Morning quickly came for Alex as he had had a rather restful sleep, unperturbed by the events of the outside world. The howls of nearby NPC beasts did not pierce the thin glass of the windows within his room at the Inn.
Upon awaking near dawn, Alex first equipped his Werewolf Hunter Set and woke up the sleeping Rudy beside him.
"Morning Rudy." Alex gently prodded her awake while poking her nose.
Rudy snarled upon being woken up, but when she opened her eyes she stopped.
"Even now, this level of detail in an A.I. is incredible. They must have been working on this for a long time..." Alex couldn't help but admire. If not for his present conundrum, he probably would have dedicated all of his time playing this game attempting to reach the top.
Alex began to think about all the leveling he had done yesterday and the enemies he fought. If he was to continue fighting with the same tenacity as before then he would need a stronger weapon, possibly one with reach.
With the distance he would need to travel to reach the Goblin Den, there was no way he could reach in time to join the Goblin Army immediately. Therefore he decided to take a bit of time to grab some things he would possibly need for the journey to the next city.
Alex climbed out of the comfy feathered bed just as the sun came peeking over the horizon and opened the door to leave. Rudy followed closely behind him, yawning and shaking her body.
As he effortlessly glided down the staircase, he made his way out the Inn's double doors and onto the busy street. Some NPCs hurriedly ran to and fro, while others sat on the side of the road hawking their wares.
Alex looked over some of the street vendors but found nothing of value to be bought, so he briskly walked to the Blacksmith shop marked on the map. Down the main alley one would take to get to the hag Skill Apprentice, Alex turned right at a fork in the road and headed to a large building with two stories.
The sign at the front of the building was a hammer and chisel in the shape of an X. The words in demonfolk read "Osiris Smithy".
As Alex entered the building, two young lasses came into view from around the corner. One had a head full of brown hair, freckles all over her face and deep blue eyes that seemed dull and lifeless. The other was blonde, with green eyes and less freckles. Both women were stout and wore overalls, carrying goggles on their heads and hammers in their hands.
Alex approached the brown haired lass and started her dialogue.
"Oy, what'll it be lad?" The woman spoke in a gruff voice, like a heavy smoker.
An Item Display page appeared in front of Alex, with a list of weapons to buy and the stock they currently had on hand. Most of the items on the page were made of copper, with only two made of iron. The durability of the weapons and the damage they dealt were similar as well.
Alex continued to look around, eventually looking through the other woman's Item Display and then heading upstairs.
On the second story, a gruff man with a thick grizzled beard and short stature hammered away at some heated iron on top of a steel anvil. There were three other anvils ready for use, but Alex did not have the Blacksmith Skill so he could not interact with them.
"Ayy, fixin' to grab a good 'eapon?" The dwarf let out a big toothy grin as he turned toward Alex.
The Item Display page showed three separate pages of weapons. The previous copper weapons were all there, filling the first page. The second page was filled with iron weaponry and armor, and finally the third was filled with Recipes.
At least he now had a choice in regards to which iron weapons he wished to purchase.
Iron Dagger - 2 Silver
Iron Sword - 4 Silver
Iron Longsword - 4 Silver
Iron Axe - 4 Silver
Iron Battleaxe - 6 Silver
Iron Javelin - 8 Silver
Iron Spear - 10 Silver
Iron Mace - 8 Silver
Further below those options was the armor, though Alex knew exactly what he wanted when it came to that.
Alex purchased the Iron Battleaxe, Iron Longsword, and from the armor section, Iron Kite Shield. In total he had spent 20 Silver alone just in this shop. If he didn't have all the resources within the beginning area, it may have taken alot more grinding to afford them.
Alex left the building with Rudy and headed down to the Apothecary on the map. According to the guide, this was where he could purchase potions for recovering Health or Mana.
Right beside the large church in the middle of town was a small two story wooden shack that looked to be about to fall apart at any moment. As Alex entered, the door squeaked loudly as if to announce his presence.
An old man and young woman sat behind two desks, balancing beakers and combining different fluids into a jar.
Alex approached the old man first to see what he had to sell.
"I wouldn't mind a bottle of your blood!" The old man spoke off key.
The Item Box appeared with a list of available potions to purchase. There were many separate potions to choose from, ranging from low to mid quality restoration.
Level 1 Healing Potion (10): 20 Copper - Heals 10% of Health
Level 2 Healing Potion (05): 50 Copper - Heals 20% of Health
Level 3 Healing Potion (02): 1 Silver - Heals 30% of Health
Level 1 Mana Potion (10): 20 Copper - Heals 10% of Mana
Level 2 Mana Potion (05): 50 Copper - Heals 20% of Mana
Level 3 Mana Potion (02): 1 Silver - Heals 30% of Mana
Level 1 Recovery Potion (10): 40 Copper - Heals 10% of Health and Mana
Level 2 Recovery Potion (05): 1 Silver - Heals 20% of Health and Mana
Level 3 Recovery Potion (02): 2 Silver - Heals 30% of Health and Mana
Alex bought the entire stocks for the level 2 and 3 Healing, Mana and Recovery Potions. He decided to sell all his useless normal items like the Kobold weapons and armor, small shortbows and anything else that did not have a purpose beyond being sold. He kept anything that could be ingredients used later, like herbs and spider poison.
After getting rid of the unnecessary things from his inventory, he headed to the General Shop to purchase the final provisions.
On the other side of the church, opposite of the rickety shack, was a completely normal looking well kept store. As soon as he opened the doors, the smell of citrus and lavender flooded his nose.
"Welcome, weary traveler! Anything you may need, we most certainly have it!" A perky young girl of ten stood behind the showcase, her chin gently resting on the glass.
The Item Display popped up in front of Alex, with four pages of items to be purchased. Most were unnecessary for Alex as he already had them from looting the Kobolds, but some things he did not have.
"Let's see..." Alex thumbed through the Item Display as he purchased 10 rations of food, 1 Copper Pickaxe, a Small Tent, and two books: A Guide to the Lesser World and Between Two Lovers; Fates Intertwined.
Alex felt his face heat up a little bit as he purchased the second book, and as he confirmed his purchase, the girl spoke.
"Mom says i'm not allowed to read that yet!"
Alex turned as red as a beet as he ran away from the General Store, Rudy faithfully trotting alongside him.
Approximately half an hour had passed, and the sun was now in full view. Alex mentally prepared himself as he began to jog towards the woods, heading for the Goblin Den.
When he arrived at the Den, he noticed that no one was around, including the Goblin Chief and the guards that frequently walked around. Even the annoying pest that kept poking him was not here. He continued running toward the direction of the Kobold's home at the side of the mountain.
After some more time passed, Alex finally approached the hill that overlooked the Kobold's mountain where he initially surveyed the Army. The Goblins and the Kobolds were locked in an epic battle, with hundreds of Kobolds fighting against hundreds of Goblins. The Goblins were not the only ones fighting the Kobolds, there were also mangy looking dogs and large Hobgoblins.
"Our cavalry is here! You is late stupid humy!" The Goblin Chief reacted to Alex's presence as he slashed the head off a Kobold. "Take the head of the King and all is forgiven, ahahaha!"
Alex equipped his Iron Battleaxe and Iron Kite Shield before running down the slope of the steep hill into the thick of the battle.
Rudy gave off a blood curdling howl as Alex gave her the order to attack all the Kobolds she saw.
Alex, with his 18 Strength, began cutting through Kobolds with his Battleaxe like he was chopping through small trees. Loot began to drop as he paved a pathway straight to the Kobold King at the edge of the mountain, just outside the entrance to an underground lair. After killing ten Kobolds, a golden glow enveloped around him, though he did not stop to check his status.
Many popups appeared as he cut down the foes in front of him. Thinking this would be a good chance to powerlevel his Siphon Skill, he accepted them as they appeared.
The Kobolds attempted to fight back against Alex by trying to overwhelm him with numbers, but their chipped small weapons barely dented the Iron Kite Shield. His 22 Dexterity allowed him to nimbly dodge any attack that somehow breached his otherwise solid defenses.
The smell of blood and feces began to permeate the field as both Goblins and Kobolds fell dead. Hoarse screams and roars rang out all over the battlefield. Alex headed straight for the Kobold King and finally broke away from the two armies fighting.
"Come face me, King of nothing!" Alex attempted to taunt the Kobold King, and it worked.
Enraged, the Kobold King dismounted the large boar he was sitting on and charged toward Alex, whom had differentiated himself from the fight going on behind him.
"There is a reason I am the King!" The Kobold King shouted in Undercommon. Before Alex could strike, the Kobold King casted a small chant and disappeared both from in front of Alex and on the map.
"Stealth Skill?" Alex took a defensive position as he waited for the King to reveal himself. One second passed, then two and three.
All of a sudden, a sharp pain engulfed his right shoulder blade.
"Haha! Die! Die! Die!" The Kobold King cried out as he removed the dagger that was previously embedded in Alex and swung awkwardly.
The open wound Alex had sustained caused a 'bleed' effect to appear above his Health bar. His Health slowly drained as he turned around to attack the Kobold King.
"Take my loyal Piggy's charge attack!" The Kobold King yelled out.
Alex turned around and braced himself for impact, but instead he felt a profound pain on the back of his right leg. The Kobold King had tricked him into turning around in order to disable him.
The 'disabled' effect appeared above Alex's Health bar as he felt his right leg go numb. His Health was now below 50%, and a couple more blows like that may kill him.
The Kobold King licked his lips as he moved to Alex's right hand side and lunged for his ribs. Risking the attack, Alex swung with near perfect timing to intercept the dagger and follow through with an upward slice.
The dagger that the Kobold King wielded cut into Alex's forearm as the battleaxe cleanly sliced off the Kobold King's face, the smashed Hobgoblin skull crown falling to the ground.
"Disabled' and 'bleeding' simultaneously appeared as the Kobold King began to shriek in pain and terror, his face split almost perfectly in half.
Before the nearby Kobold healers could heal the Kobold King, Alex followed through with his upward swing by slicing down diagonally, cleaving the Kobold King from his right shoulder to his left leg.
The healing spells aimed toward the Kobold King were successfully casted, but the Kobold King was already at 0 health and thus was dead before he could receive any points of healing.
With no time to spare, he quickly looted the corpse and began slicing his way through the Kobolds still fighting near him as popups continued to appear in front of him.
Siphon Body?
Yes or No
Alex clicked yes to the 9 different popups and readied his weapons for the next fight. Blood slowly drained from the bodies of the dead Kobolds and quickly flowed into Alex. Many of the Kobolds, upon seeing their King dead, began to flee with the 'fear' effect on top of their Health bars.
In response, some Kobold Generals shouted in Undercommon.
"Glory to the King that he die in glorious battle to kill the filthy Goblins!" The Kobold General called out.
Seemingly inspired by the words of one of their leaders, the Kobolds lost their 'fear' effect and gained a 'courage' buff in its place.
Alex had taken plenty of damage and still had status effects against him, so he took out a level 2 Healing Potion and drank it quickly. The Potion in his inventory showed a cool down timer: 1 hour.
"That would be the obvious downside of the Potion then..." Alex thought as he finished drinking. The Healing potion tasted like cinnamon and red berry.
The 'bleed' effect and the 'disabled' effect disappeared as he finished drinking. He gained the feeling back in his right leg, and the wound on his shoulder blade began to close.
Now that the 'head' of the Kobold Army had been removed, he would be aiming for the 'arms'. The Kobold Generals that led the Kobold army in small skirmishes across the mountain were his next target. Without a proper command structure, the Kobolds would flee and the battle would be won sooner.
Alex sliced through the Kobolds, sometimes picking up loot to fulfill his quest and sometimes leaving some loot behind in order to focus on his next prey. Rudy eventually joined him again and it appeared that she had killed enough Kobolds herself to level up. Alex was on the cusp of leveling up again despite leveling earlier in the war. Such was the nature of this full scale fight, where even though he received a diminished amount of experience compared to solo conquest, he was participating in as many battles as he could to reap the benefits.
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Rudy was injured, and Alex took a few moments in between battles and looting to heal her with the Unholy Magic Skill while she continued to fight.
Fight after fight, Alex and Rudy continued to cut a path to the nearby Kobold Generals, dragging them from their steeds and cutting their heads from their shoulders. After another fifteen minutes of fighting Kobold Generals and fighters, both Alex and Rudy leveled up again.
With the involvement of Alex, Rudy and the Hobgoblins with their Goblin Dogs, the war between the Goblins and Kobolds was now clearly in favor of the Goblins.
The hierarchy of the Kobolds had been completely destroyed, with no remaining Kobold King or Kobold Generals to lead the army. When the opposing Kobold Army finally fell to 10% of their total numbers, the special A.I. program kicked in and the surviving Kobolds fled while the Goblin Dogs gave chase from behind. Alex gave the command for Rudy to chase, as she was much faster and wiser than the mangy Goblin Dogs. She ended up catching and killing fifty Kobolds before returning.
The Goblin Army cheered as they successfully fought and defeated their mortal enemies, the Kobolds. The Goblin Chief cleaned off his chipped iron dagger and moved to the base of the mountain that still randomly shook beneath their feet. As he stood above his Goblin Army, with the Hobgoblin Generals to his side, he raised his sword to the sky and shouted.
"We win! We are the strong! Eat the stupid dead Kobolds!" The Goblin Chief gave a large toothy grin as the goblins immediately began stomping their feet and eating the flesh of the dead Kobolds littering the ground.
Alex approached the Goblin Chief and turned in his quest.
Experience + 800
Goblin Reputation 200/500
Reputation: Friendly
Alex jumped two reputation levels, from Not Enemy to Neutral to Friendly. He left the Goblin Chief alone for a moment and spoke to the guard that gave him the quest for 15 Kobold Heads to turn it in.
"Good job Humy, maybe you not suck so much!" The goblin guard laughed as he chewed on a Kobold eye ball.
Experience + 500
Goblin Reputation 300/500
Reputation: Friendly
The incredible stench of the battlefield finally hit Alex after not noticing it for so long. Besides the initial smell of blood and feces, the smell of burning flesh from Goblins now cooking the Kobold corpses made the hellish scenery even more memorable.
Alex placed himself further away from the merriment of the Goblins in order to clean the blood stains from his armor, and to finally get some food in him. In his haste to reach the battlegrounds where the decisive battle would be fought, he had foregone eating to get there faster.
The rations that he bought earlier in town were unfolded in front of him. Crackers, potatoes, thin slices of meat and two thick pieces of bread appeared in front of him as he clicked the item in his inventory. He quickly ate his portion of the food and shared the rest with Rudy.
The ground continued to shake almost to the point that Alex could time it. To him the almost perfect timing meant that this would probably be some sort of event for the future. Wondering exactly what could shake a large mountain such as this, he watched from the sidelines as Goblins began to explore the underground entrance where the Kobold King had once stood.
"Eat quick Rudy." Alex scratched the top of her head as she scarfed down the food in front of her as fast as she could. When she finished, the small wooden box and wrappings that the food came in disappeared as ration (1) was wiped from the inventory.
"Chief, come quick quick! Crazy funny down here!" A goblin that had previously been exploring the entrance to the underground lair called out in what could only be described as a frenzied high pitch.
The Goblin Chief slowly walked to the entrance at the side of the mountain and peered deep within. His beady little Goblin eyes slowly adjusted to the pitch black of the entrance and a huge sneer began to form on his face.
"As your Chief, I tell...- Command you! Explore the ruins!" The Goblin Chief interrupted the celebration of the Goblins and issued his orders.
After some mild yelling and clamoring, the Goblins that had their fill stood up and marched into the entrance. Alex and Rudy lit a torch hanging from the wall entrance and walked in with the second wave of Goblins. Some frantic yelling could be heard further below as the Goblins began tearing apart the area.
From the light of the torch, Alex could finally clearly see what the underground ruins were. It looked to him like an old settlement, possibly made by dwarves or humans who were mining the mountain for it's resources. The fact that the houses were inside and not outside suggested to him that it was previously a dwarf community.
As he continued to descend down the spiraling underground passage, wooden support structures appeared every five feet, keeping the rocks above it in place properly. A mine track winded its way down the road Alex and Rudy traveled. After traveling for roughly ten minutes, the underground passage seemed to open up. Though the passage still spiraled down with a moderate steepness, the middle area had been completely dug out and one could view the continuing passage just by staring out of a large hole in the wall.
Like a large coiling snake leading down to the bottom of the mine, the middle of the mine could be viewed from any point in the journey down. Every five feet, a support beam was left in order for the path not to collapse. The light from the torch only illuminated a partial distance down, and Alex still could not see the the bottom of the mine. Compared to Alex in size, this mine seemed to have been built for giants. Just the ceiling alone was roughly ten feet high, and Alex couldn't help but think of how his guess at dwarven make may have been incorrect.
The pitter patter of tiny Goblin feet could be heard resounding further below the spiraling staircase. Sounds of screaming and gurgling caught Alex's attention quite quickly.
"Come, Rudy, by my side!" Alex called out as he began to run full tilt towards the sounds of the scream.
Alex arrived too late to the scene, as the Goblins that had forged on ahead found the houses that the Kobold women and children remained inside for safety. The Goblins indiscriminately slaughtered all the Kobold women and children within while cackling madly. Despite them being A.I., the fear on the Kobolds dead, broken faces wretched at Alex's heart.
"Come along Rudy." Alex said. Rudy did not raise her head, but appeared to be sulking with Alex.
Grieving at the previous sight, Alex left the scene and continued further than all the other Goblins. After some time, he reached the bottom of the mine and the mountain began to shake right on time as he calculated. Besides the shifting of some dirt, the mine remained otherwise intact, but Alex could not tell for how long.
Now that he was alone at the center of the mine, he chose to light all the braziers to see what he could find. Upon lighting all eight braziers that were equidistant apart, a small rumbling began as the middle of the room began to open up. A small stone staircase revealed itself reaching deeper into the mountain.
With nothing to lose, and still in a bit of shock at the previous scene, Alex dumbfoundedly wandered down the staircase with torch in hand. Another two hundred steps down, the staircase opened to a wide room with a small barrier.
As Alex approached the barrier, a prompt appeared.
Do you wish to enter - Kobold Dungeon: Easy (Recommended Solo Level: 6) (First To Kill The Boss Receives A Special Item.) ?
Alex was not in his right mind, but did not want to pass up the chance of getting specialized loot from the Dungeon. The recommended level was 6, and he was now only 400 experience from level 8. He also had a Pet that was level 5, almost 6.
According to the guide, you could only enter a specific Dungeon once every 3 days. Alex clicked the help button and searched for Dungeon in the search function.
Dungeon: A specific area designed for players only. Can be done Solo or as a Group. (Cool down: 3 days.)
Alex refined the search to Kobold Dungeon.
Kobold Dungeon: This mine holds valuable items for those who seek to gain them. Enter, do battle, and emerge victorious by defeating the Boss. Recommended Solo Level: 6.
After some careful consideration, Alex clicked the No button and returned. First he snuffed out the flames of the braziers, and as he snuffed the first flame, the secret entrance closed. Alex carefully made his way back up to the entrance of the mountains, marking the location on his map.
"What you want, Humy!" The Goblin Chief asked.
It appeared to Alex that the quest line had been exhausted for now, since he did not see any pointer remarks or an additional dialogue box.
"Haha that's right Humy, walk away." The Goblin Chief mocked as Alex stepped away from his dialogue range.
None of the other Goblins had an additional dialogue, but one of the Hobgoblins did. Alex headed over to speak with it.
"Seems you're on friendly terms with the Goblins, not bad for a humanoid. Maybe there's a use for you after all. Come to our Hobgoblin village, tell them Kodo sent you, we'll put you to good work!" The Hobgoblin grunted in approval.
Alex accepted the new quest and headed back to the Town of Bells.
Quest: Hobgoblin Village Accepted.
Before leaving the Town of Bells for good, he decided to comb the streets and exhaust all dialogue with every town person to ensure he didn't miss anything.
"THE BOAR!" Alex slapped his forehead as he remembered the third quest he received in the Town of Bells, to remove the large boar from the pumpkin patch near town. With the Goblin dilemma and the werewolves, Alex had forgotten all about it.
After walking a few minutes to the outskirts of town, he found the large boar in question and quickly dispatched it by charging and front flipping over it, slicing it open from head to tail. The quest turn in was nearby, at the house of the pumpkin patch in question.
Alex knocked on the door and a tall demonfolk man answered.
"Yes?" The man looked down at Alex.
Alex was temporarily taken aback as this was the first demonfolk NPC he spoke to that talked normally. After a moment, he finished the quest and a golden light circled around him.
Experience + 300
After turning in the quest, an additional quest popped up in its place.
"Thank you for your help with that damnable boar. My sister out at Moonglow Shrine needs some help dealing with malevolent spirits. If you are headed that way, perhaps you could offer your services?" The man questioned.
Alex accepted the quest and wanted to do one last stop before leaving town.
Quest: Moonglow Shrine Accepted.
Alex headed to the Church and entered inside. The Church had thirty to forty demonfolk either praying, reading or hymning. Alex did not see any quests, so he quietly left with Rudy.
As Alex left the Town of Bells and went back through the forest, heading to the Dungeon, he allowed Rudy to gather all the small monsters in the forest and kill them. If she was ever injured, he would expend 25 Mana and cast the Unholy Healing Spell on her. He wanted her to be level 6 by the time they reached the Dungeon.
After taking a divergent path instead of the straight one directly towards the mountain, Alex was able to level up Rudy to 6 before they reached the mountain. Alex circled back down to the bottom, where the Goblins had fully moved in and were already storing foods and bundles of sticks as well as other treasures inside.
Alex had long since given up on the promise of treasure from the Goblin Chief.
Alex lit the eight braziers and headed down the secret staircase. As the ground shook to reveal the entrance, some of the nearby Goblins spoke out.
"Oooooh. Funny!" The Goblins cheered.
As Alex reached the Dungeon entrance, he mentally prepared himself.
"Time for a Dungeon crawl." Alex quietly said to himself and Rudy before accepting the teleportation.
Alex's vision went dark.
Name: Shadow
Level: 8
Race: Demon
Class: Demon King
Title: One who rules the underworld
Skills: Tough Hide 7
Unholy Magic 6
Siphon 7
Pet: Rudy
-Stats-
Strength: 10 + (14)
Dexterity: 10 + (18)
Endurance: 10 + (18)
Wisdom: 10 + (14)
Intelligence: 10 + (14)
Spirit: 10 + (14)
Health: 450/450
Mana: 275/275
-Equipment-
Armor Bonus: 12
Weapon: Iron Battleaxe
Off Hand: Iron Kite Shield
Head Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leather Helmet
Chest Gear: Werewolf Hunter Chest Armor
Leg Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leg Armor
Foot Gear: Werewolf Hunter Leather Greaves
Ring Slot 1: Ring of Beast Calling
Ring Slot 2: None
Neck Slot 1: None
Special 1: None
Special 2: None
Experience: 9800 of 11600
Languages: Common, Undercommon, Demon
Money: 0 Mithril
0 Platinum
1 Gold
55 Silver
196 Copper
Special Abilities: Dominion, Territory Management
-
Name: Rudy
Level: 6
Owner: Shadow
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 21
Endurance: 14
Wisdom: 3
Intelligence: 3
Spirit: 3
Health: 200/200
Mana: 0
Experience: 6500 of 8100