Chapter Two
Ugh, I found myself cold and wet and more than a little dazed. Laying face down in a pool of water, I levered myself to all fours. Spitting out a mouthful of fetid water. Then with a wracking cough, water and mud exited my lungs.
Damn, did I start out drowned?
*ding*
You receive the quest – Who killed me?
You cannot remember how you got here, but you know this isn’t where you were supposed to be. Find your attackers.
Type – Tutorial
Difficulty – Moderate
Rewards – Variable based on solution path
Time Limit – One Game Day
Twisting my hand in the somatic lookup gesture,
:: Titles – none
:: Name – Growlf
:: Race – Fox-kin
:: Primary Class – Commoner L1 (0%)
:: Secondary Class – Undefined
:: Tertiary Class – Undefined
:: HP – 45
:: Stamina – 66
:: Mana – 58
:: Piety – 0
:: Reputation – unknown
:: Alignment – +50 (Neutral)
:::: Order – 0
:::: Chaos – 0
:::: Balance – 0
:: AC – 2 (Damage Reduction 0)
:: Evasion – 6% (6 base + 0)
Stats
:: STR – 10
:: CON – 9
:: AGI – 13
:: INT – 10
:: WIS – 6
:: CHA – 7
:: PER* – 12
:: LUCK* – 2
:: Points to Spend – 0
Traits
:: Heightened Senses – You are much more in tune with your surroundings
:: Keen nose – You can track by scent alone
:: Dark Vision 1 – If there is any light at all, you can see, poorly
:: Agile Reflexes – Even without you being aware, your body will move out of the path of danger (Evasion% = 0)
:: Predatory – Your diet is meat and fish, not rabbit food. Non-predator animal kin can detect this on you and have a -25 reaction modifier, -70 if they witness you kill or eat
Skills
:: Tracking (P, I) – 0
:: Dagger (A, P) – 1
:: Sling (A, P) – 1
:: Hand-to-Hand – 0
:: Medium Armor – 0
:: Lore – 1
:::: Beast-Kin History (I, W) – 5
:::: Fox-kin History (I, W) – 10
Professions (0/4)
-None
Recipes Know
-None
Equipment
-Tattered Linen Tunic – AC1 10/10
-Tattered Linen Pants – AC1 10/10
-Tattered Linen Cap – AC0 10/10
-Frayed Rope Belt – AC0 10/10
-Shoddy Sling (Range 3-20m)
-Shoddy Shot Pouch (size 2, max stack 20)
-20x water polished stones (in pouch)
‘*’ Cannot be raised with Ability or Skill points.
I immediately tried to send a Tell to the others, but all I got was an error;
Alert! Access to advanced Chat and Email functions disabled until CLvl 10. Local chat and Email without attachments to Friends is allowed before CLvl 10.
I tried to add the others character names to my Friends list, only to be told it had to be done ‘in person’. Time to get on with things.
I examined my arms and hands, the game had two grades of Beast-kin. The first and most popular were the ones with wholly human bodies with beast ears and tails, maybe a few other traces. The second was the animorphic ones that were bipedal animals, beast heads, claws and fur with few human traits. It seemed I was the second as I looked along my canine muzzle and saw the fur covering my hands and arms.
I looked around myself as I stood. It looked like late afternoon from the angle of the sun in an incredible blue sky with small fluffy white clouds. Surrounding me was a peat bog with rounded humps and murky rivulets.
Quite clear were the footsteps in the soggy soil. Three pairs dragging something came out of the east, then no longer dragging anything they headed north.
To the west was the silver sheen of open water that I somehow knew was a river. Checking myself I found my poor-quality linen soaked but serviceable, my belt was missing with the attached dagger and coin pouch. My sling was discarded nearby as was the shot pouch with the rounded stones strewn about it.
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I gathered up my few belongings.
I headed north following their tracks, pausing a few times to cough up another mouthful of stale water and phlegm. Damn, they took realism to extremes in this game.
Just a few minutes’ walk brought me to the edge of the bog and up a small rise. The signs of passage were getting slimmer, but were still there. I nearly jumped out of my skin as a window opened right in my face.
Congratulations! Your Tracking Skill has reached L1
With a grumble, I flicked away that window that was blocking my view, only to have a second one open.
Congratulations! Your Perception has gone up, +1
Pausing a minute, I dropped into Game Settings and made several quick changes. Notifications were dragged to the edge of the field of vision, and I toggled them from Verbose to Simple Icons. When I had time, I would have to fine tune things.
There was a road on top of the slope that seemed to be following the course of the river. The tracks of the three had continued north, and I set out to follow them. My eyes were catching scuffs in the dirt and the rare footprint to let me know I was heading the correct way.
As I walked along the road the scent of blood on the breeze became overwhelming. Around a bend in the road I saw horror awaiting. Four bodies and a tipped over buggy. It was two halfling parents and two children with throats slashed, the mother stripped and with arms tied behind her had been brutalized.
Nothing remained intact or of any value beyond the buggy that was tipped over, the mount missing. I looked over the sad little bodies and had to breathe deeply as I bit my cheek in an effort to control the nausea, suddenly detecting the scents of my three attackers. It was like my nose cleared and a whole universe opened up.
Learned – Scent Tracking L1
The tang of the rose oil the mother had used, the flowers woven in the girl’s hair, clean sweat of the little boy, and the smoky tobacco smell from the father. These warred with the unwashed stale stench of their attacker’s alcohol laden sweat.
“Those bastards will pay!” I growled, as a fierce anger filled me with the odors of rot, spilled blood and terror surrounding me.
*ding*
You receive the quest – Who killed me 2?
You cannot believe that those that attacked you would go on to commit such atrocities. Maybe if you had acted faster the family might still be alive. Find and stop their attackers.
Type – Tutorial
Difficulty – Moderate
Rewards – Variable based on solution path
Time Limit – One Game Day
The anger was actually scaring me. I had never felt anything like it. Well, at least not in games. I knelt on one knee to smell the trail that was now as clear as day. I started jogging, my eyes and nose following what was now a clear trail.
It was about an hour after sunset, almost full dark that I smelled burning wood from near the shore of the river. The colors were fading away, but I had little trouble navigating in this grey and black forest.
The scent trail leading to a belt of trees that ran along the river, while on the other side of the road it seemed to be all tall grass and rolling hills. Following my nose, I crept up on the camp. Three humans sat in a small depression just a short way from the river about a blazing fire. Moving closer carefully, a set of tiny notices in the right of my vision reported,
Improved – Tracking L3
Improved – Scent Tracking L2
Improved – Stealth L2
Improved – Perception to 13
Just at the edge of the campsite, I belly crawled and hid under a bush as I scanned the camp. A familiar rabbit fur coin pouch now hung from one humans belt, my belt and dagger around the waist of another. My tattered satchel discarded in a pile of other things. There was a shaggy pony tied to a tree on the far side of the camp.
They were laughing and passing around a large clay jug.
“Stupid dog. You should never drink so much you pass out. Especially when you aren’t around people you know.” Said a slightly older man.
“Yeah. Serves him right.” said a portly man, barely out of his teens.
The third man, no, now that Jason looked closer he caught the slightly pointed ears. No, the half-elf pulled Jason’s dagger,
“Well, he had a little help with a few drops of Lethe. Damn dog was broke and didn’t even have any loot to make him worth killing. Putting him out of his misery was a mercy. At least those stunties had good loot, even if they stupidly fell for the Lost Traveler story.” They all laughed at that. “Tomorrow when the gates open to Yangsan we’ll give the letter to the Upright Man and our fortunes will be set!” looking disappointed that the jug was empty, the half-elf drained the last few drops. Hefting the jug to shatter against a tree, “Well, to bed then. You’ll have first watch Tubs.”
The camp went still as Jason watched the two sleepers begin snoring drunkenly. The ‘watch’ barely staying conscious.
One of the notification Icons had started flashing so Jason opened it.
Alert! Who Killed me? Quest path divergence!
Three paths stand before you. Do you choose Mercy and head to report them to the city guard and alert the law to their crimes? Do you choose the path of the Valiant and seek to capture all three on your own? Do you seek the path of Vengeance and take what they owe you out of their hides?
Warning!
This choice may have long lasting effects both for good and ill. Choose wisely!
Well, the Guard was out, I had no idea where Yangsan was or how to convince the Guard to help in the next day, especially if the brigands moved camp. Then there was bursting into camp and capturing all the bandits. If I had all my gear and some more training that seemed the way to go. That left the ‘fun’ option, sniping all the bastards down, one-by-one.
Focusing on Tubs a window opened over the Bandit’s head.
Tubs
L1 Human Bandit
25/25
Learned – Observation L1
When Tubs stood and went to the river to relieve himself, I was ready. Hidden behind a bush, carefully moving in stealth. I loaded a hefty stone and gave it a gentle whirl, faster and faster the whirring noise seemed muted. Then my body twisting as I stepped forward and snapped the sling open aiming for Tubs’ temple.
The stone struck Tubs in the temple just as planned, and Tubs collapsed without a sound.
Several icons appeared,
Improved – Stealth L3
Improved – Agility 14
Learned – Sneak Attack L1
Learned – Aimed Strike L1
Critical Strike from surprise x2 at an Aimed Location x3
Bandit Died
The body shimmered for a second then evaporated into a column of red steam. Leaving behind my Belt and Dagger, a tattered coin purse, the Bandit’s Head, and an odd item; about four feet of light chain with a heavy ring on one end I could get my hand through, and a pear shaped ridged weight of brass on the other. I remembered seeing a weapon like this used in an old martial arts flic.
Then also I had to admit that until this moment I hadn’t realized just how short and slightly built I now was. The chain was almost awkwardly long in my hands.
Whirling the chain, it felt much like the sling. A blow from the weight on the side of the other two’s heads should stun or knock them out. I crept up on the fire and the two sleepers. Glancing at the pile of collected loot what I saw there changed my entire plans to take them alive. A rag doll with a porcelain head looked up at me with its bright smile and innocent eyes, hair and dress soaked in blood. Without a thought beyond the rage that filled me, I quickly took the three steps and swung the heavy metal faster with each step. Finally, bringing the ridged weight down as hard as I could into the face of the sleeping bandit. Three icons popped up, but I didn’t have time to pay attention.
“What? Damn Dog, you should have stayed dead.” My attention snapped to the half-elf leader of the bandits.
Victor
L3 Half Elf Bandit Sub-Leader
50/50
Damn, I should have checked earlier and made him my priority.
“So, Dog. Let’s dance…”
Victor drew his short sword and a dagger and lunged. I had to tug hard to free the weight on the chain, and took a thin slash along my ribs. Almost a fifth of my HP gone to what was just a scratch.
I swung the weight in great sweeping circles, time and again the damned half-elf dodged or parried the arcs. Meanwhile I was kept rolling and twisting as one blade or the others was always coming at me. Once I fell for a feint and the dagger was waiting, plunging deep into my side. I was tiring as the blood ran in a flood down my side.
I was thinking as hard as I could about the chain and weight, the circles weren’t working. Then I remembered how the sling worked, how the stone spun in a circle until you converted it to a straight shot. After the next exchange, I planted my feet and launched the weight like a striking snake. It wasn’t entirely successful as the short sword partially deflected the strike, rather than the weight smashing into Victor’s face it slammed into his shoulder with the dagger flying into the dark as his shoulder crumpled and the arm went limp. The look of pain and shock on Victor’s face was wonderful. I mimicked the same attack, again the short sword came up, but this time the weight was angled down and struck his sternum with the sound of breaking ribs.
Three more similar strikes resulted in two hits, one crushing Victor’s cheekbone, the second and final hit crushed his throat.
“I am NOT a damn Dog! I am a Fox!” I shouted into the panicked look on his face as he strangled around a crushed larynx while I watched. The rage coursing through me.
Several flashing icons pulled my attention from the still corpse.
Lethal Critical Strike – Your attack on a defenseless foe crushed the life from them. This act earned you the title Merciless. 120xp
Completed – Who Killed Me? You have chosen the path of Vengeance. All they possessed is yours. While your Vengeance may have been justified, it shows a willful disregard for the laws of the land. Your Infamy earns you 150 Chaos and 100 Balance points. 200xp
Warning! – You are bleeding and will soon die unless you find a way to stop it.
Quest Advanced – Who Killed Me 2? Find a way to convince the Law of what happened for your reward.
Learned – Chain Weapons L1
Improved – Sneak Attack L2
Improved – Chain Weapons L2
Many other minor messages flooded my screen, but I was in little shape to pay attention to any of them as I searched for something to slow or stop my bleeding.
At last in Victor’s backpack I found a few rolls of bandages. Packing one in the gushing hole, then winding a bandage around me to hold it in place. Then another around the slash in my chest. The rest of the wounds were minor and had already stopped bleeding.
One final message pinged and I had to groan out a heartfelt,
“Bastards!”
Learned – First Aid L1
=-=-=-=-
I rested until the sun broke the horizon the light showing the camp in all it’s bloody state. The bodies may have evaporated, but the blood and their heads remained.
I walked the pony out to the buggy and with a few choice words we righted it. As I thought, the attached harness fit the pony perfectly. Then I began the gruesome task of loading the four halfling bodies into the buggy.
I walked the buggy back to the bandit camp and started sorting through the loot. I made sure all three Bandit Heads were in the buggy. Then sorting through the Bandits goods, a backpack that had twenty spaces, a coin pouch that could hold two-hundred coins, the leader turned out to have a nice set of Rough Leather armor. Cap, jacket, bracers, pants, boots and gloves. I pulled on all but the boots which I couldn’t get to fit my canine feet. In the remains of the half-elf there was a black jagged crystal.
Cracked Lesser Dark Soul Shard
My timer started flashing, it was time to meet up with the others, but I still had a few things to do.
It was as I was picking up the blood-soaked doll and placing it in the little girl's arms that I noticed a blue shimmer around a few items. A baker’s dozen wooden boxes the size of a shoebox. An envelope, a necklace and a pair of rings.
The boxes held tightly packed leaves that smelled like tobacco but made me sneeze if I got my nose close.
Examining the necklace, I could only tell it was good quality, but not why it called my attention. The rings, however;
Mary Merrow’s Wedding ring
“Always in life, eternally in death”
I had to fight back tears. Damn, this is supposed to be a game, fun and heroic, not tragic.
Harris Merrow’s Wedding ring
“Father, Lover, My Heart”
I had a sudden vision of the two exchanging vows and these rings.
I looked up blinking away tears to see the four standing before me, looking at me, whole and together once more,
Mary looking on with approval, Harris with sorrow. A boy that was like a half-sized version of Harris was tugging the pigtails of a tiny girl holding her doll. Then the family faded away.
I couldn’t take it anymore and blindly slapped ‘Logout’