Chapter 62: Outfitting an Army

You have left a safe zone.

The moment, Morin and I exited the crater, two small white figures dropped out of the darkness to alight on our shoulders.

I turned to look at my familiar. “Welcome back,” I said and left it at that.

Gnat bobbed his head. “Making friends, are we?” he asked, gesturing towards the painted woman.

I shrugged and didn’t say anything. I glanced at Morin and saw that her familiar was whispering in her ear. I wondered what it was that he was telling her. I hadn’t yet discussed the matter of the familiars with the other candidates, and I wasn’t sure yet how far Morin trusted her own.

When we drew closer to the locked metal door, I saw Decalthiya and Bornholm were standing outside it with a dozen candidates. They congregated around the entrance, and looked up at our approach. Morin muttered something under her breath about hasty half-giants and impatient dwarves, and hurried ahead. I followed more slowly in her wake.

As I reached the door, a sheepish looking Decalthiya and Bornholm began ordering the waiting candidates into disciplined ranks.

“Go ahead,” Morin said, gesturing me to the door. Setting the key in the lock, I turned it and pushed open the door.

“Urgh, that smells awful,” someone said from behind.

I wrinkled my own nose. Whoever had spoken was right. I hadn’t noticed it before, but the smell of death hung heavy in the air. I stepped over the threshold and without paused hurried down the passage. “Follow me,” I called over my shoulder to the others.

Reaching the second door, I glanced around. Everything was exactly as I had left it. Spotting the bodies of the six guards I had slain, I picked one whose armor appeared mostly intact and knelt by his side.

Morin and the others hadn’t reached the door yet. “Come on in,” I yelled and began tugging the goblin’s armor off. It smelled horrible and was covered in gore, but appeared useable.

I had just managed to remove the goblin’s gloves when I heard the approach of tentative footsteps. Looking up, I saw it was Morin. “You see,” I said, gesturing to the corpses. “I wasn’t lying. Six sets of armor and weapons right at the door, and there’s plenty more farther in.”

Morin didn’t say anything.

“What?” I asked, sensing her unease.

“I can barely see a thing,” she said. “How can you?”

“What do you mean, its—”

I broke off. To my sight, the passage was brightly lit as if under a noon day sun. But it wasn’t, I realized. My new nightstalker trait was enhancing my vision. It worked so seamlessly, I hadn’t even perceived any difference in the lighting between the safe zone and this passage.

But how will I be able to find shadows to hide in if I can’t see them? Triggered by the thought, my vision darkened, restoring the passage’s familiar murkiness.

Nocturnal sight disabled.

Remarkable, I thought and reactivated the trait. At a muttered oath from behind, I turned around. Decalthiya had stubbed her toe on an outcropping—much to Bornholm’s amusement.

The dwarf was the only one in the group besides me that was not struggling to see. I glanced at Morin again. She was still looking expectantly in my direction. Instead of answering her, I reached into my backpack and withdrew the magic lamp.

Moonstone lamp activated. Three hours of light remaining.

White light flooded the passage and the others gasped in relief. A chortling Bornholm walked up to me. “You must have a bit of dwarf in you to see so well in the dark, lad,” he said. There was a twinkle to his eyes, but there was also a hint of a question in his tone too.

I shrugged and turned back to the goblin, using it as an excuse to avoid discussing the matter. I was prepared to work with the other candidates, but I wasn’t yet ready to share all my secrets. Stripping of the creature’s armor, I cleaned and equipped it.

You have equipped a set of primitive goblin hide armor. This item set reduces the physical damage you sustain by: 10%, and penalizes your Magic and Dexterity by: 50%. Each rank you achieve in the light armor skill will reduce the penalty incurred by: 5%. Current modifiers: -5 ranks in Dexterity. Dexterity skills and abilities limited to rank 4.

I grimaced. My Dexterity had been halved. It was a good thing my dexterity-based skills were still too low to be affected, but I felt notably clumsier. The meagre ten percent physical damage reduction was not worth the penalties, but I didn’t remove the armor. I needed to train my light armor skill, and the only way I could do that was by wearing the armor.

I looked around. Bornholm and Decalthiya were supervising the other candidates while they looted the five remaining corpses, and Morin was watching me. “I owe you an apology,” she said.

I frowned. “What for?”

“This,” Morin said, gesturing to the corpses. “I thought at best, you were stretching the truth. Or at worst, leading us into a trap.” She bent down and picked up a fallen spear. “I see now that you weren’t.”

I looked at her curiously. “How can you be sure there isn’t an ambush waiting for you around the next corner?”

“Saben has been hankering to get his hands on me for ages.” She smiled. “It’s why I accompanied you personally. If he was lying in wait nearby, he wouldn’t have been able to resist the chance to grab me. His trap would have sprung by now.” She twirled the spear in her hand. “Besides, whatever else Saben is, he is not careless. He wouldn’t let my people arm themselves before attacking.”

I blinked, processing her response. “So… you used yourself as bait?”

She laughed. “You could say that.”

I nodded slowly. I would do well not to underestimate Morin, I realized. She appeared to be a canny leader. And one not averse to taking risks. “Then we do go ahead with the attack?”

The painted woman studied me a moment. “We do,” she affirmed, then glanced down the passage. “How many chambers are there in this section?”

“A few dozen,” I answered. “Including a great hall at the far end.”

“Hmm, it will take us awhile to loot everything,” Morin said. “What do you wish to keep for yourself?”

I hesitated, feeling a momentary twinge of regret for all the loot I was handing over. But I knew it was necessary to better our chances in the coming conflict. Besides, I consoled myself, anything I sacrifice here, I am sure to make up once we defeated Saben. “Nothing,” I said.

Morin’s eyes widened slightly. “Nothing? You’re sure?”

“Nothing except the goblin chief’s equipment,” I said firmly. “The rest is yours.”

“Thank you,” Morin said gravely. “I know we have been less than gracious to you so far.”

I smiled wryly. That was an understatement, but I didn’t say anything.

“Perhaps it is this world, or perhaps it is just the Master’s realm,” Morin continued. “After weeks amongst the Dark sworn, all of us have learnt to harden our hearts and be wary of strangers.” She held my gaze. “It’s no excuse, I know, but don’t judge us too harshly. Whatever happens from here on out, know that I will not forget your generosity,” she promised.

I waved off her words, slightly ashamed. My motives in doing this weren’t all that pure. “I do have two conditions though.”

Morin raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Your people trade with Hamish for any items they wish to sell or buy,” I said. “I owe him a favor.”

Morin nodded. “That we can certainly do. What’s your second condition?”

“I need someone to help me haul the chief’s gear back to the safe zone.” My eyes roved over the candidates, before coming to rest on the half-giant. “Will you lend me Decalthiya for the task?”

Morin chuckled. “That will please her no end, I’m sure.”

~~~

A little later, Decalthiya and I left the others behind and made our way to the great hall.

As Morin had guessed, the half-giant was not best pleased to be used as my mule. I let her sputtered protests wash over me. After all, it was only the mildest of rebukes for her earlier behavior.

We entered the great hall, and Decalthiya broke off midstream as she surveyed the carnage revealed by the moonstone lamp. She looked at me with new respect. “You did all this?”

I nodded mutely, shocked myself as for the first time I beheld the full scope of the destruction I had waged in the chamber. Almost, I turned off my nocturnal vision at the sight.

Shaking off my impulse, I tugged the half-giant forward. “Come on, the chief is this way.”

We stopped at the fallen boss’ side and Decalthiya circled the corpse. “Big bugger, isn’t he?” she remarked.

He was, but then again, so was the half-giant. In fact, the two were nearly of matching size. “You think you can carry all his gear?”

Decalthiya nodded “I can.” She made a face. “But removing everything will be messy work.” Her eyes fell on the greatclub. Picking it up, she whipped it idly through the air. “Nice weapon,” she grunted.

I eyed the half-giant twirl the massive weapon as if weighed nothing. I had barely been able to pick it up, I recalled. “Uhm, you have the greatclub weapon skill?” I asked, unable to keep the surprise from my voice.

Decalthiya grinned at me. “Nope.”

“Then, how—”

She chuckled. “I’m an armsmaster.”

I stared at her blankly.

“It is a melee specialist Class,” the half-giant explained. “It comes with a trait that allows me to wield any melee weapon or equip any armor, but at significant skill penalty.”

My mouth dropped open. “Wow. Is that a master Class?”

Decalthiya threw back her head and laughed. “No, it’s a blended Class.” she said when her humor subsided.

I frowned. “A what?”

“You don’t know?” she asked, surprised. Her gaze flitted to the familiar on my shoulder. “Tell him,” she ordered.

Gnat glared at the half-giant, but didn’t object to her request. “Classes aren’t static in the Game. They can meld or evolve, although the later rarely occurs,” the skeletal bat said. “Melding happens when a candidate finishes configuration of at least two of his Classes. If synergies exist between the paths in question, the Game will offer the candidate a blended Class to replace the original ones. And before you ask,” Gnat said, seeing the question on my face, “a blended Class is always superior to the originals.”

“That’s right,” Decalthiya agreed. “Bi-blends are common. The real trick to Class selection, though, is achieving a tri-blend: a meld of three synergistic paths. While tri-blends are not exactly rare, they are said to be difficult to achieve.”

“I see,” I said, digesting this sudden wealth of information. I glanced at Gnat. “Why didn’t I know all this?”

He snickered. “You didn’t ask?”

I scowled at him before turning back to the half-giant. On impulse, I analyzed her again.

The target is Decalthiya, a level 8 sun half-giant. This entity is a player. Your insight has increased to level 2.

Once again, the Game revealed no information as to her Class, but at least I had gained a level in the insight skill this time. I chewed my lip in consideration. “So, you can use the greatclub?” I asked Decalthiya.

She nodded.

“What about the armor? Can you use it, too?”

The half-giant eyed the chief’s frame. “It looks to be the right size.”

I sighed. I had been so looking forward to finding out how much Hamish would give me for the gear, but alas, it was not to be.

“Then, they’re all yours,” I said.