Chapter 11
"Let's head west and north to the castle, then we can bed down tonight in The Vault," Pierce communicated telepathically to the group. Nods of agreement rippled through the group as they mounted their bikes. Grok, ever vigilant, summoned Bromli and took to the skies, scouting the path ahead.
The group encountered countless hordes of Orcs, each encounter a testament to their skill and adaptability. They fell back when necessary, pressed forward when advantageous, and expertly lured the dim-witted Orcs into carefully planned ambushes.
The group navigated the treacherous terrain with ease, their mountain bikes soaring over jumps and weaving through obstacles. Evolon, in a breathtaking display of skill, executed a perfect backflip, her bike twirling in the air before landing gracefully. They eventually reached the circular castle trailhead north of Bentonville, a strategic vantage point overlooking the valleys to the north and south.
"YAH BRAH, DID YOU SEE THAT SICK FLIP!" Evolon exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.
"I finally nailed the toe tap on the Movie Reel!" Pierce grinned, his face beaming with pride.
"I don't know what it is, but after two days of battle, jumping off a silly 20-foot drop seems like nothing now," Ignis admitted, a sense of accomplishment evident in his voice.
"I know, right? You just sent it. I'm really proud of your progress, man!" Flint said, slapping Ignis on the back.
"Quick break here, then we work our way towards the camp. I'll have to go in first and explain, then we can bring the cats and Grok," Pierce announced, distributing drinks, food, water, and fresh meat to the group and their animal companions.
"This castle is puny, very bad defense, Grok would never live here," Grok commented, her voice filled with disdain.
"This is part of a bike park, it's for fun, not for defense," Pierce explained, chewing on a piece of beef jerky and sipping from a Monster energy drink.
Grok gave him a look of incomprehension but didn't say anything.
After the short break, the group headed north towards a tunnel beneath the interstate, leading to a highly secure mountain bunker known as The Vault.
"What's in The Vault? It sounds fun," Evolon asked curiously.
"It's one of Walmart's server vaults, located in an old abandoned mine beneath the Ozark Mountains. It should be highly secure, but since it's the weekend, it's likely only manned by a few people, if they haven't already left to take care of their families," Pierce explained as he launched himself off a large rock, soaring down the trail.
"Will the lights still be on?" Flint wondered.
"Should be. They have a huge locomotive generator and enough battery backups to last weeks off the grid," Pierce assured him.
A few minutes later, the group set up another ambush, this time targeting a group of Orcs marching single file down the bike path. They executed the ambush with precision, eliminating every Orc without causing unnecessary collateral damage. Ignus, in particular, displayed remarkable control over his elemental powers, using fire and ice in tandem without burning any trees down.
Pierce approached a large parking lot, leading to a concrete slope descending into the ground. He swiped his badge, and the door clicked open.
"Oh my God, all data connections are down! All we have is an ancient weather radio to get news from. What is going on?!?" the short woman behind the front desk exclaimed, her voice filled with panic.
"Well, magic, Orc invasion, National Guard in Lowell, that's about it. Do you mind if we camp in the lounge tonight before heading out tomorrow to hunt more Orcs?" Pierce asked calmly.
The woman cocked her head to the side, her mouth agape as she tried to process Pierce's words. "Umm, sure, I guess. It's just me and Augustus, the weekend tech, here right now. Do you have any food? We raided the vending machines, but you can only eat so many Doritos and Swiss Rolls before you get sick."
Pierce smiled and pulled out a large bag of trail mix. "That's about all I got. Is the coffee machine still well-stocked?"
"Beans stacked to the sky, as always!" the woman replied, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the trail mix.
"I have to warn you, a few of my party are a bit weird... but they're all okay, been hunting Orcs with us all day, so I vouch for them," Pierce cautioned.
"As long as they sign into the log and wear a visitor's badge, I don't care who you bring in," the woman replied with a shrug.
"I'll hold you to that," Pierce said with a smile, mentally signaling his party to enter. The woman's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the three tigers and the towering Orc woman walk through the door.
"What? They'll sign the log, but I'm not sure if our fluffy friends here will wear the badge," Pierce chuckled.
Leading the way, Pierce guided the group to a large, well-lit lounge, filled with couches, tables, televisions, and even a room with eight bunk beds. "This is us. I've spent too many nights here when things go sideways and it's all hands on deck. Restrooms are that way, showers that way, bunks this way, couches, you can charge your phones, and best of all... there's this baby," Pierce said, pointing to a massive coffee grinder with a 300-pound hopper filled with high-quality coffee beans.
"This is a dream," Evolon muttered, her eyes fixed on the coffee grinder.
"Grok is very interested in this bean juice you talk of," Grok said, reaching into the hopper and munching on a handful of coffee beans.
"Oh yes, very refreshing!" Grok replied, crunching on the beans.
"Let's get some rest. In the morning, I'll show you how all this works," Pierce announced, redirecting Grok's attention to the couches. "Evolon, I nominate you to show Grok here how to use the toilets and showers."
"Why? Because I'm the only other one with a vagina? You men are so uncomfortable around a naked woman who doesn't want to sleep with you. When I was backpacking through Europe, going from hostel to hostel, men weren't such prudes," Evolon retorted.
"Sorry, this isn't Starship Troopers. We're not quite as progressive as you're used to," Flint joked.
"I don't know, I might give it a go with Grok. She has an alluring physique," Ignis teased, leering at the Orc.
"Grok would crush your pelvis into dust," she replied, her gaze unwavering.
"NEVERMIND! I wish to remain uncrushed!" Ignis exclaimed, scrambling towards the men's shower.
"Oh come on, I'll heal you afterward, just don't kill him, Grok," Pierce chuckled.
"Grok not kill, Grok only break and bruise puny human," Grok assured him with a grin.
"NO THANK YOU, I'M OUT!" Ignis yelped, accelerating faster towards the shower door.
"Normally, I'd be offended, but you're both adults, and Grok here can definitely defend herself," Evolon said, joining in the amusement.
"You laugh, but Grok would also break you," Grok warned, locking eyes with Evolon.
"NOPE, NOPE, NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!" Evolon cried, dashing towards the women's shower.
"Are you forgetting, Grok? You're supposed to show her how to use modern showers!" Pierce reminded her.
"What about you, do you want a piece of Grok?" Grok asked aggressively, her eyes glinting with challenge.
"I think we're good," Flint replied, nervously chuckling. "We'll get you home and find a nice Orc boy for you. Or girl, if that's your thing, we don't judge."
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As they relaxed, winding down for the day, the group discussed their progress.
"Even though Pierce got there first, we all managed to catch up to him, and for some reason, can't get past level 10," Flint complained.
"You only gain experience killing enemies up to ten levels below you," Grok explained. "Most invasion Orcs killed are level one, so you're stuck until you find more difficult enemies."
"Right away, I see three big things with level 10," Pierce began, pulling up his character sheet. "The Mental Multiplier from Cadium doubled, causing a HUGE boost in mana, mana regen, and spell strength, and even adding 10 to wisdom and intelligence. I got a spell called Boon, a buff lasting 10 minutes that increases HP, Mana, HP regen, and Mana regen, costing 20 mana. I got a class perk that can double the mana of a beneficial spell to turn it into an area of effect with a radius of my Cadium in meters. I could buff and heal a whole army!"
Name: Impiercenator
Healer Level 10
0 stat points available
23 Defense
19 Strength
19 Dexterity
19 Stamina
29 Constitution
29 Wisdom
30 Intelligence
513 Cadium
87 Hit Points
547 Mana
54 Mana Regen/10 seconds
8 HP regen/10 seconds
86 Spell Strength
32 Physical Damage
513 meter casting distance
5130 inventory slots
Spells Known:
Basic Heal
Cure Ailment
Boon
Class Perks:
Overhealth
Spell Cascade
"YOU HAVE 513 CADIUM????!!!!" Grok exclaimed, “Grok entire planet not have 513 Cadium” her voice filled with disbelief.
"It's cool, here on Earth, we just have more Cadium than you silly Orcs" Flint replied, waving off her concern.
"My turn!" Evolon declared, listing off her stats. "Critical makes all shots into weak points auto-crit, causing double damage. Harvest creates a pool of Harvest Points with every kill, with a maximum of my max hit point number. I can use that pool to heal myself, allies, or add damage to my next arrow."
Name: Evolon
Archer Level 10
0 stat points available
31 Defense
7 Strength
28 Dexterity
7 Stamina
5 Constitution
8 Wisdom
6 Intelligence
27 Cadium
48 Hit Points
37 Mana
3 Mana Regen/10 seconds
4 HP regen/10 seconds
12 Spell Strength
42 Physical Damage
27 meter casting distance
270 inventory slots
Spells Known:
Pierce
Piercer
Harvest
Class Perks:
Bleed
Critical
"Who needs a second healer when Pierce there can do it while napping in a lazyboy?" Ignis jokes.
"That was once, and just to see if it would make me seem like an easy target!" Pierce retorted defensively.
"Ohh, I got something good too!" Flint declared, sharing his stats. "Shockwave radiates damage in a circle around me for my Cadium in meters when I hit a vulnerable spot on an enemy. Bastion allows me to create a shield around myself or an ally, decreasing all incoming damage by 50% for my Cadium in seconds. That sounds super balanced and totally not going to abuse it at all!"
Name: Flint
Fighter Level 10
0 stat points available
21 Defense
19 Strength
13 Dexterity
6 Stamina
12 Constitution
5 Wisdom
4 Intelligence
22 Cadium
52 Hit Points
29 Mana
2 Mana Regen/10 seconds
5 HP regen/10 seconds
9 Spell Strength
34 Physical Damage
22 meter casting distance
220 inventory slots
Spells Known:
Challenge
Shield Bash
Bastion
Class Perks:
Armor
Shockwave
"Calm down, OH MY GOD I AM A FREAKING TIMELORD!!!" Ignis exclaimed. "Timestop allows me to stop time for my Cadium in seconds, costing my Cadium in mana. During this time, enemies in range are frozen while friendlies are able to act normally. Doublecast allows me to cast two spells simultaneously for double the mana cost. KISS MY BUTT, DOCTOR STRANGE!!"
Name: Ignis
Fighter Level 10
0 stat points available
9 Defense
4 Strength
5 Dexterity
5 Stamina
7 Constitution
16 Wisdom
17 Intelligence
20 Cadium
23 Hit Points
45 Mana
4 Mana Regen/10 seconds
4 HP regen/10 seconds
27 Spell Strength
4 Physical Damage
20 meter casting distance
200 inventory slots
Spells Known:
Fireblast
Iceblast
Timestop
Class Perks:
Resistance
Doublecast
"Grok feel inadequate with one Cadium, where Grok once felt honored to have any Cadium at all... I get increased sense to danger sense and a spell to replenish my beast's health and stamina," Grok admitted, her voice tinged with melancholy.
Name: Grok
Beast Master Level 10
0 stat points available
12 Defense
7 Strength
7 Dexterity
5 Stamina
7 Constitution
9 Wisdom
8 Intelligence
1 Cadium
26 Hit Points
14 Mana
1 Mana Regen/10 seconds
2 HP regen/10 seconds
12 Spell Strength
20 Physical Damage
1 meter casting distance
10 inventory slots
Spells Known:
Charm Animal
Roar
Mend of the Wild
Class Perks:
Beastly Roar
Sense Danger
"Grok did you say only the most trusted Orcs on your planet only have one to five Cadium? I feel like we could just walk through them like a scythe through wheat," Flint boasted, slapping his chest.
"This is true, but you forget levels, and as Pierce likes to say, you cannot heal them to death," Grok replied, finally calming down from the shock of her party's collective Cadium power.
As night fell, the group settled down for the night, the party giving Grok and the tigers a wide berth. The next morning, Pierce's phone alarm shattered the silence, rousing the group from their slumber. He woke them up and showed them how to use the industrial-sized coffee grinder and espresso machine.
"You seriously expect me to do all that? Just give me something hot and strong!" Flint grumbled, walking over to a table and grabbing a cinnamon roll.
The rest of the group placed their orders, gathering around the table and enjoying their breakfast.
"What do I look like as a Waffle House waiter? Wait, I wonder what Northwest Arkansas looks like on the Waffle House index? I bet they're all open and serving food in the middle of the apocalypse," Pierce chuckled, bringing the drinks to his party.
"Yeah, with a band of redneck hunters protecting the little yellow building like it's the White House," Ignis laughed.
The party exited The Vault and met up with Bromli, strategizing their next move as they made their way back to the Home Office.
"So, Grok, where is that second portal? The plan is to fight our way to it, go through, and do whatever is needed to close the portal to our world. I think the Army can handle the Orcs here now, but not a constant flow of endless Orcs" Pierce explained.
"Small Portal is near big portal, but Grok is not sure where. Grok must make you aware, when you close the portal, you will be stuck on Grok's planet," Grok warned through the mental link.
"We're aware, but if it's to save our town, that's what we're willing to do," Pierce replied, his determination unwavering.
"Grok will find you beautiful Orc women who not break you, you live comfortable life as strong Adventurers on Grok's world," Grok promised.
"Who opened the door for Grok to be a matchmaker? I am perfectly capable of finding my own beautiful Orc woman to settle down with," Ignis retorted in the mental chat.
Dismounting their bikes, the group spread out, with Grok providing aerial support. They stealthily approached the small portal, bypassing a larger portal and its constant flow of orcs. The Donner Party, along with their formidable allies, swiftly dispatched the two guards and darted through the smaller portal, disappearing into the unknown.