The Omen, page 6
part #5 of Eden's Gate Series
Keysia leaned into my ear. “I don’t understand anything that you guys are talking about.”
I chuckled, turned around and whispered. “It’s not important.” I knew there was little chance I was going to get her to wrap her head around the idea of gaming. I had already tried that and failed. I turned back towards the guys. “Yeah. When the stakes are your life, and the pain is real, it’s hard to think like a gamer. Sometimes it’s just about survival and making each moment better than the next.”
Sung nodded. “So, don’t look at me any differently in here. We’re all on equal footing as far as I’m concerned.”
“We’ve gotta get Sung in the guild, man!” Jeremy repeated.
Again, I found myself chuckling at Jeremy’s sense of urgency.
I was already starting to like Sung. He seemed humble and level-headed, so our short discussion had me dismissing most of the worries about him being overly anxious to hang out. It was still odd, but it was also nice to meet someone who seemed to have a more calm and analytical demeanor. While it was questionable if his gaming skills on the outside would translate to anything in Eden’s Gate, there was no doubt that they wouldn’t hurt.
“Well, I’d love to join the guild,” Sung said.
“We’re open to new members.” I shrugged my shoulders. “But you know… We don’t know anything about you, other than who you were back on Earth.”
Sung dipped his head. “Yeah, but I—“
“No,” I interrupted. “I mean… just spend some time with us, and once we’re sure you’re cool, we’ll be happy to let you into the guild.” I turned my head back towards the trees. “Meet us in our village tonight. I’m not sure what time we’ll be back, but if we’re late, you can get to know Ozzy, Aaron and the rest of the crew. If they give you a recommendation, you’re in.”
Sung briefly dipped his head and snapped his lips. “Oh, c’mon man. Let me just go out with you now.”
“Yeah, let’s see what he’s made of!” Jeremy agreed.
I took a slow, deep breath and even before I inspected him, I could tell he was a fairly low level based solely on his gear.
Name: Sung Ngen
Race: human
Level: 11
Health/Mana/Stamina: 140/100/160
Status: unknown
“We’re heading far from here, and whatever we’re fighting could be way above your level, maybe even ours.”
Sung nodded. “The more XP I’ll gain then.”
“I mean, there’s a really good chance you could die.”
Sung nodded. “I’ll take the chance.”
I took another deep breath and exhaled. “What kind of build do you have? Some kind of rogue or something?”
Sung nodded. “I’m specialized in small blades at the moment. I’m going for an assassin type build.”
I snarled my lips. “Well, we’ve got a rogue already, so having two rogues isn’t the best setup for us.”
Sung sighed and slumped his shoulders.
“But,” I continued. “We can let you tag along. Just don’t blame us if you die. And our guild gets first dibs on any loot that we find. Deal?”
Sung perked up. “Hell yeah! I’m cool with all that!”
I turned to Jeremy. “Let’s not waste any more time.”
Jeremy nodded, hopped on Betsy, and offered Sung his hand.
As we started moving east again, I offered one final warning. “If you get any ideas to steal from us, attack us, or try anything funny, I’ll cut off your limbs and make your death slow and sweet.” I cleared my throat. “Not to scare you or anything… just a warning.”
Jeremy raised his eyebrows. “Uh… I can attest that he’s not lying about that one.”
Sung’s jaw dropped, and his skin went pale.
Chapter Seven
2/4/0001
We continued east for some time, passing Highcastle and some other previously visited areas, such as Conrad’s house—whom I still wanted to go back and pay a visit to when I had more free time—and the home of the lady whom I’d help clear of a vermin infestation. Before long, I could see a large opening in the tall mountains north, not too far east of Highcastle, which from what I could only conclude was the entrance to the Wastelands.
Our trek through the grass eventually led to a small worn road that also ran east, beyond anywhere I had visited before. We followed the road, and off to the sides and in the distance, there were many houses, ruins, stables, and other landmarks similar to the ones I had spotted in other parts of the Freelands.
There was a small town that I saw in the distance which Keysia advised me was Newich. It was right around the time when most NPCs tended to wake, and from afar, I could see a few people starting their daily business. The buildings there bore some resemblance to Thorpes, and though I was still avoiding human cities near Highcastle, I made a note to visit it when there was less chance of scrutiny.
Further along the road, we slowed to a snail’s pace when a small group of average sized dogs were trotting towards us in the opposite direction. The twenty or so dogs were filthy, and had missing patches of fur all over their bodies. As soon as they spotted us, they stopped in their tracks, and several of them started barking aggressively. They all tensed up as if ready to attack.
Name: feral pack dog
Race: animal
Level: 11
Health/Mana/Stamina: 130/0/150
Status: aggressive
One dog was slightly larger than the rest and stood at the front of the pack.
Name: feral pack leader
Race: animal
Level: 18
Health/Mana/Stamina: 180/0/160
Status: aggressive
All but the leader were relatively low levels and shouldn’t have been too much trouble. Any other time, we might have just tried to run past them and avoid the fight, since we were already mounted. But since the goal of the outing was to gain as much XP as possible, fighting with them seemed like a better idea.
I turned to the other three in my company. “Looks like a good warmup. Let’s take ‘em down fast.”
“Aww, I love puppies,” Jeremy whined.
One of the dogs lunged forward a step, kicking dirt up behind it. Its taunt caused the other dogs to growl harder and bark louder.
“I think these ‘puppies’ are going to have us for breakfast if we don’t act soon,” I replied.
We all stepped off our mounts, and the rabid dogs in front of us continued barking and stretching their legs as if readying to pounce on their prey.
Stand back and protect Betsy, I projected to Sora. Save your energy for travel. We can handle this alone.
Yes, father.
Suddenly, the leader of the dog group sprinted towards us, and the others followed behind. I was confident that Keysia would have been able to stop most of them with her lightning attack, and if not, each of us might have been about to handle two or three of them each. But instead, I focused on casting a Fire Curtain right in their path, and the dogs who weren’t able to slow their momentum in time immediately caught fire, shrieked away and howled as they tumbled around on the ground violently. The dogs who managed to slow before contact, adjusted their trajectory and ran around the fire to proceed with their attack.
Keysia released a ball of energy from her Mobius staff that exploded between a few of the dogs and sent them flying away from the point of impact. Jeremy and Sung ran forward, thrusting their daggers into each downed or distracted dog.
The pack leader and two of the other dogs who had circled the flames were closing in on me, and I immediately tested my Clumsy spell on one of the lesser dogs. I was still behind on my Mentalism growth and I hadn’t really had the chance to use the spell since our battle with Shashana, and at the time, it didn’t seem particularly effective.
Like when I used it on the Great Serpent, I heard a slight twanging noise in my ears, which I could only assume meant that the spell had successfully been cast. Unlike Shashana, however, the dog’s run seemed to switch from perfectly square to slightly off balance. He was moving slightly slower, and each step of his paw seemed a little more awkward. It was the first sign that I had seen of the spell actually working.
I cast an Arcane Missile that connected directly with the head of the pack leader, causing it to fall to the ground and slide through the dirt of the road. I whipped out my sword and ran forward, swinging the blade at the third, unharmed dog.
A critical hit message appeared in the bottom of my peripheral as my sword sliced through the neck of the animal. I had been aiming for anywhere on its body, but it lunged as I swung, unintentionally jumping into a deadly blow that completely severed its head.
I grinned internally at the luck, but immediately swung around and cast another Arcane Missile at the Clumsy-affected dog. It howled as it was knocked back, and I wasted no time taking a hard step forward and slashing my sword at the pack leader who had just managed its way back to its feet.
My attack hit the leader, but the dog seemed rather unaffected by the blow and snapped its jaws at my hands immediately after. I managed to pull my hands away fast enough to avoid the attack, and right as I focused on casting another Clumsy spell, a bright ball of energy crashed into the side of the dog, sending it flying away from me hard. The impact was strong and close enough that it kicked dust up into my eyes and nearly knocked me off my feet.
You have gained 4800 XP!
I coughed and spit as I blinked my eyes, trying to clear them of dirt particles.
Divine Sight, I thought, immediately granting me perfect vision.
The pack leader was clearly dead, nearly split in half by Keysia’s attack from her Mobius Staff, and when I turned, I saw Sung pulling his dagger out of the charred remains of another dog. Jeremy was walking slowly over to what appeared to be the last MOB that was still alive.
The last dog’s fur was burned down to its skin, and it was half-barking, half-whining as it struggled to maintain its footing. It pulled itself forward and fell, then pushed itself up and repeated the pull and fall again. At least one of its legs were broken, and it had no chance of survival, but it wasn’t giving up the fight.
“Wait a moment,” Keysia said as Jeremy approached the dog with his dagger drawn.
Jeremy’s eyes flickered towards Keysia. “What? You want to kill it?”
Keysia ignored the question and turned towards me. “You wanted to learn Beast Lore, right?”
I glanced at the struggling dog and then back to Keysia before giving a slight nod.
“This dog is probably too high of a level for you to bond with, but he’s weak enough that you may be able to establish a connection,” Keysia explained. “Might be a good chance to practice.”
The dog whimpered as it fell again and growled as it picked itself back up.
“Okay, uh…” I shook my head slightly. “What do I do?”
“You know Inspect right?” Keysia asked.
I nodded.
“Instead of focusing on gathering information on your target, try to understand the beast’s feelings. Feel its energy and intentions passing through you, and listen closely. Try to project your thoughts outward, and if you succeed, you just might get something back.” Keysia held out her palm towards the dog. “Sometimes it helps to hold your hand out and close your eyes, but it’s not necessary. And the closer you are to the beast, the more likely it is to be receptive.”
I cleared my throat. “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
I sheathed my sword and stepped closer to the struggling dog, but not so close that it could attack me. I reached out the palm of my hand as if I were going to cast a magic attack, but instead, I did exactly as Keysia instructed and tried my best to feel something from the beast—an energy, an intention, a sound.
Hello? I projected, trying my best to focus on the dying animal.
I focused on the same thing for several seconds, and sent out several ‘Hellos’, but nothing happened. I closed my eyes and tried and tried again.
“Back up, Gunnar,” Jeremy said.
I opened my eyes to see the dog had pulled itself and moved close enough that it was almost in biting distance. I took a few steps back, closed my eyes, and tried again, focusing even harder this time.
Hello? I’m Gunnar.
There was a faint whisper, almost a gurgle of a sound.
Hello? I wasn’t sure if there was something better I was supposed to say.
Kill... hunger… pain… The voice that entered my head was weak, but the tone was almost demonic.
Advancement! You have learned the skill: Beast Lore. Every being has a story to tell, but it takes a sharpened mind to hear it. Beast Lore is linked to the base stat Intelligence. Increase your Intelligence to increase your affinity with Beast Lore.
Can you understand me?
Killed my family. Eat, death, bite, kill you. Revenge, survive.
I gulped and opened my eyes, feeling slightly disturbed by the words that were entering my head. “I got it,” I whispered.
“You heard it?” Keysia asked.
I nodded. “It’s definitely not friendly, but it seemed to be projecting thoughts towards me.”
“I got it too,” Sung said.
I turned to see Sung holding his hands out and just opening his eyes. He smiled and gave a nod. “Weird…”
“Low-level lesser beasts are generally not very intelligent,” Keysia explained. “It can be hard and sometimes impossible to communicate with them. Great beasts and higher-level animals are more capable of engagement through Beast Lore, but require more skill to succeed.”
I nodded in understanding.
“It’s also not a good idea to try communicating with an aggressive beast unless they’re weakened first. You can practice Beast Lore on neutral and friendly beasts, but if you fail or engage with them incorrectly, you could cause them to become aggressive, so be careful.”
Again, I nodded, and then stepped back as the dog made a weak snap towards me.
I raised an eyebrow towards Keysia as if asking if that was all we would needed from the dog. It was a little weird to be standing around while the crippled animal was still trying to attack.
She seemed to understand what I was asking as she gave me a slight nod.
I reached my hand out and shot a Fireblast at the dog that tossed it back, lit it on fire, and quickly finished the beast off.
You have gained 500 XP!
I rubbed my hands together, feeling the weariness from the sleepless night washing away as anticipation of learning new things and gaining lots of XP took over. “Good job, everyone—perfect teamwork too.” No one seemed to have taken any damage the entire fight. I turned my head to glance at each of my party members. “You all warmed up now?”
Everyone smiled and seemed to nod at the same time.
“Alright then,” I said as I strode back towards Sora. “Let’s mount up and see what else lies down this road.”
Chapter Eight
2/4/0001
“What’s it like teaming with Gusto?” Jeremy asked. “He was like your MVP, right?
“You mean Gustov?” Sung asked.
Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s his name. The leader of Crylight.”
I listened in to Jeremy and Sung’s banter as we continued east on the road past Highcastle. After passing Highcastle, Newich, and the entrance to the Wastelands, everything seemed to open up. The road suddenly faded away, and there was nothing but rolling hills and the occasional scattered houses and other small landmarks as far as the eye could see.
“He’s a great leader,” Sung said as we stepped into unmarked territory. “If it weren’t for him, Crylight would’ve never made it so far. He has an eye for ideal builds in MMOs, the sense of perfect strategy in MOBAs, and his accuracy in FPS games has to be in the top one-percent of all gamers.”
“Is a great leader or was a great leader?” I chimed in. “Does that mean you’re still a part of Crylight?”
Sung stiffened his shoulders and swallowed lightly. “Well, I never officially quit, but I guess I’m not… I mean, I’m here. So, maybe I misworded that. Gustov was a great leader.”
“So how long did you say you were in the game again?” I asked. “And how did you end up in here?”
“More than a week,” Sung said for the second time. “And um… I had a headset, so I just logged in.”
“I haven’t been in much longer than you,” Jeremy said. “They didn’t confiscate your headset? They were trying to rope in all of them before I passed over.”
“Ugh… yeah,” Sung said. “I guess they forgot to get mine. Or maybe they just hadn’t got to it yet.”
“Hmm,” Jeremy groaned, scrunching his brow as he spoke. “That’s weird. The news was making it out as if they had confiscated almost every headset out there already.”
I felt some uneasiness about the conversation coming from Jeremy, as if he didn’t believe Sung. But I didn’t pull myself into the conversation any further. Sung had to have had a headset to enter Eden’s Gate, so there was little reason to think that he was lying, nor did I think it mattered. He had been permanently transplanted into Eden’s Gate and would never go back to Earth, so whatever happened prior to his login seemed somewhat irrelevant.
“How are you liking it so far?” I asked, waving my hand in a circle in front of me and taking a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air. “Here in Eden’s Gate.”
Sung rattled his head lightly and smiled. “I love it here, man.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, I miss my girlfriend back home and all, but this world is pretty incredible.” Sung pinched the top of one of his hands. “The fact that I can’t really die and I don’t age…” He shook his head again. “That’s just unbelievable. Hopefully my girl will come to join me sometime.”
