Panting needlessly, I checked the readout on my forearm. My stamina was slowly creeping back up toward fifty and my health was at twelve out of a hundred.
I scooped up several more items as I staggered past the corpse of my enemies. It appeared to be several more piles of bone dust and nine zombie rat tails. They were marked as crafting components. Each of them was Common rarity and Tier F.
“I wish I would have asked Speers how I heal…,” I grumbled as I looked down at the rat corpses and winced.
“You are a zombie buddy. How did you forget that?”
Grabbing a pair of feaster rat corpses with a disgruntled gag I settled in against one of the stone coffins. Crunching into the rotten flesh, I was blissfully thankful that I couldn’t taste it. Even as I chewed into it I noted that my health was starting to tick up.
With a grunt of disgust I gathered as many intact corpses as I could and tossed them into my inventory. Before long I had consumed two rats and was back to full health.
As I waited I expanded the viewer on my arm and opened my skill up notifications, prompting Lydia to read them out:
“You have gained 3 levels in the Stealth skill, 4 levels in the Bludgeoning skill, 3 levels in the Acrobatics skill, 3 levels in the Unarmed skill, 1 level in the Anaylze skill and 1 level in the Dual Wield skill.”
“You are now level 2.”
“You gain 20 hit points, 0 mana and 20 stamina.”
With that she continued by reading out the abilities gained associated with my new skills:
“Analyze
Rarity: Common
Requirements: None
Training Level: Novice 2
Key Ability: Reason
Description
Know thy enemy.
Keen Eye: Pick out one weakness in a creature analyzed.”
“Dual Wield
Rarity: Common
Requirements: None
Training Level: Novice 2
Key Ability: Agility
Description
Impractical for most but a true master can not be matched.
Weaver: The speed of your weaving weapons rarely deflects attacks. You may strike with your offhand weapon with reduced chance to hit and damage.”
Minimizing the notifications, I resolved to check my sheet later. Standing, I slipped both of my hammers into my hands and made my way to the edge of the great circular vault. Below this level the floors were blocked from overlooking the vault by solid walls and it seemed that venturing further down was finally outside the starting tutorial.
Looking upward I caught sight of a flash of bright aquamarine light on one of the far upper levels. Rolling my shoulders I returned to the stairs pausing to listen for movement below before pressing myself to the wall and skulking down to the next landing.
At the base of the stairs, instead of open arches there were large wooden doors on either side of the chamber. There were no further stairs down. Making my way to the door I leaned close and listened for signs of creatures beyond. Hearing nothing I pulled it open and peered inside.
At the far end of the slender and curved chamber someone had erected a barricade covered in arrows and burn damage. Strewn between me and the defensive battlement were several skeletal bodies. Many wore rusted or decayed armor or clutched at long useless weapons.
Skulking across the chamber I fully expected the skeletons to rise and grab up whatever was at hand to attack me… but nothing happened. I swiped my hand over a dust and cobweb covered breastplate to reveal the faded symbol of a heart bound in vines and thorns.
Scanning the bodies for loot I found five more bone dust and an item I had been looking for.
“Rusted Iron Dagger
Type: Light Blade
Slot: Main Hand
Requirement: None
Rarity: Common
Tier: F”
Tossing my second hammer into my inventory, I flipped the blade into my hand in a backwards grip. It was pitted and rusted heavily along its length but it would do to finally get my Blades skill started. Finding nothing else of worth I moved to the barricade and hopped over it to the closed door beyond.
Stopping in my tracks, I was shocked to hear an approaching sound not from the door but from the stairs I had just descended.
A low male voice muttered, “I saw him come this way.”
A calm young female voice answered, “Why would someone go backwards in the tutorial?”
“Obviously there has gotta be some good shit down here!”
Inching the door open with a hissed curse I slipped through it without waiting for them to enter.
Feeling my Stealth Expert ability activate, I hurried into the shadows in the corner of the chamber. Beyond, in an eerie mirror of the plinths above a series of makeshift gurneys had been strewn in disarray throughout the chamber. Many were damaged or crumbling and still bore the bodies of their last patients.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Shuffling through the chamber were a pair of strange zombie creatures wearing stained brown robes tattered and covered in damage. The hoods of the robes were hanging down over and completely obscuring their eyes. Their teeth were long, sharp, and needle-like. I used Analyze on them and Lydia chimed in in a hushed voice as if she was needlessly attempting to avoid being overheard:
“Forlorn Priestess
Level 5
Weakness: Slashing Damage
HP: Unknown
MP: Unknown
Special Ability: Immolation Bolt - Fires a simple bolt of fire that can catch targets on fire.”
The man in the room behind me exclaimed, “Whoa, look at all this! This is some serious lore down here!”
The woman’s voice was so low that I couldn’t make it out.
In response to the man’s voice the two strange priestess creatures turned and started toward the door. As the two of them reached the wooden door it opened on its own and I listened as the male voice from before bellowed with obvious excitement, “Hell yeah!”
The two Forlorn Priestesses started to chant words I couldn’t understand in raspy identical voices. Choosing to make some distance between the fight and myself I made my way across the chamber quietly. As the sounds of battle faded behind me I reached the far door and pulled it open to peer inside. Obviously, my stealth hadn’t helped this time.
Another set of stairs, larger and more ornate, were in the center of this chamber and standing before them was another skeletal guard, only larger and carrying a sword larger than my avatar. Lydia described the creature to me:
“Bane of the Heretic
Level 6
Weakness: Bludgeoning Damage
HP: Unknown
MP: Unknown
Special Ability: Sweep - If more than one target is in reach of the Bane this attack can potentially strike them all.”
The giant guard reacted to me opening the door by charging me. Cursing, I summoned my second hammer into my off hand to replace my dagger and rushed to meet it. Dodging past a vicious downward stroke that cleaved into the stone where I had just stood I brought my hammers to bear. It yanked its great blade up far too quickly and swung it around for a horizontal slash. Activating Evade, I flipped over the passing blade bringing my hammer down as I landed, crushing the giant’s clawed foot bones.
It staggered backward toward the stairs and recovered, spearing toward me with its heavy sword. It tore into my shoulder and I could feel my health drop like a stone.
For that one strike I made the beast suffer with a spinning strike to its midsection, destroying bones and forcing it further back yet again. As it brought its blade down again I raised my hammers and deflected the strike away. My stamina tanked and I struggled to raise my weapons again.
With a glance behind the creature, knowing that this would drop the last of my stamina, I activated Thump and bashed the hulk in its breastbone. It staggered and lowered its weapon due to the stun.
I rasped, “Watch your step,” as I kicked it in the remnant of its chest and sent it tumbling down the stairs behind it. It threw up a cloud of bone dust and ossified chunks as it fell inert at the base.
Bane of the Heretic Defeated!
110 xp gained!
Squaring my shoulders, I grinned, “You still got it Mal.”
Hearing the combat still going in the room behind me I hurried down the stairs, pausing to search the corpse of my latest foe.
“Slab of Iron
Type: Heavy Blade
Slot: 2 Hands
Requirement: Strength 11
Rarity: Common
Tier: F”
Seeing it was meant to be used two handed, I grumbled and tossed it into my inventory. In addition it also appeared to be wearing an amulet. As I grabbed it up Lydia gave me a description:
“Amulet of the Immolated Order
Minor officials and officers in service to the Lady of Flame wear this as a sign of office. Protect the Lady of Flame and smash the heretic.
Type: Amulet
Slot: Neck
Requirement: Level 3, Spirit 5
Rarity: Uncommon
Tier: F
Your strikes cause one point of fire damage in addition to their other effects.”
Equipping the amulet around my neck, I glanced back up the stairs where the sounds of combat were fading. Ignoring my flashing notifications I hurried further down the stairs to another gigantic wooden door. This one was adorned with a burned in symbol depicting a curling flame surrounding the same vine choked heart I had seen on the armor above.
Reaching out and pulling the door open my eyes widened in shock and I muttered a curse, “Ah fuck.”
Slamming the door closed I cursed again, “Shit!”
There were two of the Bane of Heretics creatures holding massive swords in the huge circular chamber. Between them there appeared to be a small raised coffin. The second I opened the door the two of them turned and started stalking toward me.
I spoke to the open air with very little hope, “What are the chances those two won’t leave the…”
A massive blade bursting through the rotten wooden door cut me off.
With a sigh, I said, “Ah, not great.”
I charged back up the stairs to see a pair of figures emerge at the top. One was a towering skeleton holding a club and wearing a rusty vest made of black metal and a pair of tattered breeches exactly like mine. Beside them was a female zombie in a robe with pale rheummy eyes, lilac skin and slicked back glossy black hair. The lower jaw of the robed zombie was completely fleshless black bone filled with jagged teeth.
Without pausing I panted out a greeting, “Oh, hey guys! Look out, bad time coming up the stairs,” just as the sound of the two Banes cutting down the door echoed up to meet us.
The giant skeleton spoke in a feminine voice, “Um… Hi?”
The small robe wearing feminine zombie boomed in the male voice I’d heard before, “Bad time?! Hell yeah!”
I slid to a stop as I saw them stand their ground despite seeing the two massive Banes crunching their way up toward us.
“Alright, guess we’re working together,” I summoned the Slab of Iron into my hand and offered it to the giant skeleton.
She cooed in surprise, “Oh yay!,” and grabbed the giant blade with a stiff bow, “thank you so much!”
Beside us the robed zombie cackled as they summoned a screeching bird made of force into each of their open palms and started tossing them down the stairs.
I didn’t have time to consider the absurdity of bird wizardry as I charged after the screaming birds toward the two Banes alongside the skeleton giant holding her new sword aloft and cackling with glee. One of the birds exploded on the torso of the creature to the right and I slid between the legs of the one to the left. My flanking partner charged in and chopped down into the Bane causing it to stagger backward as I pounded both hammers into its spine.
Our foe kept its attention on the giant skeleton player while the other charged up the stairs toward the casting zombie.
Dashing to aid the caster I slammed my hammers into the distracted Bane’s femurs, drawing its attention. The caster blasted it with another bird, blasting its ribcage apart with force as I dodged a heavy downward stroke and threw several strikes at it. Most missed as I tried to avoid being caught in the barrage of flying bone shrapnel.
Behind me the giant skeleton let out a gleeful, “Yay,” as she reduced our original target to a pile of clattering bones.
One of my foe’s arms burst off as another screaming bird collided with its shoulder. The Bane hefted its sword and brought it down into my arm, hitting so hard that I tumbled away and down the stairs, landing on top of the first Bane I’d kicked down the stairs earlier..
Struggling to gain control of my avatar, I blinked through blurred vision and the telltale red border that told me both my stamina and health were near zero.
When I finally managed to sit up and slump back against the wall I looked up to see that my two unexpected allies had dispatched the final Bane and were advancing down the stairs toward me.
Suddenly, I wondered what the rewards and penalties for pvp were in this game.
