Dark Omega: Shadow Puppets, page 3
My evasion is now up to 37.5 percent. Sweet.
Carn pulled up his character sheet to review the details minus his inventory data.
Name
Carn
Race
Fairy
Level
44
Gender
Male
Class
Gravimancer Savant
Height
33 in.
Size
Small
Weight
42 lbs.
Alignment
0 Neutral
Fame
1,000 (Level 1)
Armor
35
Speed
21.4/sec.
Health
540
Flying Speed
64.2/sec.
Mana
6,189
Health Regen
5/sec.
Stamina
1,070
Man Regen
238.05/sec.
Carrying Capacity
54.4 lbs.
Stamina Regen
53.5/sec.
Evasion
37.50%
Stats
Brawn
12
Intellect
476
Grace
110
Perception
208
Endurance
107
Luck
109
Charisma
383
Willpower
152
Fortitude
55
Skills
Precision Casting (10)
Stealth (3)
Dodge (3)
Night vision
Diplomacy (2)
Negotiation (1)
Leadership (1)
Mycology (8)
Riding (4)
Multicasting (3)
Mana Sense (3)
Administration (1)
Delegation (1)
Nature Sense (10)
Awards
Fairy Savior
5,000 fame, 15 luck
Keeper
40 intellect, 20 charisma, 2 relationship levels with any good-aligned creature.
King
2,000 fame, 25 charisma
Resilient
10 fortitude, 5 luck
Resilient II
20 fortitude, 10 luck
Intellect I
Skills are learned 5% faster. 20% chance to learn spells from spellbooks.
Perception I
5% danger sense out to a range of 100 feet. 10% greater chance of picking up non-verbal communication.
Grace I
10% evasion bonus. People may notice your excellent poise and balance.
Spells
Spell
School
Type
Mana
Raw Damage
Rank
Mass Change
Gravity
Targeted
Variable
12
Gravity Bubble
Gravity
AOE
75 MPS
21
Attraction
Gravity
Targeted
36
1,629
26
Gravity Aura
Gravity
Shield
14 MPS
1,428.3 Aura HP
15
Gravity Wave
Gravity
AOE
550
11,426
15
Singularity
Gravity
Targeted
85
16
Destabilize
Gravity
AOE
250
5,713
7
Matter Phase
Gravity
Targeted
35
8
Disruption Orb
Adapted
Targeted
Variable
1
Telekinesis
General
Targeted
10
10
Locate Object or Person
General
AOE
25
10
Remove Magic
General
Targeted
Variable
10
Inspire
General
Targeted
Variable
10
Chapter 3 – Striking Out
Carn led his small strike force toward the temple. They ended up taking two squads of fairies with them so they could gain some experience. Each team consisted of four scouts, three mages, and one squad leader who was also a scout. One of the three mages in each squad was a naturalist who could cast healing spells. Carn though back to all the times he’d been injured in the last few days. They sure could’ve used a healer back then. He was glad Lina had chosen a support role for her class upgrade. She was just shy of level 20 when they fought the avatar, but now she was level 40.
“What was the name of your new class again?”
“Ice Mistress,” she said, raising her eyebrows as she stared at him, just waiting for him to crack another joke. When she had revealed her choices yesterday, Gilvester and Carn couldn’t help poking fun at the name.
Carn wisely avoided saying anything, but he couldn’t keep his amusement from his face.
“Here, take a look for yourself at the description and new spells.”
Ice Mistress – The ice mistress has optimized her cryomancy to better control the field of battle and support her allies. The ice mistress gains four intermediate support spells in the following categories: healing, control, aura, and defense. She regenerates mana at double speed whenever the temperature is below freezing.
Cryopathy
Current spell level: 1
Mana cost: 400
Heals up to 2,500 hit points from party members in a 10-foot diameter surrounding the caster. Hit point allocations start with the most damaged.
Ice Prison
Current spell level: 1
Mana cost: 275
Creates an ice cage in a 20x20-foot cube around the targets. The ice prison allows attacks to pass through it from outside but blocks attacks from within. The prison lasts for 2 minutes or until its HP is depleted.
HP at level 1: 4,500
Range: 30 ft.
Glacial Field
Current spell level: 3
Mana cost: 10 mana per second
The glacial field is a 3-foot sphere that surrounds the caster. It slows down incoming attacks by 30%. The temperature in the field is gradually reduced by five degrees per minute. When the temperature reaches freezing, attacks are slowed by 50%. At zero degrees Fahrenheit, the field has a 15% chance of deflecting attacks in a random direction.
Frozen Barrier
Current spell level: 1
Mana cost: 500
Creates an ice wall up to 50 feet long and 20 feet high. The caster can shape the wall however they wish as long as it does not exceed the maximum size.
HP at level 1: 10,000
As Carn reviewed the spells, he noticed a synergy between the glacial field and the ice mistress class. If Lina maintained the field, the temperature around her would eventually reach freezing, and then her mana regeneration would double.
“Your glacial field is impressive. Are you leaving that up all the time now?”
“Pretty much. It bothers my mount, so I don’t have it up right now, but I plan to use it everywhere else. I’ve had it running ever since I got it. That’s how I leveled it up to three already. I assume you caught how that impacts my mana regen?”
“Yea. That’s what I love about it. It’s perfect for you.”
“The funny thing is that I hate the cold in real life. I put a sweater on whenever the air conditioning is running, but here the cold feels nice. Actually, the colder it is, the more comfortable I feel. Strange, isn’t it?”
“It would be even stranger if you start liking the cold more in real life.”
“Don’t even suggest such a thing. What would I do with my vast sweater collection then?”
They both laughed, enjoying the moment as the ants crested above the clouds.
Each of the alates carried one mage and two scouts. The alates flew four times faster than Carn could, and they were making excellent time, but Carn realized that he could probably increase their speed and work on his spell craft at the same time. He cast mass change on each of the alates, reducing their weight by 1/17th.
“What did you just do?” Lina asked. “I felt us speed up.”
“I reduced the weight of our entire party,” Carn said as he squinted his eyes to protect them from the rushing wind. He realized that he would have to create or purchase goggles someday soon.
Carn analyzed the map. At their current speed, they would likely reach the temple in an hour.
Sparky, I am going to log off while we travel. I want to post on the forums and grab something to eat. I won’t be long.
Sure thing, Sparky chirped cheerfully.
Carn let the others know the same thing, and Gilvester also decided to log out. Everyone else cruised along above the clouds. At their speed, it wouldn’t take long to get there.
Chapter 4 - Emancipation
Wayne returned to his normal senses, back into his mundane apartment bedroom. In the game he was flying on a giant ant; here, he was just a man in an apartment. It was much warmer here, though. He knew in his head that he had been warm the entire time, but he still felt chilled from flying so high on the back of the ant. He considered what Lina had told him about not liking the cold in real life. Since none of them were really cold, the game could make them feel however it liked. It was just a simulation. Wayne still wondered what impact it could have on the mind to have such a reversal like that. He had joked with Lina about eventually liking the cold, but he wondered if it might actually happen.
He decided to eat an early dinner while cruising the Insurgency forums. Lina, Sevelle, and Gilvester had already started a discussion on the guild, and it looked like the posts were gaining traction. He added a few replies to interested players and told new players where they should set their starting location if they wanted to join them.
He didn’t see any other posts from Ruepathian. Wayne figured the guy was probably as hardcore of a player as he was, so he probably wouldn’t post until later unless there was some boring thing in the game that he would log out to avoid, much like what Wayne was doing now. He thought about posting his level but realized that the leaderboards would be published tonight, so it wouldn’t really matter.
Wayne ate some soup and munched on a loaf of Italian bread while he organized footage from the fight with the ants and some of the city. He created another video for VidFeed and saw that his followers had almost doubled. Apparently, the world announcement had already done him some good.
Wayne drank as much water as he could handle and then logged back in. He didn’t want to get dehydrated while he played.
The transition into the game was jarring. He went from a warm apartment to bitter cold. Clouds were all around him, but he could see bits of his group wherever the clouds thinned.
We are traveling in the clouds to hide our approach, Sparky said.
The last time we came here, most goblins were strewn about like drug addicts. We may find it in the same state, but I am glad you are taking precautions. I still remember those balloons the goblins used above the forest. They could have more out here.
Carn pulled up the stats on his alate to see what abilities he might be able to call on. These alates were like slightly larger soldiers with wings. He wondered if they could become princesses if the queen desired.
Alate Red Ant
This ant is bred for speed and keen perception. Alates make excellent scouts and messengers. However, they are easily harmed. They have thin armor to keep their weight down in flight.
Level 3
HP 120/120
Abilities: Flight, Acid Spit
“Let’s leave most of the alates up in the clouds. The fairy squads and I can fly down without them. I don’t’ want them getting hurt, and a few tiny fairies will draw less attention than these large alates. You three can travel down on them once I confirm its safe.”
“Sounds wise,” Gilvester replied.
“Alates, I want you to remain in the clouds when we arrive. The fairies will proceed down to the temple. Stay up here until we return to you or until a fairy comes with other orders.”
The alates clicked in response. Carn took that to mean that they understood. They slowed, and Sparky informed him that they were directly above the temple.
“All right, squad leaders, follow me. Do not shoot unless ordered to. We need to determine the situation. However, be ready to attack on command, so everyone string your bows or ready spells.”
Carn engaged his gravity aura, then led the way down. The black ziggurat loomed below them as soon as they exited the clouds. It appeared much like it had before, but now there were far more goblins lying about. The devastation around the temple extended even further than before. It pained him to see so much of the forest laid to waste. The group flew above them, but none of them seemed to notice. Carn sent a fairy back to let the others know it was safe to land, then they sat down on the back side of the temple where only a few goblins lay about.
The first goblin he came to was a small, thin creature with rough, green skin and long, pointed ears. His eyes were sunken and dull, and his mouth hung open in a slack expression of despair. He moved slowly and listlessly, with none of the energy that is typical of his kind.
The goblin's body s emaciated, as if he has not eaten or slept in a long time. His clothes hung off his frame, and his skin was clammy and dirty. He seemed to have lost all sense of purpose or desire and simply went through the motions of living without any apparent joy or motivation.
It was clear that something had drained the goblin of his will to live, and he now existed in a state of lethargy with no will of his own. He was a shadow of his former self, and it was uncertain if he would ever regain his vitality and spirit. Carn analyzed him.
Soul torn Goblin
This goblin has had its soul ripped from its body, and it now serves the shadow.
Level 5
HP 110/110
The goblin looked at him with empty eyes but did not take any action. Carn considered stabbing a spearhead through its chest and ending its slavery, but something didn’t seem right about that. When he arrived here, goblins were murdering fairies in a genocidal war. Now that he was stronger, what gave him the right to do the same to them? There had to be some way to help this goblin.
Carn considered what he knew about the soul torn. In the temple, the mage would take their life force, creating the soul torn. The goblins Gilvester had rallied before in the temple, and those whom they found in the forest near Grovehaven seemed like normal goblins, just led by those following evil. He took out the dark gem. As he held it in his hand, a prompt asked him if he would like to absorb the souls or offer them to the shadow. He chose no for both.
He slowly moved closer to the goblin, but it made no move to harm him. Ever so slowly, he reached out and pressed the gem to the goblin’s head and willed its soul to return to it.
Do you wish to inhabit this goblin with a soul from the gem? The goblin will receive the last goblin soul stored in the gem. Carn chose yes.
The goblin scrambled back against the wall of the temple, fear evident in his eyes. He trembled and yelled, “Please, no. Vect will do whatever you want.”
“Calm yourself,” Carn said in his most soothing voice. “I am not here to harm you. You are safe.”
“What? Where am I, and who are you?” He looked at Carn suspiciously and growled.
“What is the last thing you remember?”
“I was brought to the altar. The mage told me the shadow needed me and that I’d become powerful in service to it, but when they raised that knife, I got scared. There was so much blood. I thought I died.”
“They stole your soul, but I stole it back for you.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Let me ask you a question, Vect.” Carn paused, and Vect nodded. “Are you evil?”
“I don’t think so. I do what I am told. I am a good goblin.”
“That is what I think too. The shadow wants you to be evil, but I see the good in you. I am fighting against it. The shadow wants to corrupt us all and turn us into slaves. Will you help me save others?”
Vect looked at him, and Carn could tell that Vect was analyzing him and carefully considering his response. Carn was happy to see that the goblin had the wisdom to not answer without thinking it through.
“Yes, master,” he said, bowing low to the ground.
Carn put his hand on Vect’s shoulder. “No. Not master. My name is Carn. You are not a slave. You are free. If you want to leave right now, I’ll not stop you. However, if you want to help me free other goblins and make this land a place where you can become greater and stronger, then fight with me.”
Vect stood tall and looked at Carn with great respect. “Yes, Carn. I want that very much.” Vact still looked gaunt and malnourished, but now he had a spark in his eyes and a flame in hs heart.
“Good. We have more goblins to save. Here is the plan.”
For the next hour, Carn went from goblin to goblin, restoring souls to their bodies. The others interviewed each goblin after their restoration to determine their skills and abilities. Some were afraid to join them and ran off into the forest. Others, Vect was able to convince to join, despite their fears.
