“What the hell was all that about?” Samantha asked getting herself up off the ground.
“Give me a minute to go over this notification. In the meantime check on everybody and regroup.” I said turning my attention to the notification.
Award: Feat: Goblin Killer Awarded for killing 1,000 Goblins Award: Feat: One Punch Awarded for killing 100 consecutive enemies with a single punch each without help. Award: Tank Awarded for taking the msot damage and surviving during an event. Award: Righteous Fury Awarded for entering an event late and immediately scoring a kill with one hit. Award: The Impossible!? Awarded for doing something that shouldn't be possible. (In this case drowning an enemy with no source of water nearby. Award: Buffer Awarded for providing the most party-wide buffs during an event. Award: The Load Awarded for contributing absolutely nothing to an event.
I couldn’t inspect the items directly from that notification, so I settled for looking at my own for now.
'I Didn't Try' Sticker Sticker 1/10 Stickers go directly into your sticker book, when you have enough you may turn it in for a reward.
I took a quick look at my status screen and a new option ‘Sticker Book’ was there. I looked over the scene the
girl was out cold, Jackie was barely upright and everybody except Heather, Amanda, Kelly and myself were visibly
wounded, Samantha, Jackie and Melissa seriously so, and a quick look at the party information told me Jackie was
down to 2 SP, and everybody else was below half. We needed to stop and rest, possibly for the night. I moved over
to the back of the wagon, most everybody was in it sitting down, the girl was laid out on the bench and Amanda
was in her bucket.
“So,” I said. “Thoughts?”
“I can’t do this,” Jackie said. “I thought I could be a good leader still, that this would just be another project to
do as a team. It’s not, it’s.” Jackie paused to compose herself. “We almost died because of me. There I said it. I’m
not fit to lead. John I concede leadership of the team to you.”
I stood there for a moment resisting the urge to do a victory dance. Now I needed to say something humble.
“Well Jackie one of the marks of a good leader is knowing when they are out of their depth and need to delegate
work. Even if that work is being the leader. I would like to keep you on as my second in command though.” I said
extending my hand towards Jackie.
“I’m to tired to shake, but yeah sure,” she replied.
“Good,” I said. “Because your first official duty as my second in command is to tell me my next idea is wrong.”
“You’re wrong,” Jackie said.
“You have to wait until I actually say it though,” I said. “I don’t see anyway around needing to stop now for an
extended break, possibly the night.”
“But I need to get to Ricky and Jackie,” Candice protested.
“But I’m right here,” Jackie said.
“Oh no no, my daughter Jackie.”
“And I need to get to Tommy and Evie,” Melissa said.
“And I need to get to Evan,” Heather said.
“The way I see it, between Beth’s healing and our potions, we can get back up to maybe 50% capacity, but that
runs us completely out of resources. Also we’ve been outside for about four hours and we’ve run into four
different packs of goblins, five if you count this event here. Needless to say we’re either going to be slowed down
by fighting goblins or by avoiding goblins, which by a generous estimation puts us at Happy Tots a little bit after
nightfall.”
“But Jackie cries if she doesn’t have her stuffed puppy with her at bedtime, and Ricky likes it when I do the
funny voices for his favorite bedtime story.” Candice said with a look of worry on her face.
“We have to face facts Candice,” I said. “We need to factor in the danger of getting there, this isn’t just a stroll
downtown. We almost just died and we can’t realistically go on right now.”
“But what if something happens?” Candice asked. “Miss Olivia is very strict about picking the kids up by five
thirty. What if she just leaves them?”
“She’s not gonna leave them Candice,” I said. “You don’t run a daycare without having a genuine love for
children. She won’t leave them, they’ll hunker down for the night and we’ll get there in the morning and everything
will be fine.”
“Candice,” Jackie said taking a moment. “As much as this pains me to say, he’s right. I wish we could get to your
kids today but simply put we can’t. It’s too dangerous to travel at night right now and you’re no good to your
children if something bad happens to you.”
“You’re sure?” Candice asked looking like she was about to start crying.
“Candice,” I said looking directly into her eyes, a dangerous proposition considering she had literal puppy-dog
eyes now. “If I thought there was even an outside chance of getting there safely before nightfall I’d say keep going.
I’m not some evil bastard that wants something bad to happen to your children so I can cackle evilly in the
background. I want you and your kids to be reunited safely.”
“And we can’t just stop here anyway,” Jackie said. “We’ll have to do at least some traveling still before we find
somewhere safe to stay for the night.”
“OK,” Candice said brushing the formation of a tear from her eye.
We finished regrouping, we drank enough stamina and HP potions so that we could fight if need be, and I
hooked Beth back up to the wagon and we got back underway. I sat up front with Heather and the rest except for
Samantha and Candice stayed in the back. We traveled for another hour until I saw the perfect place to stop for
the night. I took a glance into the back of the wagon, the girl was still out cold, Jackie was dozing off using Melissa’s
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head for a pillow, Melissa was using Jackie’s shoulder as a pillow, Amanda was in her bucket and none of the
others seemed to be very alert either. That settled my decision we were stopping here for the night.
“Stop here Beth,” I said.
“Here?”
“Yeah this gym here,” I said.
“Why at the gym?” Heather asked.
“That’s where we’re going to stay for the night.” I said.
“A gym?” Beth asked.
“Yes a gym, it’s perfect, it’ll have enough space inside for all of us, plus a privacy curtain that can be pulled
across the front window to hide us.” I said.
“Privacy curtain?” Beth asked.
“Yeah it’s a curtain they pull across the front when all the fat people come out to work out so they don’t get
harassed.” I explained.
“What kind of gym do you go to where people make fun of people trying to better themselves?” Beth asked.
“It’s not the people at the gym it’s the people on the street,” I said. “Anyway it doesn’t matter there should be a
curtain we can pull.”
“Why are we stopping?” Jackie asked poking her head out of the wagon.
“We’re gonna stop at that gym for the night,” I said. “It’s big enough for all of us and if our luck holds out the
water will still be working there so we can get showers in the morning.”
The wagon was too big to fit through the door, so we parked it across the street and down a little bit so it
wouldn’t be immediately obvious where we were if somebody came looking for us. Samantha carried the girl and
Heather rode on Beth into the gym. There was a front lobby, and a gym room with all the weights and machines in
it. In addition to the weights and machines it had the biggest ratman I’d ever seen, and not just because he was
the only one I’d seen before. He was smaller than Samantha but taller than anybody else, he had two swords in his
hands and his tail was wrapped around a small metal ball with spikes on it.
James Clungly Ratman, Level 8 Rogue Structure Boss Once defeated or otherwise subdued the structure he guards will become a haven for 72 hours.
He stood next to a large weight machine with several stations at it, he stood in place but was moving back and
forth on his feet ready to jump into battle at a moments notice, he clearly could see us. I was focused on the ‘or
otherwise subdued’ portion of the notification for now.
“Hello Mr. Clungly,” I said with a wave. “Mind if we come in?” He stood there doing the same thing as he was
before, only now his eyes shifted to me. “Do you prefer James? Or Jimmy, can I call you Jimmy?” Still no response,
his eyes were still locked on me. “We’d like to negotiate for the ability to stay here the night. Are you amenable to
some kind of a deal?”
“What are you doing?” Jackie asked.
“Trying to get out of this without fighting,” I said. “He seems to be some kind of an NPC, only responding to
certain things. Let’s try anger.” I turned back to face James Clungly. “Your mother sucks dick in hell for nickles.” He
still stood in place.
“What the hell was that?” Jackie asked.
“The ultimate insult,” I said. “It didn’t work. OK, Sam and Jackie will lure him forward a bit, then Candice and
Melissa will get behind him and attack, watch his tail. Kelly and Amanda get to the sides and use your magic,
before the fighting starts Beth you buff everybody with Bless Ally and then you come in with Heather and be ready
to heal, Heather use your debuff song to slow him down a bit.”
Power: Sorrowful Song Beginner 0/100 Provides a 10% penalty on the morale of enemies within earshot. Chance to work 0/100
Blessing: Bless Ally Beginner 0/100 Raises an allys stats by 10% Duration 0/100
Samantha put the girl down, and the former office women surrounded James Clungly with Beth and Heather
hanging back they were buffed up and ready to fight this would be their first real test. They assumed their
positions and were ready for him to strike, I took the opportunity to lock the front doors of the gym to keep
anybody from surprising us while we were dealing with James Clungly, when my attention returned to the scene I
spoke up.
“He probably won’t respond unless somebody attacks him first.” I said. “Jackie or Samantha move forward and
attack him.”
Jackie and Samantha exchanged glances and then Samantha stepped forward shield first, when she was an
arms length away she took a swing at him. James parried the ax swing with one of his swords and counterattacked
with his other one, Samantha blocked that attack with her shield, but was unable to dodge or block James tail
whipping around and hitting her side. Jackie ran up and swung with her hammer that James easily dodged while
whipping his tail back around to catch Melissa in the gut. Candice was able to score a direct hit to James back, and
Kelly almost hit Jackie with her Shock spell, but did hit James. Amanda stretched out herself a swung at James, but
missed.
“No Amanda, use your magic,” I shouted. “Melissa pull back, Beth heal her, Sam watch your side.”
Jackie swung again at James who dodged her hammer again. Samantha put her shield forward and took a few
steps towards him forcing him back and allowing Candice to get a couple of shots in on him, but also taking her
shield out of the defensive equation. James swung his tail around for another shot a Samantha’s side and
connected, but quick as a flash Samantha dropped her ax and pinned his tail in between her arm and her side.
There was a moment where everything seemed to stand still as James realized the predicament he was in, and
then Samantha hit the floor with James right behind her.
“Excellent,” I shouted. “Good thinking, attack him quickly while hes down, but watch his swords.”
Samantha brought her legs down on James to help keep him from moving. James brought up his swords as
much as he could and stabbed Samantha in the legs causing her to scream out in pain. Candice and Melissa
swooped in and stabbed him in the shoulders and then quickly got out of the way just in time for Jackie to bring
her hammer down on his head. He dropped his swords and went limp.
“Beth heal Sam,” I said. “Don’t lower your guard till we’re sure he’s dead.”
Samantha rolled off of him and slowly got to her feet, just as she did James sprung back up doing a backwards
flip to put some distance between himself and the others and managing to catch Candice on the side of her head
with his tail in the process.
“He was playing possum, be careful,” I yelled in case anybodies attention had wandered.
James managed to pull two daggers out of somewhere and now stood in a defensive posture. Before I could
say anything Samantha charged him at full speed, he threw one of his daggers at her but it just bounced
harmlessly off of her chainmail. She held her shield out at the last second and slammed it into his gut, then
brought it up and smacked him across the face with it which sent him sprawling onto the floor. Samantha took
another step over to him and leapt up into the air and landed shield first on his back eliciting a scream out of him.
Samantha then collapsed in a heap mostly on top of him. James struggled to pull himself out from under her only
to be met by Jackies hammer coming down on his head again, and again, and finally with the third strike his skull
gave out, there was a hollow sounding crack as his body disappeared to be replaced with a loot crystal. Jackie fell
back on her butt after the last strike.
“Is he dead now?” She asked as she too passed out and a notification popped up.
Building Cleared Building is now a Haven 71:59:59 remaining MVP Award: Samantha, 10% increase to all xp gained during this battle Enemies cannot enter, vending machine spawned in lobby for everybody's use, and faculties have been activated.
I looked at the party screen real quick, Samantha and Candice both had low HP, and Samantha was at 0 SP
and Jackie was at 2, everybody was now low on SP, Beth was running low on MP and much to my surprise
Amanda’s class was listed as Berzerker 2. “Amanda,” I asked. “How did you change your class to Berzerker? You
were an Acolyte before.” Amanda slithered over into a corner, placed her bucket into it and climbed in. “Did she
just ignore me?”
“What’s the plan now?” Candice asked holding her head.
“Oh right,” I said looking back to the party screen. “Beth how many cure spells can you cast with your current
MP?”
“Three left,” Beth said.
“OK, cast one on Candice and one on Samantha, save the last one in case an emergency comes up.” I took my
bedroll out of my inventory and set it out on the side of the room. “Candice and Melissa go get the girl and lay her
there.” I turned my attention to the loot crystal, it was bigger than the ones that the goblins left behind and a light
blue.
Loot Crystal James Clungly Level 8 Group Loot Expires in 99:97:47
We had one hundred hours to ‘open’ it, I figured we would take care of it in the morning when everybody was
awake.
“Um, John,” Melissa said standing in the doorway.
“Yeah,” I said coming out of my thoughts.
“There’s a vending machine in the lobby that wasn’t there when we came in,” she replied.
“Oh yeah the vending machine that spawned,” I said going over to the lobby.
“Spawned?” Melissa asked. “When?”
“When we beat James,” I said. “Didn’t you read the notification?”
“Aren’t you the leader so we don’t have to do that?”
“Well I suppose as long as somebody is reading all of the notifications it’s OK, but you shouldn’t assume other
people are reading them, or that even other people can even see them and communicate with your team. Poor
communications kill, now more than ever.” We were now at the vending machine, Candice was standing in front of
it staring it down, hands on her daggers. If I get a watchdog title at some point she’s totally getting it. I resisted the
urge to scratch her ears and took a look at the vending machine. It was about the same size as a regular vending
machine with ‘BOXXO BRAND VENDING MACHINES. BOXXO BRAND HAS ALL YOUR ADVENTURING NEEDS. TRUST
BOXXO BRAND’ plastered across the top. It seemed advertising would still be a thing. There was a panel with
buttons on it to order things and a label ‘Boxxo Brand Vending Machine Type-1A’ a glass window looking into the
machine showing the products it sold. Nothing too surprising considering, rations, water, a quiver of arrows and
other adventuring necessities. “We’ll go through that tomorrow after we’ve slept we’re all exhausted. The
notification said that enemies couldn’t enter so we should all be able to get a good night sleep tonight.”
“Are we going to trust it?” Candice asked.
“I’m too tired not too,” I said going back into the workout area of the gym and passing out in the corner.