Chương 8: GB - Chapter 8: Finishing The Fight

Luke let out a cry of pain—though without air in his lungs, it was silent—and went staggering backward. His minion must have stopped the thing, as Luke was not still being assaulted. He used Pale Flame Bolt, and focused the fire on his body. He could feel the warmth flicker through his hand, then surge back into his body, and his vision snapped back to existence. He could still feel a pulsating pain in his face, but figured it was the thing's Life power naturally augmenting its weapons.

He got back to his spot in the line and with a silent fury willed the Black Guard to buckler size. It shrank down to the appropriate sizing, and shifted to be up along his forearm. That let him grab his blade's hilt with both hands, and he unleashed a savage series of horizontal chops that caught limbs and torsos in the broad sweeps. After a few more seconds, and another Pale Flame Bolt channeled into himself—which alleviated the pain in his face—the Fog Creepers were all slain.

All but the one who had run off, head alight. [Resistance Increase: Life (-25%) → (-24%). Caustic (0%) → (1%).] [Aspect Increase: Melee Familiarity (Blade) 1 → 2 (gain +2% damage with bladed weapons). [Armor Familiarity 1 → 2 (gain +2% damage resistance when wearing armor).] Luke wasn't tired, and he wasn't sucking in air. But he still felt a mental exhaustion from the short, thirty-second fray. He planted his sword tip-down into the floor and leaned over on it for support. OK, he thought, that sucked. They are semi-smart, so the one who ran off will probably get allies and come back. [Title: Hold Against the Forest] [Quest Completed!] ["Predators test walls. Fear tests might. Pain tests courage.."] [Reward Granted!] [Name: Chill Field 1.] [Power Type: Gravefrost (Death + Cold).] [Duration: Committed.] [Mana: 20.] [Stamina: 15.] [Effect: The user manifests an aura of Gravefrost, which slows Living Creatures, and accelerates Undead Creatures. 10-foot sphere centered on the user. 1% slow and acceleration.] [You have leveled up!] [Level 9: Gain +1 Vigor, +1 Tenacity, +1 Free Point] [Please allocate your Free Point now...] Luke took a deep breath." Vigor." [Confirmed. Would you like to see your full status screen?]"Not now," he said." I have six questions… how did my Aspects and Resistances increase?" [This is two. Resistances increase when you suffer from the Power associated. Harm must be inflicted. At one-hundred percent, you are immune, save for when a foe is a higher Tier than you, their Power Type reduces it by five-percent, per Tier, to a maximum of ten Tiers of difference.] [Aspects improve through use. The more they are utilized, the more they will increase.] Luke sheathed his weapon and watched with morbid fascination as the corpses faded away on the front lawn, leaving behind… little crystals that glimmered in the light. I'm sure Garran can tell me more about those, since I'd bet they're those Essence Shards he mentioned. He walked down the steps and began plucking the thumb-sized, long, crystalline shards off of the ground. They pulsated with a soft, green light. He put those into his hip pouch that came attached to the belt of the armor: a small, chainmail-exterior bag with a leather-lined interior. The Undead whom he had lost also had those shards, and he extracted them—but they were a dark, smoky grey color. After gathering that, he took stock of his situation. [Health: 76 / 115] [Mana: 14 / 104 {114}] [Stamina: 74 / 104 {109}] Two of his Mindless Undead remained up here, one downstairs guarding Garran. Three out of the original six he had raised. The armor on the ones who had fallen was still of OK quality, and he looked at his two remaining minions. Pointing to one, he said, "Stand guard, notify me if foes arrive." Then, he looked at the other one." Take usable equipment to the basement." Both gave him nods of acknowledgment, and Luke headed back to the stairs. He still felt a dull pain where he had been injured in the legs, and spent the lingering remnants of his mana to heal up a little bit more. Making his way down, he told the Undead to move, and then walked into the room. Garran had the polearm resting to his left, propped up against the bed, and held his crossbow in shaky hands. He let out a sigh of relief as Luke came into view." What happened up there?" Luke went over to the table and pulled out two of the Essence Shards—one green and one grey." Those Fog Creepers followed you, I think. I dealt with them. Well, me and my Undead. I lost a lot of them." He frowned." Weirdly enough, they turned to muck and goop when they died." Garran sat up a bit straighter as he unloaded the crossbow and reset the string." You got Essence Shards?" Luke handed the two to Garran." Yup, that's a tier one Life and a tier one Death." He looked up at Luke." The Fog Creepers don't drop Death shards… so that must've come from—""My Mindless Undead, yes," Luke replied." They aren't usable anymore: their bodies have decayed, too." He crossed his arms." What are these shards used for?"" Crafting," Garran answered." You can take one or more shards, and integrate them into all types of items. A Life shard is great for farming equipment. Another example is that Blacksmiths will use elemental Shards like Heat ones to make flaming swords." Interesting, Luke thought as he took the shards back. Magic crafting system based around a monster economy. Garran was going trapping to get these shards, so they must have a sale value. I can make them, but at the cost of a corpse that I can no longer raise to serve me. Luke said, "Good to know. Now, I have a few questions. What year is it?" Garran chuckled, but it was a wry one, meant to put Luke at ease." It's the second Eryday of Myrren, in the year fifteen-fifty-two." The fort was abandoned ten years ago, Luke thought, but just to confirm … He asked, "How long ago was the fort abandoned?"" About ten years? Not sure why. Mayor Foghorn just said that there was disease, and everyone who could be saved was sent to the largest town nearby, a few days past Mistbrook. No one came back." Luke thought, well, I won't reveal that was a lie. Ignorance is bliss, and I can use that information to my advantage, perhaps. He didn't like how quickly that thought popped into his head, but couldn't discount how useful it would be to keep that information in his back pocket. Useful things were dangerous when they involved people instead of numbers. Garran was injured, frightened, probably still exhausted—if Luke told him the truth now, it wouldn't help the situation. He took in another breath." Right. Well, let's get you that food cooking in the other room, and then we can talk about next steps." Luke moved to the other room, and saw the now-boiling-out-of-control soup. He found an earthenware bowl, and couldn't spot anything to pick up the pot with. There wasn't a ladle, either. I suppose I could try and raise my Heat Resistance. Luke pulled his gauntlet off, and hooked it to his belt with one of the latches. Reaching out with his pale, white hand, he could feel the warmth radiating from the metal handle of the pot. Grabbing it, he felt a dull pain begin to spread. Oddly enough, it wasn't a burning sensation, but more like he had wrapped his hand around a mug with far too hot liquid inside. Still, he held on, despite smelling cooking flesh. I must have some natural pain reduction from being Undead. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He poured the soup from the pot into the bowl, and then set the pot down. Hmm, wasn't enough, he thought. Maybe it needs to be actual fire? He quickly used a Pale Flame Bolt to heal himself, feeling the dull throb hand fade. He pushed his hand toward the red coals below the pot, and grabbed one. If he still had air in his lungs, he would have let out a shout, but instead he just recoiled and dropped the coal. Fuck me. You'd have to be some masochist to subject yourself to that shit. I mean… I could spend some time, just burning myself and then healing up… but fuck, that takes some balls of steel. He looked at his palm and saw that the white skin had been scorched, and was cracked and burned. But, also, eventually the nerves will burn away. So a few seconds of pain to eventually not feel it. He grabbed the coal with the same hand, and gritted his teeth through the searing pain. Standing up, he went to the other room and handed Garran the bowl." It's hot," he growled out through clenched teeth. His words were barely audible, and he made sure to suck in a breath and repeat himself." I smelled something else cooking. Meat?" Garran asked." Nope," Luke replied." Not something you want to eat." [Resistance Increase: Heat (0%) → (1%).] Luke felt the pain begin to fade away, and knew that he had burned his hand very badly. His arm started to shake, and he saw his health take a precarious dip. So, he dropped the coal, and used the last drops of his mana for another Pale Flame Bolt, which surged down and soothed his wound—not fully though. It still ached and throbbed, and he clutched it to his stomach. Garran seemed to have noticed, but said nothing of the suddenly dropped coal. He took a sip of the soup, then pulled it away." Not bad."" There's more in the other room if you need supplies," Luke replied. Garran said, "What is your plan, then, Luke the Undead who saved me?" Luke was about to reply, but words appeared in his mind and ears once more. [Title: Choose the Burden.] [Trigger: Learn enough about your situation to flee or stay.] [Objective: Choose whether to abandon Greywatch Fort, or claim it.] [Reward: Level 10, Class Intro complete, Experience unlock, Deity Quest unlock, Aspect unlock. Aspect upgrade.] Luke took in the words, then spoke slowly." I would like to return this place to its past glory. But, I don't want to stay here forever. I think a good start might be to leave this place for now, get you back home safely, and then once I've learned more about what is going on, I'll return and start fixing up this place."" Why?" Luke gestured to Garran's leg with one hand." Sounds like this forest nearby is dangerous—""That's putting it mildly."" —and I want to turn this fort into a waystation. An outpost. A place where people in need can come get help. Like yourself." Garran's face played through a mix of emotions. A trace of fear remained throughout, but there was curiosity, and relief as well." You saved my life. The least I can do is show you the way to town. Not like it's hard to find, just following the one road from here to there. But… I should be able to keep people from attacking you on sight. Especially if we can get you something to cover up with." Luke nodded." Then I think the plan is to wait until you're ready to depart, and then I'll escort you back to town." [Title: Choose the Burden.] [Quest Completed!] ["You have learned to rise. You have learned to command. You have learned that the living fear what may save them."] [Reward Granted!] [Name: Gravebound Fortitude 1.] [Power Type: Death.] [Effect: The user becomes stronger while within the area of a Grave Node, or a place heavily associated with Death (graveyard, battlefield, crypt). 11% damage reduction, +11% outgoing damage increase.] [Blessing gained. Applying to Enduring Soul 3.] [Grave Node Creation - The user may split off 90% of their soul to form a Grave Node.] [You have leveled up!] [Level 10: Gain +1 Essence, +1 Acuity, +1 Free Point.] [Please allocate your Free Point now...] Instinct, since it's trailing at nine. I don't want it to fall too far behind, but it will always be lower, it seems, from the Class allotted points. [Confirmed.] [You may now gain Experience. This comes from completing meaningful Class-aligned activities. Killing always grants Experience, but only when meaningfully testing your Class, having danger level present, or driven by guided purpose. Killing those at a lower level than you results in diminished return.] [Your patron deity (The Last Warden), and sometimes other deities, will assign you Quests. You may reject these Quests if you desire.] [Would you like to see your full status screen?]"Now now," Luke muttered." Sorry?" Garran asked with a mouth full of soup." Not talking to you," Luke said." Just give me a few moments. I have seven questions I can ask a god, and I need to use a few." Garran shook his head." Just got here, and still learning your Class?" Luke snapped his gaze on the man." Come again?"" Everyone is chosen by a god once they come of age enough to understand the world," Garran said. He took another sip of the mushroom broth and then set the bowl on the table." You're assigned a Class by the god who marked your soul upon birth. They guide you in the first few years of your life, until you understand your lot. Then, you are on your own, unless they choose to reach out." He chuckled." The weird visions are always a bit jarring if you haven't heard from them in a while." Luke nodded." I just finished my last Quest, I think, for the god."" Which? I am marked by The Garden Law."" The Last Warden." Garran shook his head." Don't know that one." He grabbed the bowl and held it up." Can I get seconds?" Luke took it and refilled it, then brought it back to the man." Give me a few moments to talk to my deity." He walked into the room that was filled with the dead, and waved for his Mindless Undead to shut the door." OK, Last Warden." [The Last Warden. The is part of my name.]"Right then… I have seven questions now." [Correct. You must use them all now. Time is short. Be quick.]"Rapid fire then: how do I make a Grave Node?" [Find a place steeped in Death, and will it into existence.]"What does it do?" [Instill it with purpose, and it becomes a duplicate of you, using Corpse Retainer which increases as your Art Rank increases, up to the Command Limit—which is also the same as yours, and increases as yours increases.] Excellent, Luke thought as he grinned. Then my idea of setting up Undead Outposts is completely viable… and maybe even something like a whole city under my control. He'd often played city building simulator games, and if he had the ability and the Command Limit to run every important role with someone directly reporting to him? He could make the perfect city that could help people. But, he would have to work up to that. He then frowned." Why hasn't anyone else done it?" [Grave Nodes require a sacrifice of the soul. Yours regenerates thanks to the circumstances of your creation.]"Can it be destroyed?" [A Grave Node can be destroyed by you, or a powerful Soul ability.]"Does it need to be tethered to anything?" [The location. It will move about to perform its task.]"Can it be injured by regular people or monsters?" [No. Only those powerful or imbued with Soul may see or interact with it. One question remains.] Luke nodded. Then, an idea hit him. Who better to ask than the deity who he had been entrusted to?" My plan: making Undead Outposts, traveling around to help people… maybe a city I run… are these goals something your tenets and strictures support?" [Yes.] [My time guiding you comes to an end. Rise, Luke Rivers, Gravebound Knight.] Luke felt a sense of relief wash over him. If a deity was in support of his idea, then that settled it—he would make Greywatch Fort into an Undead Outpost, make a Grave Node, and then travel through this world, setting up more outposts to help people out. At least, until he got enough Experience and increased his Command Limit enough to make his own city… a place that would use all of his knowledge of Earth and how he thought a place should operate, to benefit those living there. In this place, he thought as he went back to Garran, having a bulwark against the forest and the Fog Creepers, plus a place of respite for them, is valuable. But I don't think I'd want to turn this Fort into the heart of a city. There's got to be better places out there, waiting to be capitalized on. Garran said, "I heard your questions. What exactly is a Grave Node? What's this plan about Undead Outposts?" Luke smiled, and said, "Well, I think I should tell that to whoever your town's leader is. Let me know when you're feeling up to traveling."" I could leave anytime. The town is only a few hours away." Luke grabbed the man's polearm and helped him up, then left the door. He looked at his Mindless Undead, and said, "Put all bodies into this area: then guard it." The corpse nodded. The second one who had been responsible for bringing gear downstairs was standing at the ready, also. Luke said, "Guard the door to the mushroom farm." It went to do so. Once Luke had helped Garran up the stairs, he addressed his last minion." Guard the stairs leading to the cellar." Garran muttered, "You think they'll listen once you're gone?"" They should," Luke replied. Garran shook his head and stopped at the top of the stairs leading out to the fort exterior." It's a risk, Luke. Undead going out of control? It's why people hate your kind—sorry not you in particular, you seem good enough. It's why they hate Necromancers, and people who deal in corpse-crafting like it. They lose control."" They aren't like me," Luke replied." Let's head out. I bet we can make it to town by daybreak." Garran grunted an affirmation, and Luke helped him down the stairs. They headed out through the open once-gated entrance, and kept going straight down the road. To Luke's right, he saw the drainage ditch and a steel-lattice covered drain pipe. Must be where the basement drain lets out, he thought. Garran, breath sounding pained, said, "Pardon me asking… could you carry me? We'd probably go faster." Luke nodded and scooped the man into his arms, hardly feeling the weight. He made sure to carry the man in a respectful way, where he wasn't emasculating him, not wanting to make him feel any lesser. He also made sure to not get anywhere near the injury." Now, while we walk, tell me about Mistbrook."