Rebirth: RIse of the Slave Master

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Weak Point

Moonlight shone on the road out of Aleside, making the white horse glow with a silvery malevolence. The salt air was cool as the wind rolled in off the nearby sea, and Theo turned up the hood on his poncho. There wasn't a risk of taking ill effects from temperature unless it reached an extreme level, but he didn’t care to enjoy the chill right now. Small puffs of sand were kicked up with every step he took towards the dimly flickering fires of the bandit’s war camp in the distance.

“You’re awfully quiet,” the man on the horse said with a gravely voice.

He had seemed surprised when Theo didn’t bring a mount of his own, but how could he know Theo wasn’t able to ride one? [Ride] was skill you could only get when you reached level 30, and players had to make do with other modes of travel in the meantime.

“Is there anything to say?” Theo replied.

The man chuckled, “Usually they got some sort of last words,” he provoked.

Last words? Even if the entire army ganged up on him in a surprise attack, the only ones who would be speaking their last would be those dumb enough to get in Theo’s way. Supposing the bandits were honest and kept to their word, which had an approximate likelihood of zero, the adventurer still couldn’t find any reason not to kill as many of them as he was given the chance. The only reason this guy got to keep his life for now was because his ugly head would make a poor welcoming gift.

“Words are for the civil and the weak,” Theo smirked, “Which are you?”

The bandit scoffed and turned away. He was only here to show the way, since it was possible Theo would try to escape under the cover of darkness. Though the man didn’t think he would lose his life if the two fought, with the adventurer’s skill, there was no choice but to admit his inferiority.

Adventurers and monsters…

They were sworn enemies, but most NPCs considered them of the same breed of walking natural disasters.

Theo took the opportunity to scan the horizon. Despite the darkness shrouding the desert wasteland, he could make out his surroundings as though it were the middle of day. It really was very kind of the city to have provided him with a couple of gifts before he left.

[Owl’s Eye Rune] Rune Point: Head; Rank: Lesser lv. 5,

MP +200

MP Regen +3 per second

Willpower +4

Intelligence +7

Special Ability: [Night Vision] - Allows the wearer to see normally at night.

Special Ability: [Hunter’s Mark] - Marks a foe with the symbol of Artana, Goddess of the Hunt. Effect: All attacks made against the target ignore 10 points of Defense. Duration: 24 Hours. Base Chance: 110%. Target: Single, 30 meter range. Cooldown: 24 Hours.

The bonuses on it were subpar for the level, almost inferior even to the [Serpent King’s Head Rune] Theo had auctioned earlier, but it was useful if only for its ability to give the one wearing it [Night Vision]. There were many races which had this quality innately, like Goblins for instance, but humans had to use runes or magic to make up the difference. According to Alaine, it was a popular choice for guards that got stuck with the night watch. As a night owl himself, Theo couldn't help but feel a certain kinship with this rune.

Along the way, his [Night Vision] enhanced [Perception] managed to reveal a few bandits hidden away throughout the area. They were lookouts, and he might have missed them otherwise. It wasn't particularly useful information to have, but made him feel more secure about any potential ambushes in the future.

It took some time to arrive at the bandit camp, which appeared more or less as Theo had imagined. Having led his fair share of military campaigns in the past, he could tell this place had all the hallmarks of a temporary raiding platform. The wilderness site was covered in small, easily constructed and deconstructed tents, divided into a number of units. Typically, each group of men would stick to their own ten man unit, fighting and living together under a veteran soldier who had the responsibility of reporting to the superior officers. As bandits, the rules might be a bit more lax than an official military unit, but the vestiges were still there.

Supplies were few and far between, just enough for a night or two, accounting for travel. The plan clearly hadn't been to stay long, perhaps with hope to have already sacked the city and been on their way by now. Campfires were the primary source of illumination in the living quarters, along with a few torches in key areas. Many of the men were standing about, armed and expectant, waiting for the arrival of the adventurer. There were fewer of them than Theo had anticipated.

Other than that, things were clean and neatly organized. Although the bandits favored a rough appearance on average, it seemed they took their work fairly seriously. Theo had never seen the hideout of the Black Mountain Clan, but he could imagine it operated in much the same way. It wasn't easy to function as a lawbreaker so close to a massive settlement like Oasis, and required a certain respectable efficiency to pull off successfully.

The Castle mercenaries had their own camp not far away, which was faintly illuminated. There didn't appear to be a lot of activity, and Theo could clearly make out a lack of personnel with his enhanced vision. It was a foreboding sight.

In the center of the bandit camp, a large area had been cleared out. Behind it was a tent that served as the base of operations for the higher-ups. An all too ominous huffing noise was coming from inside as the flaps on the tent billowed back and forth under some unseen force.

Theo tuned out the jeers and whispers of the surrounding enemy forces, sharpening his senses in the event of a surprise attack. [Skullsplitter] never left his side for a moment.

“Good, you showed up,” the voice that called out to him was the same from earlier, the plain-looking man who had delivered the challenge in the first place.

He was standing next to the tent flap, looking calm and collected. Theo expected something akin to overbearing smugness, but the bandit didn't give his thoughts away. If anything, he looked tired. As mere stooges in this whole ordeal, the Slave Master had a bit of sympathy for them. Their losses were already fairly significant just considering Theo’s contributions.

“Let's get this over with,” Theo said nonchalantly, “I’d rather not overstay my welcome.”

The man smiled bleakly, “Nonsense,” he said, “We may be bandits, but the Black Mountain Clan doesn't mistreat our guests!”

Several of the nearby outlaws called out in raucous agreement.

Theo noticed the listlessness in the man’s voice. Despite his words, he didn't seem too interested in the events taking place. Who was this strange bandit, and what was his game?

“Listen up adventurer,” he began, “You owe us a debt in blood for our brothers you killed, but that doesn't mean you're the only one. Get out of this alive and your business with us is over.”

Theo raised an inquisitive brow, “That simple?”

The man shrugged, “Simple is as simple does. We're robbers, killers, sure, but so are you. It’s a sad day when fellow murderers can't come to an agreement.”

At this, most of the bandits went quiet. It seemed like Theo had been underestimating them this entire time. He wasn’t the only one who felt something was off about this situation. It was evident from the mood that the Black Mountain Clan was aware of how suspicious the recent activity had been, and maybe there was even more to it than that.

“Those mercenaries don't seem to be present,” he said.

The man went quiet for a moment before shaking his head, “Gone off to wreck up that little town, I'm afraid. Snuck off like a bunch of rats, and took our illustrious leader with ‘em. Now what about that situation doesn't sound unsportsmanlike?”

“You weren't with them to begin with, I take it?” Theo asked.

“I'm sure I don't need to explain it, Mr. Adventurer. They lived up to their end of the bargain, and we ours, so business is concluded as you’d expect,” it was hard to tell if the bandit was lying or not, but Theo felt inclined to believe him given the circumstances.

He still very much intended to return the favor of targeting his life to the Black Mountain Clan, but at least now they didn't have to take the retribution personally. For the time being, he had to focus on getting out of this predicament before the city cracked. It appeared the invasion of Aleside was still part of the true enemy's plan, but Theo had no clue as to why.

Were they hoping to cause enough damage to prevent his escape? He could just go to a different town if that was the case. It could only mean there was something up for grabs that Castle valued more highly than revenge.

“I need to hurry…” Theo decided, saying, “You can understand if I don't feel like chatting. Bring out your fighter so I can end this already.”

The man in charge gave a short shrug and turned. He pulled back the heavy lip of the tent curtain and motioned to something inside. After a moment, there was a loud thud like a boulder had been rolled over. Theo readied his weapon, and surprise flashed in his eyes as a meaty pig snout exited the tent with a snort. Sparks flew from the ends of the huge nostrils, which were quickly followed by a gargantuan head. Large tusks poked up through the mouth of the creature, like rows of crisscrossing blades. It grunted as it carried itself forward on one stubby leg after the other.

[Ruckus Raiser] Lv. 20 Elite Thunder Tusk

“A pig!?” Theo's internal monologue roared, “They want me to fight A PIG?”

The huge beast was almost twice the size of an ordinary [Thunder Tusk], and three times as fat. Its massive electric spine crackled with a hissing charge, and the air was filled with the reek of hideous breath and ozone. The stump-like legs looked as if they could barely sustain the creature’s weight, and its scabby hide was studded with bony plates and scar tissue. This was an area leader, like the [Desert Serpent King], and a challenge that was designed to be fought by a well-prepared party.

“See, I have a way with animals,” the bandit's exceedingly ordinary face was filled with pride as he patted [Ruckus Raiser] on the flank, “Found this one here just the other day and thought Charlie would make a real nice present for the boss, though, I'd rather be taking your corpse with me instead.”

Theo frowned, thinking, “A Beastmaster… great… no wonder the bandits could raise so many horses, and what kind of name is Charlie!?”

The appearance of the large monster was certainly surprising, but there was a sense of relief in knowing that this was probably the Black Mountain Clan’s last big reveal. There was no more need to worry about them putting him up against something he couldn't handle. On the other hand, this opponent presented a different issue entirely.

“Tanky… this is going to take too long.”

Theo needed to get back to Aleside and help repel the attackers a soon as possible, and the scariest thing about [Ruckus Raiser] was that it was basically a damage sponge. Like any good [Thunder Tusk] it specialized in Defense and HP, which made it hard to take down even with multiple sources of sustained damage. With just himself, how long would it take to whittle away?

“Are you trying to kill me of old age with this thing?” Theo complained to himself.

“Have fun now you two, try not to play too rough!” the man chimed as he left the ring, and the oversized swine wasted no time in charging at Theo with a row of razor sharp tusks.

The adventurer jumped and rolled out of the way, digging the blade of his polearm into the creature's side as it trundled forward. Despite its overwhelming size and pitifully small legs, it was fast. A nasty surprise for the uninitiated, but well within Theo’s expectations.

-114

Weak! This thing's Defense was nothing to joke about, carving off a huge chunk of Theo's damage potential. Even when he thrust the poleaxe into its backside on the downswing, it created a loud clanging sound. There was no hesitation as Theo activated the power of his new rune. His eyes flashed as the [Hunter's Mark] hovered like a glowing ethereal beacon over the pig’s head. This ability was also useful for tracking down elusive targets, another guard-centric ability, though only the user could see it.

[Fend] was no help against such a big opponent, so Theo had no way to maximize his assault with a combo. It really was the most troublesome kind of enemy for him at this point, and he wondered if it was chosen for this fight on purpose.

[Lunge]

-193

The attack, which had managed to wriggle past the beast’s armor plating, only served to further aggravate its target. [Ruckus Raiser] roared and decided to show off its claim to fame. The ridge along its back bloomed a fluorescent white. Theo moved away to dodge the incoming lightning bolts, but realized too late that something was wrong when the attack never came. The entire area was washed in a brilliant light.

You have received [Flash]. Blind resisted!

“Dammit!” Theo cursed as something heavy crashed into the ground just in front of him.

You have received shock damage! -133

Even though he had managed to luckily resist the [Blind] effect of the skill, he was still disoriented for a moment. How was he supposed to know this creature had such an annoying ability? Theo had been overconfident and in a rush, and barely managed to avoid a direct hit. It was an opportunity to reevaluate his approach and focus on caution, but that wasn’t an option he was willing to choose!

-143

-145

-142

[Skullsplitter] unforgivingly slammed into the creature’s side, but the thing’s HP bar hardly budged. The bandits spectating from the side grew speechless as they watched the ferocity of the battle between the man and the monster. The comparatively tiny black-clad adventurer didn’t lose out at all in ferocity against [Ruckus Raiser], exchanging blows with the giant pig as if it was his most hated enemy.

The hushed conversations were varied, but the general consensus was, “We really wanted to make an enemy out of this crazy guy?”

“Just die already!” Theo brought [Skullplitter] down on the beast’s slobbering snout, sending it reeling in pain for the first time in the fight.

-144

You have hit a weak point of [Ruckus Raiser]. You do not have the skill to take advantage of this bonus.

A system message chimed in to remind Theo that he was once again fighting an enemy out of his league. Weaknesses started showing up on monsters after level 20, and were an important source of damage for those who favored light, fast attacks. Some of the later enemies were too tough for the low-power weapon users to properly fight otherwise. As such, [Exploit Weakness] was a skill that Assassins and Hunters received for free, but any class could learn it if they met the prerequisites. Theo hadn’t reached that point yet, so he didn’t receive any bonus damage from striking [Ruckus Raiser]’s snout.

That didn’t make it a totally pointless gesture though, as the monster’s AI would act differently if you repeatedly targeted the same weak point. Most often they would take measures to protect themselves, buts seeing his foe’s reaction after taking the hit was the stroke of inspiration Theo needed in this fight!

[Inflict Pain]

-93. Daze resisted!

You have hit a weak point of [Ruckus Raiser]...

[Inflict Pain]

-92. Daze resisted!

You have hit a weak point...

[Inflict Pain]

Critical hit!

-149. Daze resisted!

You have hit...

Theo relentlessly targeted the creature’s weak point with his [Inflict Pain] skill, causing the monster to snort and buck as its eyes glossed over. Most beast-type monsters were completely immune to the fear that NPC’s experienced, but in its place was another powerful emotion. Rage! Especially for the overly proud and pompous Elite monsters, they were almost certain to lose their cool if aggravated to a sufficient degree. Although the same effect could be achieved with regular methods, [Inflict Pain] was incredibly handy for expediting the process. At level 5, the amount of pain from each attack couldn’t be overlooked.

[Ruckus Raiser] has become enraged! All damage dealt increases by 30%! All damage taken increases by 30%!

The effect wasn’t as exaggerated as [Rampage], but that wasn’t the important part.

“Ch-Charlie! What are you doing?” the plain-looking guy shouted in distress as the porcine beast began to thrash about wildly.

Beastmaster NPCs had keen senses, and even without the system to inform them, they could tell when something was wrong with one of their tamed beasts. Theo’s plan was two-part, and he dashed towards the edge of the arena. [Ruckus Raiser] was hot on his heels, bolts of lightning flying from its spine and crashing into the surrounding bandits without recognizing friend from foe. Normally, since the Beastmaster was their ally, this wouldn’t be possible, but…

“Enraged monsters don’t follow orders!” Theo smirked wryly as he flew towards the one controlling the rampaging mound of lard.

Not every monster a Beastmaster could tame had the ability to enter the enraged state, but those that did gained both a major strength and a major weakness. If the bandit lived long enough to reach level 60 then he could learn a skill to calm the beast down, but that wasn’t something the AI could possibly know.

“D-don’t come over here! What are you doing!?” seeing nowhere to run, the man yelled desperately, “Charlie! Stop! It’s me!”

[Ruckus Raiser]’s eyes were totally focused on Theo, and had no care in the world about who it crushed as long as the infuriating insect in front of it was killed. As the bandit in charge was about to be the one experiencing said crushing, he was left with no further options.

“Unsummon!” the man activated a brand magic similar to the one used by the Slave Master, and the giant pig was stopped in its tracks by powerful restraining force.

It struggled to break free from the magic binding, but before its massive body could move even an inch further, it shattered into hundreds of shining white particles. [Unsummon] was a skill that sent a tamed beast back into the Beastmaster’s [Stable]. Low level Beastmasters could only use one beast at a time, and had to [Summon] them if they wanted to battle. Although [Unsummon] had an instantaneous casting speed, the same couldn’t said for the spell that called the monster out. The man disorientedly thought to call for help, but was stopped by a sudden concussive force.

[Fend] sent the Beastmaster flying through the air and onto the ground, completely cancelling his attempt to [Summon]. Before he could raise his head, a cold blade was pressed to his neck.

Theo stood over his captive with [Skullsplitter] baring down, a vindictive expression on his face, “Give me one reason,” he spat.

The man seemed only momentarily afraid before he regained some calm and his features returned to normal, “Them,” he gestured with his head slightly, avoiding the sharp bits of the poleaxe.

Dozens of bandits had overcome the confusion of the situation and rapidly approached with weapons drawn. Although none of them stepped any further, it was clear the scene had deteriorated into a hostage negotiation. Theo wasn’t threatened, but he didn’t really want to fight either. Enough time had been wasted already, and if it wasn’t for the inevitability of their horses catching up to him, he would have fled the moment he found out Aleside was being attacked.

“Your offer?” Theo said quickly.

“Let me go. We call this done. You can go save your little town, and I can finally go home,” the man replied.

Theo liked this idea, “Deal.”

Everyone took a collective, somewhat dumbfounded, sigh at the anticlimactic decision. The Beastmaster was the clever sort, and knew just what to offer to get himself out of this situation. Theo probably could have hung around to extort more out of the bandits, but he was in a rush.

“Good, then if you could-” the man’s voice was drowned out by a sudden sound.

Bweep! Bweep!

You have been contacted by an Emergency Service number. Answering this call is highly advised. Repeat: You have been contacted by…

“Emergency service? Someone didn’t set the apartment on fire, did they?” Theo panicked and answered the call without thinking, “Hello?”

A slightly startled voice answered from the other side, “Oh! Uh. Right, hello. Is this a Mr. Rick Nelson?” it was a man.

“Right, is something wrong?” he asked.

There was a slight pause, before, “That is… well… Do you know a Roo-ee Lee-ang Bai?”

It took Rick a long moment to figure out what had been said, “Bai? Yes, I know him. What happened?”

“Ah, good,” the man sounded a bit relieved, “No, I mean. This is Officer McGuire. There’s been an incident and your friend is currently in the hospital.”

“Bai is... in the hospital?” Rick repeated the words absentmindedly.