Drawing her dagger, Lieze followed in the steps of the Deathwalker as it stumbled through the cavern. Detritus from the Kobold’s various efforts to create a home--loose twigs, plant fibres and sharp stones, were littered across the uneven ground. Gaps in the bedrock where one’s foot might have fallen through were stuffed with sharpened sticks, and dry sheets of bark were placed on inclined footholds to create slipping hazards. Just as Lieze had warned, Kobolds were conniving creatures. Cowardly, but conniving.
As she moved from chamber to chamber, the half-draconian creatures huddling together in groups rapidly retreated further into the cave. They didn’t have the heart to so much as brandish a sharpened stone against the Gravewalker, which lunged ceaselessly at the Kobolds like a mad dog. By the time they had mostly run out of space, several of them had already attempted to flank Lieze in the darkness, blind to a thrall’s natural ability to seek out the living. Lieze wasn’t overly wicked with them--their lives were ended in short order. As her dagger sunk into the first’s scaled neck, a lightless notification expanded from the scale.
[Kobold] Defeated
1xp Rewarded
She wasn’t just limited to her quests or plain murder. Even emerging victorious from battle contributed to her growing strength, albeit less efficiently. She quickly embraced the habit of casting a cursory glance towards her scale whenever another Kobold flung itself towards her with feverish eyes.
1xp Rewarded
1xp Rewarded
1xp Rewarded
1xp Rewarded
It was almost pitiful how weak they were. Lieze had often heard that a cornered animal was the most dangerous sort. With Kobolds, it seemed to be the stark opposite. They would make for terrible thralls, but she wasn’t exactly spoiled for choice. Undead could be used for anything as long as it didn’t require any critical thinking, so there was no reason for her not to put their corpses to good use.
What exactly was her plan? She had originally intended to make the long trek back to the Deadlands, but as her strength grew, the thought occurred to her that remaining in Tonberg may have its share of benefits. With her anonymity, there was plenty she could accomplish under the royalists’ nose. Her father was most likely already preparing to attack the city again. If she could undermine Tonberg from within, it was possible Sokalar wouldn’t even have to bother.
Peeking her head around a corner, Lieze spotted the remaining Kobolds with their backs pressed against the furthest wall of the cavern. Ordering the Gravewalker to continue, she returned to the previous chamber and imagined the kind of facilities she could house beneath the earth if a like-minded provider of goods could be found within the city.
1xp Rewarded
1xp Rewarded
1xp Rewarded
1xp Rewarded
1xp Rewarded
When the countless shrieks behind her no longer echoed from the cave walls, another notification appeared on her scale.
Quest 'Clearing the Monster Den' Complete! Reward - 80xp
Level Up!
You are now level [4] HP + 10 MP + 40
Feeling a renewed strength running through her body, Lieze placed her finger on the scale.
Lieze Sokalar Level 4 Necromancer HP: 55 / 55 XP: 60 / 160 MP: 95 / 95 Skills and Features Lesser Necromancy (lvl. 1)
“Lesser Necromancy…” She muttered aloud, “What does that actually mean?”
As if responding to her query, the immaterial rectangle shifted once again.
Feature - Lesser Necromancy (Lvl. 1) Description - Use 100MP to reanimate a creature of level [10] or below. The creature's level as an undead thrall equals 1/3 of its original level, rounded down. You can maintain a number of thralls equal to 1/2 of your level, rounded up.
“Hm.” Lieze frowned, “I was going to raise every Kobold in the cave, but according to this, I can only maintain two thralls at a time. Until I grow stronger, that is…”
She didn’t even have enough mana for a single use of her necromancy. That was the cause of her so-called ‘mana burnout’. Not only that, but the XP requirement for increasing her level was starting to become quite bothersome.
In any case, she wouldn’t be raising any more thralls until the next day. The Kobolds’ bodies would still be intact if she returned later--especially if she assigned her Gravewalker to kill any foragers that would catch the scent of death from the cave. Commanding the former conjurator to do just that, she quickly made her way back to the entrance and spent a few embarrassing moments hoisting herself slowly back up the rope. Lieze was never particularly talented in physical affairs, and she had a feeling that the scale wouldn’t be changing that anytime soon.
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She wondered for a moment if it was possible that the city would send a guard or two to validate the work she’d done. If they discovered her Gravewalker, that would be the end of Lieze’s plans. Not only that, but she had to come up with an excuse to explain why Noma either wasn’t able to return or was tragically killed during the mission. She would be garnering suspicion either way--it wasn’t something she would get away with twice.
Her stomach growled. At the same time, a notice appeared from the scale.
New Quest Received - "Survival" Find something to eat. Reward - 5xp
She’d been so preoccupied with her circumstances that she hadn’t found the time to feed herself. The day’s events had also left her wanting for a comfortable bed, and so she started on the long walk back to Tonberg, brainstorming the most effective excuse to cover for Noma’s death that she could think of.
Looking from side to side to make sure nobody was watching her, she unsheathed the girl’s dagger and examined the handle. It wasn’t a particularly intricate weapon, but the design was recognisable enough. As a plan formed in her head, she took the long way around Tonberg’s side towards the eastern forest, losing herself in the undergrowth while slowly pushing towards the easternmost gate. When the portcullis was in sight, she unsheathed the dagger again and watched the motes of light descending from the canopy reflecting off the sharp edge. Feeling her heart beating, she braced the blade’s tip against her abdomen and tried to estimate where the safest place to make an incision was. Lieze’s breathing became unbalanced as her mind screamed at her to find some other method. She would only have so much time to make her way to the guards before she bled out, and she couldn’t risk anyone from the southern gate spotting her ploy.
When a surge of shameless confidence crossed her mind, she took advantage of it, groaning as the dagger sank through her flesh with impressive ease.
HP - 35/55
Lieze wasn’t the physically-gifted sort, and so the pain which quickly spread from the wound was almost enough to make her faint from shock. Her hand moved to cover the stab, and as blood ran freely from between her fingers, she began the painful march out of the forest and towards the eastern gate, where the royalists standing to attention at the portcullis were quick to notice that she was injured.
Once they took notice of the guild insignia Lieze carried on her person, she was carted to the nearest chapel and provided with healing from the priesthood. She felt her stomach turn at the idea of allowing her sworn enemies to dress her wounds, but it was a small sacrifice to make in exchange for the negotiating power she’d been granted.
“You say another guild member attacked you?” One of the royalists remained behind in order to take Lieze’s account of the situation while her wounds were magically healed.
“Yes… her name was Noma Lawain.” She professed, “She provided a reference for my guild membership in exchange for helping her with a Kobold infestation.”
“And she attacked you on the way out?”
“With that dagger, yes.” She confirmed, “I don’t think she wanted to kill me… when I fell down after she stabbed me, she stole the gold I was keeping in my pack. Then she ran off--to the west, I think.”
“Why would she help you clear the Kobold infestation if she was planning on mugging you?”
Her innocent façade nearly fell. She wasn’t expecting the guard to suddenly play the detective all of a sudden.
“To build trust, I suppose… I didn’t think twice about turning my back to her once we completed the request together…”
“Hm. There are a surprising number of similar cases in the city.” He explained, “Guild members use forged documents as references, then try to buddy up with somebody new to the business to take advantage of them. You’re not from Tonberg, are you?”
“No.” She admitted, “I was escaping the necromancers to the south just a week ago. I only woke up after the battle this morning, in a Dwarven clinic.”
“Bak Longfinger? I know the man.” The guard finished scribbling something on a small notebook, “I’ll drop by his clinic later to confirm that you’re telling the truth. Since you were able to complete your assignment, I would recommend collecting your reward from the guild once you’re able to walk again.”
“Thank you. I’ll do that.”
“Go with the Dragon.”
The phrase seemed to be a common farewell in Tonberg. Lieze couldn’t help but be reminded of her scale every time it was spoken aloud. Her treatment at the hands of the priesthood didn’t take long in the slightest. There seemed to be an agreement between the guild and the city to heal members free of charge considering their dangerous line of work and the service they provided.
They never gave her anything to eat, however. By the time her stab wound had healed completely, she was already on her way back to the Golden Flagon, where the receptionist met her with worried eyes.
“Ah, Miss Lieze…” She greeted, “I heard what happened from a priest who dropped by the guild… I have to apologise for allowing you to accompany Noma. I should have realised something was wrong when she was so eager to provide you with a reference…”
“It wasn’t your fault. Please don’t blame yourself.” Lieze encouraged, “The priests have already healed my wounds. Before she betrayed me, the two of us were also able to clear the cave of Kobolds.”
“I don’t suppose you had any trouble? Besides Noma, of course.”
“She took a fall at one point.” Lieze answered, “-Nothing she couldn’t get back up from, though.”
“Do you have an idea of where she might have run off to? We might still be able to recover your gold.”
“To the west, I think.”
“Towards Saptra?” The receptionist lowered her head, “I’m not sure it’s safe for anyone to be headed after her. The Lich’s undead continue to prowl the countryside relentlessly.”
“Could I trouble you for the payment?” Lieze requested, “I’m a little low on funds at the moment.”
“Of course. Give me a moment.”
Saying that, the receptionist stood up from her desk and disappeared through a door in the tavern’s corner. Lieze expected her to return with a sack of jingling coins, but was surprised to be handed some kind of silver ornamental trinket that fit nicely in the palm of her hand. The object was carved to resemble a coiled, serpentine dragon. The craftsmanship was exquisite.
“What is this?” She asked plainly.
“Ah, of course. You only arrived in Tonberg recently, didn’t you?” The receptionist realised, “It’s a Silver Wurm. You can exchange it at a bank for 100 gold coins. The guild commonly deals in rather large amounts of gold, so we distribute these to save members the hassle of carting so much money from here to a bank whenever they turn in a request.”
“Are they created by the city?”
“They are indeed. And what’s more--they’re only granted to merchants and guild members. Once you present a Wurm to the bank, they’ll provide you with a Bag of Holding free of charge. It’s one of the many benefits that comes with being a guild member.”
“An enchanted bag… isn’t it a little expensive to be giving something like that to every trader and member?”
“Priests normally undertake enchantment lessons during their tutelage at the monasteries. I imagine most of those bags come from them.” She explained, “I’d recommend stopping by to pick one up as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll do that. And I’ll probably be coming right back to have a meal. I haven’t eaten anything since I woke up this morning.”
“Let me treat you!” She smiled, “It’s the least I can do to make up for what you’ve been through today.”
The worried expression on the receptionist’s face coupled with her motherly smile was almost enough to convince Lieze that she was actually telling the truth about everything. Just like that, she was taking full advantage of the royalists’ naiveté to further her own goals, and they were none the wiser about her plans--or indeed about the true fate of Noma. Perhaps out of pity for her innocence, Lieze couldn’t help but smile back.
“I’d like that. Thank you.”
Quest "Survival" Complete! Reward - 5xp