Jake ran through the woods with Eta, his friends having decided to return to town rather than collect the remaining items with him. He didn’t blame them, having had to fight off several Hungry Pot Flowers on the journey, knowing that the rest of his party probably would have been destroyed by the level twenty-something monsters. So, he’d left them at the construction site for his manor house, Andy and the rest heading back with a group of builders who were being sent to collect more materials.
Now, night had fallen, bathing the forest in shadow as Jake headed towards the West Cave. He’d already made it to the East Oak, collecting one of its branches, and would stop by the South Lake to collect some water before returning to town himself. Jake slowed as he approached the Cave, stepping out into the small clearing the surrounded it. He’d barely made it three steps in before an eight-foot-tall form slammed into him, pinning him to the ground.
“Hello, Alpha,” Jake laughed as the massive wolf licked his face excitedly, barely managing to push him off as Jake sat up, Eta sitting nearby with an unimpressed look on his face, “Yes, I’m here, calm down, boy.”
Jake quickly looked at the wolf with [Observe], nodding happily at what he saw.
Alpha, Shadow Wolf Alpha
Beast World Boss
Level: ??
“You’ve grown,” he said as he stood, looking up at the sound of yipping, a small litter of pups charging out of the cave towards him, “And you have children of your own now as well. Congratulations!”
The World Boss snorted proudly as he sat with his muzzle in the air, Jake chuckling as the pups ran around him. Looking around, he noticed the other Shadow Wolves watching him, a female emerging from the entrance to the cave and barking at the pups.
“I’m just here for a moment, boy,” he said as the massive wolf whined like a puppy, “Just collecting some stuff and I’ll have to be off again. Though I have to ask, where are your siblings? I don’t see nay of them here.”
“That would be because I have sent them to other important locations,” Gaia said as she walked out from behind Jake, “There can only be one Alpha in a pack, after all, and they may have fought over it.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” Jake sighed, chuckling as Alpha licked his face again, “Calm down, boy!”
Eta snorted behind them, obviously annoyed by his larger and older brother’s antics, Alpha trotting up to him and licking his face. It took a moment, but Eta quickly returned the gesture, the two seeming to fall into a conversation of growls and barks as Jake stood and walked over to the side of the Cave, pulling a piece of stone from the entrance.
“Alright, I have what we came for,” he said, looking back at the two brothers, “Do you want to stay and catch up a bit, Eta? I don’t mind, just make sure you’re back before we have to leave for Dusk Keep.”
The smaller wolf nodded, going back to his apparent conversation. Shaking his head, Jake set off for the lake, taking the direct route rather than going via the building site again. Several hours later, he emerged on the banks of the lake, quickly collecting some water in his Water Skin, and finding the road back to town. It took him another half an hour of slow strolling to reach the back gate, knocking on it as the eye slit opened.
“Ah, your lordship!” the gate guard said, immediately opening the door, “Welcome back.”
“Thank you,” Jake smiled at him, “And good job.”
“My pleasure, your lordship,” the man bowed as Jake headed towards the Mayoral Manor, or more specifically, the plot of land just beside it.
He quickly planted the branch in the east corner of the lot, burying the rock from the Cave in the west. In the south corner, he dug out a hole, pouring the lake water into it, forming a small puddle. Finally, he placed the Shard of the Altar of Gaia in the north corner, looking up at the sinking moon and speaking.
“Gaia, I have done as you asked,” he said, waiting for a moment as nothing happened, growing a little worried.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him rumbled, the Shard sinking into the earth. He looked around to see that the rest of the items had also vanished. Before he could react, a short wall of jagged stone erupted around the edge of the plot of land, a large arch of rock rising at the edge of the town square. The next moment the ground in the south corner sunk down, filling with crystal clear water to form a large pond, grass and flowers spreading out from it as a path was formed from the arch to Jake’s feet. In the east corner, a massive tree grew in seconds, its branches leaning over the entire space, forming a roof over it, while a large familiar block of white stone rose from the ground at Jake’s feet. A second later, a notification appeared in front of him.
Quest Complete: Place of Worship
At your request, Gaia, Primal of the Wilds, has given you instructions on how to construct a Temple in her name.
Objectives:
Branch from the East Oak 1/1
Stone from the West Cave 1/1
Water from the South Lake 1/1
Shard of the Altar of Gaia 1/1
Place the items in their correct locations and call Gaia’s name 1/1
Rewards:
A Temple to Gaia
“Oh, alright,” Jake laughed, “Seems it worked.”
“Your lordship!” the familiar voice shouted as Jake turned to see Merina running towards him in what looked like a night gown, her eyes wide as she stared at the Temple around her, “What is this?”
“I told you I’d handle setting up the Temple, didn’t I?” Jake chuckled, “Well, this is it.”
“It’s…it’s beautiful,” the elf gasped, “I had never thought that a Temple could be so…attuned to nature.”
“Well, it is dedicated to Gaia,” Jake nodded, before yawning slightly, “Ah, but it seems I’ve tired myself out collecting everything for it. I think I’ll get some sleep now.”
“Of course,” Merina nodded, still marvelling at the Temple, “I have had a room prepared for you, just in case.”
“Perfect,” Jake nodded again, stifling a second yawn, “I’ll go get some sleep then.”
------
Andy whistled as the party stood at the entry way into the Temple, the ground inside lush with plant life, a small gravel path leading up to the altar in the north corner, several rows of stone benches Jake hadn’t noticed the night before in front of it. The pond sparkled, several fish swimming around in it, and the tree’s branches cast the whole thing in gentle shade.
“So, this is what you were doing last night?” the Defender asked, Jake just nodding, “Impressive.”
“It looks more like a park than a Temple,” Sophie hummed, “Not that that’s a bad thing, just surprising.”
“It is very pretty,” Holi nodded.
“It is,” Jake smiled as he patted Eta on the head, the wolf having returned sometime during the night, “I’m sure Gaia thinks so as well.”
“Do you think I could try dedicating myself to her?” Holi suddenly asked, the others all looking at her in confusion as she explained, “It’s how you get the Priest or Priestess Class, by dedicating yourself to a god.”
“Can you even do that?” Shadow asked, “Haven’t you been working towards doing that with the Healing god?”
“Yes, but I would like to try, all the same,” Holi smiled, “I have met Gaia herself, or at least an avatar of her. That makes it a lot easier to dedicate myself when I know she actually exists.”
“Sure, go ahead,” Jake nodded, “I don’t see any problem with trying.”
“Thank you.”
The party watched as their Healer walked down the gravel path, stopping in front of the altar, and kneeling in prayer. They stared as she sat quietly for several minutes, Shadow starting to fiddle with his daggers before Holi let out a loud gasp. She was suddenly suffused with green light, her eyes shooting open as she rose to her feet, a wide smile on her face. Once the light faded, she turned and walked back to the party, her smile never fading.
“Did it work?” Jake asked, Holi nodding happily.
“I even got a Title and a Skill,” she said, “Priestess of the Wilds and [Holy Nature Magic].”
“Oh wow!” Sophie gasped, “What Spells did you get for it? The same as Jake, or different?”
“Different,” the new Priestess said, “An AoE Heal, a Health regen, and a Buff.”
Jake opened his mouth to ask, Andy answering his question before he could say it.
“AoE stands for Area of Effect. It means that her Spell can affect multiple targets at once as long as they’re in the area.”
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“Oh,” Jake nodded, “That sounds useful.”
“Very,” Holi nodded, “Except that they all take a lot of Mana to cast, so I won’t be able to use them that much right now.”
“Damn,” Shadow sighed, “Holi was the first one out of all of us to get her Class upgrade. I guess I’ll just have to wait until we get to the city to find an Assassin Class Trainer.”
“Assassin?” Jake asked, the Rogue nodding, “Oh, maybe Bertram could help you with that?”
“You called, your lordship?” the voice asked, the party spinning to see the dark leather clad man.
“Bertram,” Jake smiled, “Do you think you could help train my friend in becoming an Assassin?”
“Train him?” the man hummed, looking straight at Shadow as the Rogue swallowed nervously, “How long do we have?”
“Only a few days before we have to leave again,” Jake said, the Assassin nodding.
“Oh, I’m going to have to log out in a day or so, though,” Shadow added, “Is that a problem?”
“Not particularly. I could probably make sure he’s up to snuff in that amount of time, but nothing else,” Bertram grunted, not having taken his eyes off Shadow, “Alright, brat, follow me, we’ve got some training to do.”
“O-okay!” Shadow said, grinning nervously as the man strode off, waving back to the party as he followed.
“Well, that worked out better than expected,” Andy chuckled, “So, what can you do to help me and Sophie?”
“He’s helped me plenty,” the blonde Mage huffed, “Not just with the levels, but he also got me a great new wand and that Magic Pill, which I took last night, so I don’t need anything else for now. All I need to do is practice my Magic Skill so it’s good enough to get into the Wizard’s College in Eversun.”
“Damn,” Andy sighed, “Well, guess I’ll just go train a bit then, my Skills are lagging behind after our mad level farming as well.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Jake nodded, “I’m going to go hunting in the Dark Woods, do you want to come with?”
“And completely out level everyone else again?” Andy laughed, “Nah, I’ll just go train with your town guard or something. Have fun, Jakey.”
------
The next several days passed relatively peacefully for Jake, spending most of his time hunting in the Dark Woods with Eta. The effect of Nature’s Hand had worn off of the Shadow Wolf over a week ago, but the collar had remained, Gaia explaining that he had chosen to stay with Jake when he’d gone to the Shrine to ask. Now they’d just taken down a Shadow Boar together, Jake peppering it with arrows before Eta was able to bring it down by ripping out its throat, a welcome notification appearing for Jake.
You have levelled up!
You have levelled up to level 15!
You have received 1 Fate Point for reaching level 15.
Allocating Stat Points…
Stat Points Allocated.
Nodding happily, Jake checked his Character Screen.
Character Profile
Name
Jake Grey
Class
Champion
Level
15
Reputation
Known
Health Points
300
Mana Points
270
Stamina Points
360
Fate Points
6
Power
23 {+7}
Intellect
23 {+4}
Agility
30 {+6}
Wit
22 {+1}
Vitality
24 {+6}
Charisma
22 {+2}
Skills (17/20)
Titles
Combat
Evasion [7]
Hunting Bows [7]
Medium Armour [8]
Short Swords [7]
Utility
Aim [7]
Free Movement [9]
Inspect [9]
Observe [9]
Silent Movement [9]
Tracking [9]
Creation
Alchemy [5]
Cooking [3]
Crafting [7]
Dissection [4]
Gathering [9]
Magic
Nature Magic [3]
Shadow Magic [3]
Lord of the Dark Woods
Frontrunner
Giant Slayer V
Pioneer
World Breaker
Touched by Corruption
Champion of the Wilds
Persistent
Executioner I
Guild Founder
He had not only managed to reach level fifteen at long last, but had also levelled up several of his Skills in the last few days by switching up how he hunted each Shadow Boar or Giant Shadow Rat he came across. The latter had started to appear mostly at night, when the other animals were asleep, but posed no less threat than anything else, Jake actually almost dying to the first one he’d fought.
That was actually how he’d gained one of the levels in [Medium Armour], much to his embarrassment. Shaking his head, Jake looked up at the sun, seeing that it was already past midday, meaning his friends would definitely all be logged back in and probably waiting for him. Looking over to Eta, he nodded, quickly harvesting the Shadow Boar before heading back to town.
The gate guard saluted as Jake walked through the back gate a couple of hours later, looking around at the construction of the town itself. Just as Merina had predicted, the buildings around the town square, and the town square itself, had been finished. Each stood proudly, of a beautiful rustic design already covered in moss and ivy, making Jake feel less like he’d left the woods somehow. The square itself had been paved in an intricate and beautiful design, looking like vines crawling out from the Teleport Pad in the centre. A decently sized fountain had also been built at some point, the statue on top looking like a woman with a stag’s skull for a head.
“How?” Jake blinked as he looked at the remarkably accurate depiction of Gaia’s avatar, before he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder, turning to see Andy behind him.
“Jakey! You’re back!” the muscular man said happily, “About time too! Everyone’s here and ready to go, we were just waiting on you.”
“Ah, sorry,” Jake blushed slightly, “Got caught up in my hunting.”
“Tell me about it,” Andy laughed, “I was so focused on training with your town guard that I barely even noticed when Sophie, Holi and Shadow showed up again. Took Sophie throwing a Fire Bolt right past my face to get my attention.”
“I see,” Jake laughed along, “So, are we going back right now?”
“Nah,” Andy shook his head, “We were actually waiting for you so we could all have a chat about the whole contract thing. Turns out…well, I’ll let them all tell you instead.”
Jake nodded as he followed the man to a large building on the side of the square, the sounds of cheering and drinking coming from inside. Jake paused to take in the structure, a three-story building that looked like it had been taken straight out of an old fairytale. Like the other buildings, ivy and moss climbed its walls, which were a faded white plaster, despite looking brand new. Shuttered windows lined the top two floors, with a familiar, and freshly painted, sign hanging out front.
“The Boars’ Arse,” Jake sighed as he shook his head, “Why is it still called that?”
“Apparently Heinrich likes the name,” Andy chuckled, shaking his head when Jake stared at him in confusion, “The owner and bartender. His name is Heinrich. Nice guy, makes a great stew and serves decent ale.”
“Good to know,” Jake nodded as he followed Andy into the tavern, Eta close behind.
The smell of food and alcohol hit Jake in the face as he entered, looking around to see a number of workers eating and drinking as they watched Shadow balancing precariously on a chair, Bertram lazily tossing daggers at the young man, forcing him to dodge by jumping or twisting his body. Sophie and Holi were sitting at a table in a booth at the back, watching the show as well, the Mage shaking her head as the Priestess laughed. The room quietened as they all noticed Jake and Andy, before one of the workers raised her tankard and called out.
“To the lord!” she shouted, “Fer bringing us outa the dirt and into the shade!”
“Outa the dirt and into the shade!” the rest cheered, quaffing their drinks before the noise started up again.
“What was that about?” Jake asked Andy quietly as they made their way over to the booth where Shadow had joined Holi and Sophie, downing a tankard of ale as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
“No idea,” Andy shrugged, “Just something they all started saying the other day. It’s like a toast, I guess?”
“There you are,” Sophie said as Jake and Andy sat down, “About time. We all have some exciting news for you!”
“We all signed the contracts,” Shadow said as he slammed his tankard down, having drained it dry, “Even Sophie! Apparently, her pops was more than happy to let her work for Neurotech.”
“Shadow!” the blonde growled, “I wanted to tell him that!”
“What? Oh, sorry,” the Rogue chuckled, “Just figured it would be faster to come out and say it.”
“That’s great,” Jake nodded to the three other members of the party, “So, are you ready for tomorrow morning?”
“Oh, very,” Holi nodded, “I am rather excited to get to try out my new Magic Skill in actual combat.”
“I got my [Pole Weapons] Skill up to level six this morning as well,” Sophie smiled as she nodded to Jake, “And my [Fire Magic] Skill is finally at level ten.”
“You haven’t Ascended it?” Jake asked, “Shouldn’t you have a Fate Point from reaching level ten?”
“I do, I actually have three Fate Points spare,” Sophie said proudly, “But Ascending Magic Skills works a bit differently. Usually, you Dual Ascend two types of Magic Skill into a Compound Magic if that was what you had planned, but I’m going a different route. Pure fire, all the way! But I’ll only be able to get the next version of the Skill once I become a Wizard.”
“Oh, okay,” Jake nodded, looking at Shadow next, “And you? Have you been able to become an Assassin?”
“Nope, gotta have a proper Class Trainer for that,” the Rogue shook his head, “But Bertram put me through my paces and says I have a decent chance of passing the initiation, whatever that means.”
“Holi?” Jake said, looking at the Priestess, “What have you been up to?”
“Mostly praying,” she replied, “I have learned quite a lot about Gaia by doing so. I feel like I made the right choice, dedicating myself to her.”
Jake nodded, looking over at Andy as the man patted his chest.
“And I’ve learned a hell of a lot as well! My [Shields] Skill is now [Kite Shields], freshly Ascended this morning. And I bet I’ll be able to find a great Class Trainer in Eversun as well!”
“Great, I managed to reach level fifteen earlier today,” Jake smiled as his friends congratulated him, some, like Shadow, poking a bit of fun at him for being so high level as well, “So, tonight we celebrate, and tomorrow we return to Dusk Keep?”
“Sounds like a plan!” Shadow and Andy cheered, waving down a waitress for more ale.