Quest 3 – Equip a Magical Item

For days after Johann’s near death experience he was frustrated. No quests appeared and he could only lament the problem with zombie types. No two ways about it zombies stank even if they didn’t decay as fast as standard things, the smell was intolerable. So he started to experiment and was trying to figure out how he could have undead minions without the smell. It was just too much. Even he wouldn’t want to party with someone if he had to put up with the stench of death. That’s why all the bodies he came across he animated and started to bring them home.

However part way into these experiments his aging dad caught him in the act. In the middle of trying to rid the bones of the flesh by using acid the old man snuck up behind him and started to raise a stink over zombies in the backyard. Johann had to take cover and keep the zombies from attacking in response to his fearful reaction. A lesson he needs to take to heart.

After several hours, and the interruption of the local police Johann was forced to register on the list of “Hero’s List” and acknowledge his class as Necromancer. It “gave” him the permission to use class skills and abilities. But their given permission was more of a waste of time. They lectured him about desecrating graveyards and perverting life. Yet he couldn’t get any help from them about the class. Only lectures about how his class is a blight on the world. Of course they “Permitted” him to keep the goblins and deer he animated because it was done with a “Hero’s Ability”. He only gained more distain with these people with their permissions and crap. Without these zombies they would have killed him. And he was using this stuff right after he was given the class so their “Permission” to continue on is nothing more than an attempt to exert control over him. Their organization is such a joke. If everyone was able to fight off monsters then they wouldn’t be needed in the first place. Let alone get they are paid a good salary for giving us people trouble. They are nothing but hypocrites and troublemakers.

It took a few days but Johann’s dad eventually was happy his “boy” was gifted a “Hero’s class. Yet he encouraged the development of odorless undead. All he could say to his dad is he’s working on it. Of course he started to sneak and use his undead to do the labor around the gas station too. So long as no one was around he had the goblins sneak up behind the building and then swarm to the trash cans. Because they were without fatigue and were strong enough they were used to shuttle all the heavy trash cans around the back and dump them in one go. Of course this left a stink on the cans, but he just dealt with that by spraying some bleach on the outside and replacing the bags himself. After all being “Registered” meant he could apply his class abilities and skills for completing his job. Legally there was nothing that could be done to stop him so long as he completes the jobs he is assigned.

After a few weeks of the bones piling up in the back yard he has not succeeded in his goal yet. So far he’s tried to use a lime mix, he tried to use an acid bath, followed by a less strong solution like peroxide, and finally he ordered a box of flesh eating beetles. He even started to try and exert himself and find a way to magically strip the bones. Slow gestures and verbal commands all failed to yield results. No new skills or abilities from the hours of effort. It all continued like this for few weeks after he animated the goblins.

-Ding!!! Congratulations Necromancer! Your third quest is to find a lost treasure and equip your first piece of gear. Good Luck.–

With a ringing chime sound a blip popped up on the map. However it was pulsing over an area that was blacked out. Johann frownd when he saw how far away it was located.

“Come on! Systems are messing with me again? Is this another setup?”

-Ding!!! Congratulations Necromancer! Your third quest is to find a lost treasure and equip your first piece of gear. You have 05:00 hours reaming. Good Luck. –

“Seriously? You are really doing this to me? System you’re a real peace of work. You know that?”

Johann had to drop everything and head to his garage. Once in there he grabbed a plastic bin and started to throw in supplies. He grabbed some rope, an axe, hatchet, machete, a small box of assorted tools, and then started to thumb through everything else he might need for a mysterious treasure hunt near sunset. Once it was piled in his car he grabbed his hiking backpack and a drink for the road.

40 Minutes Later On The Illinois River Side

A car pulls up a rock road overgrown with weeds and brush. The rocks grind under the tires and the car pushes down the plants that have grown up taller than the hood. Several hundred yards down the rocky path ends at a nine foot tall gated fence. Only the tiniest sliver of vision can peak through the slats wedged between the chain links. The wild life grows quiet as the car rolls up, and then it stops directly outside of the oversized gates. The head lights illuminate the bottom half of the sign perfectly, leaving the upper half in dim light.

-Posted sign-

___Unsafe Area___

Do Not Enter

Well that’s not foreboding at all. I guess we’re going to have to find out what’s up with this place.

Johann pulls out a flashlight, but upon clicking the button it saturates the entire gate through his window. Quickly he averts his eyes from the window and he steps out of the car with his backpack. He focuses the light on the trailer he hooked up to his car and the large lump of tarps starts to move about. With a few moments goblins crawl out from under the tarp and they take up flanking positions around Johann. Opening the trunk he also equips the goblins with a chunk of rebar, a 2x4 to act as a club, and chunk of fence piping. Checking the map he notes the direction of the dot and tries to guess the best way to get there.

Prowling around the outside of the tall privacy fence he started to call out. If he could speak to someone maybe he could get their permission to enter. But if no one answers then there is no one to tell him not to enter the gated area.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

“I would like a chance to check a single location on the yard. Can someone help take me to it?”

“What sort of place is this? Can anyone hear me?”

It took a couple of minutes of walking and shouting out, but he heard not a single response. He completed an uneven square from the front of the property to the back. On the back side of the building the fence falls away down a steep slope. Part of the fence is buried in a sand bar while the ground slides off into the river. When he climbs over the fence he is able to stand inside and see the property. Tall piles of junk litter the entire yard like some type of dumping ground with small paths between sections. On the far left is a squat rectangular building that extends from the front of the property to the back.

He assumes if there is someone here they would be in or near the building but he would rather check and be sure than end up with a cranky owner coming out with a shotgun. So first stop building of mystery. The sounds of rustling changes with the vegetation he steps on to the bits of junk that has sank into the ground. Everything remains still, and silent other than him and the goblins he brought.

Getting to the corner of the building he is further frustrated. The garbage is piled up as high as both the building and fence. It was also dumped all the way up against the concrete structure. The blip is near the middle of the yard. This means he’s going to have to walk the paths to get to the center. That is still not his number one choice to go. He continues the trek around the building to find another entrance, or a person.

After rounding the back of the building he heads up the long side. Some trash cans, storage cans, and a broken door. Not a good sign. The door was a solid core wood door and something tore out the bottom three feet of it. Shinning in the hole it appears the inside was barricaded and that was torn up by teeth or claws.

Well this is getting less and less fun. He really does not want to enter a hole like that. It is asking to get attacked after squeezing in. So he keeps walking but is trying to keep the sound of his footsteps silent. Now that this place looks like a crime scene he’s taking the time to check the containers. But other than sorted trash, sand, rock, and other building supplies he can’t find anything that would help him in this situation. Next stop the front of the building.

After rounding the corner he comes to a swift stop. The first problem is the big hole in the ground leading through the dirt and into the basement. Carefully stepping around it he keeps the light trained on the hole. Each step reveals more of the passageway until it is clear this hole makes a sharp bend at a depth equal to more than his height. Investigating more of the front he finds the main door to the building. Part of it is broken and wedged in the door frame. It is like something smashed the door part way and left it.

With little else to do he continues along the front until he finds another entrance to the junk filled yard. He kept the goblins close for protection but it ruined his sense of smell. Even so they were a very good meat shield. Together they entered between the tall walls of debris and junk. Old broken games and toys peeked out from some piles, while other piles had clothing and hangers that seem to be entwined together. It didn’t take long to find more strange junk like old needles, bedpans, metal rusted to the point of being unrecognizable, and a few parts that obviously came from an automobile. In some spots the path way narrowed to the point of needing to turn sideways to fit between the gap. The closer to the center of the junk yard the more the path seems to descend.

Several times the group stopped when junk sounded like it was falling or was moved by something, but the zombies didn’t attack anything and nothing popped up on Johann’s map. So further in they went. As Johann squeezed around another narrow bend he stood next to a very strange sight. In front of him and the lead zombie is the wall of an above ground pool and a ladder that is partially embedded into the pile of junk. But the wall of the above ground pool was not blocking his way. A type of “V” shaped hole was made letting the light shine down to the lowest spot in the pool.

The middle of the pool was sunken into the ground. Several round tunnels lead into the ground and the center was cluttered with not just any debris. Bones stripped of flesh and muscle, cloths torn and shredded to scraps, and glowing briefcase that was embedded into the pile of death not far from one of the holes. Numerous bone piles started to glow orange, and the nearest ones on his side turned white.

OH, crap. This is great and terrible at the same time. Finally I find some skeletal bones to use, but whatever made those holes also killed a lot of stuff. This includes humans in their list of edibles. I wonder how many types of bodies are here.

A new red blip popped up on Johann’s overlay. By the time he turned his head up to look at the thing that appeared two more red lines popped up on the other side. A total of three long nosed creatures leered down at Johann from the top of the trash piles. Their mouths hanging open with drool sliding out and their bodies were covered in all sorts of trash like material. Bits of plastic, metal and even half a screwdriver poked out off the back and shoulder of one. But that was as much time as Johann was given to see his would be attackers.

They leapt directly at him before letting out a snarl. The zombies covered Johann the best they could but the weight of these medium dog sized creatures was too much. Their weight plummeting almost five feet before the impact staggered the goblin defenders. One monster was impaled threw a leg and its side before sliding down all the way to the goblin’s hands. From there it raked its 4 inch claws down the face, neck, and chest, while the rear claws attempted to disembowel it.

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But Johann was simply knocked around by the zombie goblins and the monstrous moles as they struggle against each other. When he had a chance to roll over and see what was going on he received a slash down his leg from one of the beasts. No sooner did he pull his leg back its mouth opened wider than his leg and came down with a clank like a bear trap. One of the male goblins grabbed that beast’s tail and rear leg and heaved with its whole body. By lifting and yanking the beast up their oversized claws remained stuck in the ground gouging deep furrows while it was pulled away from Johann. This was a stark reminder of what Johann’s leg could have become if these little beasties were given the opportunity to get a hold of him.

Crawling on all fours Johann was trying to make his way to the edge of the pit, where he could see down and try to figure out what bones down there would help. It was a full on struggle between the two forces and one goblin came crashing down against Johann’s back. He held the two aloft on his back before he managed to push off the ground and get the two to tip in the other direction. The cracking sound of wood was heard beating one mole, while two other s were trading bites and clawed attacks. The goblins lacked the power of the moles, but the goblins were equipped with melee weapons that were doing damage in their own right. It was most apparent between the mole that was skewered in the beginning of the fight. It was struggling less than the others. Johann could also hear the rebar breaking bones, while the fence pipe seemed to be stunning the other mole but lacked that extra bit to cause fatal damage.

The first few skeletons that Johann could animate were lesser animals, a large dog, and then another couple of goblins. All of them he could feel being tied to his mind, and they moved together in a horrifying wave directly at him. He would have likely pissed his pants if he didn’t know they were following his commands. Those beasts were snarling and actually killed one of his zombie goblins just that moment. That’s gut twisting, for him to lose a zombie already to junk yard mutant critter. And he was sure zombies were stronger than those things. But on looking back another zombie goblin has already lost an arm and most of the rib cage.

Shit this is so bad.

Damn it, where are the big ones. Johann was becoming indignant. Out of a massive pile of bones, and he’s only getting small fry. The only words to describe it are “fucking infuriating”. It like scratching lotto tickets only to be told you’re a looser again.

Numerous “Blip” sounds rang out in Johann’s head. And his overlay had 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 more red lines appear.

“OH shit! FUCK YOU!! You little gutter rat basterds! Going to OUT NUMBER me to DEATH? It’s your turn! How about you try fucking will all those you already ate, you little balls of teeth!”

Johann gave up trying to pick and chose bones, so he just reached out with his mind to the whole bone pile.It felt like he was trying to pick up a pack of noodles without the box to keep it together. There were so many sets of bones he couldn’t hold them all. But he just had to get a hold of enough of them to turn the table on these damnable creatures. If he can’t then he’s just going to end up another pile of bones in their little yard of death.

There was a sharp impact at Johann’s back and he went tumbling down the steep slope right into the bone pit. While all his concentration was on getting the skeletons to get up and start moving his grip on the flash light loosened. That caused it fall clattering into a sharp cluster of bones. Thanks to the way the light landed it shown up at an angle. It was as if to mock him for his efforts. The steep piles of trash were illuminated like towers putting on show the Monstrous Moles as the Kings of the pit. They’re eyes even had an eerie yellow tint in the light as their head all looked down at the interloper. He could almost feel their malice. As if they were telling him they are the stars of the show, and he’s just an appetizer.

Teeth and claws descended on the residence of the pit causing a horrible clatter when bones ricketiest off each other. The impact was terrible and a number of smaller skeletons were destroyed in the first strike. But their bellies were impaled by some of the sharp broken bones. Some Moles slowed while others remained terribly vicious. Their bites were enough to sheer off legs and arms. But the skeletons outnumbered them. The sounds echoed in the silent woods and carried along the river.

Squirrel bones charged up a humanoid leg and leapt out a rib cage going for the eye of one mole. But it closed the eyes and tilted the head while gnawing on a tuff femur bone, before it shattered. The squirrel clung to the head and bit savagely at the eye lid and bits of flesh and other material fell out the back of the jaw bones. Even this little warrior was doing something.

A medium sized dog bones lunged biting at the neck of a mole, but the neck was too thick. The mole rolled over the dog bones while pulling a leg off with a combined bite and claw attack. But it was clung onto by the partial upper body of a goblin bones. That slowed it enough for a human skeleton with one leg to hop and land clinging to the moles neck. And the human boney fingers scratched at the neck and the mouth bit like a wild animal at the neck.

One mole with a chunk of a helmet sticking out of its head was slamming into the bone creatures with amazing success. It seemed shorter and thicker than the other beasties. But it was distinguished with some metal plates, and hefty thick tools layering its body. Like this creature was dipped in a glue and rolled around on a work bench full of tools. Drill bits, pliers, pipe wrench, and a whole host of other things could be made out like it fused with the hide. Those short legs were powerful and it was ripping apart stuff by making strafing attacks. Much like a car would speed up and make a glancing blow off a building. Except in this case the metal was ripping chunks off the skeletons. Fingers and arms were getting stuck and torn off from the tools. It would trample and bite smaller animal shaped skeletons.

Johann was making progress with thinning down the hostile numbers. Two fell in moments, but the loss in his bone soldiers was significant. In a matter of moments he lost two thirds of everything he was controlling. Again he reached into the pile of bones and tried to pull out more undead from it. He almost lost one like picking up a ball of lead in the spaghetti noodles. His control slid and dwindled, but he released some of the numerous easy bone bodies to get a hold of this one. To his shock it was actually an insect almost twice the size of the moles. He animated a type of giant Ant. It had mandibles that were damaged and the body was incomplete but this was very intimidating. Finally things were looking up.

The giant ant was used to assault some of the Moles that were already at a disadvantage. Clearing out the easy kills will help him focus efforts on the very destructive opponents. But while he was focusing on this he had to start running from another two moles that broke free a moment later. Luckily the short stout one was slower, but the other one seemed to have thin sharp objects poking out from it’s skin. Like it was gathered metal from a farmers shed. Sharp picks and points along with a few blades were visible before Johann made a break for it. The walls were too steep for him so he started to skirt the end of the pit like a Nass car with a flat tire. His injured leg continued to dribble blood as he hobbled the ring of the pit. And every time he passed a hole that lead into the dark earth he panicked a little more. It felt like a sick game of Russian Roulette and he was the ball. If he stopped the mole would bite him or worse, but he has no idea how many more of these things there are. Every hole has the potential of another one of these little bustards popping out for a bite.

The bone ant would pinch one of the necks and without much resistance it would work the mandibles back and forth until the head was sheared off. And so it continued mole after mole. The undead were being picked apart, and a few more would join the fight only to be cut down shortly thereafter.

After a few more minutes Johann was really gasping for air, but the strategy was proving effective. He simply had no stamina to keep up with it. To make matters worse the bone pile was starting to become useless. He has already animated almost everything in the pit. These things are just fucking stupid. What bastard hero let shit like this go until it is this much of a problem. Johann could actually make out the highlight again from this blasted Quest Item. He decided at least he should be able to reach it on the next lap around the pit. Maybe it will be enough to throw the fight entirely in his favor.

Part way around the pit something struck Johann from a blind spot. For a couple of moments he felt a sharp pain. But that pain faded before he could stop rolling on the ground. When he looked up another mole showed up. One new mole that was covered in nothing but darkness, and its eyes gleamed red with the absence of the flash light. As if the night was a cloak, and it carried around the shade with it. The light from the flash light seemed to be dimmer around that mole.

“What the fuck are you? WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?” Johann was ready to have a heart attack if not from that alone but when he tried to retreat on his ass he quickly discovered his leg has not just gone numb but he couldn’t use it at all below the knee. Even his pants leg was cleaved off and he had a gaping wound like he kicked a big knife. But he couldn’t feel it.

His mind panicked and the nearest skeleton was sent head on to intercept this mole while Johann back peddled toward the Quest item. Reaching into the bone pile there wasn’t much left, but he animated it anyway. The bone ant was still trying to finish off the last 2 moles, so the left over fodder was being sent into the new mole. Johann’s only thought was

It Is a Fucking Ninja!!!

The Night Shade Mole would dodge with minimal movements and counter attack at openings.

The bone ant was still working the mandibles back and forth on the neck of the heavily armored mole and it was screaming some bloody murder sounds. But fuck those moles they were killing shit anyway. A little bone creature the size of a Chihuahua was sent over to dig out the quest. He could still feel the bone squirrel and he sent it after the flashlight. He hobbled and crawled, stumbling toward the quest item. The numbing of his body was making it ever harder. His uninjured leg was already starting to go numb and was failing to respond normally.

Just then part of a bag came out of the ground. It was small like a shaving case. Promptly the dog dislodged it and started to drag it over for Johann. And the light in the area dipped to shine at 90 degrees instead of straight up. With bounds and jumps the squirrel was well on its way too.

There was only the sound of crunching when Johann looked back to see the Night Shade Mole sheering threw one of the bone ant’s legs. The poor ant tried to out run the mole and at least obstruct it when the mole veered over to bite and chew shaving off the bottom 2 feet of the front leg.

Grabbing the flash light Johann panned the light to see the threat and the Quest box. But in doing so he noticed a few more undead he didn’t consider. They have also changed color and he reached out and animated them too. It was a slight strain, like picking up weights you’re not use to.

The Night Shade mole took a quick glance as a lot of small legs and small feet came pitter patter in its direction. The nearly dozen other moles that were defeated were all charging in for the kill.

With no delay there was a flailing of claws and teeth. The fight was terrible and a couple of animated moles died swiftly. But Johann was getting very familiar with their tactics. So to skew the fight in his favor he was going to sacrifice the body of the heavily armored mole to get the opportunity to kill or heavily injure this Night Shade Mole.

There was only a slight hiccup because of the sheer speed and cunning of the back mole but he still behaved like an animal. It was a little more difficult than expected, and the bone Chihuahua was actually thrown at the mole to get that opportunity. But the Night Shade Mole had its rear right leg hobbled, followed by its front left leg. And as the pressure was put on the bone ant was able to get a couple of attacks in shaving off a chuck of its body, before getting a bite on the skull bone. While the neck attack failed the ant was able to pick up the mole as it was gutted by the other undead.

Johann could finally take a sigh of relief and open up the small box to find out what this quest item is.

Inside he found a number of things. Some he didn’t understand what it was, but he was familiar with cash, and there was a hard drive wrapped in plastic inside a plastic bag. A small stack of hundred dollar bills, cigars, and a cigar cutter are crammed inside. But the quest item ended up being stuck in the bottom of the bag. It was a ring. The ring is a thick gaudy gold ring.

Well what the hell? This is way too big for my fingers, and is this a treasure box or something that people hid for a reason?

His body was feeling even rougher than moments before. His undead helped him out of the hole and he used them to get his failing body out. The belt he normally used was wrapped around his leg like a tourniquet. And by using brute force the undead were used to infiltrate the building.

No more monsters were found in the building, but several human skeletons were there. They seemed to be ambushed in the building and eaten alive. They were animated because he was getting desperate to have some human help. From there they carried him around as the building was looted. Other than a cash drawer and personable belongings that were valuable he left everything else. He was starting to panic as his arms were going numb and limp. But he wasn’t going to die here, of that he was certain.

The squirrel he kept with him as a mobile flashlight. The bone ant and some of the other big things were put on the trailer and the tarp was used to cover it up. The human skeletons were his personal attendants in the car. His leg was wrapped and they kept pressure on it. One controlled his head facing forward while he sat in the middle of the seat. This way he could see to drive. Sort of. And the last humanoid skeleton he used to drive the car. Johann laughed at the sick way the quest put him in this situation. For an on looker this has to be a total nightmare. But for him it is his last ditch effort. He needs help, maybe a hospital, but is there a chance he could get in one without anyone else showing up to kill his undead. These little fellows are his trip to safety. Quietly he was laughing at the horror of the moment as a few tears streamed down his cheek. A bony finger was used to wipe away the loose tears.

Two bone hands guided his head left and right so he could see where the car is going. He couldn’t help but wonder. Is this sad? Or should he be happy he survived?

It was slow but Johann was making his way home… Under remote control…

To be continued….