Chapter 4 - The Tutorial (Part Three).

Søren's mind had, in the shapeless void, performed what was the equivalent of blue screen on a crashed computer. In theory, he had known he had died, but to have it confirmed was disturbing.

It's a lie, just a part of someone's sick idea of a game, Søren thought at first. Someone has kidnapped me and trapped me in a torture sim. Truth was, Søren knew this wasn't a simulation. It was too perfect and imperfect at the same time. Like life in general. Under excessive stress however, the mind can impose some ridiculous self-delusions, but after a break of indeterminate length, Søren's mind kicked back into gear. He brought up the chat log again, but clicked over to the combat tab.

Alright, let's see what kind of information I can dig out of this bundle of joy.

You attempt to Inspect [creature].

[creature] attempts to resist (0%).

You succeed on Inspect (1d100 (12) vs Obfuscate 0%).

You take 6 slashing environmental damage.

Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I) hits (34) you. (1d100 (54) vs Melee Defense 20%)

Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I) deals 27 piercing damage to you.

You hit (42) Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I). (1d100 (82) vs Melee Defense 40%)

You deal 1 piercing damage to Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I).

You hit (16) Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I). (1d100 (56) vs Melee Defense 40%)

You deal 74 electric damage to Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I).

Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I) is stunned for 12 seconds.

You critically hits (148) Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I). (1d100 (88) vs Melee Defense -60%)

You deal 10 (5x2) piercing damage to Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I).

You hit (72) Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I). (1d100 (12) vs Melee Defense -60%)

You deal 6 piercing damage to Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I).

You critically hit (115) Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I). (1d100 (55) vs Melee Defense -60%)

You deal 10 (5x2) piercing damage to Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I).

You have defeated a Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I). (1/3)

You have earned 10 TEK.(30/1000)

You have lost 10 reputation with Umber Horde.

You have lost 5 reputation with The Collective.

Søren scrolled back and forth through the combat log, but kept returning to his initial encounter with the hordeling after adding up the damage done to each of the three hordelings.

First, I need to find a real weapon and not a piece of metal. Maybe a table leg. I could probably wrench one free with a little effort. The damage from jumping on the table seemed to do a fair number on them. Next, the first bug had approximately 91 to 101 hit points. The one after that had only 50 to 60 hp. So their hit points vary based on some other stats (likely something I'll find out after completing the Tutorial). Could be affected by their rank (copper I) or also a factor of age and size. Definitely don't have enough information to sort anything else out.

Søren returned to his mental pacing, dismissing the combat log from view with a haphazard wave and brought up the revival dialog instead. With little fanfare, he clicked `Y` and opened his eyes. A familiar sense of vertigo washed over him and he found himself lying on the soft, white cushions attached to the top of the floating white ceramic platform in a spherical, sterile white room.

"Welcome to Gateway traveler!" said a cheery voice that echoed all around Søren. "In just a few moments, an encounter with a Hordeling will begin. Your performance will be assessed in order to determine suitable Paths from which you can choose upon completion of the Tutorial."

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The white metal bands around his wrists clicked open and he wasted little time. Rather than wait for the platform to rotate downwards, Søren rolled off the platform and moved to the wall where the door would open. He was determined to defeat the first hordeling as quickly as possible and hoped to buy enough time to search more of the chamber outside this room he kept 'waking' up inside of after dying. Søren waited patiently a few heartbeats and then reached out to touch the wall, curiosity overcoming his patience. His hand passed through. It's a hologram!

Not wanting to give up this advantage, he charged through the doorway and into the dark room, stepping on the shard of metal again and taking a few damage.

"Fuck! Forgot about that," he growled in both pain and anger at his mistake.

As before, intermittent sparks of blue-white light lit up the space revealing broken furniture and toppled tables. A dull white glow emanated through the hologram behind him. Søren charged forward and grabbed the arcing wire beside the nearest table. The doorway then opened, letting more of the illumination from inside the resurrection vault into the debris filled chamber. Søren stretched the cable towards the wall where he had discovered the first hordeling during his second attempt at completing the Tutorial. Fortunately the cable had enough slack that he was able reach the hordeling and shove it into the crack in the wall that the spawn had dug for itself.

You critically hit (113) the Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I). (1d100 (53) vs Melee Defense -60%).

You deal 146 (73x2) electric damage to Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I).

You have defeated a Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I). (1/3)

You have earned 10 TEK. (40/1000)

You have lost 10 reputation with Umber Horde.

You have lost 5 reputation with The Collective.

Søren was pleased to see the bright steel of the third bar in his status window tick upwards. Whatever TEK was, he was earning it from defeating the hordelings and decided that it must be worth earning. Quickly he turned back towards the center of the room and headed for the nearest table. The top left table leg was broken in half and mangled, not suitable for using as an improvised club. The top right however was mostly intact. Søren leaned on it and pushed downwards and then yanked upwards, repeating this process several times. Just as he felt it was going to break free, he heard the thumps of two thick bodies hitting the floor on the other side of the table.

Søren redoubled his efforts to break the table leg free and managed it just in time. The noise he was making had lured the two Hordeling Spawns closer. As before, their talons latched onto the top edge of the table and Søren tipped the table over with a quick thrust of his shoulder against the bottom. He leapt to the center of the table and began jumping up and down on it, watching the damage numbers tick upwards. After the left one had taken around sixty damage, Søren received another notification of its death. The spray of blue blood and white mucus splattered across the floor.

You have defeated a Tutorial Hordeling Spawn (Copper I). (2/3)

You have earned 10 TEK. (50/1000)

You have lost 10 reputation with Umber Horde.

You have lost 5 reputation with The Collective.

Søren dismissed the notification using a casual swipe of his left hand as if tossing the notification to the side. He then hefted the makeshift club in his right hand and made his way around the table towards the last hordeling. It worked itself free from beneath the table just as Søren arrived. Taking the club in both hands, he leapt forward and swung with all his might. The improvised weapon crashed into the chitin shell of the creature, just behind one of the talons. A resounding crack sounded and damage numbers floated upwards from the hordeling.

The wounded hordeling twitched as its body was flooded with adrenaline and it gave up any pretense of weakness as it launched itself at Søren's chest. Its talon attack was swift and deadly. Søren reflexively swung the table leg at the talon, managing to deflect it away from his heart, but guided the attack straight into the top of his thigh instead where the tip of it got stuck in his femur. The blinding pain briefly caused Søren to black out, but he grimaced and fought through the torment.

Ignoring the stream of notifications caused by talon slicing back and forth through the flesh of his thigh as the hordeling tried to break free, Søren used his free hand to smash the table leg into the hordelings "face" a half-dozen times. With a final crack, the mangled carcass of the hordeling fell to the floor, ripping the stuck talon out with a spray of gore. Blood began to flow freely from the ragged wound. Insensate from the pain, Søren didn't notice the cold feeling spreading through his body.

You have bled out and died from your wounds.

Would you like to revive? Y/N