YOU HAVE COMPLETED AN OBJECTIVE OF THE CLIFFSIDE WALK DUNGEON.
REACH THE GROUND OF THE CLIFFSIDE WALK 1/1
YOU HAVE COMPLETED AN OBJECTIVE OF THE CLIFFSIDE WALK DUNGEON.
DEFEAT THE CRYSTAL CHASM SKITTERER 1/1
YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE CLIFFSIDE WALK DUNGEON.
YOU HAVE GAINED +5,000 TUTORIAL POINTS AND +5,000 MULTIVERSAL CREDITS
YOU COMPLETED THE CLIFFSIDE WALK DUNGEON WITH 00:53:27 LEFT. YOU HAVE PLACED AS THE 95TH BEST TIME AT RUNNING THE CLIFFSIDE WALK DUNGEON SOLO.
YOU HAVE GAINED +9,500 TUTORIAL POINTS AND +9,500 MULTIVERSAL CREDITS
I knew I wouldn’t have been the first one to run that Dungeon solo, but hadn’t been expecting a separate ranking for it. That was a pretty good time. And I’d even gotten a bonus in Tutorial Points and Multiversal Credits.
The boss Skitterer had dropped some interesting loot too. Crystal Skitterer Talons, Crystal Plates, another Adhesion Essence, a Force Essence and a Manipulation Essence. I needed more Motion Essence, it was my Primary Essence and was starting to lag behind the others.
It sucked that I had little control over what Essences might drop. I had been hoping for a Level Up Shard from the boss, but no such luck.
After killing the boss, I’d left the Dungeon and headed back through the Biome, killing on the way. Exiting the floor I went to the Hub to check out what was available. Since I’d advanced in the biome, there was more info added.
THE WHITEMOSS FOREST BIOME
ADVENTURERS: 54
DUNGEONS: 11
SOLO: 4 (Completed 2/4, 1 Repeatable)
DUO: 3 (Completed 1/3, 1 Repeatable)
PARTY: 3
RAID: 1
QUESTS: 10
SOLO: 6 (Completed 3/6, 3 Repeatable)
PARTY: 3
RAID 1:
HUNTING PERMITS: 7
MULTIPLE ARCANEBEASTS: 3 (Completed 1/3, 1 Repeatable)
ELITE ARCANEBEASTS: 4 (Completed 1/4, 0 Repeatable)
It didn’t tell me which of the two Solo Dungeons was repeatable. It was probably the Growling Oaks and the Treants but I’d find out when I went to select the next Dungeons. It was nice to see that all the gathering quests appeared to be repeatable. I probably wouldn’t grab them again unless I needed to return to the Biome to get more Tutorial Points to finish off the floor.
Sucked that the Elite Arcanebeast Hunting Permits weren’t repeatable. I’d run into the Alpha Horrisleaf Elk on the way out. That had been a pain of a fight. The thing had been tough with a huge rack of antlers that had a crazy spread to them. I had a hard time getting in close. I’d finally just had to jump onto the things back, hold onto the antlers and punch it to death.
Each quest was worth 1,500 TP and MC with the hunting permit being another 1,500 each. The Alpha had been worth 2,000 TP and MC. I was getting closer to being able to rent a stall and start racking in some credits.
Would Sunie and I classify as a Party, so we could start hitting those Quests and Dungeons? I knew a typical group setup was five people. I was hoping to be able to run with only three, but it would depend on the power levels. Maybe we would bring in a part-time healer when needed. That was the plan, but if the Tower Floors required a five person party, that was going to really suck.
It’d be too easy and that wasn’t fun.
I didn’t claim another Dungeon or hunting permits, not for the Whitemoss Biome. Tomorrow I was going into the Plains Biome with Sunie. I was going to avoid the Swamp Biome as long as possible. That one would not be a good fit for me.
“Oy!,” a deep and growly voice said from behind me. Luckily I recognized it, so I turned around with a smile. “Nick Howell,” Zire said, laughing. “Yer be making waves already me friend.”
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The big lion-man was walking over from the portals, his mate Lauris next to him. Behind were the three other Felitrans that I’d seen before. One wore what I assumed were robes for the race. She was covered in black fur, looking sleek, tail waving lazily behind her, and glanced daggers at me. Zire stopped and reached out an arm. We clasped as warriors, though his huge hand engulfed my wrist and I could barely reach around his muscular arm. He stepped back, smiling broadly.
The group looked a little worse for wear. Blood stained their fur, scratches across the armor, a couple bald spots where it looked like fur had been singed off. Had to have happened pretty recent if the fur hadn’t grown back yet.
“You look like you had a rough one,” I said, hoping I wouldn’t offend the big man.
I really didn’t know him and they were climbing the third floor, which put him at least five Levels higher than I was. I knew there was no fighting in the hub but there was no way I’d beat him in a duel. Luckily he laughed. It was loud and came across as half growling. A couple of his party mates didn’t look as amused.
“Ha,” Zire said. “Yar, we pushed it a bit hard at the end. Tried ta do two Dungeons in one run,” he shrugged, clapping a big paw on my shoulder. “Need ta keep up with yer, we do.” He laughed some more.
His friends, except for Lauris who just rolled her eyes at her mate’s antics, still looked annoyed at me.
“Me? What did I do?”
Zire laughed some more than stopped, shaking his head and looking serious.
“Yer the talk of the Hub, Nick,” he said.
“I am?”
“Yar. All the Factions are interested in yar. Not just for yer Tower performance so far.”
I sighed. Just as I had feared. I glanced around the Hub and some a lot of eyes on us. On me. Might be time to get a combat hoodie, one that won’t get damaged and I can throw the hood up to hide my identity when I was walking around. Or maybe start wearing a mask?
“Our Faction leader was quite interested in yer,” Lauris said. “Especially when he found out that Zire had met yer.”
I nodded, understanding the hidden message behind her words. I tried not to glance at the three other Felitrans. Lauris was doing me a solid. She was saying that her Faction’s leaders had thought about, or were still thinking about, having Zire form a relationship with me to try and work me into an alliance. I wasn’t opposed to the idea. I liked the little I’d interacted with Zire.
I glanced at him and saw the small nod. That nod said they were not going to let their leaders manipulate them into befriending me.
“I’m not that interesting,” I told them.
“Not to us,” Zire said, again clapping me on the shoulder, his face still serious. There was a lot to unpack in that simple statement. “But ta many others, yer be very interesting.”
“I try not to be.”
“Ha! Not even in the Nexus for a week and yer already dueling the Dry Cursed Anura.”
“Not friends with them I take it?”
“Nar, nar at all,” Zire said, growling. “Ta bastards are a blight on the multiverse. Them and thar masters.”
“Donar say that too loudly my mate,” Lauris said, glancing up at the blacked out windows of the viewing boxes. “Yer never know who is listening.”
“Yar,” Zire grumbled. He shocked his large head, the smile returning, just not as big. “Some advice me friend,” he said, glancing up at the viewing boxes. He was going to say something about me slowing down, or watching myself, try not to draw attention. That kind of thing. Which I would appreciate, just not listen to. But Zire surprised me. “Donar stop what yer doing. Keep going and keep pushing. Donar let the bastards stop yer.”
I reached up, and up, to clasp him on the shoulder.
“I won’t.”
“Good,” he said, the broad smile back again. “We will see yar soon, Nick Howell. Yar should be receiving a dinner invite from the Elders of ta Plains Wind Sect.”
“I look forward to it.”
With a nod from both Zire and Lauris, the Felitrans walked off. I looked around the Hub, seeing many of the beings glancing my way again. I waved, making many of them turn away. With a shrug, I headed for the portals.
***
And stepped out of the portal behind the Clan Howell Shop.
Or should it be called the Clan Howell Shoppe with that old English extra P and E? Would that even make it through the System translation? Was it too late to rename the Clan? Clan Howell was kind of boring compared to some of what I’d come across.
Sunrise Formation. Plains Wind Sect. Subatai’s Flowing Dragon Sect.
Even Fred’s United American Alliance sounded better.
I had really messed up the Clan name. There had to be a way to change it. Something that had Solace in the name? I’d run it by Kat when I got back to Earth. Let her worry about it.
We’d installed a back door out of the shop to the grounds in the rear where the portal was located. A large hedge, on this side, it was a solid wall on the other, separated our backyard from the park or whatever it was in the rear. I still needed to go exploring. The backyard was just the portal in a large stone arch, a path leading around to the front and another leading to the back door up a couple steps.
I walked into a hallway, the far end leading out to the shop, with doors off the side that led to the offices and another access to the storeroom. Even though people had personal inventories, for a store like this that would have multiple people working in it, having product in a store room just made sense. I poked my head into the two offices, not seeing anyone, so I kept walking to the front.
The door opened into the store itself, which wasn’t empty. That was kind of a surprise. I’d left it to Tammy and Fields to stock and work. I wanted nothing to do with it.
There were far more shelves than stock at this point, but that was fine. Long shelves ran the length of the sides in two segments, four armor stands between them on each side. Leather armor covered three of them, a set of plate the other. A couple variations of chest armor styles, a leather kilt, shorts and leggings. Taller shelves were back to back in the middle with small tables at the front and rear. To the side of the back wall was a glass front and top counter.
Tammy and Fields were both there, and surprisingly there were a couple of customers. Tammy was behind the counter, talking to what looked like a birdman. Tall and skinny, covered in feathers, thin head with sharp looking beak and a crest of feathers that ran down its back. The arms had wings that connected to the body, but didn’t look strong enough to actually fly with. The feathers stopped at the knees, the rest of the legs a yellow bone that ended in clawed feet. The feathers were a dark brown shade, with some white at the tips. The shape of the head and beak looked kind of hawk-like.
Tammy saw me enter and waved me over. Time to be the leader of the Clan.
