Chapter 8. Island Life
I took some time to research on the internet. I learned that my situation was so unique, there was no tips or advice for it. I had a full monster race, and was also a world boss. I had a super vague Role Quest, with way too overpowered of rewards. Mythic rated stuff was not unheard of, just extremely rare. I could only find information on a handful of Role Quests that offered a single Mythic item, but mine offered three. I couldn’t find any information about AI breaking the fourth wall in Yonder either, though I did find an unofficial system overview that displayed the hierarchy of AI. My little observer friend wasn’t supposed to be inhabiting any NPCs or monsters. It was supposed to be an invisible and intangible recording AI that worked to offer the World AI options. Whatever that meant. How it got into the body of a Swineling monster and into a tutorial instance was still a mystery to me. The only thing I had figured out was I couldn’t use or transform Bell out of her ‘pudding mode’ as I called it until I was a tier four boss monster with a level twenty [Craft Symbiote] skill. There were websites that would pay you to detail how you got your unique class or abilities, and had a membership for those who wanted access to that database. Yuri’s only advice was to avoid those because they were ripoffs and he was right. They paid about a quarter of what one month of having access to the database cost. It didn’t seem like a very good deal. I did sign up for a free account on a World Boss and Event Boss tracking site, I wouldn’t get the information instantaneously like if I had bought a premium account but I figured I might as well join.
After our less then productive talk Yuri made a peace sign in the video chat then his box disappeared. For a guy that looked like an absolute goon he was pretty nice. I believed him when he said he bought Platoon Lord tokens from me twice out of pity for me. I might not have been in the top one thousand best players on Platoon Lords but I was likely in the top ten of time spent in the game. It was just better than real life. Part of me wanted to download and boot it up, to relive the familiarity of the game. Instead I opened my pod hatch and stood up, stretching. Oddly enough I didn’t feel stiff like when I played in my old rig for even a handful of hours. I actually felt good, like I had just received a massage. ‘How the hell did Yuri afford this pod? It’s probably ten times more expensive than the payout would be for 1000 Terra Group kills.” I looked at my pod, the large red letters of U.M.P,. It wasn’t a brand I was familiar with but it was definitely top of-the-line. A quick search on my AR lens showed me they were some mega conglomerate called Universe Market Partners, and the first news article that popped up was about them getting sued by Terra Group. They were seeking twenty trillion credits, a number that didn’t even make sense to me. ‘I bet I can guess who had me target Terra Group.’ I thought after reading the list of accusations including, disrupting business with illegal practices. It was weird not needing to use the bathroom or stretch after playing the game but it was even weirder feeling better than when I went in. I realized that it wasn’t just the pod’s comfortability. I had only been in there for a few hours. It had been multiple days for me inside of Yonder. Sometimes I would play Platoon Lords for thirty hours straight, so I was no stranger to spending a long time in a game. But it had only been two hours since I got in the pod. ‘Seeing the credits had already been deposited into my account I decided I’d pay for my oxygen last month and get back into the game and finally start earning.
I laid in the pod and the doors closed with a soft hum, my Cerebrum Attachment Device pulled me into the hole, the long stretch of void that felt like falling backwards in a hole. My world turned white as I entered the menu of the device. I selected Yonder and the menu dropped me back into my body that laid on a huge bed of Tropical leaves.
I had already explored most of the small moving Island, and while the vast amount of fruits and tiny biomes were very interesting at first, I soon found myself bored with my surroundings. In every direction on every beach all I could see was a vast beautiful blue ocean. Not a single monster could be found on the tortoise besides myself. Just for shits and giggles I tried to turn the tortoise into a symbiote. Instead of getting a ‘You are under leveled'' message like when I tried to undo Bell’s transformation I got an ‘Invalid Target’ message. After getting a look at his head again when it bobbed up for a moment I saw The tortoise was classified as a living dungeon, named ‘Tergga The Shelled Bastion Island’. I wondered if Bell saw how boring this island would actually be. Was I just supposed to wait here to be hunted?
My new menu was confusing and not very intuitive, I learned that a regular boss could claim Tergga as their dungeon, but since I was a [Nomadic] type I couldn’t claim it. There was a whole grayed out tab with ways a [Nomadic] boss could interact with this dungeon that I couldn’t open up until a regular dungeon boss had claimed the island. There were a few parameters for what kind of boss could use Tergga, and there was a hard ‘Non-celestial’ and ‘Non-demonic’ rule for the boss. The only thing I could currently do with the space was ‘Create Monster Nest’ but it required two of the same species of monsters in my party and this island had none. Not a single monster. I couldn’t figure out a way to spend my stat points on skills right away either. Most skills had trainers that could teach you, like if I wanted new dagger abilities I would visit a trainer who knew dagger skills and trade gold and proficiency points for new skills. As a lone monster on an island I couldn’t figure that out. I did learn, from a very insightful guide, that unique proficiencies required you to make a lab or study of some sort. The man in the guide was the holder of the unique [Engrave & Enchant Teeth] ability that gave him the unique proficiency in enchanting teeth, both still in a player's mouth or from the bodies of monsters to be used as magical apparel. Apparently he was the only person that had that ability and he had to set up a research bench, an enchanting bench, and a dentists studio to have a spot to spend his stat points. The fact that there were no guides out there for free upset him and he decided to document his journey for free to all. He still releases his build information for free to this day. Currently the player is working on a way to share his proficiencies with others, and updates his vlog often. His last post from three days ago had mentioned his class changed to a new unique class called [Friendly Bone Smith]. I figured I could stumble my way into a Symbiote lab, probably with alchemy and magic benches of some sort. But I had a unique stat called [Monster Diplomacy] that I couldn’t even begin to understand how to buy skills in.
Sage’s on the other hand were a bit like monks, where you only needed to meditate to spend your stat points. For a [Fire Sage] I just needed to meditate near fire, if the [Water Ki] users like Corey the [Sleepless Water Dancer] on the official forums were to be believed.
“This character sucks, you ripped me off Bell.” As cool as my class video was or that I was the first player to have a full monster character my starting location was terrible. The island was big but not so big I couldn’t explore it all in a day. This role quest was going to be pretty easy if I just sat my butt down on this island the whole time. For an hour I passed my time collecting twigs, and even made a little campfire with rocks I found on the beach. I got into a comfortable position and cast [Enhanced Flames] on the twigs. The flames that came out were, compared to [Arsonist’s Flame] kind of pathetic. They dripped out like a hose with low water pressure instead of shooting in a cone shaped geyser. They did weirdly stay lit on rocks and sand just as easily as they stayed lit on top of the twigs. I stopped analyzing my weak attack spell and closed my eyes, being met with a new window in the darkness of my eyelids.
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[Sage Magic: Fire] Skills
Specialization: (None)
Available Specializations for purchase:
(250 Stat Points Per Specialization)
Aura Shaper: Manipulate the essence of the body and soul of yourself and others
Opens the Aura Shaper skill tree
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Essence Gifter: Use the warmth of flames to rejuvenate and empower yourself and allies
Opens the Essence Gifter skill tree
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Life Taker: For someone prepared for the burden of providing eternal rest to those you see fit
Opens the Life Taker skill tree
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Available Skills to Level up:
(100 Stat Points x Current Level)
Enhanced Flames (Level 1)
Can only level up to level 5 without taking the Life Taker specialization
Blessing of Heat (Level 1)
Can only level up to level 5 without taking the Essence Gifter specialization
Lava Shield (Level 1)
Can only level up to level 5 without taking the Aura Shaper specialization
Life Spark (Level 1)
Can only level up to level 5 without taking the Essence Gifter specialization
Available Skills for Purchase:
(None)
I could level up one skill twice, or three skills once, and still have enough for a specialization. I liked the idea of having some DPS so I was pretty sure I’d get [Enhanced Flames] up two levels, then take the [Life Taker] specialization. My class gave huge bonuses to giving buffs so [Essence Gifter] and [Aura Shaper] seemed like must haves as well. They both seemed to encompass buff giving, where Essence Gifter had a healing element to it and [Aura Shaper] had damage mitigation element to it. I didn’t want to spread myself too thin by unlocking two skill trees this early but it was tempting. Instead I opted for [Aura Shaper] and two levels in enhanced flames. After that I’d start working my way down the [Aura Shaper] tree.
After making my selection I gave [Enhanced Flames] another cast and the trickle of flames now shot further and harder, more on par with my original [Arsonist’s Flame] ability. The [Enhanced Flames] still lingered on non-flammable objects longer than it should, staying lit atop the sand and stones around the makeshift campfire I had made. ‘If getting Craft Symbiote to level twenty is as cost prohibitive as getting Enhanced Flames to level twenty i’m screwed’ This further cemented that It would take a whole lot of trouble and grinding to get Bell out of her goop form.
I sat around for a few more hours and I was about to log out and get on Platoon Lords when a large blank pop-up box appeared before me. I tried to mentally shut it but it didn’t close. Words began slowly appearing on the box.
The Hunt for The Final Swineling
No King would lower themselves to eating monster meat, at least that is how it was before. When the Travelers first entered Yonder they found that Swineling meat was some of the best in the land. While regular pigs remained on the tables of the nobility, Travelers filled their stomach with the delicious meat of the Swineling creatures. By the time word began reaching the ears of the nobility, they were almost extinct. And when their interest finally peaked, there were no Swinelings left anywhere within Yonder.
Various members of nobility have begged [The Culinary Coalition] and other less renown guilds for a chance to eat a Swineling meal, promising anything for the chance to try it. Many kings and even an emperor or two have bounties posted, with incredible rewards for delivery of a fresh Swineling. It has become a point of great standing to be the one who feasts on a Swineling for the last time.
Today, a peace summit between the world’s leaders was set to happen in less then a year, and [The Culinary Coalition] can bring peace to the world if they are able to furnish a Swineling meal to the summit.
If you had the chance, would you trade the final Swineling for untold riches? Items of incredible power? A title of nobility and a deed of land? Would you give the Swineling to [The Culinary Coalition] for renown and peace across the realms? Or would you devour the Swineling yourself?
A new [World Boss] has made their way across ‘The Endless’ Ocean. If they are not stopped before they grow in power- an unproductive summit between the leaders of the realm will be the least of your worries.
Will you help stop Noah, The Final Swineling, Shepherd of Monsters, from avenging his fallen race?
The Hunt is on!
Another dialogue box appeared, asking me where I would like Tergga to take his rest. A seventy two hour timer would appear after we arrived at our landing zone. My choices were Capitomb Beach, Feridas County, or Tellmoor Isles. It didn’t give me any more information than that, and I would randomly choose one in five minutes if I didn’t choose one myself. That gave me no time to log-out and search for information regarding these places. Normally this kind of thing would stress me out, being hunted by all the players of Yonder and having to blindly make choices. But I was bored. Like really really bored. At this point I was pretty over the vacation aesthetic and wanted nothing to do with beaches or Isles, so I selected Feridas County and Tergga shot like a bullet through the waves towards our destination.