Refreshed, that's how Goldie felt.
Confronting your grievances, and taking a narcissistic bastard down a notch, could do wonders for one's mental wellbeing. Especially when paired with the veritable treasure trove of loot he could now gather.
Although a more detailed inspection showed how much of an overestimation the word 'treasure trove' was. People here clearly did not value their own protection in the least. Thinking back on how the bearded man had accused Goldie of owning 'overpowered items' irked him.
At least Donald's armor was made from sturdy materials, even if whoever put it together was clearly underqualified. He zipped open his duffel bag and pulled out a soaked tent.
"What the hells?"
Trying to determine what liquid the tent was drenched in Goldie found a couple of glass shards in his bag.
"Coristam dammit!"
He'd totally forgotten about the potions he brought with him and when he was shot in the back and dropped forward he must have crushed the bottles.
After taking out his tent and removing all the broken glass, he stuffed all the chitinous armor pieces into the bag. Packing any other parts of the armor would be a waste of space.
Where's all the good stuff?! Don't they realize they're getting shotty equipment?
Think about it. Adventurers of this level aren't very wealthy, and a dungeon is a pretty dangerous place. It makes a lot more sense to buy cheap armor and just scrap it later instead of paying extra to fix it up.
That's such a waste of resources! Not to mention if they keep buying low quality goods then the vendors will keep stocking them.
You need to remember that adventuring is dangerous and dying usually means losing all your stuff.
They should be trying to prevent their death with better gear, not just assume they'll lose it anyway!
Aside from that, buying cheap items also motivated vendors to sell low quality goods, which in turn forced crafters to either switch to mass producing second-rate gear to meet demand or raise their prices. This in turn reinforced the trend of buying shoddy equipment.
The vicious cycle made Goldie's head spin
There could be such a simple fix, just add a standard tax to military goods to discourage mass production!
I have no idea what you're even talking about.
I know you don't, I just need to unload my grievances. The way things are going the only people who stand to profit are vendors and large scale producers. Smaller artisans and consumers are getting completely screwed over!
Aha... Well you can go file your complaints or something if it bothers you that much.
Xander was a lost cause. In the end there was nothing much Goldie could do. It merely maddened him to know how many opportunities of expanding his merchant's empire he missed out on.
His attention veered back to the task at hand, which was inspecting what remained of his two dead attackers. The wolf's corpse still remained, but as valuable the wolf's pelt was, lugging it around with him was out of the question. The armor having already been ruled out, only the weapons remained to be inspected.
Donald's dueling blades were nothing to scoff at. The wear and tear of battle had blunted them a slight amount, but it was nothing one couldn't fix. Thankfully he still had room to fasten them to his belt. Sadly, there was nothing else worth keeping.
Next up came the stranger. He had a secondary weapon on him, a dulled hunting knife, but what truly interested Goldie was the man's crossbow. It wasn't a work of art by any measure, but a crossbow needed a lot of technical skill to be crafted. If it fired, it held value. He also grabbed the man's holster. It wrapped snugly around his torso and still held around ten or so bolts.
Goldie also came across something that made his eyes go wide: The man's coin pouch. Filled to the brim in fact. Goldie wondered what kind of idiot would bring a pouch filled with an estimated 300 Gold down into the dungeon.
What do you make of this?
I venture he's a looter like you. Only, well, more productive.
A looter?
Well you know. He used his pet to make people flee in his direction, shot them and took their money. Simple as that.
The thought made Goldie's blood boil. Calming down as he remembered that there were tons of murderers in here with him and it was considered standard fare.
He stuffed the coin pouch into his pack, together with a couple other items, and realized there was no way to fit the tent back inside.
He took out his dagger and cut a few strips of leather out of Donald's armor to create a makeshift harness. This way he could strap the tent to his back and have one hand free for a weapon. Except he already had his crossbow on his back. So instead he wore the tent as a 'frontpack'.
You look like a total dork.
I need to make my money back somehow, no? Don't worry, I'll stash it somewhere before engaging any other creatures, don't worry.
And it was so, that Goldie ventured forth in search of greater foes, looking like a kleptomaniac.
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"Shit", he muttered.
The damm things were everywhere! Multiple times had he needed to duck into cover, while getting blasted from above. He had already wasted half his bolts trying to hit one of the bloody things, but the only way he had gotten one of them to come down so far, was by blasting it with magical force.
"COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT FAIR DAMMIT!"
As you may have guessed, they were in the trees. A horde of more purple furred bat-monkeys. It turned out the fully-grown ones had a ranged attack, and boy were they happy to use it.
"Having pack animals in a dungeon is cheating! Dungeon you are a cheater!!"
Luckily, by combining Essence Concealment with his cloak, he was able to escape the frenzied animals. Never again would he attack one of them within their territory.
All this stress can't be good for my health.
At least he had gained a bunch of skill levels by virtue of his narrow escapades, reaching 50 total PP.
Open Paths (50p) Anima Weaver 0/75, Assassin I 0/50, Athlete I 0/25, Augmenter I 0/25, Blademaster I 0/25, Soul-thief 0/???; Current Paths -- Completed Paths Apprentice (Agility), Ascendant, Intermediate (Willpower), Shadow Walker, Telekinetic I, Unshackled; Gained Benefits +1 Agility per 5 levels, +10% Anima gain, +10% Agility, +10% Willpower;
It grated on Goldie's nerves that the list kept on growing longer. Choosing was difficult enough as is. With 50 points he could either complete the Assassin path or two of the 25 cost paths. It wasn't really much of a choice. Goldie knew which method of attack he preferred.
The path of the Assassin is a solitary road.
One that relies not on brute strength, but well-timed strikes.
+1 Agility.
You must be able to track your foe.
+1 Perception.
You must recognize and exploit your prey's habits.
+1 Insight.
Practiced utilization of these techniques will ensure any opponent falls by your hand.
+1 Agility.
+1 Perception.
+1 Insight.
Your connection to the shadows has been deepened.
[Complex skill acquired: Shadow Sense]
Having finished reading the final line, Goldie began meditating to spread his senses. He could feel... something. Something not quite tangible. It was like a thin veil, almost translucent. Whereas anima felt like a warm blanket, this gave off a similar feeling to mist.
Hey bud, now that you've unlocked your potential for shadow-magic, you wanna try using your memory sucky-sucky ability?
I would rather not repeat the last experience I had with it. Plus, there's barely any darkness in this forest since nearly everything glows.
He was slightly disappointed to have learned a mostly useless skill, but the attribute increases were a welcome addition. His vision was better than ever before, and he heard the forest bustling with activity. It was as if he had spent the first 40 years of his life looking through a veil of fog.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Over time the surroundings had become ever grander. Aided by his sharpened senses, Goldie was completely enthralled by the visual feast.
Get with the program! I want this over with quick, so you can help me out of here!
Everything in due time. We have packed enough rations to easily last another day, two if we find a source of water.
A task which he should get a head start on if he did not wish to go thirsty. Even with reduced needs, his waterskin had gotten quite drained. It did not worry him too much. If the animals he came across were any indication, he would likely find a source eventually.
----------------------------------------
After picking his dropped bags back up from their hiding spot, the next hour was spent on the lookout for the sound of water. On his travels he came across a small herd of 'almost-horses'. Instead of a mane, they had a long fin made of bone protruding from their head all along their backs. There were to chitinous antlers extending from their forehead and similarly to the tortoises their eyes were insectile.
Goldie had been able to instantly kill one of them, and shot another in one of its six legs with an infused bolt. The bolt shattered from being overcharged but managed to blow the leg clean off, causing the creature to topple over. It had been easy enough to finish off as the herbivorous creatures ran away instead of protecting their fallen companion.
[Standard skill Acquired: Crossbow Mastery]
While he has busy more efficiently absorbing the bodies' anima before they dissipated and leveling the ability in the process, he heard a yell of pain in the in distance. Not sparing a moment he rushed towards the sound. A woman had been busily fending off a horrific feline with three segmented tails. The poor adventurer had her sword arm ripped clean off and she was barely able to remain standing with so much blood loss.
If he wanted to save her, Goldie needed to act fast. He knew what to do.
----------------------------------------
Climbing has risen to Lvl 4!
He was now situated atop a tree, only a few feet above the feasting beast. There was no way he would let the opportunity of assassinating a distracted creature, likely far above his level, slip by. It had taken him a few minutes to get in position without being detected and once he got closer he needed to activate Essence Concealment to stay safe.
With a distinct sense of déja vu, he began empowering his arm. He jumped down from the branches and unleashed a clean stab into the creature's skull.
Empower has risen to Lvl 10!
Assassination has risen to Lvl 19!
As it writhed beneath him, he pondered how the creature was able to sustain itself off a carnivorous diet when everything turned to pure energy. But in a sense, wasn't that what your body did already? In the end he chalked it up to 'strange dungeon physiology' and pushed it to the back of his mind.
Ah wait, you gotta listen to this: Instead of pushing it out of his mind, Goldie decided on trying something inconceivably stupid. Before the carcass could vanish, he sliced off a chunk of its flesh and swallowed it whole. I can't believe he'd try something so stupid!
Thankfully the piece was small enough that the only side effect was an unpleasant stinging in his stomach.
Anima Absorption has risen to Lvl 4!
What the bloody hells are you doing you idiot?
If it looks stupid, but works, it ain't stupid.
Debatable. Highly debatable. Thankfully his ability was able to take in the unnaturally high concentration of anima, otherwise he may have ended with a hole where his intestines should be.
Stealing a glance at the half eaten person he felt a jolt of sympathy for the poor woman. Goldie had no delusions of grandeur. He was no hero and knew not to try anything foolish. Yet why did it feel like foolishly jumping in was precisely what he was supposed to do? He had lost everything, but gained special powers in the process. A typical protagonist's backstory. Had he not the capability to do good in the world?
Maybe this was his true calling. Saving people that is. Just like in the stories he'd heard as a child. Of course, there was no permanent death in this world, and he had barely reached a suitable level of power to get an adventurer's certification, but that would surely change. Heroes only become known at the peak of their power. That doesn't mean they weren't weak at first.
The woman had been way over her head. No single piece of weaponry or armor was worth taking, so he just refilled some of his dwindling water supply. Life was a resource in this world. People down on their luck likely acted just as she had. With nothing to spend but their ever-returning bodies, hoping to gain something at higher levels might be their only hope of reaching a better life.
Even so, he couldn't imagine ever doing something so suicidal. The disconnect was too large. He had no concept of how Sahíl society was structured.
Whatever his true calling may be, he first needed to broaden his horizons. Being unhappy with his lot in life was a foreign concept. Other than the expanse of his store, he'd had no grand aspirations. Now he didn't know what he wanted. He blindly bumbled his way into a realm of fresh possibilities. If worse comes to worst, he could simply return home. Maybe try to rekindle old contacts and open a new shop.
Whatever his future held, he'd get revenge first!
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Many hours passed. By his estimate the sun must have long gone down.
The creatures killed were in the dozens at this point, with a few Wisps sprinkled in here and there. A simple strategy of killing whatever he could sneak up on and using the same skills to hide if it became too dangerous. Any downtime was spent searching for prey and regenerating. He had fallen into a trance of rinse and repeat only interrupted by the occasional interface message telling him he had leveled up, or increased a skill.
He was tired, but forced himself to stay awake. He would not waste a single moment. For not only was there limited time before Garen inevitably left the city, but he wanted to free Xander from the prison he had put him in. The guy might have been partially responsible for Goldie's current situation, and he was a bit of an asshole, but at the same time he was the only friend Goldie had.
Getting closer and closer to the cavern's center, the surroundings became ever more bizarre. The trees had become crystalline, with purple flowers dotting even their trunks. The ground had become completely covered in purple grass that reached to his knees. The moss underneath colored a dazzlingly bright white. The creatures had also been replaced by consistently more ferocious breeds, but this did not register within Goldie's mind. Adaptive Combat had made up for any increase in difficulty.
By your estimate, how much longer before I could take on Garen?
Man, it'll take years before you can take him on. And with your rate of learning it will still take weeks of training before you can assassinate him. Right now, you wouldn't stand a chance against me, and you saw how much of a chance I had against him.
The only feasible way to success, is if I donate all my knowledge. If I did, then maybe you'd be stronger than me, with a bit of leveling of course.
I told you I'm not doing that. My sense of self is shaken enough with so much of my life being spent under an 'always happy' filter. If so many of my memories aren't my own, I'll simply turn into a copy of you!
Goldie was too distracted to hear Xander's reply, for he had reached his goal, the center of the forest. A gigantic pit, filled with purple mist, and many wisps floating inside.
Congrats you've found the anima well. What now?
You say this is filled with anima? Goldie gaped at the large pool. What happens if I jump in?
DO NOT! If you're lucky you die of oversaturation and respawn as usual. The more likely case is you survive just long enough that when you finally succumb, your soul and by virtue mine has no way out and gets destroyed by the tidal forces.
On multiple occasions have people fallen into one only to never be heard from again. This dungeon might be safer since it is only a weak one. But I repeat do not risk it!
It's perfect!
"You said I'd never stand a chance without years of training." A mischievous grin decorated Goldie's face. "What if I told you that wasn't the case?"
He hadn't just stumbled in this direction by chance. Ever since he had gained his Anima Absorption he felt a yearning, pulling him in the well's direction. He already knew it was possibly to absorb anima directly from the air. How much could he gain if he went directly to the source of it all? Right in front of him were untold amounts of energy. As long as he was careful not to fall straight in he could just stay here and gather power without a care in the world.
He dropped his bags and took off his cloak, afraid the magical properties might be damaged. He then began slowly stepping closer, ignoring Xander's telepathic shouts of warning. This was his calling.
You're meant for something greater!
Xander had confirmed Goldie's suspicions when telling him he had never heard of the skill before. Truly only he was capable of doing this. Best of all, it required no killing on his part. He would cause no suffering, no pain. He wouldn't need to sully himself by sinking to the level of thievery and murder.
He began siphoning off the anima closest to the edge, strengthening his vessel.
He reached a little further out, the pit only gradually going deeper at first. At this point with every breath he took, he ingested more energy.
Anima Absorption has risen to Lvl 5!
Anima Absorption has risen to Lvl 6!
Anima Absorption has risen to Lvl 7!
He pulled and pulled with all his might. Yet it was still not enough. Even after spending ten minutes doing so, he had not gained a single level. The wisps floating within the center had been gradually getting nearer, a donation he graciously accepted by cleaving them apart.
Level up!
You have earned 1 Universal attribute point.
Soul strengthened. Maximum attribute points have increased.
This was it. A few hours here would be worth more than weeks spent hunting. The wisps didn't let up either. More and more floated up from the well's depths. They gathered all around him and moved ever closer.
Without warning, the wisps turned to a violent, blazing red and an inhuman screech filled Goldie's ears, as the mass swarmed him.
Telepathy has risen to Lvl 6!
He barely understood Xander's instructions as 'hand over control or we both die a horrible death'. So, he complied.
A thick shield of darkness enveloped him half a second before a violent explosion sounded all around him. The shield was not enough to hold back the wave of force crushing down from every angle. Flesh was torn from his body and bones were powdered. Yet all that harm was overshadowed by something far worse: A tide of memories invading his vessel's every pore.
Every one of his smiles. Every one of his laughs.
Every frown. Every sob.
Every swing of his sword. Every kill.
Only they weren't his. They were Xander's.
Xander's entire life flooded Goldie's mind. Skill notifications flashed by his sight faster than he could see, as his vessel corroded and cracked.
A pain, worse than any he had ever felt flooded his mind. He couldn't even form a coherent thought.
He forgot himself.
He forgot where he was.
He forgot what was happening.
What was it to think? He did not know, no longer self-aware.
And yet he held on. He held on with all his might. If there was one single thing he could do before his life was snuffed out, he would make it has hard as possible to be taken down. He had gotten a huge mass of PP. The potential energy fitting so well into the gaps within his soul's structure. They were his only chance.
As a last-ditch effort, a tiny piece of his being withstood. The incorruptible part. The indomitable part that released him from years of enslavement.
That tiny part of his mind, a primal sliver without conscious thought, as an act of self-preservation, invested everything it had into a singular path.
He felt his resolve strengthen, his senses return. For he was Gordon Pyrite, Adventurer extraordinaire! Supporter of fair prices, accounting expert and mercantile Genius!
And he would not be erased by some backstabbing, murderous, thief!
He lashed out against his invader. Deconstructed every vile tendril of inky blackness. Tugged and tore the foreign entity apart. Flooded it with energy and imposed his restraining will upon it all.
He knew who he was, and he was ALIVE!
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His eyes opened, and senses returned. The surrounding ground was blown to smithereens and his apparel thoroughly ruined, but his body was whole again. Before he could celebrate, however, there was someone he needed to chew out first.
I can't believe you tried that Xander!
...
[Legendary-Unique skill Acquired: Soul Assimilation (U)]
Soul integration successful.
Congratulations!
Xander?