I stood at the edge of the grass, the waving green stalks reaching over my head, leaving me almost completely concealed. The engine on my back rumbled and squeaked quietly, the magically muffled machine full of volatile steam, ready to explode. I peeked between the swaying flora, eyeing my target.
Nearly thirty feet away, a rogue wielding two daggers swung clumsily at the flank of a giant, seven foot tall boar, scoring a few light hits and causing rivulets of blood to coat the monster’s sides. In front of the boar stood a large orcish woman, wielding a massive tower shield and spear, harrying the massive beast with careful thrusts to its snout despite the several gore wounds across her torso and arms. Behind the pair stood a scantily clad woman, clutching a staff made of white wood. She let out an encouraging shout, before starting to cast a healing spell. A green pentagram formed at the tip of her staff, and after nearly three seconds of chanting, a burst of golden light surrounded the orc, recovering her much-depleted health.
Despite the rogue's lack of skill, the dedicated healer and somewhat skilled orc made it clear which side would emerge victorious. And slowly, ever so slowly, the time to strike approached.
The boar let out a fevered cry, before a wild kick from its hind leg sent the rogue flying. Seeing an opportunity, the boar rushed forward, taking a spear thrust to the face in exchange for slamming the orc woman away. It was almost time, but not yet. The animal turned to the healer, having finally discovered the reason for its inability to slay the frustrating foes. It charged forward, legs pounding the soft earth. Not yet... almost there...
The healer screamed a powerful warcy, bravely holding her ground, staff glowing a brilliant blue as she quickly cast a spell. Moments before the boar reached her, a blue barrier appeared in front of the woman. The boar had no time to stop, and slammed face-first against the barrier, which shattered under the immense weight of the beast. Dazed, but unable to stop its charge, the beast stumbled forward, collapsing before the shaking healer.
The rogue and orc stood, before hurrying to the boar’s side, but unfortunately for them, my target made their move. Like a trio of corpse crows, three hooded figures burst out of the brush, rushing the beleaguered warriors, curved swords drawn, each focusing on a player. With a grin, I took aim with my crossbow, targeting the downed boar. Who would notice a little kill-stealing during the middle of a PK? I pressed the trigger of my weapon, motor bursting into motion as the cogwheel pulled back the string of the crossbow, reaching the end of the cog’s teeth just as the string reached its maximum draw length. The lack of teeth sent the draw shooting forward, launching the poison-coated bolt straight for the stunned boar.
*Rat tat-tat-tat*
The crossbow sent bolt after bolt at the boar, projectiles slamming into the neck and head of the beast. I kept my hands steady, knowing it would take a few seconds, along with several more bolts, for enough poison to penetrate the monster’s system to slay it. My eyes wandered the field, watching each warrior engage in combat with the PKers. The healer kept casting barrier after barrier between her and her dwarfish assailant, praying she could buy time for her allies to reach her. The assailant, far too confident in their group’s chances of success, continued to shatter each barrier with a few sword strikes, before a new one replaced the previous.
Meanwhile, the orc put up a valiant defence against her assailant, using her spear to keep the large, lithe foe at bay, and smashing with her shield if he tried to slip past her reach. The rogue, on the other hand, was not faring as well. Soon, he was covered in sword wounds, and unfortunately, the assassin slew him before I had the opportunity to switch targets. The successful assassin turned to the orc, preparing to flank her, but the boar fell just in time for me to turn my suppressive fire his way. A slow but steady wave of bolts flew towards the assassin, two landing successfully before the fool even knew what hit him. Sadly, he was quick-witted enough to dive behind the rogue’s corpse, obscuring my sight of the target. Frustrated, sent the last two bolts at his heels before I reloaded the now-empty magazine, muttering a quick spell over the series of projectiles, and fetching a vial of green liquid, pouring the mild poison down a slot right above the bolt heads, coating the sharp metal in the nasty substance.
My moves were sloppy due to lack of practice, and though I was not spotted, the lack of fire encouraged the assassin to move from his meager cover to join his companion's attack on the orc. Flanked, and with weapons ill-equipped to handle foes at either side, the orc sustained several small cuts before I could lay down more cover-fire. This time, I switched to the cocky man busy tormenting the healer, stepping closer and closer as each barrier came slower than the last. My bolts pierced his body, causing him to turn around in surprise, leaving him wide open. And to my amusement, the healer brained the idiot over the head with her staff, knocking him to the ground. It was even funnier to watch a bolt pierce the woman’s arm, all because she dropped the foe the attack had been aimed at. I quickly switched targets again, aiming for the slowing assassin, my numbing poison doing its work. With a slightly numbed and twitchy body, the prey had little hope of dodging, and opted to flee, leaving him completely open to a powerful thrust to the back from the brave orc, who left her back open to perform the blow. This led to a deep wound being scored on the woman’s back, causing her to let out a shout of pain as she crumpled to her knees.
Fuming, I kept my aim on the fleeing assassin, knowing that taking out the intended prey would lead to another loss of potential XP. To my delight, a heal from the healer kept the orc alive long enough for the healer to place herself between the assassin, blocking blows with skillful staffwork. Three final shots, and the second foe was slain, and with my precious XP protected by the healer, I opted to not waste any more ammunition, relying on the rechargeable, if slowly, magics that I loved so much. With a pointed claw, I called upon the madness of the world, a spark of green lightning flowing from my mouth, ears and eyes to pool over the claw. I spoke words that made no sense, but still echoed with a profound power. My finger trembled in excitement as I slowly finished the five-second cast, using my most powerful, most efficient spell to take care of the foe who had no opportunity to stop my slow spellcasting. And with a final word, a glorious arc of lightning seared through the air, coating my prey in delectable madness, causing burns and vile mutations to sprout all over the man, causing him to fall limp to the ground.
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With a final whack to the head of the twitching man, The healer collapsed to her knees, letting out a tiny sob as she clutched the wounded orc. The healer was clearly out of mana, given her choice of staff defence, rather than constant barriers. I eyed the two, biting my pitted and enlarged lips, before eventually deciding to see what little I could gain from the two, before turning them into so much XP. With the flick of a safety on my hip, then another on a switch located on my leather bracer, a loud whistle rang through the surroundings, marking the release of all the steam in the machine. My backpack stopped its incessant humming, and using up the last of my magic reserves, I cast one last spell before pushing myself out of the grass, and towards my new ‘friends’. I was their saviour, after all, and no doubt they would be ever so grateful.
With long, powerful strides, my new, magicked form strode from the grass, a brilliant smile on my very human face. I crossed to the healer, who watched me with both relief, and a hint of trepidation. I offered her a hand up, which she accepted. With a small curtsy, she began introducing herself, playing the courtly woman. “Thank you, good sir. My name is Lilliath, and this is Madam Ornathel. We thank you ever so much for your assistance, Mr….?”
My smile widened, and I returned her curtsy with a stately bow. “There is no need for thanks, Madam, any gentlemen would gladly assist two beautiful women in distress. It is only to my great shame that I was unable to slay the filthy curs before they slew your companion. As to your question, my name is Nathan White, traveler and purveyor of wild and inventive gadgetry.” The woman brightened at my words, obviously relieved I was not asking for some reward. And why would I bother? It wasn’t like they would have anything to offer that wouldn’t already be mine after I killed them.
The woman turned to the orc, helping her to her feet, before casting a weak spell on the wounded woman, using up an entire six seconds to complete the chant, probably to save as much mana as possible. The orc, having recovered slightly, gave me a shaky handshake, which I returned along with a curt nod. The orc spoke up next, her surprisingly smooth voice catching me off guard. “Dear Nathan, I, too, wish to extend my gratitude for your help. Please, do not fret over Fredrick, for he is most accustomed to trips through the Sea of Chaos, having gone so far as to purchase a permanent Marker in the town, so he always knows where to go. Though I don’t wish to grow further in your debt, I must admit to experiencing severe discomfort, and would ask a boon. Could you spare a healing salve, or mana potion for my friend? I promise to repay you once I return to my home in Dulthor.”
The words were indeed off putting. Not only was the woman well-spoken, mildly pretty, but by my best guess, was actually an NPC. Otherwise, what player would waste valuable resources early on to garner a home? Well, besides those who use means beyond the monetary to convince the previous dwellers to vacate their premises. The opportunity of creating a friend with this NPC was well worth the loss of two low-leveled characters worth of XP. I didn’t have to think long, retrieving a yellow potion from my backpack. I handed it to the woman, along with a warning. “Careful, but as with all medicine, the taste is awful. It’s a personal brew, and though I am sure it will provide some healing, as well as a small dulling of pain, it may have minor unknown side effects, as I have not yet researched the ingredients in depth enough, nor tested it to a reasonable degree as to assure you of its safety.“
Despite the warning, the orc took the potion, and downed it in a single gulp. I winced at the action, knowing full well how awful it tasted. I had run out of volunteers during the hour after we acquired the farm, but only after discovering the healing property of that particular mix, and, well… I MAY have done some personal tests, just to verify its effects, given the lack of other options. And if it weren't for the decent healing factor, and lack of suitable substitutes, I would have scrapped the entire recipe.
The orc stretched as many of the wounds scabbed over, leaving only small cuts where massive wounds once remained. Nodding, the woman turned to the corpses, a feral grin on her face. “Now, Mr. White, I don’t know about you, but I find myself extremely curious as to the identities of these individuals, in addition to their belongings.” And without another word, the woman scurried to the bodies, rummaging through their pockets with extreme speed. It made me question my choice in potential allies, but then again, birds of a feather and all. With a similar smile on my face, I moved to the boar, retrieving two knives from my backpack. I hadn’t spent twenty skillpoints in the various Survival skills for nothing. And with gusto, I launched myself into the gory, if rewarding, task of harvesting all of the precious goodies such a beast provided. I also made sure to remove any and all evidence of my own involvement in the creature's death.
While busy with the VERY familiar task of skinning and harvesting from the dead beast, I took a look at the many notifications blinking on the HUD, each signaling the XP received from each kill. And as luck would have it, along with 825 XP from the players, I had gained more than 40% of the boar’s XP, as noted by the helpful little blue box that opened at my carefully worded thought.
Slain Monster: Wild Grasslands Boar, Level 6
Total XP: 1520
Contribution Percentage of
Damage Dealt: +23%
Killing Blow: +20%
Earned XP Earned: 653
And for just a moment, a keen eye would have noticed the gleam of green in my eye, and my far too wide grin, giving the lie to my human disguise. Even the most expensive of disguises had their flaws, and though mine had cost me dearly in character creation, I had to be careful, as actions similar to my true form would reveal the disguise for what it is. Fortunately, only the dead were there to notice, and dead men tell no tales.
Or do they?
Deep in the bowels of the Sea of Chaos, three black-clothed assassins cursed the empty winds, bemoaning their fate. Despite their differences, all had a new goal in mind, the finding and slaying of a certain unnamed individual, and despite their lack of knowledge, they would be stumbling across their adversary sooner, rather than later.