Chapter Seven

The first thing he encountered upon entering the rough, stone corridor was the knowledge that the mysterious light source was following him. As he carefully made his way forward more of the corridor in front of him was lit up. After a brief hesitation as he processed this, he crept forward slowly , his sight racing about, checking everything for any possible danger. Occupied looking elsewhere, he wasn’t concentrating on the ground in front of him, unaware that the paths surface was gradually becoming more rough, with occasional rocks jutting dangerously from its surface. It was inevitable then, that he would trip over one of these, which he did after one of his feet, only clad in socks, smashed painfully into one stone firmly embedded in the ground.

Landing sprawled out on his belly, the knife in his hand was knocked free, to fly away into the darkness in front of him. A cloud of dust billowed up filling the air, obscuring his sight. As he lay there, winded by a particularly large rock that had punched him in the stomach, he heard a noise from in front of him, the sound of a number of small feet slapping against bare rock. He could tell that whatever it was, probably rats from the name of this place, must be moving fast as the slaps were extremely close together. With no other warning than the footfalls, or paws as it turned out, three large rats, about the size of a small dog, burst through the concealing dust and fell upon him, savaging him instantly. Pain blossomed at different parts of his body.

You have been bitten by a giant rat. You suffer three points damage

You have been bitten by a giant rat. You suffer five points damage

You have been bitten by a giant rat. You suffer three points damage

You have died.

Darkness…………

He suddenly sat up, the memory of pain lingering in his mind. Looking around in panic, he looked for the giant rats, but didn’t see them, so relaxed. Then he noticed he was back in the room with the chest and the table again, but something was different this time. The room was not as bright as it was the first time he awoke here, and now a couple of lit torches were hanging from the walls. This isn’t going to make things easier, those rats were fast and now I will have less light to see them.

He pushed himself up to his feet, and inspected himself. No wounds and no pain, but his clothes were a little worse off. His shirt and pants had both lost two points of durability, but thankfully had not lost any of their defensive benefits. Not seeing his dagger anywhere, he opened his inventory and looked for it in there, with no luck. He slapped his forehead as he remembered seeing it disappear into the gloom of the corridor when le dropped it. It must still be there. Note to self, keep a grip on your weapons, now I will have to try again without one. Taking a torch from the sconce that held it, he advanced to the door to try again.

Three respawns later, he had managed to kill one of the rats by setting it alight with the torch, and had managed to retrieve his wooden dagger. That had been on his second respawn. The furthest he had managed to get along the corridor was about ten foot, and from what he could see before the rats had dispatched him, it went at least another twenty foot or so further. His clothes were close to losing all durability, and he was tired. He had dragged the chair to the table and now sat, slumped with his head resting on his arms, his eyes leaden. Slowly his eyelids flickered up and down, up and down, until finally they closed…

BANG

He jerked upright, eyes snapping open. “Wha..” he muttered intelligibly, drool stretching elastically from his bottom lip to one hand. His eyes were still bleary from sleep and he couldn’t make out where the noise had come from, but panic made him look rapidly from side to side.

“Wake up, you idiot. What the hell do you think you are doing” yelled someone at him

Blinking profusely to clear the sleep, he finally saw Hanortan standing in front of him, one palm flat on the table top. It was this hand that had woken him when the god had slammed it down onto the tabletop. Seeing the angry expression upon the face of the god, he uttered the first think that he could think of “Umm… What are you doing here ?”

“Four hours, four damn hours I have been watching you fumble about stupidly in the simplest of dungeons. Do you know why the hell you are still here, scratching your arse, like a bloody useless fool ?” Hanortan snarled. “All you need to do here is walk the bloody hell out. It’s that easy” The hand on the tabletop clenched into a fist, fingernails peeling curls of wood from the surface.

Looking up at Hanortan in confusion, he could only reply. “I have been trying, these rats are nasty little buggers, and this wooden dagger is worse than useless.” He lifted the indicated object. “Look at it, its durability is down to two and the only rat I have managed to kill suicided on the end of my torch.”

“That is because you are too pig headed to do what you are told. Of course you are not succeeding, you do not have a profile. So let me tell you exactly what to do. “ He clicked the fingers of his right hand and the Profile Data Sheet appeared in it. He thrust it forward. “Integrate the damn Data Sheet now.” Glaring, Hanortan stood there, waiting for the sheet to be taken from his hand.

With a curse, he snatched the proffered sheet and slapped it against his forehead. Holding it there he stared, challengingly at Hanortan, while the required three seconds passed. The Data Sheet suddenly evaporated against his skin, and a massive pain erupted behind his eyeballs, it felt like someone had just hit him in the head with a sledgehammer. Both hands went to his temples, holding firmly as he thrust his head backwards against the pain, eyes screwed up. It only lasted for a split second, but it seemed like it had lasted for far longer. “Ohhh, jeez. This feels like a three day bender.” Maybe it was the lingering effect of the profile that had been crammed into his skull, for he felt ripples and shivers run up and down his body, somewhat like those you get in a small pond that a stone is dropped into.

Hanortans hand struck out and grasped his chin, forcing the head up so that he could get a clear look at it. Whatever he saw in it must have pleased him, for he let it go. “Good. It’s worked just like it should have. Now, don’t waste anymore time, get out there, kill those rats and get started on my quest. Do not make a habit of forcing me to come down here and baby you along., for I will not be pleased” He scowled all the time he was talking. “The others are watching me, and you also, in fact. If I hold your hand too much, they will make this life of yours rather… eventful. You really don’t want that to happen. Now, farewell.” His form became ethereal, then vanished from sight.

He opened the profile that had just been forced upon him, to see what all the bother was about

Name : Tam Starland

Class : Jack of all Trades

Status : Resident

Title(s) : First Disciple of Hanortan, High God of Haven

Race : Elder

Age :

Level : 0 (Tier 1, Level 0) Beginner.

Health : 100 points

Physical Stamina : 100%

Mental Stamina : 100%

Money : 0.

ENL : 100 (Experience need to attain next level)

Damage : 1 - 4 points (Dagger, Wooden)

Wgt. : 3kg / 100kg

Bind Point : RatPit Hole, Eastern Wilds

Attributes

Strength : 5 base / 5 adjusted (+1 Strength base cost : 5 credits)

Constitution : 5 base / 5 adjusted (+1 Constitution base cost : 5 credits)

Defence : 5 base / 8 adjusted (+1 Defence base cost : 5 credits)

Dexterity : 5 base / 5 adjusted (+1 Dexterity base cost : 5 credits)

Intelligence : 5 base / 5 adjusted (+1 Intelligence base cost : 5 credits)

Charisma : 5 base / 5 adjusted (+1 Charisma base cost : 5 credits)

Wisdom : 5 base / 5 adjusted (+1 Wisdom base cost : 5 credits)

Willpower : 5 base / 5 adjusted (+1 Willpower base cost : 5 credits)

Perception : 5 base / 5 adjusted (+1 Perception base cost : 5 credits)

Luck : 5 base / 5 adjusted (+1 Luck base cost : 5 credits)

Locked Attribute 1 : 5

Locked Attribute 2 : 5

Locked Attribute 3 : 5

Locked Attribute 4 : 5

Unallocated attribute credits : 0

You will gain 10 credits per general level attained

Abilities

No Abilities gained

Skills

No Skills learned

Spells

No Spells known

Well, that’s a bust, Tam, as he was now known, thought to himself, most of that is just garbage to me. What the hell is “Jack of all Trades”, never heard of such a class before. Elder as a race ? What the fuck is an Elder ? Ah, who cares, no doubt I will find out if it becomes important.

He suddenly remembered the items in his inventory, and wondered if he met the requirements for them now. First he selected the boots in his inventory and studied them

Boots, Leather

Classification : Armour

Type : Common

Requirements : Strength 2 / Defence 2

Restrictions : None

Durability : 20/20

Defence : +2 Defence

Attack : 0 – 4 points damage

Great, he could equip them now he had a profile. Quickly he slipped them onto his feet

You have just equipped Boots, Leather!

Your Defence has increased by 2

Your Defence is now 10

Ha, those rats are in for a hard time, he thought, admiring his newly protected feet. I can kick the living shit out of them now. Wish I had listened to the old goat earlier. Next he withdrew the glowing golden Skill Orb and held it, contemplatively, before his eyes. He knew what it was, and what it would give him, but hesitated, thinking about the monetary worth of something like this. Shrugging, he flicked it into his mouth and swallowed.

You have just gained the Skill of Daggers.

This skill will permit a person to train and gain experience with all weapons classified as Daggers. A greater knowledge in Daggers will allow a person to inflict more damage using weapons of this classification.

Your current Level in this Skill is 0 (Beginners Tier, Level 0)

A quick look at his profile allowed Tam to see it had been added under the Skills area, but had not changed anything else in the profile. I suppose I will have to get some experience with this thing before I see any changes. Hefting the dagger in his right hand, he pushed the door open with the other, sighed, then started out on his fifth attempt at the corridor.

The first rat appeared after Tam had travelled about five foot into the corridor, three strides at most. Its red eyes was the first thing he saw as it charged towards him. It hadn’t leaped at him this time, so he calculated it was going to go for his legs, so swung one booted foot in its direction. He was amazed when it connected with a satisfying crunch of rodent ribs.

You kick a Giant Rat, causing four points damage to the creature.

This announcement in his sight was pure heaven, especially as this was the first positive attack he had managed to make, not including the accidental torch incident, but his delight was even greater when a following announcement appeared.

Giant Rat suffers secondary damage as it hits the corridor wall. Giant Rat suffers five points of damage. Giant Rat has died. You gain ten points Experience.

Tam stood there. Just savoring the success. It was his first kill, well first real kill that gave him experience. Looking around for the rats carcass to see if it remained behind for him to search, he couldn’t see it anywhere. His initial thought was that this creature didn’t drop anything at all, but then his eye caught on a little glowing chest symbol, floating in the air near the wall of the corridor to his left. He reached out and touched the symbol.

Giant Rat Chest

Contents of Chest : Rat Skin x 1, Rat Tail x 1, Rat Meat x 1

Nice, Tam thought, realizing the potential that this had to increase his wealth once he reached somewhere civilized. May not be worth much, but as I have no money, yet, every cent counts. He chose to take the lot and they disappeared into his inventory. Tam considered something, then took a peek at his profile. He had realized there was a limit to how much he could carry in his inventory, and felt he was getting pretty close to the limit of different item types he could shove in there.

Inside the inventory was the Health potion, the Quest scroll, and the three rat items he had just put in there. Five items types, occupying five inventory slots. No problems, he knew at this level he only had six slots, but most items stacked, like the rat parts, so he wasn’t overly worried at this point. As soon as he could afford it, he would get a bag. That would add extra slots to his inventory

Well, It’s time to finish this place and get out of here. He made sure that he had everything packed and prepared, then continued on down the rat corridor, hopefully towards freedom.

It took him another eight rats and forty minutes travelling to reach the end of the corridor. He could see the opening to the outside world only a couple of yards in front of him, a fresh breeze blowing inwards. Blocking the entrance was the largest rat he has seen, at least twice the size of the ones he had killed so far. Upon seeing him, it crouched snarling at him, teeth bared. Tam stepped back, taking a moment to examine the situation. While the previous rats had been pretty much a cake walk, he has still suffered a few nips and bites, causing his health to drop to sixty two points, as well as picking up his first Ability, Pain Tolerance. The information on this didn’t sound great, but over time he saw that it could become very useful

Pain Tolerance – Gain 0.2 % reduction in experienced pain per level of ability gained. Maximum reduction of 60%, or to Adept Level 99

While he had been contemplating the state of his health, the rat hadn’t budged from the entrance, not even to attack him, which was peculiar. He knew that it was aware of his presence, and he had been within its zone of attack, so why the hell hadn’t it done anything ? To Tam, this was unusual behavior by any NPCs he had encountered before in other games. He supposed it was just another one of those inexplicable things that this game seemed to be filled with. Behavioral coding generations in advance of what he had encountered before, he was absolutely in awe of it.

He lifted his rather battle damaged dagger before him and slowly advanced upon the rat. The closer he got to it, the more agitated the rat became. It must have reached a decision, for without warning it leapt at Tam and sank its yellow teeth into his shoulder.

Rat Queen bites your shoulder. You receive twelve points of damage. You have forty eight points health remaining.

The pain from this rats bit was far worse than any he had received from the other rats. Even though the attack had surprised him, he still managed to thrust the dagger into the side of the rat queen as she still hung onto him.

You hit Rat Queen for four points of damage. Rat Queen health remaining, sixteen points

The queen let go with her jaws and as she fell to the ground, she raked his body with her claws, leaving three bloody furrows down his chest. Quick to react, he stomped down on the rats body as it landed on the ground, but his aim was off and his foot struck the back of the rats neck instead of the head.

Rat claws you for three points damage. You have forty five points health remaining

You stomp attack Rat Queen for four points damage. Rat Queen has twelve health remaining. Rat Queen stunned by stomp attack.

The stun to the rat queen allowed Tam time to make another attack, so he stabbed down wildly with the dagger, not taking the time to target any specific area.

Your strike pierces the Rat Queens eye for a critical hit. Rat Queen takes eight points of damage. Rat Queen has four points of health remaining.

Wow, a lucky critical hit, Tam was elated. This fight hadn’t been as tough as he thought, so far, one more attack should defeat the rat. These stupid system messages are really annoying, and distracting as well. Tam thought. When this fight is over, I’m going to see if there is any way of disabling them. Too late he realised that he should have been concentrating on the battle, for the rat slipped between his legs and performed an attack from his rear.

Rat Queen attacks, unchallenged, from the rear, gaining double damage. Rat Queen bites your unprotected neck for 18 points of damage. You have twenty seven heath remaining. Your Physical Stamina is at thirty percent. You are suffering a bleeding wound. Your Physical Stamina will fall five percent per second until bleeding staunched.

“Shit,” Tam uttered, partially at the pain that the bites were causing him, but also partially at his falling heath and stamina. He better finish this off quickly, for another lucky attack could spell the end for him. He reached over one of his shoulders until his fingers met something furry and moving, and gripped it as hard as he could. Quickly he ripped the rat away from his neck, losing a large chunk of flesh in the process, and threw it down into the rocks in front of him. Another system message popped up, this one something to do with an excessive bleeding wound, but he didn’t have time to read it, he had to deal with the queen The rat lay there, stunned momentarily, and before it could recover, he leapt onto it, both feet together. He felt the bones of the body shatter beneath his heels.

You have defeated the Rat Queen. You have earned twenty five experience.

Congratulations, You have gained a new Level. You have gained ten attribute credits. You can allocate these in your profile.

Congratulations you have gained a new Daggers Skill Level.

As the Rat Queens body disappeared, leaving behind the treasure chest symbol, he slumped down against the corridor wall, all physical stamina depleted. Here he was, only a couple of feet away from leaving this hellhole, and he couldn’t move until the bleeding wound had stopped and his physical stamina recovered. This was another feature of the game he was unfamiliar with, for usually all wounds and stamina were healed or refilled when a new level was earned, obviously this wasn’t the deal in Haven.

It was at this point he realised he could still die again before getting out. The excessive bleeding wound was lowering his health as well, and he knew if he didn’t stop it he would die. Thinking furiously, he remembered that bandages helped stem blood loss. His shirt was already in tatters, so he ripped a few strips from it and wound them around his neck a couple of times.

Attempt to staunch Excessive Bleeding Wound fails. Bandages do not work against this level of wound. You are losing 5 points of health every fifteen seconds. You have twenty one points of health remaining.

He was almost resigned to respawning again when he remembered the small healing potion he had placed in his inventory. Moving as quick as possible with his diminished stamina he managed to open the vial and drink it before his health ran out

You have drank a Small healing Potion. You have regained 5 points of heath. Excessive Bleeding Wound has now changed into Bleeding Wound

Your bandage staunches your Bleeding Wound. Bandage must remain on for thirty minutes for Bleeding Wound to be healed.

The healing pain this time was one he was happy to experience, so he just sat there, in the dust on the floor, and allowed his body some time to recover. His health was at six points and was recovering at a rate of a one point every two minutes. He knew that if he wanted to improve this rate he would have to raise his Constitution.

He decided it probably was the best time to open the queen rats chest, that wouldn’t interfere with his recuperation. Reaching out, he selected the glowing chest.

Queen Rat Chest

Contents of Chest : Rat Skin x 1, Rat Tail x 1, Rat Meat x 1

You have received an award. Rat Scourge.

You have found a bonus reward : 1 x Gold Cred, 1 x Silver Cred

It all went into the inventory, except for the two Creds, which he left in his palm. Looking at them he saw they were quite different from each other, one being gold and the other silver. These were the currency that could be transferred out of the game into real cash, Tam knew that, but laughed sarcastically to himself, knowing this action, for this currency, was of no use to him now. He rolled the coins about, feeling their cool smoothness. The gold coin was eight sided, and had a ten stamped on it, indicating it was worth ten Technis dollars. The silver coin was identical in shape but had a one stamped on it. I now own eleven Technis dollars, Tam chuckled, wondering if there was actually a way to use these for himself in the real world. With a final shake of his hand, he pocketed the coins.

By this point Tams health had risen to forty five, and his physical stamina was back up to 100 percent. He decided this was enough to brave the exit, and the unknown that lay beyond it. Rising to his feet, he automatically brushed the dirt off his pants, as he had done so many times before in the real world. He stopped, and shook his head and stepped through the dungeons exit.

Stepping from the gloom of the dungeons corridor into the bright sunshine of the outside world momentarily blinded Tam. There wasn’t anything he could do until his eyes had adjusted to the light so he just stood there, hands shading this face and eyes, hoping that nothing nasty was lurking about, just waiting to take advantage of his temporary helplessness. The he heard something that made his heart nearly stop.

“It’s about time you got out of there, I have been waiting and you took your sweet time appearing.”