Novels2Search

Chapter 20.

Breakdown of the Changes to Character Death in “Universe of Heroes by Decree,” published on a obscure blog. Published the 2nd of Junius.

So, all of this time we have had characters have an increasing percentile chance of resuscitating day by day, up until the end of the week as the chart below describes.

Day 1=0% chance of naturally coming back.

Day 2=10% chance of naturally coming back.

Day 3=30% chance of naturally coming back.

Day 4=50% chance of naturally coming back.

Day 5=70% chance of naturally coming back.

Day 6=90% chance of naturally coming back.

Day 7=100% chance of naturally coming back.

It is worth noticing that this was not absolute; if there was a choir nearby singing a dirge all of these numbers went up 5% +0.01% per choir member in the song, per time that the song was being sung. Alternately, the numbers could be lowered by chaotic effects. Dying next to an uncleaned altar to a dark god or chaotic spirit could lead to permanent character death. According to the official “Heroes by Decree” Clicker account, before the beginning of Doomsday, this was comparatively rare, with less than 5% of players suffering permenant character death.

Due to the encroachments of the World-Ship Fleet by the Green Men of the Outer Dark and their slave races, the all chances of being revived have been lowered by 50%. Worse, the server-world effect of the ‘Drums of Chaos’ and their massive choir, push it down to exactly -100% chance of resuscitation, aside from any other local effects different chaotic forces use.

The good news is that the video seems to show the slaves in the drumming area already looking really tired and dead on their feet, so it might end before the end of the week. That is my current and perhaps overly hopeful opinion.

In summary, try not to die and if you can try to rescue your friend’s bodies, so that they can come back.

P.S. If you see me in game, my main character is named Frank S.. I don’t stream, cause I hate stream snipers and other evil creatures aligned with Chaos.

Jake, Junius, 4th 2104.

Jake had his character bow slightly to the [Bishop] and selected the title [Leg Biter], and waited. The server-world character completed a brief rite and the rank of the title was forcibly upgraded to (Titan Ore). To his surprise his other title, [Leg Breaker] disappeared from his character sheet.

Leg Biter++, (Lawful Titan Ore)

Your character’s advancement has been recognized and expanded with the blessing of others. Each blow you make is now infused with the concept of immobility. Runners feel an instinctive fear effect when in your presence. Every time you strike one of your enemies you inflict on them with a 1% speed reduction that lasts for the rest of the combat. It also stacks. Whenever you hit a means of mobility (leg, wing, tail, wheel, tread, etc.) you have a +90% chance of destroying or removing it entirely. If the target has more than two of these means of mobility, this stacks 50% per extra means of mobility. Once you have hit someone at all they suffer an instance of [Hobbled] and any movement ability they try to use will have a +90% chance of failing. Once ten means of mobility have been destroyed or removed in a battle, you apply the ability [Stolen Speed] and for three seconds have the combined Speed stat of the targets applied to your own score.

That was strong. Very strong. Jake could not help but smile as he left the [Bishop’s] office. Things were coming together.

He checked the ambient game sound for a second, but the erratic and crazy drums continued to pound. That was frustrating. The choirs were struggling to keep the Blessed Roads fully operational due to this influence and Jake had been forced to risk stopping at this minor and somewhat secluded town, because he could not delay getting his second class.

He opened a different channel and asked, “John, you near by?”

“Not really. I got bored and I am working with a random guild to wipe out a bunch of Crazed Squirrels. They are not strong or anything, but they are really fast.”

“Well, my version of [Leg Biter] is really great for that exact situation. I’ll open up my new class and join you.”

“I guess. The drum effect is disrupting the roads, but… ouch! Oh my these things are annoying. They can teleport, jump through trees, dodge and…. Urge! How did it do that?”

Jake allowed John to focus and looked over his complete second class title.

[The Sword of Swift Justice].

Jake had an idea that the roads failing would not exactly be slowing him down. He drew his sword and raced off, quick to the battle and hopefully to a final few title gains before the fighting intensified.

John kept rambling about the Squirrels, but Jake had gotten to the top of a hill and saw a problem. The valley was filled with tents, banners and wagons. It was not an army of any players or lawful or even neutral kingdoms. The glittering skins marked the figures as more inhuman than usual.

“John, I think I have something a little more concerning than squirrels.”

John made a frustrated noise and said, “Do you know if they dodge?”

“No,” Jake muttered as he looked the camp over. He hadn’t heard about any force like this on this road, but it was substantial.

“What are they?”

“Maybe half-dragons? Or half-snakes?” Jake replied uncertainly.

As if to make his answer more certain, Jake noticed that three figures were moving rapidly towards him. At first glance they looked like horned, inhuman-eyed men in robes at a sedate walk, but the image fell apart quickly. With greater focus it became obvious that while they had arms, the snake-men were quite legless. Further, their scales looked less and less organic as they neared him. They may have tried to speak to him, but Jake ignored that to flourish his sword.

The three snake-men tore gashes into reality and pulled short blades out that glowed and hummed with the discordant sounds of magic weapons being brought to a place they did not belong. The tongues protruded, but the snake-men seemed not to like what they had discerned on the wind. They stood there a moment, waiting for reinforcements, but Jake did not want worse odds. His first strike was decisive and immediately finished off the target. The two remaining foes hissed in displeasure and rotated their blades into more defensive stances. Jake rotated to a low stance and made cuts at their robes. Despite landing a number of light cuts, he was unable to sever any legs and he guessed that their chirping and whining jewelry protected them from most effects. Their attacks were quick, but Jake could move just fast enough to stay outside of their range as they were not coordinating their attacks.

Jake realized that was what they were about to do and he used his new judgement power to bind both of them into place. Whirling past the static guards, he finished the second, but the third freed itself by shedding its robe and revealing that rather than legs, it had a snaky trunk. It then puffed out its earless head and spat a ball of poison towards Jake’s face. He dodged it with an application of speed and then cut the monster diagonally apart.

“Well that was impressive.”

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“You ok there? I think there is only one squirrel left.”

“Yep, just dealt with a patrol. I might go for another one.”

John smiled and said, “Once I get my second class, I’ll be overconfident, just like you.”

“It takes seconds to get this overconfident. Get on my level,” Jake said with a mock serious tone, as he strode down the mountain pass.

The half-snakes were going about their business as though nothing had happened and Jake crept up to a ledge that overlooked the whole of their camp. If he had a company of archers here, or two or three with rapid fire crossbows, that the entire camp could be at their mercy.

There were nine tents in the valley and they were small. Not more than enough room for three of the snake-men, which mapped nicely on to the size of the patrols. Now, what were they doing here? Their tents edged the road and this was a messenger route. Even a fast horseman would struggle to get through an ambush of this sort, especially as there was a rudimentary barricade across the road. There were also ten wagons, carts or chariots, scattered off to the far side of mini-valley, hooked to dejected looking ostrich-ferret hybrids, docile, shell-covered mules and a few free range oxen that looked much darker than they ought.

If he could take the fights separately, Jake thought he could work his way through the camp, but he was not actually overconfident enough to try it. At least not yet.

“How are the squirrels doing?”

“We just got the last one. Your brood of vipers still ready for me?”

Jake looked over the slow pace of the snake-men and said, “I think so. There are between 25 to 30 of them and their mounts. I don’t know if those are actually chaotic, neutral but dangerous with the drums, or a non-issue.”

“Do you have numbers for them?”

“Yeah, give me a second. Ok. Yeah, there are 10 ostrich/ferret things, 20 mules with clamshells either growing out of them, or decorated with clamshells and never cleaned and 3 cows that look wrong.”

“I am guessing they will either need to be fought or put down. I’ll try to get together a raid and we will join you in fifteen minutes.”

Jake signed off and muted, waiting on his ledge. He left the monitor running and tried to listen to some homework. It was not the most gripping, but needs must. Especially, with the test coming up. But after the test was another matter. Would he ever need to know how condensation worked? Was it really relevant to whatever job he was going to get after he graduated? Maybe if he was a pilot, maybe that, like condensation effects flying or something?

His rumination were interrupted by an insistent red light and with a mental shift of gears he paused the homework and answered, “You ready?”

“Yep. We have a group of ten town militia and ten players. No Singers or variants, but I have switched to my Patter character.”

“They are not that chaotic,” Jake said uncertainly before adding, “Town Militia are not exactly the cream of the crop and if we are forming a battle-line, you would be better as a champion killer.”

“No. My Patter needs to cleanse evil and more importantly, I need to get his [Fire and Water] title to at least steel.”

Jake was tempted to ask how that worked, but as he checked over the encampment he asked, “How long until you arrive?”

“Three minutes. The roads are not doing well.”

Jake nodded and crouched.

As he waited, he noticed a figure coming up alone in the distance. They were coming quickly and really riding at a dangerous pace. He didn’t know much about horses, but he wouldn’t have been surprised if the horse died from these exertions. Then the snake-men noticed and after a hissing whistle, they gathered. Three teams began to hook up the oxen to their carts, while the rest gathered around the barricade and prepared darts and arrows.

“Situation is changing, I am going in,” Jake said as he lifted his sword to his shoulder.

“We will be there in two minutes,” John said. He sounded torn between asking for Jake to wait and asking how it had changed.

Jake muted himself and went down the mountain. There were no sentries watching his direction, so he decided to try for something a bit more stealthy than a direct charge. He came up to the team with the most troublesome ox and tried to use his power to bind the four of them at once. That was a strain, but given that he had not been stopped by the skill, he was fairly certain that the ox was not just an ox.

The three snake-men hissed in surprise and looked down at why they had been stuck and poked with bristles and thistles and rocks all of a sudden. This proved convenient. Jake rushed down the rest of the way, keeping the oxen’s baulk between him and the rest of the force. He stabbed through one of the snake-men’s hearts and found that the edge of his blade had partly stabbed the ox.

It bellowed and its type fully revealed above it, as fairly black blood tore out of its flank.

[Ox Fiend]

“How does a creature at level 19 stay as a mount?” Jake asked in frustration as the ox tore off, bellowing in pain and rage. In its pain it let its cart run over the other two snake-men who had been tending to it and it charged the barricade as though it meant to break through.

The sound alerted the messenger to the barricade and with a flash of light a defensive treasure went off. A moment later another treasure was expended and the barricade was torn apart by a jet of water. Then the messenger was racing along, holding a shield up to try and protect himself from the thrown javelins of the defenders. For a moment Jake wondered if he had proven an unnecessary addition to the situation, before one of the javelins killed the messenger’s mount.

His pondering was interrupted by the wounded ox bellowing and rushing him. Jake’s first instinct was to block, but without a shield and shield focused class, that was an inferior solution. His second instinct, to run, came to late and the [Ox Fiend] hurled him across the road and into the camp. It stopped, pawed the ground, snorted and then let out a high and prolonged shriek that made Jake turn off the in-game sound.

The rest of the camp was becoming interested, but Jake was more than a little distracted by the angered [Ox Fiend]. It came again and this time instead of lowering its head for a throw, the horns were angled for a stabbing thrust. On instinct, born of hours on the sparring floor and hours of gaming, Jake’s character assumed the ‘Ox stance.’ The sword lined up perfectly into the monster’s blindspot and it rushed forward.

“Will it stop it?” He muttered to himself as he braced hard.

The sword’s powers and hatred of fiendish foes was made obvious as soon as the tip touched the bovine-fiend’s skin. Perhaps the sword would not have been able to do this to an ordinary charging bull, but this one took the damage easily.

Flames erupted from the sword’s point and burned entirely through the [Ox Fiend’s] head. The flames changed color halfway through the process and then they began to consume the [Ox Fiend’s] entire body. It was reduced to an ethereal shadow and even that was burned away as it swept through where Jake’s character stood.

Jake took up a defensive stance and waited a moment. The eyes of all the snake-men were upon him and that was unpleasant. A few then rushed for the messenger who had just gotten off the ground. Jake stepped between them and the slithering foes. They shook their javelins at Jake and the messenger, but Jake thought he could hold out for a moment.

A group of three tried to rush past. His sword took the first with a rising upper cut through the scaly arm and body, before igniting into flames as it hit the second in the head. The third tried to wriggle past, but Jake clipped the end of its tail and severed it. Without that bit of stability and mobility, the snake-man fell into a heap. In ordinary circumstances it would have had a chance to recover, but Jake finished it.

He had taken slightly too long and a half dozen javelins had been thrown at him. Only three had hit him, and these only inflicted the lightest damage as his armor was of good quality. Another three snake-men were coming forward, but these had covered themselves with heavy armor over their upper bodies and arms, while they carried poleaxes for a quick resolution.

“If I fall, ensure that the message box reaches the [Governor] unopened!” The messenger said hurriedly.

Jake looked and saw that the messenger had been injured by a delicate looking javelin. The server-world character had drawn out his short sword and tried to guard Jake’s back.

They fought. Within a few exchanges there were three more dead snake-men, but this had left openings and Jake’s front was feathered with arrows, pierced by the heavier javelins and his helmet scarred by sling-stones. The messenger had used a few more consumables, blocking a majority of the attacks aimed at him, but there had been many attacks and he had been killed.

There were still more than twenty snake-men and they were quite angry. A chorus of hisses had started up and Jake’s character was becoming less responsive to the controls. Eventually, he would be too slow to dodge the attempted grapples, then they would pick off enough of his armor to use one of their daggers. Jake having realized this, shortened his sword and focused on powerful blunt attacks with the handle. Each blow that connected would hurl a half-snake a dozen yards and cost them a percentage of their health. It was mainly useful because with how slowly he was moving, they were all in range by the time he had turned to face one.

Just then two of them grabbed his arms and pulled him down. Jake forced the earth to notice the injustice of this and bound their tails in a net of grass and struggled. He freed his off hand and relying on his fist’s armor, he socked one of the snakes between the eyes. It reeled back and then sprouted a feathered shaft in the same spot. Jake laughed that the snake should be hit by its own side, before the snake-men on the other side was hit by another arrow. As he struggled free and used his sword to make sure that both snake-men were dead, it occurred to him that this was likely John’s force.

He looked up the hill and saw the [Town Militia] coming at a rush. Jake turned his volume on as he saw they were singing a war song. At the end of a verse, the spears came down like a wall and then they were advancing. The snake-men fought to the end. Jake dealt with most of the hybrids and both remaining [Ox Fiends]. Then they overthrew the barricade, looted the tents, burned the chariots and carts and cleansed the area. Half of the [Town Militia] had been lost in the fighting, and an equal number of the players had been cut down. One wagon had been preserved to carry the bodies back to the nearest [Priest] to see what could be done. Still, despite the losses, Jake was in high spirits. The messengers message would arrive safely, or that was his determination. He doubted any other chaotic forces would try to retake this position before they made the few minute walk back to town and there was a good chance of a further reward. Meanwhile, John’s character was earning massive amounts of experience for cleansing the dead chaotic creatures.

Jake went over to the fallen horse and removed the glowing box. A notification informed him that it was unlawful to open it, but even with that injunction, he was still tempted to find out what a server-world’s [War Marshal] would be sending this way. Still, given his patron being a devotee of Justice, it was probably not expedient for him to violate a warning like this. So the box went into his pack and he joined the column back into town.

The [Righteous Mayor] met them at the edge of the town and received the message and opened the package almost immediately. He immediately put out a high value messenger type quest and sent all of his messengers to spread the word throughout province.

Jake frowned at the pop-up, but stopped to read it, even if he would have rather learned the information from the mayor directly.

Town Notice.

The [War Marshal] has announced that the Grand Duchy’s capital is in danger! Players may choose to make characters in this area or use the usual random determination. Character formed there will be expected to comply with the mass levy that the [War Marshal] has called. Bounties on war leaders of Chaos are tripled within the territory of the Grand Duchy.

John frowned. How bad did it have to be for a medieval society to call the peasants to arms?