Liam - Level 4

Aethon Island

Liam wasn't quite in the game yet. He'd logged off briefly for a late lunch, and a bathroom break. At the moment he was waiting on the character selection pad. Two people were standing before him. The first was his level four undead necromancer. The second was an elf he'd made last night. Two other pads were empty and waiting for a maximum of four characters.

There were three playable races— four if you counted half-orc and half-elf. They were the typical fantasy choices; Elf, Dwarf, Orc, and Human with their half-breeds. Not much variety, but maybe in future patches new races would become available.

Part of the reason for making the elf was to test the character creator. It was surprisingly in-depth, and Liam had taken over an hour to finalize the elf. He'd done little more than log in, heck the handsome bastard was still a level zero commoner. Now Liam was torn whether play the elf or the undead mage. Liam hadn't made the necromancer. It had been a joke, a trick to screw with him. As a half-orc, he wasn't suited to casting magic. The elf, on the other hand, had a keen set of ears, and magical affinity. He could regenerate mana twice as fast. If Liam wanted to play a mage the elf, or a half-elf was his best choice.

That was the problem he decided. Playing the elf almost felt like admitting failure. Like he couldn't hack it, and that stuck in his craw. Liam if anything was a very stubborn man. It was probably why he'd suffered his job at the Slatko Factory for so long. There was another reason, a simple one. He felt a connection with the tall deformed skeleton. Liam knew about getting the short stick in life. For years he'd been a big dumpy looking guy, and maybe that was why he liked the scary mage.

He walked towards the elf and knelt at its feet. Putting a hand on the pad caused a set of options spring up. He selected delete, and a pop-up appeared.

[Deleting the character is permanent. All items associated with the player will be erased as well (This includes banked items). Are you sure you wish to do this?]

He hit yes. It wasn't like he was losing anything important. The level zero had nothing on him. Liam didn't want to be tempted by the handsome elf every time he logged in. Slowly the character faded. He became ghost-like then disappeared in a sparkle of small lights. At least Liam had been able to go through the tutorial with the elf. Now he knew what the different NPC threat colors were. White names indicated a creature of the same level. Yellow was a slight challenge meaning mobs were between one and four levels higher. Red monsters were extremely dangerous to engage. Such creatures were at least five levels higher than the player.

Liam stood and turned to the undead mage. The seven-foot tall creature was wrapped in a threadbare brown robe— a pick up from yesterday. He still had no weapon to speak of, but at least the robes let him put his giant spell book away.

"Looks like we're stuck with one another," He said to the character. Liam hadn't expected an answer, but the undead mage turned his head at the sound. The tiny green flames in its eye sockets flared briefly. Liam couldn't help but smile a little as he approached. Reaching up he placed a hand on the chest of the necromancer. Immediately his view shifted, turning, and flowing upward towards the undead skeleton. At the same time, everything began to darken as the game logged him in.

The black was all pervasive at first. Liam smacked his head on something hard as he tried to sit up. He cursed loudly rubbing his forehead. His dark vision finally kicked in, and he saw the wood grain of the coffin lid above him. Oh right, he'd crawled into a casket before logging out yesterday.

He pushed open the lid revealed a monastery cellar. One wall had collapsed letting in loose rock and soil. Broken crates and old coffins littered the basement floor. Grasping the sides of the box he levered himself out. The ruined building was located near Mothau's Crypt, which explained the low-level undead wandering about. Liam stopped near the cellar steps. He wanted to check over his character before starting out. Liam pulled the grimoire from his robes. He unlatched the skull lock, and it opened with the sound of an angry soul. "Shinu," it whispered at him as he opened the tome. Nice touch that, every time he opened the book a voice said ‘die' in a random voice. He flicked through several pages towards the back. Liam had just hit level four, which gave him another spell to add to his repertoire. Inside the divider, he checked out the new spells.

Level 2

Disease Cloud - Disease (DoT)

A maligned cloud of foul gas that flows from the caster in a cone. Affected targets suffer from Acute Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Boils form about the body then rupture, bleeding freely, and causing intense pain.

Level 3

Lethargy - (Target Debuff)

Target is weakened, reducing attack speed for five minutes.

Field of Grasping Hands - (Root)

Skeletal hands reach out of the ground to hold fast those caught inside. Does not discriminate between monster and caster. Causes no damage.

Level 4

Pain Spike - Direct Damage (DoT)

A single target damage over time spell. It causes muscle cramps and joint pain in the target.

Of all the spells he'd gotten so far [Grasping Hands] had been the most useful. The ability to distance himself from monster had already proven useful. [Pain Spike] was another interesting damage spell, and hopefully, would stack with [Disease Cloud]. He was still level four, so he could afford to experiment a while longer.

Closing the blackened spell-book he slid it into his robes. Then he pushed off the crate and turned towards the stairs. He was blinded briefly coming up to ground level. Outside it was still early evening— the sun was a few hours away from dusk. It's light filled the ruined monastery. He paused at the top step, waiting while his vision changed. The gray on black of dark-vision flickered into a vivid pallet of colors. Among the broken pews, a few undead were sitting. The words [Forgotten Mourners] floated above their skeletal heads. Each was yellow to Liam so at least a level higher.

Eager to get started Liam considered where to head first. The wolves and forest life had gotten him this far. Directly north was New Hearth city, and south was the port. Liam had to be careful of human players. More than once he'd been mistaken for a monster. Thankfully his root spell had allowed him to escape into the forest.

Liam turned east towards the forest hills. He left the undead sanctuary behind and walked into the trees. After about ten minutes he managed to locate a promising target. About a mile into the woods a goblin camp was hidden within a thick ring of trees. Ten crude pole-tents were constructed around a central fire pit. The smell of smoke and cooking pig had led him here. The goblins were small, standing between three and four feet tall. A dozen wandered around preparing dinner and getting ready to bed down for the evening. Each was green skinned with ridiculously long ears. Liam circled the small group looking for any stragglers. Depending on how smart the goblins proved he might be able to pull several away from camp.

A single goblin was chopping wood near the back of a large tent. Unfortunately, this one appeared red to Liam, so five levels higher, but not more than six. He was certain of that because all the other green skins were even to yellow. This particular male had a huge nose. Pinocchio over there was likely the leader, though he was still too distant to see a name.

Liam considered his options. He would have to get closer to use Disease Cloud. He'd be spotted before getting close enough to use it. The spell might also catch a few other goblins in it's area of effect, so that was out. Instead, he wanted to try his new fourth level spell. Liam raised a hand pointing at the goblin leader.

"Pain Spike," He said incanting the name of the spell. Magic flowed up his arm in a wave of black and red. A small circular glyph briefly took shape in the air, then a bolt of black shot forward. It stuck the little goblin squarely in the back. The creature yelled in pain before turning in his direction. Pinocchio raised his face skyward and bellowed a shrill war cry. Dinner preparations ceased as every goblin in the area turned at the sound. All twelve looked directly at Liam.

"Oh balls," He said sprinting away. Liam had grossly miscalculated how smart the goblins were. A dozen small feet charged after him. Liam booked it back towards Mothau Crypt. If he got there first, he might be able to lose them in the dark ruin.

A small poorly fletched arrow struck in him the back. Liam dodged left around several trees before locating the trail. The enraged goblins were still hot on his heels. Liam had hoped they'd lose interest, especially with that wild boar burning back at camp. He had made a big mistake attacking the goblins by himself. It took him a few minutes but he broke out of the trees. Directly ahead was the remains of the monastery— the closest thing to city walls he had. A hundred feet behind him the goblin leader was running towards him. In his little green hands, he gripped the wood axe with murderous intent.

A few nearby skeletons turned at the sound. Liam sprinted for the doors to the ruin. About halfway there he heard the distinct sound of battle. Behind him the undead started to converge on the goblins. He slowed in astonishment to watch. Apparently, the undead didn't like any creature; useful information. All the goblins stopped to attack the undead. Four of the small creatures leapt upon the back of a [Undead Shambler]. They bit and punched at the much taller undead. This was an opportunity Liam wasn't going to let go. He raised a hand to cast a new spell.

"Disease Cloud," He said making a sickly yellow cloud form before him. It flew forward in a cone covering undead and goblins alike. The shamblers took no notice as they continued to attack. Boils and lesions broke out across the skin of the goblins. The zombies fought bitterly but the undead were grossly outnumbered. They'd be destroyed soon putting Liam in the same position as before. He needed to stall the goblins while the DoT works its magic.

"Field of Grasping Hands," He incanted aiming at the ground near the goblins. Skeletal fingers punched out of the soil. The goblin chief roared again, and the horde beat at their tiny green chests.

Pointing to boss Liam cast [Pain Spike] again. The magic built, black glyph flashing, then the bolt slammed into the goblin leader. Pinocchio was knocked to the ground as he continued pounded out a war-cry. Liam turned running toward the ruined monastery as the remaining undead fell. He needed some new help. Cracking open the wooden doors he started to yell inside. The [Undead Mourners] stood from the pews and turned towards the sound. A few in the back started towards his location.

The goblins quickly broke free of the root spell running forward. All of them were damaged, partially diseased, though none had fallen. Liam pointed back toward the mass of goblins with a flat palm.

"Disease Cloud," He said casting the spell again. The cloud engulfed the rushing band and Liam ran inside. He was about halfway down the aisle when the goblin leader came into view. Pinocchio's health was visibly dropping with two DoTs on him. The undead in the pews shuffled towards the living creature.

Eight or nine goblins made it inside before they encountered the Mourners. "This was going to be a close one." He thought. The only escape he had now was down into the basement. He hoped the encounter didn't go that far. Five undead battled against twelve wounded goblins. He pointed to the doors casting another [Grasping Hands]. The spell, unfortunately, drained the last of his mana. He waited watching his energy slowly tick upward. The two groups bit and clawed at one another. Raising his hand, he pointed sideways with two fingers. It was the only spell macro he had. The [Negative Energy Bolt] turned his hand green with eldritch magic. It flew across the pews to strike the goblin leader right in the head.

"Yes!" Liam exclaimed as Pinocchio fell backward. With the leader dead the goblin buff faded. The undead mourners started to tear the remaining green skins apart. He had just enough magic left to blast one more with an eldritch bolt. To his surprise he found his experience bar go up with each death. It must have been the disease clouds. He'd done enough damage with DoT's to be considered the primary killer. Liam clapped his skeletal hands together happily. He was already a third of the way to fifth level.

"Being a necromancer is awesome!" he thought to himself. Those disease dots coupled with the root meant he could kill several at once. All he had to do was hit the target with a spell and lead it around like a drunken pony. The damage the DoT did would ensure it's attention was fixed on Liam. The root spell would give him enough distance to avoid melee combat. Even if everything went pear shaped he could find a graveyard, and run into a group of undead. They'd help him take out anything extra.

The only problem was in finding a new location to base out of. The monastery ruins were unusually active with people. Players were always fighting around the crypts. He thumped a fist into his other palm in realization. The [Sense Dead] spell would fix that. It detected undead as well as corpses.

"Sense Dead," He said and a small circular glyph formed in the air. It flashed once then floated towards his face. The corpses of the goblins began to glow a light blue. The undead nearby looked yellowish in his vision now. He could see them even through walls, objects, some terrain. Within the monastery cellar, a few undead were lying in the coffins.

Liam paused at the goblin bodies to loot them. The goblin boss, "Pinocchio" had a bloody war-badge on him— probably some quest item. He also had a handful of copper coins.

"I am rich!" Liam said holding up the bent and dirty coins. Eagerly he pawed through the other goblin bodies. One dropped a crude short-bow, and a dozen goblin arrows. He had a weapon technically, though its stats were pathetic. Between the dozen corpses, he found six more coin— fifteen copper in total. Liam straightened and turned away from the monastery. It was time to locate some more prey.

***

It was getting late. Liam had been on for most of the evening pulling monsters, and he was getting tired. Tomorrow was a work day, so he was going to have to log soon. Liam was so bloody close to level five he could taste it. The bar on his character screen looked full. He could probably swat a botfly and level up.

Liam walked through an evergreen forest higher up the mountain. The cold wind had a nasty bite, and his threadbare robes did little to help. He paused next to a thick fir tree. Liam used it to shelter from the elements as he watched a patrol pass. They were gnolls, hairy hyena looking creatures that walked on two legs. Three of them slowly trudged along a deer trail. The middle creature held a bow while the others wielded spears. Each was yellow— he suspected high yellow— and a challenge to take on solo. He needed to separate them, fight them on one at a time.

He pointed with the flat of his palm at the lead gnoll. "Field of Grasping Hands," He whispered as quietly as he could. The black magic built then flashed out hitting the first monster. Hands punched out grabbing furry feet and ankles. The last one though leapt backward out of range. All three howled a warning to nearby monsters. The archer started to fire at Liam, while the third gnoll bounded toward him. Excellent, just what he wanted. He aimed casting [Pain Spike] on the charging monster.

Kiting was a useful tactic. It involved the simple expedient of running away. Others would use fancy words like strategic distance. He just didn't want to get near that spear wielding gnoll chased him. His pathetic robes did little against the cold and absolutely nothing against damage. Liam skidded to a stop after a minute of running. He pointed to the ground and cast [Grasping Hands] again.

"Mental note to self; Create spell macro for this tomorrow." He thought as the spell activated. It was a mouthful to say, and a pain to cast in combat. The angry gnoll ran headlong into the skeletal hands sticking fast a few feet shy of spear range.

"Disease Cloud," He incanted making a yellow mist was over the create. He waited watching the monsters health drain.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?!" Liam called after the mob. As soon as the gnoll was free of the root it began running away. Sure it was low life, but Liam was supposed to be the one kiting enemies. He sprinted after monster as it bounded past fir trees. Of course, the beast wouldn't make this easy.

He slid to a stop next to a tree, took aim, and shouted quickly, "Pain Spike!" The black magic caught the retreated monster in the leg. The creature stumbled briefly but continued to run. Liam aimed with two fingers held together. The green [Negative Energy Bolt] built quickly and hit the monster before him. The gnoll stumbled, tried to right itself, before collapsing from the DoT.

That lovely, beautiful, ‘Ta— Ting,' sounded next to his ears. He'd just hit level five and was glad for it. Liam was exhausted after his day of grinding. He had just learned a valuable lesson. Some monsters flee when they get low life. Liam pulled out his portal stone holding it up. The magic built, and he was transported to a small cottage. Two zombies turned from their human meal to look at him. The [Cannibal Couple] moaned at him in greeting.

"Having a nice dinner I see." He said to the lovers. Liam needed to log and find supper himself. He'd been too fixated on hitting fifth to log off. Sitting down at the table he inviting himself to join them. Instead of eating though he wanted to check over any new spells or abilities. As he checked his status screen, a pop-up appeared.

[Congratulations on reaching level five. This message is to warn you that your character is no longer death protected. Be careful taking on too many monsters, and remember to log out in a safe location.]

It was like the game was purposely poking fun at him. He literally couldn't sleep in a safe place. At least his character was improving. His health and mana were both growing by bounds. More importantly, he was glad to see two new spells and a new ability.

Level 5

Suffocation - (Low Damage DoT)

This is a touch attack spell. It causes the target to suffocate for sixty seconds. The affected monster is also silenced for the spell's duration.

Control Undead - (Charm Pet)

Casting this spell on an undead creature will bring it under control of the necromancer. It may only affect undead of equal level or less. Every ten necromancer levels will allow the caster to control an additional pet. One at fifth level, the second at ten, then twenty and so on. Control lasts for one hour.

Very awesome. He was so happy to get a pet spell finally. Now he could bring some undead help with him into battle. He also unlocked a class ability called [Sleep like the Dead] which caused him to mimic a corpse when logged out. That would certainly help him find some better hiding places. Last but not least was his first perk point. It's what let players customize their character. Two fighters could end up with very different builds because of perk points.

He could use the point to upgrade one of his attributes. That seemed like a waste of a precious the upgrade though. With his intelligence and wisdom so high he had several options. [Channel Mana] might be useful, it would regenerate his mana pool faster while resting outside of combat. [Soul Capacity] would give him a larger mana pool though. One perk would let him grind monsters faster, and the other would let him cast more spells in combat. There were also some necromancer options as well. He decided to go for [Eldritch Focus], which gave any negative energy spells a small bonus. Yes, that seemed best, he used an eldritch bolt to finish creatures off a lot.

With that done he needed to grab some chow and crash. Liam walked out of the cabin and around back. On the opposite side, a small wood shack was leaning drunkenly. Wood logs were stacked, and long forgotten by the zombie couple. He crawled behind them. Liam was looking forward to tomorrow, especially that control undead spell. He accessed his menu and logged out.