I’d spent the week since leaving Hernberg traveling South. The countryside had been filled with thick underbrush and moss-covered old trees near the city but the further I traveled the more the landscape around me began to change. The grasses dried and the trees thinned until there were large patches of cracked earth devoid of any vegetation. The blazing sun overhead had leeched the humidity from the air leaving me roasting in my own sweat under the added weight and constriction of my armor. A dry wind blew against my face sending small particles of dust and sand against my sun-burnt skin. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the first small cactus growing near one of the wind-eroded stones that dotted the landscape. It wasn’t that there was no vegetation, there was actually quite a bit but there were dried vines, and brown scrub-brush mixed with greener weeds and cacti. I hadn’t traveled much in the American South-West, aside from a single trip to the Grand Canyon when I was six, but I imagined New-Mexico and Arizona likely had a similar environment.

Even with the harsh surroundings, I was in a fairly good mood Free for the first time in weeks just to play the game the way I wanted, I looked forward to some some exploration and tinkering with skills. I was rich, powerful, and was one of the first players to set foot outside the noob zone. I smiled as I watched heat-waves rise from the parched earth beneath my boots and was just taking a swig of water to rehydrate when something slammed into me from behind.

Taken completely off guard, I landed face first on the hard dirt and only realized I was under attack when the beast now standing on my back snarled loudly as it racked at me with it’s claws. The back of my arms and thighs got the worst of it, but the wounds were mostly superficial. The claw that snuck in between my helm and pauldron to score my neck was the dangerous wound.

I was too stunned to react for a moment before the feel of blood running down my neck finally goaded me into action. I slapped both my arms down onto the dusty earth propelling myself upward and dislodging my attacker. Magic surged through my as I cast Stoneskin and Strength of Stone. I sprang to my feet, whirling to meet my attacker only to see a small feline shape dash into the thin scrub brush and out of site.

I pulled my hammer from my pack and crouched low. Listening for the faintest sound as I tried to search for the attacker. I waited there for a good two minutes before I relaxed slightly and pressed a hand over my bleeding neck. I had taken only a couple of steps before I heard the brush rustle to left left. I spun that direction only to have another of the small cat-creatures dash in from the direction I’d just turned away from and rake it’s claws across the back of my already injured calves.

I turned in a fury catching my first good glimpse of one of the creatures. It looked like a miniature sabertooth tiger. It was about the size of bobcat, thirty pounds or so with over-sized fangs descending from its top jaw. The coat was spotted like a bobcats, with shades of red-brown, light brown, and light green tints that made it nearly impossible to see in the scrub.

I sent a wave of flame at the retreating cat, but it dodged nimbly and disappeared again. Expecting another attack from behind, I spun in time to catch another of the creatures mid-leap. I snatched it out of the air with one stone-gauntleted hand and threw it too the ground before stomping on it with my enhanced strength. Bones broke audibly and I was feeling pretty smug until a chorus of growls rumbled around me. At least a dozen more of the cats had appeared from the brush and surrounded me.

This was very bad. Their hunting strategy was a good one. They already had me bleeding from a half-dozen wounds, under the blazing sun and losing blood it wouldn’t take long for me to tire. It was obvious they were used to hunting large game with their hit-and run attacks. They didn’t need to fight me head-on they just needed to harry me until I was too tired and weak to fight back. I was a goner out in the open.

I scanned the area looking for shelter as I tossed the cat-corpse into my bag. I’d never actually tried to keep a corpse in my pack, but this seemed as good a time as any to try. There wasn’t much cover to be found as my eyes flicked over my surroundings but there was a large rock formation a good half-mile from here. It wasn’t ideal, but with something at my back I at least had a chance. I gathered my magic then dashed for the rocks sending a wave of fire out in front of me to scatter the creatures and let me break through their encirclement. I counted off seven steps as I continued to compress fire-mana. Then I whirled a sent a wave of my strongest flames into the area behind me. The heat was intense and the attack caught three of the creatures chasing me. They screamed as the flames caught them but I didn’t bother finishing them off. Instead I turned and ran for my life.

They kept hitting me as I ran. They made small slashes aimed for the tendons in my legs and ankles but I managed not to take any crippling wounds. Still, the damage was adding up and I was weakening. I was a tough nut to crack but the little beasts did a surprising amount of damage. I could only guess at their level but they were definitely powerful. I pressed my back to the largest stone as I arrived at the rock formation then waited as I tried to catch my breath from the short sprint.

The cats didn’t attack again but I caught glimpses of them circling around me from time to time. Deciding that waiting would be a poor idea I started scratching a small circle around the large stone. I didn’t get fancy and used only a couple protection sigils. I was already exhausted and just wanted something to protect me until I could heal. I’d make something more elaborate when I had all my magic back. Maybe I could find a sigil for air-conditioning.

It took a good thirty minutes to get my circle up and a fire going. The cat-creatures had tested me a few times but they’d backed off once I got the circle up and they’d attacked it.That was a good thing because I was getting light-headed from the blood loss and the heat. I needed some time to heal before I passed out and got eaten. I was relaxing on the shady-size of the boulder when when the game-screen updated and a window appeared in front of me.

Blurp

You Have Received A New Quest!Ferocious FelinesAlthough the dune-cats are common predators of the arid regions south of the Ten Kingdoms, the size of their prides usually don’t surpass a half-dozen members. The local pride seems to have grown much larger in this area and the increased number of predators is having an impact on the local wildlife population.Reduce the size of their pride, or eliminate the leader so the pride breaks up and the cats relocate.

Kill twelve brush-cats: 1/12

Or

Kill Broken-Claw: 0/1

Level: 20

Difficulty: -

Rewards: 2000 Xp, 5 Fame

I smiled in satisfaction as I accepted the quest. It was the perfect quest, no crazy cultists, no do or die consequences, just a quest to slaughter the local wildlife for thinly fabricated plot reasons. It matched my mood perfectly. Just farm some mob’s, hang out, maybe mine a bit and enjoy the scenery. I pulled the dead cat creature from my pack and sliced it a few times with my skinning knife. Apparently, my skill wasn't high enough because I only got a single piece of meat off the thing before it vanished in a puff of black smoke.

Sighing, I looked at the stringy meat and tossed it out of my circle, then pulled out a hunk of bread and some hard cheese from my pack. I was going to need to find a town or a river soon to re-stock my supplies. Fishing usually netted me most of my food but there were no water sources to be found around here. I’d have had to turn back days ago for water, but conjuring water was easy.

I leaned against my rock and rested as my wounds healed and the sun sank toward the horizon. The desert came alive as the sun-set and night fell. Small rodents climbed out of their holes as they skittered along the ground and night birds took wing to hunt them. I stood up from my impromptu campsite. I knew the dune-cats were likely still after me but I was healed now and could fight again.

I didn’t set-out immediately though. The dune-cats would be waiting for me and their eye-site would be superior to my own dark-vision but I couldn’t wait out here forever and fighting them in the chill night air was far superior to the burning heat of day. I pondered my options for a moment before shrugging and pressing a tendril of magic into the earth.

I needed a leg-up if I wanted to fight the cats. Their flanking tactics and speed made them exactly the kind of enemies I hated. I’d taken quite the beating to kill a single one. Trying to take down a dozen would not be pleasant. This seemed the proper time to start improvising.I had an idea and I’d been wanting to try it out for a while. I let my magic sink into the ground but instead of trying to move or shape the earth I extended the power outwards. Then I closed my eyes and opened myself to the magic, trying to feel the earth itself with my mystical senses

At first I didn’t get anything. There was only darkness and stillness. I focused my mind and intent reaching for the subtle vibrations. Then I felt it. The small impacts of insects as they scuttled over and through the earth. The larger impacts of a kangaroo mouse as It bounded from one section of brush to another. The incoming sensations overwhelmed me, robbing me of balance until the thundering impact caused by my own body as I hit the ground boke the spell and snapped my senses back to me.

Blip

Bliiiiiip

You Have Created A New Spell. Would You Like To Name It?

“Name spell…. Tremorsense” I said as I lay in the sandy dirt smiling.

It took most of the night to larn how to manage the spell properly. At first I stumbled around like a drunken toddler running into things and falling over as my magically induced ability to since vibrations in the ground warred with my more traditional senses. Once I was able to walk around with my eyes open it took even more time to be able to translate a particular set of vibrations to a direction.

It was hard to wrap my brain around. The whole experience was like growing a third arm I could only use my hearing to operate. It was definitely useful but extremely difficult to use in conjunction with the arms and legs I already had. I was a long way from mastering the skill but it would at least let me know if something was sneaking up on me. Combine that with the large amounts of mana it took to sustain and the spell was hardly worth the effort to learn.

Still, I’d learned that lesson with my fire magic before. Just because a skill didn’t seem terribly useful when you got it, didn’t mean it wouldn’t be useful eventually. So I’d practiced most of the night hiding behind my circle’s protection and taking the opportunity to sleep for a few hours.

When I woke it was mid-morning and the sun blazed overhead. I’d have much rather fought at night in the cool, but the light of day would send the majority of the desert creatures to ground, making less noise to sort-through with my tremorsense. I had enough trouble with it and needed any advantage I could get.

Resigned to the heat, I applied my enhancement spells and stepped cautiously out of my circle. I had no real destination in mind, so I followed the mental nudge my prospecting skill was giving me and started to walk towards the a rock formation to the South-east. It was quite a ways away so I walked cautiously expecting an ambush at any moment.

The brush-cat’s didn’t disappoint. I hadn’t taken more than a dozen steps before my tremorsense spell caught a vibration behind me. I whirled and struck out with a fist smashing the feline from the air and knocking out it. I reversed course to finish the creature off only to have two more cat’s lunge at me from my flanks. I felt them coming but the rapid movement movement had disoriented me. As I spun to meet them I lost my balance and fell. The two cats went for my throat but I blocked them with a stone-covered hand before batting them away.

That left me time to finish the unconscious cat and spring back to me feet before more cats came at me. Killing another of their number seemed to have angered them because they didn’t bother with their normal hit and run tactics but instead a half-dozen of them rushed at me from all sides. I reached for fire and a ring of flames exploded around me as I pushed fire mana out in every direction. There was a few mad moments of screaming hisses and tearing claws as the cats leapt through the flames and attacked.

I took a score of minor wounds as I punched and yanked the burning animals off of me. They did not go quietly. The burns transformed them from nimble predators into maddened beasts. They hissed and spit as they raked me with their claws and fangs. I pressed harder on my magic compacting my mana further and intensifying the fire. Hints of orange crept into the dull red flames as I wrenched the last cat off of me and broke it’s neck before tossing it away.

I grinned as I took a few breaths. Now this was what a game was supposed to be. The improved flame shield bought me a few moments to right myself then I cut the spell. Using two elements at once was still difficult for me and there was no way I could keep up that level of mana drain for long. The brief respite was enough and I met the next cat with a knee as I waded back into the fray.

*******************************

Blurp

You Have Completed A Quest!Ferocious Felines

Rewards: 2000 Xp, 5 Fame

I collapsed as the last of the cats died, breathing in great ragged gasps of the over-heated air. I had dozens of shallow wounds on my uncovered flesh or where their claws had pierced the leather of my armor. Still, a victory was a victory and a hard fought one was always satisfying. The cats were tough enemies, faster than most enemies I’d faced and their hit and run tactics made me use my abilities to their utmost. They also underlined the problems I was having my my build.

Originally, I’d used my brute strength and heavy damage to smash everything, ignoring my magic. Now, I’d swung too far the other way, and my weapon had become almost a hinderance. Magic was just so versatile and powerful in this game. I needed to find a way to improve my weapon skills. A hybrid class wasn’t particularly useful if they stopped using an entire half of their abilities.

Sighing, I climbed to my feet and used my sub-par skinning skills on the cats. I got more stringy meat and a single pieces of decent fur, but money was money. I tossed it all into my pack and headed towards the rock formation my prospecting skill indicated.

It was a massive formation. Great boulders ringed a large pillar of brown rock over a hundred feet tall. The area was large, but I wanted to ring the whole place in a circle before I starting to mine. The circle would be nearly a quarter mile in circumference. I pondered on what sigils to use as I walked the circle, scratching symbols into the dirt or onto boulders to mark off the perimeter while adding the occasional power sigil as I circumnavigated the formation.

Witchcraft had been an accidental discovery, but was now one of my favorite parts of the Otherworld. It was three parts science, five parts art, and ten parts pure imagination. I grinned as I finished the outer circle, wiping the sweat from my face. The battle with the cats hadn’t taken long, and it was just now approaching mid-day as I walked to the large pillar and sat down into the dirt.

I took my Witchcraft book from my pack and flipped through the pages looking for inspiration. I didn’t know how long I planned to stay here, but It would be a few days at least. I wasn’t too concerned with defense and I was here to mine. Shrugging I scratched the most basic circle. Three points; Air, Water, and Spirit. Then I started to improvise.

I used two Obscurity sigils for defense. They were a far cry from the force-fields I could make with earth, but water and air were more versatile and I wanted to try something new. I had a hundred-seventy mana now and wanted to push myself. Although, the sheer size of the circle would limit me somewhat. Larger circles were harder than small ones, and this one was massive. Still, I should be able to come up with something good.

I added a sigil of Vigor to the circle as well as one of Regeneration. I’d never used Vigor in a barrier before, but hopefully it would increase my stamina for mining. I snorted. It would likely increase my stamina for all sorts of things. Luckily, I was in alone in the middle of a desert so nothing too awkward should happen. Smiling now, I added a sigil of Alacrity then reached into my pack and withdrew a bird’s feather, a water skin, my bone knife, a small wooden box, three types of flowers, and a mushroom.

The feather I placed near one point of the circle. Then I unstoppered the water skin and opened the small wooden box. Blue power sat inside in the box and I sprinkled a single pinch of the water essence I’d gotten out of the dungeon into the waterskin before I placed it at the second point. I used the flowers and mushroom to amplify their respective signals. For the last ingredient only my blood would do. I bit my thumb and squeezed out a few fat drops to complete my masterpiece.

Once completed I just needed to add magic, but I wanted this circle to be great, not just functional so I sat in the dirt and scribbled in the dirt until I’d come up with a satisfactory chat. It took longer than I expected. Then inspiration struck and I erased what I’d written and I climbed to my feet. I lifted my athame as I poured magic into the casting circle and started to speak.

“Hidden by Magic

Man Toils Under Summer Sun

Finds Shelter and Peace”

The sigils of my circle lit one by one as I pushed magic into it. I’d done more complex spells before and the strain was harsh but manageable, at least it was until the last sigils lit. Then I had to provide the power to drape the enchantment over the massive area I’d encircled. Magic pressed in, battering against my mind like a rising tide. The pain was significant, but I’d grown used to such things.

I forced myself to breath through the pain. Sharpening my focus and forcing more of my magic into the spell. Then it was done and my circle burst to life. A quick swipe of my foot broke it’s containment and the magic rushed out, flying upwards and weaving itself into the dome of magic my will had created.

Bliiiiiip

You Have Created A New Spell. Would You Like To Name It?

Details...

A moderate illusion barrier based upon a three point circle. It has six sigils of four different types and is amplified by five common and one rare reagent.

Elements Used: Air, Water

Sigils Used Include: 2 Obscurity, 1 Vigor, 1 Alacrity, and 1 Rejuvenation.

Barrier HP: -

Hp Regen: .32%/Min

Mana Regen: .32%/Min

Stat Increases: 4.5% Str, 4.5% Con, 4.5% End, 4.5% Coord, 4.5% Agi

I examined the spell. It was basically a localized version of one of my blessing spells. Although interestingly it increased my attributes by a percentage instead of a flat value. I’d be able to provide some powerful defensive buffs at some point. I was hoing for something a little more interesting, but it would be useful as I slaved away mining.

It was late afternoon by the time I was ready to start working.. The preparation and casting of my circe had taken hours and then I’d had to set-up my tent a make a good fire and do other menial chores. The heat of the day had started to dissipate by the time I finished and dusk was approaching.

My prospecting told me there was a lot of ore in the rock formation, but I took some time to scout around until I had found a particularly promising spot. The boulder looked identical to those around it but something about it seemed to call to me. It could have been my prospecting skill, or stone sense, intuition, or a combination of all of them. This game had so many skills, sub-skills, and skill synergies it was nearly impossible to tell what actually did what.

Shrugging, I pulled my pick from my back and gave the stone a solid whack. A tiny chip appeared on the rock but otherwise nothing in particular happened. I raised an eyebrow. I was a lot of things but weak wasn’t one of them. More curious than ever, I cast Strength of Stone. Then reared back and slammed the pick down onto the boulder with all my might.

CRASH

The blow reverberated up my arms, but the rock had remained mostly unscathed. A chip the size of a nickel was now missing next to the first scratch I’d made but that was all. The only thing better than finding rare loot was fighting loot you weren’t strong enough to grasp. Those were the real treasures.

Smiling, I walked a few steps to a different bolder and used a casual swing on it. This time the result was more expected and a piece of rock the size of an apple broke off. I picked it up and examined it before tossing it away and repeating the action. I had mined my way through about a quarter of the boulder before I noticed the vein shining in the rock. It took a few more whacks before I got a piece of ore.

Silver Ore

(Uncommon)Raw Material

A piece of ore containing silver. Silver is a precious metal usually found as a byproduct of copper-nickel mining. It is a soft, lustrous, and highly conductive metal generally used for jewelry, mirrors, and other places where aesthetics are important.

Quality: 21%

My smile grew as I tossed the rock into my bag and swung my pick again.

It was going to be a good day.

AN: Yay! Chapter 1 of book three is now ALIVE!!!!!!

Not much action, but a bit of tinkering with the skill system and general merry making until things go to hell again like they always do. :P