《The Nexus [A Fantasy Litrpg Adventure]》 Chapter 1: Smoking Kills Adam woke up to his phone alarm just like every weekday morning, and then just like every morning he turned it off and went back to sleep. This repeated five times for five different alarms set on his phone until he finally rolled out of bed at 8am. He looked around his one room apartment. Clothes were scattered on the small leather couch with more on the floor. He spotted what he was looking for on the coffee table. His work uniform. Luckily it was only blue jeans and a black work t-shirt with colorful letters on the back that spelled out Gas and Gameland. His name was embroidered on the front in white with ¡°manager¡± underneath. He brushed his teeth, pulled his dark hair into a loose bun, sighed, and left. He grabbed his keys and cigarettes and was out the door fifteen minutes after waking. The drive in his beat-up 2019 Kia Niro took him thirty minutes on the dot even if it was a mom-mobile. As he rode with the windows down he lit up a cigarette and turned up the late 2000s music. He liked his vintage car, it was reliable, strong, easy on gas, and got him from point A to point B without issue. Traffic was as shitty as ever. But once he got onto the highway there were few cars this late in the morning. He rolled up to the store at 8:45 and saw Josh standing outside buried in his phone. Adam parked out front next to Josh¡¯s car so that customers knew they were open. As Adam got out of his car he could hear a voice blaring from Josh¡¯s phone ten feet away. ¡°Come get some you noobs! I¡¯ll kill you all! You pathetic idiots!¡± ¡°Still hate-watching that nerd in the Nexus?¡± Adam said as he walked up to the door to unlock it. Josh looked up from his phone. ¡°Yo, yeah bro, this guy is insufferable.¡± Adam shook his head, ¡°Why do you watch him then?¡± ¡°I like to watch him die. He whines so much, and he¡¯s so bad. You know how you root for the villain to fail. It¡¯s kind of the same thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± Adam didn¡¯t get it. He liked to watch people who were good. He wanted to see the best and find out what they did so he could be better. Josh would do this a lot too, but he had a thing about hate-watching the same streams over and over. Adam walked into the store with Josh right behind him. As he entered he flipped on a switch and the familiar sound of arcade games filled his ears. The inside was 3000 square feet with the walls lined with old vintage pinball and arcade games. All had been refurbished and upgraded to be more energy efficient and not break down as often. The middle area held everything a normal gas station would, from snacks, to Slurpee machines with two registers in the middle in a round, closed off island. Behind the registers were cigarettes and a few nicer bottles of alcohol. The gray-white linoleum floor squeaked slightly as the both walked behind the island. They sat, with twin sighs, in the tall stools behind the counter. Josh hadn¡¯t looked up from his phone for even a second. This was so routine for the both of them that he could have walked blindfolded to his chair without missing a step. ¡°You ever thought about streaming?¡± Josh asked Adam. ¡°Me? What would I stream? Everyone watches the Nexus now.¡± ¡°True,¡± said Josh, ¡°but what if you were there? Would you stream then?¡± ¡°What would be the point?¡± He looked over to Josh. ¡°Can you even chat in there?¡± ¡°Yeah, bro. They can see chat, get donations, and you can even send them help or challenges if it¡¯s allowed.¡± ¡°What would they need donations for? Isn¡¯t everything in there free?¡± Josh looked up with a glint in his eye nodding. ¡°Everything is free, but the donations go to the Nexus to keep it running without issues. I heard that the revenue they got from streams in the first month was enough to keep the Nexus powered for the next one-hundred years. The streamers are rewarded in different ways inside and outside their chosen world apparently. There¡¯s some kind of streamer store and for every bit of revenue you make the Nexus you get corresponding points to spend in the store. Apparently the store changes constantly and won¡¯t affect the worlds they live in unless it¡¯s allowed, but there is one leaked item that never changes.¡± Josh¡¯s voice got quiet and looked around like he was checking for someone listening. ¡°A world seed.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s literally the seed for a world. You are able to create the world you want, or at least most of it, and then you get to live in it.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± said Adam as he leaned back on his stool slightly, ¡°that sounds pretty cool. But I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d stream. It would be weird with people watching my entire life in there.¡± ¡°You can turn the stream off at any time. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re being watched all the time. Look.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it There was a scream of rage from Josh¡¯s phone. He pushed a button and a hologram mirroring his screen popped up showing the words (PPGigantus is currently offline) ¡°Holy shit, is that the guy¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Yep, he changed it in the nexus. I told you bro, he¡¯s the worst. Anyway, see, he just rage quit another world. This nerd has almost fifty thousand people watching him most days.¡± ¡°How close is he to a world seed?¡± ¡°No idea, it doesn¡¯t seem to be one of his goals so we don¡¯t know. He just likes the attention I think.¡± The bell on the front door rang as a trucker walked in. He came up to the counter a few minutes later with a few sodas and a bag of chips laying them on the counter. ¡°Let me get a fill up on one,¡± he said. Adam rang him up and punched in the gas. ¡°Fifteen fifty-three for the soda and chips, and the gas you can charge at the pump.¡± The trucker tapped his phone to the card machine as Adam watched his screen confirm the payment. ¡°Have a good one,¡± said the trucker as he left. ¡°You too,¡± said Adam. The bell rang again as the man left and started pumping his gas. ¡°So, would you?¡± asked Josh. He had his arms crossed looking over at Adam. ¡°I don¡¯t know man,¡± said Adam. ¡°I might just enjoy the experience if it¡¯s even actually me in there.¡± ¡°What do you mean of course it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°You never know.¡± ¡°Bro, you signed up for it right?¡± Josh looked concerned. ¡°Yeah man, we went together when we turned eighteen. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot.¡± Josh laughed a little as he rubbed the back of head. His hair was cropped short and it stood up all over the place in a way that made it look deliberately chaotic like he stood in the mirror for way too long making it perfectly messy. ¡°It¡¯s just, you know, It¡¯s been seven years. I feel like we¡¯re stuck.¡± Adam nodded at his friend¡¯s words. He had been feeling that way for as long as he could remember now. No matter what they did it never seemed to fit. Adam had tried a lot of things in his twenty-five years. He¡¯d worked at a cinema, a pizza shop, studied in college before getting bored and dropping out, and finally ending up back at the gas station he and Josh had worked at in high school. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like the things he did, but he never really found anything he was passionate about. ¡°I get it,¡± he finally said. ¡°It¡¯s not bad, but there has to be more. I mean I see these people in the Nexus living a hell of a life bro. They can be whoever and whatever they want.¡± ¡°You said that they can see chat? What stops them from cheating and stuff or getting stream sniped?¡± ¡°Bro, it¡¯s a massive AI. Don''t you think it can filter out chat like that? It can literally upload our consciousness.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Adam got up and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. ¡°Smoke?¡± Josh nodded and they headed outside. Out on the sidewalk they watched the cars speed by as the trucker finished up and pulled away. They lit up their cigarettes and Josh let out a sigh as he inhaled. ¡°We playing tonight?¡± Josh asked. ¡°Of course.¡± They had their online game that they had been playing for years now. It was what originally brought them together and created an instant friendship between the two that had lasted most of their lives now. It was an mmorpg that had been through so many iterations at this point it had started over with classic servers. They were reliving their childhoods and it was nice. Adam thought about what Josh had said though. The nexus had changed things. The idea that people could live forever, if it was actually them, was pretty insane in itself, but the creators took it even further. They allowed for the development of worlds. Some were paradises where crime wasn¡¯t even an option, and others were pretty much real life video games. There was only one condition. The Nexus and its worlds were free to access for everyone. It was programmed into the core of the system and was impossible to change. Adam laughed to himself as he thought about all the advertisers and companies that had a meltdown over that. It had almost caused a global war until the rich had realized they were vastly outnumbered. Things had calmed down a lot since then though, and like Josh had said there were certain things that people could spend money on, but it could in no way affect the world or the participants without their full consent. He hadn¡¯t really checked it out since it wasn¡¯t something he could be a part of anytime soon, but after seven years it had just introduced the ability for people to stream. So, there wasn¡¯t much to go on yet. I wonder, he thought, what it would be like to be in there. Josh took the last puff of his cigarette and threw it into the can-turned-ashtray next to the sidewalk. ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°these things are going to kill us one day.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Adam. ¡°Gotta die somehow.¡± He threw his cigarette in the can as the both looked out at the highway. Adam took a deep breath of the clear air and thought life wasn¡¯t too bad after all. At that moment an 18-wheeler was turning into the parking lot. It was a big lot, but the truck didn¡¯t seem to be slowing down. The man inside pulled on the horn with a panicked look on his face. He swerved away from the pumps. Everything slowed down in the moment as Adam watched the trailer tilt over. It was like something out of an action movie where the heroes would jump out of the way at the last second. Adam and Josh both just stared at the oncoming truck frozen in confusion and fear. As the truck¡¯s trailer screamed against the asphalt Adam turned his head to see cartons of cigarettes spilling out of the back just as his world went black. Chapter 2: The Nexus ¡°Breathe,¡± said an elderly woman¡¯s voice from inside of Adam¡¯s head. Adam sucked in breath like he had just surfaced from being underwater too long. His eyes shot open and he jumped out of the chair he was sitting in toward the ground covering his head and waiting for the truck¡¯s impact. It didn¡¯t come. After a few seconds the voice spoke again directly into his brain. ¡°Welcome to your nexus. I know this might be a shock, but you died.¡± Adam lifted up his head and looked around. He was in a blank white room with a single black folding chair sitting open in the middle. There was no discernible light source that he could see. He could hardly tell the room was square with how disorienting the stark whiteness of the room was. ¡°What?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m dead? Are you serious? Where am I? Where are you? Why are you speaking in my head?¡± A woman appeared in an identical black chair across from his empty one. She was slightly plump, puffy white hair, wrinkles, and eyes full of kindness. She was a grandmother if Adam had ever seen one. Adam felt a little at ease in her presence. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a seat dear and I¡¯ll explain everything.¡± Adam stood and hesitantly walked to the chair. His feet were a little shaky and he kept his eye on the old woman the whole way. She just sat there with her hands resting on a small black cane. ¡°Very good dear, I know this must be crazy, but I assure you I am only here to make your transition as smooth as possible. Now, like I said you died.¡± Adam saw a flash of the truck barreling toward him. ¡°You were transported directly to the nexus upload center and here you are. It looks like you signed up when you turned eighteen. Do you remember signing up for The Nexus?¡± ¡°Um, yeah I signed up with my best friend,¡± said Adam. ¡°Wait! What happened to Josh?¡± ¡°Joshua Weston?¡± asked the grandmotherly figure. Her eyes were staring past him like she was zoning out. ¡°Yeah, is he okay?¡± ¡°It seems he has also joined The Nexus recently. He will be going through this same explanation as you right about now. Now, let us get back to busi¨C¡± ¡°Can I see him?¡± interrupted Adam. The woman smiled and said, ¡°Yes dear, you can see him soon, but first we must finish here. Now, this room is yours. You may change anything in the room in any way that you want. All you have to do is use a little brain power. I will unlock the room now. Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± Room configuration currently unlocked rang a robotic voice inside Adam¡¯s head. Adam thought about his home. The room instantly changed to his one room apartment that he had left only a few hours ago. Clothes were scattered everywhere still. Dishes were in the sink, and the same old beige walls with movie posters hung around the room. The only difference were the two plastic black chairs where he and Guide sat in the middle of the room. He looked around and panicked a little at the mess. Instantly the clothes were gone, the dust cleared, and the dishes done. It was as pristine as the day Adam moved in. He let out a breath. For some reason he just didn¡¯t want this lady to think he was a pig. ¡°Very good dear. You can change this at any time. You may also add rooms, change the size, and do anything else you would like inside this room.¡± Adam¡¯s thoughts wandered for a moment and a giant Olympic sized swimming pool appeared behind his bed. The room had grown to a massive size to accommodate the pool. Adam smiled to himself, and then the pool disappeared. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, looking around. ¡°It is best to keep something you¡¯re familiar with for the time being. Why don¡¯t you try locking the room.¡± ¡°How do I loc¨C¡± Before he could finish a window popped up in front of him floating in thin air.
Would you like to lock this configuration? Y/N
He tried to reach up and choose the ¡°Y¡± option and his hand went right through the screen. He tried again a few times before he realized he must have looked like a crazy person flapping his hand through the air. ¡°Use your mind,¡± said Guide. She tapped the side of her head and smiled. Adam looked a bit embarrassed as he mentally chose ¡°Y¡±. The screen flashed, lighting up the ¡°Y¡±, and then it was gone. The room configuration is now locked. ¡°Nice,¡± said Adam to himself. ¡°Great job dear. Now, let¡¯s talk a little about what you can do from your nexus.¡± Guide explained all things Adam was able to do in the nexus. He could contact people either in the nexus or still in the physical world. He could browse the internet, invite people to his nexus, and get any food he wanted just by thinking about it even though he didn¡¯t technically have to eat. It was a paradise he could create. She even told him the room itself didn¡¯t have to only be a room. It could become a grassy field, an ocean, or anything else he wanted. All in all Adam was thrilled as he tested his new home. He practiced for a bit using his mind to open menus, accept notifications, and change his room around as he locked and unlocked the configuration. His mind wandered for a bit as he thought about the people who had made this place. He had always heard about the creators of the nexus as if they were some sort of saviors. He had never understood it until now. All he had to do was sign up and they did all this without it costing him a penny. He hadn¡¯t believed it, and a lot of people were skeptical when the nexus released. The creators, however, were the first to join leaving all their worldly possessions behind. Companies had tried to replicate or control the system throughout the years, but all attempts had failed. The world would riot if denied access to the nexus as it had nearly happened before, and the system completely unable to be affected from all outside sources. ¡°Now that you seem to have a handle on things I have one final part of the nexus to show you. This dear, is the true reason why the nexus was created. I would like you to ask the nexus for a list of worlds.¡± Adam mentally asked the nexus for a list of worlds. Within seconds hundreds of small planets were slowly rotating around him and Guide. They had an array of colors and sizes. Adam focused on one that looked like Earth for a moment. It floated between the two and a description popped up next to it.
World: Earth 2.0
Description: This planet is a copy of Earth newly populated by the inhabitants of the Nexus. There is no unwanted crime, violence, or war allowed on this planet. People live peacefully following their passions, finding love, making families, and anything else within the planet¡¯s rules. Money is no longer an obstacle as everything is provided by the Nexus.
Death: You may choose to leave the world at any time. You may also rejoin the world at any time.
Current World Age: 5 years, 355 days, 23 hours, and 15 minutes.
Current World Population: 1,150,828,223
Would you like to join this world? Y/N
He had heard of these worlds. He had even seen a few videos about them. Earth 2.0 was a popular one where people could live out their lives and still interact with new people. It was one of the first worlds ever created and it was said to be the reason for the success of The Nexus. ¡°Great job,¡± said Guide. ¡°It seems you have a handle on everything now. It is suggested that you spend some time in your nexus room with company or with an appointed therapist AI. The change can be something that is hard to acclimate to. The idea that you are you still, you¡¯ll live forever, and that your body on Earth is gone. I will take my leave now. Before I go I will update your contact list. If you have any other questions all you have to do is think about me and I¡¯ll pop right in.¡± She gave a little laugh and burst into a small cloud of smoke that smelled like freshly baked cookies. Adam was a little shocked at how abruptly she left, but as he noticed the smoke something else popped into his head. He hadn¡¯t even thought about having a cigarette since he¡¯d gotten to the nexus. He didn¡¯t crave it even now while it was on his mind. I guess that¡¯s one positive of dying, he thought, my nicotine addiction died with me it seems. With that thought the floodgates seemed to burst open. He felt the warm tears run down his face as thoughts raced through his head. He had died. There was so much he hadn¡¯t done. So much he wouldn¡¯t ever be able to do. He didn¡¯t think about marriage or kids before, but when the prospect was suddenly ripped from him that¡¯s all he could imagine. ¡°Why can¡¯t you still have all of that?¡± a voice rang out in his room. It sounded like an older British man. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Adam looked around his room as he wiped his tears away. ¡°My name is Charles and I¡¯m an AI therapist that was alerted to your crises by the nexus.¡± As soon as the voice stopped a blue portal appeared in front of Adam and out stepped a man in a tan suit with a short beard and long white hair. He had slight wrinkles around his eyes just barely noticeable behind his glasses. ¡°How did you know I was having a problem?¡± Charles cleared his throat slightly before he said, ¡°You are part of the nexus now. It knows everything.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s creepy.¡± The AI gave a short laugh. ¡°Yes, it can be a little unsettling, but you must know that nobody has access to the nexus or any of its information. Even the creators can only make improvements, but not interact with the internal system. This is just a safety precaution for times exactly like this.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± said Adam, not convinced. ¡°Try not to worry about how I knew you needed me, but instead let¡¯s talk about why. Tell me what¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just read it?¡± ¡°Of course not, the nexus alerted me and no more.,¡± said Charles as he sat down in the black chair Guide had used. He changed it into a comfortable looking leather chair a moment later. Adam took a breath and did the same, turning his chair into a recliner and laying back. Screw it he thought. He¡¯d always wanted to talk to a therapist even if he couldn¡¯t ever afford one. Now he had the best of the best in AI technology to pick apart his brain. Once he was comfortable he started to talk. It came out like he¡¯d been holding it in his entire life. ¡°There was so much I wanted to do and I didn¡¯t even realize it until now. I want to love someone, I want to have children, I want to try new things, taste new things, and see everything. Now, I¡¯ll never be able to do any of that.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± asked Charles. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Because I¡¯m dead.¡± ¡°Correction, your body on Earth died. Your mind and consciousness has been uploaded to the nexus. You have a body just like you did on Earth. You can feel pain, love, depression, anger, and happiness just like you could before. You can feel the pinch of skin, the bump of a knee, or the pain of loss if you want. Just think about what you¡¯re feeling right now. You are still you, and your life is only really beginning now. Just look at the possibilities each world offers. You can find love, have a family, and even children if you wish.¡± ¡°Would they even be real? Is any of it real?¡± asked Adam. ¡°It¡¯s as real as what you feel right now. Every AI that is created within the nexus has its own mind. It has freewill to do whatever it would like just like you do. I, for example, am free to stop helping people whenever I feel like it and go do whatever I want. The nexus created me but it does not control me. I am my own person. I feel things just the way you do.¡± ¡°Whoa,¡± was all Adam could say. It was a lot to process. He¡¯d never imagined something like this could exist even knowing about the nexus. It was all just too much. ¡°But I would suggest looking into yourself for a moment. What is stopping you from doing everything you never did before? There are worlds where anything is possible. Take some time to adjust and then take the first step toward the rest of your life.¡± Adam let the words fill his mind as he laid his head back in the recliner and closed his eyes. The last thing Charles had said seemed to resonate with him. He heard a pop and the smell of pipe tobacco filled his nose. He looked around to see Charles and the chair gone. Another screen came into his view not long after that.
  • Contact Added: Rebecca Robinson - Relation: Mother - Location: Earth
  • Contact Added: Brian Robinson - Relation: Father - Location: Earth
  • Contact Added: Joshua Weston - Relation: Friend - Location: Nexus
  • Contact Added: Gerald Filson - Relation: Friend - Location: Earth
The list continued on and on as it added more and more people, some of whom Adam didn¡¯t even remember knowing. He thought about Josh and a new menu replaced contacts.
Name: Joshua Weston
Age: 25
Location: The Nexus
Contact: Nexus call, Nexus message, Nexus video chat, visit home, or email
Adam wondered what a Nexus call was when the prompt popped up in his face again.
Would you like to call Joshua Weston? (Y/N)
Adam chose "Y" and a ringtone sounded in his mind. It rang twice before Josh picked up. ¡°Bro! Are you okay?¡± ¡°I guess, I think I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around everything. Can you actually hear me?¡± Adam felt weird just talking without having a cellphone or earpiece or something. ¡°Yeah, loud and clear. Yep, can¡¯t believe that shit bro. But look on the bright side. We don¡¯t have to go to work tomorrow.¡± Adam laughed a bit at that one. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Did you see the world stuff?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Yeah, looks pretty cool. I only checked out Earth 2.0 though.¡± ¡°Are you serious? This shit is insane. Hold on, I''m coming over.¡± The line went silent and a moment later there was a knock that reverberated around Adam¡¯s room.
Would you like to invite Joshua Weston to your home? (Y/N)
Adam accepted the prompt and Josh walked through the front door of his new home pretending to be his old home. Josh went right to the fridge and grabbed a beer before throwing himself on the small leather couch. Adam was pretty sure there hadn¡¯t been beer in his fridge before that. ¡°Check this out,¡± said Josh. As he cracked open the beer, hundreds of tiny planets appeared again rotating around them. Josh took a drink and let out an audible sigh of relief. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the couch. As he did, a small galaxy floated toward the middle of the room. Adam moved out of his recliner toward the scene unfolding in his living room. The rotating planets flickered blue as he passed through them without resistance to look at the galaxy closer. It wasn¡¯t like the other planets, but instead seemed to be a small galactic system of its own. As Adam looked a description appeared next to the floating mass.
World: The Tetra Galaxy
Description: Space pirates are a thing, aliens are too, and you can explore them all along with all the planets that The Tetra Galaxy has to offer. Become the captain of your own spaceship, and explore the darkest depths, the brightest stars, and the greatest planets. Beware though, not all the lifeforms out there are friendly.
Death: You may respawn in The Tetra Galaxy, but you lose everything and start back at level 1.
World Age: 3 years, 2 days, 1 hour and 23 minutes
Population: 3,635,728
¡°Space pirates?¡± he asked. ¡°But you really want to just jump into a whole new world?¡± ¡°What else are we going to do?¡± said Josh. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it. What¡¯s the point of waiting around here? We talk to our parents, or whoever we left behind and we tell them we¡¯re good. There¡¯s nothing here in this little room for us. There¡¯s a whole world out there and this time we can finally live.¡± Adam thought about what his friend had said. He wasn¡¯t wrong. They didn¡¯t leave much behind. Adam had just been dumped a few months ago for not ¡°living up to his potential¡± as she had put it. He didn¡¯t blame her, but he hadn¡¯t felt like anything was worth living for. Now that it was gone he had a small hole inside himself. Like he had missed something. With that hole came a drive to fill it. At the moment he didn¡¯t feel whole, but the idea of joining a new world, one where they could fulfill their full potential sparked something inside Adam. ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± he said. ¡°But not this one. I don¡¯t think I like the idea of space just yet. Maybe another time.¡± ¡°Fair enough, let¡¯s look around.¡± For the next few hours the two scrolled through the small floating planets together. After about an hour they realized there were filters. The first filter they chose was an upcoming world or newly opened world. The next filter was something with dragons, because who didn¡¯t want to fight a dragon. The last filter box they checked was something called Hardcore. The little information window appeared when Adam focused on it.
Hardcore: Death is permanent in this world. If you die you will be sent back to your nexus and unable to join the world ever again.
Adam had always enjoyed perma-death in games. The risk vs reward, the sense of accomplishment, it was what made it so enjoyable. Plus, the idea of just respawning with everything seemed a bit boring. When the last filter box was checked only one planet remained. It floated slowly around the two like all the others, but when there was only one it felt like it had chosen them rather than the other way around. There was a palpable excitement in the air between the two as the planet moved between them.
World: Ethera
Death: Hardcore - If you die you will be returned to your nexus and unable to rejoin the world ever again
Description: A land of magic and wonder. Adventure through the world of Ethera. Discover power, fight monsters, find treasure, create kingdoms, and rise to the top.
Time Until World Birth: 5 hours 52 minutes
¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± they both said simultaneously. Another small menu appeared a moment later.
Would you like to view the trailer to this world? Y/N
¡°There¡¯s a trailer?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Like a movie?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± They both mentally selected "Y" and their vision was filled with a blinding light. Then Adam was floating above a grassy plains. It felt like he was in a waking dream. He had no body, but was instead just floating senses. He could feel the summer breeze, he could smell the grass, he could hear the birds, and he could see far into the distance. Then, everything started to move. He couldn¡¯t control where he was going but only look around. He saw castles, villages, and even some people. The people were not all human either. Some looked like they were carved from stone, others were small and dark with pointy ears. He even thought he saw a man made of glass and smoke. As he floated through the land he noticed his speed starting to pick up. It wasn¡¯t long before the world was flashing by him so fast he was starting to get dizzy. Everything blurred together like some sort of video playing at one-hundred times the normal speed. Adam screamed but no sound came out. Darkness filled his vision. It was utter and complete. For a moment Adam felt worried. His mind raced with scenarios on what happened. Maybe the Nexus wasn¡¯t perfect. Maybe there was some sort of bug. Maybe he was actually dead and this was all just some sick dream. A voice rang out through the darkness just as Adam started to panic. ¡°The people of Ethera were not always so complacent.¡± The voice of the woman demanded attention and exuded power. A small blue light appeared within the darkness. It started to grow bigger as the woman spoke again. ¡°They were not always so weak.¡± The blue light started to come into focus for Adam. He could finally see that it wasn¡¯t a light at all but a giant blue crystal. Inside the crystal he saw scenes play out before him like thousands of tiny movies. War raged, magic flew, and monsters crashed through the lands inside the crystal. A flash of lightning crackled through the crystal and Adam saw the shape of a woman curled up inside. ¡°It is time my children were once again tested,¡± said the woman. The crystal cracked. ¡°They shall not be alone.¡± The sound of breaking glass reverberated inside Adam¡¯s ears. ¡°They will need you. Help them.¡± The crystal exploded and Adam was sent flying backwards. His vision shifted and he was on the grassy green plains again. He looked up as the sky was filled with shimmering blue crystals like millions of tiny stars. They hovered high above the lands covering the entire sky for a brief moment. Then the crystals plummeted toward the world of Ethera. Adam was suddenly back in his nexus room laid back in his recliner. He let out a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he was holding. ¡°That was intense,¡± said Josh. ¡°Yeah, vague as hell too. Looks like they didn¡¯t want to spoil anything.¡± ¡°Whelp, guess it¡¯s time to call the parents and tell them we died.¡± Adam couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the absurdity of the statement. Josh was right though. They needed to let people know that they were part of the nexus now. It took them only about an hour to call their loved ones and let them know what happened. Josh¡¯s girlfriend at the time didn¡¯t take it too well and he spent some time consoling her, but in the end they decided it was probably best if they parted ways since she¡¯d be alive for a long time still. Adam¡¯s was much easier as he just called his parents. He told them to sell whatever he had that was worth anything, and hopefully he¡¯d see them again one day. They took it pretty well, but they were big supporters of the nexus. Death just didn¡¯t seem that big of a deal when you lived forever. With business handled the two friends were ready to start their next adventure. Together they mentally brought up the world list and selected Ethera.
Would you like to join Ethera? Y/N Time Until World Birth: 3 hours 35 minutes
¡°You ready?¡± asked Josh. Adam nodded without hesitation. ¡°Let¡¯s blast.¡± They both accepted and darkness once again filled Adam¡¯s vision. Chapter 3: Character Creation Adam felt like his body was floating, weightless through a blackness so dark that he wasn¡¯t sure he was able to see anymore. A small light appeared ahead of him and without willing it, his body moved forward. As he got closer the light grew bigger and bigger. He moved faster and faster until the light was so bright that it was as blinding as the darkness. Then he felt a rush of air and a small pop in his ears. When he opened his eyes, that he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d closed, he was standing on a small grassy hill. That was it, just a hill with bright green grass, that happened to be surrounded by utter darkness. It was like a small little island in the middle of space. He couldn¡¯t tell where the light source was coming from, but the hill was lit up nicely. There was even a small breeze that made the blades of grass dance slightly. A small ball of golden light about the size of his hand floated out of the darkness. As it got closer Adam could see that it wasn¡¯t a ball of light at all, but a small humanoid figure with wings. It wore a golden dress that sparkled with every movement. A pixie? Adam thought. He smiled to himself. It all felt so real. He could smell the grass. He could feel the breeze on this skin. He was part of this world. ¡°Hi, nice to meet you,¡± said the small figure that was now floating in front of Adam¡¯s face. Its voice was high to the point that it was almost comical. ¡°My name is Himoka and I¡¯ve been sent here to welcome you to Ethera.¡± Adam looked at Himoka and asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re like Guide from the nexus?¡± Adam knew a tutorial when he saw one. Himoka did a quick backflip leaving a trail of golden sparkles in her wake. ¡°Exactly! I was created to imitate Guide¡¯s functions in the world of Ethera. Shall we get started?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Adam. ¡°Perfect, if you look up you¡¯ll notice a timer. This is the time remaining before the birth of the world.¡± Adam looked up to see a timer counting down. The numbers were made of millions of little stars making the dark sky look like a beautiful galaxy. It currently had an hour and forty-five minutes remaining. ¡°Once the timer ends you will be able to join the world. If you joined with others in the same nexus room they will start at the same starting location as yourself. And if you finish creating your character before the countdown timer expires you will be sent into rest-mode until the birth of the world. Now for a little bit of magic!¡± Himoka flew in a wide circle around the hill. As she moved the golden glitter rained down all around. It created a perfect circle that encompassed the hill and Adam watched as the glittering light touched the grass. A ring of golden light formed together where the light had touched the grass swirling like molten gold. Five intricate golden mirrors rose from the swirling light as Himoka came to land on Adam¡¯s shoulder. Adam walked over to the first mirror. As he got close he saw what this was all about. Instead of himself standing in the mirror there was an image of a man about four feet tall with long pointed ears and deep purple eyes staring back at him. Its skin color changed slowly from midnight dark to light brown before his eyes. The figure before him had short hair that changed from blue to green to white just as the skin color. Then the body type changed from a very clear male to an androgynous figure then to a very clear female form. Before Adam could ask a question Himoka spoke again confirming Adam¡¯s suspicions. ¡°These five mirrors depict the five races of Ethera new inhabitants may choose from. Here you can see the possible choices of looks, body type, and attributes. These are known as the Rinklin. They are small in stature, but make up for it in speed and cunning. They also have a natural tendency to lean toward shadow and time magic as they were born from the aftermath of a war between shadow and time itself in the form of Draskkal the shadow beast and Elyssa the time goddess.¡± Adam had more questions then he possibly had time for. He looked up to see that he only had an hour and thirty minutes remaining. This was one of the most important choices he could make. His race could determine everything. His mind was racing, but he tried to stay focused. ¡°Can I see more information on them?¡± he asked. ¡°Certainly, all you have to do is focus on the image of the Rinklin in front of you.¡±
Race: Rinklin
Starting Attributes: Str: 4
Dex: 7
Int: 7
Vit: 3
Wis: 4
Description: Small and fast the Rinklin excel at ranged combat and magic with some expertise in small melee weapons. They have a natural propensity toward time and shadow magic.
So, pretty much the same information Himoka gave me. I wonder what exactly the attributes effect. ¡°Can you tell me what the attributes do?¡± He¡¯d need this information to make the best decision. ¡°Of course!,¡± she said next to his ear. She flew in front of him and floated there looking thoughtful for a moment before she came close to Adam¡¯s face and tapped him on the forehead. A screen appeared in front of him.
Strength: Determines how strong one is physically. This means how hard one can hit with melee weapons, how much one can lift, and can affect the power of certain abilities pertaining to strength. It will also help one to learn higher level strength based skills.
Dexterity: Determines how accurate and powerful ranged weapons are along with one¡¯s ability to react to certain situations. This attribute will also affect speed. It will affect one¡¯s power of certain abilities pertaining to Dexterity. It will also help one to learn higher level dexterity based skills.
Intelligence: Determines the power of many offensive spells and allows for the ability to learn higher level spells. It also increases maximum mana.
Vitality: Increases maximum health points, and also increases health regeneration. If your health points reach zero then you die, and are never allowed to return.
Wisdom: Increases mana regeneration and the effectiveness of healing and other beneficial magic. This will also increase magical defenses. Wisdom also increases mana regeneration. If you run out of mana you will be unable to cast spells or use abilities.
Warning: Upon leveling up each race will receive +1 to all attributes and +5 points to spend as they choose. Due to attribute gain race choices should be based off of the new inhabitants preference not solely numbers.
Okay, so this seems pretty straight forward, Thought Adam. A healer would want a mix of wisdom, intelligence, and vitality. A fighter type would want a lot of strength, some dexterity, and vitality. An offensive mage would probably pump a lot of points into intelligence and probably nothing else because they like to do those kinds of things. He knew he wasn¡¯t interested in this race though. It wasn¡¯t his style to sneak around or use a bow although he did like the idea of shadow and time magic. He moved on to the next mirror a few feet away. This one showed himself as he remembered it from the morning before his accident. The clothes he wore seemed to fit the setting. He had on some plain looking leather jerkin, some tan leather pants, and boots. He looked down at himself and noticed he was actually wearing the same thing the mirror showed. Then the image slowly started to change in height, hair color, skin tone, and gender just as the Rinkling had. Damn, he thought, I make a pretty woman. ¡°These are the Humans of Ethera. They are a race that does not excel in any one attribute, but instead are able to adapt to whatever their situation calls for. They are able to take on any class without restriction as long as requirements are met.¡± Ah, the old favorite. Human. It wasn¡¯t Adam¡¯s first choice, but he did like the idea of not having a restriction on class. ¡°Can you tell me what classes are available? And what kind of professions are there in Ethera?¡± ¡°Do you know what a class is?¡± Adam nodded and Himoka continued. ¡°You will be able to choose a class specific to you at level five based on the skills you decide to train. You will have a choice of three classes based on your accomplishments and skills upon reaching level five. You will then upgrade your class throughout your journey or even change it completely depending on the circumstances. You may also learn one profession which will level separately from your skills and class, but you may replace your profession at any time and start from level one. I am sorry, but I am unable to reveal what classes or professions you may choose from. It is for you to discover as that is part of the adventure.¡± Hmmm, that might make things a bit more difficult. He focused on the image of himself for a moment and the description appeared.
Race: Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Human
Starting Attributes: Str: 5
Dex: 5
Int: 5
Vit: 5
Wis: 5
Description: Humans are known to be the most adaptable of all the races of Ethera. They are unrestricted in their choices of paths or professions as long as they meet the requirements. They are Jacks of all trades until they choose to master one.
Adam moved to the next mirror. This one gave Adam pause as he got close. The figure before him looked to be made of glass with swirling pink smoke inside of it. It was humanoid in shape, but that was where the similarities ended. As he watched the swirling smoke within was the only thing that changed color. ¡°These are known as Elementals of Ethera. They are masters of elemental magic be it destructive lightning, burning fire, or healing earth. The Elementals start in a shell as you see here, but over time they are able to form bodies themselves. Until such time, if the shell is broken, they will dissipate.¡± So, there are hints at least to what classes might be available. This one makes it seem like elemental mages are a thing, the Rinklins seem like assassins, rangers, or some sort of time or shadow mage. I¡¯ll have to think about this. But first I need to see the Elementals stats.
Race: Elemental
Starting Attributes: Str: 3
Dex: 4
Int: 8
Vit: 5
Wis: 5
Description: Elementals are the highest order of magic users in the world of Ethera. They are a force to be reckoned with on and off the battlefield. After reaching the peak of their abilities they are able to leave their shell behind and take on their true forms. Magic has become uncommon in Ethera as have the elementals over the last thousand years. However, they seem to be resurfacing all around the world.
Adam moved to the fourth mirror. Before him stood a massive figure with skin that looked like still lava. Two twisting black horns protruded from the top of its smooth head. It had to be at least seven feet tall without the horns. It smiled at Adam with sharp teeth and tapped on the glass with its sharp fingernails. A thin hairless tail whipped around it. He was startled slightly by this and moved back a step. Slowly the form began to morph as the others did. It lost considerable height and morphed into a famine devilish figure as its skin tone changed to a brighter red. ¡°These are known as the Overlords of Ethera. They excel at both physical combat and demonology. Their race was born for war and they enjoy nothing more than a good fight: win or lose. Their main attributes are strength and intelligence.¡± Demonology, that sounds pretty good. They look sturdy too. He focused on the image.
Race: Overlord
Starting Attributes: Str: 7
Dex: 5
Int: 7
Vit: 4
Wis: 2
Description: Overlords are rumored to be spawned from the blood of demons. They are a race that revels in battle be it through their massive physical strength or their monstrous companions from the depths of the underworld. Sporting high strength and intelligence they are a foe that nobody wants to meet on the battlefield.
Adam looked up at the floating countdown above him again. He had an hour and ten minutes left. Without further hesitation he stepped to the last mirror. The figure in the mirror looked once again like Adam in everything except for the skin. The man in the mirror instead had skin that looked like it was made of crystal. It had a pale blue hue to it. As he watched the skin changed from blue to red, and then to green. ¡°This race,¡± said Himoka, ¡°are known as Gemstones. They are able to make their skin as hard as stone and focus on defensive and beneficial magic for themselves and the people around them.¡± Adam waited a moment for the description window to pop up.
Race: Gemstone
Starting Attributes: Str: 5
Dex: 3
Int: 3
Vit: 7
Wis: 7
Description: Gemstones are protectors at heart. They covet their friendships and family as a dragon covets its horde. They will protect at all cost, and help their companions through beneficial and healing magic. Though they are scarce they are considered to be the most neutral of all the races welcomed in any city and any land.
Adam walked back to the middle of the small hill and sat down. He looked up at the timer. He had an hour to decide and make his character. He still had so many questions, and Himoka seemed reluctant to answer most things. He needed to know what situation he and Josh would be put into so that he could make use of it. The little pixie still sat on his shoulder in silence seemingly waiting on him. ¡°Himoka, can you tell me what Ethera is like?¡± He had to get as much information as he could. This seemed like the best place to start. Himoka seemed to perk up at the question. ¡°The world of Ethera was once full of wonder and magic. For thousands of years monsters, magic, and mystery made the world turn. Slower than anyone, even a god, could see the world began to lose its magic. Monsters started vanishing, magic began to fade, and finally the gods were gone. The world became a mere husk of its former self. ¡°The people of Ethera forgot what their world once was. That is until She awoke. She is a being that even gods feared. Something so ancient that it is incomprehensible. She had been gathering her power, draining the magic from Ethera for millenia. Many would see this as malicious, but they would be mistaken. She was once nothing more than an observer. But as the people of Ethera grew some ascended into gods. These gods would have never known of her existence, but even beings of unimaginable power can grow lonely. She revealed herself to the pantheon and their jealousy was instant. They wanted her power. With tricks and treasures they stole her power and locked her away, unable to destroy her even weakened. ¡°Betrayed by the people she loved she was struck with pain beyond comprehension. She turned in on herself, in her prison, disconnected from everything. Unknowing, even to herself, she pulled the power back into herself. The jealous gods had created her prison too well, and by the time they realized what was happening they could no longer release her. They perished over thousands of years slowly draining away. ¡°It is now that she has finally woken. With her again comes life and death, magic and monsters, might and horrors. However, the people of Ethera will not be alone this time. They will have visitors from far away to help them. They will have you. ¡°The planet itself has an array of terrain, monsters, dungeons, treasure, and magical items. Some even say there are gods who survived. Ethera is also home to hostile kingdoms and war. It is not a place for the faint of heart, but one for the adventurous soul.¡± Adam nodded to himself. He thought he understood. She was the woman in the crystal. He still had some questions though. ¡°When did She wake up?¡± ¡°Last week,¡± said Himoka. She smiled and flew around my head. Well, thought Adam, that¡¯s really going to mess up people¡¯s week. ¡°Is there PvP in Ethera?¡± ¡°Yes, there is player versus player combat in Ethera. Players are able to establish kingdoms so they must be able to protect them as well. There are also safe-zones which will be announced when entering.¡± So, pvp and city ownership. A little more information. Something small and hard to hit would be good, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth the stats for my style. I most likely won¡¯t be able to pick a skin color that will blend in with all of the terrain. If I know Josh he¡¯ll be going with Gemstone or Overlord. Maybe something to compliment that. Overlord seems like a decent choice, but without knowing the classes or professions it¡¯s difficult. I think it might be best just to keep myself open. ¡°Is there a level cap?¡± He knew they choose classes at level five so there had to be a cap. Himoka nodded. ¡°The current level cap is fifty.¡± Adam instantly understood. There would be ways to raise the level cap in the future. His stomach floated with butterflies as his mind raced through the potential of the world. He looked around at the few mirrors he could see while sitting. They all showed the different races sitting in a position like himself. He sighed as put his face in his hands. The hardest decision. Adam enjoyed min/maxing his characters in games. Finding the best route and making every single point and choice count for him. This world though wouldn¡¯t be like one of his games. There were no online guides. There were no streamers he could watch. He was starting on the same playing field as everyone else. The thought excited him more than the fear of making a mistake. He finally resolved himself with a sigh and stood up. Himoka flew off his shoulders and around his head. ¡°Have you made a choice?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± he said and walked to the Human mirror. ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! If you want to change your body type or appearance all you have to do is think about what you want to look like and the magic will take care of the rest. This is where my guidance comes to an end. Enjoy your adventure!¡± Then she flew up and burst into a thousand glittering golden stars that rained down over his head. He looked at the mirror for a bit. He looked like himself from before except it was the most perfect version of himself that he could have imagined and he liked it. His body was that of a top professional athlete, his thick dark hair fell down to his shoulders, and his short beard looked perfectly scruffy. Blue eyes looked back at him, and he nodded to himself. Instinctively he knew what he had to do, and walked through the mirror without a moment more of hesitation. Chapter 4: Skill Selection Adam appeared in a room that looked like a small library from someone who still wore dragon t-shirts. Then he realized he¡¯d probably still wear dragon t-shirts if he could find good ones. There were two purple velvet chairs next to an intricate wooden table with legs shaped like claws. The room was about the size of his one room apartment. There was a bright purple carpet laid out across the whole of the room with colorful circles and stars. Bookshelves lined the walls filled to the brim. He looked down at himself. He was wearing a plain white linen shirt and brown linen pants. He also had on a simple pair of leather boots. Everything felt comfortable. It was weird to him that he could feel it. He really hadn¡¯t thought much about what had happened to him and what it meant. He had technically died. Was this even really him anymore? He stopped that train of thought quickly. He knew it wouldn¡¯t go anywhere good and he needed something good right now. Without warning, next to Adam, appeared an Overlord. This one wasn¡¯t nearly as massive as the one in the mirror had appeared. Nonetheless it was terrifying to see in person. The thing wore a sleeveless linen jerkin that showed off its massive arms. It had on tattered linen pants and the same brown boots that Adam wore. A very high-pitched scream escaped his mouth as he stumbled back from the monster, tripping on the carpet. ¡°Yo, what¡¯s up bro.¡± The voice that came out of the thing sounded like a deep growl. Even through that he recognized the person before him. ¡°Josh?¡± asked Adam. He was still trying to scramble back from the monstrosity when it spoke. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s me.¡± Josh had black lines running all across its deep red skin like lava had cooled down in certain spots. He smiled showing rows of sharp teeth as he waved. The nails of his fingers were black and sharp. ¡°You scared the hell out of me.¡± ¡°Sorry bro.¡± He laughed and went to scratch the back of his head, but his hands smacked into his horns. They were as black as obsidian, protruding from just above his brow and twisting around behind his ears. ¡°Ow,¡± said Adam. As he got up from the floor. ¡°That actually hurt.¡± ¡°Falling down? You know what, now that you mention it I can feel my tail. It¡¯s super weird.¡± Josh gave an excited laugh as he whipped his tail around. It hit one of the bookshelves and he visibly flinched ¡°Whoops, that kind of hurt.¡± Josh had his sleek red and black tail in his hands rubbing it where it had hit the book stand. ¡°Man, I feel fantastic,¡± said Adam. He moved from foot to foot while he flexed his muscles. Looking down at himself he lifted his shirt finding washboard abs underneath. ¡°Holy shit you look like a superhero.¡± ¡°I guess that makes you the super villain?¡± Josh let out a sarcastic laugh. ¡°Laugh it up nerd. Should we test out our new bodies a bit?¡± ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Before Adam could react Josh punched him in the face. Adam flew back into one of the bookshelves lining the wall. He laid sprawled against the hard wooden bookshelf as the tomes fell onto him. His head lulled slightly as he groaned. Adam¡¯s vision was blurred for a moment. Pain seared through his body as a menu flashed in the upper left of his vision.
HP 45/50
Warning: HP stands for Health Points. If this reaches zero you die. You will recover 1 HP per 1 vitality every minute.
The pain vanished almost as fast as it had come and Adam¡¯s HP ticked back up to 50. Josh came rushing over to his friend. ¡°Shit bro, I¡¯m so sorry. Are you okay? I didn¡¯t realize I could hit that hard.¡± Josh went to move the books off Adam but as he touched one he froze. His eyes glossed over slightly like he was looking at something far away. ¡°Oh my god.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°These are skill books!¡± Without a word Adam picked up one of the books off his lap and a menu appeared instantly.
Beginner Spear Skill Book: Learn the basics of wielding a spear
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
Would you like to learn this skill? Y/N
Another menu appeared before Adam as he finished reading.
Welcome to your starting skill selection! You will have one hour to choose two skills and exit the library. A door will appear when you have finished choosing your skills or time runs out. If time runs out before you choose, two random skills will be assigned to you.
¡°Did you get the message about skills?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Yep, what¡¯s that book you¡¯ve got?¡± ¡°This one is for spear.¡± ¡°Same.¡± They quickly checked the other two books that had fallen and found them to both be beginner shield skill books. Then Adam looked at the book spines and noticed a picture of a spear on two and a picture of a shield on two. There were no words. ¡°Look at the pictures.¡± ¡°Ah, so two of each skill book it seems. I guess because there¡¯s two of us?¡± ¡°Probably, let¡¯s see what we¡¯re working with. I¡¯ll go check the other wall while you check this one. Call out what you find.¡± The two started their research. Josh¡¯s side of the room was filled with books on weapons. There were daggers, one-handed swords, two-handed hammers, shields, bows, and more. Adam¡¯s side of the room was filled with books of magic. He had to check every single one because the pictures weren¡¯t nearly descriptive enough. So he slowly went through the rows.
Book of Basic Fire Magic: Teaches the user how to use basic fire magic
Book of Basic Ice Magic: Teaches the user how to use basic ice magic
Adam thought it would be all the same sort of magic he¡¯d seen before until he went further down the rows and discovered some interesting ones. The next few he saw peaked his interest.
Book of Basic Metal Magic: Teaches the user how to use basic metal magic
Book of Basic Warding Magic: Teaches the user how to use warding magic
Then he stumbled across one that he knew Josh would want.
Book of Basic Demonology: Teaches the user the basics of Demonology
Requirements: Str: 3 Int: 3 Wis: 3
¡°I think I found your demonology book.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No freaking way, really?¡± Josh rushed over and grabbed the book. He smiled, hugging the book to his chest. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to try this out.¡± Before Adam could protest about the possibility that Josh might burn down the library the demonology book disappeared from his friend¡¯s hands. Josh stared ahead for a moment. He looked like a demonic statue, unmoving until finally he sucked in a breath like he had been underwater far too long. ¡°What happened?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Holy shit. I saw things. LIke, I understand what I need to do to make a contract, and summon a demon. It¡¯s actually kinda gross, but I know how to do it.¡± ¡°So can you summon one now?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Josh, shaking his head. ¡°I, um, need some materials first.¡± Josh was oddly vague about what exact materials he needed. Adam looked up at the timer hovering in the upper right corner of his vision. 30 minutes left. He relayed the time to Josh. It was still plenty of time to look through the rest of the skill books. Twenty minutes later they sat cross-legged facing each other with a plethora of books surrounding them. ¡°So,¡± said Adam, ¡°what else are you thinking?¡± ¡°I think I want the great sword one,¡± said Josh. ¡°A melee, demon summoning fighter style? That¡¯s an interesting combination.¡± ¡°Yeah, but who doesn¡¯t want to be an anime-sword wielding, demon summoning badass.¡± ¡°Fair,¡± said Adam. He couldn¡¯t deny that it did sound pretty sick. ¡°What about you?¡± Adam thought for a second before he answered. ¡°I think we need some heals for sure since we¡¯ve only got one shot at this, but of all the magic skill books I didn¡¯t see a single one focused on healing explicitly." ¡°What about this one?¡± Josh held up a green book embroidered with intricate leaves. Adam knew what it was. It was a nature magic skill book. ¡°I guess it could have a healing spell attached to it. It¡¯s probably our best shot.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the holy one too.¡± Adam let out a small sigh and said, ¡°yeah, but I don¡¯t think I want anything to do with holy magic in a land we don¡¯t know anything about. Could be associated with some crazy religious cult or some weird god.¡± ¡°Nature then?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Adam, ¡°I think that¡¯s a good call.¡± ¡°What about your last one?¡± ¡°Way of the Fist,¡± Adam said with conviction. ¡°I feel like this one is special.¡± It was one of the few books that they had found that wasn¡¯t just a weapon skill book, but instead it seemed to be a style. Josh nodded and tossed Adam the book on nature magic and the way of the fist before he dug around for his great sword book. Adam read the descriptions again.
Book of Basic Nature Magic: Teaches the user basic nature magic
Requirements: Wis: 3 Dex: 3
Way of the Fist: Teaches the user the way of the fist combat style
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
It seemed like an interesting combination to Adam, but he watched Josh use his book first. As if on cue the book disappeared from Josh¡¯s hand. He looked forward suddenly, his back going straight and his gaze looking past Adam in a thousand yard stare. A moment later he relaxed and a grin split across his face. ¡°Holy hell,¡± he said. ¡°I know how to use great swords. Like, I saw things man. It¡¯s like I grew up training with them my whole life. My trainer was this big overlord dude. I can still feel the sting of his stick when I made a mistake in training.¡± Josh rubbed his leg absently as he spoke trying to force the phantom pain away. Adam was a little hesitant after watching what happened to Josh. He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about things messing with his memories. He hesitantly picked up the book of nature magic. With a sigh he accepted the notification that asked if he wanted to use the skill book. It felt like a cold stream was trickling through his body as images started to appear in his mind. At first he didn¡¯t fully comprehend them. Then he was living the memories. There was a small sapling in a beautiful forest glade. The sapling grew rapidly before his eyes. It shot toward the sky as if it wanted to reach the heavens. It was lush and full of the greenest leaves Adam had ever seen. A voice sounded within the glade a moment later. ¡°Do you wish to learn the ways of nature?¡± asked the voice. It sounded ancient and strong. Adam looked around for where the voice was coming from. He noticed the bark was running in strange ways on the tree. A moment later two deep blue eyes were revealed within the bark. They looked down at him. ¡°Um, yes?¡± Adam didn¡¯t know why he was questioning it, but the tree didn¡¯t seem to notice. Instead, a branch moved from high above. It came down with a grace that belied the size of the tree until the tip was right in front of Adam¡¯s face. At the very end of the branch hung a golden apple. Adam just stared at the fruit. A moment later the branch shook and Adam felt the annoyance of the tree. He picked the fruit and took a bite. The juices exploded in his mouth with flavors of the best part of every fruit he had ever eaten before. Then the knowledge rushed into him. He felt the nature magic set itself deep in his stomach like the roots of a tree. It felt alive in him like a breeze on a summer day. Words came to his mind a moment later and he spoke them without hesitation. With his hand raised the magic roiled up and through his body and down his arm. Emerald leaves of glimmering magic burst from the tips of his fingers and shot toward the tree. The tree laughed a belly laugh and Adam saw the green light grow brighter and brighter until he had to cover his eyes. When he opened his eyes again he was sitting in the library with Josh across from him. ¡°Whoa,¡± he said, ¡°I think I just learned a healing spell.¡± ¡°No way!¡± exclaimed Josh. ¡°Use it on me. I wanna see it.¡± Still sitting Adam pointed a finger at Josh and recited the words. He felt the magic in his gut bubble up and race toward his outstretched arm. A moment later glistening emerald leaves of pure magic burst out and wrapped themselves around Josh before dissipating into millings of tiny green lights. Josh¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°That felt tingly.¡± Adam¡¯s MP bar dropped from 50 to 30 and a message appeared.
Warning! You have just used MP for the first time. MP stands for Mana Points. Abilities and spells require mana and if you run out you will be unable to use abilities or cast spells until your mana has recovered. The rate at which MP is recovered is based on your wisdom. You will recover 1 MP per 1 wisdom every minute.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell Emerald Leaves.
Emerald Leaves: Heal a target instantly for 50 HP
Cost: 20 MP
Cooldown: 5 minutes
¡°Do the next one!¡± said Josh. ¡°My weapon one was super sick.¡± Adam nodded and picked up the next book examining it.
Way of the Fist: Teaches the user the basics of the way of the fist style of combat
Requirements: Dex: 3 Str: 3 Vit: 3
Would you like to learn this skill? Y/N
Adam accepted the notification and the book disappeared. Instead of a small stream, a rushing river of knowledge came crashing down into his mind. For a moment he was frozen. This was unlike learning nature magic. This was so much more. A montage of images flashed before him. They were of him training with the way of the fist from childhood. His master stood before him, an old bald man with a wispy white beard that touched the ground. He stood tall and proud even in his old age. His master was hard but fair in everything. Adam had trained from sun up to sun down since coming to his master as a small child. His fist flew and kicks snapped out at training dummies, fellow students, and finally at his master in his final test. Adam needed to only land a single blow on his master to complete his training that day. He felt the sun beating down on his shirtless body. Sweat dripped to the dirt arena in buckets turning it to mud around his feet. He had been trying and failing for hours now. The entire school was there as witnesses. He wouldn¡¯t fail. He couldn¡¯t fail. His master stood before him with both hands behind his back. Like a viper Adam struck out with his fist. His master moved like water and dodged to the right. As he dodged he moved in closer and brought his knee up in an attempt to drive it into Adam¡¯s stomach, but Adam was ready. He brought his hands down and blocked the blow. His arms shook from the force, but he couldn¡¯t think about the pain because he knew what would come next. His master¡¯s head came shooting straight towards Adam¡¯s exposed face. Adam moved with pure instinct bringing up both hands palm first into his master¡¯s chin with all his strength. It felt like hitting solid stone. The crack of the blow resounded throughout the arena as a circle of dust blew up from the force. Adam felt bones in his hand crack as his master froze millimeters from his face. A smile spread across the old man¡¯s face. Then Adam was back in the library. He looked at his friend who was waiting expectantly. ¡°So?¡± asked Josh. ¡°I-I know kung fu.¡± Chapter 5: Weapons! As Adam and Josh got up from their sitting positions the library started to shake slightly. With their new bodies it was almost too easy to keep their balance as a bookshelf slid away into a wall. Behind the bookshelf was, what Adam could only describe as, a portal of swirling black and green magic. He could feel the power emitting from it. ¡°Guess that¡¯s our way out,¡± said Josh. ¡°Yep, you ready?¡± Josh looked toward Adam and a grin split across his face. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Then they were off rushing for the portal as fast as they could. They both came crashing down onto hard packed dirt as they fell over each other. The sun was shining bright causing them both to be temporarily blinded by the change in lighting. ¡°Oh my god you¡¯re so heavy,¡± groaned Adam. He was pinned under Josh who was struggling to right himself. ¡°Sorry bro.¡± Josh pushed himself up rubbing at his eyes. It took a moment but both were up and dusting themselves off. They looked around at their surroundings. They were in the middle of what looked like a medieval festival without the festivities. There were small stone huts surrounding them with straw roofs. Most had wooden windows and doors. The gray stone looked like it had been stained by the sun for a long time. The houses were set up in a circle making the middle seem like the center of the small town. A little distance away there was a wall that rose up slightly above the huts, but it couldn¡¯t have been more than 3 meters tall. It looked to be made of the same flimsy wood as the doors and windows of the huts. Adam looked back at where they had emerged and found the solid rock wall of a hut. There seemed to be no people around, but Josh spotted a figure on one of the walls. He nudged Adam just as the figure put a long golden horn to his lips and blew. The sound tore through the small village. Without warning the place was in a frenzy. People appeared from every hut, most were rushing toward the sound of the horn. Some were ushering elders and children the opposite way. Josh and Adam were wholly ignored. Adam looked over to his friend and they both shrugged moving toward where the horn had sounded from. ¡°What do you think is going on?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Probably some sort of raid. It looked like most of the people who were moving toward the wall had weapons.¡± ¡°Damn, they¡¯re just throwing us right into it.¡± Adam could only nod. As they weaved their way through the huts Adam felt like he hadn¡¯t really taken a breath since he¡¯d died. He was positive he hadn¡¯t come to terms with everything that had happened, but he was grateful that he hadn¡¯t had time to think too much. He knew it wouldn¡¯t lead to anything good, but he also knew he would have to face it one day. Luckily, it looked like it wouldn¡¯t be today. As the wall came into full view, so did the small group of villagers armed with all sorts of weapons. The man on top of the gate was holding his hands out to quiet the gathering crowd. ¡°¡ªspotted coming out of the cave,¡± said the man. Adam and Josh had apparently caught him mid speech. ¡°They took out some of our scouts and will be at the wall shortly. Prepare yourselves!¡± The group of villagers looked ragged and worn. Most looked as if they hadn¡¯t eaten a proper meal in a week. Others were visibly shaking with their weapons in hand. Adam and Josh weren¡¯t the last to arrive though. A young woman appeared, walking out from between two huts to their left. She wore similar attire to Adam¡¯s, a white linen shirt that was dirty enough to be brown at this point, brown linen slacks, and leather boots. Her raven black hair was pulled into a tight pony tail. She had eyes of piercing violet that looked up toward the man on the wall. In her hands she held a drawn sword and a round wood buckler. The villagers parted as she walked through the crowd. Adam focused on her and a window appeared in his face.
Name: Mina
Level: 2
Class: N/A
Another menu popped up right after that shocked Adam to his core.
Warning: This is your first time examining an NPC. The world of Ethera is a living world. All NPCs have their own lives, make their own choices, and grow along with you and the world. NPCs will have their own reaction to you. You share this world with them. Do what you will with this information.
That was something Adam wasn¡¯t expecting. He wasn¡¯t sure what that meant, but he knew it had some major implications. He just wasn¡¯t sure what they were yet. He was snapped back to the current situation when the man on the wall spoke again. ¡°Mina, what are you doing?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to fight,¡± she said. ¡°You will do no such thing! Go, take care of the children and elderly. Make sure they are safe.¡± ¡°No, father. These monsters have taken everything from me. My steel will taste their blood or the Earthmother will take me into her bosom. Either way I will be facing them today.¡± ¡°Please,¡± said the man on the wall. His head hung in dejection. ¡°Don¡¯t throw your life away.¡± ¡°My life? What life? I have nothing left. Now open the gate!¡± ¡°Damn, she¡¯s intense,¡± whispered Josh into Adam¡¯s ear. His whisper wasn¡¯t as much of a whisper as it was a small shout with his new voice. He was still getting used to things. The whole group of villagers, mayor atop the wall and Mina all turned toward the two newcomers. Adam slapped his hand to his head trying to make himself as small as possible. Josh just smiled and waved with a pointy toothed grin and tail waving behind him. ¡°An Overlord?¡± said the Mayor. ¡°What do the war-folk want with a village like ours?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Josh said. He was looking around. Adam thought he might have turned a shade redder than usual. ¡°Um, we¡¯re new here.¡± He pointed to Adam standing next to him. ¡°What is your business here?¡± said Mina. She moved toward us. Her posture made both Adam and Josh¡¯s back go straight. They could tell she¡¯d kill them without hesitation if they posed a threat. ¡°We,¡± said Josh backing up with his hands outstretched in a please don¡¯t kill me gesture. ¡°We, um, are here to help?¡± Adam knew his friend and he knew that was most definitely meant as a question. He had no idea what to do. Adam couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the situation. He looked up as Mina approached. ¡°We¡¯re here to help,¡± said Adam. ¡°Why?¡± asked Mina. She was face-to-face with Adam. She looked taller before, but she only came up to Adam¡¯s chin. However, the stare she gave him made her seem ten feet tall. Adam thought for a moment then said, ¡°because we can.¡± At that Mina¡¯s shoulders fell slightly. She sheathed her weapon. She looked closely at Adam staring into his eyes. Adam felt the pressure of her stare bearing down on him and he almost looked away. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ll be much help, but we¡¯ll take every hand we can get.¡± She looked back at her father atop the wall. ¡°Open the gate.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± said Josh. ¡°You got a sword I can use?¡± She looked over her shoulder at the two new faces. ¡°There¡¯s some unused gear over there.¡± She pointed toward where she had come from near another bundle of stone huts. ¡°Take what you need.¡± With that she walked away toward the gate. Josh looked at Adam. ¡°Intense,¡± was all he said laughing a little as he walked toward where she had pointed. ¡°I think she examined me,¡± said Adam as he followed his friend. ¡°What? Bro, she¡¯s an NPC.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s like what we¡¯re used to. Have you examined one of them yet?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± he said. As they moved through the crowd Josh examined one of the villagers. It was a boy that couldn¡¯t have been more than fifteen. He had a short sword and a small wooden shield. They both rattled together as he shook with nervousness. The same warning Adam saw popped up into Josh''s view. ¡°Interesting, what do you think that warning is about?¡± ¡°I think it means they¡¯re as real as us now.¡± ¡°What do you mean? They¡¯re not human.¡± ¡°Neither are you now,¡± said Adam. ¡°And we both died. We¡¯re not technically alive anymore.¡± ¡°You think too much.¡± Josh waved his hands in dismissal as a table came into view. It was a small stone slab more than a table. It was made of the same material as the huts. Atop the table lay a plethora of weapons. Swords, spears, a bow, a giant battle axe, and more lay spread out. Adam examined one of the short swords as he got close.
Bronze Short Sword: A bronze short sword.
Rarity: Common
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
He checked another one.
Simple Wooden Bow: The simplest of bows.
Rarity: Common
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
Wow, thought Adam, these descriptions are really helpful. ¡°Hmm,¡± said Adam, ¡°looks like I could use any of these. It doesn¡¯t say it requires any kind of melee or ranged skill.¡± ¡°Interesting, I guess the books were just to give us an edge.¡± Josh moved to the table and picked up a simple looking great sword. Its blade looked about as tall as Adam, but it was as thin as a normal sword. As Josh held the sword a new menu appeared in his view.
Would you like to equip Bronze Great Sword? Y/N
Josh¡¯s eyes grew wide. After he accepted the prompt another menu appeared showing a humanoid outline with slots for equipment. It looked exactly like the games he and Adam had played so much. He looked below and saw what he expected. An inventory. Once he saw it the knowledge of how to use it popped into his head. Like the world was waiting for him to discover it before it let him remember how to use it. ¡°We have an inventory,¡± he said. ¡°What?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Watch.¡± Josh mentally moved the sword to his inventory and it disappeared from his hands. It wasn¡¯t anywhere on his body anymore. It was just gone. He then equipped it again, but this time it was strapped to his back. At least it looked like it was strapped to his back. When he turned around Adam saw that the sword was not in fact connected to anything on his friend. Instead it seemed to float slightly off of his back as if it were being held up by an invisible force. ¡°Holy hell,¡± said Adam. Then the knowledge rushed into him just as it had with his skill book. Only this time it was much quicker. ¡°I-I know how to use it too now.¡± Adam examined his inventory paged and noticed his tunic, pants, and boots were already equipped to a picture of a featureless humanoid. At the top he noticed three tabs that read outfit 1, outfit 2, and outfit 3. Below that there was a box with about twenty-five small squares inside. Adam knew what this was. That was his inventory space. He picked up a small dagger from the table and willed it into this inventory. The first space was filled. He took it out and put it back on the table. ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re connected or something. As soon as you learned about the inventory it popped up for me.¡± As if on cue, a new notification appeared in Adam¡¯s view.
Would you like to form a party with Josh Weston? Y/N
¡°Huh,¡± said Adam before he accepted. Josh then received the party request and accepted. Two small windows appeared the the top left corner of Adam''s vision. The two could now see each other¡¯s current HP and MP as well as the other¡¯s names hovering below their own. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we pick new names?¡± asked Josh. As soon as he thought about it, yet another window appeared in his vision.
Would you like to change your name? Y/N Warning: you may only change your name once within this world.
¡°Never mind, looks like all we need to do is think about it and we can change it.¡± Adam thought about it for a second before the window appeared before him as well. He thought for a moment before choosing to accept the name change. He decided to change his name to just his first name: Adam. Simple, easy, and efficient. Luckily for them this new world seemed to work exactly like most games they had played. Except for the fact that they were physically there, most of the game systems came easy for them. Josh ended up using only his first name as well. It just felt too strange to change their names to their game personas when it was actually them in the world, but using their last names also felt wrong. With all the new information flooding in Adam had wholly forgotten about the NPCs and the goblins apparently coming for the village until the gate started to open. The creaking wood bellowed across the village causing all the hustling and bustling of the villagers to quiet completely. Josh looked over toward the opening gate and unlatched his great sword from his back. Josh¡¯s stance instantly changed as he bent his knees and held the sword with practiced ease. He swung it through the air in an intricate combination of slashes like he had practiced his whole life. Adam looked across the table. Nothing seemed to call to him until his eyes fell on a pair of gloves. He knew what they were without even examining them. He had trained with them for years, or at least the Way of the Fist skill book he used made him believe that. They were weighted gloves. These were made mostly of leather with an iron plate on each forearm. There were also small spikes on each knuckle that were sure to inflict some nasty damage. He ended up examining them just to see.
Pair of Simple Weighted Gloves: A simple pair of weighted gloves. Able to block some incoming attacks with forearms.
Rarity: Common
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
He pulled them on and flexed his hands. Surprisingly they seemed unencumbered by the devices. The gate finished its awful screeching and was now fully opened. Adam could see Mina at the very front of the group of about thirty villagers. Outside was a massive flat valley full of lush green grass. Beyond that Adam could see a mountain range covered from base to peak in forest. Even from so far away Adam could tell the trees were massive. From the peak of the mountain bellowed black smoke so thick it looked like oil. It was an ominous scene on its own, but it was made even worse as Adam saw dust rising from the valley at the base of the mountain. It must have been two kilometers away, but even from that far he could see the cause. Goblins. A group of at least a fifty were racing toward the small village with weapons raised and battle cries upon their lips. ¡°Are those what I think they are?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Yep,¡± said Adam. ¡°It feels almost like I know them instinctively. I can also feel their aggression.¡± ¡°Same, it must be something with the world.¡± Adam and Josh stood watching the oncoming army goblins as they raced toward the village. Reality came crashing down on both of them at the same time. They were about to have to fight these actual monsters. If they didn¡¯t they¡¯d die. Again. Yet, for some reason Adam didn¡¯t feel scared. Instead his body almost shook with excitement. He could feel Josh¡¯s excitement as well. Something had changed and it was just starting to peek through both of them. Before Adam had lived his life like everyone else. His life was predictable. Certainly unpredictable things could happen, but all in all the world was what it was. You worked, you lived, and you died. He could have become famous, joined the military, had a family, worked at a gas station for twenty years, or done a million other things. A million predictable, normal things. This though, this place was one where he would wake up everyday not knowing what would come next. There was suddenly no limit to what he could do, and he felt it deep in his soul, and when this was over he¡¯d be able to do it all again, forever. Adam turned to Josh and he saw it in his friend¡¯s eyes. It was the same freedom that Adam felt. This was their world now, and they were going to see just how far they could go. Without another word they charged toward the oncoming horde. Chapter 6: Goblins, Goblins, and More Goblins! ¡°Holy hell,¡± said Josh as he ran toward the small approaching army. ¡°My body feels amazing. I feel like I can run forever. This is insane.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re fast. Look, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Adam pointed with his gloved hand toward the oncoming horde. It was less than 200 meters ahead now. They had been running for less than five minutes and not even at full speed. Ahead of them the villagers and Mina came to a stop. There was no military formation in the way they stood. It was just a group of villagers haphazardly grouped together to defend their home. Mina unsheathed her longsword from its scabbard on her hip. Her round, wooden shield was strapped to her other arm. She held the sword high as the other villagers drew their weapons. Josh looked down at the great sword he was still holding from back in the village. It hadn¡¯t crossed his mind to sheath his sword. He looked sheepishly at Adam. ¡°Didn¡¯t your mom ever tell you not to run with your sword out?¡± asked Adam. He couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter. ¡°Be ready!¡± yelled Mina. ¡°Form up!¡± The villagers moved into ten columns across and three rows deep. It was practiced, but not well. Some stumbled and others visibly shook. Adam and Josh could see the lines were slightly crooked. Adam could see the goblins now. They were finally close enough and he got a good look at them. Each one was about four feet tall on average with long pointed ears. Their skinned ranged from green to brown with each sporting beady black eyes. They looked exactly like Adam expected a goblin to look except being face to face with them even so far away he could see how terrifying they really were. Some held clubs and others had wicked looking serrated blades. Their sharp teeth glinted in the sunlight. One thing stuck out to him though. Each and every one of them seemed to have black lines running all over their bodies. It made their flesh look like it was rotting. Each moved in unison as if they were one, trotting toward the villagers. None made a sound. Adam focused on one of the front goblins.
Name: Corrupted Goblin Warrior
Level: 1
He examined a few more of the goblins and found them to be all about the same. The monsters were still charging toward the group and were closing in on the villagers. ¡°Archers!¡± yelled Mina. ¡°Ready!¡± The second line of villagers moved forward all with long bows raised. ¡°Hold!¡± The archers all had bows ready and arrows knocked. They held the bows pulled back with ease which Adam thought was a little strange. He could have sworn he¡¯d read somewhere that holding a bow like that was really straining. The villagers however, showed no sign of difficulty holding the bows fully drawn. The goblins were now less than 100 meters out. Adam could do nothing but watch as the monsters charged without abandon. Their black, soulless eyes, prominent to his enhanced eyesight now. His new body was really amazing. ¡°Fire!¡± Arrows loosed in unison and Adam watched as the first few goblins dropped to the ground and were trampled by their companions. ¡°They¡¯re going to get overrun,¡± said Josh. Just as Adam was about to agree Mina let out her next command. ¡°Shields!¡± she yelled. The first row stepped forward and on to their knees. Each and every one of them had a small round shield strapped to their arms. They were crooked for only a moment before all touched their shields together. The archers, at the same moment, moved back two steps and began releasing arrows over the heads of their companions. Finally, the third row moved up setting their shields on top of the others taking a knee creating a makeshift shield wall. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The arrows tore through the goblins, cutting their numbers by a third before they slammed into the shield wall. The sound of the clash was almost deafening as screams and battle cries wholly enveloped the battlefield. Adam and Josh saw what the others couldn¡¯t. The goblins numbered too many and their shield wall was just a straight line. Some of the goblins were spilling over and starting to attack at the flank of the villagers. ¡°You thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡± asked Adam. Josh looked over at his friend with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s time to grind.¡± Adam flexed his fist where his gloves were still on his hands. Adam felt the knowledge of the way of the fist rush back to him as he charged toward the goblins trying to flank the villagers. One with a jagged short sword noticed him and turned. The top of the monster¡¯s head came up to Adam¡¯s chest. Its mouth was slightly slack and black drool dripped out. Adam was shocked for a moment at the sight and the goblin slashed at his waist. Without thinking Adam reacted. He blocked the sword with his right forearm where the metal plates were and shot his fist out in a jab at the goblin¡¯s face. It was so fast that Adam wasn¡¯t sure he had even punched until he saw a green bar appear above the goblins head. It dropped down to about 70 percent. The goblin looked dazed and Adam didn¡¯t hesitate as his fists shot out again this time with a combination of left and right jabs. The goblin¡¯s green bar fell rapidly turning yellow, then red, and finally it blinked away as the goblin dropped to the ground. Dead. Adam didn¡¯t have time to think about it as another goblin came rushing at him with a club raised overhead. Adam tried to bring his arms up to block the blow, but he knew he was too late. Then, Josh was in front of him with his great sword as he blocked the club. The goblin screamed in anger. The first sound Adam heard from the monsters. Josh pulled the sword away. As he did the goblin attacked again, but Josh was ready. He parried the blow with a swing sending the club flying from the goblins hand. He then reversed his swing as if the sword weighed no more than a feather. The sword slid through the goblins neck lopping off its head with one clean strike. ¡°This is awesome!¡± yelled Josh as he weaved back into the fray. The battle lines were now wholly dissolved and the fighting was frantic and spread out into small fights rather than a large-scale battle. Adam hardly had time to think about what was happening as goblins were all around trying their hardest to kill him and the villagers. He saw some villagers fall, but he noticed more and more goblins on the ground. He noticed the young boy from the village, so full of fear, holding on for dear life to his small buckler as two goblins pounded on it with clubs. Adam charged toward them. The goblin¡¯s backs were to him so he used the element of surprise to its full advantage. As he came upon them he pulled both hands together and smashed down on the first goblin¡¯s head. Adam saw the monster''s health bar disappear as it crumpled under the blow in one hit. As the second one turned to see its dead friend Adam threw an uppercut under its chin. The goblin flew a foot into the air before it crashed to the ground, dead, next to its companion. ¡°T-thanks,¡± stammered the boy. He got up and picked up his sword that had fallen next to him. ¡°They were about to kill me.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± said Adam. He looked around the battlefield as the fighting was dying down. It had ended almost as quickly as it started. The goblins didn¡¯t seem like much of a match even for villagers. As the last scream of a goblin sounded Adam could see the fight was truly over. Of the thirty villagers it looked like only five didn¡¯t make it. Nearly fifty goblins lay dead on the ground with black blood oozing from their wounds. Josh came running up a moment later. His swords were covered in the green blood of goblins. ¡°I got four,¡± he said with a smile. It looked terrifying with his sharp teeth and horns. The blood smeared across his face didn¡¯t help. ¡°Three for me,¡± said Adam. ¡°You think we¡¯ll get experience points like in games?¡± Just as he said the words the battlefield erupted into blue crystals. They flew around everywhere rushing into different people. It was like a crashing ocean of jewels. As they flew into Josh and Adam a notification window appeared.
You have received 350 experience points!
You have reached level 2!
Chapter 7: Level Up! A slew of notifications popped up in front of Adam after his level.
Your attributes have increased by 1 point.
You have gained 5 unallocated attribute points.
Your hand-to-hand skill has increased to level 4.
You have received: Goblin Heart x2, Goblin Tooth x5, Small Soul Crystal x3
You have received a quest: Find the cause of the corruption - Find the source of the goblin''s corruption and extinguish it.
You have a new ability to choose!
An ability, Adam thought, now that sounds interesting. As he thought about it a new menu appeared and before him were two choices.
Power Strike: Increase the damage of your next strike significantly. The effect last for 1 minute or until used whichever comes first.
Cost: 10 MP
Cooldown: 1 minute
This one seemed pretty normal to Adam and he quickly checked his other choice.
Combo: Strike out in a 3-hit combination dealing slightly increased damage with each landed hit. If all three hits land, increase your speed by 25% for 30 seconds.
Cost: 15 MP
Cooldown: 1 minute
Whoa, Combo seems pretty sick. Adam¡¯s mind raced as he read the last part of the skill description. Images of punches coming so fast they were nothing but blurs to the untrained eye, thousand-punch combos decimating his enemies, and speeding through the battlefield like a bullet. His decision was made at that moment. He chose Combo.
Congratulations you have learned Combo!
A rush of knowledge flowed into him and he saw how to use the skill. He had only to think about it and it would activate mid punch allowing him to follow up and get the bonus if all three hits landed. Adam willed the rest of the notifications away and opened his inventory. He saw the goblin pieces stacked in the first two squares. It looked like space was limited, but for now he had plenty. He mentally chose one of the hearts bringing it out of his inventory to examine. A black heart, oozing even darker blood, appeared in his hands. He dropped it on instinct. ¡°Gross,¡± he said. He wiped his hands on his shirt trying to get the black gunk off. Josh came jogging over. ¡°Yo, is that a goblin heart?¡± ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think it was going to be an actual heart. That¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°Can I have it? I need it for something.¡± ¡°Um, yeah of course.¡± Truthfully Adam was glad to be rid of the thing. He was curious though. ¡°What exactly do you need a goblin heart for?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± said Josh. With a devilish grin he pulled the heart into his inventory. ¡°Did you level up too?¡± ¡°Yep, level two. Did you get a skill?¡± ¡°Hell yeah I did. Power Slash for me. I¡¯m about to slice and dice some baddies bro.¡± ¡°I wonder how much experience points we need for the next level,¡± said Adam. ¡°Looks like a thousand total. You can see it on your stat page.¡± Adam thought for a moment about what Josh had said. He waited for only a second before the page appeared.
Character Statistics
Name: Adam
Race: Human
Level: 2
Experience: 150/750
Class: N/A
HP: 60/60
MP: 60/60
Attributes: Str: 6 Dex: 6 Int: 6 Vit: 6 Wis: 6
Unallocated Attribute Points: 5
Skills: Hand-to-Hand: 4 Nature Magic: 1
Abilities: Combo
Spells: Emerald Leaves
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Adam had actually forgotten that he had the spell. He hadn¡¯t even taken a hit from the goblins and the fight was over so fast. This was seeming more and more like a starter zone he was akin to. He noticed Way of the Fist had been converted to Hand-to-Hand skill. He wondered what would happen as it leveled. He had a thought then. ¡°Hey Josh, did you take any damage in the fight?¡± ¡°Um,¡± Josh said, ¡°yeah.¡± He looked a little embarrassed. ¡°One of them smacked me in the ribs with its club. Hurt like a mother for a second, but it only took about seven points from my HP.¡± ¡°Are you still missing some?¡± ¡°Yeah, looks like another four left to regenerate still.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to try casting my healing spell on you.¡± When Adam had used the skill book he had the knowledge imparted to him on exactly how to cast the spell. He closed his eyes for a moment feeling within himself. He felt the pulse of life in his core. He reached inward and willed it to move up through his body and down his right arm until it reached his finger tips. Then he released the spell as he focused on Josh. Floating green leaves appeared from his finger tips glowing with a vibrant light. They moved through the air directly to Josh flipping and twirling in the air as they traveled. As they reached him they burst into tiny little green specks that were absorbed into Josh¡¯s body. Adam watched as his friend¡¯s HP bar rose to full. He had completely forgotten the party menu. He¡¯d have to keep an eye on that from now on. ¡°Thanks bro,¡± said Josh. He went back to doing what he was doing before which Adam assumed was looking at his character statistics page. He had a slightly glazed-over look in his eyes as he stared at nothing. The entire process took less than a second. Adam felt the healing energy reforming in his core and he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to cast the spell again until the minute cooldown had expired. He also saw his mana drop from 60 to 40. Another notification popped up in his vision.
Your Nature Magic skill has increased to 2
So, attributes aren¡¯t the only thing that will affect spells and skill, thought Adam. He now had two skills on his character statistic page. Hand-to-Hand and Nature Magic. He looked at his attribute points and reflected on what he had learned. He felt the power of his punches. They were well above what normal humans could accomplish. If he¡¯d have to guess he was probably on the level of a professional boxer in pure strength just from his starting attribute being a five. The same went for dexterity. He had reacted to this goblin¡¯s sword with ease. He had also enjoyed the fighting style. He could see the potential, but Emerald Leaves couldn¡¯t be ignored either. The ability to heal oneself and others was going to be super important in a world where death meant never returning. So, he was completely stumped as to where to put his attribute points. He decided, for the time being, to just save them. Josh on the other hand. . . ¡°Finished,¡± said Josh. A triumphant smile was plastered across his demonic face. ¡°Finished with what?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Points bro, 2 in strength, 2 in vitality, and 1 in intelligence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m saving mine for now.¡± Josh laughed. ¡°Of course you are.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± said Adam, looking hurt. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re literally the guy who will save a random chicken egg in a game all the way until you beat the final boss thinking it might have some use in the future. Only to find out it was just a damned chicken egg the whole time.¡± ¡°Yeah, but what if it was a magical chicken egg that hatched into a dragon-chicken that would have helped me defeat the boss.¡± ¡°Did it ever?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Not yet,¡± said Adam, ¡°but you never know.¡± Josh only sighed as he knew the argument was moot. His friend was more stubborn about this than a toddler refusing to eat vegetables. Adam would share anything and everything with Josh, but he wouldn¡¯t use something on his own unless he knew he absolutely wouldn¡¯t need it later. Adam opened his inventory once more. He had just remembered the soul crystals. He looked and didn¡¯t see them at first glance. His eyes drifted around until he spotted something new. There, at the bottom of the inventory box, were three images of crystals in descending order by size. The last one had the number three next to it. He pulled at it with a mental command. Three crystals fell into his hands. They were no bigger than fun sized candy bars. Each stone was a kaleidoscope of colors as they glinted in the sun. Adam focused on one of them until a window appeared.
Small Soul Crystal: These crystals are an integral part of Ethera. They are used in every craft, and are also becoming the base currency for the world. Soul crystals come in small, medium, and large. They will stack endlessly in your inventory. You may combine one hundred small crystals to create a medium crystal, and another one hundred medium to make a large. You may also break the crystals down from large to medium to small and receive the opposite ratio.
¡°Yo,¡± said Adam, ¡°did you get some small soul crystals?¡± Josh looked over from where he was staring off into space. A crystal appeared in his hand. ¡°This?¡± ¡°Yeah, looks like those are currency in this place or at least will be the main currency.¡± ¡°Used for crafting too.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Adam said. ¡°I wonder what professions there are and how we get them.¡± ¡°Who knows. Did you get that quest about the goblins and corruption?¡± ¡°Yep, looks like that¡¯s our first task. Should we ask if anyone else wants to join?¡± ¡°Like who?¡± asked Josh. ¡°The NPCs?¡± ¡°Yeah man, like I said. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re like normal NPCs. The nexus said that they are living in this world with us.¡± ¡°If you think it¡¯s worth a try then go for it,¡± said Josh. The villagers were starting to head back. They trudged half-heartedly, some with their weapons dragging and others dropping them all together. They looked defeated already. All but one. Mina stood staring toward the mountain that the goblins came from. Her back was turned as Adam approached. Adam cleared his throat as he came up close. ¡°Um, hi.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± There was nothing but steel in her voice. She didn¡¯t even turn around. ¡°Well,¡± said Adam, covering his eyes from the sun that shone down. ¡°My friend and I got a quest to find the source of the goblin corruption and we¡¯re wondering if you got the same quest.¡± Mina turned on him and moved close. ¡°I do and that is where I¡¯m heading now. I shall be their deathbringer or they shall finally take what¡¯s left of me.¡± ¡°Do you mind if we tag along?¡± asked Adam. He regretted his decision the moment the words left his mouth. She seemed crazy, but a tank was a tank, and from what Adam saw she fit the role. ¡°It will most likely mean your death.¡± She finally turned to face him. ¡°I think we¡¯ll try to avoid that, but we¡¯d like to join you if you¡¯re heading up the mountain.¡± ¡°Who exactly are you two?¡± Adam wasn¡¯t sure where to start so he decided the truth about the nexus and everything would be the easiest. ¡°We come from a different world. One where¨C¡± he was interrupted by a screen blinking in his face.
Warning: This NPC¡¯s level is too low to comprehend this information without interfering with their mental wellbeing. Once NPCs are level 30 or above they will be able to handle such information due to natural attribute increases. For the time being they will not be able to understand anything you say relating to the Nexus.
¡°What did you say?¡± asked Mina. She looked as confused as Adam felt. ¡°Um, w-we¡¯re not sure how we got here actually, but we¡¯re here now and willing to help.¡± Mina nodded. ¡°Keep your secrets then. You fought well enough. Let us be on our way.¡± Adam sent a party invitation to Mina and she accepted. Her name, HP and MP bars showed up in the top left of his view. He noticed her hit points were much higher than his sitting at 120. It confirmed his suspicion that she was headed down some sort of tank path, or at the very least she¡¯d be able to take a lot more hits and he and Josh at the moment. ¡°So,¡± said Josh. He had finished looking at his stat page and came jogging over. ¡°We going to kill some more goblins?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Mina. ¡°Do you guys mind if I summon a demon first?¡± Josh was sheepish as he looked between Adam and Mina. ¡°What do you mean ¡®summon a demon¡¯?¡± asked Mina. ¡°I¡¯m going to summon a¨C¡± Josh stopped speaking and stared off into the distance with the increasingly common stat page look on his face. ¡°Lesser underworld spawn.¡± Mina looked between the two. ¡°You two seem like an odd pair.¡± ¡°We are,¡± they both said simultaneously. Josh took that for confirmation and moved toward a clear area of short grass. Adam and Mina stood by while he worked. Josh pulled out one of the goblin hearts and held out in front of him with one hand. He then proceeded to crush it making black goop leak out across the grass. Where the blood fell the grass turned dark and withered as if burnt. A moment later Josh pulled out another heart and continued his work. After the fifth heart ran out of juice there was a clear image in the grass. It was in the shape of a circle with lines running throughout in a complex, flowing pattern that Adam knew Josh must have learned from his demonology book. He was never much of an artist. Josh stood on the outside of the circle and raised his hands to the air. He started to speak in a language that Adam didn¡¯t recognize. It was guttural and echoed through the clearing like it was being amplified. The circle flashed a bright red in an instant and black smoke bellowed from within. The circle contained the smoke with ease making it shoot straight up to the sky in a cylindrical mass. ¡°WHAT MORTAL DARES CALL ME FROM THE PITS OF THE UNDERWORLD!¡± screamed a mountainous voice. It made the ground underneath shake and Adam and Mina struggled to stay standing. Josh finished his incantation dropping his arms. The smoke dissipated as fast as it had arrived. Mina had her sword drawn ready to fight, and Adam stood next to her crouched in a fighting position. As the smoke cleared the booming voice was revealed. In the middle of the circle, standing no more than a foot tall, was a teddy bear. It was brown with black buttons for eyes. The bear¡¯s hands, feet, and belly were all a beige color with a shiny black ball for a nose. It had a red mohawk sticking out of the top of its head, a small yellow backpack strapped to its back, and the only intimidating thing about it was its mouth which had two rows of sharp teeth. ¡°It¡¯s so cute!¡± Mina squeaked before she covered her mouth. Adam looked over to see her cheeks were red. ¡°I AM DROX THE CONQUEROR,¡± yelled the Teddy Bear. ¡°AND I AM NOT CUTE!¡± Its little arms that ended in soft round circles were waving in the air in anger. Chapter 8: Contracts Drox the demon teddy bear banged his hands on the circle in frustration. Every time he hit the ring a semi-transparent barrier would flash red. Josh sat on the other side cross legged so that he was almost eye-to-eye with the small bear. ¡°Let me out of here you foolish overlord!¡± Drox had stopped screaming after the first hour and decided to just speak normally. His voice still sounded like two mountains colliding together, but now it was at a volume that was reasonable. ¡°So,¡± said Josh, ¡°you ready to make a contract then?¡± Adam had seen this before. Drox would demand freedom and Josh would ask for a contract. The bear would refuse and start pounding away at the circle again. So, he just closed his eyes as he waited splayed out on the grass. Mina sat next to the circle glancing at Drox every so often. ¡°A contract with you? My pinky had more strength than you before I had seen my tenth winter.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have pinkies,¡± Josh pointed out. ¡°I did once,¡± said Drox. He flopped more than sat on the ground as his fluffy head sagged. ¡°I was a great conqueror in my time. I fought battles, took land, and toppled kingdoms.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± asked Josh. He felt himself grow excited. This was how he could finally get a contract out of Drox. The knowledge the demonology book had passed on to him had shown him what had to be done. He had to get the demon bear to accept before he decided to just go back. If he had a higher skill it would be easy, but the first time was apparently always the hardest. He¡¯d need to convince Drox to contract with him rather than force his will upon the bear. ¡°A damned witch snuck into my camp whilst I was asleep,¡± said Drox. ¡°She tore my soul from my body and shoved it into a child¡¯s toy before killing me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen magic?¡± asked Mina. She would have long grown past the point of waiting if Drox wasn¡¯t so cute. ¡°Of course! Most people have some sort of magic, fool girl.¡± ¡°Only in stories,¡± said Mina, ¡°possibly once again with the appearance of such monsters.¡± Drox looked over to Mina. The small buttons he had for eyes visibly grew giving him a shocked appearance. ¡°What do you mean only in stories? And what monsters?¡± ¡°I mean there has not been magic in this world since the gods vanished. It must have been close to a thousand eras ago.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Drox¡¯s voice cracked a little. ¡°What era is it?¡± Josh looked at Mina which she thought was a bit strange before she said, ¡°It''s the Ninth Era of the Dead Gods.¡± "How far back was the Era of the Bloody Kingdom?" Mina put a hand to her chin and thought before she spoke. "Five hundred and fifty cycles past. I remember that one from the stories. Magic was prevalent in that day." Drox flopped to the ground and looked up toward the sky. His breath came in choked gasps. ¡°Over five hundred cycles I¡¯ve been down there. It felt like an instant, but. . .¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long time,¡± said Josh. ¡°Do you really want to go back down there?¡± Josh motioned down with his thumb. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I do.¡± ¡°So, a contract then?¡± ¡°Everything and everyone I know is gone.¡± Josh winced at the statement. He could see the pain painted across the bear¡¯s face. Drox was truly saddened by the knowledge. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯d let you out if I could, but that¡¯s not how this works. Either you make a contract, you head back down on your own, or I have to dissipate the summoning circle which will send you back down when it¡¯s gone. There is no way to free you.¡± Drox sighed and looked toward Josh. Josh was sure he saw the bear wipe a tear away from his eye. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s make a deal. You promise to help me get my body back and I¡¯ll be your familiar.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± said Josh. With that the light from the circle vanished. Drox stood up on his small fluffy legs and walked over the line of withered black grass without any resistance. In front of Josh a new notification popped up letting him know he¡¯d gain a new quest.
New Quest Received: Help Drox get a new body.
¡°That¡¯s it?¡± asked Adam from where he was laying down. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± said Josh. ¡°Drox is bound to me now until I release him, he dies, or I die. Looks like I got another quest too. Need to help Drox find a body.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so lucky,¡± said Drox. He did not sound happy. Adam stood up and stretched. He noticed his party menu in the top left corner now showed Drox right below Josh as if they were connected.
Name: Drox
Level: 1
Class: N/A
HP: 50/50
MP: 100/100
Josh''s Familiar
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Drox¡¯s HP was 50/50 and his MP was 100/100. Adam thought that was an interesting starting combination as he hadn¡¯t seen any of the races start with 10 of any attribute. ¡°Drox, do you have a stat page?¡± he asked. ¡°What¡¯s a¨C¡± Drox was interrupted before he could finish his thought. He started to scream and run around flailing his arms. ¡°What evil magic have you cast upon me?¡± he wailed. ¡°Relax,¡± said Josh, ¡°that¡¯s what Adam was asking about. It shows your attributes and other information. Just use your mind to make it go away.¡± Drox stopped running around in circles and put his fluffy paws on where his knees would be as he panted for breath. ¡°Ah,¡± said Mina finally understanding, ¡°this all showed up about the same time the goblins did. Nobody knows where it came from, but when it appeared everything changed. I felt a rush of power like nothing before. My senses were clearer. I had strength like I couldn¡¯t believe. I could lift a sword as if it were the fallen feather of a bird. Then the goblins appeared. When we pushed back one of the first attacks, those blue crystals swarmed into my body. It said I gained a level and I had points to spend. I used what I had for strength and stamina.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very interesting,¡± said Drox as he put his paw up to his chin in a thoughtful motion. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me all of the sudden everyone has all these numbers and they mean more power?¡± ¡°Seems that way,¡± said Mina. ¡°If the gods have vanished but this magic is here then that means she has returned.¡± ¡°Who?¡± asked Josh. ¡°The creator of all things. The true goddess. I know only what the legends say. She was locked away for eternity. No one knows why, but eternity seems a lot shorter than I think anyone expected.¡± Drox let out a rumbling laugh. Adam felt like he understood. He had seen the woman in the crystal from the trailer. It seemed though that the NPCs were thrown into chaos in the last week. They¡¯d have to discover everything together it seemed. He liked that idea the more that he thought about it. Exploration and adventure would be the key to success in this world. The idea made butterflies swarm in his stomach. A smile crept across his face. This was exciting. ¡°Do you two have any skills or anything?¡± asked Josh. ¡°I have demonology and great sword skills. I also just picked up Power Slash from leveling up. It¡¯s an ability that will increase the damage of my next sword attack.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mina said as she nodded. ¡°We should understand each other¡¯s fighting capabilities. I have a one-handed sword skill, a shield skill, and something called leadership. I also got an ability when I reached level two. It is called Taunting Shout. I can force monsters to attack me for a time.¡± ¡°Nature magic for me and hand-to-hand skill. I have an ability Combo that lets me increase my speed if I land three hits in a row when activating it. I also have Emerald Leaves which is a healing spell.¡± Mina¡¯s eyes were suddenly on Adam. ¡°You have a healing spell?¡± ¡°Yeah, it heals someone for 50 HP, but it has a five minute cooldown.¡± ¡°Take care to use it wisely. It could save a life.¡± ¡°Whoa! What the hell is that?¡± asked Josh Adam and Mina both looked over to see Drox holding a massive tome. The thing was at least as big, closed, as the bear was tall. It was made of black stone with red lines running like veins of molten lava. The small rivers of red seemed to be moving as Drox opened the book. ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± said Drox, ¡°was in my pack.¡± He pointed toward the impossibly small yellow backpack that was at least four times smaller than the book. ¡°Says here that it¡¯s called a Grimoire of Fire. What do you mean ¡®do I want to equip this item?¡¯ I¡¯m already holding the damned thing you foul magic.¡± Drox started waving his free hand around his face. ¡°Just accept with your mind,¡± said Josh. Drox¡¯s eyes glazed over for a moment before he snapped back to reality shaking his little bear head back and forth. ¡°What in the smooth fiery ass of the Demon King. Something is messing with my head!¡± ¡°That seems to be how we learn now,¡± said Mina. ¡°When I gained the Taunting Shout skill a rush of knowledge on how to use it rushed into my thoughts.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± said Adam, ¡°same thing happened to both of us.¡± Drox shot a glare toward Josh. ¡°You could have warned me ya son of a goat.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± said Josh putting his hands up in surrender, ¡°nothing like that has happened to us when equipping something.¡± Drox looked back down at the book, studying it intently. He flipped through a few pages nodding to himself. Adam had to admit that watching a mohawk sporting teddy bear read was very adorable. A moment later Drox looked up and said, ¡°It seems that this Tome of Fire grants me a skill with the same name and allows me to cast spells from the book. As the skill levels up new spells will appear within the book. For the moment I have Fire Bolt.¡± ¡°That¡¯s freaking sweet,¡± said Josh. He went to look at the book over Drox¡¯s tiny shoulder. Drox put the edge of the book into his mouth. A moment later he turned a spit making hacking noises. ¡°That is not sweet at all.¡± ¡°I meant that¡¯s very cool.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t cool. It felt like fire!¡± ¡°I mean it¡¯s interesting,¡± Josh sighed. ¡°Then say that you horned gorilla!¡± ¡°We should get moving,¡± said Mina. ¡°The goblins have been coming from near the top of the mountain according to the scouts. That¡¯s at least a day''s travel through the forest.¡± She looked down at Drox looking like she wanted to say something. Instead she started off toward the forest covered mountain. ¡°What¡¯s a goblin?¡± asked Drox. His book had vanished back into his backpack. ¡°Little green demons with sharp teeth and long pointy ears,¡± said Josh, making scary goblin faces towards Drox. ¡°So, a sick Rinklin. Got it.¡± The rest of the group started off after Mina toward the smoldering forest covered mountain that had continued to spit out black smoke like a lavaless volcano. It didn¡¯t take long before Adam, Josh, and Mina had outpaced Drox. His small legs just couldn¡¯t keep up with the other three. They stopped and waited for him to catch up. He came huffing and puffing up to the group. When he finally made it he put his little fluffy paws on his legs where his knees would have been if he had any. His bright red mohawk and little yellow backpack stood out against his brown body. ¡°Um,¡± said Mina. She was looking toward the mountain, but kept sneaking glances toward the bear. ¡°Do you want a ride?¡± Drox looked up at her. He smiled before saying, ¡°Yes lass that would be great.¡± *** Deep within the canopy of the massive forest that covered most of the steep, smoldering mountain there was movement. It was slight and almost unnoticeable, but the movement continued until a small green-skinned goblin descended. It rode a vine down as easy as if it were walking. The goblin in question did not have the same black corruption the others did. Instead it¡¯s skin was clear and the color of summer grass. It could have easily been mistaken for a tall child except for the skin and pointy ears. The goblin wore pants and a vest of tough brown leather. Despite coloring of his clothes everything about him was of the forest except his eyes. They were as blue as a cloudless sky almost to the point of shining in the shade of the forest. As the goblin hit the ground without a sound he let go of the vine. The soft forest floor beneath his bare feet still felt alien to him. He wasn¡¯t used to the forest no matter how natural it became. He wasn¡¯t opposed to it, but it still took some getting used to. Around his neck sat a small stone whistle. It was one of the only things he had left of his home. He brought the whistle to his lips and let the sound ring throughout the empty forest. The sound was so high that even his ears weren''t able to pick up the tone. But the birds and insects that filled the forest with the noise were instantly quieted. When he dropped the whistle he waited. A moment later he heard a howl split through the silence. A smile split across his face as he raced toward the sound. It was time for him to find a pack again. Chapter 9: Forest and Fights It took the group less than an hour to run through the valley to the base of the mountain. Adam was surprised at his body''s capabilities. The hour run was smooth, he never felt out of breath, and he didn¡¯t even sweat. He could feel deep down that he would still get tired if he pushed himself, but it would take much more than a normal human. The group slowed as they neared the forest that covered the mountain. The trees were the biggest Adam had ever seen in his life. Each one was big enough around to carve out a small house, and tall enough to put a small building to shame. The bark of the tree was a deep brown with leaves as green as shinning emeralds. He felt a slight pull toward the forest from the pit of his stomach. He could feel the nature magic inside him reacting to the place. ¡°Those trees are huge,¡± said Josh. He was craning his head back looking toward the top. ¡°Everything has changed,¡± said Mina. Her voice had an edge of bitterness to it. ¡°Even the trees. We should take care from here on out. The forest has monsters now. Some of our scouts have heard strange howls and cries. A few haven¡¯t returned even when far away from the area the goblin patrols.¡± When Adam stepped into the forest with his group it was like the whole world changed. The forest canopy covered the world completely. The sun, being at its peak, just slightly showed through the leaves giving the place a magical warmth. The ground was incredibly soft and Adam sunk in ever so slightly with each step. He took in a deep breath through his nose. His senses were filled with the smells of tree bark, leaves, and moss. It was slightly damp and his memories came rushing back. He was a kid again running through the woods near his house. Playing with nothing but sticks and his imagination. No childhood is without pain, but the smell of this place brought him back to a place of happiness. For the briefest of moments he was completely at peace and at the same time he longed to go back so bad it hurt. The memory faded in less than the time it took to blink. He smiled at the bittersweet feeling. It brought him comfort even if there was a longing to go back. It made him feel like himself again for a moment. It made him truly believe that this place was real. That he was real. He wasn¡¯t some carbon copy AI or something. It was really him in here. ¡°Hey Mina,¡± said Adam. He looked over toward the woman as they walked. ¡°Would you mind telling us about the day the world changed?¡± Adam chewed on his lip for a moment trying to find a good reason for him and Josh not knowing what happened. ¡°It¡¯d be nice to hear another person''s view.¡± Mina took a deep breath as they walked through the forest. Drox sitting on one of her shoulders looking down expectantly. ¡°It was a night of celebration. It was the night I was wed to the other half of my soul. She was my everything. She was loved by the village for as long as I could remember but she shared her heart with me alone. The drinks flowed, songs were sung, dances were had, and lips met. The entire village celebrated with us for the entire day.¡± Mina¡¯s voice didn¡¯t falter in the slightest. It was as if she was living the moment again. She continued, ¡°That night I was the happiest I had ever been. One moment we were all dancing and drinking beneath the stars. The next moment there was a light as bright as Orus¡¯s sky orb except it came from everywhere. Instead of the warm glow of familiarity we were met with an endless river in the sky. ¡°The crystals floated in numbers so vast I do not know that anyone can count that high. As we watched, cowering where we could, the crystals descended. It was a violent thing. Like the wrath of the gods had been building for thousands of cycles. ¡°That is when the screams were the only sound left. Everyone was running, trying to get away, but the crystals were impossible in number. I took her by the hand and we ran. We ran as fast as our feet would carry us, but it was for not. As the sky fell we held each other in the middle of the village until our inevitable end came. ¡°The crystals started to land then. One hit me almost as soon as they reached the ground. Instead of the pain I was expecting I felt strength like I had never felt before. It was like jumping into a freezing cold river and then into a hot spring a moment later. I was full of life. My vision was sharper, my breath came easier, and I felt amazing. ¡°I looked around still clutching my love. The other villagers were absorbing the crystals as I had. They had a slight glow to them right after. I could visibly see the changes in some. Elmer, who had lost one of his legs when he was a soldier, suddenly sprouted a new limb like a tree. Others who were sick or old had new vitality. I looked down at my love to see her glowing slightly with a smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. ¡°It wasn¡¯t long before the messages appeared. We gathered and discussed the night away. It felt like only a moment before the great orb of Orus blessedly rose from behind the peaks. That¡¯s when the goblins first attacked. We did not have walls before. We had no need. We were farmers, shepherds, and normal folk. We were protected by the mountains and the kingdom. They came in like wolves to a herd of caged sheep. We lost more than half of our number before we were able to run them off. Aponi, my love, my everything, was taken from me that day. She fought tooth and nail as I was frozen in shock by the monsters that had invaded. She died fighting and I could only hold her and cry as she let out her last breath.¡± Everyone had stopped walking long ago. Adam hadn¡¯t expected such a tale, but it was something he¡¯d never forget. He saw the tears on Mina¡¯s cheeks. He understood her hatred now, her bitterness. This change wasn¡¯t some great adventure for the NPCs, no, the people living here. At that moment Adam felt like shit. He looked over to see Josh wore a similar expression as he felt. This wasn¡¯t just some game. This was a living, breathing world, and everyone here was part of it now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry lass,¡± said Drox as he patted her on the shoulder. ¡°That is why I will slay every goblin in the valley or die trying. I will never freeze again. I will act.¡± Mina seemed to be talking more to herself than anyone else. Adam decided to change the subject before Mina asked about their experience during the change, or which they were not actually present in this world. ¡°Do you know where they¡¯re coming from?¡± ¡°Near the top of the mountain. There is supposedly an entrance to their home there. The scouts that came back reported, but we stopped sending groups out when our numbers began to drop. I know nothing more than that.¡± The group started moving again. The incline up the mountain was almost unnoticeable. Adam thought about it for a moment and decided he would most definitely have been huffing and puffing at this point if he was back home. Josh walked in front of Adam with his sword magically floating on his back and tail flicking behind him. That made Adam realize his weighted gloves were still equipped. He mentally opened his inventory and took them off to see that they moved from his equipment screen down to his inventory taking up one of the spaces. He sighed and put them back on. He thought he¡¯d be able to sheath his gloves somehow, but he realized he was being stupid. Gloves couldn¡¯t be sheathed; they could be worn or taken off. Adam ran right into Josh just as he closed his inventory screen. His head smacked into Josh¡¯s great sword with a clang. ¡°Ow,¡± said Adam as he rubbed his head. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± ¡°Shhh,¡± said Josh. ¡°I think I heard something.¡± That¡¯s when Adam realized the forest had gone quiet. Not just from the lack of their footsteps, but the insects, the birds, the natural sounds of a forest were gone. Something had made them go silent. Adam felt a slight tug on his body. It felt like a rope trying to pull at him from every angle. He looked down to make sure nothing had actually wrapped around him. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. A shriek shot through the forest that sounded like metal knives grinding against porcelain plates. It was followed by a series of clicking and rattling that made Adam¡¯s ears ring. He looked over to see Josh and Drox both covering their ears. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± yelled Josh. ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± said Drox, ¡°but it¡¯s not good.¡± Drox jumped down from Mina¡¯s shoulder. He had pulled off his little yellow backpack and unzipped it. Out of the bag he pulled the fire grimoire that was far too big to fit in the small pouch. The book was comically big compared to the bear but he held it up with ease. Everyone spread out into a small square. ¡°Watch out!¡± yelled Mina. She was looking toward where Josh was. Josh pulled his great sword from his back just as a blurring black form blazed toward him from the left. The mass of feathers slammed into Josh just as he pulled his sword up to guard. Even then, he was pushed back pulling up the forest ground as he dug his feet in. Josh was frozen in place for a brief moment as the attacker came to a stop in front of him. It was like time slowed down every so slightly as Adam inspected the beast.
Name: Juvenile Harpy
Level: 3
Fast and savage the Juvenile Harpy does not think before it attacks. With claws and talons to rival swords they are a fierce foe. Luckily they cannot fully fly like their adult counterparts, but they can glide and glide fast.
The monster had three wicked claws on each hand a foot long. Adam saw that its arms were connected to wing-like webbing that looked like those wingsuits covered in massive feathers. Its talons were equally long and sharp as it stood on two legs. The harpy¡¯s entire body was covered in black feathers up to its neck. The head of the monster was eerily human with long, flowing white hair and the sharp face of a woman. It screeched at Josh and he flinched back from the sound. Adam felt a wave of dizziness overtake him at the noise. He saw Josh¡¯s guard falter and the harpy attempted to strike at him with one of her taloned feet. Adam moved toward his friend, but he wasn¡¯t close enough. A ball of fire the size of a watermelon slammed into the harpy exploding in a burst of flame that engulfed the monster like napalm. The harpy tried to screech again, but the flame rushed down its throat as it opened its mouth. It dropped to the ground in a smoking black husk as the fire went out as fast as it had come to life. Adam and Josh looked over to see Drox smiling with his oversized book out in front with one of his small furry paws extended toward where the harpy had been. It looked like the bear¡¯s paw was slightly singed black. Adam saw Drox¡¯s MP fall by 50 points in the corner where his party menu was displayed. Another screech rang out followed by an echoing chorus. In a flurry of motion harpies attacked from all angles at the group, and the battle truly started. Adam felt the harpy before he saw it. His instincts screamed at him as he pulled his arms up as if to block a punch. These beasts seemed to glide across the ground rather than completely fly, but they were fast and powerful. Massive harpy claws raked across the iron plates on Adam¡¯s forearms. It sounded like metal on metal grinding together. He knew if those claws got to him he would be in serious trouble. The force of the hit sent him sprawling into a nearby tree. The harpy was upon him again almost quicker than he could react. He brought up his hand shielding his face as claws came down on him. A fireball shot out and engulfed the mass of feathers before Adam¡¯s eyes. He barely had time to get to his feet before another harpy came flying out of the darkness. This time he was ready though. He put his back against the tree and planted his feet into the ground. The creature didn¡¯t slow as it approached and at the last moment Adam jumped out of its path. The harpy slammed into the tree stunning itself for a brief moment. He knew deep in his gut that this was an opening and he could take advantage of it. Flashes of the training he had never actually done came in waves across his memory. He stepped forward quickly and whipped a backhand blow out with a snap that cracked the air. Just before the hit landed he activated Combo. His fist connected with the harpy¡¯s face crushing its nose and spraying blood onto his arm. He heard a slight chime like a small bell ringing in his head as his hit landed. The harpy reared its head back and tried to screech, but Adam threw a quick jab into its throat. Two bells chimed in his head this time. The hit landed with a crunch and Adam felt the impact. He could feel that it was more powerful than the first. The Harpy gasped and Adam threw a haymaker from the right before it could recover. The blow sent the harpy crashing through the forest like a ball of feathers and blood. The third bell chimed in his head and Adam felt his body change. It felt like he¡¯d just drank twenty cups of coffee before slamming five shots. The world looked suddenly sluggish like he was drunk, but he felt like electricity coursed through his body. The edges of his vision were slightly blurred, but when he focused everything snapped into place. He could see everything moving just a little slower in his vision. The harpy that Adam had sent flying was charging back toward him in a mass of blood and claws. It had a blinking health bar that was all but empty. Adam smiled and readied himself. At the same time that Adam was attacked Mina had planted her feet and drew her sword. Her shield, as always, was attached to her arm. She brought up her short, round, wooden buckler and prepared for the impact. The harpy appeared as if on cue as it rammed straight into her shield without abandon. It abruptly bounced off as if it slammed head first into a wall. Mina moved in with an overhead chop. The movement was quicker than the harpy could recover and the sword split the beast down the middle of the head. Blood shot to the sky like a geyser as the monster fell to its knees dying. Josh was less fortunate as two harpies came at him with fierce determination and hate in their eyes. He could feel them before he saw them. He met the first as it came barreling out of the darkness. They clashed with swords and claws deflecting and parrying like long time warriors. Josh was quicker though and he knew it after the first few blows. The harpy overextended with a swipe and Josh saw the opening as clear as the sun on a cloudless day. Josh activated Power Slash. The edge of his sword glowed with a hazy blue. His sword flashed and the harpy¡¯s head was freed from its body in one motion. He smiled as the second harpy¡¯s claws raked across his back leaving massive rents in his body and ripping his shirt to pieces. The pain was so great that Josh¡¯s vision went black as he fell to the ground just as a fireball engulfed his attacker. Adam watched it happen and knew he wouldn¡¯t make it in time, but he wasn¡¯t without the ability to help. As the claws of the monster tore at his friend¡¯s back he felt for the magic of the Emerald Leaves spell deep in his stomach. He pulled it out and casted it toward his friend. Adam watched the ethereal green leaves shoot toward his friend as Josh¡¯s HP dropped. The forest was lit bright with the green glow as the spell rushed for Josh. The emerald leaves reached Josh as he hit the ground. His health was dropping rapidly as blood flowed from his wounds until the magic reached him. Adam couldn¡¯t wait to see what happened next as his attention was turned back to the harpy coming for his face. The flying monster was clear in Adam¡¯s vision. The forest surrounding it was blurred. Adam was hyper-focused on the beast. He felt that it was the extra speed rushing through him that made it possible. The harpy tried to screech but its throat was crushed and all that came out was a small rattling. Claws flashed, but Adam saw them coming slow enough for him to block. It wasn¡¯t that it was slow, but instead Adam could see the hit coming much clearer than before. He brought his forearm up and metal met claws as he blocked. The creature¡¯s other hand came flashing down and Adam brought his fist and slammed it into the incoming claw. He watched the bone of the monster shatter into pieces. Adam took advantage of the moment and cocked his fist back and shot it out again draining the last of the harpy¡¯s heath points. Josh¡¯s eyes shot open as the energy coursed through his body like a soothing river running through his veins. He felt his wounds close and pushed himself up just as the others ran toward him. He actually felt pretty good all things considered as he looked at his health points that were back up to 60. ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Adam as he made it over to his friend. ¡°Yeah, I think so, but I think I might have been done if not for that spell of yours.¡± ¡°By the gods lad that was a close call,¡± said Drox. His book had been put back into his little backpack and he was looking up with concern at Josh. ¡°You should be more careful. I¡¯m not too keen on going back to the underworld so soon.¡± Josh looked down to see his shirt fall off in pieces after being shredded by the claws. He looked like some sort of demon action figure with his perfectly chiseled body. He sighed. ¡°Anyone got an extra shirt?¡± The group of dead harpies burst into thousands of tiny blue crystals and the party was hit with a slew of notifications as the gems rushed into them. Chapter 10: Up the Mountain and Through the Woods Drox screamed as he ran. The high pitched noise that came from the little bear was very shocking as his voice was usually so deep. He tried his hardest to get away from the incoming gems, but they found him as he jumped behind a giant tree and pulled himself into a fluffy ball covering his head. Josh just laughed as his familiar ran instead of letting him know the flying gems were a good thing. As the gems finished being absorbed into the group, Adam was met with a heap of notifications.
You have gained 800 experience points
You have reached level 3!
You have gained +1 to all attributes
You have gained +5 free attribute points - You have 10 unspent attribute points
Your Hand-to-Hand skill has reached level 8
Your Nature Magic skill has reached level 5
You have received: Juvenile Harpy Feather x5, Juvenile Harpy Talon x2, Small Soul Crystal x4
You have a new ability choice available!
Adam looked around and saw that everyone else seemed to have received some things as well since they were all staring off into space. Even Drox had stood up and was looking around while waving his paws around his face. ¡°What is a level?¡± Drox yelled. ¡°And why in the hells are all these numbers in my face!¡± ¡°It¡¯s what we were talking about earlier,¡± said Josh. He walked over to where the bear was still flapping his paws around his face like he was trying to swat away insects. ¡°It seems to function on thought or will or something. Just think about making the windows close.¡± ¡°What window? There¡¯s no house around here.¡± ¡°I mean to make all the numbers go away,¡± said Josh as he put his hand in his face. ¡°Oh,¡± said Drox, looking surprised. ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Now, try to bring them up again.¡± Drox actually squeaked with joy, making Adam wonder if he was a squeaky bear of some sort before, as he opened and closed the menu in front of his face. Josh assumed that he had the hang of it at that point as he couldn¡¯t actually see the stat page for others. Adam saw the new skill notification and willed the window to open. A menu of three choices popped up this time and he was intrigued instantly as he checked out his choices.
Healing Specialist - Passive - You have healed your allies and understand the importance of the ways of a healer. Increases healing to self or others by 10%.
Armor Breaker - Passive - Armor is not the friend of fists. Your hits will slowly pound armor into dust. Your hits will now do increased damage against armor.
Fleet Footed - Passive - You are sure of foot in fight or flight. Increases the speed at which you can move by 5%.
This was not an easy choice or an obvious one. He¡¯d always been able to follow some guide on meta builds before, or he could look up the highest damage online for his class. Now, though, he had to choose without any sort of idea. He had to change his mindset. This wasn¡¯t just a game, but his life now. He thought about what would serve him best not just in a quick fight, but his life. Healing Specialist seemed like it could be very powerful, but it wasn¡¯t something he wanted to focus on. So, he put that out of his mind for now. Armor Breaker and Fleet Footed were the two he really had to choose from, and the choice was pretty easy the longer he thought. Five percent seemed like nothing, but over a lifetime it would be immeasurable. He had yet to encounter anything with armor, and he figured he would be able to just choose to hit around it or hit hard enough that it would break on its own. Adam had made up his mind and chose. As he made the choice he felt the skill bloom inside of his body. It was miniscule, but he felt just the tiniest bit lighter. He smiled as the warmth of the new skill spread through his body.
Congratulations you have learned Fleet Footed!
Adam looked next at the notification about his unused attribute points. He knew it was time to put some points into things, but he still wasn¡¯t sure which direction he wanted to go. So, he pulled up his stats and looked them over.
Character Statistics
Name: Adam
Race: Human
Level: 3
Experience: 200/1000
Class: N/A
HP: 70/70
MP: 70/70
Attributes: Str: 7 Dex: 7 Int: 7 Vit: 7 Wis: 7
Unallocated Attribute Points: 10
Skills: Hand-to-Hand: 8 Nature Magic: 5
Active Abilities: Combo
Passive Abilities: Fleet Footed
Spells: Emerald Leaves
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. He knew that keeping his points was going to be detrimental for him. He saw how hard the harpies hit, how fast they were, and how little mana he actually had. If he ever got another spell, which was very likely, he¡¯d run out of mana fast. Adam decided that Dexterity would be very important for his build as well as strength and vitality. If he was going to be in melee combat he¡¯d need to take a hit at some point, hit hard, and hit fast. For the moment he had one spell and it wasn¡¯t something he saw himself focusing on, but instead just an emergency backup. If he got something interesting in the future he might think about more points in wisdom or intelligence, but for now he chose to ignore them. With ten points to distribute he added three to strength, three to vitality, and four to dexterity. The moment the points were allocated he felt the attributes bolstering his body. He felt the change to his body instantly. The muscles in his body all tensed up for the briefest of moments and when they relaxed he felt euphoria rush through his entirety. He knew that he was faster, stronger, and tougher. He felt it. It was strange to Adam that he hadn''t felt this way before while leveling or when he first came to this world, but it could have been any number of reasons. Maybe the one point each level was small enough not to notice, or maybe his body adjusted because every attribute was increased at the same time. There were a million reasons why or why not, but Adam didn¡¯t care about a single one at that moment. All he cared about was chasing this feeling again. Josh noticed the stupid grin plastered across his friend¡¯s face. ¡°Finally put your points in?¡± he asked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me it felt this good?¡± ¡°Would it have mattered?¡± Adam looked away, ¡°no, probably not. Did you get a passive skill?¡± ¡°I did!¡± Josh exclaimed. ¡°Mine¡¯s called Relentless Striker. If I hit the same target I¡¯ll do increased damage to them for each time I hit them without switching or missing.¡± ¡°That sounds pretty amazing. Mine increases my movement speed by 5%.¡± Josh¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°For everything?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Adam smiled. He knew that his friend would understand. They had both played far too many games to discount movement speed and it not being dependent on combat or not was insanely powerful. Adam didn¡¯t underestimate Josh¡¯s choice either. His friend was easygoing, aloof at times even, but the man had an absolutely uncanny ability to strategize. Playing any kind of tactical game against him was just asking to lose. Funniest thing was, he hated chess. Adam never really understood that, but it was what it was. The group started moving again as Mina and Drox explained their new abilities. Mina had also reached level three and got an ability that made enemies passively focus on her more. Drox seemed to work a little differently than the rest of the group. He said he got a notification that his book had a new page. When he turned to it he found a new spell called Flame Shield. It said that he could cast it on himself or an ally and a shield of flame would block incoming attacks for a time while burning the attackers. The sun was starting to set as they made their way up the mountain. They came to a small clearing in the forest where a tree had fallen. Mina stopped and turned to the others. ¡°We should camp soon,¡± she said. ¡°We do not want to walk through his place at night.¡± ¡°How much further do you think before we reach the goblin caves?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Half a day''s journey, maybe less. We are still adjusting to our new bodies. The scouts were not as fast as we are now. It seems that every single point makes us a lot faster.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually kinda hungry,¡± said Josh. ¡°Do you have any food?¡± As if on cue Josh¡¯s stomach rumbled loud enough that it sounded like rocks falling down a mountain. His red skin seemed to get a little brighter. It was made all the more obvious with his lack of shirt. ¡°Yes,¡± said Mina, ¡°let us make a fire and we will eat.¡± Josh and Adam were put to work gathering sticks as Drox went over to the fallen tree and sat on it like a bench. Mina joined him as she started to pull some things out of thin air. ¡°You have magic too?¡± asked Drox ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Where are all of those things coming from?¡± ¡°It is something that came with the change. I believe it is called an inventory. At least that is what it tells me. Do you not have one?¡± Drox waved his little paws around his face for a bit and exclaimed, ¡°I do! Looks to be some items in here from the last fight.¡± A massive harpy feather appeared in his hand a moment later. He gripped it between his paw for a moment before it disappeared. Next, a small soul crystal was in his hand. It fell to the ground as he tried to get a grip on it but failed. Josh and Adam came back with arms full of sticks. They dropped them in the middle of the clearing in a pile while Drox tried to pick up his soul crystal. He couldn¡¯t get a grip on it. His fluffy paws just kept dropping the smooth crystal. ¡°Let me help,¡± said Josh. He moved over and picked the crystal up. He laid it gently into Drox¡¯s outstretched paws. The bear pushed his paws together to hold the crystal between them. He looked deep into the swirling galaxy within the small stone for a while before it disappeared into his inventory again. Mina bent down next to the pile of sticks with some leaves. She had a flint and steel trying to spark a fire to life. Drox cleared his throat at the sight. ¡°Do you mind if I have a go, lass?¡± Mina looked up at the bear and down at her flint and steel. ¡°Can you, um, hold them?¡± The bear let out a laugh, ¡°I won¡¯t be needing that.¡± He pulled out his book and Mina understood. Josh, Adam, and Mina moved back from the pile of sticks. They kept moving back until they were almost all into the woods. Drox, massive tome in hand, pointed his paw toward the makeshift campfire. He muttered something under his breath and a fireball shot out of his hand. It was about the size of a baseball and it traveled with speed that would match an MLB pitcher. The fireball hit the pile of sticks and exploded. In a burst the clearing was filled with smoking sticks, flaming leaves, and ash. As the smoke settled a blazing bonfire was left in its wake. Drox whistled as he sat on the fallen tree like a bench. His face was covered in ash to the point he looked like a black teddy bear instead of his usual brown. His mohawk was even smoking slightly. He put his book back into his backpack as the others came out from hiding. ¡°Geez Drox,¡± said Josh. ¡°I think you woke up the whole forest.¡± ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯ll know to stay away.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± said Mina, ¡°I do not believe anything will be bothering us for a while after that.¡± ¡°That spell seems extremely powerful,¡± said Adam. He came and sat down on the tree next to Drox and the fire. ¡°It is lad, but it¡¯s expensive. Before I leveled I had two casts in me before I had to wait. There is also a cooldown of¨C" Drox pause for a moment before continuing as he check the skills description. "Two minutes. I don¡¯t know what that means, but I can feel that after I cast the spell I have to wait. When it¡¯s ready again I can feel it in my bones.¡± ¡°You have bones?¡± asked Josh. ¡°You know what I mean you son of a goat.¡± Josh laughed. ¡°Minutes are a measurement of time, but if you can feel when your spell is ready again then it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He came and sat down on the ground leaning against the tree. The fire felt warm on his skin. Josh knew then, no matter how close he got, it wouldn¡¯t get uncomfortable. He could probably even touch the fire without any issues. Mina was on the opposite side of the three on the ground. She sat cross legged near the fire staring into the flames. Josh¡¯s stomach rumbled again. Everyone heard it, even over the crackling and snapping of the fire. This seemed to snap Mina out of whatever she was thinking. She pulled some dried meat out of her inventory and tossed it over. Josh caught the meat and passed some to Drox and Adam before he started munching away. Adam, on the other hand, stared down at the meat for a moment trying to examine it.
Simple Sheep Jerky: dried meat made from a sheep. This simple dish will fill up any adventurer in a time of need. It will also grant +1 vitality for four hours.
¡°Whoa, did you know this gives buffs?¡± ¡°What?¡± asked Josh. He looked down at the half eaten meat. ¡°Wow that¡¯s sick.¡± ¡°Yes, food seems to give a boost to certain attributes for a limited time. Depending on the meal or drink the boosts are different. We have not discovered much though as everything is so new. This was actually jerky before the sky fell. Even it changed. I also do not understand how long four hours is, but you can feel the effect and you know when it is getting close to ending.¡± Adam nodded and bit into the jerky. It was dry and chewy, but seasoned well. He had no desire to explain hours, minutes, and seconds to anyone. He didn¡¯t even know if time worked the same here. He had a feeling the cooldown timers were just so people like him could understand. The natives of this world had already adapted by feeling the internal cooldowns and timers. The group sat together and ate while the sun disappeared. Mina volunteered to take the first watch. Adam laid down on the ground. He had never been a fan of camping, but the cool air and the heat of the fire seemed to mingle together in a soothing warmth. He was so much more tired than he had realized and before he knew it he was asleep. Chapter 11: Skyeyes A howl split through the forest like the sun did the leaves. It woke Adam with a start. He was up and on his feet in an instant. He was acutely aware of the lack of sleepiness in his eyes and body. Instead, he felt like he had just warmed up before a workout. It was probably the best he¡¯d ever felt in his life, especially coming out of a deep, dreamless sleep. The rest of the party were also at the ready. As Adam looked around he noticed that it was indeed morning. He had slept through the night like a baby. The raging fire from the night before had been reduced to nothing but embers now. ¡°What was that?¡± Josh asked. His sword was in his hands and his eyes were darting around trying to look everywhere at once. ¡°Wolves,¡± said Mina. Her eyes scanned around as more howls sprung up all around the party. ¡°Time to fry some puppies!¡± yelled Drox with his book in the air. ¡°Bro,¡± said Josh, ¡°not cool.¡± Drox just shrugged. ¡°Wolf is a bit stringy, but it¡¯s not that bad lad.¡± Adam saw the eyes first. ¡°Over there.¡± He pointed to his left where the shade of trees were still dark in the dusk of the morning. Two yellow, almost glowing, eyes reflected back at the group. ¡°There,¡± said Drox. He pointed to another set of eyes. Two more sets glowed in the half-light of forest before they began to approach all at once. The wolves prowled into the light slowly. Two of them were as black as night and one was as white as fresh snow. It led the pack. From what Adam could remember they were at least twice the size of normal wolves. Each came up past his waist. They were spread out in a semicircle surrounding the four adventurers. Adam focused on the white wolf and was met with a notification.
Mountain Wolf: Level 3 - Skyeyes'' companion
The forest was deathly silent. No bird or insect dared to break the standoff with its singing. Instead, the wolves and the adventures were at an impasse. Just as Mina was getting ready to attack, the wolves¡¯ ears suddenly all perked up straight. Then they sat down in unison with tongues lulling out of their mouths. Adam even heard one of the black ones whine slightly like a dog begging for pets. Out of the darkness of the forest strode a goblin like none of them had ever seen. It wore brown leather pants and a tunic with strips of leather fraying off at the sides in an ornamental pattern. Adam noticed the resemblance to the other goblins he had seen before. It had light green skin like summer grass, a slightly curved nose, and long pointy ears. What stuck out though were its eyes. They were clear and blue like ice had frozen them over. On his hip hung two daggers. On the goblin they looked like swords. As Adam stared, he was met with a small notification.
Name: Skyeyes
Level: 5
Class: Beast Tamer
The goblin walked straight up to the sitting wolves and scratched the white one behind the ears. The goblin barely came eye to eye with the sitting wolves. He seemed small even for goblins. Mina moved to strike out at the goblin with her sword, but Josh put his hand out to stop her. He was positioned slightly in front of her so she couldn¡¯t get by him easily. ¡°Wait,¡± said Josh, ¡°don¡¯t you feel that?¡± ¡°I feel nothing,¡± spat Mina. Her eyes burned with fury as she stared at the goblin. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Josh. ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed? All the monsters we¡¯ve fought before. It¡¯s like they pulled at me when they attacked. Like I could feel them coming.¡± ¡°Do not speak in riddles to me child of war. Let me have my vengeance.¡± The wolves growled as they stared at Mina and Josh. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°This isn¡¯t a monster. Just look at his skin. He doesn¡¯t have any black lines. See his eyes?¡± ¡°A goblin is a goblin. Move or be slain with the monster.¡± ¡°Please,¡± said Skyeyes. His voice was high and raspy like he¡¯d smoked his whole life. He spoke with speed and fear. ¡°I am not bad. I have no corruption. I am goblin.¡± He raised his hands in the air in a peaceful motion. ¡°No fight.¡± ¡°You took everything from me!¡± yelled Mina. She moved toward Skyeyes. The wolves bared their teeth and rumbling came from their throats. Josh turned and grabbed her arm. Adam was there in an instant grabbing her other arm. She was strong and nearly toppled both of them in her rage. ¡°Everything!¡± Tears were streaming down her face. ¡°I understand,¡± said Skyeyes. His head fell slightly as his hands dropped down to his side. ¡°You understand nothing monster!¡± ¡°I understand everything.¡± He looked up at Mina with his eyes watering. ¡°Stolen. Destroyed. Taken. Gone. Everything you loved. Ripped away. I understand.¡± Mina stopped struggling. It was like the fight had been ripped from her. She fell to her knees as Adam and Joshed backed away. Painful sobs rang out through the forest. ¡°She was my world.¡± "I am sorry. It was no real goblin. Please listen. I beg you." The wolves all whined in unison. It took time for Mina to stop sobbing on the ground. Adam wasn¡¯t sure what he should do so he just sat next to her and waited. Josh led Skyeyes and the wolves over to the fire where Drox started rubbing his paws all over the now docile beasts. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Jerky,¡± Drox said. He was rubbing on one of the black wolves. He moved to the next black one. ¡°You, I''ll call Pork Chop.¡± He rubbed that one and it moved its head into his paws to get better scratchings. ¡°That¡¯s just wrong,¡± said Josh with a sigh. ¡°And you, my princess.¡± Drox strode over to the massive white wolf. ¡°I will call you¨C¡± he paused for dramatic effect and raised his hands in the air. ¡°SNOWBALL!¡± Josh buried his face into his hands at that. Skyeyes seemed to be unaffected by the names and just sat in silence, on the fallen tree, as they waited for Adam and Mina. It wasn¡¯t much longer before Mina and Adam joined without a word. They sat down in the grass surrounding the dying fire. Drox was absently petting Snowball, the white wolf, with his fluffy paws. ¡°Speak your peace,¡± said Mina. Her voice was raw and scratchy. Skyeyes nodded and began. His words spilled out as if he had just a small grasp on the language, "We come from mountain. Long, long time we live. No see outside. Just mountain. Then blue crystals fall. They crash down to every goblin. At start we thought death. Then we thought life. We all stronger, faster, smarter. Even door to outside mountain. Soon though we find other things come with crystals. Darkness. Something bad in king. He began call goblin to his room. "When goblin leave room they goblin no more. They bad. Goblin did not understand. Not until too late. We fight, but we lose. I alone escape. I am last goblin. Last real goblin." ¡°Your story does not move me, monster.¡± Mina spat the words out with vitriol. ¡°I understand. I want to kill bad goblin. All I live for is kill bad goblin. Kill king." Mina¡¯s eyes narrowed at that. ¡°You want us to help you kill your own kind?¡± ¡°They are not goblin. They are bad. Skyeyes cannot kill all. Need help. I have a pack, but not enough. I want home back.¡± He said the last words with such longing that Adam instantly understood. He¡¯d had his life taken from him as well. He¡¯d never get the chance to go back home though. It pained Adam as he thought about it, but he tried to shake off the creeping depression. Josh shot a look towards Adam. Adam thought he understood. This was most definitely for the quest they had. A guide would be invaluable. He just wasn¡¯t sure Mina wouldn¡¯t slit the goblins throat the moment she got the chance. He nodded to Josh. ¡°It¡¯s up to you Mina,¡± said Josh. ¡°If you want Skyeyes to join us I think he would be beyond helpful.¡± ¡°Yes las, it¡¯s your decision.¡± Drox was nodding as he stared at Mina. Mina¡¯s eyes were red where she had been crying, but they were hard as she stared at the goblin in front of her. It took everything she had to not think of the creature before her as just another one of the monsters that stole her love. She tried though. She looked into the eyes of the goblin sitting before her. She saw life there. A soul. It was so different then the empty corrupted bastards that constantly attacked her village, but there were still so many similarities. She let out a breath and said, ¡°We will go with you, but I will keep my eye on you. If I feel that you are leading us into a trap, or turning on us, or lying I will end you. Without hesitation.¡± Skyeyes stood and bowed slightly to the group. ¡°Thank you.¡± Adam thought it was so weird to see the goblin bow. It just seemed so out of place for goblins, but then again this was a whole new world. It was becoming more and more obvious that the nexus didn¡¯t just copy and paste generic fantasy creatures into the world. Some things were most definitely similar to fantasy and games he¡¯d seen before, but a lot was clearly different. It was going to take some time to adjust to everything, but the idea made Adam smile. Adventure was suddenly something he wanted to do. He had heard the stories of back in the day before the internet was prevalent. There used to be books people would buy to guide them through games. There were secrets only friends could share with other friends when they discovered them. By the time he was old enough to play games everything new was instantly on the internet. People made it their jobs to play games all day. They would have guides, strategies, walkthroughs, and everything out in the first week. There was no truly playing blind anymore. Not until now. Because they weren''t playing. They were living. The wolves standing snapped Adam out of his thoughts. They walked over to gather around Skyeyes. It was as if they knew it was close to time. The white one that Drox had taken to calling Snowball lifted her head into the air. A howl ripped through the early morning and it was soon joined by the other three. It was a signal. A warning. For they were about to help their master accomplish his goal. They were going to slay the goblin king. Chapter 12: Dungeon! Adam and Josh were joined by an NPC woman that seemed to have more life experiences than the both combined, a demon teddy bear who was once some great commander, and a goblin beast tamer with a pack of wolves at his command. To Adam it was unreal. It was crazy really. He was level three in the world. He had been here for maybe a full day. Everything was moving so fast. Josh nudged Adam in the side lightly trying to get his attention. He still hadn¡¯t adjusted to his new strength and Adam yelped. ¡°Ow, What?¡± ¡°Psst.¡± He tried to whisper, but was never really good at controlling the volume of his voice. It had not gotten better with his new body. ¡°Have you had the, you know, urge to go?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± asked Adam. The rest of the group had stopped to stare. ¡°You know, the call of nature. Drain the main vein. Take the Browns to the super bowl. Anything?¡± ¡°Ohhh, now that you mention it. No, I haven¡¯t felt the need at all.¡± ¡°What are you two yapping about?¡± asked Drox. He was riding on top of Snowball with his paws planted firmly on his round waist. He would have looked indignant if he wasn¡¯t a teddy bear. ¡°I¡¯m worried,¡± said Josh. His face looked more red than usual. ¡°I haven¡¯t had to go to, um, relieve myself for a long time.¡± Mina laughed. It was so unexpected and sudden that all the wolves'' hackles rose. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was just unexpected. We have noticed the phenomenon as well. Since the change nobody has had to relieve themselves. There seems to be no need anymore. One of our local butchers ate enough meat to make his belly swell to the point of bursting. By the next day he was back to his new and improved body.¡± ¡°Oh, sweet!¡± Josh was smiling ear to ear now. The thought of never having to go to the bathroom again was awesome to him. ¡°What else have you noticed that has changed?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Josh and I haven¡¯t been in contact with anyone since the crystals fell. Any information you can give us would be great.¡± He didn¡¯t like having to skirt around the topic, but it seemed like he wouldn¡¯t have to do it forever. He just wondered how long it''d take to get level 30 so he could tell them the truth. The group continued up the mountain as Mina talked. ¡°The villagers have discovered that you can no longer accidentally get pregnant. Both parties involved have some sort of message that interrupts them before the, um, act.¡± Mina felt her face getting hot as she spoke, but she continued. ¡°People have also discovered that doing things will grant you the skills. Such as cooking, carpentry, trading, and other things. Combat seems to give skills based on the weapon you choose. When I got my first skill in both sword and shield knowledge seemed to rush into me. I knew how to use my weapons. I was as competent as a veteran soldier.¡± ¡°So if I cook something I¡¯ll get a cooking skill?¡± asked Josh. ¡°It seems that way,¡± said Mina. ¡°The biggest change we have seen is in strength though. At least for us women. Before a man would always have more natural strength than a woman. That was the way of nature. The way of the world. Now though, it is no longer the same. A level one man and a level one woman have exactly the same strength. If they are both equally skilled they will be evenly matched. There is no longer a divide between us. But everything is so new. I think the highest level person we had was level four. They were a carpenter that kept fixing up the village after each attack. Before we started meeting the goblins in the valley.¡± That comment jogged Adam¡¯s memory. He had asked Himoka about classes and she had said they¡¯ll be offered one at level five. He looked over to Skyeyes and mentally slapped himself. ¡°Of course. Skyeyes you have a class don¡¯t you?¡± The goblin glanced back from his perch atop Porkchop. "Yes class. I was hound trainer. When crystal fall I get skill. Beast mastery. Help with hounds. Then bad goblin appear. I fight. I level. I get class." ¡°Wow,¡± said Josh, ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to have an army of demons.¡± Adam wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about an army of Droxes running around, but he didn¡¯t voice his concerns. They could deal with that if Josh actually got some demon summoning class. Instead, Adam focused almost blinding light ahead of them. He knew the forest was finally coming to an end, but the harshness of the light was shocking. He hadn¡¯t realized how much the forest canopy had blocked out the light. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The group were all trying to block the sun with their hands as they stepped out from the forest. The land was so different that Adam almost lost his footing as his feet met hard, packed dirt. As his eyes adjusted he looked around and saw they were indeed on near the top of a mountain now. The peak was maybe another hundred meters up, but in clear view. The cliffs leading to the peak of the mountain were so steep they looked vertical. All around the peak of the mountain the forest had been cleared away. There were no trunks, not roots, nothing but dirt that had been stomped and packed densely. With the steep cliffs leading up to the peak of the mountain it made the area feel like a fortress rather than a mountain. That¡¯s when Adam spotted the massive double doors literally embedded into the cliff-face. The doors we made of wrought iron and wood. They were at least ten feet wide and half again as tall. Each door had a massive knocker of iron adorning it. The knockers were shaped into the faces of snarling goblins, each clenching rings in their mouths. While Adam stared at the doors he was met with a notification.
Small Dungeon of the Corrupted Goblin King: This is a small dungeon. Parties of up to 5 may enter not including familiars, pets, summons, or companions. You may leave at any time. If you are able to defeat the dungeon boss you will be rewarded. If you leave without defeating the boss you will not be able to enter again for one month. All party members must be level 10 or lower to enter this dungeon.
¡°Do you guys see that?¡± was all Adam could ask as he stared at the doors. ¡°A dungeon,¡± whispered Josh. Skyeyes had stopped Porkchop and fell off the wolf more than dismounted to move up to the door. He moved slowly, almost creeping as if scared to disturb something. As he got close his hands went out and he touched the smooth wood. He dropped his head and put it against the wood as he spoke, ¡°I-I no understand. Door was not this when left. I-I not know what this mean.¡± He turned and looked at the rag tag team of adventurers with his eyes shining with unrealized tears. ¡°Am I alone?¡± Adam wasn¡¯t sure what to say to the small goblin. He was the strongest of them, at least by levels. They hadn¡¯t known him for more than a few hours, but the pain in the goblin¡¯s voice made him feel sick. First Mina and now Skyeyes. So much pain for these people. He felt guilty knowing that someone had created all of this. Someone had made these people suffer for no more than a playground for people like himself. For a moment he felt disgusted with himself and the nexus. The thoughts raced through his mind. He sucked air through his nose and breathed in deep. Then he released it. He wasn¡¯t responsible for this suffering. He and Josh were not the ones that created this world and they weren¡¯t the ones that caused the world to change. They were just as much a part of this as the other inhabitants of the world now. No, they weren¡¯t the cause of this, but they could be part of the solution. ¡°No,¡± said Adam, ¡°you¡¯re not alone.¡± He sent a party invite to Skyeyes. The goblin beast tamer looked at Adam as he received the message. He nodded and accepted, and Adam saw Skyeyes¡¯ name appear on the top left of his vision along with the three wolves each of which were sporting the names that Drox had given them. ¡°It says we need to be lower than level ten to enter,¡± said Josh. ¡°I mean we¡¯re lower than level ten, but like a lot lower. This might be difficult.¡± ¡°I will go. These monsters have harried my home and will not stop. There is only one thing to do.¡± Mina looked around. Her purple eyes were blazing with hate as she spit out the words. ¡°It says we can leave at any time,¡± said Adam. ¡°We could always escape if we need to.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s a month lockout bro. I don¡¯t see us sticking around here for a month.¡± ¡°True, but think about all the loot.¡± Adam had a smile on his face as he said the words. He had known Josh since they were kids. If anything would get him to go now it was the promise of fat loot. ¡°I could use a new shirt I guess.¡± Josh looked down at his bare chest. The shirt had been shredded by the Juvenile Harpy that hit him. ¡°Are we going to prattle forever out here or are we going to go in lads.¡± Drox was now standing easily on Snowball¡¯s back. His body weighed as much as a normal Teddy Bear so the wolf looked unbothered. His paws were planted firmly on his waist. ¡°How do we actually enter?¡± asked Josh scratching his chin as he looked at the door. ¡°I have an idea,¡± said Adam. ¡°Are we all ready?¡± The group all nodded and Adam moved up toward the door. He reached his hand up to the ring of the knocker and tapped it against the door. It was a gentle motion. Adam expected nothing more than a slight knock against the wood. Instead, what rang out sounded as if he had hit a giant gong with the force of ten men.
Would you like to enter [Small Dungeon of the Corrupted Goblin King] with your party? Y/N
Adam mentally chose yes and blackness enveloped him. Chapter 13: Dungeon Diving Adam saw nothing but darkness for a moment and then suddenly he was in a tunnel. It was a long tunnel of smooth rock that looked like they had been scooped out with a giant¡¯s hand. It was as wide as a two lane highway and tall enough that Adam would have to jump to touch the top. The tunnel was long enough that Adam couldn¡¯t see the end, but the faint glow of light let him see a good distance ahead. He looked around and saw where the light was coming from. On either side of the cavern wall, about halfway up, large glowing rocks were set into the smooth stone. They were about the size of a golf ball and each gave off the glow of a warm lightbulb. The stones were lining the wall at intervals allowing the tunnel to be full lit. The rest of Adam¡¯s group were looking around as well. The teleportation was sudden, but it seemed like it hadn¡¯t affected them in any way. Skyeyes was looking around with familiarity. ¡°Yes, this is home. Home, but not home.¡± His voice came as fast as ever, but he was nodding. ¡°Any idea what¡¯s waiting for us?¡± asked Adam. He was hoping to get some sort of information on the dungeon. ¡°No, this is home but not home. Same, but not the same. I am sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll just have to figure it out as we go.¡± Adam turned around to see two identical doors from which they had entered. The doors looked a bit shorter, but the goblin-head door knockers were still there. He assumed that would be their exit if they needed it. ¡°I will take the front position,¡± said Mina. She stepped past everyone and Skyeyes moved quickly out of her way. She started down the tunnel with her boots echoing slightly against the stone floor and her sword and buckler at the ready. Drox was still mounted on Snowball and shrugged as the wolf started to follow Mina. Skyeyes riding Pork Chop and Jerky were right on their heels. ¡°Guess we¡¯re following her,¡± said Josh. He pulled his great sword from his back and swung it around. He started following the others with Adam right behind. The tunnel stretched far and it was as straight as an arrow. After 15 minutes of walking the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern. It widened into a massive dome of a room. Adam looked up and saw a ceiling that was at least 20 meters high. It was adorned with the same glowing stones lighting up the massive cave. It was empty of any living being, but there was much in the cave. Straight ahead was a single unassuming iron door. It had a wrought iron knob. Even from this distance though Adam could see that in the middle of the door there were four massive keyholes. He looked around and saw four tunnels splitting off. Two on either side of the door. ¡°You thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡± asked Josh as he nudged Adam. It was much lighter this time and Adam didn¡¯t yelp in pain. ¡°Yep, four keys and four tunnels. You think it¡¯s that simple?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gotta be. This is a low level dungeon.¡± ¡°What are you two goat headed fools whispering about?¡± Drox¡¯s voice echoed off the walls with a rumble. ¡°Shhh,¡± everyone said at once. The wolves had all crouched down with their hackles up at the booming comment. Drox slid off of Snowball in a heap on the ground at the sudden movement. ¡°Oi! Stupid beast, don¡¯t do that!¡± He proceeded to smack Snowball with his paw as his voice echoed off the walls. The wolf didn¡¯t even register the hit from the small fluffy paw as its eyes darted around looking for danger. ¡°Hey yo¨C¡± Drox¡¯s screams of protest were suddenly cut off as Josh pulled him with his hand firmly over the bear¡¯s mouth. ¡°Quiet you little monster,¡± whispered Josh. Drox was struggling in Josh¡¯s grasp as his feet and hands flailed around in the air. ¡°You¡¯re going to wake the whole dungeon.¡± Drox stopped struggling and his button eyes moved around finally looking at the empty cavern. Josh slowly let him down and the bear brushed himself off with his paws. ¡°Which way should we go?¡± asked Mina. Her voice was a whisper and it still threatened to echo off the walls. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t matter,¡± said Adam. ¡°If I¡¯m right we¡¯ll have to go down each of these tunnels no matter what.¡± ¡°Then let us be on with it.¡± Mina started walking down the leftmost tunnel. The rest of the group followed without a word. The tunnel was identical to the other with smooth stone and boulders of light placed at intervals. The group moved as quietly as they could with both Skyeyes and Drox on top of a wolf. The wolves padded silently on the stone floor. Josh, Adam, and Mina weren¡¯t so lucky. Their boots clacked slightly against the hard floor. With weapons drawn they crept more than walked down the dim tunnel. It did little good. It wasn¡¯t long before the tunnel opened up again. This cave was much smaller from what Adam could see from the back but it was still a ways away. Mina had stopped the group and turned around crouching. The rest of them mirrored her posture. ¡°Five goblins ahead. They do not move. They stand and nothing else. Each has weapons, but they do not even talk.¡± ¡°Not goblins. Dark ones. Waiting. See, will attack.¡± Skyeyes was absently patting the head of Pork Chop which he rode on. The wolf¡¯s mouth was pulled back and the viciously sharp teeth were gleaming even in the dim yellow light of the stones. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± asked Josh. Drox was beside him on Snowball with his massive book out and ready. ¡°I will draw their attention. You two,¡± Mina pointed at Josh and Adam, ¡°will flank them on the left. Drox, the goblin, and wolves will take the right.¡± She turned to Drox. ¡°Do not cast Fire Bolt in here please. You would probably kill one of us.¡± ¡°You got it las. I¡¯ve been itching to try my new spell.¡± Drox had a wicked grin on his face that made Josh and Adam look at each other. They wouldn¡¯t know it, but they were both thinking the same thing at that moment. They really didn¡¯t want to get set on fire. Mina charged out of the tunnel with her sword and shield raised. She shouted as she ran. It was a battle cry that made Adam pause as he saw vibrations of sound in the air reach out from her like a cone. Every one of the goblins snapped their heads toward her and ran to meet her in an instant. Adam and Josh were on her heels as they split off to the left, but the goblins only had eyes for Mina. It was like they could only see her. As they got closer Drox muttered a spell with his paw outstretched. A flaming shield appeared mirroring Mina¡¯s buckler. It floated in the air inches from her actual shield and moved with every small motion Mina made. Then the wolves bounded off behind her headed to the goblins on the right. Drox was thrown off of Snowball instantly as the wolf leapt into the battle. She took full advantage of the sudden flame that didn¡¯t seem to burn her. She pulled her shield closer and crouched as much as she could behind it as she charged into the group of corrupted goblins. They were coming at her in a spread out line hoping to encircle her and attack her back and flank. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Mina did not stop. As she approached the heat from the flame shield blackened and burned the goblin in her way before it even touched him. When she made contact his body burst into flames before he could even raise his weapon. Mina kept running as the goblin fell beneath her feet. The other four swung at her with swords or daggers, but her group was hot on her heels. ¡°Power Slash,¡± yelled Josh as he swung his sword down on a goblin that had turned its back focusing fully on Mina. His great sword cut through the thin leather into the goblins shoulder and most of the way through its chest. Josh saw the monster¡¯s HP bar flash and then vanish as it fell to the ground dead. At the same time Adam caved in the skull of the other goblin. Its back was also turned trying to attack Mina and Adam had simply punched it as hard as he could in the back of the skull. The goblin¡¯s skull collapsed in on itself and Adam¡¯s gloved hand came back wet with blood and brains. When Mina stopped herself and turned back she saw the wolves tearing apart the other two goblins. Drox was getting up off the ground brushing himself off again. A moment later the goblins burst into blue crystals. Luckily for Adam the brains and blood also faded away into small crystals.
You have gained 200 experience points for defeating enemies
You have received 4x goblin teeth, 1x small soul crystal
Your hand-to-hand skill has increased to level 10
¡°That was easy enough,¡± said Josh as he struggled to put his great sword away. ¡°They were all level 1,¡± said Mina. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving.¡± The group continued past the small empty cave quickly as they crept along after Mina. The tunnel wasn¡¯t nearly as large anymore and the group were only able to walk three wide. It was less than a minute later that the next room came into view. It was identical to the last, but this time there were 10 of the corrupted goblins waiting. Adam saw them standing as still as statues as he focused on one in the front.
Corrupted Goblin Warrior - Level 2
He examined a few more and saw they were all the same. Each was carrying a sword or dagger, but none seemed to have any ranged weapons. They were about 50 feet away from the pack, but in the dim light it was enough for them to stay out of sight. ¡°Hey Drox,¡± whispered Adam, ¡°how far can you cast the Fire Bolt?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°Give it a shot for us. Mina and Josh get ready to take Drox¡¯s place.¡± Drox nodded and everyone backed up a little to be behind the bear. He had decided to dismount Snowball after realizing that he couldn¡¯t really hold on to her with his fingerless paws. He stood with his book out in front of him in one paw and his other paw outstretched. ¡°Fire Bolt.¡± The baseball sized ball of fire shot out like a major league fastball. It flew through the air without waving in the slightest as it slammed into the first goblin¡¯s chest. The goblin burst into flames and its dying screams echoed through the tunnels. The nine other goblins moved instantly toward where the fireball came from. Their weapon¡¯s raised and screams of outrage on their lips. Drox moved back with his paw smoking a little. Mina, Adam, and Josh stepped forward toward the rushing goblins. Chaos reigned for the next moments as swords flashed and fists punched out. The narrow corridors allowed the three to fight one on one against the goblins while the other six were stuck in the back waiting. Mina blocked a clumsy overhead slash from the goblin in front of her and stabbed out with her sword. Her sword sinked into the goblin¡¯s stomach all the way to the hilt. She pulled it down. Black blood and guts spilled out. The goblin¡¯s HP bar flashed and dropped to zero in an instant. Adam wasn¡¯t so lucky though. The goblin he faced had a short sword and a dagger in either hand. It slashed at him with the sword and he blocked it with his metal-plated forearm. He swung out with a jab and caught the goblin in the chin, but not before the goblin¡¯s dagger came up and sunk into his side. Fire burned through Adam¡¯s side. The dagger came out and Adam felt wetness start to cover his shabby tunic. He saw his HP drop from 100 to 80 in an instant. It didn¡¯t stop there though. He noticed it slowly started to drop down point by point almost every second as the wetness in his side increased. His hand instinctively went to his side. He felt the blood pouring out near his waist as he stumbled back. Two black wolves instantly took his place snapping and biting at oncoming goblins. Adam felt for the magic in his stomach as he leaned against the tunnel wall. It rushed up through his chest and down his arm until the fingertips of his hand glowed green with magic. He pushed the magic out and felt his body knit itself together. It was all together the most alien feeling of his life. Adam¡¯s HP jumped back up to 100 as the magic ran through him. The bleeding had stopped and the wound was completely gone. He looked down and saw the hole in his shirt but felt no wound. He couldn¡¯t see anything though because the area was stained red with blood. He watched and waited for his moment to step back into the battle. In the back of his mind he heard a small voice telling him that he had just been stabbed and that was traumatic. It was miniscule. Almost unnoticeable, but he knew if he let himself it would grow and take him over. Instead he focused on the knowledge of his training. Training that he had never actually done, but seemed as real as any other memory. He knew he was better than that. He squashed the small voice into dust and waited to back up his team. ¡°Flame Shield,¡± roared Drox. A shield of fire sprung up in front of Mina¡¯s shield and she instantly shouted. The sound waves washed through the goblins making the three in the front and the remaining ones in the back snap their heads toward her. She slammed her shield into the first and it screamed as its body burned. The two closest goblins flinched back at the heat. Josh didn¡¯t hesitate as he screamed, ¡°Power Slash!¡± His sword flashed blue as it came crashing down. It bisected the goblin that¡¯s focus was still solely on Mina. The wolves¡¯ maws flashed and bone snapped like twigs as the other goblin fell. The two wolves dragged their dead goblin back and Adam stepped in line with Mina and Josh. The three remaining goblins had no fear in their eyes. They didn¡¯t even notice their comrades die. Their black eyes were soulless and void of all emotion. They only moved up to attack, but the group of adventurers were ready. Adam didn''t wait. He moved forward and struck out with a left haymaker. The goblin tried to raise his sword up in time to block, but he was far too slow. The punch landed with a crunch against the goblin¡¯s jaw, but Adam wasn¡¯t done yet. He stepped forward and uppercutted with his right hand sending the goblin off the ground slightly. It crumpled to the ground dead. Mina blocked the oncoming dagger with her buckler. The hardened wood made the crude dagger bounce off, not even chipping the shield. She pushed with her shield making the goblin¡¯s arm arc high in the air and buried her sword deep into its stomach. There was a scream, but it was becoming apparent that it wasn¡¯t one of pain. Instead, it was a death howl. A last breath for the corrupted souls. Josh blocked a slash with his great sword. The two beings sat for a moment with their weapons locked. Then, a fist caved in the side of the goblin¡¯s head. Josh looked over to see Adam grinning like a madman. Adam, Josh, and Mina were huffing and puffing as they all leaned against the walls of the tunnel. The burst of blue crystals was welcome as the blood and pieces of goblins disintegrated. Adam looked around and saw the glittering power flow into him and his party. The notifications piled into his view, but he pushed him aside with his mind for a moment. Left behind from the burst of crystals was something he hadn¡¯t seen before. Where there should be empty space was instead a black leather jerkin that glowed with a faint light in the dimly lit tunnel. Chapter 14: Loot! Adam stared at the leather chest piece that sat on the ground in front of the group. This was something new. Something none of them had seen before. As he looked at the gear on the ground a notification appeared floating next to the jerkin.
Black Leather Jerkin: Protects the wearer against some slashing and piercing damage
Rarity: Uncommon
Requirement: 4 Dex 4 Str 4 Vit
Minor Rune 1/1: Enduring: This armor will self-repair and self-clean over time.
¡°Loot!¡± yelled Josh. That broke the silence of the group and everyone snapped out of their awe at the new finding. ¡°Looks like we found you a new shirt,¡± said Adam. Josh rushed over to the jerkin and picked it up. His face changed in an instant from a shining grin to a frown. He held the jerkin up to his chest, and it was obviously made for a goblin. The goblin¡¯s they fought were maybe chest high for Adam and Mina and Josh stood a head taller than both. To say the least the jerkin was far too small for the overlord. ¡°Hmmm, I don¡¯t think it will fit.¡± Adam looked at the floating text again and had a thought. ¡°Put it into your inventory and try to equip it from there.¡± The piece of leather armor disappeared as Josh¡¯s eyes unfocused. Then the black leather armor appeared on Josh¡¯s body more than twice the size it had been before. His eyes widened as he looked down at the perfectly fitting piece of gear. He moved his head around trying to look at it from every angle. ¡°How¡¯s it feel lad?¡± ¡°Amazing! It¡¯s not too tight or too loose. It¡¯s perfect.¡± Josh stretched and moved around. He touched his toes and jumped a few times. The armor moved like it was made for him. His arms were still bare as the jerkin only covered his torso, but it was much far better than having nothing protecting him at all. ¡°Have any of you ever seen something like that happen before?¡± asked Adam. They all shook their heads even Skyeyes who was the highest level of the bunch. ¡°Yo, another level too!¡± Adam willed the notifications back into his view at that. He went down the list and was pleasantly surprised.
You have gained 1000 experience points
You have reached level 4!
You have gained +1 to all attributes
You have gained +5 free attribute points
You have received 5x small soul crystals, 4x goblin teeth, 2x goblin bone, 3x goblin heart
Your Hand-to-Hand skill has reached level 10
You Nature Magic skill has reached level 8
¡°No new skill at level 4 for me,¡± said Adam as he closed the notifications. ¡°Same,¡± said Josh. ¡°Me as well,¡± added Mina. ¡°Skyeyes, did you get an ability at level four?¡± Adam looked over to the wolf-riding goblin. Skyeyes shook his head. ¡°No ability. Level four nothing.¡± The goblin opened his eyes wide and brought both hands up, opening them wide. ¡°Level five big ability. Class ability.¡± ¡°Oi! You oversized goat. Why am I only level 3 and why didn¡¯t I get another spell?¡± ¡°If you call me a goat one more time I¡¯m going to¨C¡± Adam interrupted Josh¡¯s rant, ¡°We all did some fighting before Josh summoned you. Don¡¯t worry you¡¯ll catch up at some point.¡± Drox rubbed his paws together and smiled, ¡°Good, I want some more spells. Let¡¯s go kill some more goblins.¡± WIth that the group headed further down the dim tunnels. Drox was back atop Snowball and Skyeyes was riding Porkchop again. He rode with ease compared to Drox who bounced with every step. Jerky trailed slightly behind the two wolves who walked behind Adam, Mina, and Josh. Adam willed the small party menu in his top left to come into view. He looked over the party and saw that everyone seemed topped up and healthy. Then he noticed Skyeyes¡¯ mana. It was completely empty and read 0/120. ¡°Skyeyes, why is your mana not regenerating?¡± ¡°Wolves. Wolves take magic. Bond is¨C¡± he paused for a second searching for the word. ¡°Costly.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Adam, ¡°it costs mana to keep the bonds. So the more mana you have the more bonds you can have?¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°No.¡± He paused for a second and tapped his chin lightly. ¡°Always three. Always all mana.¡± Adam thought he understood. ¡°Ohh, so it¡¯s a percentage. If you have two wolves you¡¯d have 40 mana and if you had one wolf it¡¯d be 80 mana to use. Is that right?¡± Skyeyes nodded fast. ¡°Yes. Yes.¡± ¡°Josh, why doesn¡¯t Drox take up a percentage of your mana?¡± ¡°No idea bro, but if I had to guess it¡¯s probably because I can only have one Drox. Also, there was a cost to cast the spell, and he had to agree to the pact and so did I. It seemed more like an exchange.¡± ¡°Oi, I¡¯m a person. Not some dumb beast.¡± Snowball bucked slightly at the comment and Drox flew off the wolf. He crashed down onto the floor with little more than a soft plop due to his fluffy nature. His groan echoed through the tunnels as the group laughed. ¡°I do not think she liked that,¡± said Mina through small giggles. Snowball padded over to Drox and nuzzled him with her nose. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean you girl. I was talking about those other two mutts.¡± Drox got up and dusted himself off. He patted Snowball on the head and she let him get back on her back. The group continued down the tunnel. They had gone about a kilometer between each of the rooms so far, and they were coming up on the end of their third kilometer if Adam had judged the distance correctly. Not long after another room came into view. There were no goblins standing around waiting as the group moved closer. As the room came into view it became apparent that this one was far different from the others. They crept up together slowly until they were all at the edge of the room¡¯s opening. Adam¡¯s eyes grew wide at the sight. The cavern was absolutely massive. It was at least 100 feet across and half as high. The stones weren¡¯t smooth like the tunnels or the rooms before, but instead they were jagged and jutting from everywhere. Pieces of rocks lay strawn on the ground and small carts were loaded with ore and stones. Adam even spotted some helmets and pickaxes laying around. This wasn¡¯t just any cave. This was a mining operation. Looking around the room Adam saw at least five other smaller tunnels on the opposite side of the cavern. There were some barrels and boxes stacked along the wall, but other than that, the room was empty. It was as if the inhabitants had simply disappeared. ¡°A mining operation?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Is that obsidian?¡± He pointed toward one of the carts full of the black ore that shined like glass. ¡°It called heart of mountain. It shiny but hard. Very hard. It rare.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s it just sitting here if it¡¯s so rare?¡± Skyeyes shrugged. ¡°I not miner.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± said Josh. ¡°You guys think we should head down one of those tunnels?¡± ¡°I guess,¡± said Adam, ¡°should probably pocket some of these ore though if we can. Do you mind Skyeyes?¡± The goblin shook his head and the group moved out into the cavern. They split up and each headed toward carts of ore. As Adam got close to a cart filled with a gray ore he saw the notification pop up floating next to the stones.
Iron Ore: used for crafting weapons, tools, and components
He moved over to the cart and picked up one of the stones. He willed it into his inventory and it disappeared from his hand. He pulled up his inventory and saw that one of the spaces now had the ore inside with the number 1 beside it. He put his hands into the cart and willed the ore into his inventory again. His inventory now had the number 15 next to the stones. Adam took a good long look at the menu in front of him. The page looked like an old school character sheet. It had a silhouette of a person with small boxes showing where gear could be equipped. There was a box for head, body, legs, feet, hands, shoulders, waist, back, neck, rings, and weapons. He let out a small laugh at the fact that there were only two ring slots. He was currently wearing a simple tunic, simple breaches, and simple boots along with his common weighted gloves. The rest of his slots were empty. That wasn¡¯t what he was looking for though. Below his gear he had a box that was considered his inventory. Adam thought for a moment. He looked at the spaces and counted them. It was a 5 by 5 box giving him 25 spaces. It seemed that each of his items took up one space except for his soul crystals which had a number beneath the inventory. It was on the bottom left of the menu. There was a picture of three different soul crystals of descending sizes and he had 12 next to the smallest one. Adam¡¯s eyes moved over to the bottom right of the menu where he saw a number he hadn¡¯t noticed before. It read 30/120. That was it. That was what he was looking for. Adam was positive. That was how much weight he could carry. He knew he had to test it though. Adam thrust his hand into the cart and started putting all the ore into his inventory. He had the menu pulled up and saw the number rise quickly. When he hit 55 ore in his inventory he saw the number in his bottom left reach 125/120 and it went from white to red. Instantly Adam felt the weight on his body. He moved back and felt like he was underwater. His limbs were heavy and it was like he was moving in slow motion. ¡°Whoa,¡± said Adam, ¡°we have a weight limit.¡± ¡°Really?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Yeah, bottom right of your inventory. Next to the soul crystals.¡± Josh looked at the number and then continued to fill his inventory with the mountain heart ore. As soon as his weight limit passed its limit he felt the same weight that had hit Adam. ¡°Bro, that¡¯s trippy. I feel like I¡¯m swimming.¡± Adam looked over his stats and realized he hadn¡¯t spent his five free points yet. He put three of them into strength and the weight disappeared in an instant. He looked down at his inventory and saw that it now read 115/140. He went ahead and put two more points into dexterity as well. ¡°Looks like strength directly affects the weight we can carry.¡± ¡°Sweet,¡± said Josh. ¡°What kind of ore do you have over there? There were only 15 mountain heart ore here. The rest of the cart is filled with copper.¡± ¡°Iron ore over here. What about you Mina?¡± ¡°Copper,¡± she said. Her cart which had been overflowing was completely empty. She was moving toward Adam at normal speed still. ¡°I have 60 ore. It took about half of my weight.¡± ¡°Damn you¡¯re strong,¡± said Josh. ¡°Copper¡¯s heavy.¡± ¡°That it is lad,¡± said Drox. ¡°We¡¯ve got iron ore over here. I can hold about 15 before the weight gets too much.¡± Skyeyes was just sitting on Pork Chop looking around the mine. His eyes were darting around the room. Simultaneously all three wolves¡¯ ears flattened and a rumbling growl escaped from them. They bared their teeth and turned toward one of the small tunnels that connected to the cavern. Everyone went silent. For a moment there was no sound other than the wolves¡¯ low growl. Skyeyes put his hand up and the wolves went quiet. That¡¯s when the sound reached the group. It was a small sound at first. Just a simple sound like a rock hitting a metal bucket. Tink tink tink. Every second it would sound and every second it grew louder. Slowly, as quiet as he could, Adam moved over toward Mina who was facing the tunnel where the sound was coming from. He saw Josh move as well to her right side. The wolves padded over silently with Drox and Skyeyes atop two of the three. Snowball, who was carrying Drox, stopped next to Josh abruptly. Drox slid off the wolf and fell to the ground in a puff of dust and gravel. ¡°Oi wolf!¡± yelled Drox. Everyone turned on him, and he looked as guilty as a teddy bear could look. He put both paws up to his mouth. At first nobody noticed, but as everyone turned back toward the tunnel they realized something was missing. The sound had stopped. A roar erupted from the darkness. It was no roar of a man. It was bestial and deafening as it echoed through the cavern walls making dust and rocks fall from the ceiling. Everyone was standing close together at least ten meters away from the tunnel, but they felt the roar in their bones. It made the hair on the back of Adam¡¯s neck stand straight up and goosebumps ran across his whole body. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was fear or excitement. The sound of metal on stone started again as the roar died away. This time it was far faster and so much louder. Adam felt the tugging in his chest he had felt before when monsters had attacked. It was becoming a familiar feeling now. One that meant danger. A form crashed through the entrance and sent stone shooting in all directions. Mina raised her shield as Adam covered his eyes with his gloves. Josh just stood as a few stones bounced off of his body. Dust bellowed out of the tunnel and from it rose a shadow. It grew and grew until it was over two meters tall. Then the shadowy figure let out a breath and the dust blew away like pollen on the wind. Adam looked up and saw a monster. It looked like a massive goblin covered in hair and muscles. The skin of the creature was green, but the hair was the color of rust and it almost covered the thing completely. Its ears were long and pointy and its nose was the same. Dark veins of black covered its body almost shining through the thick hair of the creature. It looked, to Adam, like a mix between a sasquatch and a massive goblin. Then the notification appeared next to its head.
Corrupted Bugbear Foreman - Level 7 - Elite Enemy
Chapter 15: Boss Battle! ¡°Watch out!¡± yelled Josh. The Bugbear moved toward Mina and roared again. Its teeth were long and sharp. Each one was as long as a human hand. The monster raised its weapon, a massive pickaxe, and brought it down toward Mina in a flash. She jumped back as the weapon came down just missing her. The pickaxe buried itself deep into the ground making the Bugbear overextend slightly. ¡°Flame Shield!¡± roared Drox. Mina stepped forward with her shield on fire and bellowed a roar. The sound waves shot out toward the bugbear and he stared down at Mina. She brought her shield up slamming it into his chest. The shield was wreathed in fire from Drox¡¯s spell. As the shield connected with the overextended bugbear there was an audible smack. The monster flew back pulling his pickaxe out of the ground with him. He rolled and slammed against the wall of the cavern right next to the open tunnel. Smoke rose in black wisps where the hair was burnt from Drox¡¯s flame shield, but there was not real damage. Adam watched his health bar flash and it lowered by about ten percent. Adam and Josh moved as the wolves howled and sped toward the downed bugbear. Josh made it first and his sword flashed blue as he brought it down, but the foreman was too quick. It blocked Josh¡¯s strike with his pickaxe. Adam was right behind Josh though. He activated Combo as he swung his fist at the bugbear¡¯s face. His jab connected with a crunch, but it felt to Adam like he¡¯d hit a brick wall. A small bell sounded inside of his head. He didn¡¯t stop though. Two more jabs flashed out and connected each followed by a familiar small bell. As the last hit landed his speed increased. The bugbear roared as it locked weapons with Josh. It was still on the ground as Adam pummeled it in the face. Then it moved. The foreman pushed himself up and at the same time pulled his pickaxe away from Josh¡¯s great sword. In one motion he threw Josh back and swung his pickaxe toward Adam¡¯s head. Adam¡¯s vision changed as Combo activated. It felt like his surroundings were suddenly underwater. Everything was slightly blurry unless he focused. When he saw the pickaxe coming for his face he was focused on nothing else. It moved quickly, but not as fast as Adam expected. He could see where it was going and he made his choice. He ducked. The pickaxe flew over Adam with such force that he felt the wind kick up his hair like a tornado. Adam moved closer and punched the bugbear in the stomach. Four fast jabs he was able to get in before the pickaxe finished its swing through the air. He kicked off the ground and flew back as the foreman¡¯s free hand tried to grab at him. Then Josh was there his sword came down on the monster¡¯s extended arm and it sunk down almost half way. The bugbear let out a scream of pain and flung its arm up throwing Josh back again along with his sword. Adam wanted to move in again, but the pickaxe was raised high waiting for him. The wolves came barreling in with Mina leading the charge and Skyeyes on Pork Chop¡¯s back. Mina let out a battle cry and the sound waves hit the bugbear in the face causing his attention to snap over to her as the wolves raced around its legs. Skyeyes¡¯ daggers flashed as he cut at the ankles and calves of the monster. Thin red lines appeared and the wolves snapped a bit at the foreman¡¯s feet. The foreman moved back trying to stomp, but the animals and the goblin were too quick when he couldn¡¯t focus on them. He only had eyes for Mina and those eyes burned with rage and hate. The pickaxe came flying through the air and Mina brought up her shield as she moved close. She caught the handle with her buckler and was sent flying through air from the impact. Adam moved in and punched the foreman with all his strength in the side of the knee. Something crunched and the monster went down in a heap. The wolves moved back out of the way of the falling monster. Adam saw the foreman¡¯s health bar had dropped from blue to yellow and it was sitting at about fifty percent. Adam was breathing hard and he felt his world snap back into focus. Combo had run out. Jerky leapt toward the downed foreman¡¯s throat, but he was smacked away by a massive backhand from the monster. A yelp of pain came from the wolf as he hit the ground and slid, not getting up again. The foreman fumbled at something on his chest as he swung his pickaxe around widely, keeping Adam, Skyeyes, and Snowball back. Adam saw a flash of white as the foreman pulled something out and put it to his mouth. ¡°Stop him!¡± yelled Adam. He couldn¡¯t tell what it was, but he knew it wasn¡¯t good. Josh came barreling in and swung his sword down at the foreman¡¯s head, but his weapon was caught by the pickaxe again. Adam saw the foreman¡¯s chest filled with air right as he noticed what it was in his hand. A clear, loud whistle blasted through the air like a train horn. It filled the cavern for a moment bouncing off the walls and down the tunnels. Josh brought his sword up and down again and again. It was blocked every time by the pickaxe, but Josh just kept beating away. Then his sword flashed blue again and he slammed the sword edge into the raised pickaxe. The foreman¡¯s weapon shattered and Josh¡¯s sword kept going right into bugbear¡¯s shoulder where it cut through skin and bone and only stopped when it hit the ground underneath the fallen monster. The bugbear foreman dropped the whistle and a meaty fist slammed into Josh, sending him flying through the air once again. He landed with a crash and kicked up dust. Adam saw the HP bars of his teammates that took hits. Both Mina and Josh¡¯s HP were yellow, Jerky¡¯s was flashing red. The foreman on the other hand was down to a third. That¡¯s when the rumbling began. The walls reverberated with a deafening pounding sound that bounced off the walls of the cavern. Adam couldn¡¯t hear anything but the constant beating in his head. He saw Skyeyes ride over to Jerky and jump off of Pork Chop. His hands glowed green as he knelt down next to the injured Jerky. The wolf¡¯s HP bar gradually started to refill. The foreman pushed himself up as he continued to flail around with what was left of his pickaxe. It was little more than a handle, but Adam was sure it would do some major damage if he got hit with it. The beating sound in his ears was almost putting him off balance. The foreman didn¡¯t advance on Adam though. Instead it backed up toward the tunnel it had come from. One arm hung limply at his side as he limped back. Adam moved toward the foreman and saw movement explode from the tunnel. A small goblin, even smaller than Skyeyes, came barreling out of the opening with a small pickaxe raised. It swung at Adam and he dodged back. At the same time he snapped his fist out catching the goblin on the jaw. He saw the monster¡¯s head snap to one side and heard a cracking sound. The goblin died before it hit the ground. Before Adam could take a second to process what happened he was surrounded by more of the small goblins with pickaxes. They were spilling out of every tunnel. They were the massive beating sound. It wasn¡¯t some massive monster, but hundreds of small feet all pounding the hard ground at the same time as they came running to support their foreman. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The deafening stomping had subsided as the tunnels clogged with goblins and everyone desperately tried to keep them at bay. They were silent, corrupted monsters that couldn¡¯t have been higher than level one as they were batted aside with ease. But there were so many of them. Mina was on her feet striking out widely with her sword as she blocked blows with her buckler. A few of the pickaxes got through and she was bleeding in places. Josh¡¯s great sword was flying through the air decimating any goblin that dared to get close. He was the only one with clear space near him due to his weapon. The wolves were snapping and biting at any of the small goblins that dared approach Skyeyes or Drox. Adam moved back punching and blocking strikes. He felt a few of the weapons pierce him. They were like tiny daggers, but they damaged him nonetheless. He saw his HP bar dropping as he moved back. A firebolt split through the goblins next to Mina clearing the way for her to move back and causing screams of pain to erupt from the goblins that had been unfortunate enough to be near the blast. They burned and screamed and still came on, pickaxes flying. It felt like wading through a flood as the group moved toward each other. None of them could focus on the foreman that towered over all the other goblins. He moved back through the river of his minions until he was near one of the tunnel entrances. It was there he found what he was looking for. A barrel of unassuming quality. It was just a round barrel made of wood that was rotting and full of holes. He reached his one good hand into the barrel and pulled out a small black bag. The bag was the perfect size to fit into one hand. In the foreman¡¯s massive meaty hands it looked small. It was made of tattered cloth that had been stained black by its contents. From the top of the small pouch a string jutted out. Where the string and pouch met there was a small glob of wax holding the two together and keeping the string sticking up straight. The foreman grunted. He did not speak. He grunted a guttural sound and an instant later one of the small corrupted goblins was at his side holding a torch. The foreman put the string close to the torch and it ignited with a spray of sparks. The foreman wasted no time and chunked the bag toward the unsuspecting adventurers. Josh looked down as a black pouch landed close to his feet. He was desperately swinging his sword back and forth keeping the goblins at bay as he backed toward where Drox, Skeyes, the wolves, and Mina had set up a sort of wall to keep the ocean of monsters back. He was close to them now. About ten more feet and he¡¯d be there. Then the bag had plopped down at his feet. Josh saw the sparks coming from the bag and acted on pure instinct. He kicked the bag toward the sea of goblins and dove back toward where his group was. ¡°Get down!¡± He yelled as he hit the ground covering his head. The small corrupted goblins hadn¡¯t even glanced down at the bag as they moved in toward Josh¡¯s exposed form. The rest of his group reacted in an instant. It must have been the panic in his voice but every one of them crouched down and covered their heads. Adam was too far away to see what was happening, but he had heard Josh¡¯s shout. He just couldn¡¯t do anything about it. He was punching, kicking, and trying to block as much as he could. He was bleeding in many spots where the small pickaxes had found purchase. Luckily the pain was overwritten by the adrenaline pumping through him. Adam saw the explosion before sound caught up. Flames erupted from the ground and covered a massive circle ten feet in every direction. Rocks and dirt flew up from the ground and covered the cavern in the mist of grime. The noise though. It was beyond deafening in the cavern. Adam felt his ears pop then pain shot through his head. He felt himself scream as his eardrums busted, but he could hear nothing. He willed the magic in the pit of his stomach up through his body and cast Emerald Leaves on himself. Rivers of ice shot through his veins as the healing magic took effect. The cavern was in complete chaos as the sea of small goblins grabbed at their ears and thick dust obscured almost everything. Adam could see Josh getting up near the rest of his party. They seemed to be fairly unaffected by the blast. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± said Adam. He had made his way to them as the goblins recovered from the blast. ¡°The boss has bombs,¡± said Josh. He was swinging his sword again, decimating the still recovering goblins and keeping the ocean of monsters at bay nearly by himself. ¡°Boom bags. Bad. Very Bad. Not good. Must stop him.¡± Skyeyes was off his wolf now and weaving in and out of the battle with his daggers right under Josh''s massive swings. Mina moved up and bashed an oncoming goblin with her shield that had slipped around Josh. It crumpled to the ground with a single blow. The group was bleeding in places and everyone looked haggard. They knew it was a losing battle. The dust was settling now and they could see the foreman getting ready with another boom bag. Josh watched as he pulled it from a massive barrel and had one of the goblins light it with a torch. ¡°Incoming,¡± yelled Josh. The foreman tossed the bag toward the group as Josh kept the goblins at bay. The bag lobbed its way over Josh¡¯s head toward where Drox, Skyeyes, and the Wolves were standing. Adam dove. He reached for the bag and felt his hand clasp around a slightly wet pouch that felt like a beanie baby. In a single motion he twisted and threw the bag into the sea of goblins. As he hit the ground he covered his ears. The explosion was far enough away this time that the noise only made the adventurers'' ears ring. The goblins near the blast that weren¡¯t disintegrated instantly were running around on fire and screaming. Dust bellowed through the cavern again as Adam got back to his feet. ¡°We have to do something,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can make it to the foreman through all of these goblins.¡± Adam was yelling over the sounds of battle and ringing in his ears. He moved to the opposite side of Mina and Josh, creating a semi-circle of death as punches flashed out at the oncoming wave of monsters. ¡°I have an idea,¡± said Josh. He was steadily slashing his great sword back and forth, but the goblins were catching on. They could see that he was slowing down. ¡°But it could get us all killed.¡± ¡°We¡¯re dead either way lad.¡± ¡°The bear speaks the truth,¡± said Mina. She was slowing down as well. Adam could see blood leaking from all over her legs. Josh grunted. ¡°Get on my head and as soon as the dust clears I want you to use Fire Bolt and aim for the foreman¡¯s barrel.¡± Drox nodded grimly. The bear moved over toward Josh with his grimoire tucked under one arm. As he reached his destination Drox began to climb up the Overlord. He was almost shaken off twice by Josh¡¯s constant swinging, but he made it. He was high above the ocean of small goblins as he held on to one of Josh¡¯s horns. The dust was settling again as Drox flipped open his book. The massive tome floated just above his paw with magic keeping it in place. The Foreman came into view then. He had another boom bag in his hand getting ready to light the thing. His eyes locked on to Drox who was standing on Josh¡¯s shoulders with one paw desperately gripping a horn and the other holding a magic book. Drox smiled. ¡°Die you overgrown son of a pig!¡± yelled Drox. He let go of Josh¡¯s horn and pointed toward the foreman. ¡°Fire Bolt!¡± The Foreman saw the baseball sized ball of fire stream toward him and he jumped out of the way. It was then that the monster realized his mistake. The ball of fire wasn¡¯t actually headed toward him, but instead the barrel that was next to him. He¡¯d jumped away from the barrel full of boom bags. As the Fire Bolt flew through the air Drox jumped down and got into a fluffy ball behind the wolves and Skyeyes. Mina covered them, then Adam and Josh were there in a pile. Tiny pickaxes stabbed into Josh and Adam¡¯s back. Adam watched their HP bars dropping as he gritted his teeth through the pain. Their blue bar turned to yellow, and Adam started to worry. Then the Fire Bolt spell hit, and the world was nothing but roaring heat. Chapter 16: First Class Adam felt the heat wash over him from the blast. There was no sound. His eardrums were gone again. All he felt was the heat. Then he felt the pain. The scorching flames enveloped his entire party. Adam saw nothing but red and the party menu in the top left of his vision. He watched in horror as every single one of his party members HP dropped deep into the red. Adam knew they were dead then. There was no saving anyone. His Emerald Leaves spell was on cooldown. He had wasted it on his ears. Like an idiot all he could do was watch as they all slowly died. Then the flames were gone. The heat was cut off, and the cavern was quiet. Even though Adam and the rest of his party wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear a thing. He knew there was no sound. His HP bar read 10/110. He tried to move and as he stood he fell straight backwards to the ground. Josh and Mina collapsed the same as Adam. They had taken the brunt of the explosion. The wolves looked half-cooked, missing hair and burned flesh. Skyeyes and Drox on the other hand looked relatively unharmed. Their HP bars were in red but just barely. They had been protected from most of the flames and the damage to their bodies was miniscule. Skyeyes leapt out of the pile with his daggers raised. Drox had his book floating above his paw with the other raised and ready. Adam saw the bear¡¯s mana was almost drained from the two spells, but he stood ready nonetheless. Adam just closed his eyes. He was too tired to fight anymore. His body was wrecked and he was just thankful that the pain wasn¡¯t bad. He guessed that the flames were hot enough to burn away his nerve endings. He was pretty sure he saw that in some doctor show once. He just laid there for a bit in a state between waking and dreaming. ¡°By the gods,¡± whispered Drox. Adam opened an eye. The exclamation in Drox¡¯s voice had him curious in his delirium. Then he realized he could hear. He sat up and felt his body scream in agony. His HP was still only 20/110, and the tightness in his burned skin ripped and tore as he moved. He looked down and noticed his shirt was gone, burnt away from the explosion with some of it melted to him. His pants were now shorts, but his boots seemed okay. As he looked around he noticed he was the only one to share that unfortunate fate. The cavern was piled with bodies. There were hundreds of the small corrupted goblins splayed all around the room. Most were burned toward the entrance of the tunnel, but there were still a massive amount that were completely untouched by the flames. They lay dead just as the others. The Foreman was completely gone. Not even a tooth or stray bone remained near the blast area. The gems that burst from the room were blinding. There were more than Adam had ever seen and he had to close his eyes as they rushed into him and his party. He felt the level before he saw the notification. His HP and MP shoot to max, and his body tingled like mad as his burnt and melted skin healed. The pieces of melted clothes and skin came off his body like a snake¡¯s skin. He saw Josh going through something similar as he tried to scratch at his back and tail. The notifications filled his vision.
You have gained 2000 experience points
Congratulations, you have reached level 5!
You have gained +1 to all attributes
You have +5 unallocated attribute points
Your Hand-to-Hand skill has reached level 15
Your Nature Magic skill has reached level 10
You have unlocked a class choice!
Adam¡¯s eyes widened. He would finally be able to choose a class. He felt nervous and excited all at the same time. He could feel his body tingling all over. He brought up the menu and read through his choices.
Congratulations! You have reached level 5 and can now choose a class. The classes you are offered are based on your skills and it may upgrade or change completely in the future. This is only the beginning.
Druid - Wield the power of Nature Magic against your foes and bolster your allies. The Druid uses vines to snare, thorns to tear, and the earth to heal. They can commune with animals and masters of the class can even take on the shapes of the mightiest of beasts to rake and claw their enemies.
Monk - The monk¡¯s body is their weapon. They have trained and honed their skills to strike fast and hard. Their bodies are like water, wind, fire, or steel depending on the discipline they train. Masters of the class are rumored to be able to break through the gates of their spirit. Few know the benefits of such a feat.
Brawler - the brawler fights their foes with fist and feet and anything else within their grasp. They will fight until the last breath and sometimes even beyond. Brawlers use a plethora of combat abilities in order to dish out as much damage as they can in a short amount of time. It is said that a brawler is one step away from a true berserker.
Adam weighed the classes in his head. He focused on the last few lines of each. They were obviously a hint at what future class upgrades might entail. He had to admit he really liked the idea of shapeshifting, but the monk called to him. Deep within his bones the class resonated to him and he wasn¡¯t sure why. He never even liked fighting. He never did martial arts. He usually played some sort of archer or spellcaster in games before. It was foreign to him, and the thought that might be the reason it called to him so completely. It was something new. Something he had never done before. The whole reason he came to the place was to live. He had no desire to live the same life he had before.
Would you like to choose Monk as your class upgrade? Y/N Warning! If you choose this class your Nature Magic skill and any associated spells or abilities will be replaced.
That was unexpected. He knew they needed healing. They had all almost died, but even with his spell it would have only saved one person. He sighed and mentally accepted. Risk versus reward. He just hoped he¡¯d made the right decision as he accepted the class.
You have become a Monk
Nature Magic has been replaced with Spirit
Emerald Leaves has been replaced with Inner Focus
Inner Focus Activated Ability
Cost: 25 MP
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Description Regenerate your HP every second for each point of vitality you have for 15 seconds.
You have a new ability to choose
* This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Adam waited for the rush of knowledge that had become so familiar over the last few days. He was eager for it now. He waited, and waited, and it never came. There was no sudden change, no surge of power, there was just the notification. So, slightly dejected Adam opened the notification for his new ability choice. He saw three abilities to choose from this time, and they all had a distinct feel to them.
Flying Kick Activated Ability
Cost: 20 MP
Cooldown: 1 minute
Description: A powerful kick that can be activated from a distance of up to ten feet.
Palm Strike Activated Ability
Cost: 25 MP
Cooldown: 1 minute
Description: A powerful melee strike of the palm bolstered by mana.
Headbutt Activated Ability
Cost: 15 MP
Cooldown: 1 minute
Description: A powerful headbutt able to devastate enemies from close quarters.
Each ability was pretty straight forward. It was some kind of attack Adam just had to choose which one suited him. He could tell that Flying Kick would be beneficial, but the training he did hadn¡¯t really covered kicks, or anything really besides punching. That seemed a bit strange to him actually. He thought back for a moment trying to sift through the implemented memories. There were blank spots. Adam knew they were there like a word on the tip of his tongue. He couldn¡¯t, however, seem to access them. For that reason he chose Palm Strike. It was something familiar and something he felt that he could take advantage of. He hoped these missing parts in his knowledge would work themselves out eventually. He had a strange feeling that they would.
Congratulations! You have learned Palm Strike!
After the notification disappeared Adam decided to put his extra attribute points in. He put two into strength and dexterity and one into vitality. ¡°I¡¯m a, um, Demon Squire.¡± That was the first thing anyone said. It was Josh that had spoken. Adam erupted in laughter. ¡°What the hell is a Demon Squire. Are you like a servant to a demon now?¡± ¡°No bro! It said that I''m training to be a Demon Knight. I call forth the powers of my ancestors to bolster myself and hinder my enemies. Also, I smash shit with my sword. I even got a new ability. It¡¯s called Demonic Domain. It slowly drains the HP of any enemy within an area and gives the HP to me.¡± ¡°Whoa,¡± said Adam, ¡°that¡¯s like, way better than mine. I chose Monk and got Palm Strike. It¡¯s exactly what it sounds like. I also lost Emerald Leaves and Nature Magic for Inner Focus and Spirit. Inner Focus is pretty good. It''s like a self heal over time, but losing our only healing ability that could help others is rough.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Josh. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to be more careful. What about you guys?¡± He looked around toward Drox, Mina, and Skyeyes. Josh seemed unconcerned with the loss so Adam relaxed a bit about his choice. ¡°I have become a Guardian,¡± said Mina. ¡°I got an ability called Shield Bash which summons a ghostly shield to strike out at my enemies.¡± Adam and Josh¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s so awesome,¡± said Josh. ¡°Drox?¡± Drox looked away from the group and cleared his throat. ¡°No class for me.¡± ¡°What?¡± said Josh. Outrage was clear in his voice. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± The bear just shrugged and moved away from the group looking pointedly at nothing at all. Adam got a strange feeling and decided to examine Drox. He focused for a moment before the familiar window appeared.
Name: Drox
Level: 5
Class: Teddy Bear of the Flame
¡°You liar!¡± accused Adam. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from laughing. ¡°You do have a class. It¡¯s Teddy Bear of the Flame.¡± ¡°Oi, don¡¯t make fun of me. It was my only choice. It said I¡¯m somehow connected to this stupid book.¡± Drox¡¯s head sagged as he kicked around dirt with his small legs. ¡°I think that it sounds very scary, Drox,¡± said Mina. ¡°You have nothing to be ashamed of.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The Teddy Bear looked up toward Mina with what looked like a hint of tears forming in his button eyes. ¡°Of course, a Fire Bear is very scary.¡± ¡°Correction,¡± said Josh with a sharp finger raised in the air. ¡°Fire Teddy Bear.¡± ¡°Leave him alone, you bully,¡± said Mina. She hid the hint of a grin well enough from Drox, but the others saw it. ¡°He is a formidable foe for any who dare fight him.¡± ¡°Yes, I will burn my enemies to ash!¡± Drox was looking more confident by the second. ¡°Okay, okay I¡¯m sorry for making fun of you. What did you mean you¡¯re connected to the book?¡± ¡°That stupid god magic told me if I wanted another class I would have to start from level 1 and get rid of my book. It said the book is bound to me for some reason.¡± ¡°It must have been something to do with the summoning,¡± said Josh. He had his hand on his chin looking thoughtful. ¡°Did you get a new spell at least?¡± ¡°I did. I got Summon Fire Spirit. I can summon a fire spirit to control that will last¨C¡± He looked at the skill. ¡°¨Cone minute and attack enemies.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± said Adam, ¡°all of your abilities and spells sound awesome. Skyeyes, did you get something amazing for level six too?¡± Skyeyes nodded as he spoke, ¡°Yes, Eye of Beast, I see through wolf eyes.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± said Josh. ¡°That sounds cool as hell.¡± ¡°How long is one minute?¡± asked Drox. ¡°About the time it took you to scarf down that jerky last night,¡± said Josh. ¡°I see,¡± said Drox thoughtfully. He didn¡¯t seem to notice that Josh was making fun of him. Adam looked around the room. It was cleared of all the bodies and death, but the impact from the explosion remained. There was a crater where the boom bag barrel exploded that was five meters around and about a meter deep. It was black and charred like the rock had been burned to ash. There were other chunks of rock laying around, but the dust was still settling so he couldn¡¯t see everything. Adam thought he saw something glint in the middle of the blackened crater, but he wasn¡¯t sure. He moved toward the area. He and his group had ended the fight back near where they had entered the cavern. He walked toward the tunnel that was still somehow uncollapsed. He could see something glowing faintly as the dust finally started to dissipate. He moved closer to get a better look. As he moved up the crater came into view and he looked down into the hole. There in the middle of the blackened stone were a pile of glowing items. On top of them sat a single bronze key. Chapter 17: Trouble ¡°Boss Drops!¡± yelled Adam as he jumped down into the crater. He saw the key gleaming in the dim light like it had an inner glow to it. He picked it up and examined it as the others came over to the crater.
Bronze Key of the Foreman
It wasn¡¯t very descriptive, but Adam knew it was for the door at the beginning of the dungeon. He and Josh had understood when they saw the door. They would have to collect all four keys to get to the true boss¡¯s room. He put the key into his inventory and looked at the other three items laying on the ground. There was a pickaxe the size of Adam¡¯s entire body, a leather jerkin that looked very similar to the one that Josh had found, and a soul crystal. Except this soul crystal was much bigger than the ones that he had. It was about the size of a king sized candy bar. He looked down and examined the pickaxe first.
Pickaxe of the Miner A magical pickaxe that allows the user to find hidden ore or gems easier when used for mining.
Rarity: Magical
Minor Rune 1/1: Durability - This pickaxe will never dull or break under normal circumstances or use
Requirements: Level 6, Str: 10 Vit: 10
¡°That¡¯s an interesting weapon,¡± said Josh. He was looking intently at the pickaxe as well. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Adams, ¡°seems like there is some mining class or something. Maybe it¡¯s a skill we can pick up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s massive,¡± said Drox as he slid down into the crater. Adam nodded and reached out toward the weapon. He touched it and pulled it into his inventory. The pickaxe disappeared and was slotted into a space in his menu. His weight increased a bit, but not nearly as much as Adam had thought it would. He took it back out of his inventory and it appeared in his hand but shrunken down to a normal size. Red flashing covered Adam¡¯s vision as a notification blinked in front of his face.
You are not high enough level to equip this item!
Adam dropped the pickaxe as he covered his eyes. ¡°Son of a¨C¡± ¡°What?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Can¡¯t equip the item. It flashed a message in my face with bright red lights. Ugh it was so bright.¡± ¡°Looks like it¡¯s normal sized now. Guess we keep it in someone¡¯s inventory. Does anyone actually want to try to use it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m no miner,¡± said Drox, shaking his head. ¡°Not I,¡± said Mina. She was holding the crystal looking into its depths. ¡°Put it in your inventory Josh,¡± said Adam. ¡°Someone might want it later. What¡¯s the armor?¡± Skyeyes was holding up the small leather jerkin in his hands. ¡°Same armor. Black Leather Jerkin. Here, I has shirt. You has no shirt.¡± Skyeyes tossed the jerkin to Adam and he nodded thanks to the goblin. He had almost forgotten that his shirt had been burned off in the fight. Suddenly he felt very vulnerable as all eyes were on him.. He quickly put the jerkin in his inventory and equipped it. Josh wasn¡¯t exaggerating when he had said the jerkin fit like a glove. It felt perfect on him. He could move around as easily as if he was wearing nothing at all. It was both warm and cool at the same time. The last item Mina held in her hand. It was a medium soul crystal. This one was quite a bit bigger than the small ones being about four times the size. Adam had looked at the small ones, but the medium soul crystal danced with light from within. He moved up closer as Mina stared into the object. It was clear on the outside from what Adam could see. When he got closer he could see what looked like space inside. It was a vast darkness with specks of tiny light. They seemed to swirl slowly within. It was truly magical. Mina popped the soul crystal into her inventory. Adam¡¯s gaze snapped up at the sudden loss. He blinked a bit as his vision adjusted. He didn¡¯t really care that Mina took the crystal, but he liked looking at it. He wondered how they were used. The menu had said that the soul crystals were used in all crafting, but he wasn¡¯t sure how or why yet. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°What now?¡± asked Drox. ¡°We¡¯ve got to go down each of the other tunnels,¡± said Adam. ¡°There will most likely be another big monster at the end of each. Once we defeat them all we¡¯ll have all the keys to get into the king¡¯s throne room.¡± ¡°What¡¯re we waiting for then?¡± Drox clambered up the crater. The rest of the group followed him up and they started to head back toward the way they had come. They had made it most of the way back across the massive cavern before Josh stopped suddenly. He turned on his heels and ran back toward the crater. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Hold on,¡± yelled Josh. ¡°I just thought of something.¡± Adam thought his friend was going back to check the crater one last time, but Josh veered off toward one of the unscathed tunnels that the small goblin miners had come rushing out of. He disappeared into the tunnel for a moment. Adam was getting worried when his friend went out of sight, but he noticed Josh¡¯s HP bar wasn¡¯t moving. A moment later Josh appeared from the dark. He ran over to the next tunnel disappearing once again from sight. He came back out again and went down yet another tunnel. When he appeared again a moment later he was no longer running. Instead, he carefully walked out of the darkness carrying a massive barrel in his arms. The barrel disappeared from his arms a moment later. Josh paused and then fifteen iron ore appeared and fell to the ground. He smiled and ran back over to the rest of the group. Adam watched him jog over and just shook his head. A barrel of boom bags. Of course his friend wouldn¡¯t leave something that valuable behind. ¡°Was that¨C¡± Drox started. ¡°Yep,¡± said Josh. His face was plastered with a massive smile. ¡°Those things were powerful. No way I¡¯m leaving them here.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t walk too close to me. The last thing we need is an exploding goat.¡± Josh just laughed at his contracted companion. It didn¡¯t take long for them to make it back to the entrance of the dungeon. It was a quiet walk back with not a single monster molesting their path. When they reached the start again Adam walked over to the door. He pulled the key out of his inventory and slid it into the lock. Luckily the bronze key corresponded with a bronze lock. The key made a slight noise of metal on metal and when it was firmly in the lock Adam twisted the key. There was a loud click, and that was it. Everyone waited with tension in their body, but nothing else happened. ¡°Guess we go down the next tunnel,¡± said Adam. ¡°Anyone have a preference?¡± ¡°I look?¡± asked Skyeyes. ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous to go alone,¡± said Josh. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Adam, ¡°probably not worth the risk.¡± Skyeyes shook his head. ¡°I see all tunnel. I see with wolves. Fast, corrupted cannot catch.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± exclaimed Josh. ¡°You can use the wolves to scout out each tunnel with your new skill. As long as you think it¡¯s safe for them then I say go for it.¡± Mina, Drox, and Adam all nodded in agreement with the statement. Skyeyes slid down from Pork Chop and Drox did the same of Snowball. Then the goblin pointed at each wolf and toward a separate tunnel. The wolves took off barreling into the darkness, each down one of the tunnels they had yet to explore. The wolves raced down the tunnels silent as a windless night. Skyeyes could feel the general location of his bonds usually, but with his new skill he could see through their eyes and command them from long distances. He could only see through one at a time, but it was enough for scouting. Jerky speed through the tunnel that changed from smooth brown stone of the mountain to white polished stone before his eyes. He felt his master connect with him as metal doors came into view. The dark metal doors stood out against the white stone. The doors lined the hallway all the way down. There were ten on either side perfectly spaced out twenty feet from each other. Jerky continued down the hallway carefully, his eyes searching for any danger. There didn¡¯t seem to be any though. When he came to the end of the hallway he was met with a final dark metal door identical to the others. The connection with his master cut off as he was commanded to return. The wolf turned and raced back the way he came. Pork Chop ran down a similar tunnel as his pack. He felt the connection to his master snap into place as the wolf silently padded down the stone tunnel. Slipped past a group of corrupted ones with ease. They were wholly unable to notice his presence when he was alone. He slipped past a few wandering ones that walked up and down the hallway before the tunnel changed suddenly. At one moment it was the same brown, smooth stone as most of the dungeon. Then there were metal bars. The metal bars were set into the stone. They rose up from the ground to the ceiling. Each one was no bigger around than Pork Chop¡¯s paw, but they were spaced so close together not even the wolf¡¯s nuzzle would fit through. He could see through them though. His eyes were sharp. He moved toward a group of the metal bars and peered inside. He felt his master¡¯s shock like a jolt through his body. Past the bars was a room devoid of light. There were no stones that lit the area or torches for warmth. It was only darkness. That did not bother Pork Chop though. His eyes landed on the figures in the back of the room huddled together against the walls. Goblins. Uncorrupted ones. They shook from cold or fright, but they lived. The command from his master came quickly. Return. Pork Chop bounded back the way he came as quickly as he could. Skyeyes was back in his body again. He was shaking from the revelation that his kind were not all gone. He started toward the tunnel that Pork Chop had gone down. He had to get to them. He had to free them. His people. Just as he started to move though he felt a shock run through his body. A howl cracked through the silence of the cavern. It was faint as it had echoed from far, far away. It was unmistakable though. It had come from the tunnel that Snowball had gone down. He knew before he even had to look. His bond had hurt. Skyeyes used his skill and his vision changed. He was no longer in the cavern with the door. A flash of fangs and black fur is all he saw for a moment as Snowball clamped down on the neck of a beast. She snapped the thing''s spine in her jaws as it let out a small yelp of death. She leapt backwards and Skyeyes got a better view. She was in a circular room of stone and bone. Surrounded by a pack of hounds that had black corruption running along their bodies and bile slavering from their jaws. Behind the pack of hounds Skyeyes spotted a figure sitting on a white throne. For a moment he thought it might be some sort of stone, but with Snowball¡¯s enhanced vision he saw what it truly was. The figure sat on a pile of bones. He laughed and stood as a long black whip unfurled from his side. Snowball crouched low. Her fur was matted with blood in places where the hounds had bit and scratched at her. She bared her teeth as the hounds charged at her. She charged right back toward the beasts with fiery rage burning in her eyes. Chapter 18: Hounds Skyeyes took off running toward where Snowball had gone. He didn¡¯t look back or wait. Instead he shouted as he ran, ¡°Snowball! Trouble!¡± Everyone moved. Mina scooped up Drox as she ran by him. The bear was already pulling out his book while riding on her shoulders. Josh and Adam were hot on Skyeyes¡¯ heels. He moved fast for a goblin though. It wasn¡¯t long before they saw the first enemy patrols. They were similar to the goblins from the other tunnel. Each stood and waited as if they were nothing more than constructs. Skyeyes was nowhere in sight when Adam and Josh barreled into the goblins. A pack of six corrupted goblin warriors were caught wholly off guard by the sudden blitz attack. Josh¡¯s sword glowed with a glint of blue on the edge as he brought down a Power Strike on the first goblin. It was heaved in two. Adam was right behind with a flying punch to the face of the next foe. He did not one-shot the monster though so he followed it up with his new skill. Adam landed from his flying punch and the goblin stumbled back slightly from the blow. He planted his feet and pulled a fist back. He felt the energy gather around his hand. Faint blue sparks flashed in the air around him. He rotated his body pulling the fist back even further and allowing the energy to build. Now the blue sparks were a swirl of light leading into his hand. Then, like a rubber band snapping from pressure, he let loose. He opened his fist and struck his palm out toward the goblin. ¡°Palm Strike!¡± yelled Adam. His palm struck the monster with a flash of blue light. It almost looked gentle as light as Adam seemed to only touch the goblin. As his palm landed on the goblin¡¯s chest though a burst of blue erupted from his hand. The goblin flew backwards from the force as its chest was crushed inward. It knocked two of its companions down as it flew into a cavern wall. There was a splattering sound, but Adam didn¡¯t have time to look as he continued to the next goblin. Mina and Drox were coming up behind them now. ¡°Go,¡± were the only words Josh said as he blocked a sword slash from one of the corrupted goblins. Mina moved past the fight running as fast as she could with Drox on her shoulders, his book at the ready. She moved down the tunnel expecting to find another pack of monsters guarding, but there were none. She could see the tunnel opened up ahead and she ran on her legs pumping to the point where she felt like she was flying. When she breached the opening there was chaos. The barking and snarling of hounds filled her ears as she took in the scene laid out before her. Snowball was surrounded by a pack of at least ten hounds. Several lay dead near her. Her normally pristine white fur was stained red from blood. She kept her front leg slightly off the ground as blood dripped down from a wound. Skyeyes was there, but there were several more hounds keeping him from Snowball. Behind them all was a massive figure standing eight feet tall with a wicked looking black whip. Mina could see glints of white throughout the whip at intervals. She thought for a moment it was some sort of stone, but then the dim light hit the whip just right and she was able to get a clear view. They weren¡¯t stones at all, but instead fangs from some animal. As she noticed the figure a notification appeared in her vision. Corrupted Bugbear Houndmaster - level 8 - Elite Enemy Mina moved toward the group of hounds circling Snowball, ignoring the bugbear. She could see the wolf¡¯s HP was bleeding down from yellow into red. She wouldn¡¯t be able to take another hit. As Mina got close though a flash of black crossed her vision and she instinctively raised her shield to her face. There was a grinding sound like a saw on wood as her buckler was rented by a black whip. Splinters of wood flew through the air as Mina¡¯s arm was pulled by the force. She stumbled a bit before righting her balance. Her shield had a large gash in the wood, but it was otherwise unharmed. The Houndmaster strode through the gap between Snowball and Skyeyes toward Mina. She was able to get a better look at the monster now. Where the foreman had been all bulk and hair the houndmaster was slim and hairless. He had dark green skin the color of moss that was covered in lines of pulsing black. On his face he wore the skull of a hound that had been carved into a mask. His mouth was the only thing visible on his face behind the mask, and it was set into a wicked grin as he looked down at Mina. ¡°Help Snowball,¡± whispered Mina to the bear on her shoulders. ¡°Aye lass, watch yourself.¡± Drox slid off of Mina¡¯s back and moved toward Snowball as Mina charged forward. That was all Drox saw as he focused on the hounds circling Snowball in front of him. Skyeyes was slashing and weaving around some others as he desperately tried to get to his bond. Drox could see he was bleeding from a vicious bite on his leg. The goblin¡¯s HP was already 80/130. Snowball was in much worse shape though. So the bear turned and tried out his new spell. ¡°Summon Flame Spirit,¡± said Drox. His mana dropped a hundred points leaving him 100/200. There was a loud crack. It echoed through the fighting, growling, and battle cries of the cavern. A moment of eerie silence followed as Drox watched a fissure appear on the ground. A moment later fire spit up like a geyser. Out of the flames walked the form of a Teddy Bear that was made of white hot fire. It was a mirror image of Drox in every way except it was made entirely of white hot flame. Drox instinctively knew what to do. He sent a mental command to the spirit. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A hound leapt toward Snowball¡¯s exposed flank, but she was too weak to dodge away. She knew it was coming but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Instead, she let out a growl and braced herself for the impact and the pain that would follow. While the hound flew through the air at her she closed her eyes and waited. But the pain didn¡¯t come She felt the heat before she opened her eyes. A flaming white teddy bear crashed into the hound wrapping its fiery paws around the beast¡¯s neck. A moment later the hound was nothing more than ash. The flaming bear didn¡¯t stop though. It moved toward the next hound that had been circling Snowball. This one was quicker and leapt back away from the dangerous fire spirit. Snowball¡¯s legs gave out as she bled onto the cave floor. She wasn¡¯t aware of her HP, she couldn¡¯t see the menus, but she felt the weariness, the pain. She knew she was dying and she would fail her master. She didn¡¯t want to fail him. He had been so kind to her, but all she could do was watch the fight unfold before her. The whip flew through the air at speed far beyond what Mina could dodge. Instead she lifted her shield and tried to block as much as she could. It was hopeless though. Everytime the whip would carve her shield up further and snake around to dig into her flesh. She felt the wicked fangs sink into her shoulder as the whip once again found its way past her defenses. Her HP dropped. She was at 150/200 now. The fire spirit took all of Drox¡¯s attention to control. It had proven useful though. There were too many enemies though. It had already downed three of the hounds, but there were still another ten left. Drox had at least prevented them from attacking Snowball any further. He saw that the hounds were wary of his summoned spirit. They kept their distance as it moved protectively around the downed wolf. Drox had a bad feeling though. He knew time was almost up. He felt the power fading quickly. Skyeyes flashed his dagger out at the three hounds blocking his path. He had to be touching Snowball to heal her. He had to get to her. He instinctively knew if he lost a bond it would be like losing a piece of himself. She was his first bond. She was his first friend again after he had left his home. He wouldn¡¯t, no he couldn¡¯t, lose her. One of his daggers sank deep into the side of a hound. It let out a yelp as a dying gasp. Another of the beast barreled toward him and he pulled up his other dagger to block. The teeth clamped down on steel, but the momentum sent them both tumbling back into a ball of dirt, fur, and pointy ears. Just as Drox felt the fire spirit¡¯s power fade it burst into a cloud of black smoke. He felt the mental strain of commanding it release from his mind. His mind cleared and he acted. ¡°Flame Shield.¡± A fiery shield sprung up hovering in front of Snowball. Drox wasn¡¯t finished yet though. ¡°Fire Bolt!¡± he yelled. The flaming missile shot toward the group of hounds. They tried to move, but Drox hadn¡¯t aimed at their bodies. Instead the flaming projectile hit the ground right before the pack and exploded into a spray of fire and sparks. The hounds let out yelps and howls as they moved back smoking and charred from the blast. He had hit a good five of them with that. Even if it didn¡¯t do any significant damage. He looked at his MP and sighed. He was sitting at 20/200 now. He had no spells he could cast while his MP regenerated. Drox plopped down next to Snowball. He was spent. He had nothing left, but he wouldn¡¯t leave the wolf. He had a connection with the beast no matter how hard he didn¡¯t want to admit it. He liked her. She was part of the team even if it was such a short time. She was a soldier. Flame Shield hovered around the pair for a moment before it finally extinguished, running out of time. The hounds, sensing weakness, moved in without hesitation. Ten corrupted slavering maws rushed forward toward Snowball and Drox. A howl split through the cavern echoing off the walls of the room. The hounds froze in their charge as if they¡¯d hit a physical barrier. Drox turned to find the source and spotted Pork Chop and Jerky at the entrance. They rushed toward their down companion. Adam and Josh were right on their heels. Adam took in the chaos around him. He saw Mina getting battered by a massive goblin holding a whip, hounds surrounding Drox and Snowball, and finally Skyeyes on the ground just inside the cavern. Adam saw Skyeyes holding a single dagger up with both hands blocking the maw of a hound that was eagerly trying to snap at the goblins. He was trying desperately to keep from getting his head crushed under the jaws of the beast. ¡°I¡¯ll help Skyeyes,¡± said Adam. ¡°You back up Mina.¡± Josh nodded and he was off without a word. Adam moved toward Skyeyes as the two wolves raced toward Snowball and Josh moved to help Mina. The hound came about waist-high to Adam and he knew punching it could be an issue. So, as he got close he skipped slightly as if running up to a ball and pulled back his leg. His foot flashed as he brought it forward into a kick smashing the hound atop Skyeyes in the side. There was a crunching sound and the hound went flying. It skidded to the ground five meters away, its HP bar dropping to zero in an instant. Skyeyes was up in a moment and moved to his downed wolf. He had one dagger now, the other lost in the side of a hound somewhere. His HP was 60/120 and he couldn¡¯t care less. He moved with eyes only for his bond. Adam was by his side as two more hounds came at them. Adam¡¯s foot moved out into a straight legged kick as the first beast came close. Hit the hound directly in the head and it crashed to the ground. It was dazed by the impact but the other was right behind it. Teeth sunk into Adam¡¯s outstretched leg, digging into his calf. He felt fire as the teeth penetrated past his leather boots with ease. Adam¡¯s fist came down on the monster¡¯s head like a hammer. The first hit made the hound let go. Adam followed it up with another and another until the beast was little more than blood and fur under his constant barrage. Skyeyes ran on. He had finally made it skidding to a stop in front of his companion. He instantly activated his Cure Bond skill and his hands lit up with a soft green glow. They hovered over his friend as he watched her HP slowly move up. The wound on her leg closed and her HP went from 10 to 20 to 50 before Skyeyes collapsed back in exhaustion. He had no MP so his skill used his HP and directly transferred it to his bond. Snowball¡¯s eyes opened and she stood on shaky legs as her master, her bond, sat next to her. She knew he was weak from what he had done. He had sacrificed his lifeblood for her. Drox got up with Snowball from where he was leaning on her. He helped Skyeyes to his feet. Pork Chop and Jerky stood in front of them all staring down the pack of hounds. Snowball raised her head to the moon. She couldn¡¯t see it, but she could feel it. She knew it was shining bright against the darkness. Then she let out a howl that pierced through the cavern. It was long and sharp and rang through the cavern like a call to arms. It struck the hounds to the bone as they all froze in fear for a moment. The sound stopped abruptly and the group charged toward the frozen hounds. Chapter 19: Loss Adam felt the howl in his bones. He felt the power wash over him like it recognized he wasn¡¯t an enemy. It still made goosebumps cover his skiing and his hair stand up on the back of his neck. When the howl stopped he saw the wolves all charging toward the group of hounds with Skyeyes and Drox behind them. It was up to them now as Adam turned his attention toward the towering bugbear. This one was very different from the last. It stood eight feet tall towering over everyone, but the monster¡¯s figure was slim with tight compact muscles. It wore a mask of bone that covered the top half of its head. Adam could see flecks of brown where dried blood stained the mask. The only part of the face that wasn¡¯t hidden were the wicked teeth of the beast. It had two rows of teeth as sharp and as long as small daggers. Similarly to the mask it had armor of pure white bone strapped to its body giving it the appearance of a giant skeleton. Massive rib bones were strapped around the monster¡¯s torso, long femurs circled both thighs, and even fangs jutted from shoulder pads. It was covered in bones almost covering the monster completely. Corrupted Bugbear Houndmaster - Level 8 - Elite Enemy The name appeared next to the monster¡¯s head with his HP bar still sitting at full. The Houndmaster brought his whip around and struck out toward Mina. She caught the weapon on her buckler, but the wood had finally had enough and split cutting her shield in half as the whip grinded against it like a flying saw. The weapon caught her on the shoulder and dug into her skin. Adam saw blood and flesh fly off the whip as it was pulled back toward the Houndmaster. Mina fell to one knee as her HP hit yellow and read 100/200. Josh followed the whip as it moved back toward its owner. He moved with his sword raised and it came down with a blue flash. The Houndmaster simply raised his arm and blocked the two-handed strike with a bone-armored forearm. Adam saw the bone chip and crack, but the Houndmaster seemed wholly unharmed. The Houndmaster smashed down with the butt of his whip catching Josh squarely in the head. He was dazed for a second and the monster brought up his foot kicking Josh in the chest. The Overlord went flying toward the pack of fighting wolves and hounds. Josh¡¯s HP dropped to 30/150 in a single combination of hits. He flew through the air and crashed into the ground kicking up rocks and dirt. As he skidded to a stop his vision blurred, but he saw flashes of fur and blood. He pushed himself up with both hands. His sword was gone. He shook his head trying to clear the blurry vision. When he looked again he saw the battle raging around him. A smirk crossed his face. ¡°Demonic Domain,¡± said Josh. A circle of liquid shadow spilled out from the ground around Josh. Tendrils of darkness wriggled like nightmare worms as they searched unseeing around the area. The darkness had sprung up so fast that every single hound was caught within. It wholly ignored Josh¡¯s allies, but the hounds weren¡¯t so lucky. The tendrils shot out and snaked around each enemy in the circle like living vines of darkness. The ten hounds caught in the trap tried for a moment to avoid the tendrils, but when they realized it did not hinder them they pressed their attack. The domain did its work. Josh¡¯s HP ticked up from 30 to 40 in a second. Then it shot up to 50 and 60. It was draining 1 HP from every single enemy every second. It was negligible to the hounds, but it was a godsend for Josh. His HP was full again in moments. Josh knew the domain would last for five minutes. That gave him plenty of time to go all out, but first he needed his sword. He looked around and spotted it in the pool of darkness. The tendrils moved aside from the blade as if they could feel Josh¡¯s intentions. He moved toward the sword. Adam ran at the Houndmaster. He ducked under the whip that flew through the air and smashed his fist into the monster¡¯s side. He heard the bone armor crack. He activated Combo as his hit landed. The familiar chime of a bell rang in his head. He threw a jab that hit the Houndmaster in the chest. Another followed up as the butt of the whip came down onto Adam¡¯s head. When the final jab landed and the third chime rang in his head the world blurred. Adam saw the weapon coming from his head and he sidestepped as it came down. He couldn¡¯t see the surprise on the monster¡¯s face as he was facing its back now. Adam set his feet and crouched. In the same motion he pulled back his fist as blue energy like ribbons of lightning gathered from around the world. He rotated his hips and the energy shot into his fist making his hand glow with a bright power. Like a catapult his body turned and his arm shot out, his fist opening into a palm. ¡°Palm Strike!,¡± he yelled as the world blurred around him. The Houndmaster had no chance of dodging. He had hardly time to even realize he had missed his opponent with his weapon. He only felt the attack as it smashed into his lower back. That place was armored as all of his body, but the bone armor all but disintegrated against the blow. The Houndmaster watched as a flash of blue energy erupted from his stomach. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Adam looked at where he had landed his strike and saw Mina. He was confused for a moment as the world was still blurred around him. Then he noticed the hole. There was a hole the size of a watermelon in the Houndmaster¡¯s stomach, or what used to be his stomach. Through the hole he saw Mina¡¯s battered form charging with her sword raised. The Houndmaster¡¯s HP dropped drastically from the attack. He went from a full bar to half in an instant. The monster roared. For a moment Mina hesitated. Her shield was all but gone. She knew the monster was weakened, but she heard something in that roar. It wasn¡¯t a yell of pain or panic. That was a shout of fury. The Houndmaster began to glow red as white steam bellowed from its form. Its HP bar started to slowly drain. Then it moved. Adam¡¯s vision snapped back to normal as he saw a backhand whip out toward him. It was all he could do to pull up his arms to block. The monstrous hand bashed into his armored forearms. Adam was launched like a cannonball backwards. He heard the air whistling around him as he flew. Pain erupted from his back as he crashed against the cavern wall. The crack of his body hitting the stone echoed through the room. It sounded like a boom bag had gone off. Adam¡¯s HP dropped in an instant. At one moment he was full at 130/130 then the next moment his world was stars. He could only just see the HP bar flashing in his face. It was now 20/130 and blinking red in panic. Adam¡¯s brain felt like someone was holding it underwater. He couldn¡¯t think. All he felt was pain. He tried to move, but his legs wouldn¡¯t respond. It was almost too much. Blackness started to creep around his vision. For some reason his HP was still dropping. Eternal bleeding he assumed. ¡°I-Inn¨C¡± he coughed. Blood splattered against the dusty ground. He was in trouble now. He couldn¡¯t even speak. So, he thought, he pushed through the pain and he screamed the word in his mind. Inner Focus! On the other side of the room another battle was just ending. The hounds had been slowly drained by Josh¡¯s Domonic Domain skill. With all three wolves and Josh¡¯s sword the hounds stood little chance. A flashing blue great sword cleaved the last one in half as it snarled its way to the underworld. Snowball was still hurt pretty badly, but she had bit and tore until there were nothing but pieces of the beasts scattered all around her. Skyeyes was at her side, his daggers covered in blood. Drox was next to her with a paw resting against her neck. They all turned toward the Houndmaster. He was glowing red with steam rising off his body as he tore his whip through the air battering Mina to the ground. She had nothing but a battered piece of wood covering her forearm where her buckler used to be. She was bleeding from everywhere and her HP was dropping fast. ¡°Flame Bolt!¡± Drox shouted. His MP had finally recovered enough for him to cast a spell. He had seen MIna trying to dodge the vicious whip strikes of the Houndmaster. So, a fire bolt directly to the monster''s back was his best plan. The ball of fire hit the monster squarely in the back exploding into a mass of fire. For a moment there was nothing but fire and smoke. As the fire dissipated the Houndmaster turned toward the group. His HP bar was at 30% now, but the direct hit from Fire Bolt had only dropped it by 5%. Mina was on one knee now breathing heavily. The monster turned his back on her and moved in a blur toward Drox and the others. Drox had no time to react as the monster pulled the whip around and struck out toward the bear. He saw the vicious weapon flying through the air, but knew he couldn¡¯t move in time. A flash of white covered his vision. Blood splattered across his face and he heard a whimper as Snowballs form fell at his feet. The floating book in his paw dropped to the ground next to him. He looked down and saw Snowball''s limp and unmoving form. He was by her side on his knees in a moment. ¡°Wake up,¡± he said. Panic was in his voice. ¡°Hey, get up. You¡¯re okay you silly beast.¡± He pushed his paws against her body, but she didn¡¯t respond. The Houndmaster roared again and pulled his whip back for another strike. As he struck out again toward the group his momentum suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. Behind the monster stood Adam. He had the whip grasped firmly in both hands. Blood poured out from his hands where the fangs dug into his flesh. He moved forward a step and wrapped the weapon around his arm. Then he took another step and wrapped it again around his other arm. Before the Houndmaster could fully grasp the situation Mina was next to him. ¡°Shield Bash!¡± she roared. A ghostly phantom shield appeared right in front of her arm. The shield was as tall as Mina¡¯s entire body and shaped like a knight¡¯s kite shield. She slammed the phantom shield into the Houndmaster¡¯s face. He toppled backwards from the blow, losing his balance. As he fell backwards Josh moved. He pumped his legs and ran with his sword in both hands by his side. There was a blue glow to the sword¡¯s edge as he brought it up with every bit of strength he could muster. It struck the back of the falling monster¡¯s neck as Josh roared. The head of the Houndmaster rolled to a stop a few meters from its body. The head dimmed from its red glow back to normal as the steam stopped coming off the monster. The room was quiet but for one voice. ¡°Why did you do that? Why did you save me? I¡¯m not worth saving.¡± Drox¡¯s vision was blurred by the tears that welled up in his button eyes. He didn¡¯t even know he could still make tears. ¡°Help her!¡± he yelled at Skyeyes. Skyeyes shook his head. ¡°C-can¡¯t help. Skill down.¡± There were tears flowing down the goblin¡¯s face as he looked down at his bond. Drox was face to face with Snowball now. He was petting her head and whispering to her as her HP bar dropped from 5 to 4 and then to 3. She opened her eyes to look at him and licked his paw. ¡°You did well girl. You did so good. We won. We beat them.¡± Drox put his head against Snowballs. Drox held her as her HP ticked down from 3 to 2 and then to 1. He held her as it hit zero and her eyes closed and breathing stopped. He held her and caressed her head all the way until she burst into hundreds of blue, shining crystals. Chapter 20: Spark of the Flame The blue crystals that were once Snowball did not burst into being like the monsters. They, instead, drifted gently off of her like a calm river until she was no more. Drox hit the ground underneath as the wolf disappeared in his arms. Tears streamed down into the dirt from the small bear. He pounded the floor with his paw. The monsters all at once exploded into similar blue crystals all of which rushed into the party. The light from the crystals blinded Adam for a moment. When he could finally see again his eyes caught something new. The crystals next to Drox had not all completely dissipated. Adam willed the notifications away from his vision. Drox looked up at the floating crystals. They floated in the air for a moment until they started to move. They flowed through the air like they were being guided. First, there was a paw. It glittered like the ocean on a sunny afternoon. Next, a leg of pure blue crystal. Then a body and a tail formed. Finally, after a minute, the shape of a wolf made of pure blue crystal stood in front of Drox. It was undeniably Snowball. She moved past Drox and over to Skyeyes. His head dropped at her gaze. She moved slowly towards him until they were almost touching. Then she leaned forward and put her head against his. It was a brief touch, but it said everything to the goblin. He understood that she would have done the same thing time and time again if she had too. He put a hand to her neck and scratched her scruff. Small glittering pieces of crystal fell to the ground. She turned and moved toward Drox. He was on his feet just staring at the wolf. ¡°Why girl? Why would you do that for me?¡± The crystal wolf only bumped her snout against his face. Then a glowing blue tongue licked the tears from Drox¡¯s eyes. He let out an giggle as the crystal tongue scratched against his fur. It was a small gesture, but it said so much more than any words ever could. He rested his paws against her neck and put his head to hers. The wolf flashed from blue to red then back to blue. It was quick, and Adam thought he might have just been seeing things. Then it happened again, and again. It started getting more and more frequent. It kept going until the crystal wolf was no longer blue at all but a bright red boarding on yellow. Drox moved his head back as Snowball looked up toward the roof of the cavern. Her eyes were no longer burdened by walls or mountains. Her gaze looked far passed it and into the night. There she saw the moon and she opened her maw. A howl split through the room, and Snowball burst into hundreds of tiny red crystals. The crystals moved around Drox like a small red tornado until he was completely gone from sight. None of the others moved though. There was something there. Some intent in the crystals, but it wasn¡¯t malicious. As the crystals swirled around Drox they moved upwards toward the ceiling reaching high into the room. As they peaked toward the top they suddenly changed directions and rushed downwards. They flew towards Drox pouring into the small teddy bear. He was met with a notification when the crystals had all been absorbed. You have been granted a skill upgrade. Would you like to accept? (Y/N) Drox didn¡¯t hesitate at all. He accepted the notification and smiled as it appeared. Congratulations! Summon Flame Spirit has been upgraded to Summon Flame Wolf. Summon Flame Wolf - A friend is a friend no matter how long you have known each other, and not even death can triumph over true friends. Summon the spirit of Snowball as a flame wolf to fight by your side. This skill has been upgraded and the power increased. Cost: 150 MP Duration: 2 minutes Cooldown: 5 minutes Drox let out a small chuckle. He was still saddened by the loss of Snowball. He would have never guessed the beast¡¯s death would have hit him so hard, but it had crushed him for a moment. It was not her choice to be here. She was brought here, but she chose to save him of all things. It both hurt and warmed his heart. His voice was but a quiet rumble as he relayed to the others his new skill. The room was silent after that. Everyone had been boosted back to full HP and MP after the fight signifying at least a level for everyone, but nobody felt like checking the notifications. The death of Snowball hit harder than any of the group expected. They had only known the wolf for a little over a day, but watching a friend die sent a shock through them all. For Adam and Josh it was something they hadn¡¯t thought about a lot. If they died they would be sent back to their Nexus and able to join another world in a moment. For the others though. They would be gone. It made Adam feel sick. This was just a game to Josh and him, but for the others it was their lives. Adam moved close to Josh. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± said Adam. ¡°I don¡¯t like that we can¡¯t tell them. It doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± ¡°I know what you mean,¡± said Josh. ¡°It¡¯s been going through my mind since I made the contract with Drox actually.¡± He let out a sigh and looked over toward the others. ¡°We tell them everything when we can, but until then we have to fight like our lives depend on it. If we just leave then we¡¯re leaving them to fend for themselves. That¡¯s not any better.¡± ¡°Maybe, but what if they hate us?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Then they¡¯ll be alive to hate us,¡± said Josh. ¡°They can make whatever decision they want. I think I finally get it. They¡¯re in here just like us in a way. They might have been created by the Nexus, but they¡¯re as real as you and me. I understand that now. There¡¯s only one thing we can do.¡± Adam nodded. He knew what his friend meant. ¡°We have to make them as powerful as we can so that they never die.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± said Josh. ¡°What are you two whispering about over there?¡± asked Drox. His button eyes were absent of tears now. He smiled slightly toward Adam and Josh. ¡°Nothing,¡± said Josh. ¡°Just checking our notifications.¡± Adam decided to do exactly that. He pulled up the notifications that he had pushed aside after the battle. They covered his vision. You have received 2000 experience points! You have reached level 6! You have gained +1 to all attributes You have gained +5 free attribute points Your Hand-to-Hand skill has increased to 18! Your Spirit skill has increased to 13! You have received Small Soul Crystal x10! Adam thought for a moment before putting his five free points in. He chose to up strength, dexterity, and vitality. He looked over his character statistics page for the first time in a while. Name: Adam Level: 6 Class: Monk Experience: 1450/1750 HP: 150/150 MP: 100/100 Strength: 20 Dexterity: 20 Intelligence: 10 Vitality: 15 Wisdom: 10 Skills: Active Abilities: Passive Abilities: Spells: He dismissed the screen and looked around the room. There was a glittering pile near where the Houndmaster had been dispatched. Josh was already next to it sorting through the items. Adam made his way over to his friend and crouched down next to him. ¡°Check this out,¡± said Josh as he tossed an item to Adam. Adam looked down and saw a massive pair of gloves. They were easily twice the size of his hands. The gloves extended past where a hand would go and up toward the forearms just like his weighted gloves. The difference was that the forearms were covered in bone, and the knuckles had spikes of protruding bone. Adam didn¡¯t think much of them as his were made of metal, but as he examined the gloves his jaw fell open. Gloves of the Beast: Gloves made from the bones of fallen beasts. Can be used to block attacks with forearms. Rarity: Magical Requirements: Level 5, Strength - 10, Dexterity - 10 Minor Rune Slot: 1/1 Rune of Minor Power: When striking with this weapon it will do increased damage. Adam closed his mouth and put the item into his inventory. He then unequipped his weighted gloves and equipped the new ones. When they appeared on his hands it felt as if they were tailored specifically for him. He moved his wrist and flexed his hand. If he hadn¡¯t been looking he would have sworn he wasn¡¯t wearing anything. The magic from his inventory was truly amazing. ¡°Here Mina,¡± said Josh, ¡°this one is for you.¡± Adam saw a flash of white spin through the air and Mina caught it as it neared her. She held up a shield of polished bone. It gleamed in the light like marble. It was shaped like a rounded triangle. Adam thought it looked like a heater shield. On the front, carved into the bone, was the face of a snarling hound. ¡°This shield has an ability attached to it,¡± said Mina. She was looking down at the item with her eyes slightly glazed over. ¡°It is called Intimidation. It says the hound will howl and the weak shall shrink in fear.¡± ¡°Whoa that seems interesting,¡± said Adam. ¡°Do you have a cooldown or MP cost on it?¡± Mina nodded and said, ¡°It says it can be activated when fully charged from blocking attacks. It also has a cost of 20 MP.¡± ¡°I wonder how many attacks you have to block.¡± ¡°I do not know, but anything is better than my buckler now.¡± She threw the piece of wood that was once a shield down to the ground. The bone shield disappeared for a second only to reappear strapped to her arm. It had also resized itself slightly to fit her better. Mina moved her arm around a bit and then up and down. She nodded and tapped on the face of the shield. ¡°Another key and a Medium Soul Crystal as well,¡± said Josh. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Josh put both into his inventory before standing up. ¡°M-my people,¡± said Skyeyes. He rubbed at his eyes. They were red from the tears. ¡°My people live. In tunnel.¡± ¡°What do you mean your people?¡± asked Mina. Her face was stone. Adam could feel the tension radiating off of her. ¡°Not corrupted. Not bad. My people.¡± ¡°You saw them?¡± asked Adam. ¡°With your skill?¡± Skyeyes nodded. ¡°Yes. Saw them. Behind metal. Many.¡± Mina let out a breath. ¡°Let us save someone today,¡± she said. Chapter 21: The Meeting They were running again. After losing a member of their party they were running down the long tunnels toward where Pork Chop had seen the other goblins. Adam felt a tug at his heart. It was a small voice in the back of Adam¡¯s mind that made him aware of this. The constant battle since they entered, the fighting and killing, and the death. It was a small thing at first, but as they ran it grew in him. Who would make a world like this? Why would they choose to come to this place? What were they thinking? He tried to stamp out the thoughts, but it was like pushing against a stone wall. It would budge this time. The loss of Snowball suddenly made it all so real. He stopped running. They were following one of the wolves so he was toward the back of the group. Only Josh noticed him slow. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± asked Josh as they came to a stop. They weren¡¯t even breathing heavily after full sprinting for what must have been at least 2 miles. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s hard to put into words. Like what are we doing?¡± ¡°I know what you mean,¡± said Josh with a sigh. ¡°This is all too real.¡± ¡°It is real. They have feelings, thoughts, and free will. This is not some program running on a loop. This is insane.¡± Adam felt his legs go weak and his stomach lurch slightly. The thoughts were making him physically ill. He sat down on the ground. Josh moved over and crouched down in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking,¡± said Josh. ¡°Do you think they will be better off without us? Do you think it¡¯s better for us to disappear? Do you think you¡¯d feel okay with that? I know I wouldn¡¯t. We chose to be here, but they were born here. This is their home, their world. Right now it¡¯s full of pain and death and loss, but wasn¡¯t our world full of that too?¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying no matter where we go we¡¯ll be miserable?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m saying the difference is we can actually change things here.¡± ¡°How? We¡¯re not special. We¡¯re not geniuses. We¡¯re just two normal people.¡± ¡°Does this look normal to you?¡± asked Josh. He smacked Adam in the face with his tail. Adam felt a sting in his face, but it faded as quickly as it came. ¡°We can run for miles without tiring, we can fight with weapons, and we can use magic. Nothing about us is normal anymore. All we have to do is make the choice.¡± ¡°What choice?¡± Adam looked into his friend¡¯s eyes. His friend was no longer human, but he was no doubt still Josh. ¡°To fight against the word or fight for the world. I, for one, want to fight for something. I want to make a difference this time. I don¡¯t think being another nameless face in the crowd is going to work for me this time.¡± ¡°There will be more loss,¡± said Adam. ¡°I know there will be.¡± ¡°What do you say? We all have to die somehow? Well I know that if we¡¯re fighting for our friends. If we¡¯re fighting to help this world. Then I don¡¯t think anyone would mind dying for a cause like that.¡± Adam let out a harsh laugh. ¡°What happened to the guy who said ¡®they¡¯re just NPCs¡¯?¡± ¡°He listened to his friend,¡± Josh put out his hand toward Adam. For a moment Adam only stared at the red skin covered in black lines that looked like cooled down lava mixed with rolling magma. Then, he nodded. Adam reached up and took his friend¡¯s hand as Josh pulled him to his feet. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Adam and the two raced down the tunnel to catch up. As they ran down the tunnel the smooth brown stone that was becoming all too familiar suddenly changed. The walls were now a gray stone, one of lightly colored bricks and even lighter mortar. Each stone was half the size of a full grown man. Adam could only guess at how thick they might be. The darkness was fought back by the dim lights of the glowing stones that were still lining the walls and ceiling. It was not bright in the tunnel, but neither was it dark. It was like the sun was hiding behind deep clouds, but threatening to break through at every passing moment. That was why the bright blue light was instantly noticeable to Adam and Josh. They saw it brightening the tunnel as it raced toward them. It took only a moment for them to understand as the flying gems rushed into their bodies. The rest of their party had just finished off so monsters. You have gained 200 experience points! The notification made the two men redouble their sprint and it wasn¡¯t long before their party came into view. Mina, Drox, and the two wolves stood in the middle of the tunnel watching Skyeyes. His hands were clutching long vertical metal bars that dug into stone on either side. The bars were set on the side of the tunnel looking out at more stone. The were spaced only inches apart. Skyeyes¡¯ eyes shined bright with tears of joy as his mouth moved fast. ¡°¨Cere come. See me. Am f-family.¡± Adam and Josh stopped short of the group and walked slowly forward sensing the quietness in the tunnel. Only Skyeyes¡¯ voice was present and it was little more than a whisper. The bars were in full view now. Deep within was darkness. Light was absent in this place; only shadows were cast down from the glowing stones on the outside of the prison cell. The light fought against the darkness in a losing battle gaining but a foot within the square room in the endless battle of light versus dark. Adam¡¯s eyes adjusted quickly though and he saw that it was a room that spanned at least ten feet deep and just as wide. In the back corner huddle a group of shapes. He could feel as much as see the fear in them. They shook almost as a whole with frightened, violent tremors. Skyeyes gently coaxed them forward a word a time. ¡°Come. No hurt. Family.¡± He urged them forward until finally one broke away and swept into the light. This one was not shaking but instead limped with each step as if it hurt to walk. When she came into the light her long silver hair was the first thing Adam noticed. Then he saw that she was as still as stone as she stood in front of Skyeyes. Her deep green eyes were surrounded by wrinkles, but they stared at Skyeyes with age. She moved forward and a scratchy wizened voice came in a quiet whisper from her lips. ¡°Y-you are not corrupted.¡± It was no question. It was a statement. ¡°Yes yes. Here to help.¡± She looked up with her huge green eyes that shined even in the dim light. There was a sadness there like an acceptance of fate. ¡°There is no help.¡± Adam noticed the speech pattern of the small goblin almost instantly. She sounded nothing like Skyeyes. Her words came out in clear sentences. Her speech was slow and methodical like she was chewing on each word before she spoke it. ¡°I-I help. Friends. They help.¡± Skyeyes¡¯ eyes were wild. Adam could see the desperation even before he spoke. ¡°The Jailer is not alone,¡± said the old goblin. ¡°When one tries to enter the Jailer¡¯s home,¡± she paused for a moment looking back toward the others still huddled in a corner before continuing. ¡°More come. They come from other places. They are led by one of the massive ones. The only way to free us is to defeat the Jailer. The only way to kill the Jailer is to kill them all.¡± With that she moved back to the shadows. Skyeyes continued to call for her, but she just huddled into the corner with the rest. Adam thought about what she said. The Jailer was obviously the boss of this wing of the dungeon, but he couldn¡¯t understand what she meant by the last part. ¡°What did you see in the other tunnel?¡± asked Josh before Adam had a chance. Skyeyes turned around. His eyes were frantic. When he spoke it sounded as fast as a deer running from lightning. ¡°Nothing. Doors and doors. No handles. Just big metal doors.¡± ¡°So,¡± said Adam. ¡°When we go toward the Jailer¡¯s door, or enter the room or whatever we¡¯ll trigger that other room. Assuming that¡¯s the case we¡¯ll be in for a hell of a fight against two of these big bastards and who knows how many corrupted goblins.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± said Josh, ¡°sounds like some sort of swarming trap.¡± ¡°Should we try the other tunnel?¡± asked Mina. ¡°No,¡± Skyeyes practically yelled. ¡°No leave. My people. Family.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Mina, holding her hands up. She started again in a calming tone like talking to someone who was in pain. ¡°Okay, we will not leave them. We have to be careful though. It will do no good if we all die here.¡± Josh was pacing around with his hand on his chin. Adam noticed and saw him stop dead. It was so quick that Adam looked around expecting danger until a massive grin split across Josh¡¯s face. ¡°I think I have an idea,¡± said Josh. ¡°What?¡± asked Adam. ¡°It¡¯s time for us to set a little trap of our own.¡±