that time his nose was filled with the stench of his own fear, his body shook, and mind replayed and slowed down his ruthless dismemberment. So much damage¡­I¡¯d have to be soo strong to survive even a second after that berserk thing attacked! ¡°Are you well, Ogre?¡± Asked Lam, cautiously walking up, until he was five paces away, ¡°I wager that Borhelm cheated you somehow, judging by your reaction, but you cannot defeat him yet. You must level up first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not¡­Borhelm.¡± Ogre said flatly after a stretch of silent breathing, ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. I must get strong though, that we can agree on.¡± The fox looked at Ogre with concern. ¡°What did he do to you, Ogre?¡± The dog peered at Lam form the corner of his eye, then at the beasts who made sure they were many paces away from them. ¡°I¡­He¡­It is unimportant for now, Lam¡­what I need to know now is things that will help me on my way.¡± That gift from Tulron, the fourfold increase to wisdom and exp¡­I¡¯m sure he would not like that a boar, a creature that is not a cat, supplanted it. I can use this to get back at that Boar¡­but I don¡¯t like that, Cat. He is nearly as bad as the pig, or worse. How much did he steal from him? Surely, knowing is better than not remembering the depths of my lost? Is he worst? Does it matter that I don¡¯t recall him stealing from me? Ogre shook his head trying to clear it of the annoying thought. ¡°How was your leveling, Lam?¡± ¡°I used all of my insight, but I have yet to use the status points¡­¡± Said Lam walking closer. ¡°I plan on saving them until, we reach the Town of Beginnings. ¡°The Town of Beginnings? I have not heard of this.¡± Ogre pulled up his status and pinpointed the status points next to his Heroic Level. Thirty-two points. They must not be worth that much considering in some of my stats I have over a thousand of them at level one. Wait¡­my debuffs from overeating are they gone now? I feel I lot lighter now. But¡­how is it¡­Am I heavier? ¡°It will be where we head after we leave the Tower. They will have an Adventurer¡¯s Guild and resources that we can use to slay monsters, gather jules, and raise our levels. Borhelm told us a little about it.¡± Ogre nodded. ¡°What about the status points?¡± ¡°They are quite valuable. Each point can raise a stat by 2%.¡± Said Lam, picking up either scent or tone that showed what the dog thought about the status points. ¡°You are, if you will forgive my callous words, a monster of an adventurer. No other beast as a level one can destroy level five and above adventurers with the same ease as you did. It is more impressive as you were level zero when you did it. Listen, Ogre, you must know that there are base differences between most beasts. Typically, it depends on their weight and body size. So, at level one Borhelm would likely still have more health, strength and other physical qualities than we who are a lot smaller than he is. However, your size is relative to the weasels so the points should almost be negligible and yet even when they were reinforced by leveling; tougher stronger, faster, and even cleverer than the common by two-fold at level five, and you thrashed them with ease. Not to mention the carcajou or the higher leveled weasels.¡± ¡°They were cowards that thought to slay me in a group, they were not confident in their abilities one on one, and so all I had to do was to separate them and slay them as quickly as possible.¡± Said Ogre. ¡°I used whatever means I could to survive.¡± ¡°Those means, that fighting intellect would have been brilliant in a beast, decades old. Under the time limit that you had and the different variables with the diverse levels, it is strange that you did not bleed out. You should have died.¡± Said Lam, ¡°Fighting intellect aside, your raw power overwhelmed our foes. And your head¡­I¡¯ve never seen weapons bounce off a skull like that, horns yes, a skull no.¡± Ogre went quiet, he did not realize that Lam saw that. Seeing his mood, Lam changed the subject. ¡°So, can I see the full extent of your stats? I will show you mine as well. It will be necessary if we are going to be a successful party.¡± Ogre thought of Borhelm and his trick, which made him pause. Don¡¯t be an idiot, Ogre, he literally risked his life to save yours. ¡°Yes of course.¡± ¡°Your intellect and the rest of the mental stats is higher than mine, why did you complement my fighting mind if yours was so much better?¡± Lam was still staring at Ogre stats, he seemed to be sweating. ¡°Your strength is as high as a level one hundred plus warrior and your other stats are on par or better than my best ones. What¡­oh¡­the mental stats are based on level and how far above common you are in relation to your level. At level twenty-five 250 is common for intellect, so I¡¯m about half as smart as others¡­not truly but for the sake of this example let¡¯s say it¡¯s true. However, for you, a level one, 10 is common, which would make you over eight times as smart as the common level one. In actuality, intellect just simply relates to a need to know. So, in truth your hunger to know things will be eight times greater than the average. And that is Artificer¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fascinating the way the Status Archaia works, there is so much to learn about the nuances of one¡¯s stats and the delicate balance that exists between them all.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°But it¡¯s unnerving to think that these stats have the power to influence how we think and what we desire.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Said Lam, clearing his throat, uncomfortable, before he ignored the dog¡¯s last words. ¡°But of course, there¡¯s more than one¡¯s status that you must take into consideration. Gear, apparel, armaments is also important. You would have died without elixir. And there are more than health vials to balance out the risks of being an adventurer. You would have learned much of this if you could recall what happened in the tutorial.¡± ¡°Speaking of that, what is with those special ¡®S¡¯-Class weapons? Where did those weasels get them from?¡± Lam called two daggers from his inventory by waving his fingers in a fan. Then he held them both up for Ogre to look at. ¡°They are basically the same. The weight¡¯s the same the material: pig iron, and balance and so on. But one is classed as ¡®E¡¯ or common and the other as ¡®S¡¯. S-class weapons have a seven-and-a-half-fold increase to the amount of base damage they can inflict. This multiplier is achieved by some mystical means that not even Borhelm knows of. Or at the very least he won¡¯t tell us what it is. I completed ten levels of the Tutorial and I have yet to see a S Class weapon drop from the monsters in them.¡± (S) Pig Iron Dagger [Pierce + Slash] Dmg: 67.5 Wt: 9 (E) Pig Iron Dagger [Pierce + Slash] Dmg: 9 Wt: 9 ¡°Where, did you get that dagger from? And what about the weasels they too had some S-Class weapons, all of the higher level ones did at least.¡± ¡°It was a gift from the Tower. We were allowed to choose from a list of special items and abilities. I¡¯m sure you have a gift too. The tower said that it was recompense for bringing us into the tower against our will.¡± Said the fox, ¡°You just have to call it forth like anything from the inventory.¡± Ogre smiled. I wonder what did I pick? What if it¡¯s an S-class greatsword? If it¡¯s like the 200 pounder I have in my inventory then the base damage would be at 1400! With a thought he summoned the gift from the tower. It did not fall into his paws and for that he was grateful. It fell right before him and made the entire world jump when it dropped to the flagstones. A groan so deep that it sounded as if the tree itself was speaking and a rush of wind pulled at Ogre¡¯s fur, as if to draw him close to the weapon. He barely noticed it. It was a maul. Or rather a greataxe. No, it was both. And so large that it was a weapon fit for a giant. It was so beautiful that it belonged to that other world of jewel-like flora and luminous shadow. The head of the weapon rose taller than Ogre nose¡¯s if he were to point it at the sky. Monstrous teeth-like jaws clad the hammer portion of the weapon, affixed to an opaline hulk of ore that surrounded a perfect ball of star-swept blackness. That blackness was the same as the material that rimmed the chalice in his dream: star-studded night sky, awash in the glittering lights of suns exploding and points of infinite gravity spewing bands of rainbow hues from both ends, as twin impossible flames. The axe portion was red gold with an iridescent patina covering it like the hue of a white pearl. The face of the blade swept gracefully towards a haft as thick as the dog¡¯s thigh. The breathtaking red gold metal flowed over the translucent diamond like maul like blood or paint but fixed so that it did not move from it¡¯s place. Runes as complex as the ones on the giant crystal square was carved on the haft. To Ogre¡¯s surprise the haft was shaped like a great femur, with ball socket joint used as the pommel of the weapon. He could not tell if it was a colossal thigh bone in truth or shaped from a mold to look that way. ¡°That is not¡­a weapon¡­it¡¯s way too¡­¡± (???) Dreamslayer Stareater Splitting Maul [ ???+???+???+???] Dmg: ??? Requirement: Strength 10??? Wt: ??? Description: Indestructible weapon made to slay Cosmic Horrors. Crafted of impossible metals shaped in the hottest crucible in the Everhigh Eversung Endless World of Imaginacium Ridiculous is not the word for it¡­it is mad even by the tales of myth. That requirement would make it impossible to wield¡­I would have to guess. Ogre thought before speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what the requirement is asking in terms of sum.¡± Lam shrugged, ¡°I too do not know.¡± With a start, Ogre realized that he was holding a key. He looked at it and dropped it immediately. It glittered with orange rust that faded to a deep chocolate brown then to rough dark iron. It was large and heavy enough to make him grunt but it was more rust than metal. The Status mirror called it: Low Rubbish Key of the Decrepit. Why would such an ugly item be paired with such a beautiful weapon? The dog looked around and saw the other beasts, Otters mostly being drawn towards the maul as if pulled. Their eyes glued to the black mass in the center of the maul. Ogre willed it away. ¡°Wait¡­If I could just¡­look at it a bit longer.¡± Said Lam, with an odd feverish cast to his eyes. ¡°No.¡± Said Ogre flatly, recalling how that starry black material hypnotized him in his dream. ¡°It¡¯s time to go.¡± On cue, Borhelm started bellowing that it was time to exit the tower and make their way to the first town. Ogre looked at the giant boar before his belly gurgled and he clapped both paws over his middle. His body reminded him of the many pounds of meat that he ate. Firstly, I¡¯m going to need the latrine! A Pack Forged Chapter Five A Pack Forged It turned out that the latrine and the bodily functions associated with it worked the same way that corpses and blood did. Ogre was thankful for that as nearly the refuse of a hundred pounds of meat he ate exited his body, from a hiding spot in the mass of great roots well beyond the Hall of Class Archetypes. Ogre took the greatsword from his inventory and rested it on his back. When checked his Status Mirror he saw that a few things changed since he leveled up. He weighed 202lbs now, which meant that by consuming a heap of food awfully close to his bodyweight he was able to put on two pounds of mass. What was more some of his stats bore the benefits of such an increase. The dog felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect. He had over a thousand pounds of meat to practice with. Ogre broke into a quick jog to catch up to the other beasts, who were led by the huge Borhelm past the alcove, to the other side of the sprawling tree. In a normal place and world, Ogre would have guessed, judging by the scale of the tree that it took them the better part of a few days to make the trip. However, just as when he hurried to catch up to the group after he first woke, time stretched and compressed. So, it could have been a week or a handful of minutes as far as anybeast were concerned. Lam of course did not know why the Tutorial Tower manipulated time and space in that way and Borhelm ignored the question when the fox asked on behalf of Ogre. Instead, he told them about a time when he wrestled an Ogre for Dewglass apple. He peered at the dog as he told the tale smirking as he exclaimed that he not only overpowered the beast but outsmarted it as well. Ogre held his growl deep in his throat and looked away. The dog did not eat during the trip. He did taste the wine and drank deep with the others as they walked. Ogre saw that the tower gave him bread, cheese, and the sweet wine but he knew that he could eat more if he fasted longer. And since eating was no longer just about sustaining his body but about getting stronger it only made since for him to gather strength in efficient ways. His next level would cost him 2000 Insight. Even if he were to use all of his soulweight to absorb the wisdom in the beast gems, he wouldn¡¯t come close to achieving it without slaying more beasts or monsters. Ogre thought about engaging other beasts besides Lam in conversation. The fox was amiable enough, but he quickly ran out of things to say and liked his personal space even more than Ogre did. There were two other foxes, a male with a shortsword and shield and a female with a handaxe and bow, but they stayed together, and moved away from the dog when he approached. There were at least three dozen Otters all large muscular beasts, and though the females were smaller they were still more muscular and larger than Ogre, besides his monstrous head. They were a cohort and moved like it. They had twelve sword and board fighters, twelve spearbeasts, three bowbeasts, and three with greatswords identical with Ogre¡¯s blade. Two of their kind lead them. One of them was a female that was taller than the other male Otters and had greatsword that must have been a gift given by the tower. It was double Ogre¡¯s greatsword in mass and ranked a class ¡®S¡¯ besides. That female also carried an arbalest, with bolts on the hip in a quiver, and that was S-class as well. The carcajou¡¯s crossbow was not as highly ranked as that. A quick calculation on Ogre¡¯s part told him that the first bolt that shot him in the side would have done almost three thousand damage if it had been. The last otter was nearly as tall as the big female but was slimmer by half than the others and bore a single small knife on a hip. His eyes shone with a keen intellect that Ogre could sense with the glance the otter gave him. A low whistle made the otters with shields close ranks, as the dog drew too close and so Ogre backed away. The roots of the Tree of Cosm looked on their right like the side of a mountain range, a great gnarled mass of living wood. The grass felt like ribbons of green silk, but Ogre did not think too deeply on the strange feel of it. It was too close to what the grass felt like in the dream. The dog could not help the shiver that passed through him at the thought. He truly hoped that it was a night terror that would not return, but he knew better. That place felt more real than his waking world, even now if his thoughts strayed, the world where he walked, even under the majesty of that impossible tree became a faded imitation, a shadow of a true world. Ogre distracted himself by glaring at the back of Borhelm. The dog narrowed his eyes at the cuirass the boar wore then swept his gaze over the otters and foxes, including Lam. ¡°No one is wearing full armour.¡± Ogre noted, before willing his pig iron breast plate into his paws from his inventory. Lam glanced at Ogre before turning his eyes back to the group before them. ¡°That is true. Some of them wore plate in the adjoining waiting area as we climbed the Tower Levels but a crossbow bolt at close enough range can pierce that pig-iron plate. Even the S-class plate will only turn the common bolts and crossbows. As you see there are others who picked an S-class arbalest.¡± ¡°It would be a hindrance¡­I see,¡± Said Ogre, ¡°Full plate is heavy when you are hale. Full plate is death when you are wounded. I¡¯m sure it will affect stamina and endurance as well. They must have learned this by trial and error. How many beasts were killed by those carcajou?¡± Lam did not look at Ogre. ¡°It was not just them. Once the killing started there was no beast that left with clean paws. I¡­I don¡¯t know if I should tell you this.¡± Ogre looked at the fox hard. ¡°Tell me.¡± Lam finally met his eyes but quickly looked away again. Ogre immediately thought about how sly foxes were rumored to be, instantly he felt bad for mistrusting Lam. Ogre spoke again this time in a calmer voice. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°They said you were the worst,¡± Lam explained, ¡°They said, namely Borhelm that you slew more beasts in the tower than any other save three. They said that you were in the tower for a century.¡± Ogre blinked, feeling his throat tighten. ¡°It¡¯s just what that overripe pig would say.¡± A sly smile creased Lam¡¯s black lips and he parted them to speak, before hesitating, glancing at the dog from the corner of his eye. Ogre rolled his eyes, breathing through his teeth to reel in his anger. I will kill that boar, with these two paws and these teeth! ¡°Will you speak freely Lam, I will not lash out at you, I know what I owe you!¡± ¡°I was just recalling¡­¡±Said Lam, his smile growing, ¡°What you did to those weasels.¡± ¡°They attacked me first!¡± Ogre protested, waving the pig iron cuirass. Lam shrugged, ¡°Perhaps the beasts in the past did the same?¡± Ogre snorted and began to put on the cuirass. ¡°There are other downsides to wearing armour, Ogre,¡± Said Lam, ¡°If you don¡¯t have the vitality or endurance, it will severely affect your vigor. Even if you do it will still limit your agility.¡± ¡°I showed you my status, Lam,¡± Said Ogre, feeling the weight of the pig armour settle on his torso. ¡°Yes¡­Yes you did.¡± Lam said, ¡°I did not consider the extent of your ability. In order to make armour negligible you¡¯d have to be ten times greater than the average. I did not do the math. With weight of heavy armour your combined vitality and endurance has to be above 1550. For most beasts that would be around level seventy.¡± (E) Pig Iron Helm [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 500 Req: Vit+End 50/Level 3 Wt: 50 (E) Pig Iron Gorget/bevor+ Cuirass + Backplate + Tassets/Fauld [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 4000 Req: Vit+End 400/Level 20 Wt: 400 (E) Pig Iron Greaves [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 750 Req: Vit+End 75/ Level 4 Wt: 75 (E) Pig Iron Sabatons [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 750 Req: Vit+End 75/Level 4 Wt: 75 (E) Cuisses [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 1000 Req: Vit+End 100/ Level 5 Wt: 100 (E) Arming Doublet [Blunt] Pro: 750 Req: Vit+End 75/Level 4 Wt: 75 Ogre took a step and felt like he was moving slower than usual. He calculated the vitality and endurance needed and still could not figure out why he was so much slower than he had been before. Lam stayed back with him as he struggled to move forward in the plate. This is harder to move in, then it was to move my body when I ate 65lbs of meat! Thought Ogre. I need to look at my status again! The armour increased his weight by 750 and coupled with his greatsword, his equipment burden was 950. I¡¯m going to have to take off some armour if I want to move as quickly as before. Ogre thought. Then the dog recalled the sensation of axes tearing into his midriff, and wolverine claws scoring him. ¡°No¡­It¡¯s best that Keep everything as it is. The protection alone is worth the downsides of being slower and less agile as I was before.¡± ¡°Well, we can see how much slower the plate has made you by trying to keep up with the others.¡± Said Lam, Ogre looked up sharply at the fox, ¡°What was that?¡± The fox blinked at the dog. ¡°So, you were speaking to yourself¡­nevertheless we must catch up to the group.¡± I must have spoken what I was thinking out loud. Ogre nodded and tailed after Lam. The others in the group looked at Ogre curiously. Some smirked, knowing the drain on stats and vigor armour could take. One, the giant female otter stared at the dog with a flat look, before donning cuirass and backplate. Then she studiously ignored Ogre. ¡°I wonder what level is she?¡± Lam quickly spied, the female otter that the dog was staring at. ¡°She is likely the closest beast as strong as you Ogre. So, until you level up again and increase your power monstrously, I would keep my distance. The gifts from the tower were not just physical items. And she won all of her weapons and gear, well the S-class at least, as you won your axes. She is as highly leveled as I am, if not a few levels higher. And as a warrior she would get buffs to health, strength, and vitality. And if she is fully committed, she might have already put all of her points into strength.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Frowning Ogre spoke haltingly, as if finally feeling the vigor drain of the full plate. ¡°I would not want to fight her¡­nor any of the otters with her. They seem more disciplined than the weasels and as strong as the carcajou.¡± ¡°Astute observation.¡± Said Lam, wryly. The dog¡¯s great brow wrinkled, and his frown deepened. ¡°I know I was lucky, Lam, there were so many things that were stacked against me in that pitched battle. And I also know that having you there saved me. However, I feel like the weasels were weaker than I. I believe that even if they were, all they had to do was work as a team and I would have died in minutes if not seconds.¡± Lam looked at Ogre in a way that made it seem as if he was peering at the dog¡¯s Status Mirror. Did he have the skill, appraisal? ¡°Many beasts would have come from that battle with an ego to match how marvelously you performed in it. I guess the wisdom stat that you have might be to blame for your view. You were a sight to behold. And yes, they were weaker but they should not have been. You were Level 0, Ogre they were at least Level 5 and some Level 10 and above; that should have made them more than two to four times stronger.¡± Ogre recalled the conditional passive skills Trollblood Vigor and Deathknoll. The latter reduced the damage he received so far that it felt like cheating. They ambushed me¡­They tried to cheat me of my life, to steal my loot! It was some time before they reached the place that Borhelm wanted them at. During that time, every Otter managed to slip on a piece of pig iron armour, helm or vambraces, gauntlets or sabatons. No one could spare the vitality and endurance for even a cuirass as Ogre and the huge female otter did. Still, when the dog donned his plate, it seemed to signal to the that the infighting between the beasts was done. Ogre was the most vulnerable to the arbalest shot and so to them him keeping the plate was a sign of trust. They did not speak to him, but their eyes were no longer flat, fearful, or mocking when they looked his way. Ogre was tired of wearing the suit of metal, but the reaction from the otters spurred him to keep the plate on. And if I took it off, Lam would be right, and I¡¯d look like a fool after bragging about my stats. Borhelm stopped at a dais of deep cerulean stone, encircled by a thick ring of lustrous smoke gray metal. Two statues, elongated with flat-faced helms. twice the boar¡¯s height and made of a strange metal stood on each side of the dais. ¡°Gather around.¡± Commanded Borhelm waving a huge gauntlet irritably, ¡°It¡¯s time to you all to leave this place.¡± The platform was half a stride taller than the strange grassy land of the tower and broad enough to hold all of them with room to spare. When Ogre passed the statues, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and had the distinct feeling of something watching behind the statue¡¯s visor, living eyes that followed as he moved past. He said nothing to Lam, but the fox hunched his shoulders as he passed before it. ¡°This Planar Stone will send you outside the Tower, but first I need to explain a few things. Namely to the beast who joined us, late. You will need to proceed from the tower to A Town of Beginnings. For you all I would suggest an F-Class, Town which would be the town of Cerulean. Cerulean is about three days travel from outside the tower, just head northeast on the Road and follow the signs. The monsters just outside the tower like to pick on new adventurers. They are called Jackalopes. They have a mystical ability to stay 125 levels above any adventurer, hero, hunter, or slayer, common or High of Yore. If you decide to face one, they will beat you and take your gear, but they usually will not kill you. However, if you find an S-Class Jackalope you will die. If you find a World or Beyond World Class Jackalope you will die. There is another creature you should avoid if you can. A Bulroo is very similar in nature to a jackalope just a lot stronger on average, they will not steal your gear but they too will kill you if you challenge them. They are beasts of honor and are often challenged by High Soul Rank Heroes. Other than that, conserve your food, or hunt close to the road. Use your sense and you will make it to the Town. Tell the guards where you are from, and they will get you in to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, where you will officially register with the local magistrate to set up how you will pay your taxes and to get your heroic rank. You can also upgrade your armour and weapons if you have the coin, and get special training. The guild posts common quests and special bounties inside its halls.¡± Borhelm looked directly at Ogre, and smiled nastily, ¡°Don¡¯t die. You will only be useful to me if you continue to absorb insight and soulweight.¡± Ogre felt his face tighten. Lam placed a warning paw on the shoulder protruding from the cuirass. The Boar then called above them in a loud voice, ¡°To the entrance.¡± They vanished in a luminous swirl of blue-white energy. The world resolved like a loose sheet of silk drawing tight. As the energy faded, the tree vanished and the expanse within the tower was replaced with glossy black volcanic stone. Heat rose from under his sabatons as if to lift him in a thermal. Warmth settled on him with a wetness that said a great body of water was near but not on the scale of or with the salt bite of a sea. The world smelled like a thousand scents of small beasts, and the rot and freshness of old and new greenery, pine, oak, ash, and weeping willow. The scents of monster lay over the glittering black stone in a thick cloud, and below that wild grass, flowering plants and brush. Three hundred paws from the tower the flagstones gave way to weeds and grass that grew in fitful bunches before ending abruptly at an open space, for another thousand paces before thick woodlands began. Grass and woodland were broken up by dun brown stone that made a road that cut through the forest and over dips and swells on it¡¯s floor. The woodland surrounded the tower, which from outside seemed a mundane size of mottled gray stone, barely wide enough to accommodate them all on the floor level. Four roads shot out from it leading in the cardinal directions. Ogre absorbed the sensation of his senses being enveloped by a familiar world. The sun was directly overhead, in a bleached blue sky, free of cloud, and burning a gold so bright that it was painful to look at. Everything outside the tower was a counterpoint to his time within it. The sounds of hearts beating including his own, the rasp of clothing or metal on metal as beasts shifted to take in the new but familiar stimuli made him smile. It was like waking from a dream. He no longer had to guess at time or distance. Ogre¡¯s belly told him that it was hungry even when he was not thinking about it. Were my senses so dulled in that place? Comparing it to the outside world he had to admit that it was a ¡®yes¡¯. However, when he was there, he could only sense that something was wrong, that grass was not quite right, the sky and light a little off. ¡°This is a little overwhelming.¡± Said Lam, patting his threadbare tunic. ¡°I¡¯m glad I did not put on my thief garments. This tunic is cooler. But everything, is so intense.¡± ¡°It is your senses¡­your perception.¡± Said a feminine but large voice, not loud or deep just big. ¡°You smell like you are level 25, that means your senses could be ten times more sensitive than they were before. This is a realm that your body would not yet be used to, at least not yet.¡± Ogre shifted in a groan of iron on iron to look at the female otter. She loomed half again as tall as the dog, broad across the shoulders and hips and with that cuirass she looked more intimidating. She shifted back, with a paw on her greatsword. Ogre moderated his gaze then looked around him, before speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t see any jackalopes.¡± The leader of the otters strode up to stand beside the tall warrior. ¡°Will you take them on, despite the Guide¡¯s warnings?¡± A small smiled touched the dog¡¯s lips before he could stop it. He liked this otter; his voice was so soothing, so full of strength and calm. Ogre watched in wonder as a ball of water stretched and flatted, reshaping itself into a transparent ribbon over above the otter¡¯s palm. Is he an Elementalist? ¡°I would like to avoid them if I can.¡± The male otter turned to the female greatsword warrior. ¡°What is his level, Glaeddra, what do you smell?¡± Glaeddra scowled and breathed in deep. ¡°It is distinct, even now, Jeda¡­he is level 1. But the scent is so strong it¡¯s as if there is a company of dogs like him, all level 1, all sharing stats.¡± Ogre startled when he looked back to the otter leader, Jeda. His eyes glowed. ¡°I can only see that he is of every class and of none, despite that greatsword on his back the amount of armour that he wears with little issue.¡± The dog felt a flash of annoyance go through him. Why am I angry at this Otter, Jeda, was his name right? What a dependable name. Well, he could just ask me, right? ¡°I am standing right here otter, if you have questions for me, why not simply ask?¡± ¡°Would you answer truthfully?¡± Said Jeda, he turned back to Glaeddra, not expecting a response. ¡°It depends on how you ask, and whether you are for me or against.¡± Ogre felt a tapping on his cuirass. He did not have to look at his side to know that it was Lam. All the otters surrounded them, twelve of the shield and shortsword beasts made half the ring while the others with spears made the other half. I cannot fight them. Glaeddra¡¯s sword can likely damage my armour in a single blow, and if not that arbalest of her will do the work. Jeda smiled at him. ¡°It is not wise to allow yourself to be surrounded by enemies, dog.¡± Ogre opened his mouth wide, baring fangs in a yawn and a mouth that could bite the otter leader in two with room to spare. The otters around them shifted back, and Glaeddra lifted her giant sword from its place on her back. The dog was tired, the armour sapped his vigor thoroughly. ¡°You are not my enemies. My enemies try to kill me before I know they are my enemies, and you at least speak to me.¡± Jeda smiled wide showing a flesheater¡¯s teeth. ¡°We are yet strong enough in our numbers to slay you here and now, perhaps Glaeddra and I can do it ourselves if your friend does not join in. But if you level up again, you will destroy us, no matter how many otters we have. Your power is in your ability to gather strength very quickly. You are not enough meat, to be worth the risk.¡± ¡°So why don¡¯t we become a pack for now. We can hunt together and eat well on our way to the town of beginnings.¡± Jeda¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°A pack offers great protection for an individual beast, what would you offer a pack as great as ours?¡± ¡°Jeda, can we trust this one? Did you not see the mad fight he had with the weasels¡­They are distant kin, but they are kin.¡± Ogre blinked, Otters have a blood relation to weasels? ¡°Your kin tried to hunt me; I obeyed the law of the hunt by making their weakness into my strength. Is there any greater honor that can be had for a carnivore?¡± ¡°Yes, there is a greater honor¡­to hunt and win the meat¡­obviously,¡± Said Jeda chuckling, he waved a paw dismissively at Glaeddra. ¡°I did not like them, Glaea, they would have hunted us if we were not stronger than they. And they hunted other otters.¡± ¡°So, what is the problem, we can join together if that is the case.¡± Lam said, standing shoulder to shoulder with the armoured Ogre. Jeda looked at Lam, and then at the foxes outside of the ring, who watched the proceedings with care. The look was expressive; why are you not with them? In times of extreme pressure and survival joining together by kind was only logical. That way it was easy to determine who was meat and who was mate. ¡°You, did not answer my question, dog. What do you offer the pack?¡± ¡°You saw first paw what I can offer, wouldn¡¯t it be better to be with me shoulder to shoulder as I fight than against me to feel my fangs?¡± Lam groaned. Ogre looked at him curiously then shrugged at the fox¡¯s worried expression. ¡°You can turn your strength against us very easily, and we saw you eat your bodyweight in the meat of our kin. It is not enough to say you will not kill us. Though it is very arrogant and foolish to threaten us so.¡± Ogre mouth tightened; he had not meant to make the threat. ¡°What do you want?¡± It was Glaeddra¡¯s turn to groan, the big female otter replaced her greatsword on her back, dark gray iron on iron and glared at Jeda. The tall otter smiled again. This time it was oily. ¡°You have S-class weapons that you are not using, give them to some of our best beasts, and you and your fox can join us.¡± Ogre thought quickly. The high ranked weapons were undoubtedly valuable and worth jules that he might be able to get once they reached Cerulean. Though he did not know how much he could get for them. But if the otters attacked right now, they could end Ogre or bring him very close to death with ease. And Lam was all but doomed if it came to a fight, the fox did not have Deathknoll to keep him alive at low health. Fighting a lot of enemies is different when they are spread out versus when they are surrounding you. How can I salvage this situation? I will not be stolen from again! ¡°I have 10 S-class weapons I am not using. I will give them to you, though they represent jules to me in the future. However, I require one out of every two gems that we may get from monsters slain by the group, ten percent of the meat we hunt, all the meat I bring down alone, and both Glaeddra¡¯s weapons. I mean the greatsword and arbalest.¡± The warrior otter growled before turning to the dog. ¡°These are mine, I took wounds to get them and had slay more than one beast to keep them. I¡¯ll split you in two if you try to take them away from me.¡± ¡°That is unacceptable.¡± Said Jeda, ¡°I told you what I wanted.¡± ¡°A great leader is charismatic. But a true leader is not afraid to lose if his beasts are made stronger from it. Lost is part of the bonds that make a pack, especially of different beasts, strong.¡± Said Ogre, feeling his tongue warm, a wisp of glowing silver light flowed from his open mouth. ¡°Can you look at your fellow otters and say that you are not willing to sacrifice to make them better able to survive? I know if this deal does not go through you will attack me. Maybe you will kill me. But you saw that an ambush under ideal conditions for my enemies when I was weaker was not enough. Perhaps it is true, and you all are strong enough to slay me. But what would it cost you? What will it cost your beasts? They will be the ones who will die. Elementalists are not on the fronts lines.¡± Jeda frowned at him and looked at that monstrous head that seemed to repel weapons better than armour. Then he cocked his head to the side, one ear erect, as if listening to something no other beast could hear. ¡°You are using a skill. But it does not matter your logic is not flawed. But you ask for too much and give too little.¡± ¡°My weapons will increase the damage of your otters by nearly eightfold, whereas you will only slightly weaken your top warrior¡­if we are to believe that she has the stats to use it. And let us be truthful. She does not have the strength to wield that greatsword. I do.¡± Said Ogre making his bet, ¡°The rest of what I ask will only be fair, I will be on the front lines, and I will deal the most damage to any foe we face, by my strength or power.¡± Glaeddra stiffened when Ogre said that she could not wield the greatsword, but she did not refute it. ¡°One out of four gems, 10% of the meat, and the greatsword only, but you will give her the one on your back.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Ogre said quickly. The arbalest was one that he had to ask for, and also, the one he had to give up on. It was Jeda¡¯s best counter to Ogre there was no way they would give in on that, especially not to him. It would be nice to not have to worry about bleed, though. Thought Ogre. With Deathknoll I can absorb damage very well, with the armour my durability is further increased but all of that is a vapor before a bolt shot by the S-class arbalest. He knew that he could not get that weapon, yet if he did not ask for it, the leader of the otters would not respect him. The knowledge came to him intuitively, as he used the skill. The Road of Beginnings I Chapter Six The Road of Beginnings I Ogre lifted the body of the Troglodyte high over his head, impaled on his new greatsword allowing the rain of its blue-green blood to shower over his armour before he threw it at the ranks of its fellows before him. Three of the red-brown lizard-like creatures were bowled over by the attack, teeth knocked free from a skull plate hitting mandibles, the bones in dead mass bruising living flesh. Their hissing screams were alien to his ears, their furious whistles and clacks strange. Most of them were as tall as Lam, with wide flat heads like salamanders, dull beady eyes and a crest of colorful spines that ran from the center of their skull to their necks. Large hands and feet augmented their bare hand attacks, but their weapons were chert stone spear heads, tomahawks, and shortswords with hide bucklers reinforced with heavy bone. The S-class greatsword was overkill for these beasts. However, the dog had to get used to its cumbersome weight, especially being slowed in the heavy armour. It did not take long for the group to find enemies after they took to the road for the Town of Cerulean. Four hours into the three-day trip, they made camp and Jeda suggested that they hunt or go adventuring for a few hours to see if there was any easy insight to be had. Inside the forest, a broad flat-sided chunk of white stone next to it, marked the walkway as The Road of Beginnings. Jeda had not been kind to Ogre during the trip, but if Ogre was honest, he was not unfair. Jeda set a grueling pace for them, a pace that was not slowed for otter, dog or fox. However, only Ogre was so well-clad in pig-iron and much slowed because it. The warm temperature was better in the shade of the canopy, but the iron almost seemed to cook Ogre in his own juices. He drank bottles of the sweet wine given by the tower, to replace the fluids lost, then nearly threw the empty ones out, but was stopped by Lam. The fox told him, ¡®You can use them for water. Once we find a good stream.¡¯ Still, Ogre was frustrated by what felt like intentional slights on behalf of Jeda. He eagerly jumped for the chance to seek out monsters in the forests and adventure into a place he had never seen before. Though, he mused, every place as far as his memory was concerned was one that he could not remember seeing. He went by himself, despite Jeda¡¯s protestations; conceding to give half of what he looted to the party to sate the otter. Ogre felt like Jeda had an overbearing need to seem like the leader of the pack. A small voice in the dog¡¯s head championed the otter leader. It said If Ogre was honest with himself, the dog could see that he was being unfair, and that he agreed to Jeda¡¯s leadership; an otter who showed himself to be tactical and wise in his dealings with him. Ogre tried to ignore that inner voice. The dog found himself in the middle of a scouting camp of the troglodytes before he knew it. It was an hour and half of walking under the canopy before he found them or they him. The brush was thinned by the thick cover above it, with brightly-colored mushrooms in dark wet patches of the woods, blue-edged pale green lichen, painting logs, mossy limestone chunks and rocky outcrops, that stabbed through the earth like ancient titanic spearheads. The scent of the creatures was like the scent of the forest itself, heady with dank rot and growing green flora, sap from trees, mold and moss. His reaction was instant and with sudden violence. He speared one troglodyte with the greatsword and chased the other that ran away, with an unhurried step. It brought him to the rest of the camp in a few short minutes. Ogre clenched his teeth, to keep his quickened breaths from showing too much and rested the bloody greatsword on a shoulder. The dog felt the weight of the armour ease where armour touched him. He took a deep breath and felt the tide of fatigue that was slowly building throughout the day, slow further. He masked his need to rest by glaring at the troglodytes that looked at him warily as their companions untangled themselves from the dead one. Ogre should not have carried that monster for even the few minutes it took to get to the main camp. They were clad in loincloths, their camp was rudimentary, a ring of stone with blackened wood in it and old ashes below that, showed that it was old. Yet there were no tents, just pallets or a scoured bare earth, to rest on the clearing floor. The spit above that old fire, held a small thighbone that still had green flesh attached to it. Refuse collected flies far too close to the camp. One of the creatures stepped forward, it was larger than the others with more muscle on a form that made its companions seem half-starved. That may just be its shape, if it was starving, I doubt even bones would escape these creatures Ogre thought peering at the goblin flesh on the spit. It hissed and pointed a large chet-stone spear head at him, before smacking the haft on its oval shield. Ogre took his greatsword in both gauntlets and took a slow ponderous step forward. The large troglodyte hissed in what might have been scornful as it leapt over the small fire pit, at the dog, spear first, shield up. Ogre flexed every muscle in his body bringing his weapon up and down with a thunderous crack as the tip hit stone littered earth. A shiver went up his limbs, but the dog smiled widely baring huge fangs. Ogre¡¯s vigor dipped and his fatigue lurched up, making the muscles in his body protest. The dog also saw that his vigor points decreased by 100 percentage points. But that was easy to ignore, the slash had been a thing of beauty, perfect. The troglodyte parted cleanly in half before dumping blood, raw viscera, and stinking offal all over the dog, carried as he was with the momentum of his charge. Ogre roared twice, calling out two skills, and watching as his vigor dipped and slowly went back up, and his vigor points drop and stayed at their new sum. Raw power flooded him as the three monsters closest to him stiffened, beady eyes going wide, mouth slack as weapons groaned in their paws. He reacted like a warrior seeing a foe stumble and charged as he whipped his blade in brutal arc before him. It was inelegant, almost ugly compared to the perfect stroke before, but there was so much power behind it that creatures became bodyparts spraying blue-green ribbons of blood in the blink of an eye. Ogre swung the greatsword again and again, reducing the troglodytes to raw chunks of flesh and shattered bone. Chips of stone flew, fire-toughed hide parted with a whisper and the dog waded in among them, not giving any quarter or mercy. They did not have a chance to flee, though Ogre did not see any of them even trying to do. Fifteen more creatures were dead in half a minute. Their bodies vanished and went into his food stores. He ignored their damaged weapons, and took any loot and monster gems that were left behind by imagining that it went into his inventory. When he was done, he fell on his hind quarters and gasped for breath. Bloodlust faded with the last creature. It increased the vigor strain of his swings and movement, and made his fatigue rise a lot sharper. But the benefits were so great that the skill could not be understated. Ogre would take that small cost, knowing that his body was meant to handle such skills. His vigor was already larger than a rogue¡¯s vigor, which after talking to Lam was not usual. Rogues and thieves shared traits with other stealth based classes like Rangers, who were creatures of the long stride. These beasts are endowed with each level a healthy dose of vigor that most warriors could not compete with. The downside with Battle Cry was the length of time for its most devastating effects. Doubling his stats was almost useless unless he was already close enough to touch his foe. But that fifty percent increase for ten seconds worked nicely. Both had that upfront cost that he had not noticed before. Ogre felt his world dim and shrink with each breath, as darkness gnawed at the edges of his vision. I overdid it. He admitted. I don¡¯t think I can move right now. Ogre checked his status and saw that his health did take some hits, though he was not bleeding. For that I can thank the Hound in the Sky! Ogre shook his head, feeling odd. What is the Hound in the Sky? Was it a god? Was it the God? The thoughts were too complicated to hold. They slipped away as his eyes closed and consciousness fled from him, like a beast from a night terror. Ogre awoke to the halves of a small boulder sliding off his head. His muzzle ran with blood and his head rung. A roar made a tinny echo that bounced off the bevor of his plate as he tried to leapt to his feet. Troglodytes were jerked a paw or two forward but more joined them, hauling on ropes attached to each of his limbs. The day had passed well beyond afternoon towards a ruddy evening, cooling it a bit, and stretching the shadows of tree and monster, making the fire they built nearby a brilliant source of light. There were dozens of the creatures, maybe hundreds. A lot of them pulled on the ropes that kept Ogre from tearing himself free. He was lifted in the air as more joined the threaded vine ropes. A troglodyte as large as Glaeddra, with a crown of long colorful feathers, that nearly doubled the creature¡¯s height, pointed a sceptre of quicksilver at the dog and uttered a piercing whine. The creature was as red as fresh blood and had large liquid gray eyes. Thick bodied troglodytes with limbs to match responded, dragging large stone axes behind them. Other monsters got out of their way and a keening rose, a cry of rapturous delight, as they waited eagerly for the bloodshed. Sweat trickled its icy rivulets over his body wetting his fur and heightening the raw stench of fear that rose from him. They¡¯re going to hack off my limbs! The bulky troglodytes posted a few paces from each of Ogre¡¯s paws. Then they turned their flat salamander heads to their leader. Ogre could not take his eyes from the monsters with their axes.
Fear has given a 5x multiplier to Insight Gain Great Fear has Increased Gain +Ascension Points Soulweight ¨¤ Spiritweight
The strange hisses and cackles of the troglodytes abruptly rose, and Ogre felt his body tense. The monsters holding their axes took a few steps forward and raised their weapons high. I¡¯m going to die¡­there¡¯s no one here to save me! Before, even when the bolt took Ogre through the sides, he did not feel fear like he did now. There was no time to feel it then. But he watched the troglodytes move into formation heard the screeching cries of approval muffled when they should have been painfully loud. Abruptly he could not hear anything. The troglodytes¡¯ muscles flexed, legs bracing, arms and torsos rippling with power as the axes flashed down. Time slowed. Even as he bled out, Ogre could not feel the same fear. Back in the tower, he fought as hard as he could, and he was able to slay his enemies. Now, he was meat, just to be hacked apart. Bound, pulled taut, they would hack him apart as he screamed and begged. Then they would eat him. Ogre was sure. If they ate a creature that a possessed green meat that smelled like a latrine after it was roasted, then of course they would eat him. Ogre howled a mournful cry to a mother whose face he could not remember and abruptly pulled his limbs close to his body, feeling his bowels go to water and loosen as he shut his eyes tight. There was vibration like stone striking stone, small explosions so powerful that it touched the dog¡¯s fear addled senses. Ogre fell, striking the earth with a grunt. He barely felt it. He could not make any sense of it, but his limbs did not yank back to their place. Open your eyes! The voice was so loud that it should have deafened him. I have felt fear like this before¡­no, what could this have to compare to that dream? The night terror of the huge dog that tore him apart with a single blow shuddered through him. His eyes shot open. That dog would hurt me more than any creature in this world ever could. He would not disobey it. Ogre trembled as he got to his footpaws among shocked troglodytes, the closest still holding axes lodged deep into the earth. When he pulled his limbs to his body, he must have yanked the vines in the path of the stone axes. Fight! Get stronger! Or the next time you close your eyes to dream I will be waiting, and I will give you sweet pain! The dog was there, he could see his weakness, see how terrified he was. Ogre had to do something to make it up, to make that berserk dog leave him be! Slaying a few of these will not be enough, I have to kill every monster that has seen this disgrace, every one of them! The greatsword dropped into his paws as an ululating cry from the leader of the troglodytes spurred the axe-weilders to tear their weapons free in a shower of earth and loose stone and swing them again to hew the dog to pieces. He matched their swings with perfect swings of his own. Shattering their stone weapons and tearing through their bodies with equal ease. Troglodytes, nearly as big as their leader but clad in heavy bone and hide with chipped stone plate covering the front of their bodies surrounded the creature. Ogre only had a moment to react as the head troglodyte pointed it¡¯s scepter at him again. A ball of deep orange fire burst from the tip of the quicksilver and engulfed him in incredible heat. Pain! His body writhed with it, his flesh bubbled and patches not protected by armour plate, blistered and sloughed off in large pieces. It hurt so bad, and the pain did not stop. Ogre screamed and the heat from the fire choked him before it was finally gone. His nose was full of the stench of his burnt flesh, and his mind going blank with so much pain. There was not enough time to scream how it hurt. He trembled in an agony so bad that the greatsword rattled his gauntlets. He bared his teeth. His armour was still painfully hot where the fire struck him. Then he howled again letting his fear go wild, his pain spiral beyond his control and a deep rage, that shot from his throat as it bored deep in his belly. Ogre saw the Troglodyte leader ready another fireball before he leapt into masses of monsters, swinging his sword with abandon. The feeling of half his pain leaving him so suddenly, and his senses floating wild as he lost control put him in a near euphoric state. He was stronger than he had ever been, and his vigor held out even as he unleashed one then two skills back-to-back upon some of the more tenacious groups of the troglodytes. Most of them died screaming in seconds within the range of his gore-slathered blade. When he cleared the area around him, the leader of the monsters would lob a fireball at him. The burning pain now being dimmed by his skill, allowed him to survive being blasted three more times before his attacks became too erratic for the head Troglodyte to hit him. Arrows rained on him at every opportunity. When they struck flesh they stuck, but most shattered against the heavy pig iron plate. As the battle stretched on, the creatures became so desperate that they shot among their own people. The troglodytes went down screaming clutching arrows in faces, chests, arms and legs. Ogre saw that hacking through their thick tails allowed them to bleed out in seconds. He chose the tail only when they fled from him. Many of them did, though not most. They were stout-hearted warriors, but fools. In his state he could not comprehend their bravery, he could only exult in the continual waves of meat that he could drag his greatsword through. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Hours stretched as he hunted, and dusk deepened to true night. A pair of moons, one full and scarlet, the other larger but a pale sapphire with deep navy blue along its edges lit his way where clearing opened the forest to its pools of red and blue glazed moonlight. Gradually the fear fled from him, leaving only rage, and an unrelenting need to avenge himself on his enemies. He could not remember why, just only that it must be done. After he hunted down all those who fled from him, Ogre searched for the leader of the troglodytes. It took hours more for him to find him. He was surrounded by over fifty of the most capable of his monsters. Ogre¡¯s heart pounded, his chest ached, and his mouth and throat felt raw. He was bone weary. The wounds, cuts, and half-healed burns itched so bad that it made him moan softly to himself. The sky started to take on that deep slat gray cast right before night became morning. He glared at them, his light sensitive eyes picking them out as darker shadows on deep gray. Ogre heard more sounds as something struck the back of the group of Troglodytes. The dog blinked as one of the head troglodyte¡¯s fireballs blasted a tree next to him. The wash of heat woke him from his fatigue induced fugue. He roared again utilizing the skill: Battle Cry and hacked into the front of the shield bearing Troglodytes like a mad dog. The greatsword grew too burdensome for him to lift so he threw it down and used his jaws. He tore them apart, and he beat them with his gauntleted paws. Ogre was blinking gore from his eyes, just as the first rays of morning broke over the cover of the trees when he finally reached the Troglodyte leader. He opened his maw wide to take the feeble creature in them, then watched in horror as a bolt of yellow lightning tore through the creature, blasting rents in its skin and sending the headdress flying as the sceptre melted into the troglodyte¡¯s taloned hand. Ogre¡¯s gauntlets were battered and bloodied and the bones under them broken, useless. His jaws were nearly fused shut with cramps locking the muscles in his head, jaw and face up. He fumed in wordless outrage before he collapsed. Breathing like a dying beast, his jaws were pried apart, by a few dozen beasts working in concert, and a liquid was poured into his mouth. He seized with the blast of hot and cold and realized that it was elixir before exhaustion won over and he collapsed into unending night. The dream that Ogre had been dreading, came and went with the abruptness of a sigh and words that chilled him to the bone. You have barely appeased me, pup. Get stronger and fight better! Ogre woke to a memory of pain and soreness over his entire body. He shuddered and felt that pain recede like the dregs of a bad dream until only his paws throbbed. The dog opened his eyes. The sky was blue overhead with lonely chalk gray clouds floating on its flat face as a blanket of golden light bathed him in uncomfortable heat. The sun did not beam down from its zenith, but from an angle signaling that it was still morning but also that it was well underway. The dog tried to sit up, the pig iron groaned, and as he put his paws down to his sides to brace himself, he felt agony tear through his limbs. Ogre whined loudly clutching his arms carefully to his cuirass, rolling as he was racked with bone deep ache. It took long moments for the hurting to subsided to the previous dull ache, but no beast spoke as more than a few otters and foxes including Lam watched him. Ogre lay on his back and did not try to rise again for many breaths. ¡°Do you want to sit up, Ogre, I can help you.¡± Ogre nodded, slowly and was deeply grateful for the care that the fox showed him as he lifted and pushed him to a sitting position. The dog looked at his paws as Lam tried his best to make him comfortable. The gauntlets were still there but they were wrapped tight with bandages up to his elbow. A flash of a memory made his heart sink, and his mouth go dry. He recalled being held aloft with vine-rope, as lizard-like creatures lifted stone axes to dismember him. I escaped that didn¡¯t I? I have arms¡­I can feel them! More thoughts flooded through him. Hours of fighting, slaughtering troglodytes, the blight that was that troglodyte leader dousing him with flame as he went berserk. The shame of soiling himself when the head monster called for his limbs to be taken apart. The troglodytes breaking a rock over his head. Ogre closed his eyes slowly and held them tight before he could see the gauntlets again. The flakes of brown left where blood had been cleaned from the metal still smelled strongly. It was copper and iron that filled his nose, and the hint of that past shame. Somebeast tried to clean him up, the scent of it was not as sharp as it should be. They did well. Soapwort, water, and oil masked the stench so well that he was sure no one besides himself could smell it. Ogre looked up at Lam. The other foxes did not join the makeshift pack with the otters as Ogre and Lam did, however they did not journey far from them. They followed at a distance but made camp within sight of the group. He had some assumptions on who cleaned him up. Would he have to deal with so much if he stayed with his own kind? How can I repay him? ¡°What do you remember from your war with the Troglodyte Chieftain?¡± Jeda asked, coming within view from Ogre¡¯s left with Glaeddra in tow. She wore more armour now and had another greatsword hanging from her back. It was not S-class. Ogre scowled at the otter. ¡°I remember someone taking my kill. I did not know that you could use lightning.¡± The dog should have known better. He assumed the S-class arbalest was their best defense against him, but he survived a bolt or two before and his health had grown since then. However, that lightning bolt, he did not see how he could survive that. ¡°You are remarkably lucid for the ordeal and recovery that you just went through.¡± Said Jeda, ¡°And save for the broken paws relatively unhurt.¡± ¡°I was lucky.¡± Said Ogre, thinking about the wealth of skills and power that he recently obtained from the days-long battle. ¡°You were saved by us,¡± Jeda corrected, ¡°Not lucky. And two otters died for your carelessness.¡± ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± Ogre stuttered, caught off guard by the uncharacteristic heat in the otter¡¯s voice. ¡°I did not ask you to save me! You should have stayed out of it!¡± Lam put a paw on Ogre¡¯s cuirass near the dog¡¯s shoulder making him flinch. ¡°You killed them with your need to slaughter, dog!¡± Said Glaeddra, ¡°We should have cut you down before we left the Tutorial Tower Grounds!¡± Ogre¡¯s scowl deepened. ¡°You¡¯re angry that your precious leader gave up your best sword in order to have me in the group.¡± ¡°Ogre¡­¡± Lam warned. The dog looked at the fox then tried to cross his arms before moaning in pain and dropping them to his sides. ¡°You did not ask us to save you, Ogre, but you joined our group. And in our group, I take responsibility for everybeast, whether they like me or not.¡± Said Jeda. ¡°I was hesitant to make you one of us because I could foresee your foolhardiness, and arrogance. But I assumed that a dog would know what a pack meant. They risked their lives to save you because that¡¯s what a pack does for the beasts within it. You should think on it before making any more unruly decisions.¡± The otters about them stood and took notice. Their eyes were hard on Ogre, searching. They had been remarkably friendly with the dog when he decided to join up with them. They treated him rather kindly, especially compared with their kindred, the weasels and wolverines. Am I wrong in this? Should I apologize? Wait I spoke to Jeda¡­I told him what I was doing and it was his idea to go hunting for meat and insight in the first place. Ogre opened his mouth to say just that, when Glaeddra interrupted. ¡°He gets to stay in the Romp? He made us sacrifice a brother and a sister, and he gets to live?¡± The beasts around Ogre shuffled foot paws nervously, feeling the tension. Some had watched from the corners of their eyes, whereas others stared openly. Now, most of them looked uncomfortable, preferring to glare at the ground or their weapons than the large female otter. ¡°We were told the risks of being an adventurer, Glaeddra.¡± Jeda said, turning his large dark eyes on her. Unlike when Jeda looked flatly at the dog, his eyes were not unkind. ¡°We know what can happen especially after the Tower. And he will pay for the sacrifice of Nama and Sorda.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Jeda?¡± Growled Ogre, ¡°I¡¯m not paying for anything! I did not kill those otters! Troglodytes killed them, and I killed troglodytes and I¡¯m sure the rest of the pack had the chance to avenge themselves on the monsters too.¡± ¡°You will give up the monster gems that you collected. They will be split evenly among the pack.¡± ¡°Or what?¡± Ogre ignored both the tug and Lam¡¯s frantic whisper. ¡°Will you slay me if I do not concede?¡± Glaeddra smiled viciously. ¡°It is not fair to give you even this chance, but do please ignore it, so that I can spit you on your own sword.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you, Otter!¡± Ogre said baring his teeth at the large female, before pointing his nose at Jeda. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you!¡± ¡°Your paws are broken, Ogre. And though your friend Lam would likely not abandon you, he will not be able to keep you alive for the entire trip to Cerulean Town.¡± Jeda shrugged, ¡°Perhaps your bite will be enough. But it is no substitute for a sword, especially not a greatsword. You don¡¯t know what¡¯s out there. For some reason you don¡¯t remember what happened in the Tutorial Levels. And you do not know what happened to us so near to the road.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right, Ogre.¡± Said Lam, ¡°The monsters here are stronger than the ones in the tower. They are tougher and smarter. The weaker ones will only fight you in their hoards, or they will ambush you. And it seems as if they are drawn to roadways like this.¡± The fox waved at the flagstone road, called: The Road of Beginnings. ¡°The monsters that come at night are stronger than the ones that attack in the daylight, and they come in their dozens.¡± Said Jeda, ¡°We saw some Jackalopes in the distance. Before we knew it, they knocked ten of our otters silly with no provocation at all. No one died, luckily. But we were here to protect them while they were unconscious. We were there to protect you once we found you. You don¡¯t want to travel alone. Pay the restitution or death price if you prefer, we can call it that. It is not so bad a price. Divvy up the gems, the items, and the meat.¡± Ogre felt his heart leap into his throat when Jeda mentioned him being unconscious. That battle with the Troglodytes consumed so much of his stamina, that his body gave in to the sweet release of sleep. The dog took his body¡¯s betrayal as an insult. He slept after a battle with the monsters before. The memory of being held aloft while those Troglodytes hefted their crude axes to dismember his body, was too fresh. He shivered. No, he did not want to go on alone. ¡°This is unfair,¡± Said the dog, ¡°But I will not put Lam at risk¡­to¡­to sate my ego.¡± He said the last words so quietly that Jeda had to lean in to hear. Ogre spoke again this time, loudly, ¡°I regret the foolishness of going out alone and I will give up this meat and loot for my brother otters.¡± Thousands of pounds of troglodyte meat appeared before Lam. Then over a hundred troglodyte stones, made a pile next to the heap of meat. Jeda raised an eyebrow, as if to say Is that it no more arguing? Ogre smiled wanly at the taller Otter. The smile was meant to convey that he knew that Jeda was right in this. From the way the Otter looked at him, he must have gotten something of a smirk from it. The indication surprised Ogre. He did not realize that he activated Silvertongue. Why was the reward so great? Ogre thought, he looked around at the otters, watching as hostile postures became friendly and hard eyes softened. A dozen of them even came up to him asking how he felt, if his paws were hurting him. Twice that number asked him how he managed to slay hundreds of the Troglodytes by himself. It was the sum of the beasts that the skill worked on! Ogre realized. This is better than any other way I have to increase my stats! Ogre smiled broadly. ¡°The monsters that you all fought, were elite compared to the ones that I did in.¡± It was the truth but all they saw, was Ogre trying to be humble. The dog looked at Jeda, who was eyeing the rest of the otters strangely as if concerned that the beast he intended to punish somehow got out of it. When Ogre looked at Glaeddra he felt the hairs on the back of his neck bristle. She hates me! The large female otter stormed away, after telling Jeda that she was going to relieve one of the scouts on duty. ¡°Somehow I doubt you have upended all of your stores of loot to be fairly allotted.¡± Said Jeda. ¡°We will say that you have your allotment and call it even. We have lost three days because of you. One day searching for you, and two more to allow you to sleep through the trauma you put your body through. Honestly, the loot very nearly makes up for it. You have six hours. Eat, rest, and be ready to move. We will continue just past noon.¡± Jeda nodded and left. Lam waited until the Otters let the dog be, before taking him off to the side to speak with him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was not with you. Ogre, I was trying to convince the other foxes, Ewe and Ram to join our happy group. But you did well here. I did not think you would turn it so deftly to your benefit.¡± Ogre nodded, unable to look the fox in the eye. ¡°Thank you for uh¡­for helping me with the blood and uh¡­¡± Lam looked away. ¡°They had already mostly cleaned you up by the time I got to you. I think Jeda had Glaeddra do it, she is the largest and strongest of the Otters, after all. I heard she even returned your greatsword. You know the one that Jeda gave to you that was originally hers.¡± Ogre stiffened and then groaned. ¡°I would have rather that it had been you.¡± Lam sighed, ¡°I thought as much. But lying about this would have foolish, plus the other otters already know.¡± They knew about his shame and yet they were able to be convinced by him? Ogre shook his monstrous head and then froze as a spell of dizziness came over him. He felt weak and so hungry, so abruptly. Forcing his mind on the matters at paw, he was able to forget about his embarrassment for some time as he pulled out his spit, and the vittles from given by the tower, and began to roast troglodyte and weasel meat. The next level for the Glutton skills is 500 pounds. Let¡¯s see if I can clear that in six hours. Did I almost die from eating too much? Ogre thought, looking sleepily down at his swollen belly. It was so big that it eclipsed the monstrous size of his head. The otters were gathered around, mouths open, troglodyte bones slipping from paws, and awe glittering in their dark eyes. The silence in the camp made the noise of the woods nearby, cacophonous with its sounds of birds, insects, and the sigh of a cool wind through the trees, that barely relieved the warmth squatting over the land. Then there was a tumult of applause and hooting as awe at his gluttonous eating, spilled from the throats of otters. Ogre tried to shake the sleep from his head, then held his paws, entombed in his gauntlets, out to steady himself. The noise about him was growing muffled. Sleep called. At least I¡¯m not hungry anymore. He wondered if it was the Glutton skill that made him so avaricious. ¡°You¡¯re becoming a soldier¡¯s legend among these otters, Ogre.¡± Said Lam, from somewhere off to his side, the dog¡¯s lids were so heavy that he could not manage to look the fox¡¯s way. ¡°They are in awe of your ability to slay your enemies, and you eat as well as a troupe of them¡­better, more¡­if I think about it. It¡¯s miraculous really.¡± Ogre mumbled something to the fox, that might have been to the order of, ¡°I wonder if I have room for some more of the that sweet tower wine.¡± The dog felt himself being lowered to the ground. I can¡¯t eat like this again¡­I have to slowly gain weight, get to a thousand pounds before I can eat my weight in meat and not risk my life doing it. Glutton explained that I could do that. I wonder if I can make the troglodyte meat taste better? Some herbs, spice¡­salt? Darkness swallowed him. He did not go to a glowing place of crystalline chalices the size of cottages and jeweled greenery, but to an ordinary dream. In this dream he was in a feast, and he ate all the food, the plates, chairs and started on the table before it ended. Road of Beginnings II Chapter Seven The Road of Beginnings II The journey from the camp was just as eventful as the first day outside the tower. Jeda spoke the truth about monsters gathering close to the road and attacks were quite frequent. Luckily, the monsters were barely above level 1 and none as high as level 10. This was a boon as even the weakest of the Otters started out of the Tower at level 10. And they leveled up relatively quickly, despite the low insight the creatures gave them. Ogre with his paws still healing, and his head spinning any time he moved it too quickly had to stay out of the fray. He stood next to Jeda, in the middle of a ring of the otters, as Glaeddra led the offensive and Jeda slung his lightning and called out orders. The monsters came in numbers seeking to overwhelm them. The slimes had low health but were resistant to slashing and piercing attacks. Fire and bludgeoning worked very well but there were hundreds of them. Troglodytes also attacked, with ambushes that wounded more than a few otters, initially. But pig iron plate was mostly proof against their stone weapons. There were different colors to the lizard-like creatures and their scales were so tiny that they resembled shaved cracked skin. The rust-colored monsters, the ones that Ogre fought were the strongest, physically, but there were blue skinned creatures that were smaller and faster, preferring hit and run tactics. Like the reds they used Chet stone weapons. However, they also used water high arts and would often drop a dense ball of water on the ranks of Otters to make a way into the circle. Jeda was a bane to them with his lightning. He cooked them with a precision that Ogre had to admit was terrifying. The way they burst apart, showering beasts and monsters with bright red-blue, or scarlet gore, when barely grazed by the tendrils of electricity, showed that they were very susceptible to the high art. The green scaled Troglodytes were more numerous than their peers and had better weapons, but they were even smaller than the blues and used daggers of malachite to fight, spurning bows. They were more agile and nearly as fast as the blues, but their staying power was wanting before the powerful bodies of the otters. No beast in the pack died during the days, but the nights were a different matter. Ogre chaffed at his inability to fight. He felt inadequate, lacking, especially when so many of the otters and even the foxes, who was forced to the join the pack to survive the trip to Cerulean, started leveling up like mad. One of the tipping points was when Glaeddra came to him with a smug smile on her face. It was after a battle with slimes, her plate was nearly full, with helmet, gauntlets, chestplate, backplate and faulds, dripping with transparent goo. The powerful otter had been using the flat of her greatsword to destroy the monsters and it worked well. The dog could accredit a least a hundred of the slimes to her alone. He was sure that she would be able to level up quite a bit from just that recent clash. ¡°My strength is beyond the threshold to wield that greatsword that you stole from me, dog. Give it back.¡± Ogre bristled and glared at her smug face, the eyes hard and smile contemptuous. ¡°That sword was fair trade with the agreement I had with our leader. Taking it back from me by force would be stealing and usurping Jeda¡¯s right to lead.¡± Glaeddra¡¯s smile deepened. Ogre shuddered as he imagined her helping to rid his clothing of waste from his terrifying fight. She must mock me in private, imagining my weakness before her¡­laughing at me. Joyous at the fact that I needed her help. Ogre flexed his paws and winced. They did not hurt as much as before, but they still hurt. I should have been more careful. I would not be in this situation if I used my head more than my arm! ¡°I will not take it by force. Though it is on your back, and I won¡¯t have to kill you to get it. It¡¯s not in your inventory.¡± Glaeddra leaned in closer, ¡°You can thank me later for that tidbit, I doubt you knew that, if your amnesia is legitimate. Still. You will give it to me.¡± Ogre laughed in her face. ¡°And why would I do that?¡± ¡°If you were truly a part of our pack, you would know.¡± Glaeddra said, loudly. ¡°You have been protected by us, many of our fellow beasts have taken wounds in our clashes while you are unharmed. Unharmed save for the so called ¡®wounds¡¯ you sustained in that disastrous fight you had with a superior enemy. A fight I might add was entirely your fault.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Ogre could not decide on which point in her argument to address, all of it made him so angry. She is as much a hero to the otters as you are, Ogre. The dog thought. He tried and failed to leave her prowess in the fighting unacknowledged in his head. He could not, she was skilled, and she was strong. I could be just as strong and skilled as she, were it not for these cat-blasted paws! Paws that you broke fighting alone against an enemy that you should not have risked yourself to fight! ¡°You are speechless for a change, perhaps there is a heart that beats in your chest not fully hardened by arrogance. I still recall how you threatened our entire romp with death barely a few days hence.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Ogre started with a shout, but he noticed the eyes on him, and how calmly the female otter spoke; Jeda listened but did not take part in their discussion. ¡°I simply explained the facts about the situation, threats were not a part of it.¡± ¡°You have honeyed words, but I am no bee,¡± Said Glaeddra, her muzzle growing even more smug at her quip. ¡°You have come some distance with us¡­will you not, even now put the Romp first, before your own interests? You know that sword will see better use in my unbroken paws.¡± Bees make the honey. You would have been better served to claim you are not a badger or a bear. Ogre thought petulantly. She has won this debate¡­but perhaps I can gain something from this. I already knew I would not be able to keep the S-class greatsword. She was too attached to it. And losing it made her feel less than. Honestly, I did not expect Jeda to give it to me. That must have been due to the Silvertongue skill. It is powerful. Ogre knew that he should wait just a bit longer. Still, giving back that powerful blade is¡­painful! Especially, to Glaeddra. Ogre activated Visionary, which allowed him to see the faces of otters and the foxes around him. The formation was still tight from the battle before, so they were all within range of the skill. He felt his vigor take a hit, but it was less than with the martial art skills. Only 50 points were taken from his vigor points. The large otter turned her back to Ogre and addressed the gathering pack. ¡°The nights have been especially hard. The stronger enemies have come out and scoured us deeply. Heva, did you not nearly lose an eye to a goblin dagger? And Neda, how long did it take for the wound on your paw to heal? Yet you still pull bowstring to cheek to save my life when that Troglodyte brute wrapped its talons around my neck!¡± Ogre remembered that fight, Glaeddra had already impaled that blue-scaled monster before Neda put an arrow in the creature¡¯s skull. Her paw had been superficially cut and coupled with the great regenerative powers of leveled beast, it was healed in less than an hour. She did not give them a chance to refute her words. Sensing this was the time, Ogre interrupted instead. ¡°It is yours, Glaeddra¡­had I known sooner that you acquired the strength to wield it I would have begged Jeda to reconsider our deal to my detriment so that I can return it back to you.¡± This raised a few brows, mostly behind the dog, but he smiled inwardly and went on. They would recognize how closely he matched the tone of her words. He was sure that they were intelligent enough and social enough to do it. ¡°You should have just told me that you could now wield it. Before my paws were injured, I slew three hundred of the stronger troglodytes, without the power of the pack behind me, it is a fine weapon. With its baptism of blood, you will do great things. I apologize for asking for it at the tower. I just knew that you are too kind and self-suffering to allow another, stronger beast to take up your burden. I know that you cannot put it in your inventory as it will take up too much space. I also know that carrying it would limit the amount of armour that you can bear. Armour that has not only saved your life but gave you the ability to serve as protection to many beasts, including Jeda our leader, who wisely approved of the deal of handing over the sword, and I the wretched ungrateful pup that I am. Please accept my humblest apologies.¡± Ogre willed the sword in his inventory and called it to his jaws. He bit the tip of the greatsword and offered it to Glaeddra. Gasps of awe came from the otters about him. Lam looked at him knowingly. He knew that the dog could wield the weapon in his jaws easier than in his paws. He was there when Ogre first dumped his cache of weapons and picked among them in the Tutorial World Tower. Glaeddra¡¯s smirk was gone, and she eyed Ogre suspiciously, but she took the weapon quickly, one paw on the flat of the great blade and other on the hilt at the crosstrees. Ogre released before she could snatch it from him. He did not trust himself to not tug back. It was reflexive. ¡°And now can we continue on? Gather the remains from the slimes, if there are any, and check for monster gems.¡± Said Jeda his eyes on Ogre. Ogre was sure that if he continued to have such success with Silvertongue, he would fare very well in the merchant sections of Cerulean . The dog shrugged at Jeda, but then the otter did something that Ogre was not expecting. Jeda nodded at him. Does he respect me for putting the pack above my rights as the owner of the greatsword or was it because I outsmarted Glaeddra? The dog did not have the answer. However, he knew especially as the otters got stronger and while he was still wounded, that it would not be a good idea to be on the bad side of the group. Ogre did note that only ten otters succumbed to his skill. He had expected all within hearing to do so, especially the ones who agreed with Glaeddra. Perhaps their increased levels, increased their resistance to my skill? The average otter was at least at level 15 now. Ogre also knew that the number ten was not random. He had given ten s-class weapons to otters. That must have increased my affinity with them enough that my skill was able to influence them. Ogre tucked that bit of information in his mind. The night brought goblins. The creatures were more deadly than troglodytes, smarter and quicker than even the blue-scales. And they used metal weapons that looked as if they were scavenged from dead adventurers and wielded with deadly precision. They were cunning, their traps more than a simple ambush. Sometimes they would use holes with spikes at the bottom and crude poison on the arrows and blades. Like the troglodytes one on one they were generally weaker than even a fox. But other variants of the creatures existed. Goblin shamans meant at least one otter would die in the clash. They wielded high arts of fire, poison gas, and even lightning on rare occasions. Jeda would have to duel it out with the Goblin High art user, leader against leader. Not simply because the shaman was a powerhouse but for this reason, the monster was usually protected by hobgoblin guards. A typical goblin had green skin, a large lumpy head with enormous yellow eyes and a giant nose. They were shorter than Ogre. But the hobgoblins were twice Ogre¡¯s height, with orange-brown skin, towering over even Glaeddra and strong enough to match her blow for blow with a thick wooden club for a weapon. When they had a greatsword or mace and shield not even the large female warrior would engage them in single combat. They often required the use of the otters with s-class weapons and intense minutes of fighting before the hoard of goblins fled. They were routed when Jeda prevailed or when enough of the lesser goblins were slain to turn the tide in the group¡¯s favor. After those intense night battles, no cries of victory rang out. There were no calls praising one¡¯s prowess or toasts of the tower wine. Jeda¡¯s voice was the loudest, and yet his voice was a soft croak from calling out his skill names throughout the night. He called for the tally of the dead and the wounded. Most of the otters had made it past the level 20 now but their numbers were down. After the two that died rescuing Ogre, four more died in skirmishes with slimes and troglodytes, and another ten with battles involving goblins. Jeda used the sobriety of the time to check levels, as it was usually a way to lift spirits. Glaeddra was level 46, Jeda Level 47, the ten s-class wielding otters went from 38 to 42, and the rest of the otters were level 19 to 32. The foxes declined to show their level save for Lam who revealed that he was Level 40. Every beast around Ogre startled when he said that he was level 1. The gazes displayed an odd look of hostility when he said, believing him a liar despite everything that went on, only the ten and Lam abstained from judgement. Ogre hated it. He was still so far away from level 2, that even if he had singlehandedly fought every battle in place of the others, it might not have been enough to allow him to level up. Ogre could clearly recall that feeling. It was the sweetest thing he had ever known, a bliss incomparable to any song or poem or artful word. He trembled to feel it again. But he raged to grow stronger and higher in level. The clashes slowed their journey quite a bit stretching out what was said to be a three-day journey into weeks. The fighting often took a while to start even after the monsters were spotted. If they were goblins, Jeda would make sure that they would stop once they got high ground and stay put until the goblins came. The fighting for them was mostly during the night, but since slimes, troglodytes, and light-blinded goblin outcasts came during the daylight, it was difficult to make headway when traveling only a quarter of the time allotted to them. Coming outside the tower gave Ogre access to the ability Learned, giving him at its current level a general sense of all lands in this world. Two days from the town the clashes ceased. It was during the coolest portion of the day, when dew wet the stone way, and trickled from canopy of the forest about them. They sent scouts to look at the surrounding forest past the road, they came back with news of dead monsters. Lam, who was close by Jeda, for his affiliation with Ogre, and the other foxes, for their rumored agility and stealth in the forest served the purpose. Lam told Ogre directly that two hobgoblins had been impaled on the same spear of black iron, that went into the eye of a goblin shaman out the back of its skull. The fox explained that the three creatures had been alive while it occurred, judging by the splashes of dark blood that covered the area immediately around them including the blood on their paws. The tale froze the hearts of every beast that heard it, including the dog who could not make heads or tails of it. Jeda called for them to break camp and make as much time as they could to Cerulean. It came an hour before sunset, when the orb of the day seemed pregnant with yolk-orange light and clouds sailed just behind them to the left, to bathe the land in red and purple hues of late afternoon. The fog oozed from the forest, chalky red, glistening with a moisture akin to that which was found with morning mists. But this was as if blood was the surrogate used instead of water to make its ghostly masses. It enveloped them in a flash, too quickly for them to shy away from it, too fast for them to flee. The screams started after. The piercing cries of terror abruptly silenced, dominated over the low growl of warriors chanting a battle cry to still their hearts. Ogre tried to take common twin axes into his paws but dropped them from twitching fingers. It was not fear but the bones that still rubbed in their sheathes of meat and cartilage, nearly healed. He willed the weapons away before grasping the hilt of a greatsword in his jaws. The mists were thick but tendrils of the stuff whirled about the bodies that were flung through them.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Jeda called for the otters to form ranks, but gaps opened up where an otter once stood living not even seconds ago. Another chorus of screams sounded, and a body rolled to Ogre¡¯s sabatons. The otter¡¯s mouth was agape the eyes bulging from terror and there was a hole in its neck and a rent in the top portion of the pig iron chest plate. With the hilt of the greatsword in his maw, Ogre howled long and loud, calling forth the skills: Bloodlust and Battle cry. Immediately the terrible screams stopped and only the deep bass chanting of the otters were left. That too faded as the red mists receded from the group of beasts. The mists became a wall of red that even the fading light could not fully pierce, yet strangely it parted from their group for nearly ten paces. Ogre felt the dip in his vigor as he activated Visionary. Before the dog, a monster walked from the mists to stand halfway between them and it. It looked strange for a goblin, having beady red eyes that glowed like embers, and crimson skin in an otherwise goblin-like body. Its nose was different as well, the thin slits of grinning fleshless skull as opposed to the massive, hooked peak that goblins usually had. The monster held a black iron cleaver in one hand. Ogre saw other goblins come from the mists to stand before the group like the first, just as the otters grunted when they saw them. They had breast plates and helmets of pig iron, swords, and spears. Their fat yellow eyes were cankered with a pulsing red light akin to the tiny eyes of the strange goblin. He¡¯s controlling them. Thought Ogre. The gremlin pointed it¡¯s red stained cleaver at Ogre before slowly sliding it across a space just before it¡¯s neck. The dog saw Jeda quickly glance at him, along with Lam and Glaeddra who was near the slimmer otter. ¡°Do not be goaded, dog,¡± Said Jeda, ¡°Your paws are not healed yet, we must fight as a bevy.¡± No, he does not understand! Ogre thought before he leapt forward with another battle cry ringing from his throat, followed by the skill name: Horizontal Slash! Two of the goblins leapt forward to intercept the blow, stabbing with their spears. One spear struck his cuirass and sent sparks as it scoured it, the other sunk deep in his shoulder. The sound of the greatsword hitting their armoured torsos made a thunderous clang that hurt his ears and shot sparks that made any beast or monster nearby shrink back against the sudden flash of light. Cuirasses and great blade blew apart. Ogre lunged once more for the gremlin, which flashed glistening yellow teeth in a malevolent smile and leapt to meet him. The gremlin was so fast, he cut a ragged slash in Ogre¡¯s pig iron breastplate, cutting in the flesh underneath to a bloody chorus of parting metal and thick cloth, painting himself in the dog¡¯s blood. Ogre vomited red, feeling his left shoulder go numb from where the head of the goblin spear still stuck. He snapped at the gremlin, who was quick enough to dodge a fatal blow to the head or neck but the dog managed to lock onto shoulder and chest. Ribs crunched and his fangs sunk deep. The gremlin slugged Ogre across the jaw, cracking it¡¯s left hand before lashing out with the cleaver over the dog¡¯s skull. The black iron bounced and suddenly Ogre was free, his jaws loosening as strong paws pulled him away from the creature. The cacophony of battle went quiet. The screams of the dying and the sounds of bodies dropping grew distant. An otter with a mace and shield knelt beside Ogre, paws pressed over the rents in his cuirass. His palms glowed. ¡°Godlion sees all, the Godlion hears his faithful¡¯s cries, the faithful loves all, but will not suffer a beast to die: Heal!¡± Yelled the Otter, ¡°They¡¯re shallow gashes, the plate must have slowed the strikes down enough that they barely got through the gambeson underneath.¡± Those were shallow gashes? Thought Ogre, in horror. How did they become critical hits if they did not sink so deeply? How could they do so much damage if they merely grazed me¡­and look at the blood they cause me to expel! Ogre¡¯s Visionary skill was still active, he could see the otters battling the high-level goblins. For every one goblin that fell six otters fell with them. We cannot win like this! But I cannot face them and face that gremlin too! Ogre paused for a second to watch the battle with the Gremlin. Glaeddra attacked it full force from the front, while Lam cut at it from the flanks. The foxes shot arrows with uncanny accuracy keeping the powerful creature from landing deadly blows on either the Lam or the female otter. Jeda alternated between sending bolts of lightning at the gremlin to cooking the goblins in their plate. Even with the iron serving to heightened the power of the electricity it still took three bolts to take down one, four if it was unharmed by the otter¡¯s attacks. Ogre willed a greatsword into his mouth. He closed his eyes, to keep from growing dizzy as he swung the blade. The otter cleric was only able to bring him back to a quarter of his health bolstered as it was by bloodlust. But that worked for him. Trollblood Vigor increased his vigor greatly when his health was low. His limit for skills when his health was full was barely two, now he could do scores if he wanted. That coupled with deathknoll, allowing him to survive blows that should end him, he was ready for a rampage. ¡°Battle Cry! Berserker Madness! Thrust!¡± Ogre became a flash of metal and fur as the skills heighted his physical ability well beyond their upper limit. The greatsword cut through the face and skull of a goblin striking inside of its helm. Ogre roared another battle cry, but it did nothing but make noise. He did not care, he roared another skill twice over, right after coming upon on a pair of goblins who, had a small pile of dead otters at their feet, pooling in iron, blood and viscera. ¡°Diagonal Slash, Diagonal Slash!¡± On the last goblin the greatsword hued into the breastplate of the creature, and broke. Ogre called the last greatsword that he had from his inventory and felt it fall in his teeth. He gripped it hard. Thrust was easier to do when he had paws to work with, but it was the best way to save his last great blade. He would make do. The last three goblins were spaced on different parts of the battlefield. Visionary allowed him to see them precisely even with his eyes closed. Ogre breathed in deep and urged his body forward in leaps and bounds side-to-side and forward, with every ounce of energy that he had. He saw his body move as a bird would and saw that there was no wasted effort, no superfluous motion. It was perfect. He called out thrust so quickly that it became one word and spurred by his mad dash it became something more. Ogre slashed the blade violently in the air making the blood coating it paint the road. Then he headed to where they still fought the Gremlin. Once Jeda saw that Ogre was taking down the goblins he turned his attention fully on the gremlin. Jeda sent bolt after bolt into the creature, who seemed to shrug it off at first, but eventually it staggered and Glaeddra was able to get a full-on heavy attack in with her greatsword resulting in 3000 hit points worth of damage. The gremlin wrenched the blade free from its lower hip and threw Glaeddra back with uncanny strength. The creature bristled with arrows, but the archer foxes were out of the fight. The gremlin managed to hurl an armoured otter corpse at them while Ogre slayed its minions. The body knocked one out cold when a helmet-clad skull met one that was not and broke the other¡¯s arm with its sheer weight. The otter that healed the dog was down and likely dead, either from facing the gremlin or one of the high-level goblins before the dog slew the monster. Ogre attacked in the gap left by Glaeddra, just as Lam distracted the gremlin from it¡¯s flank on the opposite side. Glaeddra¡¯s wound on the creature barely slowed it, as it booted Lam across the battlefield and turned it¡¯s black iron cleaver upon Ogre. The dog mumbled Hunter¡¯s Dash, using the burst of speed to leap back. When he did, Ogre moved a lot faster than double speed, which launched him as far as Lam was kicked. With luck, their distraction allowed Glaeddra to get back on her sabatons before the gremlin was upon her. But it was a whirlwind of flashing metal. Horrific groans bounced through the bloody mists as pig-iron was rent all over her body. It was accompanied by flashes of orange and red sparks, that made the shadows of the night dance in the crimson mists and before it, like mad things. Another blast from Jeda, this time with a ball of orange fire that exploded behind the gremlin, sent the creature flying into the flat of Glaeddra¡¯s blade. She could not react quickly enough to the creature¡¯s frenzied attacks, but the hunk of s-class iron was thick enough to hold out for a few moments, seeing that the otter leader reacted quickly. Jeda collapsed, where he stood, spent, eyes barely open. The gremlin bounced off the greatsword, and stumbled a few steps back, wavering, stunned. Hunter¡¯s dash sent Ogre leaping forward past even the tall female otter, as fast as a heartbeat. Behind him the dog saw Lam groaning piteously but not rising. Horizontal Slash at the gremlin¡¯s injured side was followed by two Diagonal Slashes, a Vertical Slash, thrust, and finally Triple Thrust. Off balanced and stunned, the gremlin barely managed to deflect each of his skills. However, the monster succeeded and caught himself on a back leg, before smiling evilly at Ogre, who promptly called out, Quick Retreat. It scowled and followed half a heartbeat later. It¡¯s so fast and so strong! After retreating across the open space of the battlefield ten times, avoiding otters and the fallen lest they were trampled or dispatched by the relentless monster, Ogre called Hunter¡¯s Dash and surprised it by running straight at it. It lifted it¡¯s cleaver to block Ogre¡¯s attack. Ogre used the agile sidestep inherent to the skill to dodge past it. He watched in horror with Visionary as the monster whipped it¡¯s cleaver in a terrible horizontal slash along his back. Somehow it anticipated his maneuver and moved to counter it. It was so fast and so agile that even though Ogre could see it clearly, he could not make his body move fast enough to react properly to it. Ogre crashed into the flagstone road, the backplate that was rent in two, went flying. His breastplate went to pieces as he smashed into earth and bounced, going end over end, carried by the power of the gremlin¡¯s backhand into the thick crimson mists. Ogre coughed blood, trembling as he stood up. Even with all that vigor that he had, with all the skills at his disposal, he needed more strength. There is only one to get it quickly, and by the Dog in the Sky let it be enough! Ogre remembered the feel of leveling up when he thought that he was dead. It was too good, too much. Could he survive doing that, three times all at once? Would one level be enough? Would two? With his companions dying as he deliberated, he could not risk being too weak to take down that gremlin. All of it, he would take all the strength he earned, and he would get it right now. ¡°Take me to Level Four.¡± The gremlin lifted Glaeddra high above it¡¯s head, impaled on the blade of it¡¯s cleaver. Her body was limp, the right foreleg hued off at the elbow, gauntlet and all, and deep arterial blood spurted from her ruined chestplate. The monster cruelly threw her high in the air to crash down on the last of the survivors. The other foxes were gone. Lam still could not rise from where the monster kicked him and hacked up blood as he glared at the creature. Jeda was unconscious in the center of the battlefield. The vast majority of the otters were dead or dying all over the killing field. The gremlin howled its victory, a strange beast-like crooning that almost sounded beautiful. For Lam it was the cry of a death lark. They would all die this night, including that ridiculously strong pup. Lam had been sure that Ogre could beat the gremlin. Though the dog might not have known it, his strength was pretty much equal to the gremlin. The monster just had a lot more dexterity and a smaller yet more powerful weapon to wield. That allowed him to rebuff the dog¡¯s attacks with ease. When you fought a life-or-death struggle, tick marks, just lines next to words was enough to determine if you would live or die. Lam wanted to cry. But if he wept the agony in his chest, from likely every rib being broken, would just grow enough to render him unconscious. I could level up and heal. However, Lam knew that he could not face that gremlin alone. Even if he could grow by a hundred levels. It dominated ten level 175 goblins. I¡¯d still be no match for that thing! It is a monster for the likes of Ogre. That thought gave him a chill. He was sure no one knew his true purpose in coming to the tower. But he was sure he found the source of the disturbance that his Feline Prince was looking for. It was too bad Ewe and Ram fled. They would be slain for failing to bring in the Dreameater. Lam looked up. The gremlin was gone. A sound of metal smashing into metal and a flash of a bubble of blood and meat burst over the spot where the creature had been. Lam looked around terrified. What could do that to a monster that easily wrecked nearly two dozen, level forty beasts? The mists swirled as if a body passed through it at tremendous speeds. The mist did not close on that spot. Lam peered deeper. His night vision was not poor, but the darkness made by the mist was impenetrable. When Ogre walked from that gap in the crimson mists clad in bloody bits of armour, Lam nearly soiled himself. He did not know if it was in joy that he had not failed, or terror that the rumors were true. A Dreameater walks among us! Ogre shook the blood and gore of the gremlin from his body like the filth it was and barely took note of the banner that told him how much insight and soulweight he got from the gremlin. The dog felt cold on the inside, emotionless, below that numbness was an ocean of shame. The bliss was sweet, sweet enough for him to fall to his knees weep in joy at it, but the guilt and shame made him feel sick. It was enough to cut through that goodness and keep his mind from growing insensate. How many otters would still be alive if I leveled up sooner? Who else will die because of my colossal ineptitude? Ogre gazed over the battlefield at the few who were still left. Glaeddra lay in a crumpled heap, near Jeda, unmoving. If they were lucky the otter leader did not burn himself out. Even if he did, if he was alive, Ogre would be happy. Lam looked at him with a strange look of horror and adoration. The otters that survived had something of that same look. He felt like an imposter under their gazes. They looked at him as if he saved them. He did not, he saved himself. He had not been strong enough to save them all. The bevy was decimated, their leader, Jeda unconscious. There were things that only a leader could do, that could not wait. Something had to be done, now. Someone has to take charge, why not I? The thought bloomed from a treacherous, worm-like part of his heart. A taste of power made one thirsty for more. To be submerged in nigh unending Elysium as when he leveled up was to know true thirst when that feeling of rapture faded. Why shouldn¡¯t leadership be the surrogate until he could safely level up again? A deeper part of himself answered. Because you are unworthy of leadership¡­you are still too weak! He promptly ignored the words his heart spoke to him and instantly felt as if he failed a test. You must get out of your head! Dwelling inwardly is a trap, especially after so much violence, stay in the present¡­be present! The words gave Ogre strength. They felt right. ¡°We need to gather up all the living and the wounded and see if elixir would spare them.¡± Said Ogre as he walked over to Lam. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°My ribs are broken, and I think my hips are dislocated. Other than that, I¡¯m sunshine and moonbeams.¡± The joke fell flat, but Ogre smiled anyways. Jokes for Lam was unusual. Before the fox could protest, Ogre placed a paw on the creature¡¯s pelvis and pulled one leg and the other. They popped back into place with an awful sound. A startled yelp came from the fox, but the pain went from crippling on his face to a look of fatigued relief. ¡°Thanks,¡± He said holding out a paw to be helped up. ¡°Wait, drink an elixir first, we¡¯ll need you on your paws to help out the others.¡± Lam shook his head, ¡°They are healing already, the powers of leveling makes us more durable and increases our ability to regenerate. We need to save the elixir for those who are dying.¡± Ogre watched four otters poke and prod at their companions, checking nostrils and chests to see which beasts were breathing. They went away more forlorn than the last at each check. The dog spoke to Lam, ¡°It¡¯s not going well, I do not think we¡¯ll find many who we can save. I do believe Jeda is one of them. What about Glaeddra?¡± Lam shook his head. Ogre already knew. There was stillness to her chest where he should have heard a heartbeat. ¡°What happened, Ogre, did you level up?¡± ¡°Yes¡­I did.¡± Ogre said, ¡°Too late.¡± ¡°How strong did you get?¡± ¡°You can see for yourself.¡± ¡°That is quite impressive.¡± Said Lam slowly, ¡°If you can continue to level as you are, all the way up to 999, you can easily reach the ranks of Heroes.¡± Ogre looked at Lam. It was piercing look that made the fox swallow hard. ¡°I was barely able to overcome a level 1 creature, Lam. I will not be satisfied until I can slay those who would slay me and protect those who chose to protect me. Until then, I will strive to grow as strong as I can. Even beyond that, I want to wield that axe or maul or whatever was gifted to me by the Tower. For that I need to grow stronger, well beyond the perceived limits of Heroes and Kings.¡± Cerulean Chapter Eight Cerulean The funeral rites for the otters that died earlier was quick and functional. Everybeast in the pack was brought there to the tower, as far as Ogre knew, against their will. They did not choose to fight and die but they did everything in their power to survive. After that night of crimson fog and red skin goblins, few otters were left alive. Besides Jeda only the four that still stood after Ogre slew the gremlin, were left alive. The dog was able to see that there was some good that came of the battle. The four otters, one sword and board adventurer, one wielding Glaeddra¡¯s s-class greatsword, another a spear and shield and the last a dual wielder of paired axes, went from level 42 to 62. Jeda who was morose the moment he woke up to the present, reached 125. Ogre knew they used the levels to treat their pain at surviving when almost every other beast in their group had not. The rush of leveling was so powerful, so all-encompassing that it washed away guilt for hours. First in an instant of bliss then with indeterminate longing for it, that never fully faded. That was why Ogre did not level up instantly after the gremlin. He had to control it. It needed to be controlled. It took a lot of coaxing from Ogre, but Jeda led the remembrance ceremony for the fallen beasts. He spoke quickly but solemnly. There were no bodies, just loot and damaged armour and weapons. The remaining otters took what they could hold but left Glaeddra¡¯s equipment save the greatsword, for Ogre and Jeda. Jeda peered at Ogre, after the dog scoured the loot from every monster after the otters had their pick. He walked up to the dog and backpawed him across the snout, leaning in, leading with the hips, and following through. The crack was so loud everyone save Jeda, and Ogre froze. The dog did not flinch. His hardiness was over ten times greater than it had been and Jeda, despite his high level was not a warrior or fighter class. ¡°You had the power to save us¡­you had the strength to end the fight with those¡­monsters. But you waited! You waited until almost everybeast was dead¡­You let her die, Ogre! Glaeddra was right you are selfish all the way to your bones. Was she so foul to you? Sure, she said some things¡­but you did not have to let her die!¡± Said Jeda, muzzle smooth, eyes liquid and dark. ¡°You slew that monster that tore us apart with ease! It took bolt after bolt of lightning as if they were raindrops and it a fish. And it you slew it so fast that no one saw it. They told me of your exploit. One moment it was there, the next it was gone. I think you fooled us¡­I think you fooled me. You are not like us. Those monsters came for you. There is no other explanation why they were that strong. You did this to us.¡± Ogre said nothing. What is the point of arguing back? I don¡¯t know why those ridiculously powerful monsters came. Borhelm said nothing about them, only about the jackalopes and Buckroos. Lam spoke up, ¡°That is not fair! You were there also, you failed everybeast too, you were the leader of the pack! Ogre did what he did, when he could!¡± Jeda¡¯s face tightened. ¡°Why would I listen to a fox? Your kind is synonymous with cunning and slyness! Tell me, you fought that monster with Glaeddra and I, was Ogre weaker than it, before he leveled up?¡± Lam went quiet. Ogre looked at him sharply, speaking, ¡°I wish I could have been stronger and faster than I was, but there is no doubt that Gremlin was far stronger than I was. My stats doubled three times over. And it was all so that I could slay that thing!¡± Jeda pointed at the fox, ¡°There is a reason why he does not speak. Your lies will not fool me, I can tell when you use your skill, dog. I can taste it!¡± Ogre flinched and deactivated Silvertongue. I didn¡¯t even realize that I was using it! He looked to Lam, ¡°He is not right, Lam, It was so much stronger than I was! It threw me as if I was a twig!¡± ¡°The difference was in your dexterity.¡± Said Lam, he looked at the dog with kind eyes, ¡°You were likely as strong if not stronger than it was. Dexterity or in truth, well-balanced stats, will allow a beast to utilize even a standout talent, such as your strength, to it¡¯s maximum. Your strength was close to a level 200 fighter since the tower. And before the fight with the goblin it was at or beyond a level 300 warrior¡­even with a quick calculation¡­you should have been able to do exactly as it did to Glaeddra, me, and the others with raw strength. Your fight with the troglodytes was the biggest example of your true power. Even after a full night of fighting, you clashed with the highest levelled of the Troglodytes on one end while our group attacked their flank...¡±- -¡°Hammer and anvil.¡± Both Jeda and Ogre said, before looking at each other, Jeda with hard eyes. ¡°¡­well yes, but you matched the fighting ability of nearly three dozen otters with equal weapons and armour and slew as many monsters as we did. A simple Heroic Scale would put you as equal in fighting power as all the rest of us combined.¡± ¡°I was wounded, my paws were broken!¡± Jeda snorted. ¡°You should have died, we saw tracks from hundreds of troglodytes, and our bevy only slew twenty-five. I should have seen it then! You are a monster yourself, Ogre! Your name suites you!¡± ¡°That is uncalled for, Jeda.¡± Lam said, ¡°Ogre fought just as hard¡­no harder than the rest of us! He slew eight of the goblins and eventually their leader too! He saved our lives, Otter, and you are supremely ungrateful.¡± ¡°You were with him, from the first.¡± Snorted Jeda, ¡°I saw you speaking with him before the weasels ambushed him in the Hall of Class Archetypes. You probably told him about that too. Though¡­that is no great sin, they were scum that needed to die. But it shows that you place your bedroll cleanly at this dog¡¯s footpaws. ¡± ¡°This is getting us nowhere.¡± Said Ogre. He looked Jeda in the eye. ¡°Hate me if you wish, but you will never bring me lower than I feel right now for not being able to slay that gremlin faster. I already hate that I was too weak last night. I will make steps to ensure that It will never happen again.¡± ¡°It is not enough.¡± Jeda said, ¡°And I will not be taken in again by flowery words. Glaeddra died because I listened to you on the first.¡± Lam sniffed, ¡°What will you do then?¡± ¡°I will travel with you all until Cerulean . Leaving now would be foolish, especially now that we see you draw dangerous enemies like dung draws flies. Plus, we are all going in the same direction anyways. But once we make it in. We will part.¡± Ogre smoothed his muzzle. ¡°That is fair,¡± The dog stretched his paw out, palm down. Jeda immediately pushed his paw forward, palm up before stopping himself. Looking disgustedly at Ogre¡¯s paw, he lifted his left paw up. A globe of water rolled over his fingers, growing larger as they completed a circle. With his retracted right paw, he allowed small strands of electricity to play across the pads of the palm. ¡°You know¡­As strong as you have undoubtedly grown, I think I can still slay you.¡± Jeda said in a flat voice. ¡°My new levels have given me a wider ability to use my High Arts, and the fighting up to now allowed me to see that there are more than one way to use an element for a specific purpose. For instance¡­¡± He lifted his left paw and the globe of water which had grown to the size of a fist, was abruptly as large as Ogre¡¯s head. ¡°No matter what level or how strong you are, you cannot breath water.¡± The dog bristled clenching his massive jaws. ¡°You would kill me now, after we went through so much bloodshed, not even half a day ago?¡± Jeda¡¯s face darkened. ¡°No. I¡¯d have to kill Lam too. And he has not done anything worthy of death. Being near you should be enough, but if it were we would all be guilty. You will take this as a warning, if I see you out of Cerulean , we are not friends, we are not kin, and we are not of the same Romp. You will be as a monster to me. Let me be as a monster to you as well.¡± With that Jeda, stalked off. When he was a distance away up the road towards the Town of Beginnings, he sat down heavily and put his muzzle in his paws and wept. Ogre felt a grief rise in his throat to choke him and burn his eyes and nose. He turned away from the pitiful sight, if only not to repeat it himself. Lam placed a paw on his shoulder then walked off himself. They rested for half a day. During that time, Ogre looked at the spoils he got from the Gremlin. (A) Rare Black Iron Cleaver [Cleave] Dmg: 1080 Req: Str 1500 Wt: 150 Common [S-Class] Gremlin Monster Gem Soulweight: ? [Appraisal Level too Low] Lifetime Insight: ? [Appraisal Level too Low] Ogre ate as he considered gem and weapon. He was not hungry, though the night had been long and the fighting draining. His grief over the lost overcame his voracious appetite. Still, his goal of being better as quickly as he could, would not wait. Also, it was so much easier to deal with the downsides of gaining weight quickly and overeating, than the blissful goodness of leveling up. His lack of hunger allowed him to take his meals in 65-pound increments. Which added another nine and three-quarter pounds to his mass with each consumption. Ogre was able to eat three times before it was time to move for the town of Cerulean. From there the dog ate nine more times on their trip. The permanent buff activated a bonus for a random physical stat. Strength popped up three times, vitality, power, hardiness, and speed twice. Ogre also gained another 120lbs in muscle. The dog noticed that his limbs were more than twice their girth and the muscle underneath the fur stood out as if it were stretched taunt across the grooves in his body. Veins snaked across his form, showing the change in body composition. The others looked at him with a look of awe that nearly rivaled the stares he got, when he slew the gremlin. Even Jeda could not help but gape at the abrupt changes. Ogre would eat as they walked, then use the latrine; in hours the swinging, engorged belly would flatten as his body grew. Ogre realized that he looked down on Lam as he spoke to the fox. Lam was no longer an ear taller but was now two paws shorter. Ogre was now nearly as tall as Glaeddra had been. The thought sent a pang of regret and shame through him. He always considered before, when he was struggling to get the necessary insight that eating would be the best way for him to get stronger. However, he could not eat to get an instant boost. It took hours for his body to process the tremendous amount of flesh that gorged himself on. 1000 pounds, once I weigh half a ton, I can level up Glutton by eating half a ton at once! The dog felt stronger. Even though he was more than twice as heavy as he had been in the tower, he felt as if the pull of the world just affected him less. He was as light as a floating leaf. Ogre actively slowed his pace to keep it in tune with the others. After the traumatic events in the forest, all the beasts; otters, fox and dog, decided to walk without sleep to the Town of Beginnings. With surprise, Ogre realized that the otters, the four surviving besides Jeda, stayed closer to him and Lam rather than the Otter Leader. The dog said nothing about it and just focused on reaching the town without incident. The forest cleared about a day out from their destination. The trees thinned many hours before; the canopy went spotty, allowing brush and other vegetation to flourish under the woody giants. The road snaked back and forth in long smooth curves, that was impossible to notice unless you walked for over a day, staring at the same point ahead. Ogre watched as yellow sunlight faded and the sun dropped like a closing eye to the horizon, taking most of the day¡¯s heat with it. He saw sunset in dazzling splashes of magenta, and purple, caught by clouds that resembled majestic robes. They walked with that beauty behind and perpendicular to them. Long shadows stretched until the land became all gray, with black pooling where the light of the milky moonlight of blue and red and cold stars did not touch. The night seemed longer than the day. The monsters kept their distance as the land rolled with only a few trees, and chunks of limestone and shale, breaking up the monotony of long low hills and plains. Night was cool as compared to the day; the sounds of night creatures grew distant with the forest behind them. Insects and small scaled creatures made their sounds, but they seemed to be lost without trees to bounce them to a beast¡¯s ears. Night slid to deep night, then the navy gray of early morning, before the sun rose high enough to make golden light spill over the rim of the world. The sun was high when they saw it. The Town of Beginnings sat on multiple low wide hills, with walls of deep blue that mimicked the shade that a cloudless summer sky took on, when the moons and sun could be seen sharing the heavens together. Towers of white, gold and many shades of blue rose over the walls. Jeda, who took the lead as they walked, hours ago, stopped abruptly before a familiar looking chunk of salt-white stone. Ogre recognized it as the twin of the sign that told them the flagstone road was The Road of Beginnings. As the dog drew close to Jeda and the stone, he understood why the otter stopped. The world shifted and wavered in ethereal color just beyond it, like the prismatic shades on a soap bubble. Looking at it, Ogre was reminded of how the world settled into existence when they exited the World Tutorial Tower. He spoke his thoughts, ¡°Does this town exist in another plane?¡± Jeda snorted at him, but Lam responded. ¡°Who knows, after the Tower, we should not be surprised at almost anything we see in this land. This world is¡­our new world is special it seems.¡± Ogre looked at the fox, squinting. ¡°It is not our world, Lam, we were kidnapped from a world where we belonged and dropped into this one. But¡­for me, it is the only world I know¡­so far.¡± ¡°Should we pass through it?¡± One of the otters said, Vedana, a female that had the two axes that Ogre first used. ¡°Do we have a choice?¡± Orda said, a male otter with s-class shield and shortsword. ¡°We will need to go through it to reach the town, I say let¡¯s go.¡± Xendaranan said, an otter survivor wielding a s-class spear. ¡°We know where we need to go¡­why wait?¡± ¡°It might be a barrier of some kind.¡± Said the last of the four, Aida, a female otter who wielded Glaeddra¡¯s greatsword.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°It will be fine,¡± Lam said, but the fox made no move to enter the shimmering air. Ogre felt his heart pound. All eyes went to him as he strode up to the barrier, moving past Jeda. The dog took a deep breath and strode through, closing his eyes tight just before his nose touched. It felt as if a mist broke over his muzzle, then face, ears and body. Ogre felt soaked through, his ragged gambeson and the padded trousers growing heavy with damp that smelled weeks old. The only pieces of his armour that remained intact was the gauntlets and sabatons. Even the chausses, Faulds and tassets were shredded by the dexterous speed of the gremlin attacks. Ogre heard a pop and abruptly he was free of the barrier and as dry as he had been before he entered. The dog turned around to bid the rest of the group to past through and startled. There was no one there. It only took a few steps to past through and yet they were gone. In their place stretched leagues of rolling land, and in the distance, mountains and what could have been a river. Ogre smelled the air. It was a river, and a large one. This is another world, isn¡¯t it? How can it sit so easily on another plane? Lam appeared right before Ogre, snout materializing from thin air then paws, face and the rest. He looked around, as he brushed himself off, muttering to himself, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can ever get used to that.¡± ¡°You are unconcerned about what just happened?¡± Asked Ogre. Lam shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not the most amazing thing I¡¯ve seen this year, Ogre. I remember everything that happened in the Tutorial Levels, believe me those experiences occlude the minor marvels outside of it.¡± The dog considered it as the others came through the barrier after a short delay. They, on the other paw, including Jeda, looked around in wonder, exclaiming at the smell of the river some distance away and the mountains behind it. Ogre gave them a few minutes to orient themselves, but spoke soon after, ¡°We need to make our way to the town. We are still a half day out, I want to be able to reach it before night.¡± ¡°The town will likely close it¡¯s gates at dusk, we will have to move faster if we want to sleep in a bed tonight.¡± Ogre looked at Lam curiously but did not ask the question in his eyes. ¡°Can you all maintain enough speed for us to make it?¡± Jeda scowled at the dog. ¡°My endurance is over a thousand and the others are at least at six hundred and twenty. You are not the only one who has gained strength.¡± Ogre¡¯s face tightened but he did not look at Jeda. ¡°Let us go then.¡± The walls of Cerulean grew as they neared, glittering brilliantly as the sun fell. Beyond the walls towered a white structure like a long pale tooth. It made the dog pause as he saw it and wonder about its purpose. In short order, the dog went back to scanning the walls of the town. Ogre saw that the ramparts were capped with white stone that looked like slivers of pale snow. Beyond the walls, when the sun was still a fist above the horizon, the group walked through the outskirts of the town. The buildings went from disorderly one-story hovels of thatch and few slate tops to neat wooden structures of two and three stories, blue brick and stone, with mostly slate and tile roofs. The Road of Beginnings cut a straight path through the spillage of beasts and culture. Signs that revealed different shops and inns stretched on both sides of the flagstones. The smells of different foods and spices, washing and latrines and all the smells of civilization filled Ogre¡¯s nose drawing him forward even as it repelled. There were a few beasts at the gates of Cerulean when Ogre and his flagging group made it to the gates. Ogre saw the guards there and immediately wanted to growl. They were boars as large as Borhelm with silvery gray plate and helms, and a tabard of dark blue over their cuirass with a circle of light blue on a square of white. Their spears were capped in blue steel and the swords at their waist would have greatswords in the paws of lesser beasts. The gates were tall black ironbound wood, twice the height of the boars, with a blue-stone barbican capped with white tile roof. They let the beasts before them in, a quartet of black sheep, clad in gray wool stockings, white tunic, and gray shirts. A boar with a thick ring of gold around it¡¯s right foremost tusk spoke, ¡°It took you all a long time to get here, that¡­Borhelm told us that he left you all to find your way in any way that you will. It should not have been done. I am Byre, son of Byre, son of Beorn son of Beorn. I would raise a drink to you all.¡± Ogre¡¯s mouth dropped open. His companion looked at Byre sharply. ¡°We do not insult the Ascended, but we must say that it is highly irregular that Borhelm did not lead you here himself.¡± ¡°Bah, Yonbore! The so-named Ascended knows that monsters seek out the newly raised adventurers and know to wait near the Roads to ambush them!¡± Said Byre, loudly. ¡°He was tasked to see adventurers, once they left the tower, safely to Cerulean by the Magistrate. And it looks like he nearly failed.¡± Yonbore looked at them as if they were a pups left alone in the wilds. ¡°They are a sorry lot, but you see their levels. There is one among them that is a level 125. Only one of them is of common stock, the dog it seems.¡± Ogre bristled, but he said nothing. ¡°It is not wise to judge only by what you see, unless you can see all of it.¡± The large boar did not look at the dog, but Ogre, understood that he could understand some of the strength of his stats. There was a note of respect in the creature¡¯s booming voice. It surprised the dog. Truly he did not know what to think about Byre. Still, Ogre knew better than to take the boar at what he seemed, even if it happens to be as an amiable and decent beast. Yonbore rolled his eyes, ¡°What are you on about, Byre? My appraisal shows that the dog¡¯s a level 4, the others are level 62 and up? Why are you trying to sound all wise? It¡¯s obvious that they did all the fighting on the way to town!¡± ¡°Your problem is that you do not think, Yonbore! Your skill with Thrust is second to none with anyone within fifty levels of you but you can¡¯t see strength unless it¡¯s in status numbers.¡± Byre retorted, ¡°The dog was the one leading them. So even if he¡¯s a level 4 maybe he has a skill that makes he¡­uh¡­well I don¡¯t know why beasts so far in level above him would let him lead, but I¡¯m sure there is a good reason for it.¡± ¡°Bah, you think too much!¡± Yonbore tapping the butte of his spear against a sabaton. ¡°They were likely using him as bait to lure weaker monsters in, so that they could either slay them or flee if the monsters proved too great a challenge.¡± ¡°That is tactics, Yonbore, now who¡¯s overthinking it?¡± Byre sounded smug, as he tapped a metal shrouded finger on his companions helm. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you my young piglet! You¡¯re thinking more and more each day. I think I¡¯m rubbing off on you!¡± For a moment Yonbore looked aghast for a moment, then he spoke growling under his voice. ¡°If you rub on me, you¡¯ll see first hoof the skill of my spear!¡± Byre gave him a huge smile that seemed to stretch to the tips of his tusks. Then he turned back to Ogre and his group. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild is straight ahead in the center of town, not an hour¡¯s walk from here. They will provide free lodging for the night and an appointment with the Headbeast of the town within the week. Until then behave yourselves. If you see a Felidae, prostrate yourself until it has passed. I haven¡¯t seen many of the Noble Felines, but they can move freely from one town or city to the next. You will die if you do not. Respect those higher in level than you. Long serving adventurers have political capita, based off the sum of insight and soulweight taxes they have paid. As you are freshly molded, you are at the very bottom of the stye. Be careful and move along. I¡¯ll find you all at the guild for a drink when my shift is done. On the morrow, adventurers.¡± ¡°On the morrow,¡± Ogre repeated, in unison with the rest of the beasts. After they passed the huge boars, Ogre asked Lam what level they were. ¡°They are level 990 and 991 respectively.¡± Lam said quietly. So I should have enough strength to beat them, even at level 4. Ogre thought, playing with the idea of leveling to 5 right then and there. No¡­I will try to wait until I reach a thousand pounds. Once there, I¡¯ll eat my weight in meat and raise my stats before I double them. The dog did some quick calculations. Eleven hundred forty-seven pounds of food is needed to equal the increase in stats associated with leveling. However, low level adventurers are not held in high esteem. I will have to be extra careful. Ogre spoke to Lam, watching him closely while trying not to seem as if he was. ¡°You see my stats do you believe my strength is equal to theirs?¡± ¡°Right after you defeated that red monster, you were lesser than they by a wide margin.¡± Said Lam, ¡°Your strength right now is greater than theirs¡­but they will have high leveled skills and companions as highly leveled as they are. I would not do anything to upset them. I¡¯m sure that guardsbeasts stationed at the front gate must have above average ability, but we don¡¯t know if that is the case. Also, those guardsbeasts we just met are not sergeants, captains, lieutenants or commanders, and typically such rank comes with higher power. You would not survive a full guard post of boars like the ones at the gates.¡± The fox shied away from the steady look in Ogre¡¯s eyes. ¡°You have a wealth of knowledge about this world, that surpasses the otters, Lam. I have not ignored it. I know that there are skills that can allow a beast to know things about a nation or land. But I do not believe that is the case with you.¡± The dog stopped him in the middle of the street. The gates were slowly closed some distance behind them. A row of lanterns on tall painted poles threw strangely vibrant light over the flagstones of the town, pushing the shadows farther than any fire normally could. There was no thatch inside the walls, only pale slate, blue or white, and tile, all different hues where night turned all things dark, darker, and all things pale, that much paler. the buildings were tall and neat, all brick and stone, save for elegant wooden structures that arched down the street. As the shadow covered most of their hue or the light bleached it out. Most of the buildings were two stories tall with a pawful that were three; and half that number of buildings, twice as tall. Jeda was already a dozen paces down the street and walking determinedly for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The rest of the otters clustered a few steps away. ¡°Stay with me for a while, Lam, there are some things I want to ask you, and I want you to answer truthfully.¡± Ogre said, before turning to the four otters. ¡°Why do you stay with us? Jeda was essentially right, because of my inability to fight, I allowed many of the pack to die. You will likely be better off with the Elementalist.¡± The female with dual axes stepped up. Vedana, was that her name? Hefting her s-class weapons. ¡°The ones who received your gift of weapons, survived the longest out there. We were not guaranteed to survive in the Tower, Ogre, quite the opposite. We were told that death is the surest gift that we can get by all the guides that we met. Even the Felidae told us that most of us would die. And that was when there was hundreds of us mustels. But I am alive today, because when you first attacked that horrible red goblin, one of its minions was about to take my head but stopped and moved into the path of your greatsword.¡± ¡°You slew the goblin that killed Ona and Uara.¡± Said Orda, his paw tight on the pommel of his short sword, shield on back. ¡°You avenged Glaeddra by slaying that piece of red leavings from a bloodcursed latrine.¡± Aida, said, the female still wore Glaeddra¡¯s greatsword on her back; Ogre realized that if she used the status points, she would have more than enough points to wield it with ease. Xendaranan, spoke up last. ¡°You saved my life twice¡­uh¡­Captain. First in the fight with the Troglodyte chief and his guards. You bit a troglodyte brute in half after it nearly disemboweled me with a spear. Next, the last goblin you slew slabbed me in the side and was about to tear my leg from my hip when you did it in. For me, I¡¯d have to be a fool not to stay near a beast that kept me alive twice when I should have died.¡± Ogre stood still, feeling a wave of warmth flow over him. I saved them? I wasn¡¯t even trying to do that. I was just trying to slay my enemies! He spoke again, quietly almost to himself, ¡°Glaeddra died because I was too slow¡­You all might die because I do not have the strength to save you.¡± Aida¡¯s face hardened, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, captain, but you look down on us by saying such words. We appreciate your feelings but are we not warriors? Did we not come from the same tower, were we not gifted with the same ability to get stronger from the deaths of our enemies?¡± Ogre jolted back as if slapped with a stone paw. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡­I just thought¡­¡± ¡°If you are to lead us¡­you cannot look down upon us, captain. You must see our strength and use it properly.¡± Orda said. ¡°Think about it. We will head on ahead; I can see that you wish to speak with the fox alone. But first please consider our status and think about what we said. In short order The others saluted and went on ahead, behind Jeda. The former leader did not look back once. When Ogre went back to Lam, he could smell the nervousness of the fox. The smell teased his anger, making him recall the treachery of Borhelm. He looked over the fox and Lam did the same to him. Ogre had to admit that he was much changed. The dog was slabbed with muscle approaching three times the mass he had when they first met. ¡°You will tell me everything that you know about me, and then you will tell me who sent you.¡± Lam nervously glanced at the allies between buildings, before speaking. ¡°It is best if we do this in an Inn or at least away from the main throughfare. Perhaps in the guild¡­¡± -¡°You will tell me now!¡± Ogre roared, making the fox jump back. The dog struggled to get his anger back under control as boar guards poked their heads from their gatehouse, and some beasts made shadows along the windows in the second story of shops. For a moment, the fox seemed ready to bolt. In the next moment he relaxed his body and waved to Ogre to keep moving. ¡°We must be careful. We are not in the wilds anymore, I¡¯ll answer every one of your questions, I just don¡¯t want to end up in gaol for disrupting the peace in the town.¡± Ogre growled, long and low but followed. ¡°You wanted to know, what I know about you¡­It¡¯s not much.¡± Said the fox, as they passed through pools of blue-tinted lantern-light, shadow and light played across his form, stretching and shifting the patterns of faded patches and battle wear. ¡°My master is a Felidae Prince, whose name I cannot utter without express permission. When the illustrious Feli Tulron first met you, after you completed your first level in the World Tutorial Tower, he sent word that a possible Dreameater Class adventurer might come from the tower. It was said that you complained of having to complete A 1001 Tutorial Level. Everybeast knew that it was madness, as the tower only went up to level 1000. And if you were able to reach that level you would be given leave to Transcend this world and become a Cat Lord. However, your strength even after the first level was said to be incalculable.¡± I was right to assume that time passed very oddly in the World Tower. How long did it take for them to send Lam here, to watch out for me? ¡°So, once they found out that this ¡®Dreameater¡¯ might come from the tower, that¡¯s when they sent you?¡± ¡°No¡­you don¡¯t really understand just yet, you must let me finish. It will be difficult to get it all out.¡± Said Lam, ¡°The illustrious Feli, Tulron sent that word centuries ago. They did not believe it until only a few dozen decades back. I was the last of thousands of parties sent to investigate. In the Tower it is not uncommon for what happened to you with the Mustels to happen with everybeast. If you remain alone or set yourself apart from others, you will die. My master knew this and sent me along with a company of foxes. The tower does not accept leveled up beasts unless it is for the role of Caretaker or Guardian. And only then when the previous holders have left or ascended beyond ranks.¡± ¡°Wait¡­there is too much I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You asked for the information, Ogre, you must let me tell it.¡± Lam said. The signs on shops and inns were cast in the pool of light if they were lucky or left in the dark, silhouetted by the lantern. They grew a bit taller as the two walked. The fox sounded put out, even though his stamina was high enough to compensate for effort of walking and talking a hundred times over. Lam continued, ¡°I told you that anybeast that stayed by themselves is just asking for the other groups of beasts to attack them in the tower. You stayed by yourself. I heard that it was because the group that you were first acquainted with either died in the fighting between beasts in the tower or by monsters in the Tutorial Levels. The participants in the tower came in waves for you while you were still doing the levels. You slaughtered them to a beast. It was said that this this went on for as long as you were at the tower. And I got to see it firstpaw¡­I was sent to the Tower to see if it was true. And if so to make sure you are ready to be seen by my Felidae Prince.¡± ¡°How would you know if it¡¯s true?¡± ¡°Let me first explain Tutorial Tower Classes. There are 12 levels, the lowest denotes that the beast has the ability to slay a monster. World-Ender is the 10th rank, and explains that you would have the potential to destroy a world or save it. You were classed at Dreameater the 12th and highest. We could not imagine the might that you could one day bring to bear. Judging by how quickly your power grows with each level you may very well meet prestige of the class subscribed to you.¡± Explained Lam, ¡°I believe it is true, because I met you before you lost your power to the tower.¡± ¡°Did I remember the world before this one?¡± Lam shrugged. ¡°You did not speak to me¡­I could not even get near you. It was as if you existed in a different realm. I could not appraise your ability. But neither could the illustrious Feli, Tulron.¡± ¡°The tower itself, stole what it gave me?¡± Said Ogre, ¡°How does that even make sense?¡± ¡°The tower does not give power, it awakens the possibility of your vessel and gives you the means to use that power to get stronger, via the slaying of monsters within its levels.¡± Lam said, ¡°All of us had to pay the World Tower, in insight and levels, before we were allowed to leave the Tutorial Levels. Though for most of us it was not all of our power, merely a fraction of a fraction.¡± Ogre abruptly recalled the dog in his dream. Does my true power dwell somewhere inside of me, did the tower really take all of that power? The dog shook himself, ¡°What does your Prince want with me, Lam?¡± The fox was quiet for a few steps before he spoke again. ¡°He wants you as his pet.¡± Guild of Adventurers Chapter Nine Guild of Adventurers ¡°How strong is he?¡± Asked Ogre softly. When Lam looked at his large face that was like slate in the shadows cast by the lantern light, the fox had to look away. Ogre heard the beast¡¯s heart speed up, and smelled the acrid scent of fear wafting from the fox. Ogre snorted, this is fear, true fear. The signs that I saw with Lam before, what was that? Was he truly afraid before this moment? The dog knew he had never smelled that scent wafting from the Lam, before. ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± Lam said, ¡°Even speaking of a Feli in such a familiar way can get you hanged or quartered and fed to one of the Illustrious. It does not matter how strong he is. He could be a level one and you the highest form of soulweight rank, and you still could not touch him.¡± ¡°Feli are made of flesh are they not? Cats eat, sleep, squat and water the ground, right?¡± Said Ogre, ¡°They are not the Godlion.¡± ¡°In this world they are the next best thing¡­kin to the one who walks the heavens and peers at the worlds at sunrise and sunset.¡± Lam explained, ¡°It does not matter how distant. It matters that they have claimed it and they still live.¡± ¡°I will not suffer to be made a pet, fox!¡± Snapped Ogre. ¡°You are mighty, dog.¡± The fox said flatly, ¡°But are you strong enough to resist all beasts who live in this world? What about all the worlds that the Felidae rule, can you conqueror the High Heroes of Yore? All of them? You even can¡¯t resist Borhelm! And he is only the beginning of the minions that they can bring to bear against you! No¡­he is the least of a Beginning.¡± ¡°I will not be a pet¡­¡± Ogre said low and deep. ¡°I do not care who serves them. They will not own me!¡± ¡°They own you already, a pig owns you!¡± Said Lam, ¡°Do you even know what a ruler means? What of the power of their thrones? Their Sceptres? Their Crowns? I do not mean metaphorically I mean real power! Why do you think there is a tax on insight and soulweight?¡± ¡°So what! I have yet to pay this tax!¡± ¡°You are smarter than this, Ogre, think. This insight and soulweight goes somewhere, where do you think that is?¡± It dawned on him before Lam finished speaking, but he clenched his jaw and glared at the fox, stubbornly refusing to even say the words. Lam shook his head in rueful wonder. ¡°You know it now and still you don¡¯t care? The Crowns hold insight. Every beast that has ever paid taxes in insight to a rule, over the tens and hundreds of millennia has had that stored to be used at the discretion of the ruler. The same goes for soulweight and thrones. And the scepters give them nigh absolute power in their domain, subject only to the ones above them.¡± ¡°Do all leaders in this cat ruled world have this? Do all cats enjoy such power?¡± Said Ogre dismissively. ¡°No¡­but it does not matter. They are cats.¡± Lam said, ¡°They outrank any low-ears, they are far above any noble, hero, or general that are not cats and can make them do their bidding just by regaling them with their presence. Only kings have the full might that I described but the lesser rulers have a semblance of it. For instance, the Headbeast of Cerulean, represents a percentage of every powerful beast that has ever registered with the Adventurer¡¯s guild. The Headbeast alone may equal the talltales told about the ancient Heroes.¡± Ogre snorted, and changed the subject. ¡°You are cunning, Lam. How did you set it up to save my life? Did you truly wound yourself or allow yourself to be wounded to lull me into trusting you?¡± Lam said turned away from the dog. ¡°I think you are more than what my master would make of you, Ogre. I think you have potential to rise as high as any beast who are not Felidae may rise. But you do not understand this world. They will crush you or they will kill you, and the mercy is on the latter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard your sniveling, fox,¡± Ogre said, eyes glittering in the dark. ¡°I do not need¡­¡±- -¡°Wait¡­just wait!¡± Exclaimed Lam. ¡°Before you lost your memory and basically all of your supernal strength, they spoke of you as if you were a monster. I would not be surprised if the illustrious Tulron put ties upon you, only a fool would not. Not that any Feli could be known as a fool, as their wit is beyond me and my kind. You did what you had to do at first. But even when some fool beast or party attacked you, you were so far above them that they were fleas or flies to you. And yet you slaughtered them. You are a beast of strength, but they are beings of nobility, of glittering blood. They will not abide any challenge to their way of ruling. But if you bide your time, live long enough to rise as strongly as you did in the tower, you would be too dangerous to ignore, and too valuable to send all of their strength to crush you. I can help you.¡± Ogre sniffed at him, markedly wrinkling his nose at the unease coming from Lam. ¡°If you wish to be of use to me, tell me his strength. Tell me how he will approach me, tell me when he will he unveil himself to me.¡± ¡°I cannot speak these words.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I was commanded not to.¡± ¡°You are useless then.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°I cannot even keep you, as you already know that I know of your affiliations. And you will not be able to lie to your master either. I¡¯m guessing, you hold your tongue not because of a power, skill, or talent the beast has, but simply for the command given to you.¡± ¡°We must obey, them Ogre.¡± ¡°Go back to your cat, fox, leave me and the otters to our game of getting stronger! You already have your place in the world do you not?¡± ¡°He will kill me.¡± ¡°You are already dead to me.¡± ¡°I saved your life! You possess a vessel with all that power, and you were nearly ended by a bolt launched by a level 10 mustel.¡± The fox snapped, ¡°I made sure you survived the Tower! And because of that I¡¯m the reason you survived the woodlands beyond it! Are you aware that those creatures were there because of you? Hunting you!? Dreameaters are the only beasts with the power to draw monsters from different realms of the Tutorial Levels and bring them into the worlds beyond it. Jeda was right, Ogre! You were responsible for Glaeddra¡¯s death! You are the reason for all the deaths of the otters! Perhaps I should tell them the truth!¡± ¡°Perhaps I do owe you debt!¡± Ogre said in a tone that suggested musing, ¡°But your silence told me exactly what I needed to hear about the time when you ¡®saved¡¯ me in the tower! What of the Gremlin? Your master commanded that you stay near me did he not? And you knew that those monsters would be drawn to me, correct? Had I not slain it¡­you would be dead.¡± ¡°You had to kill it to survive!¡± ¡°Once I had the strength to slay it, it did not have the means to slay me lest I allowed it. I could have left you to die, Lam.¡± ¡°That is¡­that¡­¡± ¡°Stay away from me, fox. Or I¡¯ll forget that you saved me and remember only that you set up those mustels to test me.¡± With that Ogre left the fox where he stood, not turning when he saw the beast fall to his knees in the middle of the street with Visionary. Lam¡¯s wail went out like a siren call. Ogre growled to clear his throat of his heart, that rose to choke him and rubbed his eyes to soften the burn in them. His gauntlets came away wet. I will not cry for that miserable traitor! The dog followed the path that the otters took down the road, rifling through hundreds of older scents with ease. He could smell at least a dozen different animals present in the town, not including mustel, fox, and boar. There was even a biting, wild odor that could have been a rapid dog, but Ogre guessed that it might be a coyote or wolf. Ogre did not pay much heed to the buildings any longer. His thoughts were drawn to what the fox said. There was so much to decipher and some things that he was able to confirm. The dog¡¯s dismissal of his strength in the dream made sense if he was this so-called Dreameater. He still did not know what it was; if it was a being apart from him, or some version of a monster like the gremlin. He recalled the fear that it inspired and tried to put his thoughts on it rather than the recent betrayal. Ogre saw the pillar rising up from the town before they entered Cerulean, it grew as he approached rising high in the night sky from a town circle of great proportions. The street circled it, splitting into four different paths, not including the main street that Ogre took. There were two great paths that the dog could see, one that swept all the way to a courtyard of elegant stone and horticulture, and the other that went off towards taller buildings and homes with steeply arched roofs. A building larger than any that the dog had seen in the town so far followed the great circle. Ogre guessed that this was the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The inside curve of the structure had signs that protruded akin the ones on the streets before it and a few of the smaller branches of the circle after. Beasts fought and trained in the courtyard near the entrance where the great path flowed into it. They dashed in and out of the pools of lantern light, that were posted around the enormous curve of the circle. Ogre was surprised at how many of the beasts there were, still training well into the night. A large ram, with leather bards and great curving horns were supervising them. He was as tall as Borhelm, as tall as the guards at the gate, but only half as wide, and with his horns which gave a full extra pace of height, he seemed like a stout tower. Many different beasts trained, nearby, rams, goats, badgers, weasels, and a group of otters that wielded wood topped spears and plank shields. Training? Are they new adventurers like us? Ogre thought as he watched the otters perform the skill thrust, and a badger with a great axe perform a skill that was like vertical slash. Walking past, and feeling eyes on him, he walked up a host of wide, deep stairs. Great double doors, tall enough to admit the ram with triple its height to spare, and wide enough for three boars together reared before the dog. Ogre took the lower handles on the door and pulled the door on the right open. The Entrance Hall was warmly lit, and there was a hubbub of voices, some high some deep, that floated with the sounds of eating and the smells of mouth-watering food. It was spacious inside, even with enormous pieces of furniture in it. The ceiling rose five or more stories above him. A long stone-topped desk, stretched from one end of the entrance hall to the other. Well-groomed animals in livered uniforms staffed the desk. Behind them rose a great free-standing wall, thick with parchment that had Wanted or Quest, Bounty or Help on them. There were hundreds of them. Some of the uniformed beasts took them down and put others up as they spoke to beasts in seasoned plate-armour, travelworn robes, or leathers; or animals in merchant finery, or pheasant stockings and tunics. Quest-takers and Quest-givers? Ogre mused taking a step towards the reception.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Greetings, New Adventurer. I surmise that you are Ogre, the great leader of those Otters that came in.¡± Ogre¡¯s heart leapt, but he was able to turn smoothly, to speak to the beast at the desk. The dog blinked, all he could see was the desk. He spoke carefully, ¡°Hello, did someone speak to me?¡± Ogre could smell them, but it was like smelling shadow in the darkness with so many beasts about. And he was not familiar with the scene of this dog. Ogre blinked. It is a dog! ¡°Ah, yes, I should be more mature,¡± The dog giggled as he strolled from behind the standing desk, ¡°I was watching the spot for a friend.¡± He was small, barely rising to Ogre¡¯s chest with ears up, possessing fox-like features blunted and smoothed into a kinder face, and rounded triangle-tipped ears. His fur was the color of mature wheat, with a cream-colored throat, chin, and paws. He was dressed like prosperous merchant. His shirt was billowy cream silk that gave him the appearance of not wearing a shirt at all, with satin waistcoat and trousers, all dark with a slew of many colors spreading in a sheen throughout. His boots were knee-high, turned down at the top, black on the outside, and a cream gray on the inside. He carried a glass mug that two-thirds his size, with amber colored ale. He took a swig, bringing it down nearly to it¡¯s dregs from halfway and then made an stylish leg as he flourished his other paws as if to doff an imaginary cap to match his fine clothing. ¡°Greetings once more, good dog,¡± said the dog, with an impish grin he tried to hide with his bow. ¡°I am Coriander Zeiwhynon Chrysanthemumsalamander. You may address me as Cori. Nice to make your acquaintance.¡± Ogre was speechless for a time, ¡°I did not expect to see another¡­Well, yes, I am Ogre, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Your friends are waiting for you and a fox I believe. If you circumnavigate the Great Reception Desk, you will find a passable tavern behind it, with vittles to spare and drink aplenty. You look like you can tuck it away, so I suggest the Three-Shores Duck. It¡¯s larger a Warrior Boar, and it comes with wild bear sausage, briar venison, and fresh caught fat-broiled river-fish. The candied sauce is good enough to garnish ambrosial meat, I daresay.¡± Cori said, ¡°As for drink. You look barely old enough to be a pup, despite that monstrous size of yours¡­what do they feed young ones these days, beetle milk? It¡¯s of no import, you are an Adventurer now, you may die on the morrow under the foot of a troll, or by the cleaver of an orc, so you can drink what you want. The guild ale is not a quarter bad.¡± ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Ogre grunted. ¡°I will ask the beasts at reception about classes and ranks then I will see to your recommendations. Thank you.¡± ¡°Did guardsbeast, Byre suggest a drink?¡± Ogre paused after taking a step to past the small dog. ¡°Yes, he did.¡± ¡°That is well, but don¡¯t take him up on it, he drinks like a Mountain Giant with a bulbous nose and you¡¯re going to want to get up early to see the receptionists. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild is busy most days, with the increasing attacks of monsters and Behemoths. Most heroes and adventurers will go in midmorning to sleep off their drinking tonight, get up early and you will be fine. Where¡¯s the fox?¡± Ogre¡¯s face hardened. ¡°Thank you for your help, Coriander.¡± The larger dog strolled past the well-dressed beast, lifting a paw when Cori retorted. ¡°It¡¯s Cori, I gave you leave to call me Cori!¡± The ewe receptionist directly across from the dog patiently watched him approach with a longsuffering smile on her narrow white furred face. Her wool fell in languorous curls about her head, white like spun snow. Her livery was a dark blue vest, and long skirt, with a white loose-fitting blouse. She spoke in a smooth cultured voice, ¡°I greet you, New Adventurer and welcome you to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I am Middle Receptionist Bahbrah, I pray to the Godlion, that Cori was not too much of a bother, was he?¡± ¡°He is¡­fine.¡± Ogre said, ¡°I want to know how this all works. Will I be able to stay here? Does it cost jules to live here as an Adventurer? What about rank, how will that affect us? How do I do quests?¡± ¡°I will give you the quick orientation if it pleases you, and those are very good questions. All of them will be answered before you can take your first quest.¡± Said Bahbrah, ¡°First, what is your name, level, and chosen class?¡± ¡°You can see it for yourself with appraisal, can you not?¡± Ogre grumbled. ¡°Yes. But it is considered insensitive at best to peek at another¡¯s Status Archaia without permission. However, that is usually only outside of battle or in the field. Such knowledge is important to know, to fit well into the Guild of Adventurers.¡± ¡°I need to know the things that will let me survive. The rest can wait until I have the essentials.¡± ¡°Of course, Adventurer Ogre. However, you may listen to all I have to say or nothing at all.¡± The sheep, sighed. ¡°I do not mean to be short. I understand that you are new here, and one¡¯s class can affect a beast¡¯s temperament. However, please understand, it is my job to give you everything that you need to survive not just what you want to hear. Understand?¡± Ogre snorted. I¡¯m not mad at her, I don¡¯t even know her. Ogre you got to get your anger under control. Don¡¯t alienate beasts who have what you need! Bahbrah, waited a moment for an apology, but when it did not come, she sighed and spoke again. ¡°Manners may determine if a beast in the guild will come to your aide in the field. Adventurers or even Heroes are not required to help one another out, though it is encouraged. Being respectful, and humble will often open relationships and information not available to the brash. What is said being understood¡­with hope¡­I have the discretion, along with my coworkers to sponsor new adventurers up to one week, but I will have to vouch for you to do so. I will start off by giving you and the rest of your party, a room for tonight and a meal in the Guild¡¯s Great Eating Hall.¡± Nodding, Ogre dropped his eyes, and spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my rudeness. I¡¯ve had¡­quite an ordeal just before getting here. Please, continue.¡± Bahbrah cocked a brow at the dog, before smiling warmly, ¡°Good¡­I do not like disorder, and that mood was anything but orderly. Ranks determine what quests you will be given at the guild. It is associated with Heroic Level, but it more strongly correlates with the amount of trust that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild has with you as it¡¯s member. As a beginner, you can borrow from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild for living expenses, and basic equipment. It is not required but if you were not able to gather resources on the way to the Town of Beginnings, this may be your best and safest bet. There are Jule Sharks who would loan to you, but I advise against it. If you default with the Guild, you will work off your debt with menial quests. If you default with them, they will either kill you and sell your parts, or put you in the Gladiatorial Pits as a class-slave. After orientation, acceptance as a member in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and as a citizen-hopeful for Cerulean you may request, a mission, bounty, or quest. At your¡­level¡­Will you tell me it?¡± Ogre nodded, ¡°I am Level 4.¡± Bahbrah nodded, ¡°At your level¡­you will not be able to do much of anything other than material gathering, pest control, porting for other adventurers, or helping with labor tasks, such as mining. Our sewers are always in need of Pest Control, there are at least twenty or so bounties on Wild Rat, and Bug exterminations. They pay little but it will be enough for a beginner. The otters who view you as their leader¡­they may take on higher level quests, provided they are evaluated by our Master-at-Arms and pass. I¡­If you don¡¯t mind, how did you sway them to allow you to lead? You have an impressive physique, but they are so far above you in level I cannot see how it is possible.¡± Considering the sheep, Ogre spoke deliberately, ¡°I survived when I should have died. They respected that.¡± She does not need to know that my true strength far outstrips my heroic level. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± She said, musing, ¡°I am aware that nearly all adventurers have specific stats that are higher than their level would indicate. However, in order for a Level 4, let¡¯s their Intellect or Wisdom stat to be high enough to make a different for a Level 62, a beast would have to be able to render every other stat to zero and put all of those points in the one needed. As far as I am aware that is not possible. And it would be foolish to do even if it were. A good balance is needed in even a warrior.¡± She truly does not know? Ogre thought. ¡°I understand. Where can I go to sell things I acquired on the trip here?¡± ¡°Here at the Reception Desk, we buy back and sell some of the more integral items, associated with adventuring. Also, there are shops located along the square, that you can access from within the Guild building. These will sell specialty items that general shops, including Reception, namely us at the guild proper, will not have. They will also generally have better prices for rarer objects. However, since you have a better relationship with us, the prices on both buying and selling will be better here. For the time being.¡± Explained Bahbrah, ¡°Now please, you can find your companions in the Great Eating Hall. Just follow your nose. Ah¡­I almost forgot.¡± The ewe, reached under the stone topped desk and pulled out an iron key with a small green banner attached, it had the rune for ¡®14¡¯ on it. ¡°You and your pack will bunk together, there¡¯s room for eight, but lucky for you they were sweetly mannered. So, you will have this space to yourself at least for tonight. They told me to give you the key. We have a master at reception, but if you lose it you will pay for the cost to replace it at the locksmith.¡± She dropped the iron bar in his gauntlet, with a tinny ¡®plop¡¯. Ogre nodded, and gave her a small stiff bow, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­I like this Ogre. He is less like the namesake, and more like the gentlebeast fa?ade all heroes put on to live with animals such as we.¡± Ogre grunted, and walked around the desk. Bahbrah was located at the center of reception, and it took fifteen paces for him to get to its side. Beyond, the giant free-standing wall stretched hundreds of long tables and stout benches, and half again as many round tables with tall stools. Some tables were massive, standing as high as Ogre was tall, with benches that looked like trees, stripped of bark, and polished free of splinters. Other tables went only as high as the dog¡¯s knees. The hall held less than a tenth of what it could and yet there were still hundreds of beasts there. Some looked dangerous and skilled, bearing metal in natural hues that Ogre did not know, monster-skin gambesons or leather bards. Others were clad in bits of pig iron plate, or even threadbare tunics. Some beast had their weapons leaning against tables or chairs, or as in the case of knives sheathed on their person. Still others, must have kept their weapons in their inventory. Lanterns gave their light in warm hues, but no fires were lit in the giant fireplaces set a few dozen paces apart. Down the center of the huge chamber there was stone lined pit, with iron bars for roasting game of tremendous proportions, over the ashes of many years of doing just that. Rumbling laughter, echoed in the hall at regular intervals, but could not conquer the sheer size of the space. The smell of beast, ale, and other liquors mixed with exotic meats, stews, pottage and sweetmeats. Ogre took a meandering path to the otters, savoring in the sights and smells as a drunk would his first swig of the day. The tension that he felt since waking up in the World Tutorial Tower eased a little from his neck like a drawn-out sigh. ¡°Captain Ogre!¡± Called Orda, from their table, baring white teeth in a welcoming smile. Xendaranan, Aida, and Vedana saluted with tankard of ale, as he approached. The muscles in his body relaxed a bit more, as Orda slid a tankard his way and Aida proffered a seat at the head of the table. Ogre returned the otters smiles, taking the drink and lifting it high. ¡°To our fallen comrades, and to our future strength, may we live long and grow strong enough that no beast can slay us!¡± The four clacked their tankards together in agreement, with hoots and cheers. Healing Baths Chapter Ten Healing Baths Wakefulness came in with a wave of nausea and pain from glaring light and thunderous voices. Ogre opened his eyes slowly feeling light pierce them through like arrows. Then closed them with a quick jolt. He opened them again to slits as grumbling voices brought him back from the short dark reprieve. His nose felt like it was stuffed with wool, his mouth as if caked in mud and his tongue in hoary scales. His voice came in a croak, that sounded several tones too deep, and cracked as if someone took it from his throat and stepped on it. ¡°What¡­what is this, why does everything hurt so much?¡± Ogre stood with groan. Speaking brought the ripe stench of vomit from his own mouth to pierce his stopped nostrils. A wave of nausea hit him so hard that he reached out wildly to grab anything to keep him steady. Unfortunately, one of those things was a mumbling Boar that was nearly twice as unsteady as he. Byre crashed to the floor like a smithy shook by an earthquake, making enough noise to have many dozens of beasts turning their way. Ogre windmilled his arm now freed by the falling boar, and clutched a heavy table as his knees buckled. By supreme effort and concentration, he kept to his paws. Byre looked at the dog with bloodshot eyes ringing marble black iris. ¡°I think Imma be drunk for a week. Who are you?¡± Ogre closed his eyes against another wave of nausea clenching his teeth so that his food would not come up. It made the dog angry that his body would betray him in such a way. Food is a source of strength for me, I will not disgrace myself by giving it up for a sour stomach! After a moment, he looked with bleary eyes at the hill of a beast at his sabatons, speaking with care. ¡°I am Ogre¡­and I do not¡­are you Byre the guard at the gate?¡± Ogre could remember that much. As a matter of course, he could recall all the way up to downing his tenth ale. After that, the boar suggested that they move on to hard spirits. The dog could curse the beast. Moreover, he could curse himself twice over for agreeing. ¡°Orda¡­Orda, is it morning?¡± Ogre whispered, peering around at the hapless, red-eyed beasts around him. ¡°There¡¯s no need to shout me down, Captain.¡± The otter groaned, before the creature looked Ogre up and down, ¡°You¡¯ve grown again, like a weed. You¡¯ll be bigger than a boar by the end of the week if you keep this up.¡± Ogre shook his head to free himself of the commentary, and nearly cried. He crashed to the floor, gauntlet slipping on the aged, polished wood of the table as he pulled a chair down upon himself. A chorus of moans followed the loud crash. The dog laid where he fell, breathing heavily, eyes closed, just trying to keep his skull from breaking apart. ¡°What is this?¡± The voice was a baritone as hard as stone, and big, easily as large as a boar¡¯s if not quite as vociferous. To Ogre it was thunder pounded into his ears with a great maul. The dog opened his eyes to glare murder at a towering shape six paws taller than the boar that still struggled to get to his armoured hooves. The ram¡¯s impressive rack of horns corkscrewed out from its skull before coming to sharp points before it, like spearheads. His coat was bluish gray and short, it¡¯s eyes bearing pupils like black bars set-in golden-brown pools as big as a paw. The dog looked at his gauntlet, his paws had doubled in size since the last time he truly looked at them. So not my paws, but a lesser beast¡¯s paws for sure. The ram was clad in a thick fawn gambeson, padded trousers and black steel sabatons and greaves. It took Ogre a minute to recall the beast directing the training of the beasts, when the dog first entered the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Next to the ram, at the height of his thigh, stood the ewe, Bahbrah, looking ruffled, like a mother hen peering at unruly chicks. She smoothed her livery over her hips, before speaking, ¡°You have made a mess of your first night here, Ogre, and you otters. I thought better of you Orda, I thought you had the sense to keep this one in line! Never the mind, up on your hind legs, pinch the cheeks, and ready yourself. You are already late by half the morning, I¡¯ll not have you waste any more of Lambana¡¯s time. And you Cori, here too. Ah yes, I expected as much of you Byre. No Yonbore to keep you on your hoof-tips?¡± Byre groaned in acknowledgement, but as the dog sat up, he could not see the smaller dog anywhere. Bahbrah sighed and tapped the giant Ram¡¯s knee guard, ¡°Can you wake them up, Orstrong? I do not like rude, but they were rude first, so you don¡¯t have to be overtly gentle about it.¡± ¡°It will sour the water for the morning training, but they can run to fetch more when we are done.¡± He seemed to paused before adding, ¡°I¡¯ve had nights like this, perchance they were celebrating life as only an adventurer would?¡± ¡°Duty first, foolishness after, they failed on the former and doubled down on the latter. Please Orstrong, the dog is a level 4 but I think you should handle him personally, a bite from that head would be nasty.¡± ¡°As you command.¡± Orstrong said, picking Ogre up by the scruff on his neck with a grunt, ¡°You are heavier than you look pup.¡± Ogre clenched his eyes shut, and hugged himself against the dizziness and nausea that rolled over him as he swung in the clutches of the ram. He did not speak, he did not move, he did not even groan or moan. Ogre put every ounce of effort in keeping down the contents of his belly. The dog realized he must have dozed off despite himself as he slowly sunk into a breathless ease where the pain and nausea faded like a bad dream. But it came back in with a jolt as water abruptly surrounded him on all sides. He kicked scratching sabatons on flagstones and scrabbling on old wood as water filled his mouth and nose. Just as suddenly he was free. Ogre fell back eyes wide, coughing up a bucket of water before getting to his paws in a smooth warrior¡¯s stance and calling forth his new black iron cleaver. ¡°Peace. Young traveler, put up your arms, there is no need for bloodshed.¡± Said the Ram, arms folded over a barrel chest, standing at his leisure before the angry hound. Ogre growled and called another weapon, this one a greatsword, with shards of metal where a great blade had been. The dog looked at it, irritably, recalling the goblins that he shattered the weapon on and dismissed it. He did not put up his cleaver. The ram lifted a brow, ¡°I have opened up my Status Mirror, look at it, look at the stats, deprived.¡± Ogre looked at them, then at the Ram once more, not backing down. Orstrong gave him a curious once over. It was the look of a warrior that was excited. ¡°I am to test you, but you are getting my hopes up, dog, are you a fool or are you strong enough to face me knowing that I am nearly a thousand levels higher than you?¡± The Ram held out both forehooves, taking the great wooden swords that fell into them from his inventory without looking. ¡°Put up your weapon, dog. This is a practice ground, iron is for monsters, not beasts who mean you no harm.¡± Ogre growled at the Ram once more then put the cleaver away. This¡­pain in my body, the drinking it¡¯s making me more irritable than normal. Orstrong tossed the sword on the flagstones at Ogre¡¯s sabatons. ¡°The testing starts now.¡± He said, darting forward as the dog picked up the wooden replica. Ogre gripped the sword in his gauntlets, one paw close to the crosstrees and the other tight against the pommel and swung with all his might. ¡°Fool¡­you don¡¯t commit so much to an opening¡­ooph¡± Orstrong¡¯s words faded into a shocked gasp, as he took the tip of the dog¡¯s sword, on the base of his and was hurled back like a stone from a sling. The ram flailed arms and hooves, dropping his wooden sword, as he struggled to keep to his sabatons, before tripping and rolling back, horns over armoured hooves before skidding to a stop on his back in a shower of orange sparks and curses. Ogre looked at his broken sword then dropped it, it was useless now. The snap of the wood breaking was swallowed by the clap of wood striking wood. The dog then suddenly threw his paws out wide to steady himself against a sudden onslaught of nausea. He closed his eyes to limit his exposure to stimuli, then tilted his nose high to let gravity help him try to keep his dinner down. I¡¯m even stronger than I was before. How much did I eat last night? There were a few banners that tried to get his attention, but he willed them away. He could not focus on reading anything right now. Standing was difficult enough. ¡°That was¡­unexpected,¡± Ram said, ¡°I heard that you put away enough spirits to put a debuff of at least 75% on all your stats. If that is true¡­you truly are a monster. And you are not a level 4 adventurer. You¡¯re not a level 4 hero either. Slayer maybe? Hunter?¡± Ogre sucked in breaths, feeling the warm air whistle past his thick fangs. The pounding in his skull would not go away. ¡°Are you up for another round?¡± The dog finally opened his bloodshot eyes and glared at the Ram once more. He was wearing different gauntlets now, gauntlets that glowed with a suspicious energy. It curled off the shiny metal in luminous yellow-white tendrils. ¡°What is that?¡± Asked Ogre, closing his eyes once more. ¡°Ah¡­the gauntlets, they are engine armour,¡± Orstrong said, ¡°They¡¯ll give me the means to truly test your limits. I¡¯ve heard of some strange rumors from the tower. Perhaps they only slightly exaggerate.¡± ¡°So¡­cheating.¡± Ogre grumbled, The leather and material of the padding the Ram wore seemed to groan in what the dog assumed was a shrug. ¡°You can leave right now if you wish. I¡¯ll even pass you as high as an inept, which would barely qualify you for Goblin Extermination at best. Or you can fight me some more and find out a bit more about this world. Your raw strength is impressive, but there is more to fighting and adventuring than simple stats from basic leveling.¡± The dog heard the clatter as another wooden greatsword dropped to the flagstones once more at his sabatons. His groan was theatrical and did not convince Orstrong one bit. He did not care. He was hurting and wanted to take out some of that pain on another beast with a clear conscience. Ogre opened his eyes, and picked up his practice sword, keeping his gaze steady on the Ram. Orstrong came at him, sword high, in Vertical Slash, he did not call out the skill name. The ram¡¯s blade struck his about halfway down the greatsword, forcing his greatsword down to slam into his left shoulder. A bolt of pain shot through his left arm, making it go numb. Ogre clutched the practice sword in his right gauntlet, and quickly backed away. Orstrong followed him, armoured hooves pointed toward the dog, wooden sword point directed at his nose. If the ram had called the skill name, wood blade or no the strength alone would have smashed through his body, and critically injured him.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Engine armour can increase a beast¡¯s strength up to a thousand-fold. As I¡¯m only wearing the gauntlets, the strength benefit I retain is only about twenty. High forms of this armour can make a common beast, a creature who cannot even compete with a level zero adventurer, as strong as a Kiloton.¡± Ogre shook his numb left arm and felt a wash of cool relief flow over him, as feeling trickled back into his arm. He slid the paw back on the hilt of the wooden blade and barely had a chance to raise his sword before Orstrong attacked again. Horizontal slash, diagonal, diagonal, vertical overhead, thrust. He did not meet wooden sword with wood sword, the Ram was too strong, he slipped through the barrage and dodged three moves before the fourth and fifth connected. The one to his right shoulder made him drop the practice sword, with gritted teeth. The thrust pushed every ounce of air from his chest like a collapsing bellows, making him empty his stomach all over the flagstones and Orstrong¡¯s armoured hooves. ¡°That was foolish of me, a lesson where we both suffer something is like beheading an enemy that stabs you in the heart.¡± Orstrong said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you get the point, but so would I. As the executioner, in my example of course.¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± Gasped Ogre, ¡°Please¡­stop. Your quip has the speed of cold melted sugar.¡± Orstrong frowned at the mess of bile on his boots. ¡°Not that I¡¯m complaining, but I heard you ate five hundred pounds of meat, last night, and when everyone had their turn at emptying their belly, you had their meals too. Is this all you have to bring up? Do you digest food so quickly?¡± Ogre reached a trembling paw for the wooden sword. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that. You may rest from your efforts for now.¡± ¡°Oh¡­thank the Godlion.¡± Ogre breathed falling on his rump, and groaning as he lifted his nose to the morning sky, closing his eyes at once. ¡°Was the day always this bright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that it is quite overcast this morning, dog.¡± The Ram sounded as if he was choking on something. ¡°But, the heat¡­the heat must be extra stifling, this morning.¡± ¡°Cloud cover is extensive and it¡¯s yet to reach the height of the day¡¯s heat.¡± The dog went quiet. Orstrong blew out sharply. ¡°Despite all looks, you acquitted yourself well. I see now that you have directly fought monsters, your reaction speed is pretty scary for one with so little skill. You know four skills at least, but you do not do well with advanced swordplay. You were defeated with a simple barrage of attacks that is equal to your level of strength and ferocity. My assessment is that you are too strong for your own good. You use raw power over everything and once you face a skilled opponent beast or monster you will die. Destructive force will only get you so far. You need to be skillful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­new to this.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°I only know how to fight to survive. And raw strength is what saved me when I had to.¡± ¡°I can teach you. Ten silver jules for the upfront, a silver a day for daily training, the same as the rest.¡± The dog opened one eye. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, that is once I have figured out how to earn the appropriate amount of jules.¡± Orstrong grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a free day, if you fight me with my full engine armour on.¡± Ogre rolled his eyes. ¡°You are sadistic, ram.¡± ¡°It¡¯s likely how every monster that got crushed by you felt. It¡¯ll be an way to earn insight into true fighting. Plus, I¡¯ll get to practice with my engine plate.¡± Ogre breathed deeply tasting the foul bile, and shuddering against the fleshy burn of nose and throat. ¡°Did I pass?¡± ¡°As an Inept? Of course.¡± Said Orstrong, ¡°Your strength and lack of skill tells me that you will benefit most from starting at the beginning. Your otters, on the other hoof are ready for novice, three ranks up from inept.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ogre groaned. ¡°Will you show me your Status Archaia?¡± The dog froze, speaking carefully, ¡°You can already see it.¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s just impolite not to ask.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an illusion of propriety, you have already seen it right? I¡¯ll guess that after our first clash you took a quick peak.¡± Orstrong shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s not as impolite in situations such as these¡­fighting and training situations that is, however, I¡¯m sure Bahbrah would like me to highlight how Manners Mint the Adventurer. I suppose it would be pointless to exclaim on how far out of the ordinary a low level such as yourself is, with stats like these.¡± Ogre snorted carefully through his nose, barely making a sound, ¡°I am sure it is uncommon in this place, but you are not the first to inform me of this. Is there really more to fighting than using skills? And can it make me more effective at slaying my enemies?¡± Orstrong gave the dog a considering look, ¡°Yes¡­it will, but perhaps I should be more hesitant about teaching it to you. Once you are skilled and once you reach an appropriate level you may become unstoppable by all but an illustrious Felidae.¡± Ogre snorted again this time loud enough to make himself flinch. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard much about the ¡®so-called¡¯ strength of a feli. Are they so special? The one I met in the tower seemed, less imposing than what I have been told thereafter.¡± The ram lifted his wooden greatsword, and brought it down hard on Ogre¡¯s head. The force of the blow made him jolt as the sword broke in half. Ogre gave Orstrong a flat look. ¡°Another beast would not have fared so well against such a blow, why did you attack me!¡± ¡°Another beast would not have spoken so carelessly about our overlords, fool pup.¡± Ogre stood, barely swaying as he bared his teeth. The ram took a step back into a fighting stance forehoof held out to catch a weapon from his inventory, if it was needed. He spoke carefully, with an even tone but his eyes were hard. ¡°You will get a lot of beasts slain if you keep up that indifferent attitude about the illustrious felidae. They rule supremely here.¡± ¡°So, I keep hearing,¡± Grumbled Ogre, looking the big ram up and down. ¡°Do I look like a pup to you?¡± Orstrong held his gaze for a moment longer before straightening. He looked like he was always ready to fall into fighting stance, even when he was relaxed. ¡°No, you look bigger than you should be, and that head is nearly as impressive as my well-curled horns. Warriors can grow pretty big, so it¡¯s not uncommon.¡± The dog rubbed his head absentmindedly as if wondering why it did not hurt. The ram gave him a quick look that said the same. The otters trudged up at that moment, looking even worst than Ogre. Sweat slicked their fur under armoured plate and gambeson, and vomit stained three out of four of their fronts. Orda was not free of the stench of alcohol, but the contents of their bellies did not cling to him as it did the others. Did he know to abstain from drinking too much? If so why are his eyes redder than mine? ¡°I think we overdid it a bit, last night sir,¡± Orda said to Ogre, nodding warily to the towering Orstrong, ¡°Are you going to try to drown us, like your minions did?¡± The ram smiled, ¡°Only if you don¡¯t do as you are told. ¡°Now, if you all are finished, we will need some water for the watering troughs, now that you lot have fouled them. Quickly, now grab one of my students and ask them where to find it.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say in a well somewhere.¡± Said Xendaranan. His eyelids were so low that he looked like he was speaking in his sleep. Aida nodded so careful, that it seemed that she feared her head would roll from her shoulders if she were too vigorous. ¡°The river outside the town is too far away.¡± ¡°I meant in the square.¡± Orstrong said, ¡°You all seem to have a nasty case of witticism. It will be fine though, nothing a bit of training won¡¯t fix. Right pup?¡± ¡°Will you stop calling me pup?¡± Said Ogre, ¡°Why isn¡¯t that rude?¡± ¡°Once you get taller than waist height, I¡¯ll name you dog. And as for rudeness the ones who know the rules can make them work for him, inept.¡± ¡°Inept?¡± Vedana asked, looking between dog and ram. ¡°They said we would be novices¡­after they kicked our tails in.¡± ¡°You three will, now go,¡± Orda looked to Ogre, who nodded subtly before speaking. ¡°Yes Master-at-arms, let¡¯s go you lot!¡± Orstrong said nothing as the otters replaced the water with clay jugs taken from their inventory, after filling them at a fountain, near the pillar in the center of the circle before the guild. The ram then took them all to a washroom to clean themselves. The room was large with closed off stalls lining half it¡¯s interior walls that could rain clear water down upon a beast from a small free-floating disk of copper. Near the entrance and exit, there were heavy wooden section with piles of folded linen. A massive square bathe dominated the center of the room, with a stone fountain in the center of it, topped with a flat-face soapstone creature washing the back of another beast. Ogre still felt weakened from the overindulgence the night before, but he gradually realized the state that he was in. His gambeson was shredded across the front, where the gremlin hacked into his breastplate. Blood stains dyed the low grade padding a permanent brown, and bluish hue, painted by his body and the corpses of troglodyte, slime, goblin, and gremlin. He was filthy, mud and ordure from dead monsters, and dust from walking on the road to Cerulean clad his sabatons and greaves, and crusted his gauntlets. His short fur was matted in patches of dirt and worse. Orstrong directed them on how the communal bath worked. They were to clean themselves with the scented water that fell upon them like rain in the stalls, scrubbing with pumice or brush if needed before rinsing and then soaking as a group in the square pool. The drinking from the night before was still mostly a blur but as time passed, he was able to remember snippets of conversation early in the evening. The otters told stories about their time in the Tutorial Levels, about some of the companions they lost before they even met Ogre; some of the friends they had to kill because of the leveling bliss, loot, or simple bloodlust. Orda told him that there were beasts who recalled their worlds before they were taken to the tower. ¡°They were the first beasts to die. Many were slain while they just sat there raving about mists and worldeaters, and the need to gain soulweight before the stars swallowed them, as a beast slit their throat.¡± Ogre remembered that Cori, the small fox-like dog called for another round of ale to cover the awkward pause in conversation from the brutal recollection. Soaking in the pool was a new experience for Ogre, it was a simple sort of bliss, that soothed the aches and pains of his body and head, and pulled at the tangle of emotion wrapped tight around his heart. Lam¡¯s betrayal hurt more than he could admit, but the dog could not fully dismiss him. The fox saved his life by risking his own. He could not avoid that fact no matter what he said to Lam, or how he reasoned through it. Glaeddra was more painful. She was a complex knot of loss and relief at being away from her hateful eyes, and as she was also tied to Jeda, Ogre did not think long on her. The dog had two mountains of corpses growing behind him. One was small, barely a hillock, piled with companions that died because of his lack of strength. The other was larger by far, the dead, monster and beast, who sought to kill him. Thinking about the former made his chest ache. But the bathe was the place to think about such hard things. Just sitting there continued to unravel that pain and tightness, soothing his aches as he tried to think of a way to accept the path he walked. Ogre finished his soak and left with the two male otters, no one said anything until they were mostly dry, and dressed in the tunic they got from the World Tower. When Ogre checked his status archaia, curious about how good he felt after the bath he saw that the status debuffs from drinking was gone. The dog filed that bit of information away in his head for latter. It is important to know different ways of getting rid of debilitation. He thought. The bathes were in a separate wing of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to the Main Building, where the Orientation Desk, Great Hall, and Newcomer¡¯s temporary quarters were located. A long hall, twice the height of Orstrong, and thrice the width of a warrior boar connected baths to it. Ogre, Orda, and Xendaranan met Aida and Vedana in the hall, and as a group went over to Orstrong who waited where the hall adjoined the main building. In short order they stood before the Orientation Desk, where Ogre first met Bahbrah. Orstrong left them with a new sheep who stood at the same spot behind the counter as Bahbrah, introduced herself as Eweyen. With a small bow she explained that Bahbrah decided to do their orientation even though it was her time off. As they waited for her, Ogre spied Lam standing near the entrance of the lobby. His face was haggard, and he looked at Ogre with pleading eyes. The dog ignored him so studiously that the fox flinched. Some of the otters saw the exchange and gave both beasts strange looks before Aida spoke. ¡°Did he betray you or us?¡± ¡°Me.¡± Ogre said, simply, as the fox slunk from through the guild door. Heroic Exchange Chapter Eleven Heroic Exchange ¡°There you are, clean and relatively bright eyed with tail erect.¡± Said Bahbrah, looking well-tended and neatly made up, as she walked to where Ogre and the otters stood. ¡°I trust you all now understand the importance of good etiquette and meeting one¡¯s commitments in a timely manner?¡± She was not in the guild¡¯s livery of dark blue and white blouse. Instead, she was dressed stylishly in a short red coat, over a flowing white shirt, with pale red, skirts that resembled loose-fitting trousers, save for a cinched waist, bound by a silvery belt. Her boots were as red as her coat, revealed to the ankle by white petticoats mostly hidden by shirt. Her silky white curls was pulled away from her slender face with a silver clasp, making her dark eyes seem more like a doe, than a sheep. ¡°You look like you¡¯re ready for a night in the town.¡± Orda said, grinning mischievously. ¡°Are we so important?¡± ¡°This is minor everyday wear for a gentlebeast, Mr. Orda.¡± Bahbrah said, with a small patient smile. ¡°You will learn, that threadbare tunics is typically acceptable for inside one¡¯s personal rooms, but not so much in public. I do not blame you all of course, I¡¯m sure you do not have anything else. However, I am a font of information if you have any questions concerning anything please ask. However, not right now. Now, we will start the orientation¡­if you all are ready.¡± ¡°What of the other otter that came before us, Jeda?¡± Asked Ogre. ¡°He was able to complete his orientation in the morning, as he did not go drinking his first night in town.¡± Ogre nodded. Feeling embarrassment make his nose flush. The others grinned guiltily amongst themselves, but said nothing in retort. The dog did not blame them. We deserved the respite, with all the things that happened to us, but Miss Bahbrah is a polite wolf. And she has powerful friends. Ogre thought, considering Orstrong. He was not sure if he could conquer the ram even without his special armour, despite knowing that he was physically stronger. ¡°Ah¡­Guardsbeast Byre and that rascal Coriander, wanted to wish you all well with your sore heads. They asked me to direct you all to the bathes, for faster recovery. But you all know that, now, firsthoof.¡± Said Bahbrah, before turning to the long desk just behind them, ¡°Let us start here.¡± She explained that there were many different forms of work in the Guild. The most common for newcomers were tasks that could be divided primarily into quests, errands, bounties, orders, and edicts. Lesser quests and errands are the only types of work given to inepts and novices. Quests and errands allow an adventurer to go out into the world and complete objectives asked for by a second party. The guild then acts as a relatively neutral third party, accepting full payment in advance from an employer and ensuring the quest is properly completed and that the adventurer is properly compensated. The quest itself is issued by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, by taking compensation and information and scribing it upon parchment to be placed on the board behind the Reception Desk. She gave short, perfunctory explanations for the other types of tasks associated with the guild but mentioned, when Vedana asked about jobs within the guild, that these were not all of them, only the work primarily available to new adventurers. ¡°You know of the Great Dining Hall, and of the new adventurer rooms located along it¡¯s back wall of course. And of the bathing chambers.¡± Said Bahbrah, she nodded at the questions in the otter¡¯s eyes, but cut them off before they could speak it. ¡°Monster gems, carved by talented jewelers power the water that falls from the showers, and moves the great pool in the baths. In truth most of all of Cerulean¡¯s conveniences is made possible via monster gems, special jules, soulweight, or monster parts. Hunting monsters, especially the elite and high rank ones can make a poor adventurer into the wealthiest beasts that have ever lived, not counting our illustrious Felidae overlords or the high nobility.¡± Bahbrah also explained that everything affected the abilities and strengths of adventurers to a specific degree. Even eating and bathing had a powerful sway over status, stats and ability, by buffing strength, vitality, or durability or increasing one¡¯s ability to absorb wisdom and experience. As she went into detail about how a specific seasoning, salt or spices could enhance certain beneficial effects with heroes who had Gourmand or a Cook¡¯s vocation, Ogre swept his eyes over the hall. Visionary was not as useful here, when there were no direct enemies within ten paces of his form, so he simply observed without it. There still many groups of adventurers clad in armour of white, red, blue, green, and mauve. Most of the weapons that were on their person were adorned with glittering jewels or scroll-worked runes. One beast, a carcajou so replete with muscle that it was wider than it was tall, carried an axe on it¡¯s back, as large as it was. Its head was as big as Ogre¡¯s but the mammoth torso and limbs like tree trunks nearly dwarfed its head. The axe was blue and green, and glowed with a fire that made aquamarine mist rise from the blade like steam from hot flesh. ¡°Who is that wolverine?¡± Ogre asked gesturing towards the only beast, any creature who was a warrior would point out. Bahbrah sighed, ¡°I was talking about important things, Mr. Ogre. Your so-called subordinates, told me of your eating, and I heard from the cooks when I came to see why you did not come to Reception at the promised time.¡± ¡°We did not promise to come early in the morning, it was merely suggested.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°Would you¡­please tell me about that beast?¡± ¡°Questions were supposed to be at the end of the orientation.¡± Bahbrah mumbled before speaking to Ogre, after a respectful glance at the adventurer indicated. ¡°Gordfrey of the Red Axe. I believe he is a megaton hero, and he is likely one of the strongest beasts in the guild today. High Arts users typically take the top one through ten, but that beast is a walking legend, four hundred years old. It was said that he ate two World Tree fruits to attain such soulweight rank. Fruit of the Adventurer, and Fruit of the Hero. He is likely to participate in the Worldender Games if he can rank up fast enough.¡± World Tree Fruit? Megaton hero? Worldender Games? Ogre¡¯s thoughts buzzed in his head as he tried to focus on not being intimidated by the beast. He spoke almost absentmindedly, asking, ¡°How much does he weigh?¡± Ogre heard the giggle, which made his head snap towards Bahbrah, who gave him such a curious look, that he felt his nose flush once more, for mistaking the source of the mirth. ¡°I¡­do not¡­measure heroes, but by his dimensions alone he is at least as massive as a warrior boar.¡± My size, my ability to grow is not unique¡­but the speed in which I grow throws beasts who should know these things off. ¡°He is worthy of emulation.¡± Said Ogre. ¡°Not just the size but his accomplishments¡­I would like to¡­be like him¡­I will stop talking now.¡± They looked at him oddly, the otters and sheep both. Was is so wrong to admire those with great power, power that you can see? For Ogre, the mustel¡¯s size was different from a boar¡¯s, the latter was natural, but the former purely outside the confines of normal beastly morphology. Boars had the ability to grow massive, whereas carcajou outside of adventurers or heroes, did not. Ogre tried to ignore their eyes, but he heard their words. ¡°I did not think, he would admire other beast so,¡± Whispered Aida, to Vedana. ¡°Neither did I.¡± Xendaranan snorted. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t he? The carcajou is strong and looks it.¡± ¡°He admired Glaeddra.¡± Said Orda, which promptly, made everyone save Bahbrah, quiet. Bahbrah gave them a quick tour of the kitchen which was busy with preparation for lunch. The space was sprawling, easily as large as the dining hall, with it¡¯s many larders, cold and dry storage, smaller pantries, cellars, and food preparation areas. There were cast iron stoves as long as the desk at reception; copper, aluminum, and titanium pots and pans, simmering on stoves, placed on a counter, or cooling on marble topped tables. Cast iron or stainless steel cauldrons large enough for half a dozen boars to soak in, bubbled on massive hooks, with a great handle and chain engineered for a smooth transfer to smaller cookware or even bowls. The smells were heavenly, a fog of mouth watering savor, sweet spice, fiery herbs, sour biting scents that intrigued him, and umami that made him wet the front of his tunic with drool. A pink pig, in a tall white cylindrical hat with a puffy top, and a stained apron over a belly that made Borhelm seem svelte, waddled over to Ogre, his ladle thrown over a thick shoulder like a greatsword. He had dark expressive eyes, a short fleshy snout, and stopped when he was a stride away from the dog, before leaning in conspiratorially. ¡°You¡¯re a gourmand,¡± ¡°A¡­what?¡± ¡°Ah¡­I knew you must be new, a gourmand. A glutton for good gobbling. A seeker of ambrosial victuals. One who eats without limit.¡± Said the pig, ¡°I¡¯m Head Chef, Hamlet Son of Porker Son of Hamshire. And it¡¯s your hidden stats that give you away. Your vocation should be cook, chef, purveyor of food, or some sort, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­I don¡¯t know I never really checked.¡± Ogre considered his ability to grow stronger by just eating. ¡°I do get benefits from eating.¡± ¡°Every adventurer gets benefits from eating, uh¡­mr¡­.?¡± ¡°¡­Ogre, just Ogre is fine.¡± ¡°Well, Ogre. I would guess that you can grow just by looking at food and it¡¯s all in muscle, right? Did you know that you¡¯re not getting half the benefits you could, unless you acquire a passive physicality skill? Here¡¯s the secret, manual exercise. Not just swinging a sword, or walking, adnormal exercise like moving heavy stones or iron and battle charges work best. Swinging the sword usually just gives you swords skills.¡± Said Hamlet the Head Chef. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯d like you to work for me when you get the chance. I know you¡¯ll be interested in doing quests and whatnot but, I promise you you¡¯ll get a major benefit, apprenticing to me.¡± Ogre was stunned. The pig just offered him a job? Was that normal? It must have something to do with how my stats increase when I eat. ¡°I¡­I will think about it. I think I would enjoy being in the kitchens, but only if you let me taste these delicious foods you prepare.¡± Hamlet looked at the dog stiffly, ¡°Work is work, if you want to be good at something you will pursue it with all you have. I don¡¯t play act in my kitchens, you will work if you decide to work here, and eat only when the work is done!¡± Then the pig smiled hugely, ¡°I¡¯ll let you eat your fill though, you¡¯re pretty much all skin and bones, I¡¯m sure we can fatten you up if you join our team!¡± Ogre looked down at his thickened body, he was a quarter ton in mass, now, if not more. However, this pig might weigh twelve tons. The dog thought. The group was moving on, dodging, kitchen helpers, lesser chefs and cooks, as they went. As he followed a stoat that was shaped like a oversized raindrop stopped him by pulling on his tunic in a quick tug. She made sure the Head Chef was back to his rounds stirring pots, and tasting with his enormous ladle before she spoke to him. ¡°It¡¯s a terror here, leave while you can.¡± She winked at him, and flashed sharp white teeth before going back to her duties. More confused than ever Ogre followed the group back out in the Great Dining Hall. Next they toured the shops within the Guild complex. The shops that lined the circle, centered on the pillar outside, where all connected to the building¡¯s interior in a monstrous structure of wings, like the feathers of a bird. Each wing was massive enough to swallow a noblebeast¡¯s mansion with room to spare. The shops had all the variety of a bazar where jules flowed freely and often. There were cobblers, dye shops, wine-sellers, herbalists, bookstores, ink shops, places for maps, traveling cookware, general stores, and dozens of others. Bahbrah explained that in addition to monster gems, that monster parts could also be profitable. ¡°For example, Goblins parts, primarily the glands that made them smell like stinking death is valuable to mid-tier and above adventurers. The smell attracts stronger monsters when properly mixed with other unguents by an awakened apothecary. I am told that it is messy and takes a bit of time to scavenge but it is potentially as valuable as the gems themselves.¡± Three sections stood out to him, two of them were for the work they offered. The smithy was the largest of the areas outside of the kitchens. Behind the newcomer rooms, in a square filled with quarried ore, stone, stripped logs that needed to be hewn in manageable pieces, and bars of iron and lesser steel, it was nevertheless orderly. The structure beyond the square was four stories tall, with the center point open to allow for massive beasts to walk without stooping. There were dozens of forges and at least two great furnaces large enough to produce weapons and plate for a giant that could step on a boar, without seeing him. A Grizzled silver badger pounded on an orange bar of metal. He chuckled at something one of the three beasts surrounding him said, before sticking the metal back into a forge for a bit, then bringing it to rest on a giant old anvil, to pound and tap once more. One of them was the largest beast Ogre had ever seen, easily as big to Orstrong, as the Ram was to Ogre. It had pillar like limbs, gray skin, sail-like ears, and a long snout like a heavily muscled, boneless arm. It¡¯s initial glance at the group of otters, sheep and Ogre was dismissive. It¡¯s eyes snapped back to the dog, after gazing distantly above Ogre¡¯s head. He¡¯s reading my status mirror. A boar with arms thicker than Borhelm¡¯s legs, and another badger, nearly as heavily muscled with mullet of white fur capping it¡¯s¡¯ head, ignored the others and stared at Ogre the moment the group came within sight.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Bahbrah explained that this smithy, was home to Weaponsmith Jeloski the thick badger with white fur on top and black fur everywhere else, Khanat the boar Armoursmith, Balanth, the grayskin giant who was an Ironmonger and Armoursmith, and the old badger blacksmith Laft. She went on the explain that there was also an gemsmith who had the ability to use the latent power within monster gems to make cabochons and gemstones that could be worn to increase stats or the rate in which one could gain insight. There was also an itemsmith, who ran a general store within the main build of the Adventurer Guild, a tanner, dye-master, craftsbeast, and apparel-maker whom many in the smithy used for various jobs. This made the Great Guild Forge a single go shop for all adventuring equipment needs. Ogre and the otters wasted no time in speaking to the four powerful looking beasts about their wares and services. Ogre wanted to get new and better armour, including a gambeson that was not ruined by the blows he took with the gremlin¡¯s black iron cleaver. The prices were steep, considering that none of them had jules on-paw. The dog knew that he would have to check if his inventory picked up any loot in the form of jules from fighting troglodyte or carcajou in the World Tower. I¡¯m going to have to try to sell monster gems to get the jules I¡¯ll need. For a full suite of black iron for himself and the otters, including the pieces that he did not have before, pauldrons and cannons it would cost them seventeen hundred gold jules. The sum made the dog blink. The otters were less reserved, their eyes grew round and white about the black iris, as mumbled about robbery, and being taken for a fool. Laft, the silver-furred badger ignored them, and spoke directly to Ogre. ¡°Mine me some iron ore, ten great weights, and I¡¯ll bump it down for you and your party. Chop up some wood, and I¡¯ll cut it all the way to 50%.¡± ¡°You see that I have a talent for smithing?¡± Asked Ogre. ¡°No.¡± Said the old badger, ¡°You have crap dexterity, but you have a worker¡¯s stamina and endurance. Do the work and we will see.¡± The others about him chimed in, with their requests. Ogre spoke closely with the giant grayskin creature which was called an Elephantine. He wanted to know what he could trade the Black Iron cleaver for. ¡°I might be willing to part with a half-ton greatsword, but the damage it¡¯ll do will likely be inferior to the weapon you have. I do have ton and ton and a halfs, but only in steel. And that would cost more than double the plate you want. And that is only if you complete the work we ask you for, with the cleaver thrown in.¡± Ogre thanked gigantic beast and moved on. The Monster Gem Broker had a spacious shop on the second floor of the guild, in the left wing of the building opposite the bathing chambers. The broker bought and sold monster gems to craft with. Unfortunately, the prices that he was offering for troglodyte gems was only copper jules, and even with the hundreds that Ogre had, it would only net them twenty or so silver. The group moved on, without exchanging anything. For Ogre, at those prices, the gems were more valuable as sources of insight. The last shop was deceptively small. The chamber was dark, barely lit by a half-shuttered lantern in the center of the space. The entire back wall was a brocaded curtain of dark heavy velvet. Ogre only saw that there were rooms behind it when a fox slipped out and greeted them. Before they entered, Bahbrah took the time to explain details about monster gems. ¡°A caveat of insight accrual was that only one percent of a monster¡¯s lifetime wisdom could be transferred via slaying, but the other ninety-nine percent was always crystallized into a monster gem.¡± She said, smiling as looked up from the corner of her eyes at something only she could see. ¡°In order to unlock the full wisdom potential, one had to offer up soulweight at a rate of one to a hundred. However, soulweight is even more valuable than insight and the ability to absorb and hold soulweight, by far rarer than the ability to level up. Moreover, those that could gain soulweight could only get it rarely, and usually it is at amounts too low to unlock the full insight within in all but the lowest and shallowest of monster gems. And it is commonly thought that only fools would use their soulweight to gain wisdom from gems. However, the gems are still valuable. So, by taking them to a Heroic Exchange or auction, individuals who did not care to grow stronger or who had excess soulweight could unlock the gems and offer the power to level up without risk. The exchange rate depended on the monster¡¯s wisdom, power, level, amount of soulweight, and race. Even common goblin gems at their worst fetched ten copper per wisdom. Still, only an Appraiser could give an accurate assessment of a gem¡¯s value.¡± So, monster gems can let any beast with the ability, increase their insight to level up without the danger of slaying monsters. Ogre thought. Looking at the fox, Ogre guessed that she was an appraiser. There is more to this. Sure the power you get from increasing your stats is invigorating, but the goodness of leveling up is the greatest thing I have ever felt in my life. Surely there are beasts who will capitalize on this? Ogre carefully observed the fox before him. What would he be willing to do if he wanted to attain that feeling of leveling up, but did not have the means to do it himself? What jules would he give up, monster gems? No¡­I will not be beholden to such a thirst¡­it¡¯s too powerful. She was small, barely as tall as the dog¡¯s chest, with a brilliant white coat, a crown of black fur over liquid dark eyes, and a pair of huge black tipped ears. She was dressed in a tailored tunic of dark silk, with black leggings, embroidered slippers, and a pale silk shirt closed to the chin with pearl buttons. ¡°Greetings new adventurers, I am Mouflon, Apprentice Appraiser of the Blue Charter.¡± Muflon said, ¡°Welcome to the Heroic Exchange. Greetings Guild Receptionist, Bahbrah.¡± The ewe returned the greeting, but said nothing more as Ogre asked her about what they could get for the amount of monster gems that they had. The dog realized that this was the last place that was likely to pay the most for the gems. The only other shop that might take them besides the Guild and the Gem Broker, was a general store; the store would likely just sell them to an exchange or broker and would only pay jules with that in mind. ¡°Monster gems come in five basic sizes. Lesser, Small, Middling, Large, and Greater. They also have letter classifications just like Monsters. Starting from lowest, ¡®G¡¯ to ¡®A¡¯, there are some that go higher but gems like that come from monsters that are Ton Rank or higher, which is death to new adventurers.¡± Said the fox. ¡°The type of monster also affects the gems. So, there can be quite a scale in terms of gem value. A true appraisal, can take some time but a good appraiser can get you a range in an pawful of minutes.¡± Ogre and the otters presented their monster gems, though the dog did leave the gems from the mustels and the gremlin in his inventory. The white fox selected different gems from the collection, taking her time and peering at them with a small quicksilver lens before dumping the ones she chose in a velvet pouch that she pulled from an invisible pocket from her tunic. ¡°You are the party leader?¡± Mouflon asked Ogre, barely waiting for him to respond with his name in the affirmative before speaking again, ¡°Your inventory should have a list of the gems I have taken to informally appraise.¡± A thought brought a parchment like list up for Ogre as she called out the gems.
Joint-Inventory [Party Leader Access] Lesser Slime Gems (410) -1 Small Slime Gems (319) -1 Low Slime Gems (178) -1 Middling Slime Gems (63) -1 Large Slime Gems (11) -1 Lesser Troglodyte Gems (640) -1 Small Troglodyte Gems (412) -1 Low Troglodyte Gems (328) -1 Middling Troglodyte Gems (91) -1 Large Troglodyte Gems (77) -1 Very Large Troglodyte Gems (33) -1 Great Troglodyte Gems (5) -1 Greater Troglodyte Gems (50) -1 Lesser Goblin Gems (70) -1 Small Goblin Gems (126) -1 Low Goblin Gems (86) -1 Middling Goblin Gems (50) -1 High Goblin Gems (2) -2
Slime Monster Gems: Lesser, Small, Low, Middling, and Large. Troglodyte Monster Gems: Lesser, Small, Low, Middling, Large, Very Large, Great, and Greater. Goblin Monster Gems: Lesser, Small, Low, Middling, and High. I took one specimen from each category save for the High Goblin Monster Gem, the rarity alone requires extra study. Guild Receptionist Bahbrah stand witness, do you agree that this is the sum of the Monster Gems that I have taken into my custody for the sole purpose of an informal appraisal, Party Leader Ogre?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Said Ogre, glancing at Bahbrah, who nodded at him. The small fox spun on her slippered toes and vanished behind the curtain, ¡°I¡¯ll return shortly.¡± The wait was longer than the dog assumed it would be, Ogre started to go back where the brocaded curtains were to demand his gems back, when they opened and two foxes came out. Mouflon walked a respectful half pace behind the new creature who was as tall as Ogre but half as thin as Lam had been. Chipped blue eyes stared from a red, gray and speckled white fur face, so lean that the dog could see the bones of its skull through flesh and fur. ¡°You are Ogre, yes?¡± Asked the fox, the voice sounded older than he looked by decades, ¡°I am Ovis, Senior Appraiser. You do have the look of a beast who would do well here. When did you first use the skill?¡± Ogre blinked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Your hidden stats show that you have breeched the threshold of being able to summon forth the full wisdom from a monster gem. When did this occur, was it during a fight or a time of easement?¡± Ovis asked, ¡°It will determine your full ability in the skill.¡± Ogre startled, feeling a flash of anger run through him. Will I be able to keep any secrets? That flash of emotion made his voice rough as he spoke, ¡°How do you know this?¡± The fox blinked at Ogre, ¡°You are yet uncouth¡­a warrior¡¯s temperament it would seem. Still, being an Appraiser is very profitable, and not taking a gift when it is offered is not. I pray I was not too blunt. May I peer at your Status Archaia?¡± The dog snorted. ¡°You already have.¡± ¡°Ah¡­uncouth.¡± Ovis looked to Bahbrah, who studiously ignored him; the sheep did not have a fondness for foxes. ¡°Your stats are¡­well¡­I will not comment on the physical, but your perception stats will aid in hiding your ability. Increase it to a level equal to the other Mental stats and you will not be so easily read. At your low level most will be able to read you like a book unless you do as I say.¡± Once again, my frustration comes from having unbalanced stats. Thought Ogre. And I still cannot read another¡¯s status unless they openly reveal it to me, no matter what my status level says. ¡°Can we get back to the value of the Monster Gems? We are still in Adventurer¡¯s Guild Orientation, and I would like some rest before my shift tonight, Appraiser Ovis, Mouflon.¡± ¡°We will offer 200 gold jules for the High Goblin Gems, and ten more gold if you are willing to explain how you came to possess these.¡± Ogre looked at the rest of the group before speaking, their eyes were wide. The dog guessed that they had a better appreciation for the value of the currency than he did. I will have to split it, seven ways, after everybeast is trained and geared up. Two shares, Lam and Jeda will come before we spend jules on the party. I will be fair, I will not be like that fat pig Borhelm. Thinking of the chef in the Great Dining Hall, made the dog feel bad. No, pigs are fine, Borhelm is a greedy monster, a cat in a boar¡¯s hide. The irony rolled over the dog, leaving a small voice that mocked him. Which is it, a fat pig, a greedy monster, or the most heinous a cat? The dog growled at himself before looking around the room, feeling his nose flush. ¡°We will take the 200 gold jules and keep our secrets. What about the rest what will you pay us for the other Monster Gems?¡± ¡°Apprentice Appraiser Mouflon can tell you that, Ogre.¡± Said Ovis, stiffly. ¡°Be careful, dog, we are of a kind, so I can give you a warning. The exchange offers more than jules and luxury to those who would be apart of us. We cater to a clientele of specific power, and only members have our protection. Please think on your response to my job offer, very carefully.¡± Ogre bristled at the fox¡¯s flat tone, but the beast glided away before he could retort. The small white and black fox, waited patiently for the dog to stop glaring after her senior before addressing them. ¡°Slime Monster Gems: 0.1 copper jules per gem for Lesser, 0.5 for Small, 2.5 for Low, 12.5 for Middling, and 62.5 for Large. Troglodyte Monster Gems: Lesser may be worth 0.2 copper, Small 1, Low 5, Middling 25, Large 125, Very Large 6 silver and 25 copper, Great 31 silver and 25 copper, and Greater 1 gold, 56 silver, and 25 copper jules. Goblin Monster Gems: 5 copper for Lesser, 50 for Small, 5 silver jules for Low, and 50 for Middling.¡± ¡°How much is that total?¡± Asked Aida, ¡°113 gold, 33 silver, 50 copper,¡± Ogre said absentmindedly, he frowned at Mouflon, ignoring the shocked expressions of the beasts around him. ¡°The High Gems should fetch more than what you are offering if the sums of the gems are accurately appraised.¡± 301 gold, 85 silver, and 71 copper per beast. Ogre thought even as he spoke. The fox smiled, the gesture seemed both sly and impressed at the same time. ¡°I was allowed to inflate the numbers, if you sell those High Goblin Gems to us, as a kind of package deal.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust that¡­¡± said Ogre bluntly. he felt a familiar warmth on his tongue. ¡°20,000 gold for the High gems.¡± ¡°I do not lie about the fact that I inflated the numbers in your favor for the other monster gems, and even if I had not, if what you said was true, 20,000 gold is what we may acquire from selling such gems.¡± ¡°You do not sell them though, do you?¡± Said Ogre, ¡°At least not primarily, your power and your money comes from drawing wisdom from them to your so-called specific clientele.¡± Mouflon¡¯s eyes hardened, though the smile stayed on her lips, fangs bared. ¡°You are intelligent, your disproportionate mental stats show that well enough. However, you are na?ve yet, to speak so candidly about things that are better left known and unsaid. 2000 gold take it or sell your Monster Gems in another town. You have overplayed your paw.¡± Have I? I did not truly know that the High Monster Gems were valued higher than what that old fox said. Plus, I assumed that the exchange was giving us a package deal. Ogre tilted his head down, in mock apology. ¡°We will take your generous offer.¡± Mouflon narrowed her eyes and was silent for a long moment. Ogre held his breath, abruptly thinking. Perhaps she was right? Did I really say too much? ¡°Agreed, the deal is done.¡± Said the fox, slowly, ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t mind if we throw in the half copper to the Exchange¡¯s benefit, do you?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Said Ogre with a huge smile. The otters looked ready to leap for joy. Aida was already pouncing on her foot paws, eyes bright, silly smile plastered on her muzzle. Even Bahbrah seemed impressed, though she did hurry them out the door after the Monster Gems were exchanged and the jules flowed into Ogre¡¯s inventory. The sheep showed them the General Shop, which held quest related paraphernalia, like traveling cookware, lesser elixirs, draughts, and panacea, as well as rope, hooks, fishing, trapping, and hunting gear. That and more filled the shelves, but Ogre did not pay much attention to the wares. Noticing where the party¡¯s interests were at, Bahbrah sent them off to the smithy to outfit themselves in the armour and weapons they wanted and concluded her part in the orientation. ¡°You all will need to fill out your official class, job, and vocation and party position at the Reception Desk, and acquire your Guild Rank before you can start completing quests. If you want to receive training you can set it up with a Master-at-arms, there, as well. Farewell for now, and make sure you prepare well before your party goes adventuring!¡± Role-playing Chapter Twelve Role-Playing The best full black iron armour was too heavy for the Otters to wear, but after setting aside the jule sums for Lam and Jeda, Ogre made sure to buy them for future use, as the otters leveled up. Ogre kept most of the metal in his inventory as it was spacious enough to hold over twenty times the sum the otters could, combined. As they tried on different pieces, of pig iron and black iron, Ogre turned his sights to a full suite of the plate. (E) Black Iron Helm [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 12,000 Req: Vit+End 500/Level 30 Wt: 200 (E) Black Iron Pauldrons [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 24,000 Req: Vit+End 2000/Level 100 Wt: 400 (E) Black Iron Gorget/bevor+ Cuirass + Backplate + Tassets/Fauld [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 48,000 Req: Vit+End 4000/Level 200 Wt: 800 (E) Black Iron Cannons [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 9000 Req: Vit+End 750/ Level 40 Wt: 150 (E) Black Iron Greaves [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 9000 Req: Vit+End 750/ Level 40 Wt: 150 (E) Black Iron Sabatons [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 9000 Req: Vit+End 750/Level 40 Wt: 150 (E) Black Iron Cuisses [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 24,000 Req: Vit+End 1000/ Level 50 Wt: 400 (E) Black Iron Class Arming Doublet + Chainmail [Blunt] Pro: 36,000 Req: Vit+End 750/Level 40 Wt: 600 The burden on his equipment load was 2850, nearly four times that of the pig iron that was shredded by the Gremlin¡¯s cleaver. However, with 99% protection against specific damage types it could negate 1,710,000 Damage with no penalty. And with Cataphract¡¯s Discipline he moved with relative ease in it. Ogre asked them if they acquired the heavy armour skill, and only Orda seemed to know anything about it. ¡°I acquired it in the Tutorial Tower Levels, but it took weeks for me to get it even at Level 0. I had to eat and sleep in full armour, so it¡¯s no great wonder that I have yet to acquire it once more. Having the mobility debuffs and fatigue accumulation out on the Road of Beginnings would have made me easy meat for the monsters that attacked us near constantly.¡± Ogre pondered this, ¡°You will need this skill in order to better fulfill your role in our party, right? We will acquire stamina elixir, when we go on our first quest, so you needn¡¯t worry too much. For now wear it constantly. You too Aida. You don¡¯t have a shield to mitigate damage and you won¡¯t have the agility and speed of Xendaranan or Vedana to dodge attacks with that greatsword.¡± It was 60 silver jules per pound of black iron armour so it left them with 83 gold, some silver, and copper. When Ogre explained this to them, Xendaranan spoke up, quickly. ¡°You should not set aside extra shares for the fox and Jeda, Captain Ogre, they took their portions the same as us, out on the Road. You would be giving them a double portion if you do.¡± The others agreed and the dog pondered. They are right¡­I did not think about that¡­still I would feel better, knowing that they were not here to get the benefit from my Silvertongue skill in selling the Monster Gems. Orda looked Ogre in the eye, ¡°For one reason or another, they are not here with us, Captain. They have their shares, it would not be fair to the rest of us, who stayed, if you give them the benefit that should only belong to those within the party.¡± Ogre reluctantly acquiesced. The dog knew that he could get more jules if he sold the other eight High Goblin Gems, but they were still some of the best reservoirs of wisdom that they had. One never knew when such a source for power would come in paw. New black iron weapons, cost a fraction of what the heavier plate cost. By selling the arms from the fallen otters, and even some of the S-class pig iron weapons they came away 2 silver jules richer. After the smithy, Ogre led the group back to the reception desk, where Lambana waited. ¡°There you are, Guild Receptionist Bahbrah, told me that you would be back here, almost fully educated on the mores and procedures here at the Adventurer¡¯s guild, after your¡­shopping.¡± Said the Sheep, Her curls were more languid than Bahbrah¡¯s, and her uniform though clean and neat, was somehow less so than the former guide. ¡°She told me that she left out party roles? Ah yes, judging by your faces she did. Let¡¯s start at base, alright? A party is short for Raiding Party, or a group of beasts that get together to do a quest, raid a dungeon, carry out an edict, or bounty or request. A party usually have dedicated roles for each beast to fulfill. The Guild requires at least three of these roles to be filled in order for a quest to be undertook, though there are upwards of nine. Of the required three; there is the healer, the damage dealer, and the leader. After a series of case studies, it has been shown that a party with a dedicated healer, has a sixty percent survival rate. A dedicated damage dealer increase the success rate of a quest by a significant amount. And a leader increases both survival and success by an additional twenty percent. So, would you point out the beasts who will occupy positions required and name them?¡± Ogre nodded, after looking at the otters. ¡°We do not have a dedicated healer¡­but I am the leader, Aida, Xendaranan, and Vedana the damage dealers. Perhaps¡­Orda?¡±- -¡°Tanking, is a very good dedicated position to have, fourth only to the positions I named.¡± Said Lambana, interrupting, ¡°May I look at your stats¡­Adventurer Orda? And Inept Ogre? However, his stats does seem to better balanced towards that position, whereas your stats if I may be so candid are so ridiculous that you could occupy nearly any dedicated role, job, or vocation, needed.¡± The dog considered this. ¡°Can you explain what job, class, and vocation means as shown on the Status Archaia? We were allowed to pick Classes in the Tower, but what I picked is not indicated on my Status.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Said Lambana, ¡°All three can represent different things, when spoken of in terms of the Status Archaia or in general. Class is the most complex one, as it can stand in as a middling form of how you fight: whether it is as a high art user, healer, warrior, soldier, archer, or guard, or your profession. In the Status Archaia Vocation has the most control on where your status points organically fall as you level up, Class has that middling effect, and job has the least, though it is still discernable. Though it is typically foolish to do so, too often you can change any three, at anytime by going to a specific Class Chapter to change Class, or a Guild Master-at-Arms for vocation. For job you can just start doing that specific job that you want to do. Class has also been used as a synonym for Heroic Rank, and Heroic Type. When speaking about Class, context clues are particularly important, so as to not become confused. Yes¡­I almost forgot, Vocation may impart a onetime set of status points to specific stats, when a beast initially chooses their vocation.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°So if you have multiple vocations, classes, and jobs on your Status Archaia do you get the status points associated with the additional ones, not just the first ones listed?¡± Ogre asked. ¡°That is not possible. You only have one vocation, one class, and one job at one time.¡± Explained the Guild Receptionist. ¡°Additional vocations, classes, and jobs would result in outrageous multiplication to stats well beyond the universal twenty percent increases, or ten points per stat, per level.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Said Ogre, a little too quickly. So they cannot see my full status. ¡°I think that I should at least try to see If I can be a healer or cleric. Though, it would be best if we all could try for it.¡± ¡°It is not usually done,¡± Lambana said, ¡°For one, most beasts who are new adventurers don¡¯t have the jules to be in multiple Heroic Types or Class Chapters, and secondly members of the chapters are jealous of their companions time, and affiliations, and would not suffer that time to be divided among other chapters for a single beast. Oh, and lastly most beasts don¡¯t have the stats for more than Type, at least not initially. However, you four are high level for newcomers, so irregularities are bound to occur. Still, I do not recommend it.¡± ¡°We have not decided just yet, Guild Receptionist.¡± Said the dog, ¡°Can you lead the way, to the Healer and Cleric Chapters¡­Also please point out Fighter and Warrior Chapters if we pass them.¡± Lambana hid her sigh behind a polite cough, but Ogre could see that she was irritated that he would consider bucking the traditional way the Adventurer Guild operated. ¡°The chapters for fighters, warriors, riders, archers, gunslingers, rogues and other adventurers who use mundane means to battle are located opposite the wings of the healers, clerics, high arts users, minstrels, and tacticians, beyond the initial ring of shops within the Guild that open out to Adventurer¡¯s Monolith Square. We are going to the wing behind the communal baths. Both healers and Clerics are arms of the Micro-Macro Cosmic church. The Clerics have a Microcosmic Cathedral here at the guild.¡± The healer chapter was one of the first, dedicated chambers in the building¡¯s second set of wings. The hall holding the various chapters was much the same as the one that led into the vast bathing rooms. It was three stories tall, with doors large enough to admit the armoursmith in the forge with room to spare; surrounded by walls of white rosewood and crystal light fixtures that went down it¡¯s length, casting light that mimicked the rays of the sun. A flat faced being robed in scarlet, clasping a golden shepard¡¯s crook in one hand, and a pearl white heart in the other stood in bas relief on the door. The chamber was sprawling and held smaller rooms within. They all adjoined the great room filled with holy scrolls and codices on towering bookshelves or massive blue-steel bound books chained with quicksilver links to floors of stone like glittering painted glass. Dozens of beasts in pale robes populated the great room, and more passed through the smaller rooms deeper within. A mink in a cowled robe the color of ripe barley spoke to them. Ogre learned that most healers shied away from doing any kind of slaying, though it was not expressively forbidden by the Godlion. She explained that the mindset necessary for miraculous healing was easily damaged at lower levels when one killed, and this resulted in reduced capacity for healing. The limitation made the heroic type off limits for Ogre to use, and too limiting for the otters to even consider. The cleric chapter was across the hall from the elemental one, making the dog think of Jeda. For a moment Ogre considered how he could make amends with him. Ogre pushed the otter out of his thoughts and focused on the interior of the cleric space. The great room was half the size of the healer chapter¡¯s great room, though the towering ceiling of white rosewood was the same. The floor was plain undressed gray stone, the benches, and tables mostly the same, save for white marble topped exceptions at the back of the room where a kind of nave holding an alabaster pedestal stood. The walls were lined with richly woven tapestries of bright color, showing battles, armoured beasts with golden light shining from eyes and paws, and sacred-looking, fantastic creatures. The despite the smaller size, scores more beasts in various allotments and types of armour, and bludgeons on backs or at waists walked throughout the chamber. Behind the nave stood an open door that rose as high as the chamber¡¯s ceiling. It led out into a stone walkway that flowed to a stone structure that stood like a tower of gleaming white, in the afternoon. Lambana lead them to the gothic cathedral, all white stone, blue tile, and pointed arches of blue steel past the pedestal, beyond the tall door, and down the stone walk. The cathedral was so ornate it was hard for Ogre to not try soak in the details within the structure, the tall stain crystal windows with overlaid tracery balanced the smooth stretches of plain white stone wall. The ceiling was a maze-like webbing of flying buttresses and ribbed vaults that Ogre looked at so long that he found Lambana and another beast with a translucent gold breastplate staring at him. Lambana¡¯s eyes were so intent on the dog, he understood that she must have spoken to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I did not catch that.¡± Ogre said, ¡°I said, that High Priest Yordara can help you become a cleric, if the Godlion chooses you.¡± Said Lambana, ¡°When you all are finished just come back to reception and your paperwork should be all in order by then. You, Ogre will be Leader and Cleric, the otter Orda Tank, Vendana, Xendaranan, and Aida all damage dealers. You will need to train with a Master-at-Arms for at least one week before you will be allowed to do quests that align with your level 60 party members. More training will be needed for higher rank quests until you are given appropriate rank for the quests you want to complete. Double per rank is usually how it works. Oh and the High Priest here can count as the necessary training. Be courteous new adventurers and I¡¯ll see you all soon.¡± ¡°Wait¡­what about elixir, and bandages and antidotes?¡± Asked Ogre, as she turned away. Lambana waved a forehoof, ¡°We have essential quest preparation items at Reception, and you can also acquire them at the general store.¡± Ogre nodded in parting and turned back to the High Priest. ¡°Can you tell me what your class does? How do clerics heal? What other abilities are associated with this class?¡± The Otter studiously ignored his questions and peered at the dog as if wondering what he could possibly offer his chapter. Ogre frowned at that look. He is a part of the same heroic type that has Borhelm as a member. That beast was treacherous can I trust this Yordara? Ogre glanced at the members of his party. I am fond of otters. And we do need the ability to heal beyond the use of elixir. Do I really have a choice? ¡°You¡¯re a Dreameater, yes? From the tower?¡± Said Yordara, ¡°Your strength is impressive, as is your durability. Are you aware that if you continue to let your durability rise you will attain Ton-rank resilience without the required soulweight? It will be very useful for one of your type.¡± ¡°I¡­I humbly ask your forbearance, as I ask again, I need answers to my questions.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°If I was rude, I apologize, but I need these answers in order to do quests in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± ¡°So much bother¡­so much hurry.¡± The dog blinked, the voice sounded kindly, warm. Did I hear that before? His tone was clipped initially, right? I do not think I imagined that. ¡°Only the Godlion chooses who will be his warriors. Many are called but If you are chosen, you are chosen by the Lion in the Sky.¡± The High Priest Explained. ¡°Beyond that, I will not suffer you to be so limited as you are. Here¡­take this as a gift.¡± Ogre felt a wash of power surge through him, making his fur stand on end and every muscle in his body tighten. The dog closed his eyes feeling a weight, he had never felt within them settle in his skull. When he opened them again, he saw that a fog wreathed the room for the barest fraction of a second before it vanished when he blinked. The otters that were standing near enough to look in his face gasped. ¡°Your eyes, Captain!¡± Orda shouted, ¡°They¡­flashed like lightning¡­or¡±- -¡°like sunlight.¡± Interrupted the High Priest, he held up a paw to forestall Ogre¡¯s question. ¡°I did not do this to you. Appraisal is a common skill that spontaneously comes to every adventurer between levels one and five. I did not give you a special version of it. You are¡­a Dreameater. Common things become not so common within you.¡± Ogre tried not to get irritated with the High Priest, but the strange gazes of the otters, just like when he slaughtered the Gremlin unnerved him, and anger was like a familiar old scent to him. I cannot be what they think I am. By the Dog in the Sky, they have seen me fail them and mess up multiple times! The dog tried to ignore their eyes and instead focused his gaze on the otter. ¡°You¡¯re blinding.¡± Said Ogre, the words spilling unbidden from his muzzle. ¡°There is so much strength coming from you, you¡¯re stronger than Borhelm! Stronger than anybeast that I have seen.¡± The otter jerked back, looking hard at Ogre, before peering at the otters about him, then the interior of the Cathedral itself. Other beasts, clerics in full armour and cowled dun-brown capes, made their way in and out of the space. Some threw curious or irritated glares at the new party, but said nothing when they realized who, Yordara in this case, was entertaining them. The High Priest¡¯s nose twitched irritably as he spoke, ¡°You don¡¯t need to blurt out every secret you find, just because it¡¯s unexpected! Be silent about the ability of others unless it is necessary. It is foolish to be so quick to share knowledge that you should not have!¡± Ogre¡¯s brow lowered, but his voice was even and respectful when he spoke. ¡°I¡­apologize. It was not my intention to unearth any secrets you wanted to remain hidden. I just want to become a cleric so that my party can do quests. Will you help us?¡± Yordara sighed, irritation bleeding out from the set of his shoulders. ¡°As I said the Godlion chooses his warriors. Kneel at the Altar within the apse¡­it¡¯s at the back of the cathedral, at the end of the nave¡­the central area within the building.¡± The High Priest first met them at the entrance to the cathedral, so the party had to walk twenty paces down the nave and through the transept, passing beasts clad in pale wheat robes warming up their voices with musical scales. The altar was a massive construction of pure rosewood, like a scarlet ruby carved with the darker red lines of tree rings. It smelled strongly of flowers with a delicate but pleasant scent. Ogre breathed in deep and knelt, full black iron suit protesting with iron on iron as he slipped to one knee. The otters watched him then followed suit, dropping to one knee and bowing before the altar and the massive skeins of stained glass behind and above it. The answer to the unspoken question came with a clap of thunder and a flash of golden light. The violence of it made very beast, including Ogre and his party, stand and be still. The Sewers Chapter Thirteen The Sewers Ogre had his party check and double check their skills to make sure that each of them acquired the skill Heal. Surprisingly, they were all accepted by the enigmatic Godlion, into the Cleric Chapter, given Iron Maces, that were better the pig iron they came with but worse than the black iron weapons they purchased at the smithy, and their choice of iron plate, which fared the same as their weapons as compared to the new gear. Ogre thought it was all freely given, until the High Priest coughed politely and suggested that they leave an offering of gold at the foot of the altar in the nave for the gifts. It was more expensive than the iron plate at the smithy, but the dog had to conclude that skills associated with being a Cleric was more than worth the jules exacted by the plate. Ogre¡¯s heal had three uses, and his restoration, which cured all minor ailments like poison, sickness, lesser stupor, six. Though they all had heal, all but Xendaranan, had three, as the spearbeast had four and eight of his secondary skill; they all had different secondary skills. Xendaranan had Aegis, which called forth an invisible barrier capable of withstanding damage equal to 1000x his spirit stat, for the sum of seconds divisible by 100 of said stat. Aida had a sacred damage buff that could be applied to weapons, six times, for added damage divisible by 100 of the spirit stat. Vedana could summon a similar buff to shields with the same requirements. Orda received two secondary skills, one gave him an active skill called Smite, the other a wide-ranging buff, that increased healing from skills or items, and reduced damage based on the spirit stat, as Vedana and Aida¡¯s skills were based. Back at Reception, Lambana presented them with metal tags on tough thin thongs that could be tied about the neck. It was difficult for Ogre, with his monstrous head and the musculature needed to move it, but his necklace was given extra length. His was brass, which looked like a sort of faux gold color, different from the metallic red brown of the otters¡¯ copper tags. Ogre held the tag up to reception, ¡°Is this really necessary? I understand that I do not possess a Heroic level commensurate with my party, but my ability, my status level more than makes up for it. I should at least be give a copper tag.¡± Lambana frowned, ¡°Your tags are set by the guild in observance with guildmembers who first interacted with you and with the interpretation of your fighting prowess by a Master-at-arms. I have no say, as It was not I, who first met you.¡± ¡°Bahbrah and Orstrong.¡± Ogre growled, thinking; that ram really meant what he said about placing me lower than my companions in Heroic Rank. Annoying beast. ¡°I understand, please continue.¡± ¡°Right¡­yes,¡± The sheep said, ¡°Your tags denote rank, and who you are, your name should be on the back of it, with the correct runes I hope¡­Ah yes¡­good. Also, you must wear it, especially as you slay monsters, as this will direct the storage of your insight tax. For Cerulean it is capped at 0.25 % which is about half of what most Beginner Towns tax. There are fifty or so other provincial and sovereign ranks associated with a tax, governors, prefects, knights, princes, kings, high nobility and beyond. Each of them range up to 0.5%. Some of them provide benefits, most of which is an increase in insight gain, and craftsbeast skill leveling. It can get bureaucratical, so unless you ask me directly, I¡¯ll leave most of it out. Your insight should only be 5% impacted.¡± Ogre growled, ¡°So we fight, and we die but we have to give up the insight we get to beasts who will never have to fight for it?¡± ¡°It does not seem right.¡± Said Aida, Orda, sniffed at her, ¡°I have never seen a world where living is free. From the World Tower we were directed to slay beast and monster to preserve our lives. It was just training for the reality beyond that strange place.¡± ¡°We are using established infrastructure, made by the hard work of beasts built in successive generations, paying a fair share makes sense.¡± Vedana said, looking at Aida and smiling ruefully, as if she was sorry to disagree. ¡°If that was all it was then, I would agree.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°But that is just ground level reasoning. Any beast who would rule over beasts must have the ability to police them and keep them in line. When an individual beast has the ability to break a city with the sheer amount of power, they can accumulate by leveling, it changes the political dynamic and forces beasts in power to deal with the common beast differently. The tax is a tax on power. It is a way to channel or direct this flow of power into the paws of those who rule, and to direct that power without risking their napes.¡± Orda and Xendaranan looked at one another, considering. Vedana furrowed her brow at Ogre but looked away when he glanced at her. The sheep cleared her throat, speaking, ¡°As I said before, your parchmentwork is in order, inked and ready. You may look it when you wish, but please give us at least an hour¡¯s notice if you want a copy made. We have taken the liberty of selecting an array of bounties and errands that are suitable for your rank. There is at least one hundred or so, select the ones you want, and we will get you registered for them. There are some that are higher paying than others, a bit higher risk though, not beyond Inept Rank of course. I placed those here before you.¡± Ogre scanned the parchment, on the desk absorbing the information like a plant soaking up water. That must be the Eidetic Skill. The ability to memorize in detail whatever I see. Very useful, but I do not need to use it sparingly, it does not seem to take up any stamina. The dog peered at the enormous board filled with quests and activated Visionary. His stamina drained faster than it should have, but he took note of and memorized every quest on that board, thousands of them, by rune, and by charcoal sketch. Sweat slicked Ogre¡¯s brow, and he breathed out slowly. I was wrong, it can use stamina. The dog thought, as he tried to act normal. ¡°It would seem that you want us to go to the Sewers,¡± Ogre said, seeing that the bounties and errands with it as location was foremost on the spread before them. ¡°¡­But we have already fought, Troglogdytes and Goblins, not to mention slimes by the hundreds. You will be underusing our ability if you think that this is all we are capable of.¡± Lambana, tried to shrug, but it seemed an awkward unnatural moment for her. There was a tightness to her back that was not unlike Bahbrah¡¯s prim, no nonsense bearing. ¡°There have been more than a few new adventurer parties who felt the same way. We usually don¡¯t hear back from them when they try to do a higher ranked mission without our blessing, sometimes they come back in pieces or just their tags. I would have you know that your circumstances have been considered thoroughly and I believe that the Sewers quests would help the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and Cerulean Town more than any other Inept Rank Quest that may be¡­less odorous and more palatable. We have lost some low-level parties in them recently, we hope that you can see what happened to them and return their tags if possible.¡± Ogre felt his nose grow hot. Orda patted the dog¡¯s backplate, speaking, ¡°It would have been more helpful if you just lead with that, Miss Guild Receptionist.¡± ¡°Lambana is fine.¡± Said the ewe, ¡°Will you take the quests?¡± Ogre nodded, not trusting his tongue to avoid embarrassing him further. Her smile beamed brightly, ¡°Good, now, as for provisions, I have some recommendations, if you would bear with me.¡± The party settled for Plague and disease remedy one per beast, 10 Lesser Health elixir which healed for 10%, and 5 vigor elixir per beast. The ones from the tower only healed for hp points instead of a percentage of overall health. With their increased hit points from leveling, such elixir would be nearly worthless. The costs associated with provisions surprised Ogre. Maps of local areas only cost a few dozen copper jules, but even that amount was ridiculous seeing how there were skills that could satisfy that need. Health elixir was the worst offender. One of the best health elixirs, that they could be shown, cost hundreds of thousands of gold jules. Lambana hinted that there were some that cost their weight in bloodstar; which had a value of thousands upon thousands of gold. Cures and Soothing Panacea cost dozens of gold, with the latter being pricier than the former. Supplies for rough camping were relatively cheap compared to the vials, even though the preserved food and drink, and oil for lanterns were enough for weeks. The bedrolls, knapsacks for carrying things that overflowed from Status Inventory, weatherproof lanterns, flint, extra wick and tallow, rainproof cloaks and repair kits for armour and weapons all cost about as much for each beast as half the inventory of elixir. Ogre took pickaxes, rope and hooks, and minor lock picks and stashed it in his inventory, for later use. When they were done, Ogre saw that the party had no jules left to their name. After explaining this to the otters, the dog said, ¡°We will have to make jules our first quest or we will go into debt trying to pay for a room for the night, here at the guild.¡± ¡°We have the provisions to sleep rough, even in the town.¡± Said Orda, ¡°I¡¯m sure, they will have rules against camping within the walls of Cerulean.¡± Aida said, ¡°But maybe the outskirts will be less inclined to enforce such rules.¡± ¡°We might have to be more careful, outside the walls,¡± Xendaranan said, ¡°Most new adventurers can afford to stay within, so it makes sense that unsavory beasts might choose a place with less regulation to do their dirt.¡± ¡°Crime festers in shadow, but is expunged by light.¡± Said, Vedana, smiling, ¡°It is a script from Cleric Writings about the Godlion. I received the knowledge when we all joined the Cleric order. It seems fitting to quote it now.¡± ¡°Where to first?¡± Asked Orda as they left the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, with Lambana¡¯s excited farewell. The sheep was more enthusiastic than I would have guessed, seeing her personality and her connection to Bahbrah who is prim, proper, and preeminently collected. Ogre thought, before speaking, ¡°I have a list of all the quests that we can do, but the Sewers will be a priority. We have vermin extermination, first, as monsters have spilled out from places in the extensive underground system. And we will need to go through them anyways to access other quest points. Plus there is a small bounty right now on the monster gems of Froglets, Gecko-men, and Rats. There are around 327 sites where these monsters are spawning and spilling out into the land outside of Cerulean, frighting beasts in the outskirts and slaying more than a few of them. The other sites are controlled by the patrols of Guardsbeast, but they don¡¯t wander far from the gates they guard.¡± ¡°How can there be so many sections of the sewage system, where groups of the monsters have enough space and distance from other monsters to claim and make a territory?¡± Asked Aida, ¡°Monsters can be hostile to members of their own group; monsters that they grew up with, I can¡¯t imagine that they will allow other groups to come close to them, and risk having to share food populations or sources of loot.¡± ¡°Maybe Cerulean is just that big?¡± Xendaranan, chimed in, as he looked about the sprawling Square before his eyes focused on the monolith from which half the name of the square was named. ¡°Cerulean is larger than I assumed a Town would be,¡± Said Ogre; his passive skill showed a massive section that was far larger than the true size of the town. ¡°But there are ruins that swallow the town, outskirts and all like a great forest would a sapling.¡± ¡°So the sewer system is a relic of some vast ancient city, repurposed for Cerulean?¡± Orda asked, ¡°That means there could be any manner of sum of monsters living in its depths.¡± ¡°My fur is rising,¡± Said Aida, ¡°It is no wonder there are new adventurer parties getting lost in them.¡± ¡°We will not have to worry overmuch.¡± Ogre said, ¡°We are not common inepts or novices. We will complete our quests.¡± The day stretched long after their orientation, but sundown was still a pawful of hours off when they set off for the first site. It was located on the edge of the outskirts several hundred paces from the Maingate where the party first met guardbeasts, Bore and Yonbore. In full plate the entire party labored to get to the site before afternoon stretched too long into evening. They slipped between the dark allies of the outskirts, under high arched but thatch roofs and rarely slate or tile, frowning as the day blackened prematurely with the promise of heavy rain. The outskirts smelled strongly of rubbish, and exotic spices wafting from cooking pots, the smells of habitation, the ripe red smell of butcher shops and the reek of skinning buildings positioned as far from the gate as one could and still be apart of the outskirts of the town. The ruins came in two forms; as if more than two different ages and settlements, occupied the same space. There were crumbling sections of old stone so worn by time, wind and rain, that they were little better than shapeless lumps. Other sections crafted of impossible stone of immense weight and perfectly carved squares and rectangles shaped the wall where a large sewer grate opened into the world above the ground. It¡¯s purpose seemed to be mainly for water runoff from rain as it was built into the hilly slope of the ground, with the natural decline. They were too late. The place smelled thickly of blood, offal, and battle. There were no bodies left behind, but the grounds were stained with green and red blood. Aida sniffed the air hesitantly, peering at the grounds stained by battle. ¡°It¡¯s too fresh to belong to the beasts we are to retrieve the tags for. Plus, there are no bodies.¡± ¡°It makes sense, the Guild would not only just give these quests to us,¡± Orda said, running a paw over his muzzle beneath the visor of his helmet. He felt only a little ridiculous having a helmet when his head seemed durable enough to repel a crossbow bolt with just a trickle of blood for the trouble, but only a little, it went well with the rest of his armour. ¡°Our search will take us into the night,¡± Said Ogre looking to the sky, ¡°And into inclement weather. We will tough it out, I do not plan on stopping until we have slain monsters. Understood?¡± The second site was scoured clean. And the third site was in full battle, when they drew close enough to hear it. Though Ogre could hear and see the fighting a full hour before they reached it. The purpose in continuing onward to it, was to help if it was needed or to avenge if the help they offered was too late. They need not bothered. Jeda¡¯s party was systematically destroying a group of froglike beasts with slick looking phosphorescent green and blue skin. The monsters bore pig iron spears and pitted swords, likely looted from adventurers that fell a while ago. Seeing that the otter had it well in paw, Ogre and his party turned tail and searched out another site. This one bore fruit in the form of a pair of Gecko-men guards, standing watch at the entrance to wrought iron sewer grate large enough to admit an Elephantine. The gecko-men were as tall as Vedana, with scaled skin of different hues, and a long powerful tail. Dark liquid eyes that took up most of their lizard like head peered at them with animal cunning and small nostrils on the end of an ovalangular shaped mouth flared as if smelling them. They had pig iron spears, and leather jerkins opened to the front. The two stood on raised stone platforms, while a stream of cloudy water ran between the bars of the gate and between them, tumbling down the incline into a large bowl ditch.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. This is when I¡¯d normally have an archer, or ranged damage dealer attack first, but we don¡¯t have any beast in that role. This is another oversight on my part. Ogre thought, before quietly calling for Xendaranan and Aida to slay the two monsters. When the two charged, even a full speed, they were too slow to stop one of the monsters, a yellow scaled creature with small red-brown spots and a glossy white belly. It slipped into the mouth of the sewer gate, opening and closing it as soon as the otters were spotted. The Gecko-man left behind was split in two by Aida almost the same time Xendaranan speared it through the eye, too quickly for it to even thrust once more after the first attack against Xendaranan broke the tip of its spear off against the otter¡¯s black iron breastplate with a metallic ¡®snap¡¯. Aida growled, kicking at the metal gate, and making the iron groan, before leaning on her greatsword breathing hard. Ogre looked at her and Xendaranan who was just as tired. The weight of the armour is affecting them more than it affected me when I was level 1. However, they are in no danger with enemies of this level. Drowning would be a higher concern than that. However, they are otters, I¡¯m sure they can drown but their comfort in water would be well above my own. ¡°Rest, Aida and Xendaranan, Orda and Vedana will take point when that Gecko-man returns with the rest of its tribe. How much insight did it give you two?¡± ¡°0.6¡± They both gasped. Orda sided up close to Ogre. ¡°Captain, perhaps we should relieve ourselves of some of the plate, so that we can be more effective at fighting. As it stands, we will barely be able to slay one of the monsters without fully exhausting our vigor.¡± ¡°We can afford to be a little reckless with these monsters, Orda.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°The armour will protect you well enough that even if you all get tired the weapons that they have will not be able to pierce the plate. We need Cataphract¡¯s discipline for you all, especially if you want to be able to wear heavy armour.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Orda said, taking out his shield and sword and taking position before Ogre and on one side of the stream of water from the sewer grate. Vedana posted on the other side of the flowing water in line with the sword and board otter. Ogre spoke to all of them, ¡°These two will take point for now, conserve your vigor but slay the monsters quickly and efficiently, when you are too tired, Aida and Xendaranan will swap positions with Orda and Vedana until they are all slain. I will be healing support, until I run out of healing uses. We will not use vigor elixir unless you are about to die. The same goes for taking off your armour.¡± The Gecko-men returned in force. Just like with Troglodytes, the ones guarding the gate were the sort of scouts, lightly armoured with low class weapons. Two score of the monsters returned, most of them with some sort of plate armour, gambeson with iron rings and small plates or full chailmaille shirts and skirts. Their weapons were all pig, scrap, and rarely, plain stout iron; and all of it once again likely scavenged from fallen Inept parties tasked to slay them. It took a quarter hour, and at least five rounds of position swapping for the party to break the successive charges of the monsters. Red painted the otters and gore slicked the earth and stone about their sabatons, washing away in the flowing water. At the end of the clash Ogre had to block the way back into the sewers to prevent the rest of the Gecko-men from retreating. A champion of the Gecko-men, a monster as tall as Orda, with a pig-iron greatsword, challenged Ogre. The dog ignored it and called Aida forth to deal with the creature. She finished it with two moves, first blocking its blade with the crosstrees of her black iron greatsword then spearing it through the ribs, through a rent it¡¯s its iron breastplate. Blood, filthy water, and sweat matted the otters¡¯ fur under visors, plate, and chainmail but they were free from wounds. Ogre collected monster gems and monster parts leaving his party to fall tiredly to the earth, to rest where they may. Orda and Aida knelt, both with weapons resting on the earth but still in paw. Xendaranan and Vedana made no effort to even pretend to be vigilant. Ogre frowned at it, but said nothing as he worked. When the dog was done, he spoke to his party. ¡°So, you all should at least be able to raise your levels by one. Do so now and put your extra points into endurance and stamina. I believe that your stats will naturally increase based on how I have you fighting. After you recover by leveling, please follow me as a group, and don¡¯t fall into the water.¡± Ogre only waited a heartbeat for them to recover from the powerful emotions associated with leveling before he entered the sewer. The main section went on for several hundred paces, under a section of the Cerulean¡¯s outskirts. Only two branching sewer tunnels got the party¡¯s attention, one of which held a hatch of Gecko-men eggs, under a makeshift mound of thatching and other rubbish to make a large nest. Lesser monster warriors guarded the hatchery, which Ogre left to his party to slay, so that the insight would not be swallowed by his ridiculous amount he needed to level. However, when crushing the eggs, he took point, smashing them with the cleric maces they received from the High Priest. Ogre shuddered at the half-formed gecko-man infants and clenched his massive jaws to keep from being ill. Even after seeing the piles of adventurer tunics and lesser clothing gear used in the nest, it took much effort to see offspring of the gecko-men as vermin as opposed to the fully matured monsters. The other chamber held a large circular chamber with a foul-smelling adjoining room filled with old piles of leavings, with bones and adventurer tags in them. Ogre completed the unpleasant task of retrieving the tags against the protestations of Orda. When they were done, the dog led them from sewer into a stormy night. The foul dank air of the sewers were washed away by the deluge. However, Ogre did not give them much time to rest. They completed ten more sewers like the first. Some tunnels held fewer monsters, only a pawful, and others were filled with so many monsters that the battle lasted over two hours. The rain made moving in the armour near the sewage tunnels dangerous and a slip into the water, even for the otters nearly fatal. They fought froglets, that used the watery terrain to their benefit, and Gecko-men who fell easier to their weapons. They were not wounded often but the accumulation of battle, fatigue from wearing the heavy platemail, and the minor cuts and bruises from falls and near drowning weighed heavily on their minds and bodies. They used the lanterns when they entered the sewers to finish off the tribes of vermin monsters. Sometimes the lanterns fell into the rushing sewer water, requiring them to use the extra candles and oil. The otters leveled up to 85, but their stamina and endurance increased at higher rates than even the amount of status points that they put in them could account for. However, by the end of the last sewer dive, the rain exhausted itself and the night grew so deep and so cool that it became uncomfortable with their damp fur and soggy padding. And yet, they did not attain the Cataphract¡¯s Discipline skill. The party camped outside, beyond the outskirts. It was too wet to make a fire, but the bedrolls were dry and the preserved food more than enough to fill the belly. Ogre took watch the entire night. His excess stamina and endurance allowed him an abundance of energy that the otters could not match even without their cumbersome armour. They fell asleep quickly, slept past the break of dawn, and well into the morning, only stirring when Ogre shook them awake. Ogre ate from his stores of meat as he kept watched, making sure not to eat too quickly, he did not want to raise his fatigue to intolerable levels. Eventually he gained enough weight to reach half a ton. The eating improved his stats in ways that slaying the lesser monsters could not. Ogre led them to more sewer runs the next day. This day was overcast, a dreary gray that took the heat associated with the season turned it to a cool dampness that was heightened with the wet location of their questing. Having found more uncontested sewer openings during the day, they were able to complete thirty sewer sites. The next day brought forth an additional fifty, though they had to battle well into the night to accomplish the feat. The day after that, they barely managed to complete a dozen or so sites, as there were long battles with far more beasts, in small hoards, despite the effort of questing for even longer than even the previous day. They kept this up for a full week. The otters fought the battles with Ogre leading and ultimately, they slept while he kept watch. It rained on and off for that week, making the sewer waters flow strongly. Ogre saw the banner and smiled, realizing what was coming as they finished the last site and headed back toward the town gates. Reeking they returned to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, to bath, resupply and to turn in extermination bounties for the Gecko-men and Froglets. Just as they entered the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, Aida let out an exclamation, followed closely by the others as they revealed they finally received the Cataphract¡¯s Discipline skill. Their armour was still too heavy for them to move normally in it even after that week of fighting and leveling. However, they were used to fighting disadvantaged in one sense, around treacherous terrain that could end them quite easily if they slipped into the overflow channels. Ogre greeted Bahbrah, barely noticing Cori at the standing desk just inside the foyer of the Main Guild building. The small dog was dressed in gold and pearl white silks, with a pinned back, pale chocolate cape scroll-worked with gold and silver. A shimmering white shirt peaking under a heavily embroidered, striped doublet and breeches, clad his torso and thighs, with knee-high fawn boots, and amber gold buckles above thickly heeled soles. The difference between Cori and Ogre was uncanny; especially with the larger dog¡¯s stained, black iron suite of armour, dripping sewer water, ruddy bits of gore, and mud on the Guild floor. ¡°When are we going to share another drink, eh ole hound?¡± Asked Cori, flashing small but sharp white teeth, ¡°I can barely recall the last time, but the night felt wild¡­and free!¡± Ogre snorted, lifting a brow. ¡°Never again. My head ached as if somebeast dropped a building on it when I wasn¡¯t looking. Plus, my party and I have quests to do.¡± ¡°Ah¡­to get filthy with jules?¡± Cori said, ¡°Is that why you quest, for wealth?¡± ¡°I do it to live. To survive.¡± Said Ogre shrugging. ¡°The next fight is as good a reason to make it through the current one.¡± Cori cocked his head to the side, staring at the other dog in a strange way, before his face became morose, ¡°That won¡¯t be enough. With the rate that you are growing, you¡¯ll soon become harder to kill than most monsters. You¡¯ll have to find something else.¡± Ogre started to walk away, but he stopped. ¡°I have nothing else. I do not remember a life beyond the Tower. This is all I have.¡± Cori was quiet for a moment. ¡°We should at least share a meal sometime.¡± Ogre nodded, ¡°I¡¯m planning on giving my party the day to rest and wash up. Plus, there is something I must do. I¡¯ll need to sleep for a while after I do it¡­¡± The dog paused looking up and to the right at nothing before speaking again,¡°Food¡­I guess food is another reason to live, good juicy meats, and delicious sweets.¡± The otters that gathered about the dog smiled widely from the shadowed recesses of black helmets with raised visors. ¡°Oh you have a bit of a gourmand in you, I see.¡± Said Cori, flashing his quick smile once more. ¡°¡­And¡­Why yes, I see you¡¯ve learned to shield yourself from prying eyes. May I ask your level?¡± ¡°I am still level 4.¡± ¡°I mean your true level,¡± Ogre smirked. ¡°I will keep that to myself for now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spoke to the otter called Jeda and the fox, Lam,¡± Said Cori, ¡°You will need to be careful around those two. Jeda has reached level 150 and he holds a grudge against you. The last time I saw your stats such power did not matter much. But that otter will wait for his chance. Lam has told me more distressing things. Please do not try to defy a Felidae, Ogre. It will not bode well for you, your party or any beast near you. They rule this land completely. No kitten fears in a kingdom of beasts that might hate it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, Coriander.¡± Said Ogre, turning away and striding to where Bahbrah waited behind the absurdly long reception desk. ¡°I will eat well for lunch. And you can join us at midday if you wish. I might even toast half tankard to our recent successes.¡± ¡°Greetings Adventurers,¡± Said Bahbrah, ¡°I see that you have been fighting in the sewers. Do you have any monster gems to turn in for a bounty?¡± Aida strolled up to the desk and leaned a filthy vambrace and couter on the polished wood, staining and scratching the surface, before speaking, ¡°We have hoards of them.¡± Ogre abruptly noticed how tall she had grown. Aida was easily taller than Glaeddra now and the closest to the dog¡¯s new height after the days of careful gorging. The others, though they had not grown as quickly as the greatsword-wielder were equal or better in height than the previous second in command of the old Otter Ford. Ogre rested a gauntlet on Aida¡¯s pauldron, pulling her back from ruining the desk further. ¡°We do have a rather large number of gems.¡± The dog said to Bahbrah before turning to his party, ¡°However, I figured out something while keeping guard when we camped outside. After slaying the gremlin, I received some rewards that I did not take the time to check, after¡­you all know¡­losing so many to those monsters¡­It was hard to think about loot at the time.¡± The party¡¯s faces grew solemn, but Orda sided up next to Ogre, speaking, ¡°What did you find out?¡± ¡°I was gifted with a schematic for making special rings. Judging by the description it can enhance certain stats and even gift beasts with skills that they normally could not learn.¡± ¡°Where was this, when we were trudging through grimy water for days trying to get Cataphract¡¯s Discipline?¡± Xendaranan snorted, he elbowed Vedana to get her to agree with him, when no one responded he dropped his nose in embarrassment. Vedana scowled at him, and then rapped the top of his helmet with her gauntlet. ¡°Careful,¡± She snapped. Ogre responded to the spear-wielding otter, ¡°Cataphract¡¯s Discipline was for your benefit mainly. However, the monsters there were too inferior to challenge us to refine our battle tactics, the added challenge of full plate for you all forced us to come up with creative ways to deal with the enemy. It was the best and most efficient way to use the lower rank quests to our benefit, while staying relatively safe.¡± Bahbrah spoke up suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we as representatives of Adventurer¡¯s Guild Reception, usually do not pry more than we need to into the inner workings of a party, however, I must advise caution. Powerful monsters do slay many beasts; however, it is the underestimation of lesser monsters and environs that usually result in party-wipes. That is the total annihilation of a party. Deliberately placing hooficaps on one¡¯s party members just because you assume a monster is not challenging enough is dangerous. And after that, you have no need to sleep rough. Cerulean is so close and your quests barely take up more than a few hours from a gate. Plus, even if you finish late, the outskirts have living accommodations much better than bedrolls, you are sure to get better rest than sleeping on the hard ground.¡± Ogre growled slowly, feeling anger seep into his words. ¡°I am not hindered by my armour, and my strength is great enough to overwhelm an unaided Master-at-arms. I will not suffer them to die when I can so easily lend a paw. Plus, you knowingly gave us quests well below our ability. Hardship and risks now, is the only intelligent way to progress before our enemies become too strong to take those risks. Or worse yet force those hinderances upon us.¡± Bahbrah set her jaw and folded her forelegs across her chest, before softening after a moment of thought. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t like your tone, it is rude! But you are making some points, that hint at thought behind what seems like rash decisions. Still, you were sent to the Sewers, in full cognizance of your potential, because there were parties¡­that¡­did¡­not¡­return¡­from¡­there, understood? Please be careful.¡± Ogre growled again and opened his mouth to retort, but Orda stepped up, cutting the dog off, ¡°We understand, Guild Receptionist, and we thank you for your concern. Our survival is of upmost importance to our captain and leader.¡± Aida stepped up to the desk again, pointed a metal finger at the sheep, ¡°¡­Yeah, be careful about what you insinuate about our Captain¡­you were not there when he saved our hides¡­slaying that weird goblin after it tore through our bevy like a steel cleaver through wet parchment.¡± Vedana sided up next to Aida, gently pulling her back, but she gave Bahbrah a glare as she did. Bahbrah nodded, voice flat, ¡°How many monster gems for the Vermin Bounty? I¡¯m sure you are aware, that lesser vermin like Froglets and Gecko-men are 10 copper jules per gem, Giant Roaches, Rats, Spiders, and Bugs are 25 to a 100.¡± ¡°I am aware.¡± Ogre lied feeling his nose grow hot. Fifty gold would have made that week-long torment a lot more fulfilling than five gold jules. ¡°I¡¯d like to turn in 4050 gems, all either Froglet or Gecko-men.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Said Bahbrah. Ogre received payment and led his party to the smithy where they were given a special solution to clean the armour, including the gambeson underneath, oil the plate and give it to the smiths to repair. He then spoke to the aged carcajou Laft about whom he could take the ring schematic to have his rings crafted. Laft pulled on a thick chain attached to wenches that held one of the largest would-be blades Ogre had ever seen. Laft used the system of chain and monstrous pliers to drop the glowing white-orange chunk of metal on a great anvil, as two beasts, the Elephantine and another wolverine that Ogre did not know, pounded it with oddly shaped hammers. He roared over the sounds of ringing metal. ¡°Itemsmith or Gemsmith can do it. If you leave it here with me, I can see that it gets to the right beast. It will require soulweight, you might need to go to the Heroic Exchange to ask one of those Godlion-forsaken foxes to help you in that.¡± ¡°Not¡­necessary.¡± Said Ogre, recalling the odd behavior of that old fox, and his thinly veiled threats. ¡°So can I leave these with you? I would like as many of the most powerful rings, that can be made with these monster gems.¡± The status Archaia, dumped the monster gems he called from his inventory into a large metal bowl, that looked only half finished. Laft looked at the mound of dark green gems then at Ogre, speaking, ¡°Did you get the Ore and chopped wood yet?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Said Ogre leaving his party¡¯s and his armour behind as they made their way to the bath and finally to the Great Dining Hall. The Sewers II Chapter Fourteen The Sewers II A crowd gathered around Ogre as he tore through a Great Three-Shore¡¯s Candied Duck. The meat was so soft that it melted on the dog¡¯s capacious tongue as he filled himself beyond full, beyond engorged, and beyond bursting. The brown sauce was a perfect blend of sweet and savory, with a spicy kick on the front end that gave way to a flavor that changed the spice to a deep satisfying umami flavor, then a bitter kick at end that cleansed his palate and allowed him to never tire of eating more. He barely sipped his fruit water, preferring to pair the duck meat with a brine rice, that was simmered in apple vinegar and with a side of thinly sliced cucumbers, carrots, and greens grilled over an open fire. The beasts made bets as he ate, jules passing paws as he swallowed hundred weight milestones in his eating. He stopped when he more than doubled his weight, then waited for the fatigue to hit. To his surprise it was not as intense as the last time he overate, though he felt fatigued, it was well within his power to ignore it. Perhaps the fact that I stayed up as watch allowed me to increase my ability to withstand fatigue or increase my fatigue bar? He thought. Ogre considered that experience and the plan to get to a certain weight before doing it again. That was the right way to do it. It worked better than before. Eating so much food after the fight with the Gremlin nearly slew him. Ogre understood that this was a risk that most beasts did not have to worry about as, they would vomit if they ate too much. The dog would die if he overwhelmed his gluttonous belly. After eating, to the surprise of everyone including his party, Ogre stood belly spilling over his knees and waddled out of the Dining Hall and into the courtyard behind it just before the smithy. After quietly speaking with the smiths there, they allowed him to use full plate and the heaviest Great weapons that he could lift. The armour alone was more than twenty times his equip burden, with the gigantic mace added, it was five times again that sum. Ogre placed the great weapon on his back and then began to walk. The armour was stonemetal, plainly carved but well molded, thick, resembling unpolished marble; it was a slate gray with a patina of blue-green fanning out from the center of each plate. The mace was flanged with thick blades fitted in its hulking head, the metal, Druegorn. Druegorn was naturally a dark but lustrous gunmetal silver, with wavy lines decorating it through and through like rock strata. The dog started sweating before he donned the armaments it took only a few steps for his vigor to deplete to zero. Ogre paused waiting for it to refill, seeing that the vigor went back to full at a speed that was a fraction of a fraction of how quickly it normally returned. Ogre panted and grew hot after less than a minute. His eyes watered as sweat stung them, his body trembled and his muscles began to burn. He relented after five minutes and fell to his hindquarters on the flagstones with a loud clangor, that caused the armoursmith to look up sharply from his work. Ogre lifted a placating paw and the Elephantine went back to his pounding. After more rest, Ogre laid flat on his back and did sit-ups, until his belly clenched and a sickening feeling in his bowels threatened to ruin his borrowed platemail. Then the dog rolled over and did push-ups. After that he did squats and lunges. It only got a bit easier with the bodyweight training as opposed to the walking, and considering that his strength and power was a lot greater than his endurance which delt with cardiovascular movement under load it made sense to the dog. The crowds of beasts gathered at the door to the smithing area, they swigged their tankards, sipped their wine, or hard spirits and chatted amongst themselves. Not all of the conversations were about him, but most were, and the ones that were seemed to split nearly fifty and fifty as derogatory or complimentary. Ogre had to send Aida and even Vedana away when they tried to defend his outrageous actions in the dining hall and with the exercising. He told the rest of the party to get some sleep, for the next morning they would go back to the Sewers to explore it¡¯s depths. The otters left regretfully. Ogre continue to exercise until the crowds started the bleed away, bored at the abrupt turn of events. A few more adventurers bet on him but hours later only a few watched as he labored. Inwardly, Ogre fumed. Where is the benefit? The banners told me that exercising would unleash the full ability and power of the eating skills. Where are they? Ogre rested, panting so loudly that his throat hurt from the frantic rasp of air to deplete the buildup of lactic acid and sooth his aching body. He felt wrung out, and mentally drained in ways that even staying away for a full week could not duplicate. I did not fight then, I did not even have to use skills, I just led the party, ate conservatively, and stayed awake. The difference was clearer than imaginary glass. Ogre¡¯s vigor bar no longer went to the full sum of vigor that he had, in fact it barely reached five percent now. He was slower, debuffs of high fatigue, which rose higher in the first few minutes of exercise than it did in the days camping, piled high. His stats fell and his body protested. Ogre collapsed six more times on the flagstones, cracking them and throwing small chips of rock up and away from the point of impact. The dog could barely hold the mace in both gauntlets for a second before it fell to the ground, he had to use his entire body just to that. Even his massive head could only hold it, body straining to the maximum, in his jaws. Ogre had no hope of wielding such a weapon. But for the dog it was hard not to try. The size of it was amazing, the feel of the density, the way it pulled at every inch of his body when he struggled to lift it was intoxicating. He was in love with the gigantic weapon almost before he knew it. It was not the mace itself, but the size of the monstrosity. It fit him. Eventually as evening faded to night, and a nearly full moon rose to mock the fading light of the sun, Ogre gave in. He stripped off the armour, and gave it back to Balanthe, who glowered at him like a tree bending down to inspect an uppity bush. Ogre handed over fifty silver to pay for the cleaning of the armour of his sweat and humbly thanked the Elephantine, before asking him a question. ¡°Can you make me a weapon, an axe that is double the weight of the mace? How much would it cost me, to have that in iron.¡± Balanthe did not hesitate, ¡°If I was to make it in iron, you wouldn¡¯t be able to properly wield it, as it would be the size of a small cottage. Druegorn Iron is the cheapest material that I can use to make it, I think. The best I¡¯ve done is 500 tons but that would still be too large for you to use. A Elephantine could do it. You warriors grow as you level, perhaps you will reach a sufficient size, but as you are now, even the most dense metal, unless it is worked with soulweight would not work for you.¡± ¡°The cost?¡± Asked Ogre ¡°Nearly five bloodstar jules or 48,000,000 gold for the material alone and an additional one hundred fifty percent of the value of the ore for the work.¡± Balanthe said, ¡°But if you get me the material, I can waive much of the costs, associated with processing the metal from ore, though not all. You will need 2 kilotons of ore, one kiloton of coke, and five hundred tons of limestone. Since we can use the Heroic Exchange which spans many billions of worlds, such amounts can be trivial if you buy it, but carrying it from a mining site will be the true challenge. It¡¯ll take some time to make it. If you use lower class ore you will need at least a kiloton of soulweight to compress the material.¡± The silver wolverine grunted, as he sipped a tankard of ale near his cooling forge but said nothing. Balanthe looked at him curiously, before turning back to Ogre, ¡°Perhaps the esteemed lord of this forge has something in mind, that I do not know. I can ask him. In the meantime I will need that material and you will need to get stronger. Oh, and one million gold would be enough for me. And with that it¡¯s a steal of high order.¡± Ogre grinned, to keep his head from swimming at the absurd sums. ¡°You want to make it, Ironmonger Balanthe I can tell. We¡¯re doing each other favors with this endeavor!¡± Balanthe trumpeted and shooed the dog away with his massive snake-like nose. Before he left the smithy square, the old carcajou called out to him, ¡°It would seem that you will be mining ore, and chopping wood to make coal then coke. I recommend getting some extra material and saving it. It will come in handy when you practice yourself.¡± Ogre nodded, turned, and made his way back into the Guild building. Orda managed to purchase the room they used the first night they were in Cerulean for ten copper jules per day. When Ogre entered, the otters were all fast asleep. The space was plain with six sets of straw stuffed, linen wrapped bunkbeds, a large round table in the center of the rectangular room and chests with keys set in the locks at the foot of each bunk. The female otters, Aida, on the bottom and Vedana on top, took the bunks on one wall, whereas Orda and Xendaranan took the bunks opposite them. Ogre had a bunk all to himself at the far end of the room. No other beasts where given leave to enter, as they were now paying for the space. Ogre fell into the straw, feeling as if it was a feather bed, and was asleep almost before his body touched the divan. Ogre was the first to wake. The dog sat up flexing a body that felt remarkably different than how it felt just the day before. The wood framed, straw mattress bed, shrunk during his sleeping causing him to spill over the sides. Ogre sat up stood, bumping his head against the bunk above him, and brushing his shoulders against the bedframes of the bunk beds on either side of his body. He recalled having ample space before. The room was serviceable, but the window was shuttered and small, keeping the space in a near deep darkness that Ogre was sure, before his obscene perception stat increase, would have made him blind in the space. As it happens with leveling, and stat increases, he could see perfectly well and yet he still bumped into the table and chair sending them flying across the room. The otters woke soon after, asking who was attacking. ¡°Peace,¡± Ogre said. The dog recalled a time when some Froglets tried to attack their camp in the night, but upon seeing Ogre they retreated quickly, and without a fight. However, Aida, enraged at having her sleep interrupted, chased them all down and slew them to a monster. Ogre smiled at the thought, speaking. ¡°I¡¯m a little clumsy this morning. Go back to sleep, I¡¯ll wake you when it¡¯s time to go.¡± Aida growled at him and slumped down into her straw. Vedana and Xendaranan also went back to their beds though with less fanfare, but Orda sat up, blinking. Ogre spoke quietly to the tank, ¡°If are fully awake, you can join me.¡± After that, Ogre left the room, quickly shutting out the stream of golden light, from lanterns in the Great Dining Hall. He considered his new passive skill, as he waited for his second in command. Brutal Physicality is another way I can increase my stats without leveling up. My ability grows so quickly, and yet I still cannot get over the fact that so many beasts have died because I was not strong enough. Oh, Glaeddra, why couldn¡¯t you hold on for just a minute longer? No! How was that fair! The blame lies with me! Ogre thought. Can I continue to do this? I know Jeda was right to leave, those goblins and that gremlin is definitely tied to me somehow, and to this Dreameater title. Can I protect them if that happens again? Can? No, I will do it. I have to. I¡¯m nearly a thousand times more powerful than I was before! If I can¡¯t protect them, then what¡¯s the point of growing stronger? What if it¡¯s useless? Another part of him thought. What if you cannot grow fast enough to meet the challenges that you will face? Then I will die contently, knowing I did everything I could to make them safe. The thoughts made Ogre¡¯s muzzle twist into a grimace. Liar! You¡¯d die screaming and raving. Mad that you allowed it to happen again. Angry that you allowed monsters to slay your friends. Ogre felt his chest grow tight at the thought, his breathing became shallow and fast, as he clenched his jaw hard. And worst yet¡­you¡¯d likely survive! You have abilities that will keep you kicking, well after your minions are hacked apart like meat. Shut up! Ogre growled to himself before his nose grew hot. I¡¯m talking to myself. I¡¯m getting myself worked up! To distract himself and still his heart, he pulled up his Status Archaia. I¡¯m not as weak as I was before. Ogre said, before smiling to himself, feeling the anxiety bleed from him. I was considered strong from the beginning, it was the circumstances of the red fog creatures that made me feel powerless. I slew hundreds of Troglodyte monsters. Ogre shuddered at the memory of what came before that slaughter. No, perhaps I never considered myself truly strong. Abruptly, he could feel the ropes cutting into his wrists and ankles, he could smell the bloodlust of the hoards of lizard-like monsters calling for his dismemberment. He recalled that all-encompassing fear, his bowels loosening and the mad fight. The dog¡¯s fur rose along his arms and hackles, the memory of burning alive and the resistance of hacking through scale and bone was so fresh. ¡°Captain, are you okay?¡± Asked Orda. Ogre blinked, ¡°Yes. Yes I am, I¡¯m just thinking about the trip to Cerulean.¡± The shorter otter¡¯s face was still as he spoke, ¡°Yes, we had some difficulties on the way here. It is unfortunate that Captain Jeda, could not get over them.¡± The dog swallowed hard then cleared his throat. ¡°Will you retrieve our armour from the smithy? Judging from the light outside we have some time before daybreak. I think I¡¯ll help out in the kitchens for a bit. Get the armour but wait to wake the others until First Meal is being served. You can get more camping provisions while you wait if you wish, otherwise, I¡¯ll purchase them at Reception on the way out.¡± Orda nodded, looking up at the dog. ¡°You have grown considerably since yesterday, captain. In mass and height. If we are going in the sewers, it might be best if you can find a way to slow down, as some of the tunnels might get too cramped for you.¡± Ogre could have sworn that he saw a small smile on the muzzle of the otter as he gave their room an innocent backwards glance. The dog felt his nose grow hot once more and he growled at his second in command before stalking off. The Chef Hamlet simply had Ogre wash his paws up to his shoulders, and showed him how to chop or dice up peppers, onions, mushrooms, leeks, chives, and other vegetables and condiments for the hour and a half that the dog was there. He did speak about various seasonings, how to appropriately apply them and field glazes, apple vinegar marinading, and sous vide cooking when outside a kitchen. However, much of the talk seemed as if the pig was simply talking to the dog, not truly teaching. He said, quite innocently ¡®I don¡¯t expect anybeast to learn sous vide¡¯ from a simple conversation. The chef did send Ogre off with a complement of ten spices when the dog left to eat First Meal with his party. Many of the adventurers from the night before, allowed their drinking to proceed well into the night as Ogre and his party could attest to for their first time in the Guild dining hall. However, some parties were up and about, likely to complete quests and earn jules. The dog ate a conservative meal that was barely twice the sum that the otters consumed, despite weighing far more than all of them combined. He towered over everybeast in his party now, with only Aida at shoulder height and the others a third shorter than he. He moved powerfully, his steps sure and briming with might and ease of movement that belied his abrupt change in size. Dependable Orda already retrieved their armour and replenished the oil for lanterns, replacing flint that went missing during one of the nights out, and stocking up on enough vittles for a week, even with Ogre¡¯s increased size. The dog noted that Orda had a good eye for the tasks. I will have to delegate such duties a bit more. The members of my party are reliable, and Orda is an excellent Second in Command. Ogre stood, ¡°Let¡¯s go, today we will enter the Sewer Proper and exterminate real vermin.¡± As the dog walked, he retrieved parchment from his inventory and passed copies to the otters. ¡°These will be our main objectives, while we are down in the sewers. The mapping will take the longest by far, but we should be able to slay a lot more vermin than the practice runs we most recently completed at the different sewer sites. There are also some gathering quests that I have memorized, and we¡¯ll complete them as we seem them, I¡¯ll let you all know as we approached the areas that are known to have the material. It¡¯s mushrooms mainly.¡± The otters nodded. ¡°As for the armour, wear only the pieces that you are able to, without being slowed, breastplates and helmets take priority.¡±
Missing Tags Type: Errand +Combat? Rank: Inept Difficulty: D Action: Investigate Disappearance of the New Adventurer Parties in the Sewers Location: Cerulean¡¯s Greater Sewers Time Limit: n/a Issuer: Adventurer Guild Info: The Thorn Party among others were tasked with Vermin Extermination in Cerulean¡¯s Greater Sewers. Reward: 100 silver per member if any are found alive 25 copper per tag if not
The party passed reception. Ogre saw that Orstrong was speaking to Bahbrah. He stood tall seeing Ogre, then did a double take, likely noticing his recent growth, but simply nodded to the group as they passed saying nothing. The Ram squinted just above Ogre¡¯s head, then blinked in surprise. My status is no longer an open book to you, is it? Thought the dog, allowing himself a small grin. As he turned back to the Great Double Doors of the Guild Main Building, his eyes met with Jeda. The otter froze, eyes going to slits as he looked Ogre up and down. Seven others crowded behind him, three otters, who were shield and spear bearing tanks, two wolverines, one a greatsword, the other dual-wielder, a fox who was a ranger and a weasel with a crossbow, knives, and a brace of flint-lock pistols. None of them were below level 145, but Jeda as a High Arts user topped the party at level 151. ¡°You¡¯re larger than Glaeddra now,¡± Jeda said, voice flat. ¡°Was it your party that completed the vast majority of the Sewer Sites?¡± ¡°We¡­juled in the monster gems from our time on the Road of Beginnings. I thought that we should leave a portion for you and Lam, but I was told that you already have your parts.¡± Said Ogre ignoring his jabs. ¡°You¡¯ve leveled up and found a strong party. I am glad. I wish you well.¡± Jeda¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Yes¡­it was you and the otters that you misled into following your nihilistic ways. When will you leave them to fend for themselves, oh Dreameater, as you did Glaeddra, as you caused the deaths of so many of our pack? Will you do it in the sewers?¡± Ogre scowled at him feeling anger bubbled from within. ¡°You were there too, we all fought to slay that¡­monster! We all failed¡­¡±- -¡°Until you did not. You killed it with a single blow! We all saw that your strength was comparable to it. But you did not value the lives of the otters as much as you valued your life. In the tower, you slew dozens of battle-fought weasels with ease, but you failed against a level 1 Gremlin?¡± Argued Jeda, ¡°Do you expect me to believe that? I saw that you used a skill to sway the minds of the otters, Ogre-filth! You did not give them a choice in following you.¡± He¡¯s¡­he¡¯s right in that. I did use Silvertongue on them. Thought Ogre, he looked back at his party and could not hide the flush of guilt that warmed his nose. Orda stepped up but it was Aida who spoke first. ¡°I respected Glaeddra, and I am aware that she did not like¡­uh Captain Ogre. But I came to follow him because he is strong, he is as smart as you are Jeda, and he was the one that finally managed to slay that gremlin. We would all be dead if he had not.¡± Jeda snorted, ¡°You are bamboozled, I cannot fault you for taking up his defense, Glaeddra¡¯s death hit you harder than the others. You were ripe for manipulation. But I did expect better from you Orda. You have leadership qualities, and mental stats that can make that compliment tread water. Why are you with him?¡± ¡°He leads as well as you did. But he has a¡­dedication to getting stronger that I cannot truly measure. And it works. He is strong. But he is disciplined. Look at our stats, Captain Jeda.¡± Xendaranan rubbed his chin with a gauntlet. ¡°Yeah, well they said it all, but I don¡¯t care as much as all of that. Under you I got strong, but it was his S-Class weapons that allowed us to survive and his tactics that allowed us to raise our levels by over 100 in just one week. For me it¡¯s not a hard choice.¡± ¡°He cried when Glaeddra died, and insisted on a memorial, even when we were using leveling as a way to cope with so many of us dying so quickly.¡± Vedana quietly said, ¡°We are now stronger than even you Jeda, when you were so far above us just a short while ago.¡± Jeda¡¯s face grew darker with each retort from the former party members, he tore his eyes from them and glared at Ogre. ¡°Fools¡­No, that is too harsh, you are tricked by a persistent and powerful skill. I will not blame you, I will not give this dog the satisfaction. But, he will get you all killed. He may cry about it, he may pretend that it was not his fault or maybe he¡¯ll own up to it. It matters not, you all will still die. When you see it happened¡­please wise up and join my new bevy. I¡¯ll welcome you all with outstretched paws.¡± With that warning, Jeda swept past, and wisely gave Ogre a wide berth, his party members glared at the dog and the other otters but said nothing as they passed. Toadies, no¡­Froglets, that will better describe them. What sort of beasts would allow another to sway them about a beast they don¡¯t even know? Ogre immediately recalled Lam¡¯s warning about the weasels and carcajou in the tower and growled at the instant refutation to his internal argument. I wish I would stop doing that! Poking holes in my personal arguments is worse than annoying. Ogre and his party continued. He led them to the location of the first site, where a battle with monsters occurred near Cerulean. The day was bright and cheery, pale blue and cloud free, and helped a little to lift the dog spirits as he journeyed through the buildings of the outskirts. It was warmer today with the open sky, but the heat was wet and stifling. The short walk made them sweat long before they reached the large Sewer grate. A small but steady stream of grayish water flowed from the center of the overflow tunnel, splashing between the iron bars of the gate. Ogre pulled it open easily. He winced at the piercing screech of the rusted metal hinges. Inside the tunnel, they all lit their lanterns and hooked them on wide belts at their waist, casting a shared luminescence on the stone walls, floor, and the canal of water down the sewer tunnel as they traveled in one line on the right paw platform facing the sewer. As their party did when they completed sewer site raids, Ogre directed the otters to adjoining tunnels near the entrance, making sure no Gecko-men or Froglets were left forgotten. Ogre was not surprised when three frog monsters attacked just as he entered. They moved slowly to his Visionary skill, as if the air itself congealed around them. His eyes easily made out their forms the color and texture of their skin, their trembling hands and bulbous red-filmed eyes. They were mostly pastel green, with darker splotches of jade or dusky blue on various parts of bodies with ramshackle armour. Their horizontal pupils did not even dilate until after Ogre struck with his black iron cleaver, cutting through pig and scrap iron plate or chainmail, raised arms, heads, necks, and torsos in a single effortless blow.Stolen novel; please report. Ogre noted the new skills feeling a thrill of excitement run through him. So easy. Perhaps I should have slew my share of vermin with the others, just to see if I could garner skills? The otters spilled into the chamber from behind him taking out the squat frog monsters that took up a defensive perimeter around their nest. Even from where Ogre stood in the doorway to the room, he could easily pick out brass and bronze adventure tags among the wet straw and rubbish behind the monsters. Orda directed the gathering up of tags and the disposal of the froglet eggs. However, this time when the otter raised his shield to smash them they vanished. ¡°They went into my inventory.¡± Said Orda, sounding confused. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll finish clearing out any chambers in this sewer as we go.¡± The light from the day behind them vanished as they went deeper into the tunnel, sabatons squelching or scrapping on slick and slimy stretches of stone walk, the dank darkness pressing in about the ring of lantern light as a pall of earthy and sickly sweet refuse burned in their olfactory organs. With his heightened sense of smell Ogre could distinguish between countless scents, including the same scent from a single beast that shifted and changed by an hour¡¯s time or various actions from different days a century ago. His mind recreated the complexity of actions that his sense of smell could pick up as a visual representation spawned by the skill Visionary, allowing him to see through walls, stone and dark murky water rushing by. Ogre closed his eyes and allowed his nose to pick their course through the sewers. He grew so in-tune with the skill that time no longer mattered as it should, as past centuries in the space were as opened to him as occurrences seconds ago. Still, the sheer power of his perception was overwhelming. It was too much input for his mind to parse through, he could smell a weasel worker, as he stepped carefully in fear, as the pads of his footpaws transferred the smell of his adrenaline differently when the claws hit first, the toe pads second and the center pad last, creating a gradient. That was multiplied exponentially as thousands upon thousands of Froglets and Gecko-men that trampled those paw prints into oblivion, then a hoard of adventurers, the scent of hobnailed boots, thick-soled shoes, or sabatons trampled those even further. This was followed by the seasonal wash of flood water, the death and growth of vegetation that sought purchase on the walk interspersed throughout. Ogre¡¯s head pounded as he tried to pick out just one timeline, the one closest to his sense-transported body, finding it only after failing for what sensed liked years and decades. A gasp of pain and relief shook Ogre from the clutches and power of his perception, allowing him to come to, in the middle of a battle. Waves of beast-shapes assaulted them with incredible violence. His armour plate rung with the shock of blows that ogre could feel in his teeth, blows that shook his body but, somehow did not send him flying. Ogre felt the power in those blows and was in awe that his body even as his mind was taken with his skill, braced, and kept to his sabatons despite the onslaught. Under the clamor, Ogre heard gurgling moans and curses, and he immediately activated Visionary. The dog found himself in an unfamiliar bowl-shaped center chamber with many different sprawling sewer tunnels leading into it. They stood on a sort of isle, as brackish water rushed about them from multiple sources forming a circular current about them. The reek of the foul water was overpowering, making his eyes water under his closed lids. Dark familiar looking shapes clustered in their hundreds beyond the rush of water, but dozens assailed Ogre¡¯s armoured form. A single beast entered the glow of lanternlight, that was cast behind the dog, as it rag-dolled Aida by latching huge jaws over her black iron greatsword and shaking it¡¯s monstrous head, gelatinous limbs, shaped in mimicry of full black iron armour, gripped Xendaranan and Vedana by the throat lifting them bodily, as Orda repeatedly slammed his black iron shield into it¡¯s front to no avail. The raw gleam of panic burned in Orda¡¯s eyes as he saw that nothing he did worked. His shortsword bounced off the monster¡¯s simulated armour, the pavis shield did nothing to budge it as he summoned all he had to shield bash it. Ogre¡¯s cleaver was in his gauntlet in a flash, tearing through slime doppelganger, and destroying it¡¯s core in a single blow. Aida, Xendaranan, and Vedana dropped to the sewer ground in a heap, hacking and struggling to fill their crushed throats with air. Orda and Aida immediately went to heal Xendaranan and Vedana respectively, as Ogre destroyed the dozens of slime doppelgangers that followed his wild dash to save his party, and had began once more to rain blows upon him. Abruptly, a wall of golden light rose up from the slimy stone and became a dome around them. Is this Xendaranan¡¯s Aegis? Ogre wondered as he glared at the dark masses of slime doppelgangers out beyond the makeshift moat and gleaming light. I thought it was supposed to invisible? Almost in response waves of the slimes risked the rushing water to attack the dome of light. Ogre could see that the ones that made it through the rush of water slammed uncomprehendingly into the wall, first, ten probed at it as if they truly could not see it. ¡°Ah.¡± Ogre said, before turning to regard his party, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was caught up in a skill, I did not realize what was occurring.¡± Orda stood up from where he knelt beside Xendaranan, ¡°We would not have you think that we are useless, the cleric abilities paid off. We slew ten of them, all four of us together, in what felt like a day as you stood there becoming a living boulder.¡± Aida stared hard at Ogre, then grinned maniacally, ¡°The cleric abilities were very useful, though those slimes are absurdly powerful, Orda had to direct the way we fought. It worked until one of them got past you.¡± ¡°We were worried, that Jeda¡¯s words got to you when Orda and I tried to speak to you hours in after we cleared a chamber of monsters as you simply walked away down the tunnel. You did not respond for so long, and we could not realistically stop you. You¡¯re heavier than all of us combined, and your strength is unreal. We followed as best as we could, but we did not reach this area until what felt like days passed.¡± ¡°Slaying the froglets, Gecko-men, middling slimes on the way was the easy bit, though it was challenging when so many of them tried to pull us under the mirky water. Vedana and I did fall in, but we are otters. We are born to the water. Without full black iron plate weighing us down only the filth of the water made us wary of the tunnel streams.¡± Days? Ogre wanted to scream. He left them to fend for themselves for days? The dog peered at their stats. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­I don¡¯t know what to say. I was¡­It is unacceptable.¡± The luminous barrier around them flickered then slowly faded, causing the first ring of slimes to fall forward in what looked like surprise. Ogre wasted no more time, ¡°I¡¯ll slay as many as I can, guard yourselves well.¡± Ogre darted forward so quickly that his lantern went dark, he dispatched the slime dopplegangers before they had a chance to rise. Slaying slimes could be tricky for those who were novice to slaying them. They regenerated quickly, were resistant to almost all types of physical damage, and could only be destroyed by damaging the physical core, a fist sized spherical or cubic organ that they could move around their gelatinous bodies at will. If you wanted to destroy a slime you had to smash its entire body to paste or pierce the core too quickly for the monster to react. Despite the slime doppleganger¡¯s abilities to copy the physical form of an adventurer they died just the same. Ogre also noticed that their stats, which, since the incredible increase to his perception stat, was an open codex to his eyes, was exactly ten percent of his stats. No wonder they had such trouble with the slimes. Ogre tore through them with abandon, splashing dark thick jelly in clumps about him. In a few breathes he cleared the stone isle of slime doppelgangers where the party stood their ground. ¡°Can you hold your ground?¡± Ogre asked Orda. Aida answered before the tank could respond, ¡°Yes!¡± Ogre nodded to her than the rest of the party then leapt over the rushing water and waded into the masses of slimes that copied his form. His strength was comparable to his foes as when he went paw to claw with the Troglodytes. However, the troglodyte¡¯s use of stone, hide, and bone for arms and Aegis was more than overwhelmed by the pig iron he once used. With the slimes they could harden portions of their form to a level commensurate to his plate, but he saw that durability was the same as it was with his stats. They rained iron hard blows upon his plate as he tore among them, making him grunt from the sheer volume of the attacks that struck him. They fell by the dozen, but his hp dipped as their blows delivered shock to his body, numbing his limbs, and making him stagger. He recalled the old carcajou explaining the importance of armour and how it related to health and hp. Health was essentially how close a beast was to death, by showing the combined durability of life giving organs. HP was a lesser form of health that related to blood flow and shock. In armour it mostly represented shock, and would only lead to unconsciousness when it reached zero. Outside of armour, when hp reached zero it was likely due to blood loss and thus a corresponding decrease in health would result in a beast¡¯s death. Good armour would ensure that damage was translated to a lesser form of shock that would only incapacitate a beast instead of outright killing them. In what felt like half an hour over a hundred of the creatures were pudding squelched underneath his sabatons or dark stains on the walls of the sprawling sewer. Five slimes struck him at once making him stagger to the side. Horizontal blow made their goo rain about him, but he sucked in foul breathes, and his chest burned. That skill, creating that skill Universal Vision: Olfactory Spacetime, used up more vigor than I could afford. With my lesser vigor I fought for a day and a half without feeling as tired as I do now! His heart dropped as he spied his party. Vedana and Xendaranan was down and bleeding, but Orda and Aida had their paws full holding back three of the Ogre Dog Slimes. Ogre spun, cleaver out in a dazzling series of six full circles before calling out his healing skills and directing them towards the downed Otters. He knew that a new skill was born the moment he slipped out of the pirouettes, however, another thought occupied his mind. Can a cleric do distant Healing? Ogre immediately leveled up after that, instantly resetting his hp and returning his vp back to full. He realized his mistake almost immediately. His refusal to repeat his mistake with the gremlin, not leveling up when he was among foes that could end his companions, was swallowed up in the obfuscating bliss, making him forget where he was, and what he was doing. After a while, minutes or days? A dim understanding of his party¡¯s predicament came to him as if viewed by another beast. Waves of the dog shaped slimes slammed into him bowling him over and digging at his flesh under plate, mail, and reinforced linen and leather, from every angle. Ogre laughed in pure delight, buffered by a mad clamor of violence but cocooned by the sweet warm joy of the truest freedom he had ever known. He attacked because laying there while the monsters tried to tear him apart was not as fun as swinging his cleaver. They fell to puddles of mush by the score. He slew them so well because he was twice as strong, as fast, as agile, and even as dexterous as he was before. Movement became so easy, as if the world slowed so that he could enjoy the cacophony of life and death intermingled. He no longer cared as much about surviving as he had before, not with this euphoria pulling him bodily through sensations that made him shudder and howl. Ogre used his vigor recklessly. He called Blade Whirlwind then Dismembering Hew, half a dozen times in a row barely taking half a second to breathe as he whooped in savage joy. He was a storm, the force of his new strength sent the monsters flying before his blade touched their cores, and even as the blades passed through their bodies, with the skills, the new strength and speed, the cleaver did not even have to touch the cores to destroy them.
Happiness has given a 5x multiplier to Insight Gain Great Happiness has Increased Gain +Ascension Points Soulweight ¨¤ Spiritweight
The glow from leveling still rested upon Ogre when he stopped panting, his chest like a bellows, his smile beaming. It took longer still for him to care about the fact that he was still drowning in the sweetness but eventually he wrestled his consciousness away from the bliss and took back his control. He trembled as he walked back to the edge of the circular platform where rushing water separated him and the otters. The barrier had gone up once more, but Aida, Vedana, each finished off five more of the slime doppelgangers in quick succession as Orda and Xendaranan slew the last with a startling ease. It happened in the flick of an ear as they were all safely within the barrier. Was it an hour ago that one of those monsters was more than all of them could handle? Ogre was shocked at the piles of dead slimes that littered the ground at their boots and sabatons. It was so many. They are capable¡­almost too capable too soon, but I failed them once more. Ogre snorted as guilt punctuated each beat of his heart. I should be able to share the insight I got from slaying so many of the slimes. Ogre called to them, ¡°How is everyone?¡± Orda opened his mouth to speak but Aida interrupted him once more, beaming nearly as brightly as Ogre¡¯s leveling grin. ¡°I just gained two hundred levels!¡± Ogre blinked. He looked again at the piles of dead slimes. Did they really slay so many of the slimes? How many would they have to slay to get to level 400? He looked at the other otters. ¡°So soon? It took a week for you to increase your levels to over 200. After an hour you¡¯ve doubled it? And what about the rest of you?¡± ¡°An hour?¡± Aida asked confused, ¡°It¡¯s been at least a day or two, Captain.¡± Orda scowled at Aida, opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted once more by affirmations from Vedana and Xendaranan. He then growled loudly and spoke up himself, ¡°Yes I too gained about two hundred levels, it¡¯s hard to believe, the strength. However, it was hard won. I believe that being near you is the reason why. The environment is more dangerous, yes, but the reward is sweeter.¡± Yes it is. Ogre thought. Two days? How can time slip away from me so easily? First the skill and now the bliss! I need to be more careful! The dog tried to calm himself as he looked at his companions. Still, this time they more than survived, they are so much stronger now. I wonder. Can they catch up to me? The dog pulled up his stats, then compared their new strength with his. Ogre promptly put all of his extra stat points into dexterity. The dog did not feel insecure about how they abruptly blew past him, not really. His strength was still far superior than even Aida. But how did they get so Godlion forsaken strong? Do stats jump like that at higher levels? ¡°Your stats they¡¯re amazing,¡± The dog said, It¡¯s no wonder they managed to slay so many of the slime doppelgangers! ¡°Wait, how did you level up so many times without losing yourself to the bliss?¡± ¡°We leveled up in shifts.¡± Said Orda simply, ¡°As soon as we were able, Xendaranan would make a shield and those of us that could level safely would do so. When it was time for Xendaranan to do so, we were strong enough to hold, especially with weapon and shield buffs. And of course we grew stronger as we did.¡± ¡°We have been leveling up longer and more often than you have, Captain.¡± Said Aida, ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself for losing to it every now and again.¡± ¡°Plus¡­¡± Vedana paused, quickly glanced at Orda before continuing. ¡°I think leveling hits you harder. Maybe it has something to do with how much insight you require to leveling as compared to the rest of us.¡± Ogre growled, the quieted himself, How did they get as strong as me? Even Orstrong who is a level 999 don¡¯t have a tenth of their stats. By the dog in the sky, Aida is fifty times stronger than the ram with half the levels! Wait. Ogre did some quick calculations. My stat ascensions points are lower than what I had plus what I received by slaying the slimes in that¡­state. Is there a connection? The sewer tunnel walls, and floors were covered in the dark gelatin. The air stank of filth and the ripe smell of the dead slimes, aged wet stone. The scents were distracting. His mind kept noting strange details about his surroundings. It was as if he was still trying to get used to the abrupt jump in his senses. Does it matter? The dog looked at each of them smiling hugely. ¡°You all have gotten so strong!¡± Ogre said, feeling a sense of unadulterated pride for his teammates war with the shame of his recent failings. ¡°Have you all eaten?¡± The food was cold and with his sense of smell made the dried and salted meat, hardtack taste of the sewer. The dog did not use any of the seasonings that he acquired from the Guild kitchens, assuming the smell of the sewer would just wash it out. Even Ogre¡¯s monstrous appetite struggled with that. After eating and drinking enough to stave off a hunger and thirst that built over days of traversing the sewers, and days more of fighting. They continued. Ogre did not even consider leveling up again. He was not sure that he could withstand another level, and fully losing himself could easily result in him and his party dying. A chill went through him as he acutely recalled how easy it would have been to leap over the rushing water and fight the otters. When he considered it in that state, all he could think of was that it wouldn¡¯t be as fun, as they were not as strong or as numerous as the slimes. That was it. He didn¡¯t care that they were his friends. Ogre didn¡¯t mind that they were beasts who looked up to him. The thought of that different, vile Ogre made the dog feel sick. The dog knew that eventually he would need to expend the insight and grow stronger. Leaving one level as an emergency full status restore was tactful but leaving twenty plus levels felt wasteful to him. Also, Ogre saw little point in not using nearly all his insight. If he was going to do it, might as well do it right. He would need a protected place if he was going to fully level up, and time to recover. He felt sweat trickly down his body and a guilty but pleasurable thrill make his pulse race as he considered what it would feel like level up that many times back-to-back. I¡¯d lose my mind. Ogre thought, before quickly bringing his thoughts back to the present. Ogre chose the largest of the tunnels and lead the party down it. The platforms on either side of the sewer tunnel they entered was not present in this tunnel and so they had to wade knee deep for the otters and mid sabatons for Ogre. The skill Eidetic was a passive skill so he did not have to active it, to mentally map the parts of the sewers that they been in. However, he noticed that when he was using Universal Vison: Olfactory Spacetime, he was able to experience the sewers far beyond even his formidable perceptions. And with his perceptions, his sense of smell, his vision, his hearing, sense of touch and many others allowed him to reason out the layout of chambers, tunnels and spaces that they did not traverse. Ogre absentmindedly avoided a chunk of debris, swaddled with thick glistening strands of web, considering how best he could make the skill work for them. He knew with a certainty where they were going for at least a few leagues, and knew that they would interact with giant roaches in just a pawful of minutes. He also knew that they were enemies that would not present much of a problem to his party, especially now. I could use that skill and use it to map the sewers extremely quickly, however, what if I can¡¯t control it and the same thing happens as it did before? We could be down here for weeks, as I walk around drowning in stimuli of half a dozen ages of countless beasts, and monsters. Beast, if I can control it, one of our quests would basically be complete! Ogre knew that the otters no longer needed him to provide extra Aegis. The Universal Vision skilled worked by providing impossible detail up to a hundred paces all around the dog. It faded as it grew out to a league, and then again at twice that distance. The tunnel opened to a spacious area that looked to be a natural cavern. The flagstones gave way to unbroken earth and rock that gave way to a darkness that the lanterns could only hint at. Ogre put up his cleaver and took out the mace he got from the High Priest. The otters did the same, save for Aida who tossed her mace to Vedana so that she could dual wield, then flipped her blade so that the flat of the greatsword was facing forward. They can sense the bugs too. Ogre realized. He assumed the nearly stiff way that they held their shoulders as they trudged forward was because the sewer had an oppressive and dank darkness that closed tight about the light of their lanterns. You fool, Ogre, their perception stat has also increased with their levels, with a ridiculous boost just like the rest of their stats. ¡°Ready yourselves. I¡¯m sure you sensed them, they are numerous, and blunt weapons will work best with them.¡± The otters nodded but said nothing. Ogre found that curious, he expected Aida at least to make some comment, she always seemed to be ready with a quip, or opinion. The darkness moved like a wave and the roaches came in their thousands. It was not like the battle with the slimes. The giant roaches were a pace to three paces long standing half as tall as their lengths and attacked with serrated segmented limbs and sharp mouth parts. They were weak creatures fit to perish by the paws of beast at level 10 and lower, they usually overwhelmed their prey with the mass of numbers. But no amount of the creatures could overcome sheer damage, ticked off in the millions of hit points from each of the party members. Orda struck with shield and mace abandoning defense in favor of clearing the chamber of as much of the vermin as possible. Vedana mimicked Ogre¡¯s spinning attack and made a whirlwind of flying insect bodies that slammed them against the walls, floor and ceiling of the room with such force that they blew part like rock striking rock. The lanterns were shattered quickly, but Ogre glimpsed Aida slamming the flat of her greatsword down so powerfully that dozens where crushed and scores more were sent flying into the darkness before them. Ogre ignored the banners that signified that sum of insight that he absorbed after seeing the amount that one of the insects gave, it was less than a quarter of one. Even if he were to slay a millions of the giant roaches it would not equal the insight that he received from the slime doppelgangers. A deep night pressed in around their bodies. And Ogre saw that there were Inept and novice tags in the bellies of the insects. With Visionary Ogre could see without the aid of lanterns and so he focused on directing the otters away from one another as they fought. Finally, he put them in set positions and told them not to move from their spots. Slowly, the dog began to notice that many of the roaches were trying to avoid them, but the otters made a wall that few of the creatures could break through past them into the tunnel. Ogre felt hunger creep up from his belly, but he did not cease from his swinging. Eventually the stream of giant roaches began to trickle, slowly their numbers fell to a few dawdling insects. They finished off the rest of the bugs, quickly, not bothering to chase the monsters that got away. Ogre¡¯s limbs were not burning just yet. The mace was a lot lighter than the cleaver, and the cleaver was lighter still than the greatsword he used before when he was a thousand times weaker than he was now. The swing of the weapon, the teeth-grinding rasp of carapace over stone, armour and earth, and the chittering and keening of dying and enraged bug wore on his mind. He was grateful for the reprieve but knew that they only had a short time. The party welcomed the break. Despite the raw stench of the monster insects shattered bodies among other unpleasant scents, and the deep gloom of the sewers; Ogre had them eat their fill. He flavored the meat in their provisions with salt and lemon pepper. The hardtack was dipped in sweet rose and iced fruit water that made the chunks they broke off swell and become lesser forms of sweetbread. When they finished, they tried to get their lanterns working again to no avail. Most of the lanterns were shattered beyond repair by the press of the legions of insect bodies, and the ones that were not had their wicks and candles knocked free. The extras were used up in Ogre¡¯s mad tramp through the sewers earlier when he was taken by his skill, as the otters struggled to keep him in their sights. ¡°I thought the monsters would be here by now.¡± Ogre said, right before the chitter and squeals started. ¡°Positions!¡± Orda called, before sheepishly apologizing to Ogre for taking command. The dog smiled to himself and ignored the confession, pulling out his cleaver once more. He kept the mace in his off paw. ¡°Switch back to your black iron weapons.¡± He commanded. The Giant rats came in a wave that was only five monsters wide, climbing over one another, getting pushed and trampled by the press of rodent bodies behind them. They were as tall as Ogre on all fours and weighed just as much as the dog. Visionary showed them as diseased things, with boils and sores growing in patches on their forms. Their massive bodies were blue gray furred with deep black or milky eyes, and long shear-like teeth and dagger-like claws. The new strength of the otters, now days old, held as the beasts braced themselves. The swing of blades became rote, and even the call of skill names a familiar litany as Ogre pressed into the mass of ugly vermin and came out drenched in blood and the slime from burst pustules. The raw filth of the monsters oozed under his armour plate, mixing with the ichor from the roaches, and the slime from the doppelgangers. Bone chips, foul meat with chunks of fur still attached, and ropes of rubbish-fat innards rained upon them. Ogre slowly got his party moving as they slew the giant rodents. After wading through violence and butchering still living monsters for leagues that felt like it took them a week, the numbers of the rats like the roaches eventually dwindled then stopped. The party walked free of the corpses of the rat monsters. The otters swung their weapons for an few more arcs before their minds accepted what their senses told them about their dead enemies. The dog bore the gruesome images of torn and mutilated rats, shown in detail with his Visionary skill, stoically. Ogre barely noticed web-wrapped rodent shapes as they proceeded. When they finally reached the end of the Giant Rats, the entire natural cavern was clad in sticky webbing as thick as a beast¡¯s claw. Ogre felt his skin crawl. Universal Vision allowed him to experience beyond the cavern and precipitous three hundred pace drop from their elevation to deeper chamber underground, but not as detailed as the sewers before. And he had not seen what made the webbing, but it was not hard for the dog to guess. Abruptly, the chamber was cast in golden light that became a half sphere around the party. Ogre swiveled his head towards Xendaranan, though with Visionary it was unnecessary. ¡°I just thought of it.¡± The spearbeast said, guiltily. ¡°It will provide Aegis and light for this place. The stone and earth were slick and wet with underground water and clusters of strange looking mushrooms grew in enormous clusters along walls and cavern floor. All about them stalagmites and stalactites were wrapped in glistening white strands, connecting floor to wet points and ceiling to thick stony bases in curtains of webbing. The shaft before them was massive, its radius an eight of the height that rose above its drop, which extended another hundred paces above them. Ogre stopped them at the precipice. He sensed a presence there. A massive section of the ceiling above him, shift silently. ¡°We should fight it here. I don¡¯t want it attacking us while we try to descend.¡± The Sewers III Chapter Fifteen The Sewers III The monstrosity creeped silently above them, upside down its many eyes fixated on the party as it carefully edged its enormous bulk around them. It used the thick webbing as a beast would scaffolding, the movements from its tree-trunk thick segmented legs so intentional, so careful as to inspire an awful sort of grace. The barrier winked out throwing them all, save Ogre, in darkness. ¡°I hear something¡­just barely.¡± Aida said, looking up ¡°Sssssh¡­¡± Said Orda, ¡°I think we can all hear it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s right above us, Call forth your barrier again as soon as you can, Xendaranan.¡± Ogre said, ¡°We only have a few seconds before it pounces. When it lands on your barrier call forth cleric enhancements and launch your attacks straight up. I¡¯ll attack it¡¯s torso.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± They said, one after the other. Moments ticked to seconds, and seconds to minutes. The monstrous spider carefully made its way directly above them, the strength in that enormous body made obvious by the ease it which it moved. It stopped directly above them pulling its segmented body tight against the ceiling. It leapt. Ogre tried not to blink. It¡¯s too fast, how? Gravity and the force of it¡¯s entire body flexing? The shield was already up for a full minute before the monster pounced, but the giant spider hit the barrier like lightning through the top of a beast¡¯s skull. The dog was surprised that it held. Without further prompting, Ogre heard Aida and Vedana bellow a battle cry that made the hairs stand up on the back of Ogre¡¯s neck. Other calls sounded but Ogre roared his skills, which drowned out the voices of the others in his ears. The spider pulled itself up over the barrier, pushed off of it and slammed down once more. The stone seemed to crack under their sabatons. What immense strength! Ogre called forth Battle cry letting it ring out for ten seconds before call it forth again and again, maxing out the additional increases to his stats. The spider shuddered freezing in place. The four otters attacked as one, calling forth skill names that slammed into the massive hairy body of the spider making it quiver in pain. Ichor flowed and rained upon them in a glutting fountain. It shuddered violently as the barrier winked out throwing the party in darkness once more. The spider crashed down burying them in it¡¯s horrifying bulk. It was thunderous, a blast of air that pressed what felt like tons of force upon their bodies forcing every beast down to their knees. Ogre stood tanking the brunt of the creature¡¯s bulk allowing his strength to surge forth as he heaved the creature up and off them for a few startling seconds. Dismembering Hew, split the great arachnid in half with a triple critical blow, dealing over a hundred million points of damage and tearing open it¡¯s monstrously fat torso and washing them in the acrid sickly-sweet stench of it¡¯s innards, including the half-digested liquid remains of giant roach and rat. Ogre breathed in and then out feeling the raw might from battle cry leak from his body as the seconds ticked away. The dog spit out the gore from the spider after tasting it and chewing on it for a few minutes to see if he could stomach the meat. The corpse of the monstrous spider twitched as it¡¯s long thick legs curled around its body with a sound like a great tree slowly splitting in half. Surprisingly Vedana was the first to speak up, ¡°I got soulweight from that spider!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Said Aida, ¡°Should I level up, I got a lot of insight too.¡± ¡°495 soulweight, that seems like a lot!¡± Xendaranan added, he seemed remarkably thoughtful as he spoke, ¡°Just 2000 is needed to go from Below Ton to Ton right? How much soulweight did it have? Is this just 1 percent of it¡¯s total soulweight¡­and divided by five?¡± ¡°I got over 3,000 insight, from just that spider.¡± Orda said, ¡°It¡¯s health was ridiculous. How did you do so much damage? What skills was that, captain?¡± ¡°It was combination of multiple vp draining skills, Battle Cry, Bloodlust, Berserker Madness, and dismembering hew.¡± Ogre said. That Borhelm is stealing so much soulweight and insight from me! ¡°We shared the wisdom, insight, soulweight, and loot from the monster.¡± ¡°I think I hear something.¡± Said Orda, ¡°It took you all long enough.¡± Said Ogre, grabbing nearly phosphorescent globs of green and yellow gore from his iron-shrouded form and slinging it with disgust at the stone ground, and spitting out the spider¡¯s blue blood. ¡°legions of vermin foster high populations of predators. Get ready they will be a lot harder to fight even as a party than the previous waves of monsters, but they are a lot smaller than this brute.¡± The golden barrier sprung up, casting a sprawling circle of light all around them. That light reflected in the many eyes of spiders of various sizes of whom the largest were only a fraction as massive as the first monster spider, which meant they were only as big as a cottage, not a three-story inn. They came from the vault before the party, flowing over the rim of stone and earth like monstrous hairy paws, with too long, too massive, extra jointed digits. They were startlingly quick compared to their size, fangs lifting in ferocious anticipation as they slammed into the beasts. The first monster spider bowled over Ogre, surprising the dog with its superior mass and agile strength. It collapsed as it rolled past, slashed open cephalothorax to spinners. Ogre picked himself up, slinging more gore from his black iron cleaver. The monster twitched giant legs curling over its mortal wound, and for the first time Ogre sensed the monster gem being deposited into his inventory. I cannot afford to hold back here, it¡¯s natural armour¡­it¡¯s carapace? It¡¯s harder than I expected, thick and tough! The thought barely registered before a trio of the larger arachnids flowed over the silk festooned stalactites and wet stone floor to engage him. They were more cautious than the first, but Ogre¡¯s Visionary skill allowed him to rebuff their attempts to flank him, by severing the appendages holding the pair of black fangs of the one behind and above him, that were so hard that it chipped the cleaver. That monster fell from it¡¯s perch and skittered away so quickly that it knocked down Vedana, who then hopped up and became a whirlwind of violence with his twin black iron axes tearing it apart. The spider in front leapt forward in unison with the spider at Ogre¡¯s right side. Battle Cry made them pause just long enough, for Ogre to use horizontal slash to separate the large spider eyes from maxilla to halfway to its abdomen, then vertical slash to split the spider to his side down the middle of its cephalothorax. The dog ignored the banners that rose and faded before his eyes. The monsters before the spiders were nowhere near as deadly as the ones they now faced. The giant roaches and even the rats could not penetrate their armour, the bugs only had numbers to try to wear them down, and the rats just mass and creepy long clawed paws that could reach into gaps in the armour. Still, not even the rats stood a chance if they kept moving. The spiders were just so agile, so strong, and their claws and fangs were hard enough to deflect all but Aida¡¯s blows. Ogre was strong enough to slay any number of the spiders if he caught them unawares, but they were more agile than he was, their eight clawed legs dexterous enough that just one of them could make his armour sing, and their blows were too supple for Ogre to deflect or parry them. The otters fared better against the spiders. Their relatively balanced stats included dexterity and agility that was a lot closer to their damage potential leaving fewer gaps than the dog had in their ability to connect their attacks with the monsters. With Battle cry draining from him slowly, Berserker Rage, and Bloodlust, even his tremendous VP was starting to deplete as he had to use the lightning-fast skills to connect with his foes. When he missed the dog would curse, when he connected the giant spiders promptly exploded with gore and hairy carapace showering their many legged companions and Ogre party with their innards. The monster bodies piled around them. Even with his superior strength, Ogre saw that Orda, who as a tank was the least likely to accumulate a lot of kills had a larger pile of dead than he. The dog ground his teeth feeling his skin writhe under his short fur. More than I dispatched by half! Why am I so useless? The banners came and went denoting the sum that he alone slew. His vigor points dwindled so much so that, Ogre deactivated all but bloodlust, which because of the boost in health and power, gave him the best benefit, in terms of critical as he used dismembering hew on nearly every monster that he could catch. The dog saw that his health dipped and felt his vigor surge, but the fight drew out so long that the constant drain nearly negated the monstrous increases to his vigor. His stomach rumbled loudly. His tongue felt dry in his muzzle, as he leapt on a specimen of a giant arachnid that was nearly a quarter as big as the first. Ogre opened his considerable jaws wide and bit down on the spider¡¯s cephalothorax just behind the last row of eyes, rending and tearing he tore out a chunk of the creature half as large as himself. It went berserk, launching him into a wall that the dog felt crack under his backplate. Ogre grunted, tasting the juices of the spider and licking his lips. By the dog in the sky, am I so thirsty? It tasted like burnt sewage, but I swear I never had sweeter water. Ogre blinked seeing his party slump one by one to the ground. There were holes in their armour where fangs bit deep. They¡¯re poisoned! Please let them still be alive! He rushed to them, Orda was the last otter on his armoured footpaws wielding shield and shortsword to stave off the rush of four giant spiders. He slashed one monster across it¡¯s large front-facing eyes, before slamming his shield into the maxilla of another so powerfully that it sounded like thunder cracking stone, before plunging his sword arm to the elbow into the mandibles of a third. Ogre grabbed the back legs of the last spider and lifted it bodily in the air, before smashing it into the wall as hard as he could. It burst apart like an overripe melon. Orda, fell to a knee breathing raggedly, voice slurring, ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine, I didn¡¯t¡­get bitten¡­I¡¯m j-just¡­tired. Please¡­please, see to¡­the¡­others.¡± Ogre knelt and immediately touched the faces of the otters, wiping the foam from their mouths as he called forth his skill name, Restoration. He then used the ranged healing skill on Orda, as he simultaneously called forth heal, for the three otters that slumped or lay in a heap before him. They stirred opening eyes, whispering numb thanks as they got to their paws and prepared to fight once more. Ogre felt a burst of pride in them. It was a familiar golden feeling. These were warriors. Stout hearted. However, the dog¡¯s leveled up Visionary showed him that no more of the monster spiders moved to engage them. Ogre watched them carefully retreat as he went to his party aid; the monster were missing limbs and fangs, dragging abdomens with entrails hanging, or ichor and faintly luminous blood making hissing fountains as they scrambled and half drug their dying bodies away. ¡°We did it.¡± Said Ogre, before he felt fangs sink deep into his neck, puncturing his black iron armour as if it was old dry cloth. His body instantly seized, muscles rigid, as an icy numbness spread from his neck to the rest of his body. The fangs¡­the fangs are too small. Blackness enveloped him. Ogre woke to weeping, moans, the hiss of tough flesh sliding against metal, and slurping that set his teeth on edge. His eyes opened wide, but the darkness did not abate. He felt so weak¡­his flesh like pudding coiling languidly around bones that might give way to crumbling dust at any moment. A fatigue so heavy that it felt like a mountain resting on his brow, slowly pulled his eyelids close, as a piteous whine climbed its way from his parched throat. Something is wrong. It¡¯s so wrong! Unbridled strength roared through him, turning his veins into rivulets of fire that burned every patch of flesh that it passed through. It was so powerful that the force of that strength alone made his consciousness cling to reality, the way a midday sun might cause a wilting flower to turn to it. The dual, conflicting forces of unnatural weakness and broiling power, drove his mind to limits of his sanity and in that moment¡­a long horrific moment he realized that this has happened before. He awoke to both sensations, weakness, a feeling of life being drawn from him, and his strength rising as bonds that had been tight slowly loosened, as if his body were growing smaller. He slipped into a nightmare for what felt like the thousandth time. No, ten thousand? A hundred times that? Horrific creatures made of hollow fangs faces hidden by shadow chased him in caverns deep within the earth. Sometimes the chase was endless. His heart beating terror choked him; madness frothing, the fear too strong to bear. Most times the things caught him and then the true horror began. They drunk him. Sticking those awful fangs into his body he watched as portions of his body were liquified then sucked up into fangs that clustered in a giant feline face. In the end he woke, too dehydrated to sweat, too weak to scream. There was weeping, moans, the metallic sounds that metal made when pressed by tough flesh and that awful, all-consuming slurping. You are awake now? The voice sounded soft, comforting, like the embrace of his mother after thunder made his chest pound his body tremble. Ogre blinked. He tried to speak and failed to make a sound that even his keen ears could hear. His eyelids moved as if resisting something. He could see. Strength surged throughout his body. I feel so tired. I would think so, but you smell strong¡­exciting. After all of our time together, you still taste like liquid lightning, a nectar too sweet to share. Something was wrong. Ogre tried to move his head. Fatigue screamed at him to stay still, to slip into much needed rest but the fiery energy commanded him to action. He looked around with difficulty. Rough-hewn ceiling, a veritable forest of stalactites as if sculpted by the flow and drip of water over countless millennia made thoughts of impalement loom in his head. He kept turning his head and those thoughts vanished as he saw a monster, staring at him with too intelligent glassy black eyes. It was vaguely shaped like a bipedal beast, with the monstrous head of a spider and six arms and an additional abdomen protruding like over developed glutes from a space that would have been a pelvis on a normal beast. It was mostly white, with black markings over its chest and arms and striking red sigils around its bulbous eyes. A ruddy liquid dripped from its black fangs, smelling of gore and offal and too strongly of the dog. He tried not to scream as the implications made itself known to his slothful mind. You¡¯re drinking me, aren¡¯t you? That¡¯s¡­monstrous¡­it¡¯s¡­ Ogre could not find the words to describe the feeling. It was decidedly an alien contemplation. The creature shrugged then cocked its strange head to the side to see if the gesture had a desired effect. It chittered and twitched. You were too delicious to let die. And you soul-cursed are hardy food. You last quite long when tenderly cared for. Ogre would have vomited, had he the will and strength. What am I thinking about, I have strength by the ton! Did you kill my companions? Its head cocked once more. They are not your mobile food? Are they your offspring, your mates, or the ones that spawned you? What are you¡­can you understand me? Your mind is somewhat clouded to me, the other soft meat in metal skins were easier to understand. However, they too have durable minds. Surprisingly, they get tougher and harder to pierce every now and again.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Ogre tried not to make his thoughts obvious. So, some of them are alive. There are four that continue to sustain my lessers, they grow larger than the first you killed. The dog suddenly jumped, the light, he was not using Visionary, it was the barrier that Xendaranan could call forth. So he is alive! Ogre tried to call forth Visionary, but failed. Vigor and vigor points were so low that he could not use a single skill. However, the webbing that matted him, felt like wet parchment. Others have tried to come for you. I let the Low, drink the ones that made it past our common meals. Will you try to escape now? How long has it been? Ogre thought flexing his paws. We have been able to spawn three broods, since we first drunk you and yours. Will you try to escape now? I want to try these ¡®skills¡¯ that I received from you soul-cursed, the others die too quickly. Ogre considered leveling up with all the insight he had right then but something stopped him. He recalled how close he was to slaying the otters when he just increased his level by one in the sewer. Plus, he could not help but remember the gremlin. Its strength was equal to Ogre. He did not know if that red fog would return, but if it did, could he afford to face a monster that had strength equal to a level 20 plus Ogre? The dog knew that such thoughts were ridiculous, considering the monster sitting across from him, but he slowly felt himself unraveling as he considered what that monster did to him and his party and welcomed any thoughts that could turn his mind from that. His power surged and he flinched. The webbing tore like mist swirling away from flesh and bone. The dog was on his sabatons in an instant, feeling the world shift and his insides swished as if his insides were not as solid as he last recalled. Forcing down revulsion, he turned his back on the spider and searched quickly for the otters. The spider monster did not attack. It simply watched him. His strength started to fade the moment the spider webs no longer held him; in seconds he was only a fraction as strong s he had been before. He did not have time. He found them after a moment behind some behind some stalagmites, with truly monstrous spiders crouching in cavernous pockets along the ceiling, and wall and floor. They were larger than the first spider by a wide margin, with pale hairs along thick bodies red markings shaped in cruder designs than the spider-thing that spoke to Ogre. The dog stumbled over to them, barely notice the closest of the spider behemoths edging further away from him, as he reached the large bundles of pale silk shrouded bodies and tore the webbing away, headless of the matted glue that bound the strands together. I will have to endure one level. Ogre thought, panicked, as darkness crashed around him and the weakness of death numbed his extremities with a terrible cold. In an instant bliss flooded his body with warmth for the icy cold and unrivaled power, banishing his feebleness and replacing it with mindless joy. The spider monster stood dropping six arms down to it¡¯s side at it peered curiously at the dog. Your presence has increased in intensity. You¡­smell¡­taste¡­stronger. If you can do that a few more times than I will have to see you as a rival hunter and not as prey¡­an oddity to drink at my leisure. Ogre glided past the words in his head, as he would a vapor. His mind clung to the pleasure that screamed throughout his veins, infecting his flesh, and seeping sweet golden goodness into his bones. How could the fetid stench of corpses and monster odors smell so¡­fragrant? Ogre itched to move and so he did. A thought summoned his chipped black iron cleaver, as he swung his arm, metal encased paw outstretched as it moved, waiting for the weapon to drop into it. Hilt hit gauntleted grip and cleaver struct the spider in one liquid motion, making the cavern reverberate with the intensity of the sound. Ogre blinked away the shower of black iron shards. In an instant his cleaver was reduced to a ragged hilt, as the spider met the short thick blade with it¡¯s black fangs. It used one fang and then the other to brush glittering bits of metal from its face. Ogre smiled. No not like that¡­I have already saw enough of the metal fangs and claws, I want to see what you can do without them. Like this! The Arachanthrope closed one hand into a bony mace and slammed it into Ogre¡¯s cuirass. The metal rung like a tolled bell and the dog flew away from the monster twice as fast as he charged it. He smashed into cones of stone before slamming into a solid wall of rock and earth, sending the giant white spiders that had been feeding on his companions scampering away. His limbs felt like wilted flora, but the horror, focused in his chest as he gasped for breath and could not find it, was nearly all-consuming. Nearly. The bliss overwhelmed even that turning the sounds of his bones shattering into music that made him want to weep. Ogre staggered to his sabatons and vomited blood. His flesh felt so cold that he wondered if frost would form at the tips of his fur, but a raging heat poured from his orifices. Darkness swirled before his eyes and his chest felt as if iron bars were constricting it. Ogre howled skill names into the vaults of the cavern. His bliss with his recent leveling mixed with the skill Blood Lust, Berserker¡¯s Madness, and Battle Cry. Ogre returned the brutal attack from the Arachnid, slamming his gauntlet into the creature¡¯s midsection. The movement was perfect, his body felt so fluid that his blow moved quicker than it should have moved. The monster slid a few paces backward, and hesitantly touched where the blow landed as if surprised. Your metal claw only struck with a fraction of the force that you just hit me with, did you limit yourself when you first hunted me? Ogre considered his options. The longer he waited the stronger he became. His health was so low, Trollblood Vigor would could stretch his ultimate skill into the next day. But if the creature hit him again the dog would die. Choosing caution called forth and downed elixir his health was replenished. His vigor constantly regenerated, but his Vigor points took longer to recover, unless a skill affected it. I am surprised as you are surprised monster. Thought Ogre just as it moved as if to skitter forward to attack. It paused. The dog¡¯s heart pounded loudly in his chest. This was a gamble, perhaps it was foolish. Ogre knew that the arachnid was not attacking with the intent to slay him immediately. He wants to try out new skills, and perhaps new power? How long have we been in this den of torment? Let us hunt one another, more! The attack came again faster. The dog did not see it, but his body felt charged, anticipatory as it agilely weaved out of the path of an expert combination of over a dozen punches. Jab, hook, Cross, Straight, hook, Jab, Jab, uppercut, haymaker, straight right, straight left, Jab Cross, hook, hook, hook, haymaker, Jab, Jab, and overhand right. The new skill ran out, Ogre was once again struck so hard that he blacked out from the pain. Ogre did not think it directly, but he understood that in just over a minute his survivability increased by over seventy percent. Continual damage will allow me to reset the vigor point cost by increasing my vigor pool with Trollblood Vigor. Ogre knew that if he could survive, and if the creature did not get serious winning and surviving was not impossible. Ogre healed his body once more and attacked with the same combination of physical blows that the arachnid used. The monster dodged most of the blows but a few clipped it making it stumble a half step to the side. Ogre knew that he did not do any damage to it, but his blows were strong enough to give it pause. The monster stretched out its it¡¯s six limbs and trembled slightly as if warming up it¡¯s limbs. I will hunt you, more, you are harder to break than the others. But first you should see what consuming you have done to me. I was less than the first hunter that you slew, creature. See me now. Ogre felt the hairs on his body rise. The dog knew that the monster was deadly but seeing it¡¯s stats made it tangible reality. This creature could slay him at any time, with ease. Perhaps, just one more level, surely I can keep my senses, like I did before? No more¡­leveling¡­for you. I cannot have you getting too strong too quickly. I will not be slain after our long time together. I will drink you after our fun. Until then hold out if you can. I will make sure your mobile food do not expire before you. The Arachanthrope lifted its oversized fangs in excitement, black eyes dancing with an inner nigh incorporeal fire. No¡­I will not die! Ogre screamed inside his own head. But how could he not? It was stronger when strength was his best attribute, faster, hardier, and more dexterous, when dexterity was the cause of the gremlin running rampart through the otter pack. A chill went through him as he set his every intention on destroying the monster before him. The Arachanthrope abruptly appeared before Ogre swinging all three of it¡¯s arms on the right first, before following up with a grab, hook, and upper cut with the lefts. Ogre slipped among the blows as his passive skill, Blindsight dodge activated once more. After unleashing more than a few hundred blows in the ten seconds that it was active, the monster lashed out with a front kick just as the skill ended. It hurt badly, but the pain showed that he was alive. And it did not hurt as badly as the first, far less damaging blow hurt. Ogre snorted twin streamers of crimson and grinned. The madness that came with leveling was gone but the ultimate skill kept the bliss alive. He lived in it, feeling the waves of pleasure rush through him as pain racked him from the monster¡¯s attacks. Ogre stalled as long as he could, feeling his power rise, healing himself as he spared a bit of attention for the otters. They were staggering to their feet, eyes wild, an overwhelming storm of madness and pain swirling in their eyes. Ogre ground his teeth called forth the skill Quick Retreat, to dodge an incredible twelve blow combination attack. Hunter¡¯s Dash, allowed him to startle the Arachanthrope into dashing agilely to the side to escape. Ogre called forth the skill name, Front Kick, and when the monster¡¯s eyes sparkled, fangs trembling, Ogre felt incredible satisfaction. The Side Kick became a pirouette, as he shifted into the skill Blade Whirlwind. The monster whiffed three powerful left hooks, as the dog pulled his leg back, spun six full revolutions, each faster than the first and then stretched out the opposite sabaton, to serve as his blade and to strike the monster, armoured heel to cheek. It flew away, somersaulting through the air, limbs flailing, filling the chamber with a monstrous keen. The mock hunting is over. The monster said, somehow making the voice inside the dog¡¯s head seem angry. I have waited too long¡­I did not know you could grow so powerful so quickly! It stood shakily, phosphorescent blue blood dripping from its shockingly red mouth. Ogre felt his heart pounding his in chest, his breathing was rapid, his fur damp with sweat. Vigor still flowed through him lending him stamina that grew in tune with the rest of his stats, but he felt tired. Was it the strain of the increased stats? Is my fatigue getting too high? The dog did not have the chance to check as the spider monster attacked in a flurry of blows that tore rest of the black iron armour from his torso like the deep-fried skin of a Thrice cooked, Three Shores Duck. His health dipped at the multiple blows and a windstorm of pain and blunt force wounds that made his bones ache and a mewling cry strangle from his throat. A powerful hook to the arachnanthrope¡¯s body, partially blocked by an inconvenient arm as five others pummeled him, struck the monster¡¯s side with a loud crack. It chittered in pain but retorted with a side kick that felt like it shattered every rib in his left side, and then sent a webbing of stress fractures up his spine as his body forcibly made a recess in the cavern wall in an explosion of rock and grit. Numbness doused his lower body in a terrifying wash of nothingness. Panic. Ogre looked around wildly for help, pain scrambling his mind. He caught the futile movements of four otters as they stuffed their mouths full of travel rations, fur unkempt, eyes wild and unseeing, and spider webs clinging their forms like burial shrouds. They were not getting better. He jolted back to the monster, feeling it hoist him overhead as a beast would pick a flower from a field and hold it to the light of the sun. His fur stood on end and time seemed to slow as he rose a breath higher before a weight like a thousand versions of him slamming into one form turned his body ponderous. The spider monster slammed him down. In an instant, before his body touched the stone floor, he reached terminal velocity. Coupled with the raw power that seemed to draw the arachnanthrope¡¯s full strength, he hit the floor knowing that death and oblivion waited beyond that moment. The chamber exploded with shards of rock, large chunks of stone, and dust from pulverized rock. The sound of it was terror; a cacophony that made every creature nearby scream blood, their last cries made silent by the sheer noise of the attack, fearing a brutal death crushed by stone and earth. The golden light winked out, the shield either expiring or interrupted by the attack. However, before that golden light transformed the cavern into a deep darkness, a flash of brilliant blue light shot forth from the dog and then vanished just as the shield vanished. Ogre opened his eyes to darkness. Something pressed against his forehead. I¡¯m dead aren¡¯t I? I felt that¡­there was no way I could survive that. A crushing loneliness, a sense of monumental failure pressed in upon him, chest, head, arms and legs. It killed us all. Wait, I can¡­feel my legs? They tingled as if a thousand needles were slowly being pressed into his flesh over and over. I can feel my body! Ogre carefully felt around his body, feeling out the slabs of stone that pressed against his torso. He then engaged Visionary. Half the cavern was a mess of shattered stalagmites and stalacites, piles of web clad stone with plumbs of gray dust floating in the darkness. He rested in a crater that was three times his height in depth even filled with crumbled rock, bits of armour, bones, and dank earth. Web-wrapped bodies were half buried along half the edge of the crater, and the crushed legs of a least three giant albino spiders poked out from various spots in the wreckage. The Arachanthrope sat in a strangely brooding manner, sitting on a pile of broken stone, and staring at Ogre¡¯s body. The dog abruptly realized that he was positioned oddly. His head was pressed deeper into the stone than the rest of him, making his back arch like a fully drawn bow. His knees were bent, the balls of his armoured footpaws flat against the bottom of the crater, even as his arms stuck straight up towards the stone ceiling, paws outstretched. How had he gotten like that? Are you broken, strange hunter¡­I thought¡­I slew you? But I now sense life in you. How did you do it? When I cracked open the heads of others they die very quickly. It has been some time, I do not know if my lower kin has fed on your mobile food. However, as I thought you were dead, I did not want to drink from one already dead. I also kept my lower kin from you. They do not hold to my distaste for dead flesh. The flood of words from the monster was almost too much for Ogre to bear. It killed me. And It likely slew my friends with that attack. With his perception Ogre could easily recall the skill. He could also still feel the waves of pleasure rolling over him. Battle Bliss was still active? How much has my skills been affected? The dog shifted and the Arachanthrope leapt. Before the monster put him in the crater the movement would have only been a blur even to Visionary, but Ogre was able to roll from the monster and leap to his ragged sabatons. The monster skittered along the uneven ground, shifting debris and dead bodies about ruined cavern floor. You are alive. It¡¯s pedipalps quivering in what may have been excitement or fury. Ogre quickly checked his vigor points. I don¡¯t have much time. Ogre called forth his skill: Heal, half a dozen times, making the monster jump and attack. Blindsight dodge gave him ten precious uninterrupted seconds allowing him to recover with elixir to a now monstrous health pool that was a lot closer to that of the Arachanthrope itself. Ogre leapt back, using his base speed. The dog startled at how fast he was, he skipped away from the crater wall as the fur on his back touched it, with an ease that gave him a chill. He felt so light. Even with his vigor comparably lower than he saw it when he trained with the druegorn armour, it was still more than he ever had before. The vigor points however, were a minute from zeroing out. One minute? Ogre thought. That is a luxury compared to the time I fought the weasels and carcajou in the tower! I will slay this monster and find my friends! The monster attacked him once more, the light in it¡¯s eyes becoming a mad blue luminescence that made streaks in the black cave as it went. A cross snapped it¡¯s head back, making it stumble and slide to the rear, two legs scrambling over the loose stone. It caught itself and charged once more. Two jabs at it¡¯s face diverted it¡¯s attention enough that his side kick, sent it flying over the lip of the giant crater and skidding along the rest of the cavern, demolishing stalagmites before it could right itself and leapt back for the dog to counter attack. Ogre noticed that two arms on it¡¯s right side were crushed and leaking blue, with deep cracks running over its torso from a gaping wound in its side. I¡¯m so strong now. It¡¯s so easy to wound it¡­Before I could not even do damage to it! This time the monster reached in to grapple him, likely to perform that piledriver slam that nearly killed him. A feint at its mandibles caused it to block with its two upper arms, left and right. A body shot on its wounded side caused it to curl down in agony, directly into the path of Ogre¡¯s uppercut. He put everything that he had into the blow and unconsciously added the skill Dismemberment to the punch. The Arachanthrope split apart, as the dog¡¯s black iron gauntlet tore to shreds in a shower of orange sparks. A blast of wind from the force of the blow, shot out from the point of contact lifting dirt and pulverized stone and clearing it away from Ogre as the monster struck between stalactites, painting the rock with it¡¯s gore and dismembered body so completely that he could no longer recognize what it had been. The dog smiled faintly, mind floating, the world fading from his eyes and paws grasping for something to catch himself on as black spots ate at his vision from the corner of his eyes. Ogre stumbled and his knees buckled. The smell of copper filled his nose and his vigor points ticked to 0%, reducing his vigor to zero. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fainted teeth bared in a foolish grin. Spider Warrens Chapter Sixteen Spider Warrens He was found by the otters, lying exhausted in the rumble with the Arachanthrope still pasted against the cavern ceiling. They shook him awake, and looked at him with numb horror filled eyes. Orda was the first to speak. He spoke haltingly, hoarse, voice marred by a gut-wrenching pain. ¡°We should leave¡­I think¡­I think we need a break after over a month of being¡­of¡­what¡­we just need to leave this place.¡± Ogre would have startled at the length of time in the den of the spiders, but he was so tired that he did not have the energy to spare. On top of that a deep nauseating hunger warred his fatigue, making his mouth dribble and his every muscle quiver like jelly being shaken. He held up a paw to stop them from moving him, but they were insistent, and he was weak. His belly felt like it was rent open, an endless chasm, that made his insides squirm and move, as if seeking nutrients. How did I fight through this? Before long, Aida silently tossed him over a shoulder, she still chewed hard tack, using the other gauntlet, to shove the food into her mouth. The light of Xendaranan¡¯s shield washed them in light, filling the shattered chamber, and pushing the darkness into the crevices and gaps that millennia of trickling water might carve through earth and stone. Orda took up the lead, Aida with Ogre the middle and Xendaranan and Vedana brought up the rear. Their faces were the stuff of nightmares. Their eyes were larger than he remembered, the pupils dilated, their faces slack and muzzles drooping. Their armour had been stripped clean of the webbing, perhaps by the power of the inventory seeking loot from their fallen enemies. They were bigger too, with bands of muscle showing where rent armour, chainmail or gambeson was not. Terrible holes as large as a beast¡¯s paw spotted the black iron like moth eaten cloth. They did not look at Ogre. Vedana looked through the dog and the tall female otter carrying him, flinching at every noise, and drawing close to Xendaranan who jumped away from her, eyes scanning the space around them in a panic. The system of caves, tunnels and stone chambers were a disjointed mix of natural formations and beast-made flagstone and stone-molded rooms and halls. Orda took them in a meandering course through the maze of the spiders¡¯ domain, passing pits where rubbish was thrown, web-wrapped bodies or bones, stinking of the excrement of monsters that drunk the insides of their victims. It had a foul cloying scent, that made Ogre¡¯s eyes water, and made him want to beg Aida to move faster to escape the horrible place. The otters needed no prodding. They moved quickly through the area, with only Orda commenting on how foul the smell was. They passed giant spiders with great regularity. When they were spotted, both Xendaranan and Vedana reacted not with fear but with a violence so full of madness and hatred, that they would wound themselves in their desire to eradicate the monsters. They struck the monsters with such force that the bits that went flying would wound and cripple the fleeing spiders. Many giant limbs would explode from bodies burst by incredible force, stone would crack, and fresh gore would rain all over the tunnel or chamber. When there were more than a few of the monsters, Orda and Aida would join in, the female otter would reap death among the spiders with the dog slung over here shoulder or rarely, put him down and attack with abandon with that greatsword of hers. The madness showed when they fought. And they leveled up almost instantly. When they were in that state, they smiled and moaned, uncaring of the filth that covered them, shambling behind the party, or in lead, nearly dropping Ogre or patting his large head in an incessant way. Thankfully, Orda and Aida did not level as often as the two behind them. However, when they did it would be three, six or even ten levels in an instant, followed by more a half hour or less after, and so on. Ogre saw the same stinking pit four times, before he slipped back into unconsciousness. Hours slipped to days. The dog did not eat regularly. The otters did not need to eat when they leveled up so much from slaying every spider that they could find. The leveling brought them back to near perfect health, blurring the horror they suffered in that broken cavern, and giving release. Ogre also never saw them sleep. The levels would help with that also. Ogre recalled that they behaved much the same way when most of the otters in their pack died to the red, mist goblins. They nursed their broken hearts and frayed minds with that unparalleled bliss. The dog recalled wanting to do the same, but a desire to not be controlled by that need, held him, even now. Leveling up would put him back in ideal health and heal a body so drawn out with fatigue that he tittered on the edge of death and endless sleep even now. I should have died from fatigue, fighting that Arachanthrope, maybe being knocked out saved me¡­reducing my fatigue just enough for me to survive? It does not matter right now, I¡¯m nearly over this weakness. What matters is that when I fight and use my skill, I have such an ability to resist the effects of fatigue that I don¡¯t realize how tired I am, and thus I can slay myself with exhaustion if I¡¯m not careful. So, why not level up? That will immediately reset your fatigue. A part of him said. The answer, is carrying me, and walking around like the living dead, right now! Ogre growled in his mind. Shivering as he recalled how that strange monster spoke to him. You cannot medicate pain and sorrow with the bliss of leveling. I would lose myself to it. Ogre did not add, that the otters were losing to it. They scoured every inch of the spider warren, from chambers so vast that it look hours to walk through to passages that only one beast could squeeze through at a time. Ogre did not count the number of dead monsters, but he heard the otters mumbling about thousands and thousands of adventuring tags that were taking up space in their inventory. Convincing them to let Ogre store it just took the dog to speak the words. Ogre felt a chill that made his anger rise at the spider monsters, nearly to the level of the otters in their hatred to kill and their desire to level to forget their month-long misery for a while. However, this was too much. It took what felt like two more days for him to be able to walk at a pace to match the otters and another for his strength and vigor to return in full. They were in the third largest chamber, where a forest of cast-off spider exoskeletons clustered about them, making Ogre itch, and grind his teeth. How easy would it be for a giant spider to hide in all of that detritus? Ogre took deep breaths to calm himself, before speaking, ¡°Stop.¡± The otters continued on for a few steps, before halting with a stutter step that grated sabatons on rubbish, grit, and stone. Vedana continued lost in the bliss of a recent level up, she did not stop until she bumped into Ogre. She sighed in a deep lung rattling way, before staring blearily at the dog. She said nothing by way of apology and Ogre expected nothing. They were too deep into their minds, and in their hunt to slay monsters and get that release from leveling. ¡°We have to stop, we cannot wander these tunnels until madness or death claims us.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°There are no more monsters to hunt down here we should leave the sewers and get back to Cerulean.¡± Orda growled, baring his teeth at Ogre, ¡°I will not allow anyone to get in the way of me slaying those¡­terrible, those monsters! They did such awful things¡­to¡­to the adventurers whose tags fill our inventory. We have to avenge them.¡± ¡°We did not know them¡­and even if we did. They knew the risks associated with adventuring. Their enemies are monsters, we expect nothing less from such creatures.¡± Ogre said, looking him in the eye, the otter did not back down. ¡°So should we allow these¡­monsters, to spawn and multiply until they have enough strength to overrun the town itself? Asked Aida, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the reason why we were tasked to come to the sewers to eradicate these vermin? Why should we not grind every one of those ¡®things¡¯ to nothing beneath boot and blade?¡± ¡°We deserve nothing less,¡± Vedana said, faintly, ¡°We suffered enough from those giant spiders.¡± ¡°You all are drowning your pain in the bliss of leveling up.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°You all are growing more reckless by the hour, snapping at one another and nearly coming to blows over spider kills.¡± ¡°They are dying. We have nearly completed our work.¡± Xendaranan¡¯s voice sounded feverish. ¡°If we can spend just an hour more, I think we can finally be done with this. It¡¯s only been a few hours at most.¡± Ogre growled feeling his anger bubble up to the surface. He tried not think about the horrific dreams that he had in the care of the monsters. He tried not to listen to voice that told him he only called them all to keep those nightmares away from his waking mind. The dog snorted tearing his eyes away from Orda, then looking the others in the face, one by one. ¡°It¡¯s been days, and none of you have eaten since I saw you all stuffing your faces like mad beasts in the chamber with the Arachanthrope. It¡¯s okay to not feel okay.¡± Ogre said, nearly choking on the words, feeling hypocritical as he knew that he ran as hard as they from the reality of what happened to them; his stomach churned in a horrific memory as he spoke the next words. ¡°They fed on us for weeks, maybe even a month. I think you all survived by leveling up and healing your internal wounds and I survived because of a skill that increased my stats and my health regeneration while I was bound. It was not a pleasant thing. It is not something that we should have survived. But we did. And you all slew every spider that lived here as far as I can see. We have not seen any giant spider for over a day. They are all gone or dead. You all, have been fighting and destroying spider skins, shadows, and monsters from our shared nightmares for a while now. It is done. Let us leave this place!¡± Orda pushed past Aida, who stared numbly at the tank, then shamefully at Ogre. Orda stepped close to the dog, snout to chest and poked a metal finger into the stone-like flesh. ¡°I am not done, Ogre! What will you do, will you stop me, will you stop us?¡± Ogre bared his fangs, letting his anger bubble over just beyond his tight control. His growl seemed to make the small bits of rock bounce under armoured paw, and the dust and earth shift nearby. ¡°You all have picked me as your leader. I did not ask, I did not beg, I accepted because I thought someone had to do it and everybeast wanted me to filll the role. You all have made me care for you. I cannot¡­I cannot take back my need to see you all safe, and I cannot leave it in your paws. I¡¯m sorry. So, if you want to be the captain, beat me. Beat me in physical combat and I¡¯ll recognize your strength and bow to your leadership.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Orda¡¯s eyes grew hard, but he paused as Ogre¡¯s eyes began to glow. They were silver and scarlet balls of light that had tails of luminescent smoke that trickled from the eye sockets. The other otters stepped away from the two. However, Ogre continued to speak, his anger bleeding to an anguish that every beast in the party shared. ¡°It hurt so badly what they did to us. But we are strong enough that we will not let them tear us apart. You told me once that you saw me as your leader because I saved your lives and avenged the lives of those you cared for. That Arachanthrope is dead. I slew him with these paws!¡±- Ogre lifted up his gauntlets to Orda¡¯s eyes before resting them on the otter¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I failed you all, but let us make it back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild before we break apart. We are stronger as a party than we are as individual beasts.¡± Orda stared for a long time at Ogre, before he dropped his gaze and stepped back. ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry, I just¡­I just wanted¡­needed another level, so that I can forget again. I don¡¯t know if I can keep this up.¡± ¡°You are strong, Orda, and you have good instincts¡­When we were fighting the giant spiders above, you protected the others with all you had, and made sure that I had a chance to heal them with restoration. That was not the first time you did it, the Slime doppelgangers also come to mind; and It will not be the last.¡± Ogre turned to the others, ¡°What say you, are you all ready to get out of here?¡± Aida¡¯s eyes shown with unshed tears, Vedana¡¯s chin trembled with the force of her holding in her powerful emotions, but it was Xendaranan who broke before them with an anguished wail. Tears flowing freely Vedana, and Aida went to him, Vedana by throwing her arms about him, and Aida by placing a gauntleted paw on his heaving shoulders. Orda breathed carefully and slowly, eyes looking through Xendaranan, face slick. Ogre felt as if he was choking, throat and eyes burned as if they were dipped in fire and put back into his skull. Ogre waited half an hour for his party to vent a little of their pain, with quiet tears or loud wailing. The dog trembled, holding in his angst, trying to forget his nightmares of having his insides liquified and supped on. A deviously subtle movement, barely heard, caused Ogre to engage Visionary, and sweep his gaze throughout a wide range about him. At level 0 Visionary allowed him to see in three hundred and sixty degrees for ten paces out from his body. It increased much further than that, allowing him to see the entire sprawling chamber and through some paces of solid stone; over five hundred strides worth of space beyond his form. Sigils appeared over each monster. This made the monsters¡¯ camouflage trivial. Before it was impossible to distinguish them from the shed exoskeletons of other giant spiders even with his supernatural vision. The golden light from Xendaranan¡¯s shield threw shadows and made patterns that perfectly hid the monsters. Ogre drew close to them and spoke, quietly. ¡°We have more spider monsters, hiding among the detritus, they are likely the last of the creatures that you all were hunting. I will point them out, we will slay them quickly. Please hold off from leveling until we reach a safer area.¡± Xendaranan quieted and all the otters nodded. The mental wounds were still raw, but they would do as they are told.¡± ¡°I am proud of you all. When we get the time, after we leave these spider warrens, I have meal I want to prepare for you.¡± Orda spoke, ¡°That would be nice.¡± Ogre quickly told them his plan. They would have to wait until each of them were positioned close to the points of egress from the chamber. There were two main tunnels, with scores of rooms that led nowhere. Aida and Orda would post at the openings, while Ogre, Xendaranan, and Vedana would drive them to them, hammer, and anvil style. There were hundreds of the giant spiders hiding but so many of the exoskeletons that they seemed comfortable where they waited out the party. Aida and Orda slipped deeper into the tunnels until one could not see them from the chamber, then Ogre directed Xendaranan and Vedana away from the center of the chamber, where the largest of the hiding spiders dwelt. The monster squatted low, but it was the size of the first giant spider, and though it attempted to hide it¡¯s albino coloring with dirt and earth, the distinctive red and white of its body stood out in patches, from the dog¡¯s overhead view. Ogre recalled that piledriver that shattered half the chamber and knew that even if he could mimic the skill with ten percent accuracy it would be enough. The dog did not engage the skill Triumph of Battle Bliss, the skill was still in a refractory state, and even thinking of it made his body ache. He called instead for Hunter¡¯s Dash, and tore a line of destruction to the center of the chamber before stopping perfectly before the giant albino spider. The forward-facing eyes glittered with recognition after a painfully long wait to Ogre¡¯s eyes. Then the monster rose on all eight legs to attack or flee, flexing its body so mightily that dead exoskeleton, earth, and small bits of broken rock swirled away from its monstrous form. As it rose, lifting it¡¯s body a story above Ogre¡¯s head, it¡¯s bulbous abdomen hanging lower, the dog raced under that horrific body, past huge glossy black fangs, and thick coxa sprouting form a vast sternum, to wrap his powerful arms around the abdomen, between epigyne and spinnerets. His mighty grip tore into the thick exoskeleton as he ran dragging the monster for a few steps before he leapt and spun lifting the enormous spider well over his head as he rose, nearing the ceiling ten stories above his head. Stone cracked with ear-splitting thunder, throwing chunks of stone and rock across the room in deadly strafing arcs. Light flashed, giving Ogre an imprint of the giant spider¡¯s monstrous form even behind closed eyelids, and blue lightning arced from ground zero. A cloud of debris, with a core of sickly green energy clouded even Visionary for an instant, as the giant spider disintegrated in his paws, one paw gauntleted the other bare holding a pile of ash, as the stone of the floor deepened into a huge basin. The ground rumbled too deep to belong to even thunder and the stone bucked as a fire, wind, a twisting tangle of thorny green vines, and dark loamy earth frothed around the dog. The force of the skill ripped at him, making his flesh ripple and fur flatten against his thickly muscled frame. The madness of it, the sheer power of the skill, made him howl a cry of release that called forth every moment the spiders drunk from him or his companions and sent it ringing out into the now ruined chamber with a booming howl. Even as his cry still echoed in the cavernous chamber, Ogre noted that though the power of the skill surprised Vedana and Xendaranan, the strafing debris, sickly pall of green dust, and rolling amalgam of elements common and not, did not reach them through the dozens of hiding spiders and tough exoskeletons. The giant monsters, closest to the crater in the center of the room were torn and missing limbs, some melting and bubbling where the green energy touched, or subsumed by earth, fire and flora. However, the spiders that clustered further away from where Ogre slammed his foe, were mostly intact, saved by their carapace. However, stunned by the attack they were easy pickings for the spearbeast and dual axe wielder. They made a terrible vision of battle; painting the rest of the chamber with phosphorescent blood, and festooning it with the innards of the giant arachnids. In minutes, both Orda and Aida were able to join in by slaying the monsters that sought to escape via their tunnels. The sounds of keening, powerful impacts that made the earth groan, and battle cries told Ogre that for the spiders, the tunnels were literally a dead end. Some giant monsters slipped into smaller chambers lining the wall of the room. Ogre was first to start eradicating them. Fangs forward bodies pressed against ceiling or floor they were caged monsters, far more deadly than they were in out in the open. However, he was so much faster and even more dexterous than they were, and his strength turned fangs hard enough to pierce black iron into bloody and broken bits with a single lightning-fast jab. In minutes, and Aida and Orda was able to clear the tunnels and then help Xendaranan clean up the rest of the spiders wounded by Ogre¡¯s attack. In seconds they were finishing up the giant spiders that hid in their chambers. When they were done, not one of the beasts were free of blue gore or the stench of the monster¡¯s insides turned out. They left the spider warrens, an hour later, led by Ogre¡¯s unwavering ability to see with vision. Unfortunately, they had to go deeper into the earth to leave the place of their nightmares. Finding a ancient beast made underground bunker, a quick two hour march through roughhewn caverns and tunnels, they stopped and rested in what may have been a canteen for the workers who once maintained the place. The bunker was a sprawling as the spider chamber in the warrens had been, but was crafted and shaped with tightly fitted stone. The shape of the canteen, the stone clad walls, uniform and smooth, gave the beasts an appreciation for the space, after over a month of being in the natural or roughly dug tunnels and rooms with the spiders. Since they did not have any trouble breathing, nor tasted or smelled any gases that might result in life-ending explosions, Ogre decided to build a fire from supplies in his massive inventory and roasted a variety of meats, previously stored, freshly obtained, and from supplies gathered for the trip. He pulled out a large cauldron and a hefty metal frame with hooks, poured inventory stored spring water into it, and prepared a feast from what they had. It took hours, but the smells drifting around the canteen as Ogre worked made the otters smile and loosened their tongues. They spoke companionably, even laughing at how well they performed over one another with, the rats, spiders, or giant bugs. They spoke of the tense moment when they saw Ogre loose himself to the bliss in the fight with the Slimes, but avoided talk of their time with the spiders, until Aida commented on how the Arachanthrope pummeled Ogre as if he owned it a purse of jules. ¡°Yes¡­It beat me quite soundly, but I always got up. I was fighting for you all. And when I got the upper paw, it did not rise from what I did to it.¡± Ogre said with a rueful smile, ¡°Finish strong, and no one will tell tales about how badly it began. No one¡­save you sorry lots who were there to see it through.¡± They smiled at him, before Xendaranan made a joke about how grabby Vedana was when they were slaying spiders. Vedana¡¯s quip about Xendaranan¡¯s wail, made the spearbeast abash, until the entire party erupted into belly laughter. The meals were served from great wooden bowls, a stew with a medley of various meats, with nearly each one cooked differently. Ogre found that the food gave different stat boosts and enhancements with simple tweaks in how they were prepped for consumption. One roasted, another broiled, one cooked on hot stones; provided boosts to vitality and strength, then health and vigor, and then a negative stat reduction chance. Another meat that was burned, salted and then boiled, gave a bonus to skill leveling, poison and plague resistance. Ogre even tried Sous vide, with a travel skin enhanced by high arts and troglodyte steaks. The stew held leaks, hardtack softened by the stew, chunks of potatoes and a bevy of other starches and vegetables it was spicy and sweet with the natural flavor of some of the meats enhanced by liberal uses of spices, that made for a heart-thawing meal for a dozen travel-starved beasts. They drunk fruit cordial, and spring water, clutching at ruined breastplates where their bellies bulged out. Ogre offered to take first watch, and was obliged when none of the otters even pretended to want to take the duty from him. For the party it was almost a tradition that the captain held watch over them, as they slept. Ogre ate over and over as he listened to their deep strangely uninterrupted breathing, making sure to not overeat as he did not want to feel too sluggish. However, with benefit associated with the leveled up passive Glutton he was able to pack away nearly ten tons of food with no problem besides a distended stomach. The dog felt his eyes burn, as he realized that at least for this sleep they were not having nightmares. The food made him feel warm, but it was their company that made him feel as if he had a place in this world. It was warmth that was not unlike the feel of a full belly. However, it rested in his chest, easing the terrors in his mind and allowing him to sit and breath contentedly. Ogre smiled, feeling a tear roll down his cheek. When the mist came, leaking from under the door of the canteen, Ogre froze, feeling his heart race. Peace evaporated from him, but the warmth in his chest lingered for a moment. Immediately he thought of Glaeddra and the other otters that died on the road of beginnings. And then that warmth began a fire of determination. Their companionship was his bone, and he got a hold of it. Death would take him before he would let it go. When the mist turned red, he awoke the otters and told them to prepare for true battle. Second Battle of the Red Mist I Chapter Seventeen The Second Battle of the Red Mists I Anxiety made Ogre¡¯s belly churn as the red mist seeped under the heavy ironwood door, oozing through gaps around the edges like a thick glossy slime that swelled to the size of a beast¡¯s skull then popped becoming a true fog once more. The otters responded instantly, weapons sliding into or pulled into paws almost before their eyes were open, sabatons pushing under them barely a heartbeat after that. They stiffened as one creature at the sight of the strange red mist, recalling the desperate fight just months ago. Visionary allowed Ogre to see well beyond the door of the canteen into the yawning bunker beyond, with its large stone columns and mostly empty space. The fog interfered with his sight to a greater extent than even stone. However, Ogre saw shapes in the mists, scores more shapes in what seemed like ranks, lining up outside the Canteen. ¡°They are organizing in lines just outside the door,¡± Ogre informed the party, ¡°We will need to attack them before they are ready.¡± ¡°It might be a trap!¡± Said Orda, ¡°Likely,¡± Ogre said, ¡°However, if they are set, they will be harder to fight as a company. We fought them very nearly one on one on the road, and they decimated us.¡± ¡°You will have to be the one.¡± Said Xendaranan, ¡°Vedana and Aida have the most health, but your power and your ability to survive is¡­better than simple stats.¡± ¡°I can go with you.¡± Said Vedana, ¡°Or I can go by myself, You can do ranged healing if I get in trouble.¡± ¡°This might be a better Ploy. Send me. Captain you are our eyes, risking you would not be wise.¡± Said Orda, ¡°But my shield will increase my survivability!¡± ¡°No, Orda.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°You are our tank, you can hold our ground when the others fall, you have shown that you can do this despite having inferior health, durability, and vitality to the damage dealers. I will be the one to go. I can survive damage more than ninety-nine times my health, which does not account for my durability. My health and base vigor are middling and poor compared with you lot, however my damage potential is nearly two orders of magnitude greater than the least of you and nearly one order higher than Aida.¡± They grew quiet, soaking in the astonishing, but emotionless words. Orda, responded first, ¡°We will be here, holding the door, I¡¯ll take point after you do your charge.¡± Ogre grunted peering at his paws one bare and the other gauntleted. Vedana tried to drop a black iron axe into them, but Ogre shook his head. ¡°Black iron won¡¯t be enough to match my bare paw damage.¡± Ogre ignored their amazed looks and swept through the door. Crossbow bolts slammed into the ironwood as the dog engaged Hunter¡¯s dash. Visionary allowed him to see the vague, but telltale shapes of crossbow monsters waiting and taking aim and so he knew to dodge. The mists made the first and nearest company of monster ranks a hazy square, twenty monsters across, each as short as he was in the tower and half as broad, but the formation was already twice as deep, as they were across. Their armour gleamed too brightly for black iron, and though they shuffled bringing shields up, they did not break rank when they saw him strolling like a hulk of iron-shod meat and power from the canteen. Ogre went after the crossbow goblins first, leaping over lines of the scrawny green monsters, with oversized heads, and bulbous red eyes, and leaving devastation in the form of twisted monster bodies. He learned quickly that it took too much time to even dent the steel that they wore, but he was strong enough to easily break necks and shatter faces with well-placed punches. He avoided the shield-bearing goblin soldiers as it took too long for him to break them, with their armour and aegis, and they wielded spears that they could harry him with. He was faster than they were as a hillock was larger than a pebble, and he was durable enough that the goblins were only able to scratch him. However, it was the mists that was his greatest ally. Ogre slew dozens in less than a minute, but he bowled over ranks of goblin soldiers sowing chaos, he slew a few of them and avoided the stronger leaders among them. Seeing the health of the gremlin sergeant and their stats, the dog felt a strong desire to slay them as quickly as he could. He was sure that one of them wouldn¡¯t be much of a challenge but there were still so many goblins and eventually they would wear him down enough for the stronger monsters to slay him. And even within the mist Ogre saw the stats of monsters in army, stronger than the gremlins. Slipping in the mists, Ogre decided on a skill that would best scatter the monsters. The dog unleashed a twelve-fold combination of punches that knocked away a dozen the goblin soldiers surrounding a gremlin sergeant. A lucky strike allowed him to punch through the eye of one of them monsters and crush the throat and spine of another slaying them instantly with high critical hits. The gremlin attacked with a steel xiphos and kite shield with such savage speed and power, that it caught him in the middle of dealing with last goblin. The passive skill, Blindsight Dodge allowed him to slip among the blows with even greater ease than he had, in his fight with the Arachanthrope. The gremlin foamed at the mouth, in its frenzy to slay Ogre, it skin darkening to a deep scarlet in its fervor. Hunter¡¯s Dash allowed him to rush by it, grab the monster¡¯s armoured torso from behind and lift it high for the strongest crowd control skill that he had: Lambasting Powerbomb. The monster in his paws floated a bit higher, his unbridled strength making its weight in steel plate negligible; then he slammed it down on the stone ground. The world about him went white as the gremlin blew apart in his paws, steel warping from the heat of light, fire, and lightning as gusts and flows of elemental, strange, fundamental and other energies rolling out from an instant massive crater, that grew ever larger from the point where he threw the monster down. Stone became rubble and rubble pulverized to dust and smoke within a hundred paces of the dog. The ground and stone columns as large around as a small manor shattered in part, or was marred by deep, stride-wide cracks. The cracks went on to cross nearly the breadth of the sprawling bunker, causing chunks of earth and stone to fall from the ceiling, crushing hapless goblins and wounding their captains and commanders. Panic choked Ogre, and he sweated as he blinked through the dark of mist and lightless, smoke-filled space. Visionary winked out with a painful lurch just after the dog slammed the monster down, stunning him for a second. The heroic skill also depleted his vigor points to zero, confusing Ogre. It had not done that before. He could not engage Visionary again, at least not immediately. He stumbled around in the crater, blinking slowly, snorting to clear his nose of the stench of broken and blasted monster bodies, blood, stone and overpowering dust. In minutes, the smoke settled, the world about him stopped groaning, and shaking, and the dog could hear the groans and cries of the monsters that survived. Ogre flinched at an abrupt noise nearby, then blinked as a shifting stone and rock rolled into him nearly knocking him from his feet. The darkness swallowed his vision, and his skill could not activate without vigor points. He fumbled around in the dark headed towards his best approximation of where the canteen had been. The dog made sure to attack the monsters far away from the structure, but Ogre underestimated the power of the skill. He had not meant to use all of his vigor points, he did not even consider that he could make it more powerful than it already was in the spider warrens. Especially not without leveling it or himself up. The dog stepped on armoured limbs and nearly tripped on the chunks of stone the clustered within the crater. It was slow going, as Ogre had to feel his way through the dark, but the crater was ridiculously large. He was not free of it or the waves of shattered rings beyond it, until a two pawful of minutes crept by. At the edge of it, the monsters groaned and shifted away from him, hearing him coming. The dead were meat wrapped around bone in his inventory. Ogre scowled at the thought, he did not recall eating the flesh of goblins, but he could not imagine that it tasted good. They smelled like an open sepulcher, with the body too long above the earth, but not long enough to be rid of its decaying juices. Some weapons, spears, and short side swords, cut and stabbed at him. Blindsight dodge did not activate, as he was bereft of vigor points, but wielded by goblins they barely scratched him. After the spiders, he did not consider how hardiness would affect him in battle. Their fangs pierced his black iron around with ease and so even with high durability, they could dig their fangs deep into his form with just as much ease. Ogre shuddered at the memory and tried to move faster. The darkness was wearing on him, he was not used to being blind after acquiring Visionary. I will have to consider my stats more carefully than I have before, especially in this dark environment. Having so much vigor and consequently vigor points has made me wasteful. Something slid on rubble near him and his heart pounded. It sounded so much like carapace sliding on stone! Ogre immediately lashed out, striking nothing but air. Still, the force of the blow, made a wind that shifted smaller bits of stone and made goblins close enough to ear, scramble back. He knew that they were goblins because every gremlin that he ever met would attack him with wild abandon. His flesh squirmed at the feel of many eyes watching him, and a long low moan, rung from his throat, despite his best efforts to push the fear down. Panic made his movements slow and his body stiffen, until he shuffled, sliding black iron sabaton and paw over the stone with a teeth-grinding sound. Abruptly, a golden light sprung up so bright that it lit the space well behind him. Ogre spun towards it, too relieved to feel frustration at the fact that only then had he realized that he was walking away from the canteen. His stiffness was immediately replaced with a need to get back to his party. The light became his beacon, he ran and leapt for it, several thousand paces crossed in barely a second. He slid past and crashed into the stone of the canteen another hundred paces behind them. However, he came strolling from the small alcove his body made in the eating chamber, with a huge grin on his face. ¡°Thank the King of Sea Dogs that Swims in the Blue Sky!¡± Aida said looking immensely relieved to find the dog, unharmed. ¡°What took you so long to get back?¡± ¡°We were¡­not worried¡­not too much!¡± Said Vedana, looking stern as she tried to peer deeper into the darkness out before them. Orda saluted Ogre gauntlet to muzzle, ¡°How was your hunting?¡± Ogre strolled closer feeling the nape of his neck bristle as his fur stood on end. ¡°I slew just a fraction of them, but I think we should retreat. There are others that are a lot stronger than the common goblin Paw soldier commanding them. They are not to be under¡­¡±- Aida swung her black iron greatsword at Ogre¡¯s chest in a terrific horizontal slash. Without blindsight dodge or quick retreat he quickly fell into a low crouch, which allowed the huge blade to pass over his monstrous head so close he could feel the air curling about it. The dog¡¯s roar for an explanation died on his tongue when he heard, the tell-tale clang of metal striking metal and felt the tip of a blade riffle the fur across the middle of his back as something was knocked away from him. Aida charged past him, quickly, nearly as agile as Xendaranan or Vedana and was upon the gremlin sergeant before he could rise. The tip of the greatsword slammed deep into the open-faced helmet with a sickening crunch of teeth, bone, and the gurgle of pinkish green juices. It was likely gremlin blood intermingled with cerebral spinal fluids. Aida¡¯s hard face turned to Ogre and nodded, before slowly turning back to the gremlin as if realizing the kind of monster, she killed so easily. It was a gremlin. And it looked nearly identical to the same gremlin that slew Glaeddra, lifting her body high before tossing it at them, as a beast would a river stone. She had been the strongest of the otters on the road of beginnings. Her gauntlets trembled, as she stared at the monster, tears suddenly leaking from the one eye that Ogre could see with her profile. The dog saw her mouth the word strong lit by the glow of Xendaranan¡¯s Aegis. Orda took a step towards her, before he too stopped and stared down at the monster. Did they have nightmares about it? Ogre thought. Did they truly understand how far in level, in strength and power they came since they were faced with what seemed inevitable death? I don¡¯t know if I do. ¡°It¡¯s time to go.¡± Said Ogre, ¡°The leaders of the army before us will regroup their soldiers, if they catch us out in the open the way we are now, they will slay us.¡± Vedana and Xendaranan were the first to give their assent and only spared the dead gremlin passing glances. Orda recovered faster than Aida, and pulled her away. She resisted him for a moment scrubbing the back of her gauntlet across her face before shaking off the tank¡¯s armoured paws, softening the gesture with a grateful nod to the beast then strolling to take her place among the party. Ogre gave her the respect she deserved by not mentioning her reaction, but he could not help but flash her a huge grin of thanks. Her returning smile was small and embarrassed the expression on the rest of her face, pleased. She saved me. Ogre thought, as he directed Xendaranan to keep to the center, while he and Vedana took the lead with Orda and Aida guarding the flank. The aegis that Xendaranan employed was brighter than it had been when it was first used in the sewers. The spearbeast explained that it leveled up in the spider warrens twice, allowing him to hold it indefinitely if no damage was transferred to it, while at the same time increased its ability to protect. It could stop or slow projectiles and even stone chunks, as the party found out, when Ogre performed his heroic skill, and nearly leveled the canteen. Ashamed at his recklessness, Ogre apologized immediately, but the others just looked away as if they had been teasing the dog. The shield was more useful than ever. It pushed living enemies, with broken limbs or bruised bodies out of the way but allowed rubble to pass through it. The party slew only the monsters that were in their direct path or close enough that they did not have to leave the safety of the half sphere of golden light. If the monster resisted too much or if it fled, they let it be, preferring not to be bogged down at any one point for more than a pawful of seconds. ¡°My skill: Visionary, the one that allowed me to see through walls and in the deepest darkness, is inactive right now.¡± Ogre said, ¡°I will have to wait until my vigor points regenerate in order to use it or any other skill again.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Said Orda, a little too quickly. The rest said nothing, but Xendaranan stood a little taller realizing that their ability to navigate the dark recesses of the underground space would all be down to his aegis. Ogre understood their nervousness all too easily, with his ability to see great stretches of the sewers he was able to determine how the monsters would attack, the sort of monsters there would be and how to best defend during the battle. Having that priceless skill gone hurt the party. The dog ground his teeth at his foolishness. How could I not know that would happen? Because it did not happen the first time you did it? The dog snorted but did not respond to the too logical rebuttal to his self-abuse. Instead, he spoke to his party, ¡°Their armour is better than ours, it would be best if we could don it before we have to face the threat of a concentrated effort by them.¡± ¡°I think the Status Archaia can reshape armour to the host¡¯s form, from monster loot.¡± Said Vedana, ¡°We learned that pretty early on.¡± Ogre considered it, wanting to smack himself in the head. How did the tower know, or was it his status mirror? How did either know his measurements for the armour it provided? Why am I asking such mundane questions of a system that can manipulate time and space with ease or provide supranormal levels of strength by slaying monsters? Does any of this make sense? Yes. ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°We learned it from the Tutorial Levels, Captain.¡± Aida said. ¡°It¡¯s inferior to the work of a black smith though.¡± Xendaranan explained, ¡°There is a penalty if the stats¡¯ affecting armour is not overwhelmingly higher than the requirements. I forget how much more though.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°It¡¯s an additional fifty percent.¡± Said Orda, ¡°I do not think it will matter much to us as we are now. I suspect only extremely ponderous metals or legendary-class ore plate, will give us trouble.¡± ¡°Good. Is everyone capable of leveling up¡­if so how far can you increase your level right now?¡± Asked Ogre. ¡°Fifteen for me.¡± Aida said, ¡°Thirteen here,¡± said Vedana. ¡°Nine¡­though, yes it¡¯s ten now,¡± Orda said, pulling his black iron shortsword from the face plate of a goblin, after piercing a wobbling gelatinous eye so deeply with his short sword that his gauntlet touched the ruptured conjunctiva. ¡°I¡¯m still at ten.¡± Xendaranan piped in, sounding a bit glum. His position did not allow him to slay goblins as they walked. ¡°Two more, for me.¡± Aida said, helpfully. Vedana made a sound of contentedness, as she said, ¡°I just added four.¡± Aida whipped her head towards the other warrior. ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ogre interrupted, he kept his eyes forward, peering as far as his eyes could peer without the aid of skills into the dark. ¡°I want you all to always have at least one level set for emergencies. However, do not level right now, we cannot be distracted. I think I see where I want us to go a few hundred paces a head, we will need to veer to right, though.¡± ¡°Your perception is¡­¡±- Orda began, -¡°Scary,¡± Said Vedana, -¡°Inspiring,¡± Aida said, -¡°Ridiculous!¡± interjected Xendaranan, before quickly adding, ¡°In the best way, of course, captain.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ogre said, dryly. ¡°Now Aida, you will use the armour that the gremlin sergeant had on, your inventory should have received it as loot, correct? Who will you give the short sword and shield to? Unless¡­will you keep those also?¡± Aida unequipped her torn and rent iron armour and equipped the new plate, as easily as thinking about the actions, but she hesitated to call forth the weapons, saying, ¡°I like my greatsword, the reach is too useful¡­it will be hard to recover from not having it¡­even if I am using a weapon from a stronger ore. I will give the shield to Orda as he is best with it and the sword to Vedana, so as to not play favorites.¡± She grinned as she said the last bit and Ogre blinked¡­that was a joke. When did they change so quickly to deal with the stress of imminent battle and possible death? How long ago was the spider warrens? Did that fear abate so easily from them? And what about the first horror of true battle in the red mists? Barely a month or so ago, a gremlin at level one decimated dozens of their peers with ease and now just one of them, Aida, slew a level 10,000 gremlin with relative ease. It was jarring but pleasing to the dog. The strength of their party was a real thing! It was not just him saving their lives. ¡°The armour from the gremlin I slew was damaged by the skill, so I won¡¯t use it. I considered trying out sword and shield, as both are cast steel and of a higher grade than the mundane steel that the goblins used for plate, swords, shields and spears. However, I will give those up too. Vedana, I know that you are used to dual-wielding but I think you should try sword and shield with Orda. And Aida you can just give both shield and sword to Orda. I¡¯ll give my pair to Vedana. And Oh yes, Xendaranan I have a spear for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to try out two spears if that is fine with you. Captain.¡± ¡°You will be careful Xendaranan. Learning a new way of fighting in the middle of a battle can be a new way of dying very quickly. If you feel overwhelmed, drop one spear or better yet toss it into the enemy and just use the other, as you are more familiar with that style.¡± ¡°Yes, Captain,¡± He responded, ¡°Still, please don¡¯t worry, overmuch, I was able to watch how Vedana fought, and I think I got the hang of it.¡± Ogre nodded before speaking again. ¡°Don your new armour and weapons, we will make our stand once we find a defensible location.¡± (C) Steel Helm [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 112,000 Req: Vit+End 3500 Wt: 400 (C) Steel Pauldrons [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 224,000 Req: Vit+End 14,000 Wt: 800 (C) Steel Gorget/bevor+ Cuirass + Backplate + Tassets/Fauld [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 448,000 Req: Vit+End 28,000 Wt: 1600 (C) Steel Cannons [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 84,000 Req: Vit+End 5250 Wt: 300 (C) Steel Greaves [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 84,000 Req: Vit+End 5250 Wt: 300 (C) Steel Sabatons [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 84,000 Req: Vit+End 5250 Wt: 300 (C) Steel Cuisses [Pierce + Slash] Pro: 224,000 Req: Vit+End 7000 Wt: 800 (C) Steel Class Arming Doublet + Chainmail [Blunt] Pro: 336,000 Req: Vit+End 5250 Wt: 1200 Full Armour Protection: 15,800,400 Slash: 90% Pierce: 85% Crush: 75% Blunt: 80% Bruise: 90% With that they entered a beast made hall, just tall enough to admit Ogre¡¯s towering form, and too narrow to allow another beast next to the dog to walk side by side. At the end of the wall was a chamber that was a fraction of the size of the canteen had been. Beyond a thick, mostly intact, ironwood door led a dank expanse that descended into a darkness that not even Aegis could fully penetrate. Stone steps, protected by a painted iron railing, clustered with strange mushrooms descended into that vast chasm. The dog glanced curiously at the fungi, recalling a quest, and remembering how he sequestered mushrooms in the beginning of the spider¡¯s domain, well above where they were now. Ogre looked them each in the eye, before speaking solemnly, ¡°We have a choke point, a place to regroup, and an avenue of retreat. This is it. I dare not hope for something better. In fact, it¡¯s hard to believe we found such a perfect place.¡± Orda, uncharacteristically grinned. Vedana and Xendaranan nodded. But only Aida spoke, in a flat tone, ¡°We will slay many of them.¡± The wait for the commencement of battle stretched for hours. The monsters sent scouts first, to seek out the entrance to the where the party waited. They must have scoured nearly every square pace of the sprawling bunker, as it took a long time for the smaller goblins to even find them. The party took turns keeping guard, and when the first few groups of scouts foolishly tried to peer down hall, the dog or an otter would take them through the eye, mouth, or throat, with weapon or paw. Eventually, they must have figured it out, when the scouts did not return or perhaps a more cunning goblin stayed back and allowed its fellows to search closer. Either way, the army of greenskins began forming up twenty paces from the entrance to the hall. This too took a while. ¡°I will go first.¡± Said Ogre as he watched goblins get into their ranks, between the thick iron wood and the stone sides of the doorframe; they were spurred by gremlins and hobgoblins to move more quickly, as if feeling just as impatient as the dog. ¡°When I tire, one or two of you will take my place. We will trade places in a rotation depending on how well we can hold out. We don¡¯t need any heroes, do not overstay your vigor, if you need to be replaced retreat a few paces, and drum your shield or weapon against your armour and cry out for a replacement.¡± ¡°Those who are waiting can deal with the goblins who squeeze past.¡± Orda added, ¡°Especially when you are resting Captain. We¡¯re not as large as you are.¡± Ogre nodded to the otter, and gave him a flash of his massive white canines. Despite the smile the dog could not stop the scent of nervousness that he gave off. The dog was not sure that he could survive the sprawling army and the otters had to know it. Ogre breathed in deep, feeling his heart pound at the thick scent of fear and determination that the otters gave off. Perhaps, they can¡¯t perceive my wavering heart over the roar of their fear? I must be better than I am. I have to stand strong for them! The scents from the thousands of enemy monsters were more confusing. There was fear, and terror, but it was hard to guess if it was for the dog¡¯s party or their captains and commanders. Excitement, bloodlust, a wild scent that burned his nose, and a cloying scent that settled on his tongue like burs on vulnerable skin, made a near maddening swirl of scents that mixed with the awful stench of their unsanitary bodies. Ogre nearly staggered at the powerful wave of smell, but he planted his sabatons and faced the army, eyes forward. A deep bass voice rung out, rolling over the sounds of tens of thousands of goblins and worse shifting in their ranks. Two gremlin captains stepped up, followed by a score of goblins wielding long spears and round shields. The first gremlin brandished a knightly sword of carbon steel, and a large kite shield of the same ore. Full heavy plate mail of cast steel, thicker than even the other gremlins that Ogre faced, weighted the creature down by half again the dog¡¯s armour. However, it along with it¡¯s companion, glided along with a relative ease. The second gremlin wielded a larger and heavier broadsword, but it¡¯s kite shield was a bit smaller. With a startling yowl of fury both gremlins shot forward to overwhelm Ogre. They were faster than the dog thought they would be, but he was stronger and faster than they were. Ogre wielded two side swords, taken from slain goblins when he first engaged the enemy. Despite not having blindsight dodge activate due to his lack of vigor points, the dog found it easy to mimic some of those uncanny movements at a fraction of it¡¯s power, due to his high agility and speed. He slipped about thrusts and parried their blades at the crosstrees, his limbs blurring as they attacked with an incredible ferocity. The first gremlin was savage, but these held that savagery in check, playing it relatively safe and so Ogre could not cause them to overextend easily. They attacked with shields also, blocking with near expertise just as readily, which became masterful as the two fought at the same time. Ogre was conservative, trying to pace himself but they were relentless and would not go down without risk. A feint from Ogre¡¯s left blade drew in the broadsword gremlin, the dog¡¯s right blade disengaged with the other gremlin¡¯s sword and lanced for the first¡¯s eyeslits so quickly that it pierced the monster¡¯s eye, despite it reacting by blocking high with it¡¯s shield. The second gremlin saved it¡¯s companion¡¯s life by shield bashing Ogre¡¯s arm with what seemed all it¡¯s strength, causing¡¯s Ogre¡¯s sword to cut through the lateral bones of the pierced orbital sparing it¡¯s brain. The dog kicked the wounded gremlin away with a booming sound that launched him over the army; snarling at the second, he whirled to finish the monster with both swords, when a cluster of spears slammed into his armour from the goblins that came with the gremlins. The cuirass held with ease, but the second gremlin darted away with Ogre distracted. In his fury he forgot to conserve, and he laid into the goblins attacking him. Spears were shorn off below the steel heads, goblins were broken and flung about as if the dog was a storm. In a handful of minutes the twenty were either dead or dying. Ogre ignored the banners denoting their deaths and whirled about looking for more foes. The space about him was clear, but goblins charged the hall behind him, swirling around him as a river would a great stone. His anger burned hotter, and his vigor drained faster but he moved like lightning cloaked in flesh. He leapt high, easily three times his height with no effort and even though the spears followed him, in his bare flesh the goblins could not pierce him without using every bit of power that they had, in armour they had little chance. He crashed among them, smashing aside goblins and even sending gremlins flying. He lost his swords by foolishly smashing them into shards against the cuirasses of multiple goblins tearing gouges into them and slaying the monsters instantly. The second goblin that fled from him early in the battle returned when he was bereft of weapons. It grinned evilly and eagerly, thinking it¡¯s chances were higher of either slaying him or surviving him once more. Ogre accepted the Gremlin¡¯s blade in the meat of his neck, choking on blood, in order to plunge one paw with gauntleted claws into its eye slits. It screamed in agony dropping sword and shield to scrabble at the dog¡¯s thick armoured arm. Bracing his other paw as he tore the monster¡¯s head from its shoulders silencing it¡¯s scream with a horrific gurgling crescendo that sprayed him in the monster¡¯s fluids. The goblins near him froze, horror warping their hideous faces behind visors and the bars of helms and helmets. He did not give them a chance to flee, bleeding freely from the wound in his neck, his vigor and strength sapping, he tore through his enemies by the dozen. Minutes stretched to hours and hours to days. The goblins learned to fight him quickly by banding together in their shields, not taking chances by overextending, and using the greater strength of gremlins and even hobgoblins to wound him further. He was dead on his footpaws as the days passed and not one goblin fell to him in a day and a half. Even though before that, he finally managed to slay a hobgoblin after twelve hours of fighting it and the cowardly strikes of lesser greenskins about him. He had long retreated back to the tunnel but he was too tired to make the signal that he needed to be replaced. He had to persevere for a pawful of hours more before they were able to bodily drag him from the field. Even in his weakness he was so strong that it took Orda and Aida both to manage it as Xendaranan took his place for an hour. They healed him with their cleric skills and gave him food and drink. Ogre presented the greatsword of the hobgoblin he slew three days earlier to Aida, who took it and relieved Xendaranan. The spear-wielding otter came back bloodied and stumbling, but he was walking on his own two paws. He looked to Ogre amazed that he lasted so many days, when an hour was enough to drain the vigor from him so thoroughly. They did not ask him why did he not level up to recover his vigor, health, and vigor points. Leveling up was still an incredible danger, though the bliss was always a danger to an adventurer. They knew that even better than he did. However, the dog had a particular aversion to it. The power associated with his leveling was so intense so intoxicating that it terrified him. Ogre slipped into an unconsciousness. They let him sleep as long as they dared. Aida lasted a half day. Orda lasted a full day. Vedana surprisingly went for a day and a half, whereas Xendaranan could only go for a few hours. His aegis was their only light, after losing a lot of their gear in battles in and out of the sewers and in the spider warrens. He could not afford to exhaust himself fully as the others could. Orda knew how to fight defensively, but Aida did the most damage with her greatsword. Ogre took his turn when they were too exhausted to go on, waking him from where he collapsed in the small chamber behind the hall. They slew many goblins, gremlins, and hobgoblins but the numbers seemed endless. The others leveled up when they could do so safely, but it was not enough. The incredible boosts that they got with their others two hundred or so levels did not come this time and so their stats grew only a bit better. There was a pall of dread that settled upon them. The relentless attacks of the goblin army pushed them from the entrance to the hall down to its end and some goblins and gremlins made it into the room itself. They saw death, by the creep of legions of armoured boots pushing them stride by paw, by claw to the edge of the stairs that led deeper into the earth. They knew, they felt that death breathing on the back of their neck, with every fight, every clash, every battle. Every one of them fell at least a few dozen gremlins, and hundreds of the armoured goblins. Aida, and Vedana slew hobgoblins but Ogre was the only one to slay a Goblin Brute. The others had to retreat when such monsters approached, and call for help in the retreat, so as to not be skewered by the gremlins that usually harried that retreat. It was after Ogre failed to hold out for even a pawful of minutes, when the party knew that death had finally come. Aida and Vedana rose, unsteadily to take his place and to keep the goblins and gremlins from surrounding flooding into the small chamber and pushing them over the rim of the cavernous drop. Ogre gasped and moaned on the far side of the room, as Orda poured healing elixir into him, unable to use healing because of the cost of vigor, as Xendaranan maintained the shield. A Goblin Brute approached, smashing lesser goblins out of the way, flanked by three of it¡¯s Hobgoblin captains. It was taller than even Ogre¡¯s new height by half a paw, just as broad and hefted with armour and muscle; and the steel alone could have easily been thrice that of the dog¡¯s mass. The hobgoblins were a half a paw shorter than Ogre, but they towered over the Otters. It only took a few blows with the Goblin Brute¡¯s flanged mace to break Xendaranan¡¯s shield, throwing the chamber into pitch black dark. Their hope went out with the light of Aegis. The smell of panic thickened the air like a morbid soup, mixing with the scent of blood and death, matched by the stench of offal that leaked from the dead and dying. Tremendous blows slammed into the beasts, making their armour scream with the clang and groan of metal warping and buckling, sending them flying into stone wall or into other party members. They cried out in panic and fear, lashing out blindly, striking friend and foe. They bled and they felt their strength sap from their bodies, heat leaking from wounds caused by armour piercing attacks, dying, and screaming in abandon as they did. They descended back into that nightmare in the Spider Warrens at that time. They wept, they screamed in in abrupt madness, and descended deeper into despair. For minutes all they could feel was despair. Then Ogre started singing. Chop, goes the axe! Whack, goes the hammeeeer! Down goes the tree, Down goes the foe, When I was a young pup, My pappy told meeeee, That fighting was the sweetmeat, But working was the cream, He¡¯d fight all night, And work all Daaaay, When I ask him to get some rest, This is what he¡¯d say, Chop, goes the axe! Whack, goes the hammeeeer! Down goes the tree, Down goes the foe, Chop, goes the axe! Whack, goes the hammeeeer! Down goes the tree, Down goes the foe, When I was a young mutt, My captain told meeeee, That battle was a high prince But Drilling was the King, We¡¯d Train all night, And war all daaaay, When I ask if we could get some rest, This is what he¡¯d say, Chop, goes the axe! Whack, goes the hammeeeer! Down goes the tree, Down goes the foe, Chop, goes the axe! Whack, goes the hammeeeer! Down goes the tree, Down goes the foe, His voice started low and weak, it was likely so low in the beginning that they only heard the parts that were loud enough to be heard as his voice grew in volume and strength. He rose, standing his full height and meeting the Goblin Brute in a mortal clash. The clash made the otters flinch from the thunderous blows that the two took on their weapons, plate, and bodies. Minutes of frenzied fighting, allowed Ogre to throw down the Goblin Brute, internally decapitating him with a devastating pommel strike to its throat, snapping his head back with a wicked disjointed crunch, before taking the monstrous flanged mace that monster wielded and adding it to his arsenal. Two great weapons, forged steel both were as heavy as he. The mace and the other a huge, wickedly curved axe that he took from another brute slain weeks earlier; allowed him to tear into the hobgoblins that swarmed to attack. He dropped two of them, screaming and dying in a quick breath, and Aida slew the last by thrusting her one-ton curved greatsword through the open visor of the monster¡¯s helmet. Singing at the top of his lungs, he bodily pushed at the flow of goblins and gremlins, slaying those who would not give, denting and putting holes and rents into lesser steel armour. He slew so many, dozens in minutes and hundreds in hours, but there was so many to slay. The singing went on and the otters behind him found that their vigor was returning, that their battle fatigue and general exhaustion was fading. After a few refrains they took up the song themselves rallying behind their captain as he pushed back the hordes.