Power Up, page 57
This wasn’t a fight for holding back. He feigned a swing of his club and waited for her to dodge, then he hit her with a shoulder barge. The stun kicked in and he charged up his club. “No hard feelings, granny.”
He unleashed the attack as the stun wore off. It connected, but she didn’t fly off and rag doll into the walls. Instead she stayed very firmly planted, and a small chunk of her health blipped away. It was like clubbing a lamppost.
That confirmed Ryan’s suspicions that King Welsh was cheating again. His DPS was far lower than it should be. He could stay here and chug health potions, trying to chip away at the old lady’s HP, but all that would do was waste a bunch of time. Usually he wouldn’t mind grinding away to get the prize, but that would only give the noobs a chance to catch up. There was probably a trick. King Welsh loved his puzzles, but they were always painfully obscure. Those rules could be hidden anywhere; they didn’t even have to be on this island. If Ryan couldn’t take down the old lady then the noobs wouldn’t stand a chance. If they made it this far hopefully they would spend a while trying to figure it out while he scooped up the remaining daggers.
He turned to leave and the old lady said, “Where I’m from, when you start a fight, you finish it.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it, you’re tough as an old boot. I’ve got places to be.” He tried the door but found it locked. He tried shoulder barge again, but the doors stayed very firmly in place. They were clearly designed to withstand a siege. He realized the old lady had let him think he was barging in, but he was actually walking right into her trap.
She stabbed at him again. “The Chieftain will be disappointed if I don’t have a body to show for all this mess.”
That was the final straw. If she wanted to keep him cooped up in here, then he would give her exactly what she wanted. He downed the potion and transformed into the Shadow Hippo. That was enough to get her attention, and she took a defensive stance as he charged straight at her. He was certain he was about to trample her when she somersaulted up onto his back and started stabbing. He didn’t stop, he kept running, right into the wall of the hut. The wood buckled and splintered, but didn’t break. He could hear the old lady hollering. “This hut is built of tougher stuff than you, dear.”
With a bellowing roar he charged into the same spot again, then again, until he felt it starting to give. He didn’t have long left on the potion. If he didn’t escape before it ran out he would be trapped in here with her. With one last charge he blasted straight through, knocking off his passenger in the process. He kept running, charging into the general store. Glass and other sharp objects flew everywhere, potions exploded and ceilings fell down.
Next on the path of destruction was the Tavern. He ploughed through and the sign fell straight down, doing its best to impale him. It narrowly missed and embedded itself in the ground.
The timer flashed and he found somewhere discreet to transform back. Not that he was protecting his honour, the loin cloth did that, he simply didn’t know if the old crone was crazy enough to chase after him. Based on his brief interaction with her there was a good chance she was.
He slowly morphed back into troll form, sans clothing, and breathed a sigh of relief when he still had Flurry. He’d been fairly certain he would, on account of it being soul bound, but there were never any guarantees with King Welsh. The old man liked to throw curve balls. Losing the other equipment was an irritation, but he had duplicates of everything, and there was no way he was going back for it. He’d rather go fight that ice dragon again. At least the dragon hadn’t taunted him the entire time.
As he was heading back towards his ship he heard voices coming from the docks. He retreated to the shadows, clutching Flurry. He was still a formidable adversary, but most of his abilities were club-focused. He peered out of the darkness and saw the noobs. The first thing he spotted was the golden cog on the healer’s robes. They’d been to Peiriannau Bay, which meant they likely had the dagger already. That was one less that he could get.
He moved in closer, trying to hear what they were saying, but there was no way to do so without revealing himself. He wished he still had his Tinker telescope. He wished he had a lot of things. This would be the perfect opportunity for an ambush, if he had his gear. Instead he stayed quiet, waiting for them to pass. It gave him the edge, he knew exactly where they were. Let them get slapped around by the angry old biddy, while he went and got the remaining daggers. Hopefully the noobs were stubborn enough to try a few times and waste a whole bunch of time.
As he was clambering aboard his ship he saw the boat they had come in on, and allowed himself a wicked grin.
Level 37: Ladies First
“When we leave we’re totally stealing that big black boat. Did you see that thing?” said Carlos as he strolled through the docks. Nutsack perked up at the word stealing.
“We aren’t stealing anything. Nobody is,” said Marcus, glancing at the impressionable rogue. “Remember, we’re trying to find a store with potions. It shouldn’t be difficult, we literally got one in the starter zone. Once Nutsack is properly levelled up we can look for the dagger.”
They rounded the corner into the town and stopped. It was chaos. Buildings were ablaze, children ran around screaming, and several buildings had been demolished. Corpses were strewn through the streets. It looked like a war zone.
Carlos said, “Must be the maid’s day off!”
Marcus didn’t laugh. “Do you think it’s supposed to look like this? Maybe the dagger quest is to help them rebuild the town?”
Jas said, “That could work!” She bent down and picked up a large wooden beam, her muscles bulging under her clothes as she effortlessly hoisted it into the air. She moved it out of the street and over to what remained of a building. As she was putting it down she noticed the small piece of paper nailed to it. She pulled the paper off.
“Guys, I think I might have found something. Listen to this:
And if you wish to take the dagger,
You’ll need much more than macho swagger,
Because this fearsome Viking clan,
Won’t bow down to any man.”
She stashed the note in her inventory as a notification informed her it was part 4 of 4. She said, “It says there are three other parts to this poem. What do you think it means?”
“Sounds to me like we aren’t here to clean up,” said Sarah. “I think we’re going to have to fight for this dagger the old-fashioned way. Against Vikings.”
The others took a moment of quiet contemplation to consider the ramifications of this new development. Except Nutsack, who pointed at a pile of rubble and proudly announced, “Mess!”
They worked their way down the street. A little boy ran up to them in full Viking gear, his voice high pitched and frantic. “Have you seen my dad?”
It didn’t trigger as a quest, and his concern seemed genuine. Jas took his hand. “Let’s find him together.” She walked off with the little boy. Nutsack moved to follow, but Marcus said, “Stick with us for now, there’s too much opportunity for trouble.” The rogue grumbled, but didn’t argue.
Everywhere they looked there was destruction, starting with a bizarre metal bee that had been pinned in the middle of the street, next to what remained of a tavern. There was also a general store, at least, what was left of one. Any potions they had previously stocked were spilled all over the street. Nutsack bent down to pick up an intricately carved dagger and Marcus slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch anything. The last thing we need is for the townsfolk to think we’re looting.”
Nutsack reluctantly put his hands in his pockets and kept walking.
Jas returned, looking relieved. “We found his father. He was trapped under some rubble. I managed to free him. He said a wild animal rampaged through the town.”
“Was it a hippo?” asked Carlos, nervously.
“He didn’t get a good look, only thing he could say for certain was that it was large.”
Carlos pulled up his map and breathed a sigh of relief. “Good news, the dagger’s still showing, so if it was our troll friend he hasn’t retrieved it yet. It looks like the dagger’s heading back this way.”
“Is that good news?” asked Jas. “Assuming the person with that dagger is from this island, I can’t imagine them being thrilled to find it like this.”
“It’s good news because there’s no sign of that Ryan dude. If he’s trashed the town looking for the dagger and hasn’t found it, he may have given up and moved on.” Carlos waved his finger. “Wait, I bet that fancy boat in the harbour is his! It’s garish enough. Nutsack, run back and see if the big black boat is still there!”
Nutsack nodded and ran off, although it wasn’t clear if he had any idea what he’d been asked to do. That was further confounded when he returned shortly after and loudly yelled, “Boats!”
“Is the boat still there?” asked Carlos, speaking slowly.
“Boats!” Nutsack repeated. Then he added, “Smash!”
Sarah rolled her eyes and Hopped all the way back down the street. Then she slowly walked back. When she finally reached them Carlos said, “Why didn’t you Hop back?”
“Ran out of MP. Guess the further I jump, the more MP it uses. Good to know.”
“Any sign of the troll?” Carlos asked.
Sarah nodded. “The big boat is gone. Unfortunately, so is our ship.”
“What do you mean our ship is gone?” said Carlos. “Did he steal it?”
“Well, technically speaking our ship is still in the docks. It’s just rather more spread around than it was before. Let’s say it matches the rest of the town now.”
“Bastard! He’s going to pay for that,” said Carlos. “You think he’s trying to intercept the dagger?”
Jas said, “Maybe, but why go out to sea? Surely fighting them here on dry land would be preferable? Especially if he’s relying on that hippo potion.”
“Perhaps he saw us coming and fled?” Carlos added, popping his collar again. “He’d better run.”
“Whatever the reason, it looks like he’s gone for now. We can’t follow him without a ship, so let’s see what we can do around here,” said Sarah.
There was a lot of commotion as a small group of men struggled to drag a large cart filled with water down the street, towards a burning building. Jas strolled over and lent a hand, making it look easy. The men did not seem overly impressed by her display of strength, but they were immensely grateful. They frantically threw buckets of water at the fire.
Jas spotted an old lady with thick glasses walking out of a large hut nearby. She ran over to her. “Are you ok, ma’am? Were you hurt in the incident?”
The old lady laughed. “That guy, hurt me? Fat chance. He didn’t even bother to learn the rules, and when he didn’t like the outcome, he ran away with his tail between his legs. I see he’s made quite a mess out here though.”
“Was he a big troll guy that turned into a hippo?” asked Carlos.
The old lady stopped laughing and eyed them suspiciously. “That’s the one. You’re not with him are you?”
“He’s no friend of ours. I hope you kicked his arse,” replied Carlos.
“I did indeed. It was quite good fun. It’s been a while since anyone’s been daft enough to challenge me to a fight. All the locals know better.”
“What did he want?” asked Sarah, doing her best to sound casual.
“He thought he could stroll in here and demand the sacred dagger. Imagine that. The nerve of some people. It’s always the big ones, they’re too used to pushing people around. You should have seen the look on his face when I pushed back.”
Carlos leaned over to Marcus. “You think we have to take her out?”
Marcus raised an eyebrow. “Like, on a date?”
“What? No! I mean beat her in a fight.”
“I hope not. The last time I had to fight a granny it didn’t go so well.”
Carlos burst out laughing. “Oh yeah, I’d almost forgotten about that. Didn’t you uppercut her into the afterlife?”
“She didn’t die,” Marcus snapped, which only made Carlos laugh harder. Marcus continued, “It’s not funny, and certainly not an experience I’m keen to repeat.”
“You might not have a choice. At least you’re an experienced granny basher…”
“Please stop, I’m begging you!”
“Isn’t that what the sweet old lady said to you right before you punched out her false teeth…”
Marcus decided ignoring Carlos was the only logical way to proceed.
The seasoned shield maiden gave them a look and then turned to Sarah. “You should tell your men that it’s very rude to whisper.”
“Sorry about that, they like to gossip amongst themselves. You know how it is,” said Sarah with a smile. She turned to Carlos. “Anything you’d care to share with the group?”
Carlos grinned. “Marcus was reminiscing about the good old days in the Lukto hotel.”
Sarah stifled a laugh of her own, and Marcus said, “Don’t you start!”
The old lady looked less impressed. She appeared ready to tell them off, but then she glanced at the docks as a horn sounded. Her scowl was replaced with concern. “Sounds like Chieftain Socian saw the fires and has come back from the raid early. That’s going to put her in a terrible mood. If I was you, I’d find somewhere else to be. It’s not a good time to be a strange face around here.”
They looked around. There wasn’t much left of the town and nowhere obvious to hide. The only place with intact structures was back towards the docks, which was exactly where they didn’t want to go. Instead they stood around awkwardly as the sound of a rabble grew louder.
The Vikings rushed into the square with the stealth of a swarm of killer hornets. Some joined in fire fighting, but most surrounded Marcus and the rest of the party. The first thing to notice was the sharp axes they were waving around, followed by the fact that they were all women.
A tall woman bedecked in long fur cloak and extra big horns stepped through the circle. Her axe was golden, while her shield had intricate trim and featured a large golden bee. The rest of her outfit was black and yellow, with the only exception being the glowing-blue dagger tucked into her belt. Its blade was wavy and it glistened. It was unmistakably what they were after.
She slung her shield over her back and stared at the intruders. Then she turned her attention to the old lady. “What happened here?”
“The usual. Some man came and tried to pillage your hut without understanding his place. Thought his fancy ice dagger would trip me up. I gave him a swift lesson on the rules and sent him packing.”
“Looks like he took a few souvenirs,” said the Chieftain. “What about this lot? Friend or foe?”
The Viking hit squad inched a little closer. The old lady said, “Not sure yet, but they’ve done nothing wrong, least as far as I can tell.”
Chieftain Socian took a step forwards. She turned to Sarah and Jas. “Explain your presence on my island, and do it quick.”
“We’re here for the dagger,” said Carlos. The others glared at him. He shrugged and said, “What? No point beating around the bush.”
The Chieftain held up her hand. “Silence, fool, I’m talking to your leaders.” She turned back to Jas and Sarah. “Does this puny man speak the truth?”
“He does,” said Sarah. “We’re on a quest to retrieve all eight Daggers of Power.”
“A quest from whom?” asked the Chieftain.
Sarah hesitated before answering. There was no way to know how the Chieftain would react. The silence dragged on until she said, “The King.”
“Pfft, it is a fool’s errand from the King of all fools. Tell your King this dagger is no use to him. If he’s still foolish enough to desire it then he should send an army, not this pathetic excuse for a scouting party. It’s been a while since we’ve had a good battle.”
The mere mention of the word got the Vikings worked up. They banged their axes into their shields, hooting and hollering.
Jas waited for them to calm down before trying a different approach. “Might we barter or complete an errand in exchange for the dagger?”
A ripple of laughter spread around the circle. The Chieftain held up her hand and it instantly fell silent. “We’re not fans of bartering here. Too much talking. We prefer action. As for the errand, as you can see I have all the worker bees I could ever need.”
The hollering started up again.
The Chieftain continued. “As I told you, the dagger is no use to the King, or anyone else for that matter. Its powers can only be accessed by the Chieftain of this clan. Try for yourself.”
Socian removed the wavy dagger from her belt and held it out, handle first. The blue blade shimmered as if it were moving. Jas glanced at the others, unsure if this was a trap. The Viking warriors took another step closer, tightening the circle. They certainly seemed keen on establishing that they were the ones in charge here. Jas slowly reached out and took the dagger.
There was nothing. No notification of its abilities, or the fact that it was soul bound. She waved it around, trying to make something happen, without success. She tried analyzing it, but it returned no results. It appeared to be nothing more than an intricately carved dagger. Perhaps this was a trick after all, and this wasn’t the real Dagger of Power, it was simply made to look like one. The actual dagger could look like anything.
She handed it back and Socian. “I agree this dagger doesn’t do anything.”
“It does nothing for you, because you’re not worthy,” said the Chieftain. She held out the blade and pointed it at a burning building. A powerful jet of water blasted out the tip, dousing the flames and putting them out. “You see how futile this is. Go back to your King and tell him we’ll be waiting.”
A small gap opened up in the circle of Vikings, facing the docks. This was it, their one and only chance to walk away. Everyone moved, except for Carlos. He stayed firmly in place, until Socian said, “Ladies, you’ve forgotten something. If you’re going to discard one of your men here, at least leave the hot one.”
