“This is your 8am wakeup caalll!” A gentle voice rouses me, a breeze comes through the window, swirls against my hair, the air is fresh and warm.
“Mnn 5 more minutes Fia, I don't really have a schedule you know”, My head is throbbing, the little bits of memory filtering through of the night before, the want and yearning, the could have been.
“Well... you wouldn't want to keep a young maiden waiting by herself in your new home point would you?” she seems pretty pleased with herself, “I must say I’m loving everything she’s doing with the place, she's quite the keeper darling” she giggles knowingly, causing me to blush, I just woke up! I’m not ready for this just yet...
I struggle to get out of bed and make my way to the kitchen, ready for another round of pasta bake! And this time there's no one here to judge me for adding extra sauces, changing it to a completely different meal~
“Just so you know you received a message at about 4am last night from your game friend Keeks, would you like to read it?” She's humming a little bit to herself and giggling while Buta rolls around in their princess bed, trying to act cute for the invisible voice. Surely another photo album in the making.
“I'll look at it when I get online, thanks Fia” I start scrolling through the news first before moving onto the forums. It seems there's been a few disappearances in some of the American Regional areas, could be the religious fanatics on the loose again...
In the last few years a few cults have popped up, some weird communes, people trying to live off the grid and out of Sci-Axium’s control, or even people from old governments trying to keep what little power they still have left. I guess it's all about control versus safety... Especially since the ‘wilds’ of the world are really becoming that, truly wild, mutations in some creatures and increased aggression in others. Amelia loves to talk about it, her field of study being biology, not only the animals, even the plants are becoming more like their ancient counterparts, aggressive and big.
The forums are much the same as usual, discovered this! discovered that! Taking the fun out of the game, each region is supposed to have its own unique things in it, although I haven't even really seen the world map for WAR yet. Zelia says that only part of the map is revealed to players, and the rest is 'clouded', players having to map it all themselves, although it’s extremely dangerous. What lies in the dark? I’m hoping its monsters beyond comprehension, I was always a fan of zombie and monster movies.
It's said that the reason it's not revealed, is that over the last few hundred years people have been driven from it, the borders changed, creatures took over, it was not as it once was, the great walls went up to protect from the ravages of monstrous beings constantly attacking, their world changed. People have talked about seeing entire parts of the earth moving atop legs like turtles over the walls.
“Alright! I think that's enough news for today... I can only imagine how long until Zel finishes the project and gets back to leveling!” Standing up, I clean up my bowl, snuggling on Buta's princess bed a little and go to the capsule, it opens as I approach, and the cushion rises to bring me into its maw. I gratefully step into its mouth, sinking into its depths.
Before I open my eyes, I'm greeted by happy humming, the song that I taught Zelia from my mum... I remember her humming it to me yesterday, to comfort me, to let me know I'm safe.
I'm on a different couch than last time, one of dark oak with even darker leather seating, it stretches out enough that I would be able to spread out on it with my full height.
The humming is coming from a door that was not there before, in fact most of everything was not here before, the walls are slated wood, the roof stretches into a cone shape, a fireplace sits where the door out of the apartment would be. It's already lit, the embers coalescing outwards, brightening up the room. It seems to be the only light source, bringing comfort with its glow.
The bedroom now leads off into a bigger master bedroom, silver sheets on the bed, a wooden lunette window looking out to a full moon shining over the room.
Fia and Zelia are nowhere to be found, at least not in the main room or the bedroom. I follow the humming out to a moon-bathed garden. I'm greeted by a black clothed goddess, bathed in light, she's planting flowers that reflect the moonlight around it. Even with the dark sky, everything is illuminated perfectly.
With the stunning view of Zelia planting flowers I almost miss out on an interesting scene, my Fia, snuggling up with a smaller goth doll version of herself on her lap, both holding onto a datapad cooing at pictures of Buta. Next thing you know they are going to start asking me to dress Buta up in little clothes!
“I love what you’ve done with the place Zel, ‘forever the moonlight wanes over my field of flowers’ right? Your first released fanfiction... It's perfect”
“Hehe you remembered! Well, it's not even done~ You haven't seen perfect yet!” Her smile shines brighter than any full moon... “You have no idea how insane the customization features are! I could be here all day honestly!”
I smile back and sit down next to the Fia's, absorbed in their Buta spotting. I watch the beautiful workings of the gardener and remember that I have a message to read.
I press the small message button on the side of the console, I could use the voice prompts... but this place is so peaceful, it would be a waste to ruin it with speaking.
< 1 New message from Keeks >
{ Hey Moo girl hit me up when you're free! I can help you level and you can Slam me down Big-Style! Gotta get those levels up first so you can really do me some damage! Nyehehe! }
1. Am. Stunned... I burst out laughing, ruining the perfect atmosphere in the garden. "Nooooo! Keeks you filthy little Gnoll you're killing me!" I nearly fall off the stone seat, dying from laughter.
“Zel! Zelia! oh gods!... The little Gnoll girl I met the other day sent me a message saying she wants to help me level, but she told me in return I should ‘slam her down big-style’, what a frigging gremlin!” I'm still sniggering, my side hurting from laughing so much.
“The balls of that girl!! I can understand her feelings though, take one look at how tall your character is, and a girl gets some wild thoughts!” She realizes what she's saying and rotates straight back to her garden plot she was working on, the skin on the back of her neck and the tips of her ears are shining red in the moonlight.
“Zelia Lanz~ are you having feelings of... ‘Slam-down-big-style?!’”
“What even is that! haha I can't even dummy cowgirl!”
Feeling mischievous at such a cute sight, I can't help but creep up behind her and blow tenderly on her exposed neck.
A sharp moan escapes her lips as the hot air dashes across her skin, she puts her hand to her mouth, both of us standing there petrified at the thought.
-damn Zel...” I gulp and bite my bottom lip, tempted to press my lips against her hot skin...
A motherly cough is followed by a tinier cough breaks the tension “I thought you were going to get some levels in today Lilia? There are much better places to flirt, you know, like the bedroom. It was the first place Zelia dear set up after all!” The absolute mischievous gall in this woman's voice, the grin on her face and Fifi’s, conniving creatures of the moonlit dark.
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Freezing in place I quickly slam the login button on the console, a high-pitched squeak comes to my voice, I really am going through puberty again. “I can't wait to see it all when I get back, Zel!”
She nods quickly, not willing to turn around, as my vision turns into that of the rolling hills, plains, and forests of Utor.
A last voice message from Fia sounds to my ears, “I've turned down your blood setting as well love, I hope you have a better experience today!”
“I’ll get you back Fia!”
“Oh, whatever for? hehe”
…
It speeds through the air at me as I throw a right straight punch, my fist connecting directly with its skull, a cracking sound emanates from its body as its head snaps backwards.
{ RapidRabbit receives 12 Critical strike damage }
{ Received 3 damage after reductions }
{ RapidRabbit defeated }
{ 100 exp gained }
{ 2050/2000 Max Exp Gained }
{ Level 4 Achieved }
[ Level Up ] { Please assign your 5 status points }
{ 50/2000 until next level }
{ Health, mana and stamina replenished }
I throw all 5 points into strength so my weapons can finally do as much damage as they can. 12 points in strength means 120% of weapon damage, 20% of extra damage from my weapon is pretty nice considering how low I was hitting before, I can do 2 - 6 base damage a hit now! That's only a few hits per rabbit monster if I don't hit a critical strike to kill the things.
At this point I'm tempted to head further into the forest, according to my map the white wolves are in the next area and then silver wolves are the higher variant... I still can't see any actual information on the monsters, although I've been scavenging and poking at each of them and trying to get the investigation skill like Zelia told me, ‘It's one of the most important skills!’ She kept saying, I think with my low wisdom it's either never going to happen, or it's going to take hundreds more monsters, it would be embarrassing to have the pity of the goddess again.
I step closer towards the forest; a howl sounds off in the distance announcing my arrival. I can imagine Zelia wanting to howl with them... Adorable... Unfortunately, these wolves aren't just the howling kind, I'm sure they also want to eat me! Maybe like Zel too then? Heh gay.
A single wolf greets me at the forest’s edge, standing vigil over its domain, a scar across its right eye, it huffs in disdain, challenging me to one-on-one combat.
“Our battle... will be glorimoos!!” It pounces at me from over 5 meters away, accelerating in seconds, dashing side to side, trying to avoid my gaze.
I lower my stance and ready for contact, a gaping maw riddled with teeth snaps to my right aiming for my jugular. It's faster than I thought! Bringing my arm up I manage to catch the bracer in its mouth as it crunches down.
{ Received 6 damage after reductions }
Fuck! That's like 11 damage if I got directly hit?!
Thankfully I leveled up and got 10 more max hit points, otherwise that would be like 20% of my health?! With only 39 points remaining I've got to be extra careful not to get swarmed by these damn wolves.
With my left hand I brace and smash into the side of its face trying to hit its bad eye with one of the sharper points on the knuckle, thankfully I can feel the critical hit, the crushing feeling of its skull collapsing and eye bulging. It flies off my wrist bracer and slides back against the dirt slightly slamming into the side of the tree.
{ 23 critical hit damage (6 BD x 2.50 CD x 1.5 Weak Damage from < Bronze Knuckles > }
Well that solves what that meant on my weapon! A white wolf's weak point is its eye, though that should be the same for lots of normal creatures. It's hard to say since that rabbit's head was as hard as stone, its legs were so long I can only guess that that would be its weak point.
Remembering that I still have an active ability at my disposal. The wolf still recovering from that hit stunned, I pull out the coin of Nemesis and use < coin flip >
It rotates in the air and lands on my palm Caduceus face up, my body trembling at the amount of power that's flowing through it! ONE MORE TIME THIS IS AWESOME! Maybe my Pinnacle of luck affects coin flip and gives me an advantage?! That is so broken if true! that would be a 100% chance to get heads!
{ Next hit delt deals 50% (Luck%) extra damage }
< Coin Flip > I’m going to be able to do so much extra damage!!
A woman holding a snake shows up on the face instead, the coin glows a dark red as if angry.
{! Nemesis disapproves of your hubris !}
{ Luck is reversed for 5 minutes }
{ Luck has been set to -50 (-Luck) }
{ Pinnacle of luck passive disabled }
{ With luck in the negatives the likelihood of bad events happening rises }
Fuck... FUCK! What kind of bad events?!
I rush at the wolf, if bad things are going to happen, I should finish off my enemy first!
I maneuver the badly injured wolf into the side of the tree trying to get to its left side, while it can’t see it’s best that I take advantage of it. I feint with my right fist, trying to throw it off balance, it reacts instinctively to it, dashing to the left with its whole body not wanting to lose the other eye, I catch it once again in the left side of its face, its body follows through adding weight to my attack as it crumples, yelping in its death throes.
{ 9 Damage dealt to White Wolf after modifiers (4 BD x 1.5 < Coin Toss > x 1.5 < counter > }
{ White Wolf defeated }
{ 200 Exp gained }
{ 250/2000 until level up }
Falling back on my ass I sigh... Fucking hell! Now if I just wait here quietly for the 5 minutes to end, I'll be safe... 4 minutes remaining... 3 minutes remaining... 2 minutes remaining...
Phew, it looks like nothing is going to happen... a rustle in a nearby bush startles me to get off my ass, as one of those damn rabbits plops out of the bush... It doesn't seem to have seen me yet.
Looking up it must think I'm a tree. I move my head to the side and my bell clanks against the side. A toiling of the bell of hell, eyes peering down through the darkness, horns looming, the titan rising above it, that's... Not a tree!?
Oh, is it going to go into the fear affliction like the slime?
Looking up it must think I'm a tree. I move my head to the side and my bell clanks against the side. A toiling of the bell of hell, eyes peering down through the darkness, horns looming, the titan rising above it, that's... Not a tree!?
{ Event triggered }
FUCK! Oh... oh nonono pleasseee I was so close to the negative status being over! Wolves howl in the distance, guttural noises fill the air, th-that's a lot of howls... Frigging what, that's a lot of howling!! Panicking, I look up, CAN WOLVES CLIMB?! I have no idea but I sure as fuck won’t be able to outrun them. There's no threat range in this game, they will chase you down until they get bored, or you’re dead.
Scampering up the largest tree I can find, it must be a sight and a half, a 7-foot-tall minotaur clutching scared onto a branch 12 feet off the ground. The branch only being as thick as one thigh, c-could I be too heavy?... I just wanted to be a hot cow woman noo!
“Fia! Oh, gods Fia send Keeks a message, she's online right Moo??”
“Yes, she's online, what would you like me to send?”
“My coordinates and whatever else, I just need her here right now please Moo!!”
“Message sent, please hold on I'm sure with that message she will be here before you know it!”
“What does that mean... Fia... what did you send her mooo?!”
Fia only giggles as I hold on for dear bovine life.