Chapter 13: The gem

Chapter 13: The gem

Mason snuck through the densest section of the gnoll infested trees, bow strung but hanging around his neck, Ranger’s Claw and goblin dagger in his hands. He was still covered in mud and gnoll blood from head to toes, as it seemed to help mask his presence. He’d been searching for anything unusual, eventually tracking a trio of gnolls who seemed almost uninterested in the battle at the clearing. Now they’d finally stopped, growling in low tones and muttering what sounded very much like words.

Mason flattened against a tree, and waited. Finally two of the creatures lowered their heads, almost in some kind of deference or submission to the third.

There, Mason thought, heart beating fast, that’s my target.

Still he waited until the three creatures moved apart, then followed the ‘leader’. It walked even further and further away from the clearing and the battle with the goblins. After several minutes Mason saw nothing of interest and worried he was being led on a fool’s errand, or that sooner or later he’d be caught and have to fight multiple of the creatures at once. Then the gnoll at last arrived at a giant tree that seemed to dwarf the others around it.

The trunk reached far above the canopy, stretching so wide around at the base that Mason couldn’t see either end. The gnoll extended a clawed hand, which glowed a soft green light, and some kind of doorway appeared on the tree. It stepped forward, touched the bark, and vanished before Mason’s eyes.

His breathing sped up as he stepped out from his cover, racing to the still-glowing tree. Whatever the creature did Mason realized it might not last long. With a deep breath, he palmed the same spot the gnoll had touched, hoping somehow the path or magic was still open.

[Discovery! Four Claw Gnoll Lair. Hidden tutorial dungeon. Recommended players: 2-4. Would you like to proceed?]

Hidden dungeon? What, like a jail? That made very little sense to Mason, unless he was about to find some kind of gnoll sex party. What did a dungeon have to do with a tree?

[Tutorial query: dungeon. A specially designed area of New Earth, typically made for groups of players. Protected from outside interference. They contain increased risks and rewards.]

Interesting, Mason thought. Very interesting. And also vaguely terrifying. Especially because it might have nothing to do with his actual objective at all. But then it might be exactly what he needed to do. And Mason was here. And completely out of any bloody better ideas.

He focused on the word ‘proceed’, and before he had time to regret the decision, a feeling of light headedness overwhelmed him. The world swirled and faded to black, and he vanished into the tree.

* * *

[Four Claw Gnoll Lair Entrance. Remaining time to completion - 24 hours. Objective: defeat the gnoll champions.]

Great, Mason thought, a time limit.

He didn’t really want to find out what failing that objective would mean. He drew his blades and crept down the corridor, which glowed slightly with a soft, phosphorescent light, and looked as if it had been carved through a giant tree. He supposed it had. Fortunately the roof was high enough he didn’t have to stoop, but the walls were relatively narrow. There was no sign of the creature that had entered before him.

He found a side passage but it seemed to lead to a kind of cellar filled with roots and maybe salted meat. The smell turned him away, and he continued but stopped dead at the end of the corridor as he realized two gnolls guarded a further passage, both dabbed with some kind of war paint. Their claws and hands were blackened as if dipped with tar, their frames healthy compared to the creatures outside.

He waited one more double swipe, then dropped his shield and hacked low with a Crippling Strike. He fell away, the beast growling in rage as it hobbled forward, blood running freely down its leg. Mason hopped out of its reach, waited until the thing extended both arms, then leapt forward with a Predator’s Strike. It sunk deep into flesh, but still the gnoll came on. Mason just barely avoided a brutal blow, the creature’s claws nicking his neck as he hurled himself away. He was more cautious now, slashing at the creature’s arms, then its face, whenever it tried to pursue. He protected himself first, attacking second, and with only a few steps left to the entrance of the dungeon, the creature finally fell.

[Elite gnoll warrior killed. Experience awarded. You have earned enough to level to six! You have earned a title for killing an elite creature on your own!]

[Title earned: Soloist. +1 to a key class statistic.]

“Bloody hell.” Mason slumped against the wooden wall, inspecting the patchwork of cuts on his arms and chest. He didn’t think any had damaged internal organs, but he could see bits and pieces of his own bone and muscle, and the blood loss was substantial. His vision swam and his head was heavy on his shoulders. More than anything he wanted a drink of water. He could only hope his regeneration could still fix him.

To take his mind off the pain he scrolled through the available powers. This time the array of options was no joke. He saw some kind of speed enhancement, which greatly appealed but maybe wasn’t the right choice at this exact moment. ‘Nature Mastery’, which was some kind of power enhance that boosted other powers. Again, probably great, but not what he needed now. Finally he saw a power called Endless Quiver, and practically bore a hole through it with his eyes. Arrows were a problem. A big problem. And if somehow he could boost his ability to get more, even in a relatively limited way...he opened the description.

[Endless Quiver: create arrows in any natural source without limit. Costs mana when out of nature.]

Mason blinked, reading it again to make sure it was right. Without limit? As in, a never-ending supply? After a few more reads he took the power without hesitation. The non-natural limitation was a problem for another day, especially since he didn’t have mana as far as he could tell. Maybe at later levels he’d get some.

After waiting against that wall for what felt like hours, Mason’s wounds had begun to close enough he felt strong enough to test his power. He emptied his quiver of the last few arrows, then stood with his bow and prepared to mentally summon some more. The ability clicked in his mind like an old memory, and a prompt formed in the corner of his eye. [Choose arrowhead: broad, or bullet] Fortunately he knew enough about archery to know this meant: more damage, or more piercing? He chose the broad head and prepared to somehow fill his quiver, but nothing happened.

“Uh. Go go arrows?” Nothing happened, and Mason rolled his eyes. “How do I use Endless Quiver?”

[Tutorial query: activate the power, and then draw an applicable weapon.]

Wait, draw the weapon? Mason did so, and as soon as the string reached an appropriate distance, a broadhead arrow formed from nothing except slightly discolored green air and a sizzle until it rested on its nook.

“Holy hell.”

Mason shot and watched the arrow shallowly pierce the wooden wall. He re-drew, and again an arrow appeared like magic. Er, well, with magic.

Not only did the damn power give him an endless supply of arrows, it actually appeared as he drew. This meant he didn’t have to waste precious time and coordination taking an arrow from his quiver and loading it himself. In fact it meant he didn’t need a quiver at all. It would increase his shot speed by an incredible amount. All he had to do was draw and aim.

“The ranger,” he told the gnoll corpse, “is no damn joke.”

He suddenly regretted not focusing more on range, and also the fact that he had a rather piece of shit bow. But he didn’t regret having the ability to fight up close, and no doubt he’d have more chances to focus on killing at range. Better to be flexible, he decided. Which he now was. And he almost smiled as he thought of his next fight, and what a difference it would make.

Time to see what was behind door number three...