As Brandon made his way toward Humanity’s capital, he couldn’t help but wish he had some sort of mount or fast travel system. He didn’t really wanna waste a mushroom just to get somewhere quicker. There were multiple travel systems in the game, but he couldn’t access any of them out in the middle of nowhere. While he gathered a lot of the Mushroom Queen’s mushrooms, he still didn’t want to waste them just because. He had zero chance of gathering any more from her like he did when she was harmless. If he tried that shit now, she’d destroy him in an instant.
He’s seen videos of players in the mushroom faction being killed in one hit by her when acting out in her presence. It didn’t matter what class they were, what level they were, what skills they used, or what kind of equipment they had. Death in one hit, no exception. And when they died from the Mushroom Queen personally, they were evicted from the Mushroom Faction entirely when they could respawn. Completely factionless, excluding the natural faction of the race they’re playing as. There was no natural mushroom race. So, if someone died from the Mushroom Queen and if they wanted to rejoin the faction, they would need to find another mushroom to eat to get the prompt to join her faction once again. An easy task, considering it was the Mushroom Queen’s goal to rule the world or something. If you showed up at her kingdom, you would be offered to join or die.
So, yeah, getting a crazy amount of mushrooms from the Mushroom Queen was not an avenue he could explore. Which meant it was the thrifty life for this Cursed Hero. Save, save, save! He decided that he should only be using mushrooms for boss fights or when he was about to die. As Brandon stepped into the lush greenery, the air seemed to have shifted. The first sign of trouble came as a hail of arrows rained down from the trees. Swiftly, Brandon rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectiles. Bandits, wearing full masks, emerged from their concealed positions while laughing and giggling. Brandon looked at their statuses with a quick glance.
Name: Bandit 1
Level: 50
Race: Mushroom Human
Job: Knight
Health: ???
Magic: ???
Stamina 100/100
Skills: ???
Name: Bandit 2
Level: 55
Race: Mushroom Human
Job: Knight
Health: ???
Magic: ???
Stamina 100/100
Skills: ???
Name: Bandit 3
Level: 60
Race: Mushroom Human
Job: Knight
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Health: ???
Magic: ???
Stamina 100/100
Skills: ???
Name: Bandit 4
Level: 75
Race: Mushroom Human
Job: Knight
Health: ???
Magic: ???
Stamina 100/100
Skills: ???
Name: Bandit 5
Level: 70
Race: Mushroom Human
Job: Knight
Health: ???
Magic: ???
Stamina 100/100
Skills: ???
Before Brandon could even get the chance to process the statuses of these guys, the ground erupted underneath him. He leaped into the air to prevent himself from being trapped underneath the earth, only for Bandit 2 to sprout wings and a large dangerous bee stinger from behind him. When the alleged bandit flew up to meet him, he turned around to stab him front to back with that sharp, long stinger of his. It also allowed Brandon to see that it formed above the anus and not between the cheeks. Do not ask him why he was looking at another man’s ass. Any real gamer would analyze their enemies closely.
Brandon used his dagger with high rarity to block the stinger. Its durability was directly damaged, but he managed to escape unharmed from the attack as he came crashing back down to the ground below. Just in time for a high-quality sword to swing at him from behind. Brandon couldn’t help but smile as he swiftly turned and blocked with his dagger, lowering its durability even more. Bandit 4 kicked him away, chipping at his health.
He didn’t understand what the hell was going on, but this was fun as hell! A sudden quest to take out some suspiciously skilled bandits using abilities known to be granted by eating the Mushroom Queen’s mushrooms. He definitely had to complete this quest and capture these guys! They might even help with his quest with Duke Gaul! “Friends on the Other Side!” Brandon's voice echoed through the forest, carrying an eerie resonance. As the incantation left his lips, the atmosphere shifted, and shadows detached themselves from his silhouette. The darkness coalesced into a swirling mass. The dark entities, reminiscent of restless spirits, emerged like a chaotic congregation. They skittered and slithered, their movements unpredictable and unnerving. Some resembled ghostly figures, while others took the form of amorphous shadows with malevolent glints in their nonexistent eyes.
These otherworldly specters obeyed Brandon's call. They sought out their designated targets. The shadows darted toward the bandits. As they merged with the bandits' shadows, they were now able to be affected by Brandon’s more class-specific skills. Yet, to activate this crucial skill, Brandon had to reveal an opening. An opening that these well-trained bandit knights were more than smart enough to take advantage of. Bandit 3 transformed into a spring human, rocketing toward Brandon and sinking his fist into Brandon’s gut. As a squishy sub-healer class, Brandon lost a lot of health with that one punch.
A bandit made out of pure gold stood over Brandon’s prone figure. “Why are you grinning?” Bandit 5 questioned. At this question, Brandon couldn’t help but bust out laughing. “God, I love World of Eternia. I really do…” Brandon looked up at the bright sun as he was surrounded on all sides by the bandits with the knight job and were part of the mushroom faction. “Before I subdue you all, do you mind telling me who put you up to this?” Brandon asked.
“He’s gone mad.” Bandit 1 scoffed.
“Quiet.” Bandit 4 ordered. “We know you Adventurers don’t fear death. However, the Queen has taken this information into account. You may not fear death, but you do fear imprisonment.” He grinned.
“That’s right. Nothing kills an Adventurer faster than boredom.” Brandon had to admit, the NPCs in this game were pretty damn smart.
But then again, when players willingly did suicidal things in front of NPCs all the time, they would eventually catch on to how to deal with them.
“I hope you had your fun, Cursed Hero. You shall not be the hope on which the human race relies on to survive.” Bandit 5 and the others moved in to put him in restraints.
“My fun has only just started.” Brandon raised his voodoo doll as he channeled his dark magic. “Spirit Possession!”