Wail checked his stats before the moment of judgment. Everything seemed satisfactory.

Character name: Wail

Level: 48

Class: Apprentice Mage

Reputation: -61

Title: Sadistic

Experience: 15.3%

Health: 1780

Mana: 2240

Stamina: 940

Strength: 20

Intellect: 110

Agility: 10

Fortitude: 40

Wisdom: 100

Precision: 10

Attack: 5-10

Defense: 40

Charisma: 10

Leadership: 20

Luck: 11

Fame: 95

Health Regen: 5 Health/sec.

Mana Regen: 9 Mana/sec.

Magic Resistance

Fire: 20%

Water: 20%

Nature: 15%

Black: 15%

Light: 15%

Nether: 15

*Unspent stat points: 45.

*-1 Charisma due to appearance.

*-1 to Charisma due to below 0 Reputation.

*+2 Leadership due to Fame.

*+200 Health and + 120 Defense due to Fortitude.

*+770 Mana and + 3 mana regeneration due to Intellect.

*+15% all Magic Resistances due to Apprentice Mage.

*+5% Fire and Water resistance due to Magicians Necklace.

Title bonus

*Sadistic title adds the following bonuses:

+15% damage to lower level creatures and humanoids.

-10% damage to higher level creatures and humanoids.

+15% experience for defeating higher level creatures and humanoids.

-10 Charisma

He decided to leave a few stat points unspent – just in case a need for them arose later. Skill proficiencies? Wail felt quite comfortable with their state as well.

Fire Mastery – Intermediate level 1 (98.4%)

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Increases base and critical damage of fire based spells.

Reduces the mana cost of fire based spells.

*Damage increased by 25%

*Mana cost reduced by 12%

The bonus 25% damage would do wonders in the future. “Pleased” barely described how Wail felt about it, and now he even had two ways to validate his title of “Sadistic”, instead of one.

Fireball – Intermediate level 2 (87.2%)

The most basic fire-based spell. Conjures a fireball – can be managed in any way decided upon by the wielder. Can set on fire and cause damage over time. The over-time effect causes damage according to set circumstances.

Base fire damage – 120-179.3 damage.

Base over-time fire damage – 15 damage/sec.

Mana cost – 14.5 mana per use.

Casting time – 1.4 seconds.

*Damage increased by 10% due to wisdom.

*Mana cost reduced by 10% duo to Intellect

*Casting time reduced by 10% due to intellect.

Inferno – Beginner level 8 (21.70%)

Description: Sets fire to a large area, dealing fire-damage and lowering the morale of anyone caught in its’ blazing fury.

Base area damage – 98-112

Damage over time – 15 damage/sec

Area of effect - 10 meters.

Mana cost – 80

Casting time – 5 seconds.

Cooldown – 15 seconds.

*Damage increased by 10% due to Wisdom.

*Mana cost reduced by 10% due to Intellect.

*Casting time reduced by 10% due to Intellect.

Heck, he might even create a title of “Pyromaniac” by accident, if things will keep on developing this way.

His group of bandits were in the same place he last saw them. Busy staring at the bonfire like there was no tomorrow. Luckily – every single one of them alive and well. Intimacy didn’t fall due to Wail’s absence, either. It was a strange mechanism built into the AI – they were aware of adventurers being a special existence and sometimes disappearing, thus they paid no heed to that. Of course, time did not stop after the player logged off - life went on inside. Due to which sometimes, players logged in only to find their party of AI driven companions slaughtered or simply gone.

That’s why logging off during escort and similar quests – a bad idea.

Without a moments delay he allowed Bob to continue his previous mission. Silver key in place, a few turns.

*clack*

Soon after, a big chunk of the rock in front began to move - revealing a small entrance into the mountain. Staring into the inside - Wail noticed how unwelcoming the place seemed. Thick, cold mist seeping out from the pitch black that awaited them within. Spooky.

By the looks of it though, this dungeon was surely undiscovered. Untold riches waited inside, thus with only a moment of doubt – Wail stepped inside, with his group following after in close proximity. No point in delaying. Though, wasn’t Bob the one who invited Wail? Since when did the chain of command change? These bandits were most likely bent on using Wail as a shield - if anything decides to jump them in the dark. What bastards. Just the kind of company Wail enjoyed. No regret once he himself backstabs them.

Inside…

You are the first to discover the Tomb of Borelus!

*Experience earned is doubled for a week while hunting inside the dungeon

*Chance of better loot is increased significantly

+30 Fame.

-10 Reputation and +1 leadership for leading the bandits to the tomb.

Wail was absolutely right! Oh, the excitement! It was almost too much to bear. Wail was visibly shaking from it. That, for which he had to suffer through an extremely weird and unpleasant day in reality had finally begun. May the glory commence!

Meanwhile, the Dark Woods were disturbed by an additional group of intruders. Like Wail's party wasn't enough… 

A group of 4 individuals. Three of them wore identical outfits - steel hauberks covered most of their chest, legs protected by engraved greaves and one pauldron protected their right shoulder. Full helms, with small slits for eyes and the mouth - covered their heads almost entirely. What were they doing in a barely lighted forest with such equipment? Especially the headgear… Typical Onnion soldiers - proud and stubborn beyond belief. Their weaponry consisted of a plain, round - dished shields and short-swords.

Their shirt underneath the hauberks were white. Since the common color worn by the onion foot soldiers was exactly that. One can only imagine the cleaning bill the army brought in.

All three of them had a "III" engraved on their pauldrons. Indicating that the soldiers belonged to the third legion of Onnion army, which daily duties were protecting the south and east borders of the kingdom. Guess they were doing exactly that right now. Unless this was a friendly picnic and their whole army was a corruption eroded hell-hole. Seems far-fetched, without a doubt.

A female by the looks of it was the fourth individual. Her figure discreetly covered by a dark green cloak - a large bow swung over the shoulder. A ranger. The opposite of her three companions - she was truly in her habitat. Her clothes were light, comfortable. Head wasn't covered in some absurd metal pot, with impairing visibility. Swift, precise, colors perfectly blending into her surroundings. Certainly a lethal threat. Though hitting anyone in such darkness would prove a challenge, regardless.

Strangely though, she wasn't the one leading. Instead, the troupe went first - groping their way forward like some circus show.

Due to her facial features being covered by the dark, it was hard to say whether the ranger enjoyed the show. For one, she didn't seem angry, and casually followed without a word of protest.

Soon the four arrived at a former camping spot, a circle of ashes in the middle of it. You guessed it - Wail's former camp.

One of the soldiers came over the fire-pit and placed a hand over it. 

“The fire-pit is at least 4 days old. We’re quite behind” – He said with eyes narrowed, after a few moments of meaningful quiet - glaring at the darkness in the woods beyond. Though he didn't need to strain his eyes in search for it.

“How the heck can you even tell how old the campfire is?!” – His companion, the female ranger suddenly asked, flailing her arms about with dissatisfaction.

“Actually…I have no idea” – He replied – oblivious, after scratching under his chin for a moment or two. -"But I'm sure my years of training gave me the natural ability to know such things..." 

Even in this pitch black, you could practically feel the ranger roll her eyes to that.

"Ok, fine. Then where did they go?" - She then asked, more tired than sarcastic.

Her companion walked around the camping spot almost on all fours for a few moments. Sniffed the air. That or he just had a cold. Since not to think of him as some hound would be a challenge otherwise. 

"That way" - He said after that short, yet simply horrendous ritual - pointing somewhere in the dark - "Westward!"

"Southward you mean?" - The ranger asked, placing an arm on her forehead and leaning on it.

He froze for a few seconds, probably doubting. If not for the helm, one could even see it in his eyes - though currently, the slits were too narrow to actually see the expression.

"West, south...whatever! The point is, we march there!" - He soon replied, his two companions giving a solid nod in agreement.

The ranger could only release a heavy sigh. There's only so much one could take and this was getting harder than it was worth. 

"I swear, this was supposed to be a simple bounty quest, yet I just had to draw the short straw with this bunch..." - She mumbled under her breath, while following the companions she so obviously adored.