Quest Update: 6 of 12 Malignant Goblins remaining.
Now that combat was over, my eyes could finally take in the devastation around us. Nearly every other building was on fire, billows of smoke swirling uncaringly to the sky above. What was once a sight of serenity and familial bonds had changed to a hellscape. Numerous bodies were littered in front of many of the shops like some carelessly discarded trash. My heart ached, but I steeled my will. That would need to come later. The ache and a simmering boil of rage gave way to that of confusion. The goblins only fought with tooth and nail. Not one gave any indication that they could bring magical energies to bear. That meant that Duke had been the cause of the fires, but the question as to why went unspoken and unanswered, at least for the time being.
In the seconds it took to take in my surroundings, my mana, which had been sitting at just seventeen, ticked up a few points. Given the ferocity of the battle with these six creatures, I was thankfully uninjured, having regenerated the couple of points I had lost from the goblin’s nails that had racked across my chest. It had not been able to penetrate my armor so hadn’t broken the tender flesh below. A new message popped up in my vision, now that I had been out of combat for a period of time. The message was an interesting one and hinted at the usefulness of the system and the new tools at my disposal.
Congratulations! New Skill Unlocked: Dual Casting.
You have gained the ability to cast two spells simultaneously. Mana cost will be 2 times the combined mana cost of the spells minus n%, where n equals skill level. Spell damage will be 1.5 times the combined spell damage plus n%, where n equals skill level. Further, when used in combat, some spells can be combined to create new and interesting effects. Note – Only spells requiring one hand to complete the somatic gestures can be dual cast.
“That’s a useful ability,” I said to Stella as I read the description of my new skill. “Seems like it can cause quite the punch if that last firebolt had anything to say about it.”
Stella nodded at my words. “At level one, it doubles the mana needed to cast the two spells individually. So, with your firebolt, casting the spell back-to-back would cost ten mana and would do thirty-six points of damage. When dual cast, the combined mana cost becomes twenty and will do a whopping fifty-four points of damage.” Stella must have seen some hesitation cross my face as she said this last part. “I see what you’re thinking, but hold on. Casting via dual casting does use a lot more mana, but it greatly increases your damage potential.”
“Wouldn’t I do more damage overall casting firebolt four times? That would add up to the twenty mana points of just using dual cast once, right?” I asked.
“Yes, casting firebolt four times would cause over seventy points of damage, but it would take you at least seven seconds to cast it perfectly. Remember, the spell has a one-second cast and cooldown time. So, your damage per second, or DPS as most call it, is just over ten for this amount of time.” I could tell Stella was excited as she continued, “Now, in comes dual casting. For twenty mana, with just a single second cast time, you will do fifty-four damage, or… fifty-four DPS. That lowers, of course, with the cool down if you wanted to cast again, but at the cost of more mana, you will be doing so much more damage per second. And, it only gets better as this skill gains levels.”
She was right, of course, I mused. “So, if I have the opportunity to cast spells at my leisure, casting the spell back-to-back is more efficient, but takes longer. When in a dire situation though, where every second and each point of damage can be the difference between life and death, dual casting allows me to put out more damage far faster.”
“Exactly right.”
“Thanks for helping me break that down, Stell,” I said as I pulled up the next message waiting for my attention. Dual casting wasn’t something I could do a lot of right now with my now measly-looking mana pool of seventy-five points, but would come in handy for sure. Plus, the new skill being awarded, would help if I ever got too low on mana.
Congratulations! New Skill Unlocked: Axes.
You have gained the ability and proficiency to use all types of axes. While using an axe, gain plus 2% damage and plus 1% attack speed per skill level.
“There we go,” I said, swinging my axe far easier than just a minute ago. “Now it doesn’t feel like I’m trying to move around half-drunk.” The damage bonus of the axe skill wasn’t much, but, like with everything, it will grow in power with time and practice. Plus, the handling of the weapon came more intuitively. It was as if the proper way to hold the weapon and align my body while moving had been downloaded directly into my memory.
Experience Awarded: [Malignant Goblins] x 6 (level range 2 to 4)
Level Up! You have earned enough experience to advance to level two. You have 7 attribute points to distribute. Fight well, Hunter! Slay all that stand in your path!
Congratulations! [Minor Firebolt] has increased to level 2.
Congratulations! [Axes] has increased to level 2.
Congratulations! [Minor Restless Slumber] has increased to level 2.
Congratulations! [Dual Casting] has increased to level 2.
After reading the level-up notification, a golden light poured down upon me, covering my entire body. Arching my back, my eyes closed as the sudden influx of radiant energy was absorbed by every cell in my body. It felt like standing under a full day’s worth of warmth and brilliance from the sun after having been in darkness for months. It was exhilarating as the energy coursed through me, bringing a sense of utter relaxation and refreshment that filled every square inch of my body. After a moment that seemed to last minutes, the light disappeared, and my awareness returned to my surroundings. Checking my character sheet, my mana, health, and stamina had been completely restored.
“That was incredible. Does that happen every time I level?” I asked, a smile still beaming brightly on my lips as I reflected back on the feeling.
“Sure does, it removes most negative conditions that can be inflicted on you.” As Stella’s words reached me, a soft spike of panic hit me when I recalled that these goblins could inflict such an affliction. Seeing my panic, she continued. “Don’t worry, you didn’t contract anything and, even if you did, the level would have removed it. Only incredibly powerful curses and the like wouldn’t be removed so you don’t have anything to worry about just yet."
“How much experience do I need to reach level three?” I asked, already looking ahead to the next one.
“Hah, wanting more already? No worries, you only need a total of three thousand experience points. The last battle netted you just over a thousand, so a few more like that, and you’ll get there.” Stella replied, her eyes looking out to the burning buildings around us.
Nodding my thanks, my eyes also turned to see where we should go next. “Oh, that’s right, the message said I had attribute points to distribute.” Pulling up my character sheet, I saw that I had seven points to spend. A ‘plus’ symbol was next to each of the seven attributes listed there. “This early, I probably couldn’t go wrong adding more to my constitution even though we didn’t really take much damage against these goblins, but that luck won’t hold out forever. Hmm. Likewise, my intelligence will impact how powerful my spells are… So, what do you think? Putting all of my points into constitution and intelligence for now?”
“It would seem wise. We obviously have six more goblins to defeat, not to mention whatever that hidden objective is. I’d say go for it.” Getting the thumbs up from Stella, so to speak, the decision was made.
Using the interface, I put 3 points into constitution and the last 4 points into intelligence. That brought my health pool to 105 and my mana pool to 115. Just that single level made me that much more durable and stronger for my fights to come. I still had six more goblins to take out before the quest ended, so I needed to keep moving.
Looking back to the goblin’s corpses, I remembered that each could have loot on it. Checking the nearest, a loot window appeared showing that the goblin had a single silver coin and several copper coins. Interestingly, as I transferred the coins to my inventory, the total coins moved to a specific section. I wouldn’t need anything to carry the coins which was welcomed since I only had a pair of tiny pockets on my leather pants. Pulling out a coin, each was as large as one would expect, about the size of a thumbnail. Turning it over in my hand, one side of the coin carried the likeness of the current king, or so my dad had told me, and the other had an aerial view of our continent. After checking the six bodies, I ended up with a total of forty-four copper and twelve silver coins.
Beyond the coins, I did find a minor healing potion on the highest-level goblin. Inspecting it, the system informed me that it would restore twenty-five health immediately upon drinking it. Even though I had a healing spell, the potion could be a blessing if mana ever became an issue. The potion was a tiny vial, about the length and width of a finger, and the liquid within had the appearance of blood but flowed swiftly when I moved it around. It was the perfect size, so I placed it into a pant pocket for easy access later.
In order to loot, I had to regrettably touch each disgusting creature in turn. When I was finished, specks of their blood which was a sickly-green and tacky substance with the consistency of a syrup, dotted my hands. Taking a moment to wipe my hands on the ground, I quickly found the activity to be futile. Not even shaking my hands out worked, with a few drops nearly landing on Stella’s dark fur, much to her dismay. Thankfully though, there wasn’t any indication that I had become infected so there was that, at least.
Kneeling over the final goblin, my eyes peered out, trying to figure out which building contained my parents' shop. The fire was still greedily rampaging the town and had even leaped to a few adjacent stores. There, my parents' store was just a block down. As we walked, dread began to fill my veins as worry wormed its way through my intestines. The building wasn’t on fire, but as we got closer, it was clear that the store hadn’t gone undisturbed. Sprinting the rest of the distance, I could only hope I wasn’t too late.
That deep fear was realized, however, as I fast approached our front door. The windows flanking on either side were smashed in and several hunched forms were moving awkwardly within. The shop was surprisingly dark for this time of day. My father always had plenty of magical light to brighten the store. He had explained how he wanted a warm and welcoming greeting to anyone gazing in. So, when the rough, animal-like grunts greeted my staring eyes, terror gripped the corners of my heart.
The creatures were not moving with any sense of urgency like they had when I was first spotted earlier. The sound of something feasting on flesh froze the blood in my veins. A passing thought shot through my mind. My parents, at this time of day, would have only been in the store. They would have been cleaning and preparing goods, like they always did. There was nowhere else they could have been. My mind didn’t want to acknowledge it, but with each passing second the truth came crashing down. The door was broken inwards, shards of glass strewn everywhere. It was like a great beast the size of a horse had kicked it inwards. With soft, measured steps, the glass crunched beneath my soles. What I saw sent bile racing up my throat and stole my breath away. Three goblins were hunched over closely together, hungrily tearing something apart with long flourishes of their racking claws. Worse yet, another three goblins were rampaging the back of the shop. It was as if a hurricane had come through the store, countless bottles, gleaming silverware, everything my father carried littered the floor.
Even as I came within a few paces of the nightmare scenario unfolding before me, none of the creatures acknowledged my presence. With greedy, hungry maws, my family was being devoured piece by piece. Blood, the vastness, and the spray of raging rapids covered everything nearby. My parents, my family, the only life I had known in this world was being swept away in the currents of brutality. A rage, unlike anything I had ever known smothered me, overcoming any fear I could have possibly felt as I gazed down upon two people who had meant everything and, yet, nothing to me.
“Xaz…” Stella’s voice was a hint above a whisper and was edged in caution. I was only a few feet away from sharing my parents' fate. Yet, my soul refused to allow that to happen or even remotely be considered. These beasts were dead, they just didn’t know it yet.
My axe fell limply from my hands, crashing to the floor with such a noise that it sounded as if it foretold of the destruction of the world around me. My soul wanted to unleash everything upon these fiends. One of the goblins peered up at the noise, pausing its meal to investigate the sound. A bit of gristle was hanging limply from its gore-covered mouth. My intention was to cast my firebolt spell, one from each hand, perhaps even as a dual cast. Yet, my fury wouldn’t be satisfied with something so simple. Words tumbled from my lips, my hands twisting in intricate gestures with effortless grace. I wanted their world to burn, so my dark desire bloomed into the spell form. All three nearby fiends were now peering at me quizzically, dumbfounded looks scaring their wretched faces. The thought of an enemy walking so near, so casually couldn’t penetrate their simple minds in the moment before I completed my casting.
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When the last word escaped my lip, it didn’t end there. I held onto that final syllable, holding onto the sound, and turning it into an endless scream as I poured all my will into it. Mana flooded out of me. Like a great geyser that mirrored the hurricane of anguish my soul felt, a conflagration of hate was called forth. Flames, as if from the plane of fire, cascaded out of my palms. My fingers curled and quivered with the effort.
It wasn’t a firebolt, not even a fireball, that had been summoned. Instead, it was as if twin torrents of flame had been called to envelop my enemies. The flames burned scorching hot, launching across the distance to consume whatever it touched. Those three feasting goblins were the first to feel my wrath. Whatever screams they may have tried to call in that instant were drowned out by the fiery tornado that thundered into them. Within seconds, they were no more than charred husks. The last three goblins howled, their screams not loud enough to be heard, leaped over the counters and broken glass in an attempt to reach me. They didn’t make it within five feet.
My breath came in fast, ragged gasps then. Only a half-dozen or more seconds had passed before the power winked out, my mana fully depleted. Tears were streaming down my cheeks and I could barely see. Even though my spell had cut off, the pain I felt was not so easily quenched. Still, the spell had utterly annihilated them. Nothing remained, but six blackened corpses that were no longer recognizable.
Stella flew up, floating beside my face. “Well…it was a good thing I didn’t name those ones.” Her tone was light-hearted, and soft. She was trying to be cheerful, but for me, it was as if all the happiness had been drained from the world. After another second, she asked, “Xaz, are you alright?” When I didn’t answer, she glided forward a foot, looking down at the ruined bodies of my parents. “Did you know them?”
She turned, her eyes peering into mine. Worry was plain across her canine features. When she first spoke, my mind hadn't processed the words in my shocked state. Finally, her questions pierced my consciousness. Through a lump in my throat, I turned to her, “I did… They were my parents, in this world at least.” I fell to my knees just as multiple notifications popped up in my vision, but were automatically minimized.
“I’m so sorry, Xaz.” Stella glided down before me, resting her front paws on my thighs. Tears continued to rain down and, soon, Stella’s own combined with my own. My hands came forward and gently grabbed her small body. Without resistance, I cradled Stella in my chest as I buried my face in her soft, curly locks. Gentle, reassuring messages reached my suffering mind, time passing unbidden as I grieved.
An unknown number of minutes passed until I became aware once more. Stella had at some point reached her paws up to cradle my neck, her black hair slick with my tears. “Thanks, Stell,” was all that I could manage.
“Of course,” she replied. She glided back a little, stopping to hover just a foot away. She glanced down, then again to peer into my eyes, “I’m so sorry.”
Nodding in response, I wiped tears from my eyes, before standing back up. It was then that I finally took in the devastation my spell had caused. My new spell had destroyed the goblins, but also did damage to the store around them. Beyond the charred husks, blackened shelves and items were fanned out in front of me. Seeing the notification icon blinking in my vision, I mentally clicked on it, trying to take my mind away from the pain of losing my parents.
Quest Update: 0 of 12 goblins remaining.
Quest Notice! New Objective Added.
Quest – Defend the Defenseless
Objective One: Slay Malignant Goblins, 0 of 12 remaining.
Objective Two: Defeat “Gitnatch the Horrifying”
Rewards: Variable, depending on the number of surviving citizens.
Experience Awarded: [Malignant Goblin] x 6 (level ranges 3 to 5)
Congratulations! New Skill Unlocked: [Channeling]
[Channeling] You are now able to continually cast an applicable spell. Mana cost will be 3 times the base mana cost of the spells minus N%, where N equals skill level. Spell damage will be 1.75 times spell damage per second plus 3N%, where N equals skill level. Further, when used, some spell effects may create new and interesting effects.
Congratulations! New Spell Unlocked: [Minor Flamethrower]
[Minor Flamethrower] A continuous flame shoots from your hand and engulfs a cone shaped area within 25 feet, causing 22 plus 2N spell damage, where ‘N’ equals intelligence. Cost: 15 mana. Cast Time: Instant. Recast Time: N/A. Plus 1 foot maximum range, plus 4 base damage, and 2% chance to inflict burn status per spell level.
Skill: [Channeling] has increased to level 2.
Spell: [Minor Flamethrower] has increased to level 2.
Looking around, it seemed that anything non-magical had been brought to zero durability and destroyed. Only blacked and scorched items remained where dozens and dozens of items had been before the goblin attack. Still, there were several potions and likely magical items around the store that remained unharmed. Kneeling once more, I wanted to see if I could positively confirm my parent’s identity. My fear was confirmed after inspecting each body in turn and being greeted by a system prompt showing my parent’s name followed by the word ‘corpse.’ I rested a hand on each to say goodbye, when a loot window popped up. Within the window I saw little other than two wedding bands, which I promptly put in my pocket, and to my absolute surprise a magical item.
You have found: {Infused Bag of Holding}.
Taking the item out of my father’s inventory, I inspected the item fully, this time noticing the word ‘soul bound’ had been attached to its description. The bag was about a foot tall and wide. The material was incredibly soft, almost like it was made up of the most delicate fur imaginable. It was a dark blue, so much so that it was almost black. As I held it, it had almost no weight.
{Infused Bag of Holding} (Soul bound). Quality: Exceptional. Rarity: Legendary. Type: Bag. Durability: Indestructible. Properties(s): This magically infused bag appears to be no different from a medium-sized coin pouch. However, the interior connects to an extradimensional space and is considerably larger than its outward appearance would suggest. The bearer of the bag will be able to transfer items inside and out seamlessly, regardless of the size. The bag can hold up to 500 pounds, not exceeding a volume of 100 cubic feet. The bag weighs 1 pound, regardless of its contents.
“My dad had this?” I asked, shock and confusion evident in my voice. “How? When did he get this?” Finding the bag had come as a complete surprise. Never had I seen it before today, at least that’s what was what my years of memories told me as I tried vainly to recall ever laying eyes on it. No matter how hard I tried, I simply could not recall this ever being in his possession.
“Bags of holding are actually quite common,” Stella said as she glided to hover inches away as I handled the bag. She eyed it up before nodding. “Well, at least for merchants. For a Hunter, they are nearly impossible to find in their first world, though it can happen with some luck. From what I know, all merchants are granted a bag of holding to help store their wares and goods. Sure, you’ll find things on shelves, which can be stolen, but when a Hunter wants to buy something, the System pulls up an inventory window that peers directly into the merchant’s bag of holding.”
Stella made eye contact with me before placing a paw on the bag. Amazement was clear in her expression, “This is unheard of, at least for someone of your level. First, it’s soul bound to you. It doesn’t work that way for Hunter’s lucky enough to actually nab one. It can be stolen like any other item they possess. Typically, it comes from a high-level quest reward or from like a treasure chest buried deep beyond some high-tier boss monster. Second, they are never this good. This is a legendary tier item. The amount of storage you have here is like… the power of a maxed flare spell against a candle. I wouldn’t expect something of this quality until well beyond new Hunter worlds.”
“The only thing I can think of here is that you could only loot this item because it came from your in-game father. One day, when you would have taken his place, running this store, it would have been given to you. The Game likely considers this essentially like an heirloom item. No Hunter can possess this or get it off a merchant’s body. That's why it’s very rare for a Hunter to kill a merchant NPC. They would lose access to it. No one can take this from you, no one can destroy it, and no one can access it unless you wish them to. This is an incredible item, Xaz.”
“That it is,” I said when Stella finished speaking. While my in-game parent and I were not actually related, we had memories that spanned almost eighteen years together. If I could, this bag would stay with me and allow me to carry a part of them with me. “Thanks, Dad.”
Playing around with the bag, I quickly found that it attached seamlessly to my belt, connecting magically like two magnets snapping together. Moving around the store, no matter what I did, it wouldn’t come off unless I intentionally tried to remove it. “That’s not going anywhere. Okay, Stella, let’s see what else we can find before moving out.”
Checking out each dead goblin rewarded me with an additional 67 copper and 23 silver pieces. I also found several additional potions, including a new mana potion. The mana potion was similar to the healing potions in that it restored 25 mana when taken. I then took time to carefully inspect the entire store, looking for anything that was not completely destroyed.
You have found {Minor Potion of Healing] x 2, {Potion of Healing}, {Minor Mana Potion} x2, {Mana Potion}, and {Ring of Constitution +1}.
Knowing that my father also had a small safe built into the floor in the back room, I collected an additional 4 gold pieces, 47 silver pieces, and 87 copper pieces. The coins went into my inventory and automatically stacked with each other. Those would help in the coming days as my supplies were very limited at the moment.
The ring granted a single constitution point and, after placing it on a finger, a small surge of energy expanded outwards to my body. Feeling a bit healthier, my new health total reached 115 points, the same as my mana.
{Ring of Constitution +1} Quality: Average. Rarity: Uncommon. Type: Ring. Slot: Finger. Durability: 500/500. Properties(s): Plus 1 constitution.
Random odds and ends that were not destroyed were scattered around the shop, all others being non-magical. Some went into my bag, while others I equipped onto my character. I added a dark brown, hooded cloak, as well as a leather belt that improved my armor class by one point. Equipping the belt didn’t change any appearance from the one that had appeared earlier, but at least it gave a little more protection. With only a final glance at the store, and my parent’s bodies, we left the shop. Only the final goblin needed to be put down. The wrath I had felt earlier had dropped to a simmer but was still ready to boil over if I wasn’t careful. A boss fight was not something that should be taken lightly, so with a deep breath I promised myself to not lose my cool in this next engagement.
Stepping away from the store, I found myself once again alone. Nothing stirred and many of the fires had put themselves out. Many of the buildings were damaged beyond repair, but I had only eyes for either Duke or the goblin boss. Stepping down the road, no sound greeting our passing, other than the soft blowing of the wind and the occasional crackling of fire. The day was still quite beautiful though the scent of death and burning wood dampened that somewhat. With a glance over my shoulder, I looked back upon where we had first ambushed the group of goblins, a few hundred feet behind us now. Their broken forms lay unmoving.
Bringing my attention back, we moved along the edge of the road and occasionally looked into a shop front, some with their doors crashed inwards, or at others now a smoldering ruin. The boss had to still be around, thanks to the updated quest notification, so it was only a matter of time before we found it. Hopefully, we saw it before it saw us. I also felt more and more that Duke was no longer in town. The place was too quiet. From what I could gather, Duke must have come in fast and hard, trying to find Stella. Not finding her, he appeared to have left just as quickly. That was for the best, I knew, at least for now. I was wholly unprepared to take on an experience Hunter. I was only level two after all. Who knew how high he was? Holding my axe tightly, ready for anything, we went from shop to shop, my eyes always open.
My mana bar caught my eye and it was abysmally low, having only naturally regenerated a small amount. My MP had regenerated a few points and I was sitting at just 26, or roughly 17% of my maximum total. Considering how useful my spells had been with the goblins, it was best that I was best prepared for the boss fight as I could. So, without another thought, I pulled out a pair of minor mana potions and chugged them down. The potions were actually quite refreshing and had a sugary taste with a bit of peppermint dashed in. I tossed the empty bottle back into my inventory thinking I could probably make use of it down the road. Restoring 50 additional mana points, I jumped up to 66% mana. That should do. I was regenerating about one mana point every three seconds. I would have to ask Stella later how that was determined, but we had greater things to worry about right now.
The further we walked through town, the more worried I became. Where was everyone? It was as if every soul had up and vanished. Sure, I could have gone into one of the buildings that hadn’t burned to the ground, but I thought it unlikely the boss would be in one. Or, if he had, I doubt he would be moving around as quietly as we were. If anyone was alive, they were likely hiding themselves as they had no defense against even the lowliest monsters. We only had a small part of town to check out, so if the boss was still around, we would find him soon. It was either that or if he left, I would assume my quest would get updated.
“Stella,” I whispered as she floated silently nearby. My eyes were doing their best to soak up every possible sign of movement around us. “Any idea where this boss is?”
“No, unfortunately,” Stella said in a voice just above a whisper. When she suddenly gasped loudly beside me though, I flinched and stopped firmly in fright. “Damn, sorry. That reminds me. You do have a map that you can access, though it won’t show mobs on it until you’ve inspected them. If you want, I could also have a mini-map show up in your vision.”
“Please, that would be helpful,” I said as soon as my heart stopped pounding in my chest. “Though do try to be careful to avoid scaring the wits out of me. I thought you spotted this boss charging at us or something.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” she said apologetically. With that, a small square map appeared at the top right of my vision. It was easy to manipulate with a thought and I set it to rotate as I moved, instead of the north-south setting it had started with. I was able to zoom in and out with a mental command. I ended up having it show about two hundred feet out, wide enough to see the road and any nearby building.
It wasn’t long until we started finding villagers. Unfortunately for us, they were no longer breathing. Moving closer, we found bodies torn apart as if something had literally ripped off arms and legs. It was horrifying. Others had jagged tears in their flesh and what looked like large bite marks. We were close and based on the size of the wounds, whatever it was, it was likely twice as large as the goblins we had already faced. That was an intimidating thought. Stella and I made eye contact, her expression must have been matching mine perfectly. Neither of us was looking forward to whatever was capable of this level of cruelty.
We were about to come around a bend in the road, so I eyed up my mana. It must have filled up to full at some point. Ready as I would ever be, we stealthily crept around the corner. It was then when we saw him, and my imagination of what we were going to face was not disappointed.