Koll Luna had led the players of planet Ruun off of their starting world earlier than anyone had expected. The giant tourism spaceship was a surprise for all the gathered players. And, though over a thousand of them had been chosen, many thousands more were left abandoned.
While those who remained were left to run mundane quests on the starting planet, the lucky few were guided to the Juniper Space Station to experience life in the galaxy. The alien races they encountered brought color to their experience. And the odd quest gave some of the new credit currency they would need. But, the players were waiting for the NPC, Koll Luna, to begin the next stage of his grand plan.
The quest, [Butchers of Meesach] was just what they were waiting for. A chance to hunt, kill, and collect, tasks gamers were prone to performing with relish. And yet, for all their expectation, the reality was harsher than they had been prepared for.
The Ravenous Spikers were a threat to those of interstellar ranking, while the players were used to terrestrial-grade missions. To take down the dangerous spikers required teamwork and sacrifice. Fortunately for most, team play and suicide missions were part of the gaming experience.
Even for their optimism, the challenges were high. Particularly for solo players who didn't work well with others. Shadowmaster was one such gamer.
The man himself had earned renown in the Everlast Arena tournament, taking first place among the thousands of competitors. He still bore the first ever epic item in the game Cosmos, [Fallen Light]. With eight augments, the shortsword was only comparable with the uncommon interstellar-grade items. But, by Ruun planet standards, it was top tier.
In the days following the tournament, Shadowmaster had been approached by many of the top guilds of Ruun. But, as quickly as the propositions came, Shadowmaster moved on. Never saying a word to accept or reject the offer.
Now, on planet Meesach, the man was in a hard spot. The Ravenous Spikers hunted in packs and were already significant challenges alone. The nests were beyond his means for now, so Shadowmaster turned to hunting in the fields and forests of the, at times, idyllic environments of Meesach.
He'd gained quests from the NPCs of the outpost the Juniper Station teleportation array had sent him to, kill and collect quests. But, due to a specialization in his class tree, he'd unlocked a quest that few other players knew about. [Ravenous Spiker Salivary Glands].
"Few people realize," the NPC had said, "that the Spikers have a specialized gland in their mouths that secretes a mild neurotxin. What with all the other dangers of the beasts, a little bit of toxin is barely noticeable. But, I have something in mind for it. Go get me 5 [Salivary Glands] and I'll teach you a trick."
The taciturn Shadowmaster had accepted the quest with anticipation for the knowledge he'd gain. The bandana over his face hid the slight smile that crossed his lips.
In the open fields, Shadowmaster came upon a pack of three of the monsters. He took some time to observe their path over the tall grass, green with spring rain. He knew that soon those green blades would be painted red with blood. Not all of which, he knew, would be from the Spikers.
In his class evolution, he'd started as a Rogue when he created his character. And, for his class advancement, he'd managed to acquire the illusive Assassin class. Most Rogue players progressed to the Thief or Highwayman classes, though a few other rare options, like Assassin, were available.
While he checked his abilities and their cooldowns, Shadowmaster watched the approaching trio of Ravenous Spikers. The beasts were as tall as horses and, with their agile tails, significantly longer. Their faces were elongated with sharp fangs eager to tear flesh from bone. And their front feet had nasty hooked claws that tore the ground as they walked.
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Shadowmaster took a deep breath before exhaling. The beasts had entered his range.
With a foot technique, the assassin appeared behind his target and he began cutting with [Fallen Light]. His first effort was to remove the beast's tail before it had time to unleash the deadly bolts on him.
His [Null Variable Crystal], which allowed him to charge spells by the element of his choosing, came up in his offhand. Wind blades flew from the crystal with every intervening moment between slashes of his sword. With the advantage of surprise, his first few blows critically hit and, soon, the first beast's tail fell to the green grass. Red blood oozed out of the fallen thing and dripped from the backside of the Spiker.
The cooldown on his movement technique refreshed and Shadowmaster jumped to the next. This time, he lacked the element of surprise and had to rely on his naturally high critical strike chance. Still, the process took longer than anticipated and his health was already plummetting.
As he jumped to the third beast, he released a pair of [Saint Stones], one to buff his health and the other to improve his agility. Any more stones would start to negate each other's effects.
The third beast's mouth oozed with saliva and Shadowmaster began to feel his movements grow progressively lethargic. The neurotoxin was starting to build up.
But, Shadowmaster wasn't done. Rather than cutting at the beast's tail, he swung for the jugular. He cut the beast's throat with blades of wind and hard metal. Soon, the head of the Ravenous Spiker came falling away.
The other beasts continued to bite and claw at the lethal player, his health falling to a quarter.
With a breath in and out, Shadowmaster pulled out a blood inscription scroll, [Healing Light], which healed him for half of his total health. The scroll brought a stay of execution. But, it wouldn't be enough.
Shadowmaster picked up the fallen Spiker head and stowed it in his inventory. He began to work on the next beast and managed to claim its head. But, knowing that he couldn't kill the third, used a foot technique to open the distance. With the spiker's tail missing, it couldn't do ranged damage on his fleeing form.
Shadowmaster found himself safe for the moment and brought out the heads he'd claimed. The system guided him through the process of harvesting the glands and soon the quest meter read 2/5.
The shadowy player character clenched his fist as he thought about his next hunt.
The work was difficult and, each time, Shadowmaster had to flee with his trophies. But, eventually, he came back to the NPC who'd given him the quest.
"Ah," the dealer said. "You made it back alive. And, you have the glands. Good. Good. Come, let me show you the process."
Shadowmaster watched as the NPC crafted a paralytic that could be applied to one's weapon. An asset most players would kill to have.
The quest was completed and Shadowmaster gained some token credits and experience. The XP was nothing much compared with what Koll Luna provided. But then, Koll never gave out money. An odd quirk to the NPC.
Shadowmaster went out to hunt for the [Butchers of Meesach] quest, to slay 100 Ravenous Spikers. As well as the quest [The Spiker's Tail] to collect a hundred of their tails.
The paralytic poison gathered in the target's bloodstream with every strike. And soon, the beasts merely watched in agony as they were carved apart. The efficiency of the assassin's dismantling of the monsters progressed to the point where he was clearing out whole nests as a solo player, a feat no one else would even attempt.
His quests completed, Shadowmaster turned in the planet-side ones first before teleporting back to Juniper Station. The flowing compartments and loosely flying platforms were mildly disorienting. But, the environment had an appealing futuristic sheen to it.
Finally, having navigated the structure, Shadowmaster entered the headquarters where Koll Luna sat tinkering with his magitech technologies.
The assassin watched silently as the NPC constructed marvelous new shield generators and power armors, always scratching engravings and casting arcane dusts on the products. It was a marvel to be seen. In a way, Shadowmaster envied the class tree of this NPC and his player apprentice, Jake Snow. The pair always seemed to be working on some revolutionary items that would change the way he played the game.
But, jealous as he was, Shadowmaster liked his playstyle. There was no need to give it up.
Koll looked up and noticed Shadowmaster watching him. A familiar smile came across his face.
"Are you here to turn in?"
Beneath his bandana, a slight smile touched Shadowmaster's lips. With their eyes meeting, the assassin nodded.
The system registered the completion of quests and he took on the renewed quests once more.
Koll looked around to see the other players milling about and when his eyes returned to Shadowmaster, the man was already departing.
The NPC seemed to know the player's nature and merely turned back to his work.
Shadowmaster returned to the planet and continued his work. The Ravenous Spikers came to fear the Shadow of Meesach.