Admiring the enchanted spear I wonder how long the boost will last or if it's permanent. What was a length of rebar with a smashed and shaped end, is now a streamlined and balanced spear, the steel is smoother and the tip on the end looks crafted rather than hammered. With a touch I send it to my inventory. That is a useful skill though she will need to learn her limits.
Mana Energy Deprivation / Elise Half-Elf Level 2 Enchantress / Intelligence - Mana Sense / Enchanting
Looking closer at the sleeping young lady I notice the small pointed tips of her ears, the only sign she isn't human any longer. "Let her recover, I think she used up her Mana Energy. I'll be back shortly and we will go, you two still sure you want her along she might be a drag."
Sam says "Enchantments should be helpful, just think if she can enchant a car or something"
With a laugh Craig adds "Not gonna happen if just a spear knocked her out, we will need a car just to carry her around."
"Haha, yeah. We will see how long the enchantment lasts and maybe something smaller next time. I'm going to check in with Joan then we can go."
I grab a quick snack at the food table, talk with Joan, say goodbye to John, and I'm ready. My party is waiting for me outside, Elise looks better but only by a bit.
"Ok, we are going to escort Todd to what someone is referring to as a Safe Zone, not like in a game where spawns can't show up....more like a place where there is a-lot of people. Supposedly It is where the convoys have been going, Joan says she can't reach them on the radios and there should have been three more convoys since they have gone silent. So that guy walking our way is Todd we are going to escort him there then he will make his way back, as we travel on."
Elise has added a backpack to her gear and Craig has a duffel bag slung over a shoulder. Todd is armed with a rebar staff and Sam is weaponless. "Sam, did you see where Thomas went? I haven't seen him since last night."
"He left with that caravan last night, they were taking anyone who wanted to go so he joined them."
"Then let's head out, groups have been leaving all morning so at least the way should be clear." Stepping out into the road we followed the cleared trail through the carnage. Mangled animals and unidentifiable chunks were piled all over the roadway. Some of the forms were easy to identify like the large rats and beetles but others were a bit odd, I was just staring at a piece of leg with scales, tufts of fur, and three clawed toes. "Did any of you help with the slaughter last night, what level were these...." kicking a few pieces out of the way,".....things."
Craig, moving a few super sized ants to the side, adds "I heard someone complain that nothing much above level 2 or 3 was showing up."
"Glad I slept through it then, not sure twos will help me anymore."
Westward bound following a line of bloody footprints and piles of the dead....what a gloomy thought.
"Stay alert, ultimately we want a SUV or another ride that will fit us all, though walking may be the better option if we have to leave the roadway." Walking past the lines of stalled and parked vehicles is eerie. I switch to my Pathfinder Class thinking the upgraded mapping features might be a bit more useful.
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Specialty class - Pathfinder
Attributes: Endurance +1, Willpower +1, Dexterity +1, Agility 1, Speed 1, Increased Smell +1 (10%)
Class Skill: Path Finding, Tracking, and Concealment.
Class item: Pathfinders Map - Enhanced system map with Class specific enhancements.
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With the new Class the world around me comes alive as my senses are enhanced by the Pathfinder Class Skill. I start picking up the small clues that are easy to miss but are all around us. Looking at my map I notice it adding each detail as my Perception and Skill identifies the various hiding places amongst the parked cars, trails of creatures leading off the road identifiable by the disturbed debris, dangerous areas to avoid, escape routes, and if I'm not mistaken that silvery glow is maybe loot.....I find myself pointing at a little car and probably another body.
All the vehicles that had been moved to the side of the road are lined up or pushed together, but the little silver car has blood on the inside of the rolled up windows. Motioning to the others to wait I approach the car, the lightly tinted windows aren't difficult to see through and we are way too late to save whomever was in there as it is just bones covered in chew marks with pieces of person left here and there.
Best guess is they were trying to hide and got trapped. Pulling one of my axes out of its shoulder holster I smash the back window and open the locked door. "All clear, but a bit gross" reaching in I send the scattered system items into my inventory as I look around. "Something acidic, looks to have melted the soft tissue and stuff but not the bones, then left through the floor, or maybe came in through the floor. It smells horrible and something was hungry."
Craig stays back "I'll pass, thanks. I've seen too much death already."
Todd looks over my shoulder. "Just the one body?"
"Yeah, poor thing." Looking under the car I don't see anything but my Pathfinders Skill follows the tiny claw prints off under the car and beyond.
Continuing on it's not long before we come to the spot where the spiders had their nest and they ambushed me. Webbing is everywhere but the dead spiders were missing. "Did you still want to find your car Sam? It might not be too far from here"
"I wouldn't mind grabbing a few things if we pass it, we should get to it just before the Home Depot exit."
"Ok." Looking off to the south "Is there supposed to be a lake right there?" We all pause and stare at the treetops and house roofs peeking up in the water "That can't be good." The bodies floating in the water are just far enough away no one comments on them, it's probably my higher Perception that allows me to see them bobbing up and down like they are being nibbled on from below the surface. There is so much floating debris the others might not be able to see whats happening. "Todd, I hope the 'Safe Zone' is on higher ground."
"What I understand is they took over a new apartment complex that wasn't rented out yet as well as the storage building and empty commercial space located next to it. They had heavy machinery and formed a perimeter with reinforcements from the military and other agencies. It's on the North side of I-80 here but I can't remember if it's higher ground."
"Hold up, somethings wrong" The road ahead is making my Perception and Skills warn me of something. "There are drag marks leading onto the shoulder into the cars there. and that slope is making my Danger Sense tingle" pointing at the hillside just beyond the roadway. "Right about there, look close above the large rock, I think It's an opening that's been roughly camouflaged or hidden."
Todd pulls out a small set of binoculars and scans the hillside, "I agree, you can see the outline of an opening about six feet or so, but something is wrong it looks........"
The opening moves and what we took to be camouflage over a cave opening shifts and steps away from the hillside, there is an impression in the hillside that the....creature....was sitting in. Standing up is a tall green gray humanoid whose skin and clothing is the color of the landscape. Thick arms covered in rock like bumps unfold?....from the body, knuckles dragging on the ground as it steps forward. It's stumpy legs are still at least twice the size of mine, but on this thing they look tiny or compact. Reaching behind itself into where it had been blending? it brings out a large burlap bag.
Staring at the beast Craig asks "Is......that a troll? I'm not seeing things am I"
Elise moves behind the young men "That is what it looks like to me, ummmm did we know there were trolls? "
Reaching into his sack the Troll pulls out a skull, well almost a skull, more a human head missing pieces. Holding it like one would a bowling ball he swings his massive arm back and shoots it right at Sam. I expected noise but barely even a whistle......thwunk and Sam is flung backwards. We stand there gawking and another head flies at Todd who is just able to dodge, Emily is moving towards Sam, and Craig is frozen in place.
I'm able to block the next throw, the head bouncing off my arm I am thankful for my Dusters protection as I watch bone shards fly in all directions. I reach through the slits in my jacket under both arms, pulling out my throwing axes. Similar in shape both axes are sleek and streamlined for throwing, with a quick arm movement the left hand axe flies forward faster than the Troll can block. The Tactical Axe striking and slicing into the shoulder of the beasts throwing arm, sinking deep.
"Shit, I forgot to enhance it!" Looking at where my axe landed the Trolls arm was having issues,hopefully I cut a tendon or muscles. The next skull head, still gripped in its huge hand he....she....it? was having a problem moving it's arm into position for a throw. Remembering that the first axe will drain Mana Energy and return, so the second one is the finisher so to speak. Adding more Strength my next throw hits center mass, then with a pulse of the Mana Energy I enhanced it with, the axe flares up and explodes sending bloody troll chunks in a spray of gore. Both axes return to their sheaths as I watch the now really angry Troll stand taller looking down at the large hole in its chest with flickering flames melting the skin like acid but not spreading like you would expect.
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Tactical Axe / Weapon - Light to Moderate Damage / One Handed and Thrown / Designed for battle this axe has a sleek design for close-up action or targeting a distant foe. Enhance with Affinities, Skills, or Mana Energy. The Tactical Axe will return to its sheath after inflicting damage and absorbing a percentage of the targets Mana Energy. Small changes to the surface of the weapon can be made over time to customize color, shape, weight, and size / Smith Mark D'Orgunal / Axe 2/3
Precision Axe / Weapon - Light to Moderate Damage / One Handed and Thrown / Crafted for tournaments or battle this axe ties into the owners Luck, Perception, and Axe Skill to always strike where it is aimed. The Precision Axe will correct for movement of the target based upon the owners Skill and Luck. When enhanced with Mana Energy it will explode with Force and Fire damage then return to its sheath. Small changes to the surface of the weapon can be made over time to customize color, shape, weight, and size / Smith Mark D'Orgunal / Axe 3/3
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"Well, that wasn't as effective as I'd thought it would be, and now he looks really unhappy." Having dropped his sack of heads in the blast, Mr. Troll lumbers forward with more grace than I expect, his short stubby legs seeming to allow him better balance while his long arms push him forward off the ground like an ape. Bellowing his rage the creature reaches the lined up cars and nimbly hops up on the hood of the minivan directly in his path. My comparison to an ape isn't far off as once he has the high ground on us he leans back at let's loose a roar of fury slamming his fists into his bloody chest.
Backing up Craig whispers "Not good, not good. Trolls hate fire. I need to fireball his ass!"
Using Advanced Identify, hoping to figure out a better option, Trolls should hate fire but maybe that's wrong as well.
Hill Troll Level 5 Ranged Bowler / Strength - Vitality / Specialty: Regeneration / Skills: Enhanced Throw - Power Blow - Ignore Pain / Weakness: Piercing - Cold
Reviewing all the weapons at my disposal I settle on my pike from the night before, distance and damage are key here. Summoning the long weapon out of my inventory I step forward while thrusting it into the open chest cavity. The pikes spear like top pierces through and out the other side while the cross piece catches on the bone structure, locking the Troll in place....or so I thought. Looking down at the weapon stuck through him the troll grips the upper part and leans back, lifting me off the ground.
Not sure what I expected but that was not it, my strength is useless if I don't have the leverage to take advantage of it. A Fireball blazes past me as Craig wakes up and joins the action, you'd think he wouldn't miss a ten foot tall beast as wide as a fridge and not more that twenty feet away, but the ball of fire slips past the Troll and sets the ground behind him on fire.