VOLUME 1
- CHAPTER 31 -
RECRUITMENT
I am an Arcane Assassin. My class relies on speed and positioning. That’s why I need skills and items to synergize with those traits or tap their flaws. I can’t charge in the front lines and tank every attack with my chest wide open. I need to strategize, see the battlefield as a board game. Don’t be like those stupid FPS players that think SFO is all about accuracy or the meta. You need to be smart. Analyze the conditions. Be creative. Seize the best opportunities; surprise your enemies; and kill them by striking their throats.
No mercy, no playing around, just do it as easily as you can.
Even though this is just a game, don’t have fun with it. Treat it as a job, or a competition. Imagine as if it was your life at risk. You only have one of those, right? So don’t drop your guard with it. Don’t be the dumbass who chokes when the fight comes. Especially now.
I open my eyes, my divine vision already painting my irises golden as the world lights up in grayscale.
I’m on a bench in the central part of the village, the wolfkins and sheepkins stand on the streets, talking with each other, working, or simply walking to somewhere. Everything is in slow motion, the picture of the simple houses and their people rest above my entangled fingers as my hands are placed in front of my mouth. As I think, my right foot slowly taps on the floor repeatedly, mechanically, it’s as if everything is submerged in tar.
We have about three hundred people. The wolfkins’ average level is eighty-five, the sheepkin’s is forty-five.
We are weak, that’s the problem. We don’t have enough numbers, that’s a bigger problem. They are not ready; they are laughing, casually chatting with each other… that’s an even worse problem.
I did all I wanted in these past few days. The cards were drawn and I placed them on the board already. My round is almost over.
My character panel opens on the side, and my focus shifts to it.
I’m already pretty set with my skills. Don’t think it needs to change.
For the six class and one simple active skills slots:
Normal Blink, Arcane blink, and Speed Boots for escape;
Flaming Blades for damage dealing;
Trickery Parry for blocking attacks;
Great Invisibility and Skill Resonance for positioning utility.
Then there’s my equipment:
Two Ribbon-tailed Rudaw Daggers, medium ranged attacks with an activatable piercing skill to shoot towards a focal point;
The Lurker’s Overcloak increases my evasion, and if I lift my hood I disrupt outsiders’ perception skills;
A Rudaw Protective Shirt, gives me good damage resistance, and it’s where my Shadow Cloud comes from, which will block my enemy’s vision if I want to escape or initiate an attack.
Slip-on Scout Gloves, passively give more action speed and cooldown reduction if I’m not in combat.
Double Dagger Assassin’s Shealths, more critical chance and my first strike deals critical damage.
Pants of the Explorer, amplify the movement speed from all my abilities, as well as their durations.
Then my Elemental Resistant Boots… which give me a lot of magic resistance from ground environmental sources.
This is by far the worst part of my current build, the majority of my items are of rare-tier, made to be economical, something that I wouldn’t care about losing if I died. But now that, thanks to that damn Orb that transported me to this world, death is permanent, I need the best pieces of equipment there are. If I only could access my account’s inventory… but that’s not possible it seems, I can only open my Character panel and personal Inventory menus.
My major problem with this build, whatever, is that I would greatly prefer a ranged weapon or a sword instead of my daggers. Throwable melees synergize well with high-mobility characters and are very adaptable, which is basically the best thing there is for scouts like me. But here, the dagger’s tail actually exists, they are solid just like anything else.
Just like back when I attacked Guni by mistake, someone can easily cut it through with a sword. Luckily, the magic cloth can reconnect the separated pieces if that happens, probably made considering that was a flaw, but even so, there’s no saying if it has some durability limit or which conditions it can go through.
Back in the game, the weapon’s ribbons or elongated blades were untouchable, they only increased the range of your attack, and maybe added a bit of response time for your enemy to evade it, but here…
It’s basically the same problem spears have in the real world: their range and trusting potential make them theoretically the best weapon there is; but when you place into account that someone can easily grab its pole, or even break it, or make it useless by going inside their blind range, they fall flat only as an initiation weapon; turning into one of the worst main weapons there is.
My tailed daggers are the same. They might be very good for initiation, but if I had to fight someone for a long time; or without the surprise effect’s advantage; or even worse, fight against multiple people; my chances for them to disarm me while I throw is too great. And if I use it as a normal melee I lose in range against most weapons, if I limit the usage of my weapon to that I might just as well compare it to bringing a kitchen knife to a gunfight. It’s not ideal.
But unfortunately, there are no better choices for me to buy in this village, and that mage’s staff in my inventory won’t do me any good either, since I have no good skills to use with it. I guess, in the end, I’ll just have to be prepared if anything like that happens and keep on using my daggers.
And to finish with my build, there are my six class passives:
Perfect Disguise, my deceptive skills become immune to any vision perceptions, which allows me to stay invisible even against foes with high intelligence.
Energy Efficiency, 15% less cost to all skills and halves decay gain from lost energy.
Shadow Protection, nullifies half of a fatal damage, but its cooldown becomes bigger depending on how much was blocked.
Space Travel Master, improves range, action speed, and cooldown of any teleportation skills by 12%, including the damage-disable cooldown of two seconds in my normal blink when I receive a hit.
Momentum Balance, nullifies 10% of received damage and retrieves it to the enemy caster with the cost of some of my energy.
And the last one.
This is the only skill I’m still unsure of…
{
[Loan With Death (Trickster - Tier 4)]
After reaching death, the stacks of this skill will be consumed to remain up to a few seconds alive and accumulate negative health with part of the damage received. If the caster returns to positive health before its duration ends, life will be redeemed.
Maximum stacks: 60
Extra time alive per stack (TIME): 0.1s
Stack regeneration: 3s
Overall Resistance while active: 50%
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
If you seek lady Nipir for help, you shall evince your worth. Nothing comes for free, but kindness may still outshine death.
}
It’s the same build I always had since this character was a dungeon scout. Wanting or not, having skills that focus on keeping me alive for longer is still my number one priority. But this one I have my doubts. Before, this skill was good since I could see six more seconds of terrain even after I theoretically would have died. For scouting an unknown dungeon it can make all the difference. But…
My stare shifts over my fingers, back to the wolfkins and sheepkins in slow motion all around the village.
…is this skill really going to be useful? Wouldn’t a situation I reach zero health something I don’t want to be in the first place…? But again, it’s not like there’s a better skill for this situation. Maybe one or another, but I don’t have them with this character yet, and I don’t know if I have the time to level up to unlock them.
This passive is pretty high tier, which means it is strong but there’s has some other costs attached to it. In this case, I think it’s the cooldown and its duration, three minutes to refresh a six-second immortality effect is a bit too much. But in my case, it’s not like I want to be at zero health many times in a roll, or stay too long in that state. If I receive too much damage with it, I’ll accumulate too much negative health and it’ll be impossible to come back from that. My strategy should be to retreat and instantly drink a health potion if it comes to that. Yeah, if this helps me even once, it can be the difference between life and death.
I close the semi-transparent panel.
I only have one of those now, can’t risk it. If it gives me one more chance, even if it’s not certain, I need to have it. It’s one more variable that decreases my chances to get too unlucky.
Tasah: “Strider? Are you alright?”
“Huh?”
I stare up at a wary sheepkin.
[ Kai Tasahrin, Sheepkin (Level 40 – Shaman|Vampire) ]
“What?”
Tasah: “You look a little bit too serious. Something happened?”
I rest my chin over my entangled fingers and hesitate to answer, taking a long and silent breath in before opening my mouth.
“Tasah… if I asked you to join me in battle, would you come?”
Tasah: “Uh!? What, what are you talking about?”
“It’s because an invasion is coming, today.” – I stare at my entangled fingers apprehensively, my feet tapping non-stop on the floor. – “If not today, tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow.”
Tasah: “Aah, haha~, you actually scared me for a second.” – He sighs. – “And what if it doesn’t come in the day after tomorrow? Then it’ll be the next? And if not then, the next after that?”
I look into his eyes.
“No. That’s definitely the final day.”
He blinks thrice in surprise.
Tasah: “H-Hold on, a-are you serious?”
I glance to the sides, certifying that nobody is listening.
“Yep. I’m not messing with you.” – I hesitate for a second. – “I have a plan, but it won’t work if you’re not in my team. So, what do you say? I’ll even give you a full mage set, the same type as that staff I lend you before.”
Tasah: “Holy shi--. You’re not... kidding. You wouldn’t give it to me just for a prank, I still remember your disdainful face when you just lend me that staff. But are you going to give it to me…?”
“Yeah, yours forever. You won’t need to do much, your job will be to activate your shield and buff someone with your attribute-sharing skill. Can you do those?”
Tasah: “Um…” – He blushes. – “I wanted to surprise you, but yeah, I learned how to do all the skills you said I had.”
“Good, then it’s going to be simple. All we need to do now is grab ourselves a damage dealer and a mount.”
I stand and start searching around.
Tasah: “Wait, so are we really doing this? I didn’t hear anything from the wolfkins. Is it really coming?”
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“About ninety percent sure.”
Tasah: “We should warn everyone, then.”
“They won’t believe me, Tasah. They have no use with a hunch of mine.”
Tasah: “Don’t you have proof? Something you can show what is going to happen?”
“No. All I’ve got is my guts.”
Tasah: “Then… what about warning of what they need to do?”
“I’ve told them the invasion focus was the region where this village is, don’t you remember? There’s nothing more I can say about that. Not even I know how they should organize to fight against it. But look around, they are already preparing the terrain. We are already expecting an invasion, they just don’t know when it’s coming.”
Tasah: “So, how do you know?”
“A wide prediction. Not a very helpful one, I must say. The only thing that changed from that council of war to now, is that I’ve decided to stay and fight. For the first wave, at least.”
Tasah: “Then, you’re not leaving?”
“Didn’t you fucking hear me? I just--” – I stop once I see tears sliding down Tasah’s face.
Tasah: “T-Thank you.”
“Why are you doing that again?” – I go back searching the faces of the wolfkins around as quickly as I can. – “We need to find that goth boy, the one who’s the leader’s son.”
Tasah: “You mean Apaw?” – he says wiping his tears.
“Yeah, yeah. That’s the one.”
Tasah: “Why him, though?”
“He has an assassination skill that can perform what I want to do. I knew I could use that the moment he let me see his character attributes. A skill so powerful that might even hit kill if the conditions are set right. A shadow strike that goes through armor and burns energy like a bitch. It’s a very nasty skill, but it has a very long cooldown. It’s not, but I would consider it an ultimate skill. The type that can end a battle just by using it.”
Tasah: “A-And he has that?”
“Are you deaf? I’ve just told you that. He’s the only one who has a skill that strong.”
Tasah: “I-I’m sorry, it’s just t-too much to process.”
I raise my hand to a big brown wolfkin that comes into my sight.
“VUTE! Hey, Vute! Where’s Apaw? I need to talk to him!”
Vute: “Huh? What? Apaw?...” – He frowns in the distance. – “What do you want to talk to him about?”
“I’m inviting him to my party. We’ll cut some heads together.”
Vute: “H-Heads?! What are you talking--??”
“That’s just a saying. It means we’ll be killing someone.”
Vute: “Isn’t that the same thing?”
I stop and stare up at him.
“It’s about the invasion, I have a plan, but I need him on my team.”
Vute: “Okay, okay, calm down.” – He looks inquisitively at Tasah on my side. – “What’s going on? The-- the invasion? You mean the Shadow Army’s?”
“Tasah, explain to him.” – I turn and make a cone with my hands in front of my mouth. – “APAW! Apaw, where are you!?”
Tasah: “U-Uhmm… Strider said he knows an invasion is coming into the village. He said something about being today or tomorrow or the day after that.”
Vute: “Oh.” – He nods slowly. – “Or maybe the next one too?”
Tasah: “Um… that’s the same thing I said to him. But he said no, that the day after tomorrow will be for sure the last day.”
“APAW! LEADER’S SON?! WHERE IN THE HELL ARE YOU HIDING??”
Vute: “Okay, Strider. Lower your voice, you’re scaring the sheepkins.”
“I need to know if he’ll go with my plan or not. Every second I stay in this village my chances to escape alive decrease. If he’s not joining my team, then I’m leaving. Immediately.”
Vute: “I see… Guni told me about this, that Strider might start hallucinating because of sleep deprivation. He’s not resting well, that’s why he’s-"
“-Stop saying nonsense, Vute. I don’t need to sleep. I’m a hero, you dumbass. Heroes don’t need to sleep.”
Vute: “Yes, yes. Dilsu!” – He waves to the blond priestess who was just passing by. – “Dilsu, can you help him go to bed? He can rest in any room in the inn. Just make him sleep. I have some other business to take care of.”
“The hell, Vute. I’m serious, I don’t need to sleep. Don’t touch me, priestess! I’m not going to bed!”
The priestess shrieks silently once I push her trembling hands away.
Ave: “What’s going on?” – The leader’s wife suddenly appears from the background, going down a huge duck-like mount and walking closer with her blue hair and leather clothes covered in blood. – “I’ve just come back from my expedition, did something happen?”
“Ave, good! I need to talk with Apaw, can you call him from me?”
Ave: “Your older brother?” – she thinks aloud. – “He should be around guarding the village…” – She looks to the sides and folds her hands to make a cone in front of her mouth. – “APAW! APAW WHERE ARE YOU, DARLING?!”
“APAW! I JUST WANT TO TALK TO YOU!! COME OUT FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE!”
Vute: “Great, now there’s two of them.”
Tasah: “Strider, I don’t know if that’s the right way to go about this. We should be more respectful, I’m sure if we ask around, we’ll eventually locate him.”
“Uh? Ask around? Isn’t that what we are doing?”
Tasah: “N-Not exactly-”
Ave: “-Oh! There he is~!” – She points to a low-eared wolfkin with a goth vibe. – “Oh, my. My baby, are you well? Mommy just came back from her hunting~! I brought lots of food if you want to eat~! I’ll go right back hunting, though. If there’s anything else you want, mommy can try fetching it for you~! Ah, and Strider wants to talk to you about something.”
Apaw: “Hm, someone came running to warn me,” – he says tiredly as if he just came out of bed. – “What’s going on?”
“I want you on my team, Apaw. An invasion is coming but I have a plan, I need you to join me and kill someone.”
Apaw: “Hah?”
Ave: “An invasion? What kind of game is that? Is the summer festival happening so soon already?”
Tasah: “N-No, ma’am. He’s talking about the Shadow Army’s one.”
Ave: “Ooh! the same that happened with you sheepkin? What a meany thing they did to you. Unforgivable!” – She suddenly hugs Tasah tightly. – “Don’t worry, I’m going to protect you if any baddies come, just worry about growing and sleeping well, okay~?”
Tasah: “A-A-Ah, t-thank you, miss, b-but I’m okay!” – His voice muffles within the deep hug.
I extend my arms as if theatrically presenting something to Apaw, making my cloak open wide with a big smile on my face.
“What do you say? Are you up to it?”
Apaw: “So, let me see if I get it right… is the invasion coming already? Why isn’t the bell ringing?”
And just when he points to the bell tower over the church, a silhouette comes out of its roof’s edges. A dark-cloaked creature with a black wolf face suddenly started climbing the tower in a spiral from its outside.
Vute: “Isn’t that Guni? What he’s doing awake?”
The hooded wolfkin reaches the top, and as in an image I’ve seen before, as if it was deja vu, the wolf-faced person stands straight by grabbing the metal pole on the top of the tower, and with its elongated snout, he starts sniffing the air under the cloudy sky.
As if waiting for the passing wind to end, the chaos quieted down and everyone gazed up.
I could sense that in Guni’s perspective, he was searching the trail of scents to know where something was coming from. And once its source became clear, the wolfkin’s eye widened and he looked down.
The people below exchanged stares with the wolfkin on top, and after a few seconds of tension, the wolf opens his mouth.
Guni: “An army is approaching!” – His voice echoed in the streets. – “I’m going to check who it is!... But prepare yourselves!”
And in the same way he got up, he went down faster and jumped from roof to roof until he was completely out of sight.
Vute: “Wait…” – Vute turns to me. – “How did you know?”
“It still might not be it. But I had a feeling today would be the day.”
Vute’s friendly expression dissolved into a serious look, his face stiffening with doubt.
Vute: “Dilsu, recall the hunters.” – He turns to his men. – “Prepare the weapons! Let's have everyone in their positions! Do it as if your life depended on it!”
Vute goes a few steps away, but stops in hesitation and points a finger at me.
Vute: “I trust you Strider. Just-- Don’t let me down.”
I frown at that.
“Oh, Vute! I need to ask you for a mount. We need something really fast. It’ll be extremely important for my plan to work. It’ll decide if we are going to win this or not.”
Vute scratches his chin with worry.
Vute: “Fast you say…” – He stares down at me. – “Are you afraid of height?”
“No… I don’t think so.”
Vute: “Then I’ll give you my flying birthrill. I’ll tell the stable guards that you’ll need it.”
“Flying, huh?” – I nod with that. – “Aren’t there any instructions on how to ride it?”
Vute: “It’s the same thing as the male one.” – He waves goodbye and quickens his pace. – “It just also can go up and down.”
The entire village became agitated as if someone had just poked a wasp colony. It’s too hard to discern anything from all the movement around us, but one thing I’m sure, they were all moving to prepare for the coming battle.
I turn back to the leader’s son, his face a bit more alert than before.
Apaw: “Then… what is the plan?”
My nervous smile widens.
- - - - - - - - - - -
We had time to buy some equipment in the local shop: a few spyglasses, a compass, and even a few fireworks sacks. By the time we reached an agreement and my team was formed, Guni had come back and confirmed that the incoming army was too big in numbers and had too many monsterkins to be any ally of ours.
On that fateful day, the invasion came.
I could have run away, fought on the frontlines, or chipped out the enemy’s army on their sidelines. But I chose to go for their throats.
No mercy. No playing around. I went to my limit to make it happen.
The next thing I knew, we were taking flight. Valiantly separating ourselves from the main army of the village, where wolfkins and sheepkins joined forces to fight a great evil. I was going to do my part, not to defend the village, but to attack whatever was coming.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Tasah: “Then this is how it is to fly?” – The sheepkin’s voice trembled on my back between flaps of the giant wings. – “It’s… a bit scary.”
Tasah seats behind me, already wearing the blue mage’s equipment and the staff I promised to give him, well, all but the hat of the set which he clumsily couldn’t wear because of his horns.
And right behind him was Apaw in his usual dark clothing, a small sword sheathed on his back near his waist.
Apaw: “Just don’t look down,” – He points to the ground nonchalantly, – “some people pass out by the height and fall off.”
Tasah: “Ahm… t-thank you for the tip.”
“Don’t worry, just remember your roles in the plan. And you just might come back alive without a scratch.”
The altitude grows quicker as the birthrill’s beak aims upwards, the forest below turning into a distant green carpet.
Tasah: “So… I never actually asked.” – He screams against the strong wind, grabbing onto my cloak. – “What are we doing, exactly?”
I lift my hood, a quick shine glitches throughout my dark cloak and the hood bonds itself with magic to not go down with the violent wind.
“Oh, I thought you were listening when I explained it to Apaw. But if I had to sum it up…” – I glare at him, a smirk building up on my face. – “…we’ll bite their throats out. Kill their commander and anyone who looks important. Fuck their chain of command and turn their numbers into a bunch of pathetic fools! That’s how you defeat an army that big.”
Tasah: “A-Ah! Right. We… w-we are going to do that.”
The birthrill flaps its wings one more time and we go even further away from the village, its gray feathers camouflaging with the dark clouds in the sky. Just a few sun rays are able to pierce the storm that is to come, some highlighting the dark spots marching on the horizon.