《Ascension Game》17th Entry - Momentum
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I arrive at a new location. The teleporter thought I wanted to continue; that's my bad for not staying focused. I regret not retrieving my room's comfort for a few instants, then start to explore this new floor. I climb up a hill and observe the area; it is vast. I can see a forest on the west, a ruin on the east, a fortified village on the north, and more hills on the south. I head for the town first. After walking for 30 minutes, I arrive at the place's wooden walls. I approach the gate and notice a guard. To my surprise, he is human; I greet him: “Hello.” The man gives me a hand sign but does not ask any questions and lets me pass. I enter a human village; the muddy streets are full of people, pets, and cattle. I walk here with my station’s clothes, but no one seems bothered by them. I should ask them questions, but I find an announce board instead.
I grab a note: “Wanted: grizzly living too close to the village.” I head straight to a cave described in the tract. Thanks to my map application, finding it is a piece of cake. Before getting too close, I equip my armor and my new sword. I approach the cave silently, but the animal smells me; an enormous bear heads out. It has imposing claws and is showing its teeth. I prepare myself, and the thing charges. Using my exoskeleton spell and gigantic sword, I perform a devastating swing. The blade slashes the bear, and the force of the coup projects the beast toward a tree. It makes considerable noise when impacting. The bear is cut wide open and dead. I contempt my newfound power for a moment; it pleases me.
I cut the bear’s head and bring it back to the village. The tract asks to report to the town hall; I follow the instructions. Here I found a guard and show him the head. He congratulates me and give me 2 gold coins as a reward. I find out that one gold coin equals 10 silver coins, so that’s more than my full salary at the farm. I happily enter the village’s inn to celebrate. Here I rent a room and order lunch. I talk to a few people; they have no idea about the station or other floors. They explain that they always lived here. I obtain more information about the area. Apparently, there is an evil mage in the forest; the hills hide an orc camp, and the ruins I saw are a dangerous crypt full of undead. It seems those are the three bosses of the stage. I feel really confident and decide to try the orc camp this afternoon. Before departing, I see a black-smith. I manage to sell him my ogre’s flail for 3 gold coins. I decide to keep my ax, even if it's taking space in my inventory.
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While heading to the orc camp, I get attacked by a patrol. These orcs are raiding giant wolves. I take care of them quickly with a few swings. After an hour of walking and multiple patrols defeated, I arrive at the camp. Here I battle more orcs; they're no match against me. I approach the main tent. Inside, the orc chief awaits me. He doesn’t make me wait and stand up; I prepare myself. The foe is fast and uses his sword against me. I can’t keep up with his speed. My armor protects me against his hits, but my muscles and bones still feel the impacts. After a few exchanges, he runs out of stamina and loses a bit of speed. Enough for me to deliver a fatal blow; I cut him in half with my sword. The orc chief is defeated. I loot everything I can from the room. I find a bunch of items and a key fragment. I then head back to the village.
Once returned, I sell my treasures at the market; I end up with 15 gold coins in total. Back at the inn, I order the fanciest meal available, then go to bed for a lovely night of sleep. The next day, I hesitate to go for the crypt or the magician. I figure it would be cool to try my new night vision pendant and head for the tomb. When I finally get there, I equip the trinket and descend the stair. It goes deep underground, but before encountering any foe, I realize the narrow space here wouldn’t allow me to swing my sword. The idea of fighting here bothers me, and I decide to leave this place. Once outside, I think about my other option; the magician. The issue is that I never had to deal with another spell caster. I find a nice spot and start to elaborate on a plan. I run through all the spells in the “Magic for Beginners” book and think of some that could cause me trouble.
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I come up with a new conjuration: “Magic Shield.” I build it using two essential functions found in the other spells: one thermometer allowing me to sense the temperature. I use it to detect any frost or fire attack and to produce heat or cold accordingly. The other function is a tension detector I found in a lighting spell. I use it to nullify any current between two parts of my armor. The code runs in a loop, like the Exoskeleton. I test my invention while trying to hurt myself; it works pretty well. It is almost time to eat; I head back to the village to get food.
The magician lives in a dark forest. Here the trees are strangely aligned, and there is very little vegetation on the ground. I walk for more than an hour when I see something moving. I activate my magic shield just in time to block a fireball hitting me at full speed. The enemy is wearing an oversized robe and hovers above the ground. Its face is hidden under a big wizard hat. I try to approach the foe, but he’s incredibly fast. I dance with him for several minutes, trying to reach him. Since getting hit by a spell consumes mana, I try to avoid the magicians’ attack as much as possible; fireballs, ice shots, and lightning bolts. It seems that I had made the perfect protection for this trial. After another fifteen minutes of fighting, the foe grows tired. I pass close enough and hit him. With a timed swing, I smash him to the ground. The weak bones of the creature are crushed; it dies on the spot.
I loot the magician; I get a key fragment and a black robe. The robe has powerful enchants: “protect against illusions and psychic attacks.” I try to equip it, but I must take out my armor first. The robe has shrunk and fits me well, but I feel like a simple arrow could get me, so I take it off. I go back to the inn to end my day.
After waking up and taking breakfast, I assemble the key fragments. I say goodbye to the innkeeper, then direct myself to the teleporter and enter it.
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