As we walked, Stella and I exchanged playful banter. We seemed so akin in mind and spirit that it was as if we had always been together, yet only now finding the other. We were better for it; of that I had no doubt. Stella’s spirited, innocent-like nature balanced out my suspicious nature. Back on Earth, I was not one to place trust in others lightly. It seemed as if I was always hiding a part of myself from the world, in a way fearing how I may be judged by others. That past life, I reminded myself, was over with. This world, my Hunter status, was not going anywhere anytime soon.
My eyes looked up to the sky to judge the time. “Maybe two or three o’clock,” I muttered under my breath. It was shocking how much had already happened from only earlier this morning. Returning to the stone path before us, my mind returned to my present situation and with Stella.
My principles and core beliefs kept me centered in my past life, so I affirmed to myself to bring those guiding values here in my new life. In the single day we had been together, Stella had tapped into a part of me that I was eager to let out. I wanted to do right by others. I wanted to help those who could not do so for themselves and, with everything I had gained, I was capable of it now. Whatever my life had been on Earth, along with this imposed existence of being a non-player character before meeting Stella, I finally felt truly free. My life was mine alone, and I intended to live it. It was like I had been waiting for this moment my entire life.
Reaching up to my shoulder, I patted Stella on the head. “Thanks, Stell.”
“For what?” she asked not knowing the reason for my show of appreciation, though she clearly enjoyed the affection as she leaned into the pat.
“For bringing the best out of me,” I said. “You rescued me and now, I get to be the person I had only dreamed of becoming.
“What’s that?”
A glimmer of what could have been a tear appeared under an eye, “A hero.” Glancing to my shoulder, Stella smiled a special smile and nodded back at me.
“You’re welcome,” she replied.
We walked for several miles in silence, simply enjoying the warm sun shining down on us. The landscape around us slowly changed from a sparse woodland to grassland with a rare independent tree, and finally to farmlands. People were out tilling fields, working with livestock, and gathering wild berries. A pair of children waved in our direction, and we waved back. I was happy to see that the townsfolk thus far were not bothered by my, and most notably Ripley’s intimating presence. Over the crest of a hill, a sprawling village was laid bare before us. My eyes scanned the horizon, nodding at the lack of any smoke or fire plumes.
I ordered Ripley to keep her face and body hidden as best as she could and to follow behind me by two steps. I would be taking the lead and wanted to keep attention away from her, though a part of me already registered that the villagers were not scared of her in the slightest. Still, it was a good idea to be careful. Not only that, but our enemy could be within. “Let’s be ready. Duke could be here, though based on the fact nothing is on fire, I think we’ll be alright. Ripley, please stow your sword, but at any sign of an attack be ready to defend me.”
The houses began to cluster close to one another now. Each was wooden in nature with tiled roofs that appeared to be in relatively good condition. Care and thought went into maintaining everything we saw. People took pride in their lives here which had me smiling. While the houses were all single-story and plain, each had an appeal of the base joy an honest life could bring. The vibe of the area was alluring. There were good people, that was evident everywhere I looked.
My eyes darted from person to person with me doing my best to try to be innocuous. If we found Duke, I wanted to be the one to notice him first. The last thing I needed was a Hunter of unknown power getting the first strike. Everyone who made eye contact with us gave a wave and a good-natured greeting. Neighbors laughed to one another, giving our passing band little thought. It was as if our arrival was an everyday occurrence and not something to be fearful of.
As we ventured deeper, the homes around us were growing bigger, with several two-story dwellings, and an occasional one being made of blocked stone. Lawns were well maintained, and an occasional guard could be seen standing at attention. I started to wonder how everyone we saw reacted positively to us so inquired of Stella, “When we cleared out the gnoll cave, there was a system message that said we gained a positive reputation for everyone in Nemmil, is that’s why everyone is so nice to us?”
Stella confirmed my thought, “Yes, the System is able to seamlessly modify how everyone who resides in the town sees you positively. We don’t know the exact reputation level, but based on what we are seeing, I’d say we are on a friendly level. That will help with any interaction, possible quests, and perhaps even a discount at town merchants.”
A part of me was disturbed that the System could so easily adjust a person’s mind, but with our plan to find Duke’s whereabouts, it was going to come in handy. This was another aspect of my new life I would have to come to terms with. We entered an area that was patrolled more heavily by guards who traveled in trios, plate mail shining brightly next to their long pikes. By the sound of people hawking out their wares, we had found ourselves in the merchant quarters.
“Stell, how many people reside in Nemmil? Do you know?” I asked. We passed by vendors selling fruits and vegetables as I was more interested in finding weapons and armor.
“Checking, just a moment,” Stella said before her paws waved in the air in front of her. “Nemmil is a medium-sized settlement that houses approximately eight-hundred fifty residents. The System lists quite a few merchants around town, ranging from armorers to bowyers, alchemy shops to even a magician’s hovel. Oh, nice,” Stella exclaimed. “I do see there is a necromancer’s shop, so we’ll definitely want to stop there. Finally, the town is listed as being able to accommodate Hunters between levels five to ten. The wilderness has mobs ranging in similar levels.”
“Awesome, thanks. Can you lead us to the necromancer’s store first?” I ask excitedly. The thought of getting a hold of new spells tasted like candy in my mind. “I’d like to increase our spell repertoire. Then we should get to an arms and armor shop to gear up Ripley.”
Stella swiped her paw in the air a few times, clearly navigating the System interface that only she could see before a transparent glowing line showed up on the mini-map in the corner of my vision. The shop wasn’t too far away so we trotted onwards.
My earlier apprehension about having a pet skeleton entering alongside me proved unfounded. Even the guards cared little, their eyes hovering over me and Ripley in turn before returning to everyone else around us. Ripley was all but ignored by the townsfolk for which I was grateful for. Other Hunters could no doubt have minions and pets of their own, so why would mine be any different? The one time Ripley’s presence seemed to matter was when a group of children playing with a leather ball came running towards us after the loose toy, lightly bumping into my minion’s legs.
“Oh, sorry, ma’am,” the child said without the slightest trepidation. The boy looked to be no more than nine years old. Ripley paid him no mind, her shining red eyes moving like the guards did, trying to find any possible threat, though nothing further from that presented itself thus far. After that, the boy ran off with a laugh after kicking the ball before continuing with the game that we had accidentally stepped into the middle of.
Our glowing guide on the map showed the shop we wanted was a little way ahead of us. The shop was made of thick timbers with shuttered windows. A small “N” was carved above the doorframe and, beyond that, there was no indication as to the store’s purpose. My map flashed yellow an instant as I reached the threshold of the closed door, the glowing line vanishing from sight. The shop was similar to those around it, though was half again as wide as the others. Being so close to the door, a faint odor of something I couldn’t place came from within. It wasn’t a revolting smell or anything like that, but it wasn’t pleasant either.
The heavy wooden door moved inwards easily after turning the handle. A dark-robed figure stood with a welcoming smile behind the wooden counter lined with potion bottles and scrolls. The evenly spaced windows were all shuttered close, but blades of light shone in to illuminate the room fully. A skylight centered in the middle of the room brightened everything further. The walls held countless shelves that contained all manner of items. Tomes, armor pieces, staves, and not to mention a wide variety of bottled ingredients covered every square inch of the place.
The shopkeeper beckoned us inside before uttering in a deep voice, “Hail and welcome, Hunter. This is my store, Afrazz’s Wicked Wonders.” The man’s silver gaze held a weight to them that bespoke confidence. He gave a subtle bow and eyed me intently. “Ah, I see that you are a fellow practitioner of the darker arts, I see. How can I be of service, young necromancer?”
Shock must have registered on my face as Afrazz nodded in acknowledgment of my expression, he was well aware of my tier one Hunter class. I supposed it made sense that merchants of the same class type would be able to identify a Hunter with simply a look, though I wondered if every merchant could be able to determine my class with so easily. I suspected they wouldn’t be able to. That was a question for another time though. Before responding I inspected him in turn to see if I could glean any information about the interesting man.
Afrazz (Tier 1 Class - Necromancer. Tier 2 Class –UNKNOWN).
This former adventure is known wide and far by the countless number of people that Afrazz graciously supported over his long career. Fast called ‘friend’ to many, never did anyone doubt in his steadfast nature. Though a human practitioner of Necromancy, a class that typically gains notoriety, Afrazz always used his expertise to the benefit of the land and its residents. Priding himself for never hurting one who was undeserving of his ire, Afrazz has settled down and is more than happy to sell his knowledge and wares acquired over a lifetime of adventure.
Seeing the merchant was a necromancer himself had me encouraged to see some upgrades coming my way in the near future. With Afrazz being a tier higher, well that had me quite eager to learn as much as I could in our coming interactions. “Glad to meet you, Afrazz. I was hoping to browse your wares. I am most interested in necromancer spells, and equipment for myself and my skeletal minion,” I said as I gestured to Ripley. “Plus, anything else that could help me in my journeys.”
“Journeys, eh?” Afrazz responded and, as he moved closer to the counter, the scent of dozens of herbs and spices permeated the man. It was as if his dark cloak held hundreds of items within the many folds of cloth I spied as he moved. He moved fluidly and, while he appeared to be in his seventies, gave no hint of weakness or vulnerability. This was a person who was more than capable of taking care of himself and his wares, though the thought of trying to steal from the man never entered my mind. “It’s not often that I find someone who has acquired the necromancer class, so perhaps you would be willing to share a rousing tale of your adventures, yes? It has been such a long while since I had last partaken in a thrilling adventure of my own.”
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Nodding in acquiescence, I had a feeling I knew where this was going. I would be more than happy to share my tales. I was confident that he wanted to test me, in a way, to see what spells I knew and to determine how talented of a necromancer I was. Something else hid behind the man’s lighthearted smile, my gut told me. It wasn’t nefarious, of that I was sure, so I would be more than happy to oblige. “I would love to.”
Starting with the most recent, I recounted my recent battle with the twitching gnolls and the gnoll matriarch. I paid particular attention to our successful ambush on the second group of gnolls, where I shot down spell after spell to devastating effect among the knocked-out fiends, giving great detail of how my boil blood spell worked to devastating effect. Afrazz listened intently, never interrupting, and genuinely thrilled as I painted out a vivid picture of my victories over the nearby gnoll band. Afrazz seemed rather impressed and acknowledged the ‘fine choice’ of a spell when attempting to take on a large pack of enemies alone.
“A necromancer is a powerful foe to face, but without a guardian is vulnerable to counterattack. Your use of tactics against that pack was insightful and put to good use,” Afrazz said when I finished telling of my defeat of the gnoll cave. “A fine story, young initiate, and shows of your budding power.” The tier two necromancer’s eyes were bright and engaging throughout my storytelling. “I do believe I can help you grow in power as a necromancer. You certainly have great potential as a budding necromancer.
Afrazz shook his head side to side slightly as he eyed up several tomes on nearby shelves, “Though, many of my spells and equipment are only suitable for Hunters who have moved to a tier two class. Sadly, you will be limited in what I can sell to you. Once you reach your tier two class though, you are more than welcome to return and view those items.”
My hopes diminished at that proclamation. I was hoping to stock up on anything and everything I could, but that didn’t seem to be the case. It made sense, I said to myself begrudgingly. Being able to acquire spells and equipment, though you may one day be able to use them, was a balancing factor in many of the games I had played back on Earth. “I understand, anything that you have that can help me now, would be appreciated.
“I can see the disappointment in your eyes, but fret not my young friend. For indulging the curiosity of an old man, I would like to gift you the item that I received when I was starting down your current path myself.” Afrazz reached below the counter before placing a small wooden box between us. Lifting the lid, I spied a small ring. The ring was bleached white, appearing to be made of bone. Afrazz grabbed the small ring, holding it between two fingers before extending his hand in my direction. “This was given to me with the hope that I would one day pass it on to another. May it help you now, and one day I hope you help it find another on the first steps of their adventure.”
You have received: {Necromancer’s Bone Ring.}
{Necromancer’s Bone Ring}. Crafted from the bone of a long-deceased tyrant and infused with necrotic energy, this ring draws essence from the damage dealt to foes to, in turn, shield you from physical attacks. Rarity: Rare. Slot: Finger. Durability: 828/1000. Effects(s): Plus 1 intelligence, plus 1 constitution, and gain the passive effect ‘Essence Barrier’.
Essence Barrier – When an enemy suffers from your damage over time spells, 10% of the damage dealt is converted into a protective barrier that shields the wearer against physical attacks. The barrier stacks over time and lasts 12 seconds when the wearer's final damage over time spell ends.
The bone white band was unadorned, looking nothing unlike someone who carved it from a rib bone. As I moved to place the ring on a finger, the band adjusted itself to fit perfectly. A surge of energy rushed into my body as the attribute bonus took hold. The special ‘essence barrier’ didn’t do anything, I felt no different from before, but I supposed that was because it would only show once I had my spells go. “This is an incredible gift, thank you. I fear it is too much for such a small tale, though. I’m sure you’ve heard more entertaining ones a thousand times over.”
Afrazz waved away my concern, his friendly demeanor never faltering. “Do not fret, I too shared that feeling when I received that ring. You are actually the first necromancer I have seen in… oh, more than two dozen years or so. That ring has long passed beyond usefulness to me, and only a necromancer can gain its true benefits. You seem to have a bright future before you, so please accept my small gift.” He laughed as my eyes wandered to the no-doubt magical gear on the shelves behind him, “Everything else, though, you will need to pay for.”
My smile matched Afrazz’s one, “Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way. So, good sir, what wares do you have that can help propel me forward?”
Upon uttering that, an inventory window popped up in my vision. The list was rather large and expansive, though a great portion was faded out and didn’t even give me the name of the item. I would have to come back here, if I was at all able when I reached level ten. “Ask me about anything that you can identify, and I would be happy to tell you of its properties and its price.”
Even though the majority of items were blocked, the merchant had quite a few items I was keen on acquiring. What came next was enjoyable to both of us. I bantered with the old man, and he gave back in equal measure. In all, I walked out of the captivating store twenty-five gold pieces less, including all of the gold I had found within the gnoll matriarch’s chest, but it was worth every copper. I only had a handful of gold left after my shopping spree, but I figured it wouldn’t be wise to part ways with all of my funds just yet.
You received: {Novice Necromancer’s Cloth Spaulders of Befuddling}, {Novice Necromancer’s Ring of the Taunt}, {Tome of Minor Acidic Bolt}, and {Tome of Minor Scent of Decay}.
{Initiate Necromancer’s Cloth Spaulders of Befuddling}. Rarity: Rare. Type: Cloth. Slot: Shoulders. Durability: 1000/1000. Armor: 6. Properties(s): plus 2 Constitution, plus 2 Intelligence. All summoned minions and pets deal an additional 5% damage.
Secondary Effect(s): Secondary Effect(s): Hostile undead creatures are 50% less likely to notice the wearer.
The cloth spaulders were gray, lightweight yet firm to the touch. Once equipped, Stella commented how it made my shoulders look bulkier as if I had spent a few years lifting weights. The shoulders moved easily with by body and gave a modicum amount of protection. The store held a tall mirror in a corner and a friendly snicker of amusement came from Stella when I admired my new look.
{Novice Necromancer’s Ring of the Taunt}. Rarity: Uncommon. Type: Ring. Durability: 500/500. Properties: This ring allows a necromancer to magically command an undead minion to emit a shout enhanced by dark magic. A target within 30 yards is affected as if he had been struck by a warrior’s provoke ability, causing a large increase in enmity. Duration: Instant. Cooldown: 1 minute.
This ring was made out of black metal with a single blood-red ruby affixed to it on dark prongs. Immediately after equipping it, I was aware that only a simple thought would cause Ripley to shout in rage at a hostile target. It was a powerful ability, granted couldn’t be used too often in fast-paced combat, but would work wonders in ensuring that our enemies, at least the most powerful ones, would focus on Ripley. That would leave me free to layer damaging over time after damaging over time spells upon our foes.
Speaking of damaging over time spells, the tomes I had purchased would function in two roles. The first was another damage over time spell, bringing my total up to a paltry three, and were quickly learned after being purchased. The tomes were similar to those I had seen in the past and, unlike the skill book, had no chance of failure. In several seconds, new knowledge flooded my mind and core, granting me the familiarity necessary to cast both spells. Once more, I was astounded by how quickly I came to understand the required hand motions and verbal components of each new spell. It was as if the memory of each had always been there, it was simply remembered as if you suddenly recalled where you had put your misplaced keys.
[Minor Acidic Bolt]. A bolt of acid shoots from your palm striking a target within 100 feet. The target is afflicted with the debuff ‘Acidic Atrophied’ which causes the target’s muscle tissue to be saturated with an acid liquid. After 18 seconds the acid neutralizes. The spell causes 60 plus n spell damage immediately and every 6 seconds thereafter, where ‘n’ equals intelligence. Cost: 25 MP. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 1 second. Plus10 feet max range, plus 4 base damage per spell level.
Note - Necro Tier 1 - 25% harder chance to resist this spell. 100% additional base damage.
[Minor Scent of Decay]. The scent of death and decay surrounded a target with 100 feet. The spell causes no damage but lowers the target’s resistance to fire, poison, and disease by 33% of the caster’s intelligence (max 25%). Duration 5 minutes. Cost: 50 MP. Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 6second. Plus 10 feet max range, plus 20 seconds duration per spell level.
“Acidic Bolt is a fantastic spell,” Afrazz had said moments earlier, enthusiasm rippling out of him like a wave. Clearly, this man loved the nature of his spells. “Unlike other damage over time spells, such as your longer-lasting boil blood, this one has a far shorter duration. What it gives up in time, it more than makes up in raw power.” Afrazz continued, citing facts as if he were reading from a book. “The Scent of Decay is a useful debuff against your most powerful foes. At your level, you probably haven’t run into anything that could resist your spells, but as you grow so does your enemy. Cast this scent and it makes it so all of your other necromancer spells can land that much easier. While tier one necromancer’s do have an innate ability that decreases the chances of their spells being resisted, this will help ensure that bosses and elites have a harder time at it.”
Leaning forward, I drank in Afrazz’s advice greedily. The information wasn’t entirely new to me, but this was a person who had lived their life, as it was, as a necromancer in this world. I would be a fool to pass up the opportunity to learn all I could. We continued for some time, Afrazz helping clarify some of the odd nuances of my current spell list. When I inquired about the ring, he had a good suggestion on how to best put it to use against boss monsters. “Start with your taunt ability, then immediately begin casting scent of decay. The boss will focus on your minion, giving you ample time to complete the three-second cast time. Once that takes effect, weave in your damage over time spells, one after another – stacking all that you can. Keep an eye on your minion though, as it could be taking some heavy damage depending on how strong the boss may be. Eventually, you should think about acquiring a heal spell specific to her to help mitigate some of that damage.”
Feeling more confident than ever, I assured Afrazz that I would one day return to his shop with a new tale of my adventures. The man had a gentle soul that radiated his passion to help others. It was a good feeling to find someone of like mind and spirit.
Before heading out, I inquired for the merchant regarding any gear he may have that would help me armor up Ripley. Apparently, minion gear was quite common for the Hunter classes with minions. Even better, it would only cost about a quarter of the price had I found similar gear that could also be equipped by a Hunter. In all, I was able to purchase plate armor for Ripley’s chest, arms, legs, and hand slots. Each had a mixture of extra constitution and strength that brought her health to six-hundred and fifty.
What I was most excited about was the minion great sword that Afrazz had leaning against the back wall of the ship. The massive weapon was double-bladed and made her previous long sword look like a letter opener by comparison. It added two points to her strength, bringing her a single point shy of forty in that attribute. Ripley’s powerful swings with her new weapon were going to substantially increase the damage she was capable of putting out. Matched with the extra armor from her new plate armor, Ripley was going to do fine in her role as the party’s tank.
I did ask Afrazz his thoughts on Ripley eventually going down the route of a sword and shield, which he advised was something worth considering. Ripley was meant to take the brunt of the damage from our enemies, so having a shield would allow her to mitigate that much more. For now, however, Afrazz didn’t have either a long sword or shield available, so the choice was an easy one for now. He said that at my relatively low level, the best route was to give her the best gear that you had. It made sense and seeing how impressive Ripley looked, her new dusky gray plate mail increasing her already intimating presence, I knew I wouldn’t be eager to stand before her.
Even better, compared to the gold I had spent for my own stuff, equipping Ripley had only cost me an additional seventy-five silver pieces which was heaven to my ears. “More than worth it,” I had said to myself more than a few times. Stella laughed at my frugalness, of course, but it was all in good fun. Thanking Afrazz once more for his advice and assistance, I assured him we would stop again if we were ever in the area. He knew time was pressing us onwards so wished us the best of luck.
Waving a final goodbye, we left the man’s store feeling energized and ready to take on whatever came next.