Malcolm glared down at Barolo's head with pure disgust as it rolled in the sand.
"Take that, you no good dirty bastard-YAARGGHHH!" A torrent of hot puke ejected from his stomach and pooled into the sand at his feet and on top of the decapitated head. How many does that make now? Three? Four? I've killed people! I'm a killer!
"Holy crap! That taste horrible." He sputtered through coughs. Is this what guilt tasted like? It tastes like ass and moldy bread.
"By Asai's right tit! Are you okay over there?" Darion called out to him. "Did you mean to vomit on Barolo's head?"
"I'm fine! And no, I didn't mean to puke on his head. But he definitely deserves it." Malcolm wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "It's just... I've never killed before..."
"Ah, I see. Well, if it's any comfort. It gets easier." Darion said calmly.
It's not. But I suppose the bastard deserved it, right?
Pushing the ever-self damning introspection of whether he even had the right to decide if someone deserved death by his hands or not. He instead focused on the floating prompt in front of him.
You have completed the Quest: Bound by Chains! and have been awarded 5000 experience points!
You have gone far beyond this quests requirement and have even freed the other captives, completing the hidden quest: Unshackle the Shackled! All awarded experience has been doubled!
Ten thousand experience points!? Malcolm nearly howled with excitement. Hell, with that I'm sure to level up at least once. And as soon as he thought that a strange sound filled his ears, it reminded him of the fanfare sound he'd hear from one the JRPG games he'd play as a kid.
Tra-la-la! Congratulations! You have Leveled Up! You have achieved levels 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8! Due to you being a Harbinger, you will receive 6 attribute points per level up instead of the usual 4.
This one was different than the others. It was golden instead of the pale blue and had small cartoonist angel wings at the corners.
Take Notice! You still have points from your previous Level Up, be sure to use these soon. After seven days they will automatically assign themselves!
Oh, hells yeah! Malcolm pumped his fist. Right after the outburst he reeled it back in, he was still on an active battlefield. It wouldn't be very smart to start celebrating while still surrounded by armed enemies. He quickly scanned the area around him and was amazed. The battle was over.
All the orcs were either dead or in the process of retreating. It seemed that witnessing their own leader being beaten had seriously lowered their morale.
"They'll be back," Darion came up to him, he held his little sister in his arms. The unfortunate thing was clutching onto him like Darion was the only thing keeping her from breaking entirely. "It'd probably be best if we left as soon as possible."
Malcolm grunted in reply as he continued to look around, he spotted Saria heading over to them. She looked rough, real rough. Her robes were even dirtier than before, plus now they were covered in blood. But judging by the grin she had on her face, Malcolm guessed it wasn't her blood. Though she did have quite the shiner on her right eye, the bruise was already swelling and turning a sickly purple.
"Well if it isn't our fearless leader!" She said with a chuckle. "Malcolm, you were amazing out there!"
The smile on the woman's usually sullen face was a shock to see, but Malcolm was happy to see it. She reminded him of a kindly old lady.
"Hahaha!" Malcolm laughed, a real laugh. Full of girth and made his lungs burn from the extortion of it. "Oh Saria, I'm happy to see you" He and the old elf woman had only known each other for maybe a few weeks but he was glad to see she had survived the battle.
"It'd take more than that to end me!" She wagged a finger in his face, then as she looked him over, she swore under her breath. "Albris's Light! You look half dead, come here let me heal you. You too Swamp Elf."
Malcolm gratefully plopped on the ground and sighed in relief as the healer placed her hand on his forehead. He watched in amazement as his health bar began to replenish. Darion hesitated.
"Thanks for the offer," Darion inclined his head slightly. "But I wouldn't want you to waste your mana-"
"Hogwash!" Saria snapped. "Now, I know our people haven't been on the best of terms as of late. But I don't care about that, I am a healer. And I can see that child needs aid, as do you." She snapped her fingers and pointed to the spot beside Malcolm. "Now, sit!"
Reluctantly, Darion sat beside Malcolm. "You are too kind, lady healer."
"Lady? Oh, now you're a charmer!" Saria chuckled as she placed her hand on Darion's forehead. "My name is Saria, you may address me as such."
"What was that you two were talking about?" Malcolm spoke up. Curiosity budded within him. He was very eager to learn more about this strange world he was now habituating. "About your kind not being on the best terms."
The two elves glanced at each other then looked to Malcolm, their expressions seemed to ask how could you NOT know? To which Malcolm just shrugged his shoulders and sheepishly said "I'm not from around here..."
Saria let out sigh, "He's a Swamp Elf and I'm a High Elf, our two peoples don't get along too well. A dispute broke out centuries ago, but the end of it is that most High Elves see themselves superior to the other elf races. Especially the Swamp Elves."
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"But why?" Malcolm stood and stretched, his health bar was full now and even his stamina was recharging. "I mean, aren't you both elves?"
"Because," Darion chimed in. "We Swamp Elves are outcasts, while the other elf races ventured from the Green, we went deeper. Further into the woods, forest, or jungle. So deep that it changed us." He tugged at a stand of his green hair and pointed to his long horizontal ears. "And that scares the others, so they alienate us."
"The Green?" Malcolm cocked an eyebrow.
"It's the purest essence of nature." Darion spoke up with a distant look in his eyes. "It provided us with sustenance, warmth, and a place to call home. Some say it's Mailte's, the Deity of Nature, true form."
Deity? Malcolm scrunched up his face in thought. "Just how many gods are there?"
"Well," Saria cut in. "That's a good question. There are major gods, such as Albris the Goddess of Life. She stands as a physical and non-physical force to the cosmic scale. But then there are minor gods who are just physical embodiments of virtues and elements. I think there are... Fourteen?"
"You're not sure?" Malcolm questioned.
"Well, it's hard to pinpoint the exact amount. Gods move around constantly, and religions are born and forgotten every minute. But let's not get into all of that, I'm through healing you, Darion. Let me see the girl."
Milly tightened her hold on her older brother and began to cry as he tugged her off. Darion attempted to calm her in hushed tones, but it did little as Milly continued to cling to him. Malcolm took a step forward to get involved but was stopped as Saria held up a hand.
Saria laid a hand on the girls' shoulder, Milly stiffened at the touch but then soon relaxed and drifted off to sleep.
"What did you do to her?" Darion's voice raised in alarm.
"Poor thing was going into shock, I just used a simple calming spell." Saria said as she began to thoroughly check on the girl.
Malcolm glanced over Milly, checking for any small wounds. Besides the dark bruises caused by Barolo holding her hostage, she didn't have a scratch on her. No, Malcolm thought to himself as he frowned. Most of wounds for this day will just be the mental scaring of seeing her own sister killed in front of her.
While the two of them made sure that Milly was alright, Malcolm took the moment to go over the prompts he had pushed to the side as he was fighting.
You have learned the skill: Rally Cry level 1!
Info: Rally Cry can be a very useful skill while fighting with a group of allies. Those in a 30-foot radius will receive a temporary boost to attack damage and fighting spirit!
You have learned the skill: Dirty Fighting level 1!
Info: Swords and Bows are great, but nothing is better than felling a foe with your own two hands! Damage while fighting bare handed increased by 10%.
You have learned the skill: Small Blades level 1!
Info: People say that the pen is mightier than the blade but in a real actual sense, it really isn't. As this skill increases, you'll grow more familiar with bladed weapons, though intense training is required to become truly proficient.
Due to completing the bonus quest, you have earned 150 Fame points!
Info: Your reputation travels only as far as the tales of your deeds. Even if you become a great hero, when traveling elsewhere you will soon discover that your reputation diminishes until you eventually reach regions where you are completely unrecognized. The greater your reputation, the farther it travels and the broader your sphere of influence.
A smile began to split Malcolm's face as he read each prompt, he was amazed. It seemed that he learned skills as he fought. That Rally Cry skill explained the strange resurgence whenever he shouted out words of encouragement, it had really helped turn the tides.
Before he looked through anymore prompts, he pulled up his status and began to assign his attribute points. Thanks to his Harbinger title he had received six points per level, earning him a total of 42 points to distribute!
Malcolm set his points with a stern determination, when he was finally done another smile broke over his lips and he nodded in content.
Name: Malcolm Level: 8
Health: 160 Stamina: 140 Mana: 140
Strength: 12
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 9
Endurance: 8
Constitution: 10
Dexterity: 10
Agility: 10
Charisma: 7
Luck: 12
Money: 0 G 0 S 0 C
Fame: 150 (Who are you?) Title(s): Harbinger
He wasn't entirely sure what type of build he was going for but based on how well he did with the sword and the type of skills he was already beginning to earn; it seemed appropriate to focus more on strength, agility, and constitution. Plus, there was the issue with his low luck stat.
He wasn't quite certain how the stat affected his life, but it couldn't have just been pure coincidence that he ran into slavers right off the bat.
Sorry Charisma, but you gotta wait till next time.
Already Malcolm could feel the boost to his stats begin to alter and boost his body. His muscles seemed to get a tab bit more defined and he also felt just a bit lighter on his feet, he looked down at himself in amazement but then grimaced. He was still wearing the tattered clothes he had spawned back in the cave with. He glanced over to Barolo's corpse and a sinister grin appeared on his face.
Loot time, baby!
For those unfamiliar with the concept, loot were the items left over from beating an enemy. It is the reward that sometimes made all the blood, sweat, and tears well worth it. Loot could be treasure of considerable value, sometimes called the goods, or the booty. And there was nothing more Malcolm loved more than booty!
Taking a breath to calm himself and to ensure his gut wouldn't flip like it did before, he kneeled next to the body. First, he tugged off the rings on the orc's meaty fingers.
You have found a Magical Ring! Info: Unknown. Weight: 0.3. Value: Unknown.
You lack the skill to properly examine this item. You may still equip this item but be wary for you don't know if this item is cursed or non-compatible in a way that could cause you serious negative effects!
Malcolm let out a grunt of frustration. He then tried, fruitlessly, to use his Analyze skill on the ring in hopes of finding its proper description. But after the failed attempts he just shoved the useless ring into his bag of holding. He figured there must be some sort of Examine skill he could learn. He hoped he'd find it soon. It'd be ridiculous to find tons of magical items and have no clue what they did.
Thankfully the other rings weren't enchanted, and he quickly equipped them.
You have found a Golden Ring! Info: This is just a simple band of gold. Weight: 0.3. Value: 10 Gold.
You have found a Silver Ring with a Ruby Gem! Info: This is a wonderfully crafted piece of jewelry. As the ruby gem catches the sun, it looks like there is fire trapped within. Weight:0.3. Value: 85 Gold.
There was little else on the orc's body, the chieftain had been dressed for bed in his silk vest and pants. But Malcolm did find a small key in a hidden pocket on the inside of the silk vest.
You have found a Treasure Key! Info: This key can open a box of treasure! Weight: 0.2. Value: 5 Silver.
Malcolm's eyes bulged. It was then he remembered how Barolo had told him about giving him some of his treasures and gold while begging for his life. The pathetic bastard must have the treasure chest in his tent!
"Jackpot!"