- 35 -
Drew was perched on a rooftop, keeping an eye on the Adventurers Guild Hall and the bustling activity within and weighed his options. After leveling his new mana and endurance regeneration skills, he was able to train his agility and strength each up a point this morning.
After his initial participation, the instructors had quickly grown tired of a Skurr completing their challenges and started kicking him out.
And in a strange symmetry, he and his siblings had been kicked out of their nest that morning. Drew chose to build his own nest in the adventurers guild. He was able to repurpose his basket, and also pulled a stone out of the wall to create a nook for his stash of goods.
I’m feeling a little over leveled stat wise. I need to find a way to craft more. Maybe find a weapon? And if I can convert the Leather Bracer into Skurr armor then I can start advancing my Grimoire quest.
It had been a productive morning. He had been able to grind most of his skills and abilities to their next levels. He found a couple Skurr that had a small fight and healed them both. And he completed the guild quest for basic training. Which gained him enough exp to level up.
Drew spent his 6 stat points to raise his HP by 2 and his MP by 1.
Guild Quest Complete: Basic Training: Reward: 200 exp
Strength +1
Stamina +4
Agility +1
Level Upgrade: Level 3 Crow (Juvenile) - (Complete)
Skill Upgrade: [Flight] lvl 6
Skill Upgrade: [Gliding] lvl 7
Skill Upgrade: [Basic Heal] lvl 3
It was nearly lunchtime when Sara, Gionnathyn, Gessica, and Ethan stepped out of the adventuring guild. Gionnathyn had a large two handed wooden sword and Sarah carried a wooden mace and wooden shield. Gessica was their ranger and carried a sling and bag of small stones. Ethan carried a large backpack with their lunches and a large picnic blanket.
I could spend the rest of the day observing the children as they completed beginner quests, or sneak into some more training classes. Or I could pursue crafting quests on my own.
Mind made up, Drew followed the group of children as they made their way towards the outskirts of town. They looked like an official rookie party, and talked about their quest to gather herbs for a local healer while they walked.
I could look at the medallions around the fence again, I think I've learned as much as I can from the broken discs anyways.
They were in a different part of the fields near the east gates. It was more woody and had tall trees that came right up to the fence. Drew followed them from above, keeping an eye out for potential danger.
"Hey Buddy! Want to help us gather some berries?" Ethan called up when he spotted him flying above them.
Drew cawed in the affirmative and took a lap to get a better look around. A small creek followed the road and brambles and berry bushes were popular. The children found a good spot to set down their packs and got to work on their gathering quest.
“Gessica, did you find anyone else that we can help out around town? The guard quests aren’t paying as much in exp anymore now that we both leveled up.” Gionnathyn asked while picking berries. “I tried talking to the old enchanter but he wouldn’t give me any quests.”
Gionnathyn pointed at a building outside of the town walls.
It had been repaired recently and seemed to have been renovated, a storage shed and a workshop stood out on two sides of the main structure.
“He’s such a meanie. The other kids say he doesn’t give out any starter quests.” Gessica replied. “I spoke with the baker across the street and she has some deliveries we can do in the mornings. But they will be heavy.”
“I don’t know if the enchanter is mean, maybe he’s just old?” Ethan said. “My mom says he is from the capital, maybe they don’t give out beginner quests in the capital?”
A rustle near the fence put the children on edge. They all looked up, their hands moved to their weapons. Ethan took a step back.
From up above, Drew saw a Horned Rabbit charge the children, its teeth bared and eyes wild.
It looks like a normal jackrabbit, except maybe 50 lbs. heavier and sporting a spiral horn on its forehead, exactly like a unicorn.
Gessica stumbled moving backward, the rabbit was fast, but Drew was faster. Drew swooped down, his claws extended, and raked them across the rabbit's back. The rabbit squealed in pain and turned to face Drew, but he was already too high up in the air for it to reach.
The children quickly took advantage of the rabbit's distraction. Gessica pelted it with a stone from her sling, dealing a little damage and causing it to flinch. Gionnathyn ran forward with his wooden sword ready, he swung with both hands. He struck the rabbit across the body and it screamed in pain.
He’s overextended himself like he was swinging for an outside pitch.
The rabbit snarled and lunged towards him frantically, clearly injured, and Gionnathyn stepped backwards avoiding the blow.
“Ha! Can’t touch me!” Gionnathyn gloated.
Gessica hit it in the eye with her next rock, blinding it. It couldn’t zero in on Gionnathyn with the one eye out of commission.
Drew circled above, watching the battle for his next chance to fly down and strike.
Sarah had been foraging farther away from the group and had to run back to them before she could join the fight.
She arrived and slapped the rabbit’s face aside with her shield, and followed through with her wooden mace. The rabbit finally fell to the ground, broken, head caved in, defeated.
Combat Rewards: level 5 Rabbit: 150 exp
Skill upgrade: [Flight] lvl 7
The siblings cheered while Drew's level up made him glow. They celebrated the victory, hugging each other in excitement.
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Sarah took a pose with her mace over her shoulder while she caught her breath.
“You almost didn’t make it Sarah, we nearly took it down on our own.” Gionnathyn teased.
Sarah didn’t respond to his teasing and sat down to eat a scone from her bag.
With the battle over, Drew flew to the fence post to look at the disks. He had been studying the broken disks back at his nest and had a few ideas on how they might work.
“Hey Ethan?” Gessica asked tentatively. “Why didn't you fight? You have a sling, we could have used your help back there! We could've been hurt!”
Ethan turned to face Gessica, she was holding her sling tightly. Ethan focused on cleaning the rabbit. he deftly sliced open the carcass to spill out its blood. It was a long moment before he answered.
“I don't like hurting animals. I want to be a crafter, not a fighter.”
"But we'll have to face dangerous monsters! We need to get stronger to protect each other. Don't you care about that?” Gessica asked.
Ethan silently looked down at the rabbit pelt in his hands, hands still covered in blood.
Drew was looking at the disks while they are active, his broken discs seemed to have a big piece missing from the center. Seeing them active they contained gems.
The gems must have shattered, that’s what broke the discs I found.
Active Quest: Puzzling: Strange Symbols: 90%
“I want to help in a different way. I want to make and fix things instead of hurting creatures. That is going to be my strength.” Ethan said.
“I thought you would want to protect me, Ethan. Like the heroes in the stories... I thought you cared about me.”
“I care about you and our friends. But being strong doesn't always mean fighting. I want to find my own way to be strong.”
“Okay, Ethan. I guess so. We can still be friends, right?”
“Of course, silly,” Ethan smiled warmly. “We'll always be friends, no matter what.”
Drew was about to pull a crystal out of a disc when two horned rabbits bound past the fence and charged the children.
Ethan was still crouched beside the carcass of the rabbit, gathering knife in his hand as the two rabbits used their Lunge skills and speared him in the back with their horns.
- 36 -
Drew was in the air, flying as fast as he could towards the fight.
“Ethan!” Sarah yelled as she stooped to grab her shield and mace as the two rabbits landed their empowered attacks.
Gessica backed up and fell on her butt in shock. Ethan’s blood splattered her tunic.
The rabbits withdrew their horns and prepared to attack again. Ethan's blood gushed out sporadically from both wounds.
We need to get him away from the monsters quickly, my healing spells only work in direct contact.
Sarah tackled a rabbit and they tumbled away from Ethan's prone form.
The second rabbit bit down onto Ethan’s leg and throttled it back and forth.
Drew clawed the rabbit’s face causing it to spring back and drawing its attention away from Ethan.
Gionnanthyn joined the fray swinging wildly and missing the rabbit he aimed for, but that was all the time Drew needed to land and activate both of his healing spells.
[Basic Heal]: +10 HP
MP: 95%
[Healer’s Touch]: -1 Bleed
He was only able to channel them a moment before before he had to release the boy and dodge back into the air with a rabbit chasing him.
Sarah was picking herself up and wiping a cut across her brow.
Come on, you buck toothed cartoon knock off, come and get me!
Drew swooped low to the ground screeching, he taunted a rabbit to use its Lunge attack.
The rabbit took the bait and launched itself towards Drew. Drew pivoted in the air, narrowly avoiding the rabbit's attack and it landed farther away from Ethan.
Drew hightailed it back to the boy to find him unconscious.
The other rabbit was facing Gionnanthyn and Gessica and Drew activated and channeled his healing abilities again.
[Basic Heal]: +10 HP
MP: 80%
[Healer’s Touch]: -1 Bleed
Sarah re-entered the fray bashing the further rabbit with her shield and landing two quick hits with her mace. The rabbit shook the hits off and took a swipe at her, but missed.
“Get away from Ethan you monsters!” Gessica shouted as she fumbled in her bag for a bandage.
[Basic Heal]: +10 HP
[Healer’s Touch]: -1 Bleed
[Basic Heal]: +10 HP
[Healer’s Touch]: -1 Bleed
MP: 40%
Damn, my mana is dropping too quickly, that can’t be good. The bleed effect isn’t resolving. Shitty healing spell doesn’t even show me how much health the kid has.
One of the rabbits kicked Gionnanthyn in the side knocking him down. Sarah bashed the rabbit with her shield, stunning it, and disengaged to cover Gionnanthyn.
Gessica was applying a third bandage to Ethan’s back, the first two disappeared after being used up.
“Guys! Ethan is hurt really bad! Buddy is healing him but the bandages keep disappearing!” Gessica shouted.
[Basic Heal]: +10 HP
MP: 18%
[Healer’s Touch]: -1 Bleed
Drew could see that Sarah and Gionnanthyn are trading blows with the two rabbits and were doing ok. Ethan was not doing well.
Shit that’s a lot of blood, too much-
MP: 0%
Debuff: Mana Backlash: (1:59)-15 HP
[Basic Heal] - Failed
[Healer’s Touch] - Failed
Drew flopped to the ground with a piercing headache unable to maintain his spells.
“Gionnanthyn! We need more bandages, Ethan is bleeding. He’s bleeding everywhere!” Gessica screamed to her brother.
Gionnanthyn slammed one rabbit with a home run swing and stunned it. He looked towards his sister, then to his pack 10 meters away and sprinted towards it. The downed rabbit shook off its stunned effect and charged Sarah.
Watch out!
Drew cawed weakly, still struggling to see straight. Sarah took the brunt of the rabbit’s charge on her shield, it’s horn skipped off the shield and cut across her bicep, she staggered backwards. She went to counter, but the other rabbit slammed her shield with its shoulder interrupting her counter attack.
Two against one and she can’t find room to strike back! I need to get my ass up and help!
Instead of bringing the pack the rest of the way to his sister, Gionnanthyn dropped the pack and ran to support Sarah.
Drew shook off his headache and accessed his character screen.
How much exp to purchase a Mana Point? Cost 4 Stat Points? Yeah that's wroth it.
Drew selected yes to spend the last of his remaining stat points to quickly purchase another point of mana.
MP +1
Debuff: Mana Backlash: (0:55)
Drew scrambled over to Gionnanthyn’s pack, tearing it open and grabbing the bandages.
Shit! Still no Mana?? I guess increasing my capacity isn’t a cheat to add mana to my reserves.
Sarah was down on one knee with her shield up getting hammered by the two rabbits. They had a combo of hind leg kicks going and were steadily landing each 5th or 6th kick. Each successful hit left behind another bruise. Gionnanthyn was behind her attacking over and around her shield with his sword tip when possible.
Heads up!
Drew tossed the bandages to Gessica without stopping and flew over to help Sarah and Gionnanthyn.
My mana isn’t regenerating, this damn backlash debuff is terrible. And of course my bane skill isn’t activating when I need it.
Drew dove on the horned rabbit and blinded one of its eyes with his claws.
[Assassins Bane] x 1: (0:05)
HP: 86%
MP: 1%
Now it works? Finally!
The rabbit reared up and tried to bite him, but Drew pinwheeled in the air staying close and landed a swipe with his talon across the rabbit’s face. The rabbit thrashed on the ground and pawed frantically at its ruined eye.
I’m getting pretty good at hitting their eyes! Maybe they will run off since they are blind?
Sarah jumped up and slammed down on top of the rabbit with her shield and her full weight. Something important inside the rabbit snapped. It struggled for a couple seconds then was finally still.
Combat Rewards: level 8 Rabbit: 250 exp
Skill level up conditions met: [Assassin’s Bane] level 2.
The last rabbit kicked dirt up into Gionnanthyn’s face and he backed up, wiping his face on his sleeve. The rabbit rushed him and hit the boy solidly in the stomach with its shoulder. Gionnanthyn fell to the ground winded and dropped his sword.
“Gionnanthyn!” Gessica screamed.
She struggled to her feet, hands covered in blood. She tried to load a stone into her sling but it was slick with blood. The stone fell out of the sling before she could wind up and throw it.
The remaining rabbit was trying to claw at Gionnanthyn's face but he had his arms up batting the swipes aside.
Sarah picked herself up and tackled the rabbit off of Gionnanthyn. The two rolled on the ground until the rabbit broke free and scrambled back.
Drew swooped in aiming for its eyes and was able to blind it with his claws again.
[Assassins Bane] (0:10)
HP: 88%
Gionnanthyn picked up his wooden sword and landed a heavy strike to finish the monster off.
Combat Rewards: level 9 Rabbit: 285 exp.
Stamina +1
HP +1
Mana +1
[Assassins Bane II] - Trait: 15% chance for damage dealt to targets to inflict one point of [Bane] on your target for 10 seconds. Each point of [Bane] absorbs 1 point of the target's HP each second, restoring your HP by 1%.