Real talk time, putting this in before the chap because I feel it's important. So far I've been submitting at 1:00 PM BST or 12:00 GMT, but it's British exam season so I should be getting some more sleep, so I feel like I wanna change the time, to whatever would be more popular with you guys within reason, so vote in the poll, I will try to give you more than one vote, vote for whenever is good, if two are really close I'll probably submit in the hour closer to the one that came second,

anyways enjoy the chapter and if you feel like it click the eggs :).

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As I stood there gawping as the merchant’s bag, a voice came from behind.

“I thank you very much for saving my life good sir, I am Sid Nemean, merchant and son of Nikolas Nemean.”

The halfing was behind me, and I got a got look at him, he was certainly half a man’s height, he had short, black, curly hair, his face was one of a fresh youth, though I’m unsure if the halflings could grow beards, he was wearing woollen shorts that seemed to be rolled up above his knees, and a very fancy doublet, no shoes though."

“Do you need me to help you get to the nearest town?”

Half of that was worry, half was fishing for a quest.

“No thank you, since I am of shy folk I shouldn’t have much more trouble, against the tall folk we’d never be caught but that goblin somehow managed to detect me, but that was a one off I’m sure, I’m lucky he was toying with me otherwise I might not have a life for you to save. I know that Wallenheim is only a stone’s throw away so I’ll be fine alone, I’m sure you’re busy.”

Shame there was no quest but I didn’t want to risk letting him go alone.

“Please I insist, it will be no trouble for me to do so or at the very least let me accompany you out of this forest, a goblin army has been brewing here.”

“Ah, yes these weren’t here on my last pass through, a goblin army you say? I shall avoid this pass on my next trail and it would be my pleasure to follow your company for safety.”

We walked out of the forest, there was some small talk, he talked a bit about his family, a somewhat ancient and rich merchant clan, several of them were nobles throughout the kingdoms, he himself was roaming as a trader, a rite of passage for his clan, he would have to raise enough money peddling on foot to build his own shop then he would be legitimized as an heir to the clan.

Soon we reached the borders; I knew no goblins were around so I would leave him here, I’m sure if he needed me I would receive a quest.

“I thank you kindly Ezekiel, and I wish for you to have this.”

He took a thick ring from his hand, the only one, it was a gold ring with a lion‘s head protruding from it, all of it was gold.

signet ring of the Nemean clan:

Marks the bearer as kin or the friend of the Nemean clan, the ring is made of pure gold.

5% Discount at all stores under the merchant’s guild

30% Discount at all stores under the Nemean Clan

“Using this will mark you as a friend of the Nemean clan for a discount at any merchant guild store and an even bigger discount at any store run by my family, I’ll be able to get on from here, I’ll be opening store at Wallenheim for a few days before moving onto the capital, be sure to come by if you finish your business in this forest soon, you’ll obviously receive your full discount.”

Nice, it was definitely worth taking the extra time to escort him.

With that he and I parted.

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*fatal strike* -2407 HP

You have slain a goblin

I re-equipped my wolf cloak for that strike, a day had passed since I met Sid and I continued on with my quest but fighting the goblins with cloak on was no fun, it bridged the gap between levels making things too simple, I felt my skills wouldn’t improve as well as they coul. Fighting like this eventually all of my skills except Daywalker and Riding reached beginner level 9 99%, to break through I was unsure, maybe I had to realize something about the skill, maybe I had to have a class, could be both or either.

Quest updated: Goblin Killing

1000/1000

Find and kill the goblin commander.

So it was time to try going to that old castle, so far I had just been circling the outer rim of where the goblins were spawning, because by the time it had taken me to complete a full circle of the area, the first goblin I had killed would have respawned so my time was spent well, it was time to find and kill this goblin commander then return back to Wallenheim.

I walked up to the castle, this thing was huge at the door 3 goblins stood guard, two regular and one elite, all level 22.

*fatal strike* -2407 HP

You have slain a goblin hunter

I would have the one chance at a backstab, so I chose to kill the hunter.

Next was the two goblins both came at me for a total of 4 attacks, I parried their first strikes and countered the second.

*critical hit * -354 HP

Goblin has been blinded

*critical hit * -354 HP

Goblin has been blinded

Fighting these things was becoming like clockwork

*fatal strike* -2407 HP

[/Window]

You have slain a goblin

*fatal strike* -2407 HP

[/Window]

You have slain a goblin

I really needed something more challenging, as though to answer my prayers, the wooden door behind them creaked and something came out.

Race: Minor Skeleton level 27

Health: 2503 Mana: 0

[(Racial) Slashing/Piercing Resistance]

Okay I wanted something new that was challenge, time to challenge it.

-1 hp

2502 more hits to go.

NOPE!

I’m outta here, peace to all my Gz.

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I returned to the forest entrance and whistled for Alexander.

He came up to me and looked at me as though to ask if I had finished my quest.

“No, not yet there was a complication.”

The horse sighed, I swear if horse could shrug he would shrug, no wait I’m sure he just shrugged.

I got on and the magical ride began.

Riding: Beginner level 8 03%

You can ride your own mount at 260% of your own speed.

I swear that he was more than twice as fast as the last time I rode him, he’s not even my horse!

I rushed to master’s Dojo. The doors were still non-existent.

“Boy, you managed to slay an elder wolf?”

My master queried, raising his left eyebrow.

“No I managed to pick it up from one of the goblins, he got it off a dying elf apparently, anyways that’s not why I came here master, there was a complication with my quest, when I tried to enter the castle an undead was blocking my way, I couldn’t deal any damage to it.”

“Mmm, well boy the undead are resistant to swords and arrows, there is a way to get past their immunity through your own skill, but this isn’t possible for you just yet, you’d either have to be able to cut through their resistance or be so much stronger than them you’d smash their bones with a sword. So what you’ll have to do is switch to a blunt weapon which is a waste of time or find a silver weapon to use, silver bypasses the natural resistances of a lot of things, mainly mythical creatures of sorts, but I haven’t needed one for a while, and since this is an army training barracks you won’t find anything that fancy or expensive here, the army would just use maces and mages.”

“There weren’t any reports of the undead so be careful, go look for the source of the undead but be doubly careful, necromancers can act as a priest and a shaman to their minions, not to mention they can raise them indefinitely if they have the mana, all the while they will be lowering your own combat strength with dark magic curses.”

Quest received: Kill that which has no life

Find a way to kill the undead then investigate the source of the undead in the abandoned castle.

Rewards:????

Cannot be refused.

“Here’s 5 gold go try the merchant who caught you, he might be able to find you one, if not get a Warhammer.”

“Caught me?”

“You’ve got their ring on haven’t you? You used it yet?”

“No, why, it seems reasonable, it’s just a discount for saving his life?”

“You’ve been half played boy, merchants of big houses like that are never in danger, he probably could have escaped at any time, it would have just cost him money so he didn’t want to until the last minute.”

“He probably acted like he wouldn’t give you anything, then suddenly turned around and gave you a ring made of pure gold and that was a heavy discount, the ring from his very finger, making it feel as though it were some kind of heirloom, but when you turned you back on him he probably took another one out his bag. The ring itself isn’t too bad though, and the discount is real, but there’s a hidden side to it.”

“In reality it’s a sort of game for prestige between the merchant houses, it’s like gambling for them but with an extra exchange of money between hands, in reality what they’re doing is making themselves your patron, the first time you use your merchant’s guild association you get put under their patron list, they have to pay your 5% discount at other merchant’s houses, and their own discount, however if you become famous, the tables turn, in addition to your paying your 5% discount to your patron they have to give 10% of the profit to your patron, and they have to pay half of the discount your patron gives you.”

Mm seems like I would have to have a word with Sid, if he’s still around, if he wasn’t then I might just hawk this ring off.

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Btw we reached 100 followers, so thanks for your support guys, be sure to follow and favorite, I also wanted to say the day I change the release time will probably be a double release, so be sure to vote for when you'd like to read, lunchtime looking popular atm.