Atticus woke up a few hours after the event in the great hall, And when he did it was to two things, The first was that his left arm was back and working perfectly fine again.
The second thing he noticed and the most important to him was the beautiful young elf woman naked and on top of him, cuddling up to him as she napped. He then remembered that despite looking like a young teen girl this elf was a queen.
He laid there for awhile and savoured the feeling of her tender flesh against his own, But while he was lost in the feeling she had woken up and smiled, moving a bit so his member was nestled between her cheeks. “Enjoying yourself young warrior?”
Atticus turned a bit red but he sat up, making her fall off of him and onto her back, taking in every curve of her body as he stood up, stretching his body as he rotated his left arm, happy that the feeling was normal.
"Are you sure that this is behaviour befitting a queen?" Atticus had recovered his thoughts and pulled his mind back into character as he turned and looked at the young woman. Now noticing that she looked older than she had earlier, as though she had aged six years in just a few hours.
Liliana smiled a bit mischievously as she looked him over."well you did agree to help me unconditionally. And I have decided that you are to become my lover...." She clearly had a reason for her choice but no matter what it was he just could not figure it out.
Hearing this caused Atticus' eyes widen noticeably."And just why in the gods names would you want a lowly human warrior such as me for your lover? I have no fortune, no true power nor have I earned any real glory"
The young elf smiled and stood up and began walking towards him, and with every step she took she grew older, soon appearing to be a beautiful twenty-three year old, her hair growing longer until it was at her knees, her breasts, however, did not grow at all, staying at a low b at best. Her rear, however, did grow quite well. Soon she pressed herself firmly against Atticus, nibbling his ear faintly as her tongue went over the small emerald stud in his ear.
"Because you remind me of my beloved friend Lucain so much that I want to ensure that you are loved before your path gets any darker as it does with those favoured by Odin... He always shows favour to those like you, eager for power no matter the costs, he himself starved himself and hung from a tree by the neck until the understanding of the runes came to him."
Atticus knew the tales of old, about how the all father even impaled himself with a spear and forbade the other gods from offering him any aid whatsoever."And just what makes you think I will follow a similar path of sacrifice for power?"
The young queen merely smiled as she ran her hands along his body, tracing every scar that had been earned over the last week of his new life."Because it is in your nature, the embodiment of desire, desperate to obtain what you have been denied for so long, love, lust, power, strength...."
Atticus shivered hearing her words, as though this NPC had looked into his memories and knew all there was to know about him. Surely that was not possible? If it was he could only imagine the traumatizing things that could happen to others.
But before he could ask her how she knew these things about him she grabbed him by his hips before spinning and throwing him back onto the bed and straddling him once more. Clearly she would not be taking no for an answer.
(Due to current issues with my writing there will be a fade to black, I know not the best cut but ill be returning in time to adjust this part.)
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You have gained a title!You have become the lover of the elven Queen Liliana Irongrove and have become the Royal Consort.It also allows a large discount from all stores in the castle city of Alfheim and they will also now offer you much more coin for your itemsWhen you enter Alfheim you will be given a small unit of royal guard to follow you and ensure your safetyYou will also be granted access to all wings of the royal palace.
He then looked back down to Liliana who was looking over his body with her clear emerald eyes with an almost hungry look which shocked Atticus as she had kept him detained for nearly the entire night but he shook his head a bit and pulled on his kilt and grabbed his armor and bags.
Heading down to the leatherworker's shop before he said anything else. He put in the work order for the hide of Fenrir to be made into items for him and Sasha, Requesting a pair of shoulders using his own design which he drew a pattern for as they discussed the rest, He then wanted a new cloak, a belt using his wolf belt buckle, and a pair of pants.
He then had him make the same for Sasha. He was told it was a close fit and that no mistakes could be made or an item would be lost, Atticus told him to take his time as the materials were one of a kind, he then also applied bloodlust to make the man thoroughly understands that mistakes would not be accepted.
He then left the sweating leatherworker and went to the smith, He showed him the massive femur and asked him to make him a new battle axe using the bone as a handle, drawing up another pattern as he specified that he wanted the socket portion of the bone to be ground into a spike, with a steel axe blade like he had before.
Unlike the leatherworker the smith nodded happily and said he could even make some extras with what was left, This made Atticus smile as he then asked for two blades to be cut if possible, drawing the shape of the ones like Sasha had now on her bow.
Once he agreed he went to the bowyer, telling him he wanted a recurved yew longbow using the blades being made by the smith and the tendon from Fenrir. Unlike the others he had no need to share his design and so as there was nothing in it for him the bowyer began trying to set a steep price of one thousand gold.
Atticus growled and let his bloodlust fill the entire shop.”This is how you treat a thane?”
The bowyer who was only seventeen years old, having inherited the business early from his father held up his hands defensively.”B..But sir, this is c..custom made equipment!, Even 1000 gold is a steep discount!”
Atticus slammed his fist down on the counter as he leaned in closer.”Don't bullshit me you insolent whelp, Yew is all throughout the forest, I'm bringing you every other item needed, It will take you all of four hours to properly shape and treat the wood and install the blades and leather wrap it. I'll give you 500 gold and not a single coin more....”
The boy swallowed as he turned white and soon nodded.”Very well sir, 500 gold it is...”
Atticus nodded and turned on his heels and went to check up on the village and to bathe, As he went to the well and stripped to bathe he noticed more people than usual around, noticing other users were staring at him with a wide array of expressions, Most of the younger women had lust in their eyes while the smaller portion of them was shocked at his boldness. He saw jealousy in the eyes of men due to his body's build but also the addition of very clear claw, bite marks, and hickeys across his body no doubt fueled this.
All of these things he had seen before, But among them were a few that showed a bit of bloodlust, not enough to trigger his ability he knew the feeling well now. He had an odd feeling about it all but for now, he decided to ignore them, He decided against shaving his face clean of the stubble that had grown and heard a loud gasp and turned to see the woman he had had trouble with earlier along with her guard. He then turned to face her, smiling a bit as he saw her blushing.”Hello princess, men...”
Atticus had a clear dislike for them already but he had no small amount of condescension in his voice as he spoke to them, He exuded a small amount of bloodlust to show he was not afraid of them, even naked and armed with only a hunting knife.
Seeing his confidence and the hate in the guards eyes a lot of the users were confused by this as most had noticed the small group of elves the day before and knew they were an envoy from the elf kingdom to check on trade agreements or so they were told. But seeing the hate the three of the guards showed Atticus in addition to the captains broken arm they were able to draw the conclusion that Atticus did it. But also the look of fear and embarrassment on the princess's face caused almost all of the users to think he had raped her, causing them to shoot him looks of disgust and hate.
He sighed and shrugged, walking towards the inn, pushing through the guards without a care until he stood in front of Melody. He then leaned down until he was close to her face.”I wonder how long you would last...” As he said this her face turned beat red and he grinned as he began walking to the inn again. Having been told that for everything to be completed it would take around six hours.
So, for now, Atticus began killing time by crafting small things from leather, such as belts,gloves, robes, boots, and a wide array of pouches and vial holders. Making enough for himself and Sasha to completely fill their belts and those on the chest straps of their armor. He also made a pair of large satchels which could be slung over their shoulders.
Sasha came to visit him when she woke up from her nap, seeing him crafting items she was confused and asked him about the items that they got from Fenrir, which is where he told her about each of the craftsmen, though not the intimidation parts.
She was excited when she heard about everything he managed to arrange for them from the materials they had. But as she was excited she also realized that they would likely not be able to finish the dungeon with how much damage the monsters did considering that they have no healer.
As this thought went through her head Liliana walked into the room with a small smile on her face, Seeing Liliana and being around Sasha who still thought of her as a simple, lowly elf so as she saw the little elf who last night had all but kicked Sasha over to be the one to take care of Atticus. “Can we help you with something?”
Atticus smiled and bowed which confused Sasha, But his next sentence made her jaw drop.”Greetings Queen Liliana...”
Realizing her blunder Sasha all but fell over as she tried to bow, This however made Liliana laugh silently at the sudden change in attitude from Sasha.”And greetings to you Thane Shadowsong. I was wondering if you had plans to continue your journey into the den...”
He noticed the small hint of worry but mainly it was a curiosity in her eyes, He nodded as he stood up straight again.”Indeed, I plan on continuing as soon as the craftsman has finished my armor and weapon.”
Liliana smiled softly as she noticed he had no fear, even after being beaten to near death three times that she had seen this man was eager to delve back into the dungeon. Sasha was surprised that he wanted to continue so soon, having expected him to want to log out for a while as she often did after long fights.
Liliana nodded softly and ran a hand through her long blonde hair.”If you are willing I know of a Shamaness who would aid you for the time being, at least until Floki is dead..”
Atticus nodded resolutely as he heard this, wondering if Liliana had met a user who she wanted to have them take with them. But as Atticus followed her he was brought to the Great hall again. As the doors were opened Atticus saw Lucian as usual though his wife and daughter were not there he did see a lovely young woman, close to his own age talking with Lucian, wearing a simple grey robe and holding an oak staff.
She had long blonde hair the color of straw that went down her back and was cut just above her plump rear, She was a petite woman with curves in all the right places, standing at five feet and two inches she was barely taller than Liliana in her concealed state, as well as a pair of soft grey eyes,
All in all, she was a lovely young woman, as Atticus walked into the great hall Lucian smiled as he saw his thane.”Look at you, As good as new!” He then noticed the scar that was on his left shoulder and laughed a little.”Well almost new.” He placed a hand on the shoulder of the young woman beside him.”Atticus I would like to introduce you to my younger sister Rena Frost, She has just come down from the mountains after completing her training to serve the goddess Freyja.”
As he finished the small introduction Rena smiled shyly as she gave a small curtsy.”H..Hello Thane Shadowsong...”
Lucian motioned over his little sister and smiled again.”Upon hearing of your exploits so far in the Den she has requested to tag along with you to gain experience in her healing abilities And seeing as how you got your arm tore off last night i figured I should allow it. If you're fine with protecting her that is...”
Rena Frost, A young shamaness who has just completed her basic training has offered to become your ally. Do you wish to accept Yes/No?
Atticus smiled and nodded.”I will gladly take her along Lucian.”As he finished speaking a message popped up telling him about the allies window, also how charisma would be needed to keep an ally in his service in tough battles. As he read this Atticus decided to take a quick look.”Allies Window...”
Spoiler :
Character WindowNameRena FrostLevel5Total Experience4800Experience To Next Level2800GenderFemaleRaceHumanClassShamanessTitlesNoneFame0Infamy0Unspent Stat Points:0Spent Stat Points:20StatisticsHealth150/150Health Regen2-per secondStamina150/150Stamina Regen2-per secondMana250/250Mana Regen5 per secondWellness100%Critical Chance3%Attack15-25Resiliance00Strength10Intelligence25Dexterity10Endurance15Charisma10Luck10Wisdom25Charm10ResistancesFire5%Frost5%Earth5%Poison5%Light5%Darkness5%Wind5%Water5%EquipmentHelmet0Shoulders20Cloak0Chest10Hands0Waist5Legs10Feet5Main Hand15-25Off Hand15-25Combat SkillsSkill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:HealBeginner50%You have learned to channel your mana into an ally and heal them.Restore 50 HP. Cost 25 ManaWhen used on an Undead deal 100% weapon damage as light. Cost 25 Mana.Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:MendBeginner150%You have learned how to mend wounds using your mana.You may re-attach limbs to allies within 10 minutes of them being cut from the body.Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Blessing of FreyjaBeginner50%Through your devoution to the goddess Freyja you may now grant allies her blessing for ten minutes. Cost 100 mana.Increase all stats by 10%Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:FireballBeginner30%You have learned how to change your mana into pure fire, When cast at an enemy deal 100% weapon damage as fire.Cost 25 mana.When cast on an ally you can cauterize wounds. Deal 5% weapon damage as fire to ally. Cost 25 Mana.You may use your fire to light torches, campfires, and brazires instantly.Cost 5 manaYou may use your fire as a torch.Cost 10 mana per minute.Work SkillsSkill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:NavigationBeginner60%You have gained the ability to tell where you have been before, your direction, and if you are inside of a cave or building you know what floor you are on. By saying Map you will bring up a map of your immediate area, World map will show the parts of the world you have uncovered.Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:ApothecaryBeginner50%You have gained the ability to make potions from common herbs without fail.You can use higher quality herbs to gain more exp, But the quality of the potion will be lower.Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:HerbalismBeginner50%You have gained the ability to gather common quality herbs without failGathering higher quality herbs than Common will risk ruining them, This will give more exp but the herb will produce lower quality potions.
Seeing her skills Atticus smiled happily, now he could go full force without worrying about anything other than her mana running out. At the same time he noticed up in his party frame Rena had been added as a member and he could see her HP & MP as he did with Sasha.
“Lucian I will keep her safe at all costs...” Atticus clasped his right hand over his heart and nodded resolutely. He then turned to Rena and bowed lightly.”It is a pleasure to meet you miss Rena..”
Seeing the large man bowing and speaking so politely to her made Rena blush a bit.”The pleasure is mine....” She looked him over and smiled, seeing why her brother wanted her to travel with this man now. He had all of the things she was looking for in a husband, Strength, manners, and looks.
Atticus looked her over and nodded as he took out some of the items he had made earlier A black hooded leather robe and that was close to her size, a belt, gloves, and boots.”Here, Rena, these will help to keep you more protected than this simple cloth robe...”
He hoped he didn't offend her by calling her robe simple but he held out the small stack of items to her which she soon took, smiling softly as she looked them over.”Thank you Atticus ill gladly take them.” She then ran off to put them on.
He smiled a bit as she did, though all of them were of common quality he knew they would boost her defense well. He got a message from Sasha who was at the general store buying supplies that she was going to be logging out for a few hours so he told her he would be at the Den while she took a break.
This lead to her complaining that he should wait so she could get the EXP too but then he made sure to bring up how he was a level behind her and he also told her about the new addition and how he wanted to help her get leveled up as well. With this, she grudgingly agreed and logged off.
He sighed as he stretched and soon enough Rena came back out wearing all of her new leather gear and smiling happily, she gave a small twirl as she looked over the armor,”Thank you Atticus, it fits really well!” She smiled softly as she ran her hands over her curves.
Atticus swallowed his saliva as he watched her, He soon shook his head a little.”I'm glad you like it.” He then noticed the sun was going down and gave a slight bow.”For now, I will be going to check in on the status of my equipment.”Atticus then left the great hall and decided to go check on the Smith first.
He walked into the smithy and smiled as he saw the axe he had requested, the bone had been leather wrapped up the handle with black leather, the socket portion had indeed been shaved to make a spike, The steel axe head had been pinned onto the bone and was now razor sharp, the blade itself was sixteen inches long, eight inches wide, and one inch thick.
The base of the handle was cut short and a new steel butt cap was on it and the portion that had been cut off had been shaped to look like curved blades, while not as sharp as a hunting knife when enough force was added it would cut. Atticus looked over the Ax as the smith handed it to him and smiled at the weight and feel of it.
Spoiler :
Grim ChopperType:BattleaxeDurability:300/300Quality:RareDamage:60-80A massive axe made from the femur bone of a massive wolf, when using the spike on the back your attacks ignore armor.Requires 25 Strength to wield. If you have 50 strength you may wield the axe with one hand though you will deal 50% less damage. .+10 Endurance, +10 Strength
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Atticus shivered at the abilities on the axe and took out his shield he had got from Fenrir and held the axe, He did notice that the axe did indeed go down to only 30-40 damage. But with the addition of the shield he could well work with this. He could also throw the shield down if need be.
But as he thanked the smith he began running to the Leatherworkers and walked inside, telling the leatherworker to add something to his pauldrons, over the leather loop for his axe he wanted a metal hook to hold his shield. Luckily the leatherworker was just about to sew the loop on and the addition of the hook was simple.
It would be another hour before everything was done hardening so he decided to go to the bowyer, He opened the door and smiled faintly seeing the boy panic. The bow had been finished and all that was left to do was to add in the blades.
Spoiler :
Grim NeedlerType:Battle BowDurability:300/300Quality:RareDamage:70-90A massive bow made from the tendon of a massive wolf, and wrapping a yew stave in leather. Made by the Expert craftsman James Featherwood.Requires 45 Dexterity to wield. When in close combat gain +10 Endurance+10 Dexterity
Atticus nodded and put the bow on his back, he threw the coins down on the table having gotten half of the payment from Sasha earlier. He then decided to go back to the smith. He opened the door and walked inside and looked around, he didn't see any kits at the general store for blacksmithing so he thought that perhaps the smith had to personally teach the skill.
As the smith saw Atticus he smiled.”Greetings Thane Shadowsong. You ran off so quickly before but I have a favor to ask of you. When you return to the Den I would appreciate it if you could find my pickaxe, The pick along with all of the tools I use in this shop was passed down to me by my father, and he received it from his father.
And so on for nearly six generations. When the wolves took over the mine I was trying to find a new vein of coal when i was forced to leave it in my escape. If you return to me with my pick I will teach you the basics of my trade.”
You Have Received A QuestA Family Tradition.DifficultyEA Party Is AdvisedYou have been asked by the village blacksmith to retrieve a family heirloom from the Den.RewardA Blacksmithing Starter Kit (Blacksmithing and Mining Skill Books, Common Iron Tools, Portable Forge & Anvil), 500 EXP.Do you wish to accept?YES/NO
Atticus nodded happily.”I would be more than happy to help you, my friend, I was just about to ask you if you would be able to mentor me in the trade.”
Quest Accepted!
He took out his map and rolled it out on the desk and pointed to the three pathways he had reached.”Could you show me which path I would find your pick in?”
The smith leaned down and took out a charcoal pencil and his own map and filled in Atticus map to show the path Fenrir came from, and at the end of it was a large room that had three small paths branching off of it before circling the path farthest from the entrance. “I was in this pathway here..”
Atticus nodded and rolled up his map.”I will be returning to the den when my armor is finished, I expect to return in the morning.” The two shook hands before Atticus left the smithy again and headed to the leatherworkers and sat and waited for his armor to be finished.
When it was all done he gave his iron belt buckle to Erik and was shocked to see that the pauldrons were better than he had expected. While using the same system as his first set, Erik had taken a wolf skull and mounted one on each shoulder over the leather and had been painted with the emblem of Black Rock Hold which was a set of three jagged stones in black paint.
Spoiler :
Dark Wolf Leather BeltType:BeltDurability:150/150Quality:RareResiliance:20A thick belt made from the hide of a massive wolf,+10 Charisma.
Grim Dark Wolf Leather PauldronsType:ShouldersDurability:250/250Quality:RareResiliance:35A large pair of pauldrons made from the hide a massive wolf and the skulls of two lesser wolves, Made by the Master Craftsman Erik Blackhand using Atticus Shadowsgrove’s design.Requires 25 Endurance to wear.+10 EnduranceWhen the sleeves are down gain +10 Strength and +15 ResilianceWhen worn without a chestpiece gain +10 Charisma
Dark Wolf Leather CloakType:CloakDurability:100/100Quality:RareResiliance:25A thick cloak made from the hide of a massive wolf.When wearing a wolf helm gain +5 Resiliance.+5% Frost Resistance.
Dark Wolf Leather PantsType:PantsDurability:300/300Quality:RareResiliance:40A thick pair of pants made from the hide of a massive wolf.Requires 25 Strength to wear.+10 Endurance
Atticus noticed only his armor had wolf skulls on the shoulders but as he was about to ask Erik smiled.”Sorry, my friend, the skulls were much too large for the young ladies armor it would have hindered her more than protected. However, I found something that would suit her well” It was then that he held up a pair of large fox skulls.
Atticus smiled as Erik began putting them on." Indeed, they do suit that lovely vixen quite well. Just big enough to fit over her slender shoulders but not enough to restrict her, A fine choice indeed I am certain she will understand.." After all the choice to change the motif would change the stats to dexterity over strength.
Atticus nodded and hurried to the inn where he pulled his armor on and took a look at his new stats.
Spoiler :
Character WindowNameAtticus ShadowsgroveLevel6Total Experience7600Experience To Next Level3600GenderMaleRaceHumanTitlesThane Of Black Rock HoldRoyal Consort of IronwoodFame150Infamy500Unspent Stat Points:0Spent Stat Points:25StatisticsHealth650/650Health Regen12-per secondStamina650/650Stamina Regen12-per secondMana400/400Mana Regen4-per secondWellness100%Critical Chance3%Attack85 - 115Resiliance100Strength50Intelligence40Dexterity25Endurance65Charisma70Luck30Wisdom25Charm25ResistancesFire15%Frost20%Earth15%Poison15%Light15%Darkness15%Wind15%Water15%EquipmentHelmet30Shoulders50Cloak30Chest0Gloves5Waist20Legs40Feet5Main Hand60-80Off Hand0
He left the shield on his back as he held his axe, giving it a few test swings. His new armor all had a pitch black color save for the skulls on his shoulders which were polished to be a bleached white. He was now eager to go back to the Den so he went to find Rena, he ran to the great hall and flung the door open, Loving the look of fear he got from one of the royal guard elves as he barged in.
He strode up to the center of the room and dropped to his knee in front of Lucian and Liliana.“Jarl Lucian, i am prepared to leave for the den!” As he entered the hall Lucian was taken back, remembering the armor he wore as he left home for the first time to raid the Dark Elf villages.
Lucian smiled and nodded.”I wish you luck Thane Shadowsong, May your hunt be plentiful and worthy!” As her brother spoke Rena stood up and moved to join Atticus as he stood up and turned on his heel and began marching out of the hall.
Thirty minutes into the long walk to the den Atticus heard something that made him sigh.”I FOUND HIM!” He turned to see torches throughout the woods, He took out his axe and turned to Rena who was panicking.”Hide in the bushes and watch my health, try not to heal me unless you must..” She nodded and dove into a bush.
Atticus then turned and closed his eyes, letting Bloodlust detect five players nearby. He growled a little but he was ready to fight. He opened his eyes to see one Intelligence user who was most likely the healer, two Strength users carrying large shields and spears, and Two dexterity users with bows. As they got closer one of the Dexterity users shouted.”That's him alright!, We kill him and my brother will pay us each 50 gold!”
Atticus heard this and he decided it was finalized, He would make Wingking and friends life a living nightmare. He let the Dex and Int users hang back as the Str users charged him, Waiting before he decided they were spread out enough. He then let out a blood chilling howl which was created thanks to his helm.
As Alpha's command was applied he nearly moaned at the sudden rush of power through his body, turning the reaction into another howl, though this one was more lustful, something that deeply unsettled his foes as the fear debuff took affect. Seeing this Atticus then took off running at full speed, Holding his axe in one hand and the shield in the other, now emitting enough light that he could see them all easily.
He charged through the Str users and knocking them aside as he kept going, taking two arrows to the shield as he kept running, moving past the Dex users and throwing the shield on his back as he took his axe in a two handed grip, roaring as he swung the axe and hit the healer in the right side, shattering his arm.
But Atticus didn’t wait for him to die from bleeding out, he swung his axe again and cut his head off, Swinging through and to one of the Str users and killing him at the same time.
As he spun and killed Luxor he took an arrow to the back, His cloak mostly stopping it. Atticus turned and began running full speed for the archer who shot him, diving into a roll as he saw him loose another arrow, barely avoiding taking the arrow to the eye, As he came out of his roll he swung the axe as hard as he could and activated Overpower, Cutting both of the man's legs off as he came out of his roll.
As with the mage, he killed the archer right away. At the same time he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder, Looking back he saw a spear in his right shoulder that had passed through his armor.
Atticus was not low on health so he was not stressing out yet. He stood up and swung his axe back, breaking the spear as he kicked up and back with his left leg, catching the warrior between the legs. As he was thanking his choice to disable pain an axe was soon brought through his neck
As he stood up he spun around to see that the last one was running. He started laughing as he let out another howl, running at full speed after him, As he got closer to the last Dex user who had claimed his brother sent them he took out his hunting knife and threw it hard, making it stick in the back of the boy's lower back, severing his spinal cord and sending him tumbling to the ground.
Seeing someone suffer the same injury he himself had should have rattled him but instead, it only spurred him on, encouraging him to inflict more pain.
As he got close he sheathed his axe and pulled his hunting knife from his back before he kicked him onto his back and slammed a knee down into his chest before holding it to the boys throat.”Hello, Noir… Who is your brother?”
Noir while scared spit at Atticus.”Fuck you! you fucking psycho!” Atticus shook his head and slammed his knife down and severed three of Noirs fingers.”That's not an answer...” He was then greeted with a pleasant message.
Interrogation Work Skill has been unlocked, You now have the Torture ability which makes users feel 5% of the pain they would have if they enabled pain willingly.
Noir howled and writhed in pain, panic clear on his face.”What the fuck man! why does it hurt!” Atticus punched the boy hard, feeling a tooth break.“Answer me you fucking whelp! Who is your brother!” Atticus growled, Noir was now crying in pain.”Wh….WhiteShadow!”
Atticus nodded. and took the knife and began to slowly cut off Noirs left ear.”I warned them before if they were to attack me again I would not stop killing them until they were level one. It looks like i now have to extend it to anyone they send against me. But you...You're going to carry this message. And the next time I get attacked ill hunt you down and do this again and again until you stop playing...”
Atticus kept torturing Noir for three hours until his health finally ran out. Atticus sighed as he stood up and looted the boys body before going back and looting the other bodies. Rena had heard the screams of Noir but she said nothing, not having seen any of it as his order to hide in the bushes made her stay there.
He washed up using some of the water skins and smiled as he held one of the new Yew staffs out to her.”Here, Rena, This Staff will be better for your magic...” She took it and nodded, wondering if the man she had decided to follow was actually a psychopath as Noir had yelled, But as she looked over his wounds she shook her head and decided he was just in this, She began to heal him as she removed the arrow and spearhead from his body.
He smiled and stood up once he was fully healed and began walking again.”Thank you, Rena...” He then began moving closer to the den as he read his newest skill.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:InterrogationBeginner360%You have found ways to make your enemies tell you what you want to know.Using Interrogation skills on lower level users will allow you to force them to feel 5% of the pain they would have if they left pain on and deal far less damage than normal to prolong the torture.Using Interrogation on a sentient monster such as a goblin can break it and make it spill its darkest secrets to make the pain stop.Interrogation will only work on beings of a lower level than yourself, Unless they are crippled. For each limb crippled up to a maximum of 4 limbs the beings level will drop by 5
While Atticus did not usually agree with torture it oddly felt right to him now, As if it was commonplace But he found nothing wrong with this change. He soon arrived at the Den and pressed on, taking out his shield to light the way while keeping his axe in his right hand and ready for use.
He went straight down the path that he would find the old smiths pickaxe. Along the path, he saw wolves and he smiled. Charging them as he swung the axe down with brutal effect as the armor piercing spike made it easier to kill them and the shield made it so the usual 85 - 100 damage they dealt was down to only 45-60 which he could now take 10 blows before he had to worry.
But as he killed the wolves he found that they no longer offered him EXP, Which irritated him a little but Rena was still getting plenty so he was fine with it, for now, they pushed on for the next two hours, killing wolves left and right while looting and skinning the bodies.
Atticus soon began to grow low on bag space so as they stopped to eat he made a large backpack and a set of bags for Rena, effectively turning her into a pack mule as she had yet to take a single point of damage they had no need to worry about her mobility. He also made his own backpack and they continued on.
Soon they came upon a large room as his map had said and in the center was a large wolf, Nowhere near as big as Fenrir but still bigger than the usual Armored Battle Wolf. Putting his shield away Atticus charged it and swung his axe hard, hitting its massive side with the spike and smiled.
Armored Battle Wolf Beta/LvL 08/ <610/700.
Atticus was pleased to finally find a wolf that could challenge him a bit now, Not having realized how much better his gear was now that the beasts he had struggled with the day before were like infants to him. He decided to take his time with this fight, Letting the wolf have a chance to retaliate.
The wolf growled and swiped at him though Atticus turned and dropped to a knee, wanting to test something. Grinning as he felt the blunt impact of the large paw on his back.
It worked!, Atticus smiled as he stood up and swung his axe, hitting the wolf on the side with the armor piercing side of the axe. Pleased that his experiment worked, having the shield on his back along with the cloak he had worked as he had hoped. It had defended him even despite not being in his hand.
After a few long minutes of fighting or rather playing with the Beta something odd happened. Atticus had cut away the straps of the armor and as it fell off the Beta rolled over and whimpered, showing it gave up and submitted. Atticus smiled and pet the large beasts belly as he took out one of the health potions and poured it into the wolf's mouth.”Good boy, You behave yourself and I won't kill you ok?”
This shocked Rena as she expected Atticus to kill the large wolf not pet it like a hunting hound!”Atticus hurry and kill it!.” After all for all she knew the beast was just playing, her brother had not told her of the runes and how they affected the beasts.
Atticus turned and looked back at her over his shoulder.”Why the hell would I kill something that no longer has the will to fight me, where's the glory in that?”
The answer he gave her stunned her, remembering that her father the previous Jarl of Black Rock Hold had often said the same when she asked him about why he never killed his prisoners of war.
She nodded softly and looked down, ashamed that she had forgotten this basic principle of honor. As she did this Atticus
went down the small path that the smith had circled and soon found the old pickaxe.
Quest Update! You have found the pickaxe of the village smith Ivan Irongrip, Return to him for your reward.
Atticus nodded and then decided to look around the mine as he wanted to let his stamina regenerate, He noticed small flecks of what looked like iron in the rocks near the floor in the farthest path to the right and decided he would mention it to Ivan, when he returned.
For now, he went back to the center of the room and pet the wolf one last time.”Well boy, it looks like my break is over, You stay here and defend this area, I'll be back after a while ok?” He laid some roast goat he got from the five low-level users earlier. The wolf barked and began scarfing down the roast goat as Atticus lead Rena from that pathway and back to the center room, marking the pathway they just left before he began to walk down the center pathway.