Isabelle wandered around the dusty roads of Wheatstar. It looked like an absolute ghost town. Every shop she passed by was closed, and it looked to be the middle of the day! With the sun shining down, Isabelle was absolutely shocked to see so few people outside, even in a more rural area of town.
As she traveled onward, Isabelle happened upon a more populated area of town, with denser-packed houses and less farmland. Soon, she hit a main street, and yet Isabelle only felt the chill of emptiness. She walked past countless shops and restauraunts, all with closed signs up in the window or pasted over the door. Did anyone even live in Wheatstar, anyway?
Then, she saw another wanted poster hung up on a nearby alley wall. Worse still, this poster wasn’t just for ‘a new player.’ This poster had a picture of her face printed in the center of it.
WANTED: Isabelle the Giant Slayer, a human criminal, has broken out of Cloud Reach prison. She is extremely dangerous, and is known for deliberately killing wildlife, destroying private and public property, committing manslaughter, and disturbing the peace. Wanted alive or dead.
REWARD: 150 gold
Isabelle frowned. She was only worth 150 gold to Cloud Reach? That was almost insulting, especially considering how much ‘the Overlord,’ whoever the hell that was, wanted to pay for her. Isabelle ripped the poster off the wall and tore it to shreds.
Looking up with a huff, Isabelle saw for the first time what seemed to be a sign of life in a bar two blocks away. It looked like a stocky little orc had just wandered inside. Her sight set, Isabelle speed walked over to the bar.
On the outside, it looked as dark and empty as everywhere else, disappointingly.
[Bar door - unlocked]
Huh. The door was unlocked? That explained how Isabelle had seen that orc walk in. Then again, Isabelle looked closely at its front door, and she could see a faded sign that read: Sorry, We’re Open.
Isabelle pushed the door open.
Once she was inside, she realized that the bar was shining bright on the inside. How hadn’t she noticed that before? She looked to the windows and noticed thick blackout curtains covering every inch of them. Oh. That was how.
“Hey, a human. That’s unusual,” said the gravelly voice of the orc at the bar. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Oh,” Isabelle said. She’d had so much on her mind she hadn’t even thought about buying a drink. “Can I get some red wine? House is fine.”
The orc howled with laughter. “Oh, you’re killing me, human. Red wine! We’re not that fancy. How about I get you an ale?”
“Okay, that’s fine by me,” said Isabelle, feeling a little self conscious.
“Excellent. Go ahead and sit wherever you want. Oh, and don’t forget to close the door behind you. I’ll get fussed at if the lights from my bar bug anybody who’s trying to sleep,” said the orc.
“Bug anybody?” Isabelle asked as she closed the door. “It’s the middle of the day!”
“Exactly,” said the orc as he filled a glass with ale. “A lot of kobolds don’t stay up this late, and they don’t really appreciate being woken up.”
Isabelle walked up to the bar and looked at the only kobold sitting there. They looked sleepy, and their eyes were bloodshot.
“Oh, I think I get it now. Kobolds are nocturnal,” Isabelle said to the orc, sitting one seat away from the kobold.
“No shit,” said the orc, handing Isabelle her ale. “Say, what brings you into town, anyway? You look kind of familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?”
[Speechcraft attempt: decieve]
“Oh, no, I’m sure you haven’t seen me,” said Isabelle. She glanced around the room, spying a map of the nearby tri-village area pasted up on the wall. “I’m just passing through on way to Chox.”
[Speechcraft attempt had mixed results]
“Hmmm,” said the orc. “No, I’ve definitely seen you before. Not sure where, though. Chox, you said? You’re not part of the cult, are you?”
“Cult? Me? No, that’s ridiculous,” said Isabelle with a laugh.
“I mean, I can’t say I disagree,” said the orc. “But if you’re really headed to Chox I’d consider keeping that opinion to myself. They don’t take kindly to insults.”
“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t realize,” said Isabelle.
“Well then it’s a good think you came to Ol’ Stinky’s,” said the orc.
“Um, what did you just say?” asked Isabelle.
“Ol’ Stinky’s? That’s the name of this bar?” the orc said, confused.
“Oh. Of course,” said Isabelle. She sipped her ale with a smile and a nod.
“You’re a bit of a weirdo, you know,” said the orc. “Of course, we mainly get weirdos in here at this hour. You could say that Ol’ Stinky’s has cornered the weirdo market! Heh!”
Isabelle didn’t know what to say, so she stayed quiet for a moment and drank more ale.
[Prepare to break Tahsi out from the captivity of the Cloud Reach guard. You may be able to find out where they are holding him by talking to kobolds in nearby bars.]
Oh, yes. Her quest. Funny how easy it’d been for that to slip Isabelle’s mind. She cleared her throat.
“So, um—” said Isabelle, “—Any good executions going on in town this evening?”
“Fuck if I know,” said the orc, shrugging.
“I think I saw a poster for one hanging around somewhere, actually,” said the kobold one seat away from Isabelle. “Some criminal baker guy’s getting hanged.”
[Speechcraft attempt: mislead]
“That sounds pretty cool,” said Isabelle. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a decent hanging.”
[Speechcraft succeeded]
Yes! It was about time one of Isabelle’s speechcraft attempts succeeded.
“Yea, me too. I was thinking about going, but if I stay here much longer, I’ll probably be too exhausted,” said the kobold.
[Speechcraft attempt: mislead]
“Only thing is—” said Isabelle, “—I have this thing. This thing where, well, I like to try and talk to the person before they get executed. Kind of like a visitation or something.”
[Speechcraft succeeded]
“Wow,” said the kobold. They took a strong sip of their drink. “That’s pretty morbid.”
“I always say, we get all the weirdos in here at this hour,” said the orc to himself.
[Speechcraft attempt: persuade]
“Yea, I get that a lot,” said Isabelle to the kobold. “You wouldn’t know where I might be able to go see the guy they’re going to hang, though, would you? It would really make my day.”
[Speechcraft succeeded]
[Speechcraft increased to level 3]
“I have an idea of where you might find him,” said the kobold. “I still think you’re super weird, but I find you somewhat charming, human. My brother used to be a member of the guard, and whenever somebody was up for a hanging, he would always complain about having to transfer them to the South Ward holding facility in Cloud Reach. Now, I don’t know exactly where that holding facility is, but if you go to the South Ward of Cloud Reach I can’t imagine it’ll be hard to find. Though, if you want to make it there before the sun goes down and everyone wakes up you’re going to have to hurry.”
“Okay, understood,” said Isabelle. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, human,” said the kobold. “I still find you quite strange, but you’re also fairly charming.”
Isabelle felt proud. If a kobold could find her charming, she had to be doing something right. Isabelle called the orc over.
“What’s up, human?” asked the orc.
“I think I should go ahead and head out. I definitely want to try and make it to the South Ward before sundown,” said Isabelle.
“Alright then. That’ll be two copper,” said the orc.
“Um,” Isabelle remembered her inventory. “I only have gold. Is that okay?”
The orc’s eyes grew huge. “Hell yes, that’s okay!”
[1 gold piece equipped]
Isabelle handed the orc the gold.
“Thanks. I gotta tell ya, I don’t have any change,” said the orc.
“That’s fine, I have plenty more,” said Isabelle. The orc’s eyes grew wider.
“By the way,” said Isabelle, “What’s the fastest way to the South Ward from here?”
“Oh, just take a right straight out of the bar and follow this street down til you hit the river,” said the orc with a grin. “Then, walk by the riverside til you get to Caslodge Highway. Take a right. After a little bit of walking you’ll reach the gate to Cloud Reach. Have the guards check you in through the gate and then continue to follow Caslodge Highway through the middle of the city and over the bridge in Nightbridgem, which’ll have you right in the middle of the South Ward.”
“Thanks,” said Isabelle, doing her best to hide her nervousness at the thought of passing through the gate to Cloud Reach before the guards. “I appreciate the help.”
The orc smiled back at her, nodding.
Isabelle turned around and walked out of the bar. She took a right and walked down the middle of the empty street, struck once again by how eerie and dead it felt outside. It was not long before she reached the riverside. Its suprisingly strong current was a little startling, but its noisy turbulence also made Isabelle feel a sort of pleasant peacefulness.
As Isabelle walked further along the riverside she found herself humming to its rhythmn. It was beautiful outside, the sun was shining and a few birds were soaring high in the air. What a shame that so few people were outside to witness it. Still, even the stillness and lack of people somewhat added to the peaceful, serene beauty of the walk.
[Combat mode activated]
Isabelle was shocked, but, true to form, she did not and could not hesitate to scan her surroundings. Something or someone had come to fight her, that much was certain. As Isabelle looked around, she finally caught sight of three armored orcs in the distance. One of them pulled out a crossbow and fired, nearly hitting her.
Isabelle opened her inventory.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 59/65
Necromancer Robes
+10 mana, +3 confuse, +3 enchant, +1 destroy, +4 carry weight
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Ring of Improved Destroy
+3 destroy
Staff of Undead
+5 mana, +2 carry weight
Steel Dagger
+5 damage, +1 carry weight
Longbow
+3 damage, +1 carry weight
Steel Mace
+7 damage, +4 carry weight
Fang Blades (poisoned)
+3 poison, +8 damage, +1 str, +1 dx, +5 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Wow, Isabelle was really impressed with the system’s abbreviated inventory. It had all of her combat tools ready for her to consider! Isabelle first thought had been her fang blades, but Isabelle wasn’t entirely certain that they would be the best choice against three enemies when she saw all the options she had. It was time to try out these necromancer robes.
[Necromancer robes equipped]
[+10 mana]
[+3 confuse]
[+3 enchant]
[+1 destroy]
[Ring of Improved Destroy equipped]
[+3 destroy]
[Staff of the Undead equipped]
[+5 mana]
Isabelle braced herself as the three orcs drew closer. The orc archer fired another arrow. This one implanted in Isabelle’s arm.
[-1 hp]
Only 1 hp? These orcs must’ve been fairly weak. Isabelle wondered what level they were.
[Clarification: Think ‘Check Level’ while focusing on a NPC to see their level.]
Isabelle looked at the orc archer and thought ‘Check Level.’
[‘Brak the Bitter’ is level 3]
Isabelle looked at the orc beside the archer, who was carrying a greatsword, and thought, ‘Check Level.’
[‘Dhandad the Fearless’ is level 4]
Isabelle looked at the third orc—a huge, burly looking fellow with spiked iron gloves—and thought ‘Check Level.’
[‘Shomvug the Merciless’ is level 2]
Wow. So the highest level orc was level four. Only half of Isabelle’s level. She loosened up a little, realizing that she wasn’t in for anything too serious.
The archer fired another arrow. This one stuck right in the middle of Isabelle’s eyes.
[Critical hit]
[-5 hp]
Isabelle reacted only slightly. Still, she’d only lost 6 hp. She grasped the arrow in the middle of her head and yanked it out, dropping it on the ground.
“Holy shit!” said Brak the Bitter. “There’s no hole in her head! How is there no hole in her head?”
“It’s probably a trick of the light,” said Shomvug the Merciless. “She doesn’t look so tough, especially in that stupid cloak.”
Isabelle stood there and smirked as Shomvug lumbered forward. He raised his fists, preparing to hit her.
Isabelle chuckled and raised her empty left hand. She thought, ‘Cast Shoot Lightning.’
[Critical hit]
[521 damage dealt]
[134 electrocution damage dealt]
[Mana 85%]
Percent? Why was Isabelle’s mana showing as a percent? She’d have to ask the system later.
A crackle of lightning exploded from Isabelle’s hand, zapping the orc and sending him jerking and spasming onto the ground. Suddenly, the veins in his arms and neck exploded open, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
[‘Shomvug the Merciless’ is dead]
“Fuck!” cried out Brak the Bitter. “How did she do that?”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Dhandad the Fearless. He raised his greatsword. “She can’t measure up to my strength.”
Isabelle rolled her eyes and flicker her wrist at Dhandad, thinking, ‘Cast Shoot Lightning.’
[Critical hit]
[431 damage dealt]
[95 electrocution damage dealt]
Dhandad jittered as the electricity coursed through his body. He looked like he was trying to say something. Then, his head got bigger, and bigger, and it exploded like a pimple. Dhandad’s dead body fell forward, limp and useless.
“Get me the fuck out of here!” said Brak the Bitter. He turned around and dashed away.
“Wait a second,” said Isabelle, calling after the fleeing orc. But he kept running. She needed to stop him somehow. She opened her inventory.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 59/65
Longbow
+3 damage, +1 carry weight
Standard Arrow (poisoned)
+1 poison
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Perfect. Isabelle silently thanked her system. It was time to show this archer how to really shoot an arrow.
[Longbow equipped]
[+3 damage]
[Standard Arrow (poisoned) equipped]
[+1 poison]
Isabelle crouched, just in case.
[Current visibility: 0/250]
Holy shit, this was too good. Since Brak the Bitter wasn’t facing her, she was essentially registering as invisible to him. Which meant, if Isabelle hit him correctly, she’d get a sneak attack bonus. Isabelle drew her arrow and focused all her energy on aiming towards the moving target.
[Archery increased to level 4]
[You can now steady your aim using your stm points]
What? That was just too good. Isabelle gave it a try, squinting and focusing on the trajectory of her arrow.
[Stamina 97%]
Isabelle noticed her visible depth of field was actually improving drastically, as was the clarity with which she could see Brak the Bitter and imagine where the arrow would hit him if she fired.
[Stamina 91%]
Feeling assured of her shot, Isabelle released her arrow.
[Sneak attack]
[Critical hit]
The arrow had hit Brak the Bitter perfectly square in the back of the head, immediately sending him falling face-forward, limp as a cooked noodle.
[433 damage dealt]
[‘Brak the Bitter’ is dead]
[Sneak increased to level 4]
[Notice: you’re ready to level up]
Excellent. Isabelle couldn’t have had that twerp of an orc running around talking about a human with magical powers. What was even better, apparently Isabelle was going to level up again! She was finally starting to feel like she was getting a hang of using her system. It felt good. Really good. It made Isabelle feel powerful, and immensely so.
[Notice: you’re ready to level up]
Looking at the two bodies of the orcs near her, and the one further away, Isabelle felt immediately compelled to loot. However, she had another thought. Isabelle wondered what exactly the Staff of Undead could do. Along with that, she wondered why her mana had changed from a fraction to a percentage.
[Clarification: The higher your total mana gets, the higher the chance increases of a spell that costs, say, 5 mana, ends up actually costing you less. Or, on the other end, there is also a chance that, with a high number of mana, a spell costing a low amount of mana may be ‘powered up’ with extra mana to increase its efficacy.]
That was pretty cool, Isabelle figured. Still, she wanted to know a little bit about what the Staff of the Undead did. She focused on it and thought, ‘Learn more.’
Item: Staff of the Undead
Traits: +5 mana, +2 carry weight
Description: This is a standard necromancy staff. Besides increasing the mana of its wielder, this staff can also cast a couple of necromancy spells, including:
Raise Dead
Command Undead
Summon Undead
Fascinating. Isabelle wanted to know what all the spell ‘Raise Dead’ could do, though she had a bit of an idea.
Spell: Raise Dead
Cost: 8 mana
Description: Cast upon a dead body/remains to reanimate the subject for a duration of 60s. Reanimated subject will contain all the knowledge the subject did when they were alive, and will generally obey you, though some are more unruly than others. For the especially strong willed reanimated subject, you can use ‘Command Undead’ once raised to ensure obedience.
[Notice: you’re ready to level up]
Isabelle was excited to get started. She had some questions she wanted to ask these orcs. Or, at least, ask one of them.