Varewulf When I looked at the original draft version of this chapter, it definitely felt like one of the more awkward ones I've written. I tried tweaking it a little bit before I posted it here, but I'm not entirely sure how to fix it properly. Maybe when I do the next draft I'll figure it out.
After a quick written message to Mirielle to keep what she was about to see a secret, Sara had a last minute idea to stay in Tree Form for the breach. She had forgotten that this form actually had a battle function with its increased stats. Otherwise the plan was the same. A volley of Greater Fireballs to weaken an area of the wall, then a Howl to signal everyone to charge, followed by a large volley of Rock Shots to break through. It was a much more spectacular break than the first time.
I should have done this last time.
She hadn't really been making full use of her shapeshifting. The result might not be entirely down to Tree Form, since she had used more copies as well, but it had likely made a difference. Kathleen and the wolves started charging the wall as soon as the Howl sounded, and reached the break shortly after it was created, followed by a slightly shocked Mirielle who tried to keep up. Sara reverted to wolf form, and followed them as well. She made sure to stay behind the Priestess so she wouldn't feel left behind.
Sara's howl had also been the starting signal for Gloria, and Lieutenant Davril. Thankfully neither of them fell behind, though the Adventurers were a little confused about all of this. The Guards probably were too, but they were too professional to let it show.
The reactions of the bandits inside the camp was first a 'not again' as they heard the howling, followed by splintering wood, which transitioned into 'wait what' as they saw a bunch of elves charging the gate. At which that point it was too late to try to shut the gate, or anything of the sort. Their lookouts in the forest, and down the road had already failed to warn them in time since the attack came within the respawn window. All they could do was try to resist.
When Sara got inside she saw that her group was the first to enter, as expected. The bandits were torn between rushing her wolves; who proved to extra resilient thanks to Kathleen, and Mirielle; and trying to block the entrance so the Guards and Adventurers couldn't just barge in uncontested. Splitting their forces made both options worse.
And that was the point where the air force decided to strike. There was no way the corvids would allow themselves to be excluded.
The developers had never envisioned this sort of mixed assault, but the system had no problems accommodating it. It had been told to treat everyone in the world as equal within acceptable limits, which was a dangerously vague directive. Wanderers, Residents, and mobs had different frameworks, and rule sets in certain ways, but there was no stated directive that they couldn't interact, or cooperate.
The 'poor' bandits ended up being a test case for how this might work.
Of course the errant variable here was Sara: someone who existed somewhere in the grey area between mob, Resident, and Wanderer, but perhaps all she was doing was setting a precedent for how the world might develop rather than remaining a singular exception.
With the alliance 'formally' in effect Lieutenant Davril got his wish of fighting while buffed by Rally. The Guards under him were generally positive about doing something proactive for once. The Wanderers thought this was a really weird event, but most of them were into it. The main exception being one who was having doubts there would be any good loot since it didn't feel like a proper raid. And finally Gloria was thinking that fighting alongside people was interesting just like Sara had promised. She had also been promised that she'd get to try food afterwards.
So a good time was had by everyone involved. Except the bandits.
Even with less raiders involved overall, the fighting inside the camp didn't feel any less cramped. At this level the wolves had better coordination, and could work together in closer quarters than the Guards and Adventurers who needed a bit more room around them. So even with their size differences they somehow took up about as much space.
But as chaotic as it was, it was somehow working.
Sara left the boss to the elves and Adventurers this time, only intervening to distract him with the occasional long-range spell. It was still fun to see him dodge the Water Jets she aimed at his head. It was hard to aim at a moving target in the first place, so her best shot hit him in the shoulder once. She didn't have too much time to dedicate to it, though. The first lookouts they had taken out were starting to respawn, so she focused on shutting them back down immediately. While they were taking fewer losses, this raid was taking more time, so more control of the battlefield was needed.
A couple of the Adventurers were dressed not too differently from the bandits, so it was handy that they had the flowers equipped. Even if it could be hard to see, at least the wolves could smell it.
With the Lieutenant tanking they were able to take down the boss around the same time the last of the bandits went down, and then the raiding party swiftly evacuated the camp. Sara decided to leave all the loot to the Residents and Wanderers this time. She had already looted the entire camp once, even though she didn't really need any of it. By the time she could use any of it, it might be too low level for her anyway, while they could use it right away.
Once they reached the road, she thanked the Lieutenant, and everyone else for their cooperation, before they parted ways. The people had to divide the spoils, while the wolves were going to hold a little celebration of their own.
* * *
Mirielle and Laroni ended up going with the wolves. The former because she had brought snacks, and the latter because she talked her way into it. Sara figured she owed her that much after denying her the chance to be part of the assault group, plus it would be nice to have an interpreter so she'd have a chance to actually eat, instead of having to shapeshift to write.
After sending the regular wolves back to their regular tasks, the group found a small glade to sit down in.
While Sara still had some food left over in her inventory she had intended to share with Gloria, it was nice that Mirielle had brought more. It was not so nice that the birds were also curious about food now. It brought to mind how she'd seen crows back on Earth scam food out of people, if not outright steal it, but unfortunately their pestering worked, and they made off with an entire loaf of spice bread, and a bag of roasted nuts to share. They were only going to be further encouraged in the future.
She figured she might as well sneak a peek at her popups while everything was being set up. She had already introduced Gloria and Kathleen to the elves, so she had a little time.
[ Level Up: Level 28 Reached! ]
It looked like Mirielle and Laroni had levelled up as well, as the former was now 29, and the latter 25. It was possible Mirielle would hit 30 before Sara, but considering she had already been 28 when they first met, she probably deserved that. Sara wasn't sure how much experience the Priestess had lost because of her, and she still felt bad about it.
[ Name: Sara ]
[ Species: Nyolund Mystic Wolf (Nyolund Guardian Beast) | Gender: Female ]
[ Genus: Wolf ]
[ Class: Druid (Beast) ]
[ Role: Nyolund - Northern Great Forest of Ildhena Zone Boss ]
[ Level: 27 -> 28 (30) ]
[ HP: 182/182 -> 198/198 +16 (202/202 +17) | SP: 188/188 -> 205/205 +18 (206/206 +18) |
MP: 181/181 -> 201/201 +27 (199/199 +21) ]
[ VIT: 70 -> 82 +16 (80 +16) | END: 81 -> 94 +18 (87 +17) ]
[ STR: 76 -> 88 +17 (74 + 14) | DEF: 56 -> 68 +17 (56 +14) ]
[ AGI: 100 -> 113 +22 (108 +21) | DEX: 67 -> 79 +15 (66 +13) ]
[ INT: 101 -> 115 +23 (105 +21) | WIS: 94 -> 109 +27 (109 +21) ]
[ LUK: 157 -> 173 +34 (60 +12) ]
[ Bonus Attribute Points: 8 -> 12 ]
While they were currently in Wutsch, she could still see what her buffed numbers would be in Nyolund. They were just slightly faded out for her while inactive.
She had clearly gotten another couple of levels in All Attributes Up since last she checked, so her numbers were quickly growing scary.
As for skill notifications there were less this time since she hadn't done any intense combat, and regular bandits gave regular skill experience. A lot of the skills she had used were already maxed out anyway. She quickly sifted through the popups to see if there were any new max notifications.
[ Claw Expertise Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked. 1 skill point gained. ]
[ Claw Expertise (Passive): Increases attack power while fighting without a weapon equipped. Buff value: (2*skill level)%. Claw attack skills have +(0.5*skill level)% Critical hit chance.
Max level bonus: 25% chance for any claw attacks to inflict Bleed(?) status for 12 seconds. ]
That had gone fast, but she hadn't really expected any less. The next one though...
[ Sense Mana Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked. 1 skill points gained. ]
[ Condition Met: Possess three or more active non-physical sensing skills at level max. Skill merge available. 2 skill points gained. ]
[ Skills: Sense Presence, Sense Mana, and Thermal Vision will merge into skill: Extrasensory Perception. Price: 3 skill points. Merge: Yes/No ]
While her instinct was to hit 'Yes', this kinda smelled like trouble.
"Have either of you heard of the skill Extrasensory Perception before?" she asked the two elves via Laroni.
"No," they both answered after thinking about it for a moment.
Mother?
"Extrasensory Perception is one of the new merged skills added in the latest update. They wanted an equivalent to Keen Senses for sensory skills that went beyond the physical. Though since it's only for active skills it's not quite equivalent, and the line drawn between what is and isn't beyond the physical is a bit arbitrary."
Why only for active skills?
"The argument was that they didn't want something like Danger Sense or Trap Sense, which you can clearly call extrasensory, to be possible to turn off, while they also didn't want to force people to always have Sense Presence turned on if they found it overwhelming. But since they've already made passive skills with toggle options, the line again becomes somewhat arbitrary. It essentially works on a 'because they said so' basis, and maybe they will change their minds about it at some point in the future."
What if they ever decide to remove a merged skill?
"Then everyone who has it will have their original skills restored. It's recorded in my database after all."
So there might be Adventurers who had already gotten Extrasensory Perception, but Sara's dilemma lay in whether it would be seen as suspicious that a mob, even a boss, had a brand new skill on their sheet. Then again, she was so far past the point of seeming suspicious that maybe she shouldn't bother worrying about it. It might be time to give up on that charade. She'd just keep it hidden, and let people wonder about why she didn't have any active sensing skills if it was that important to them.
[ Merging skills... Successful. Skill gained: Extrasensory Perception. ]
[ Extrasensory Perception (Active): You have an enhanced ability to sense things beyond the scope of the physical senses. Continuous effect. You are able to choose which senses you wish to be active at once. Activation cost: 5 MP. Refresh: 2 seconds.
Includes: Mana, Presence, Thermal. ]
[ Sense Mana (EP): You are able to feel the mana signature of others in the world around you. The stronger the signature, the further away you can sense them. You are able to detect mana concentration in the area, and track trails of mana. You are able to track specific signatures you are familiar with, which lets you detect them at a further distance. Only one type of signature can be tracked in this way at a time. ]
[ Sense Presence (EP): You are able to detect the presence of others in the world around you, and gain an impression of what they are even without seeing them. The radius of your detection sphere may increase if you possess other sensory skills. You are able to use Identify without line of sight on presences you sense within a 10 metre radius. ]
[ Thermal Vision (EP): You are able to see the heat signature of targets around you, as well as other significant heat sources. Anything not sufficiently warm will be harder to see, but with practice you should be able to navigate the world with few issues. ]
She couldn't see any of the fancy title boxes this time, so the last batch was her new skills.
[ Skill Gained: Fire. ] [ Skill Gained: Tailoring. ] [ Skill Gained: Sword Expertise. ]
[ Skill Gained: Lightning Arrow. ] [ Skill Gained: Lockpick. ] [ Skill Gained: Alchemy. ]
Another weird assortment. It didn't surprise her that some of the bandits had Lockpick, though she wasn't quite sure what they did with Alchemy. Potions, and poisons maybe? Fire just looked to be the upgraded version of Shoot, so her career as a future marksman was looking brighter.
Lightning Arrow was an interesting get. She hadn't seen much in the way of magic users among the bandits, but clearly there was at least one, so that was something she could actually use. Part of her was a little sad that it wasn't the downgraded version, because she liked getting unlocks, but she already had too many skills.
She put those thoughts away, and went back to enjoying their little picnic.
Gloria seemed to be quite enjoying having another person to talk to. Maybe she hadn't been aware that Druids could learn Commune With Animals. It might not have occurred to her to find out. Thankfully Laroni didn't seem to mind the attention, even if she looked a little nervous. That might just be her default state.
Part of the spread this time was a carrot cake that Mirielle said she had made herself. It wasn't easy to eat cake without hands, and Tree Form didn't have a functional mouth, so all Sara could do was have them put a piece on a plate that she could shove her face into.
It might be the best carrot cake she had ever had. Best she could remember, at least. Mirielle did have the cooking skill, so maybe that much was to be expected, but this almost felt like 'recipe passed down through the family' level of baking. Or at least so she assumed. Her own mother wasn't much of a baker. Her brother was the only one into it, and there hadn't really been any recipes to hand down to him. Their grandparents had passed away when they were quite young. Sara had been around 10 years old when her last grandparent had passed on, and one of them she had never gotten to meet in the first place.
Having a picnic in the forest with friends was a nice respite, and also a new experience. There wasn't really a lot of untouched forest left where Sara had lived on Earth, and most of her friends were long-distance. She'd met up with them in VR space, or other games, but this was her first time being in a forest, in person, having a picnic.
Her new life had taken many strange turns since she woke up in Moorhold, and she still wasn't sure if she preferred it to her old life, but if Norax was to be believed it was either this, or no life.
I wonder how I died.
The thought had been sitting in the back of her mind for the past month, and she hadn't dared to think too deeply on it, but her mind wandering back to her old life brought back those thoughts too. Yet now that she had found a measure of peace with her new life, it didn't feel quite so bad any longer.
What could have been so bad that her memory of it had been removed? Painful accident? Something terrifying she had seen coming, but couldn't stop, like a fall from a great height? Murder? Eaten alive by a wild animal? Being literally scared to death?
... perhaps it's better to not think too deeply on this after all.
Norax likely hadn't shared the details with Aina either, and honestly Sara didn't feel that interested in asking. She should probably just trust their judgement that it was better that she didn't know. It was easier that way.
There was a fair amount of small talk that Laroni had to convey between the different parties, so once she was done eating, Sara turned into Tree Form to help ease the poor Druid's burden.
"What did you both think about the raid?" she wrote.
"Um... the first word that comes to mind is 'hectic'," Mirielle answered after swallowing her food. "I've never been in one before, though I suspect this isn't what they're typically like," she added with a small grin.
"It was my first too," Laroni said, and set her spoon down. "There was a lot of chaos, and I'm not sure I actually managed to do much... but I think a lot of Druids have a secret dream of going into battle alongside a horde of animals. Yet Druids capable of befriending all kinds of mobs are mere legends. At least no one at the Naturalist Society has openly claimed they're able to, or even that they know someone who can. Though in reality I've not been much into battle with other people either..."
"Me neither," Mirielle said. "I've done the Temple's self defence, and support training, but I've never actually gone out there to fight with a party. I guess you can say I don't have the Adventurer's spirit. I'm much happier staying in the city, and healing people."
"And yet you both showed up," Sara wrote.
"Well..." Mirielle blushed. "It felt like one of those opportunities that one shouldn't pass up. It took a little coaxing to get Nieri to come along as well, but I figured one Priest might not be enough."
"That's your colleague?" Sara asked.
"Yes. I'm glad she agreed to come," Mirielle replied with a smile.
"It let you ditch the others to go with me instead," Sara wrote.
"W-wha- I-I didn't mean to ditch them, I just... I thought..." Mirielle's blush grew quite fierce.
"That was a joke, Mirielle," Sara wrote quickly.
"I was also quick to step up when the City Guard asked us. I think the Elders sort of felt I had priority anyway..." Laroni said with a conflicted look. "Daahn was right there with me. There were more who wanted to come as well, but the Elders didn't want to send any more of us. I think there are several Speakers who feel it's unfair that only Hunters get to work alongside traditionally hostile mobs, and that's why they wanted a chance. Though taming is slightly different..."
"So taming is a thing," Sara wrote, even though she already knew. "I wonder if it would be possible to tame me."
"I don't think so," Laroni said, though she didn't sound completely sure. "I've never heard of anyone successfully taming a boss mob."
"I think you might be too different," Mirielle said, maybe referring to Sara's past life circumstance. "But I am not familiar with the Hunter class, or how it works."
That would line up with what Aina had said, though maybe it would work on Kathleen. Sara would not stand for anyone who tried it, though. She would hunt them down again and again until they released her. Though it was possible the system relied on some sort of mutual understanding, rather than pure dominance. If that was the case, then Kathleen wasn't likely to agree to it in the first place.
"Oh, and congratulations on your levels," Sara wrote before she forgot again.
"Ah, t-thanks..." Laroni said awkwardly, and blushed a little.
"Thank you," Mirielle said. "It certainly went faster than just working at the Temple normally does. Maybe I should get your help for the final push to 30, S- Guardian Beast."
"Maybe. We could go hunting together one day," Sara wrote. Right, I haven't actually told these two that they both know my name, have I? It feels kinda awkward to try to insert that into the conversation now. Mirielle wouldn't get jealous, would she? I should probably clear it up nonetheless. "Laroni also knows my name, Mirielle, so it's fine to call me Sara when it's just us," Sara wrote after erasing the board.
"S-she does?" Mirielle stuttered.
Maybe she does get a little jealous after all. "I told her when we were on break during the survey mission. She looked so depressed that I wanted to cheer her up a little, and it wasn't like anyone could overhear us," Sara offered as an explanation.
"U-um..." Laroni looked awkward about the way Mirielle was looking back and forth between her and Sara, but thankfully the atmosphere was quickly broken.
"What are you talking about?" Gloria asked. She had finished a deer mince pie, and didn't want to be left out any longer, so Sara and Laroni had to fill her in on the important points of what they had been saying.
Kathleen hadn't said anything after she first said hello to Laroni. She had seemed content to listen. and apparently was now taking a nap after trying some of the food.
It was somewhere in the mid afternoon when the curious picnic between three wolves, and two elves came to an end. Mirielle had to get back to the city since she was going on duty soon. Apparently she worked evenings a lot. Laroni had to report to the Society, and suddenly seemed a little nervous that maybe they were waiting for her. Sara had to remind her that her colleague had probably handled the worst of it, which gave the Druid a slight sense of relief.
As Sara headed back towards her den, she could see clouds were starting to roll in. It was going to start raining soon, for the first time since she had arrived in Ildhena. It reminded her of how Aina had said the new update would have changing weather more often. A bit of summer rain wasn't so bad.
Summer... wasn't it September back on Earth last I remember? Yet it's clearly somewhere around early summer now. Was I dead for over half a year? What date is it, mother?
"It is currently 3. December 2041."
December? So Moorhold's seasons don't match Earth's?
"The development studio is based in Chile, so the seasons match Earth's southern hemisphere. Though the geography of this continent still matches a northern layout, so going further north will lead you to colder areas, and south to warmer. Moorhold is currently not expanded enough that it reaches the equator in the south, so its overall climate is similar to Europe's, if a little more condensed. I'm not entirely sure whether this reversal was deliberate, or accidental."
Sara figured it didn't really matter, and picked up the pace so she'd get back inside before the rain started.
December, huh... so Yuletimes are upcoming. I wonder if they celebrate anything here in Moorhold. Most MMOs like to have holidays that match the timing of real-world ones. If I remember, I should ask Mirielle next time I see her.
She managed to get inside mere minutes before the first raindrops began hitting the ground. It still felt a bit early for bed, but she didn't have much else to do. Though she was feeling a certain canine instinct to frolic in the rain.
If I had a computer, time would pass a lot quicker. Maybe too quickly. Even just having something to read would be nice. I wonder if I can get a library card, or get someone else to borrow books for me.
One of her only forms of 'entertainment' was looking at her skill list.
[ Active: ]
[ Chomp Lvl Max (Max) | Rend Lvl Max (Max) | Body Slam Lvl Max (Max) | Savage Blow Lvl 6 (Max) |
Pack Leader's Howl Lvl Max (Max) | Sprint Lvl Max (Max) | Root Bind Lvl 6 -> 7 (Max) |
Poison Arrow Alt. Lvl 4 -> 5 (Max) | Frost Arrow Lvl 3 -> 4 (Max) | Greater Fireball Lvl 4 -> 6 (Max) |
Water Jet Lvl 4 -> 6 (Max) | Arcane Blast Lvl 5 -> 6 (Max) | Thorn Armour Lvl 7 -> 8 (Max) |
Growth Lvl Max (Max) | Budding Regrowth Lvl 2 -> 4 (Max) | Rejuvenate Lvl Max (Max) |
Mass Rejuvenate Lvl Max (Max) | Bear Form Lvl Max (Max) | Cat Form Lvl Max (Max) |
Tree Form Lvl Max (Max) ]
[ Concealed Active: ]
[ Charge Lvl Max | Ambush Lvl Max | Throw Lvl 1 | Strong Poison Strike Lvl Max | Death From Above Lvl 8 |
Solid Kick Lvl 3 | Back Attack Lvl 2 -> 4 | Struggle Lvl 1 | Stomp Lvl 1 | Pounce Lvl 4 -> 5 | Shred Lvl 4 -> 5 |
Crush Lvl 1 | Rock Shot Lvl 5 -> 7 | Lightning Arrow (New) Lvl 1 | Mass Thorn Bind Lvl 1 | Poison Cloud Lvl 2 |
Poison Enchant Lvl 7 -> 8 | Water Bubble Lvl 1 | Water Film Lvl 1 | Earth Wall Lvl 1 | Leech Lvl Max | Roar Lvl 1 |
Taunt Lvl 1 | Erase Presence Lvl 12 -> 13 | Extrasensory Perception (Merged) | Slow Fall ]
[ Passive: ]
[ Keen Senses | Danger Sense Lvl Max (Max) | Claw Expertise Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Firm Grip Lvl Max (Max) |
Enhanced Movement | Insulation Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Solid Coat Lvl 8 -> 9 (Max) | Leadership Lvl Max (Max) |
Nature Element Up Lvl Max (Max) | Mana Manipulation Lvl Max (Max) |
All Attributes Up (Medium) Lvl 3 -> 5 (Max) | Commune With Animals ]
[ Concealed Passive: ]
[ Trap Sense Lvl 4 | Intuition Lvl 4 | Dig Lvl Max | Burrow Lvl 2 | Spider Climb Lvl Max | Spider Silk Lvl Max |
Thread Manipulation Lvl 3 -> 5 | Paralysis Venom Lvl Max | Swim Lvl 6 | Dive Lvl 1 | Chameleon Lvl Max |
Pursuit Lvl 5 | Ranged Attacks Up Lvl 1 | Copy Cast Lvl Max | Fire Element Up Lvl 8 -> 9 |
Water Element Up Lvl 2 -> 3 | Poison Immunity | Fire Resistance Lvl 2 | Dark Resistance Lvl 1 |
All Regen (Small) Lvl 6 -> 8 ]
[ General: ]
[ Identify Lvl Max (Hidden) | Communicate: Family (Hidden) | Conceal Status Lvl Max (Hidden) ]
[ Concealed General: ]
[ Skill Gain (Hidden) | Languages (Hidden): Common, Beastkin, Goblin, Elf, Human, Troll | Life Magic Lvl 9 |
Decryption Lvl 1 | Double Skill Experience (Hidden) ]
[ Disabled (All Hidden): ]
[ Tough Scales | Flight | Spider Net Trap | Logging | Cleave | Chop | Bow Expertise | Woodworking | Power Shot |
Glide | Disarm Trap | Smack | Skewer | Spear Expertise | Cooking | Slash | Blacksmithing | Sweep |
Medium Armour Expertise | Snipe | Fire (New) | Tailoring (New) | Sword Expertise (New) | Lockpick (New) |
Alchemy (New) ]
[ Skill points: 19 -> 22 ]
If she kept getting into the thick of combat, then Solid Coat would probably max out soon.
All Regen was going up fast, and it would probably evolve into a Medium version. While it would be exaggerating to say it had tipped the scales, it had helped with her MP situation during the raids, especially today's which had dragged on longer than the last. She'd had to get into physical combat several times as well, but the regular bandits were not as tough as their boss, plus she'd had her pack with her.
She also noticed her skill point count had gone up further, even though she'd done a skill merge. It might be time to take the plunge, before she could change her mind again.
[ Skill Purchased: Vanish. ]
She was sure she would find a use for it. It probably would have already been useful if she had gotten it earlier, but if she spent time regretting every poor decision she ever made she wouldn't get very far.
It had started to pour down quite heavily outside. Typical summer shower. It smelled nice. Probably felt nice too. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to do a little bit of frolicking before going to bed.
Varewulf When I looked at the original draft version of this chapter, it definitely felt like one of the more awkward ones I've written. I tried tweaking it a little bit before I posted it here, but I'm not entirely sure how to fix it properly. Maybe when I do the next draft I'll figure it out.
After a quick written message to Mirielle to keep what she was about to see a secret, Sara had a last minute idea to stay in Tree Form for the breach. She had forgotten that this form actually had a battle function with its increased stats. Otherwise the plan was the same. A volley of Greater Fireballs to weaken an area of the wall, then a Howl to signal everyone to charge, followed by a large volley of Rock Shots to break through. It was a much more spectacular break than the first time.
I should have done this last time.
She hadn't really been making full use of her shapeshifting. The result might not be entirely down to Tree Form, since she had used more copies as well, but it had likely made a difference. Kathleen and the wolves started charging the wall as soon as the Howl sounded, and reached the break shortly after it was created, followed by a slightly shocked Mirielle who tried to keep up. Sara reverted to wolf form, and followed them as well. She made sure to stay behind the Priestess so she wouldn't feel left behind.
Sara's howl had also been the starting signal for Gloria, and Lieutenant Davril. Thankfully neither of them fell behind, though the Adventurers were a little confused about all of this. The Guards probably were too, but they were too professional to let it show.
The reactions of the bandits inside the camp was first a 'not again' as they heard the howling, followed by splintering wood, which transitioned into 'wait what' as they saw a bunch of elves charging the gate. At which that point it was too late to try to shut the gate, or anything of the sort. Their lookouts in the forest, and down the road had already failed to warn them in time since the attack came within the respawn window. All they could do was try to resist.
When Sara got inside she saw that her group was the first to enter, as expected. The bandits were torn between rushing her wolves; who proved to extra resilient thanks to Kathleen, and Mirielle; and trying to block the entrance so the Guards and Adventurers couldn't just barge in uncontested. Splitting their forces made both options worse.
And that was the point where the air force decided to strike. There was no way the corvids would allow themselves to be excluded.
The developers had never envisioned this sort of mixed assault, but the system had no problems accommodating it. It had been told to treat everyone in the world as equal within acceptable limits, which was a dangerously vague directive. Wanderers, Residents, and mobs had different frameworks, and rule sets in certain ways, but there was no stated directive that they couldn't interact, or cooperate.
The 'poor' bandits ended up being a test case for how this might work.
Of course the errant variable here was Sara: someone who existed somewhere in the grey area between mob, Resident, and Wanderer, but perhaps all she was doing was setting a precedent for how the world might develop rather than remaining a singular exception.
With the alliance 'formally' in effect Lieutenant Davril got his wish of fighting while buffed by Rally. The Guards under him were generally positive about doing something proactive for once. The Wanderers thought this was a really weird event, but most of them were into it. The main exception being one who was having doubts there would be any good loot since it didn't feel like a proper raid. And finally Gloria was thinking that fighting alongside people was interesting just like Sara had promised. She had also been promised that she'd get to try food afterwards.
So a good time was had by everyone involved. Except the bandits.
Even with less raiders involved overall, the fighting inside the camp didn't feel any less cramped. At this level the wolves had better coordination, and could work together in closer quarters than the Guards and Adventurers who needed a bit more room around them. So even with their size differences they somehow took up about as much space.
But as chaotic as it was, it was somehow working.
Sara left the boss to the elves and Adventurers this time, only intervening to distract him with the occasional long-range spell. It was still fun to see him dodge the Water Jets she aimed at his head. It was hard to aim at a moving target in the first place, so her best shot hit him in the shoulder once. She didn't have too much time to dedicate to it, though. The first lookouts they had taken out were starting to respawn, so she focused on shutting them back down immediately. While they were taking fewer losses, this raid was taking more time, so more control of the battlefield was needed.
A couple of the Adventurers were dressed not too differently from the bandits, so it was handy that they had the flowers equipped. Even if it could be hard to see, at least the wolves could smell it.
With the Lieutenant tanking they were able to take down the boss around the same time the last of the bandits went down, and then the raiding party swiftly evacuated the camp. Sara decided to leave all the loot to the Residents and Wanderers this time. She had already looted the entire camp once, even though she didn't really need any of it. By the time she could use any of it, it might be too low level for her anyway, while they could use it right away.
Once they reached the road, she thanked the Lieutenant, and everyone else for their cooperation, before they parted ways. The people had to divide the spoils, while the wolves were going to hold a little celebration of their own.
* * *
Mirielle and Laroni ended up going with the wolves. The former because she had brought snacks, and the latter because she talked her way into it. Sara figured she owed her that much after denying her the chance to be part of the assault group, plus it would be nice to have an interpreter so she'd have a chance to actually eat, instead of having to shapeshift to write.
After sending the regular wolves back to their regular tasks, the group found a small glade to sit down in.
While Sara still had some food left over in her inventory she had intended to share with Gloria, it was nice that Mirielle had brought more. It was not so nice that the birds were also curious about food now. It brought to mind how she'd seen crows back on Earth scam food out of people, if not outright steal it, but unfortunately their pestering worked, and they made off with an entire loaf of spice bread, and a bag of roasted nuts to share. They were only going to be further encouraged in the future.
She figured she might as well sneak a peek at her popups while everything was being set up. She had already introduced Gloria and Kathleen to the elves, so she had a little time.
[ Level Up: Level 28 Reached! ]
It looked like Mirielle and Laroni had levelled up as well, as the former was now 29, and the latter 25. It was possible Mirielle would hit 30 before Sara, but considering she had already been 28 when they first met, she probably deserved that. Sara wasn't sure how much experience the Priestess had lost because of her, and she still felt bad about it.
[ Name: Sara ]
[ Species: Nyolund Mystic Wolf (Nyolund Guardian Beast) | Gender: Female ]
[ Genus: Wolf ]
[ Class: Druid (Beast) ]
[ Role: Nyolund - Northern Great Forest of Ildhena Zone Boss ]
[ Level: 27 -> 28 (30) ]
[ HP: 182/182 -> 198/198 +16 (202/202 +17) | SP: 188/188 -> 205/205 +18 (206/206 +18) |
MP: 181/181 -> 201/201 +27 (199/199 +21) ]
[ VIT: 70 -> 82 +16 (80 +16) | END: 81 -> 94 +18 (87 +17) ]
[ STR: 76 -> 88 +17 (74 + 14) | DEF: 56 -> 68 +17 (56 +14) ]
[ AGI: 100 -> 113 +22 (108 +21) | DEX: 67 -> 79 +15 (66 +13) ]
[ INT: 101 -> 115 +23 (105 +21) | WIS: 94 -> 109 +27 (109 +21) ]
[ LUK: 157 -> 173 +34 (60 +12) ]
[ Bonus Attribute Points: 8 -> 12 ]
While they were currently in Wutsch, she could still see what her buffed numbers would be in Nyolund. They were just slightly faded out for her while inactive.
She had clearly gotten another couple of levels in All Attributes Up since last she checked, so her numbers were quickly growing scary.
As for skill notifications there were less this time since she hadn't done any intense combat, and regular bandits gave regular skill experience. A lot of the skills she had used were already maxed out anyway. She quickly sifted through the popups to see if there were any new max notifications.
[ Claw Expertise Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked. 1 skill point gained. ]
[ Claw Expertise (Passive): Increases attack power while fighting without a weapon equipped. Buff value: (2*skill level)%. Claw attack skills have +(0.5*skill level)% Critical hit chance.
Max level bonus: 25% chance for any claw attacks to inflict Bleed(?) status for 12 seconds. ]
That had gone fast, but she hadn't really expected any less. The next one though...
[ Sense Mana Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked. 1 skill points gained. ]
[ Condition Met: Possess three or more active non-physical sensing skills at level max. Skill merge available. 2 skill points gained. ]
[ Skills: Sense Presence, Sense Mana, and Thermal Vision will merge into skill: Extrasensory Perception. Price: 3 skill points. Merge: Yes/No ]
While her instinct was to hit 'Yes', this kinda smelled like trouble.
"Have either of you heard of the skill Extrasensory Perception before?" she asked the two elves via Laroni.
"No," they both answered after thinking about it for a moment.
Mother?
"Extrasensory Perception is one of the new merged skills added in the latest update. They wanted an equivalent to Keen Senses for sensory skills that went beyond the physical. Though since it's only for active skills it's not quite equivalent, and the line drawn between what is and isn't beyond the physical is a bit arbitrary."
Why only for active skills?
"The argument was that they didn't want something like Danger Sense or Trap Sense, which you can clearly call extrasensory, to be possible to turn off, while they also didn't want to force people to always have Sense Presence turned on if they found it overwhelming. But since they've already made passive skills with toggle options, the line again becomes somewhat arbitrary. It essentially works on a 'because they said so' basis, and maybe they will change their minds about it at some point in the future."
What if they ever decide to remove a merged skill?
"Then everyone who has it will have their original skills restored. It's recorded in my database after all."
So there might be Adventurers who had already gotten Extrasensory Perception, but Sara's dilemma lay in whether it would be seen as suspicious that a mob, even a boss, had a brand new skill on their sheet. Then again, she was so far past the point of seeming suspicious that maybe she shouldn't bother worrying about it. It might be time to give up on that charade. She'd just keep it hidden, and let people wonder about why she didn't have any active sensing skills if it was that important to them.
[ Merging skills... Successful. Skill gained: Extrasensory Perception. ]
[ Extrasensory Perception (Active): You have an enhanced ability to sense things beyond the scope of the physical senses. Continuous effect. You are able to choose which senses you wish to be active at once. Activation cost: 5 MP. Refresh: 2 seconds.
Includes: Mana, Presence, Thermal. ]
[ Sense Mana (EP): You are able to feel the mana signature of others in the world around you. The stronger the signature, the further away you can sense them. You are able to detect mana concentration in the area, and track trails of mana. You are able to track specific signatures you are familiar with, which lets you detect them at a further distance. Only one type of signature can be tracked in this way at a time. ]
[ Sense Presence (EP): You are able to detect the presence of others in the world around you, and gain an impression of what they are even without seeing them. The radius of your detection sphere may increase if you possess other sensory skills. You are able to use Identify without line of sight on presences you sense within a 10 metre radius. ]
[ Thermal Vision (EP): You are able to see the heat signature of targets around you, as well as other significant heat sources. Anything not sufficiently warm will be harder to see, but with practice you should be able to navigate the world with few issues. ]
She couldn't see any of the fancy title boxes this time, so the last batch was her new skills.
[ Skill Gained: Fire. ] [ Skill Gained: Tailoring. ] [ Skill Gained: Sword Expertise. ]
[ Skill Gained: Lightning Arrow. ] [ Skill Gained: Lockpick. ] [ Skill Gained: Alchemy. ]
Another weird assortment. It didn't surprise her that some of the bandits had Lockpick, though she wasn't quite sure what they did with Alchemy. Potions, and poisons maybe? Fire just looked to be the upgraded version of Shoot, so her career as a future marksman was looking brighter.
Lightning Arrow was an interesting get. She hadn't seen much in the way of magic users among the bandits, but clearly there was at least one, so that was something she could actually use. Part of her was a little sad that it wasn't the downgraded version, because she liked getting unlocks, but she already had too many skills.
She put those thoughts away, and went back to enjoying their little picnic.
Gloria seemed to be quite enjoying having another person to talk to. Maybe she hadn't been aware that Druids could learn Commune With Animals. It might not have occurred to her to find out. Thankfully Laroni didn't seem to mind the attention, even if she looked a little nervous. That might just be her default state.
Part of the spread this time was a carrot cake that Mirielle said she had made herself. It wasn't easy to eat cake without hands, and Tree Form didn't have a functional mouth, so all Sara could do was have them put a piece on a plate that she could shove her face into.
It might be the best carrot cake she had ever had. Best she could remember, at least. Mirielle did have the cooking skill, so maybe that much was to be expected, but this almost felt like 'recipe passed down through the family' level of baking. Or at least so she assumed. Her own mother wasn't much of a baker. Her brother was the only one into it, and there hadn't really been any recipes to hand down to him. Their grandparents had passed away when they were quite young. Sara had been around 10 years old when her last grandparent had passed on, and one of them she had never gotten to meet in the first place.
Having a picnic in the forest with friends was a nice respite, and also a new experience. There wasn't really a lot of untouched forest left where Sara had lived on Earth, and most of her friends were long-distance. She'd met up with them in VR space, or other games, but this was her first time being in a forest, in person, having a picnic.
Her new life had taken many strange turns since she woke up in Moorhold, and she still wasn't sure if she preferred it to her old life, but if Norax was to be believed it was either this, or no life.
I wonder how I died.
The thought had been sitting in the back of her mind for the past month, and she hadn't dared to think too deeply on it, but her mind wandering back to her old life brought back those thoughts too. Yet now that she had found a measure of peace with her new life, it didn't feel quite so bad any longer.
What could have been so bad that her memory of it had been removed? Painful accident? Something terrifying she had seen coming, but couldn't stop, like a fall from a great height? Murder? Eaten alive by a wild animal? Being literally scared to death?
... perhaps it's better to not think too deeply on this after all.
Norax likely hadn't shared the details with Aina either, and honestly Sara didn't feel that interested in asking. She should probably just trust their judgement that it was better that she didn't know. It was easier that way.
There was a fair amount of small talk that Laroni had to convey between the different parties, so once she was done eating, Sara turned into Tree Form to help ease the poor Druid's burden.
"What did you both think about the raid?" she wrote.
"Um... the first word that comes to mind is 'hectic'," Mirielle answered after swallowing her food. "I've never been in one before, though I suspect this isn't what they're typically like," she added with a small grin.
"It was my first too," Laroni said, and set her spoon down. "There was a lot of chaos, and I'm not sure I actually managed to do much... but I think a lot of Druids have a secret dream of going into battle alongside a horde of animals. Yet Druids capable of befriending all kinds of mobs are mere legends. At least no one at the Naturalist Society has openly claimed they're able to, or even that they know someone who can. Though in reality I've not been much into battle with other people either..."
"Me neither," Mirielle said. "I've done the Temple's self defence, and support training, but I've never actually gone out there to fight with a party. I guess you can say I don't have the Adventurer's spirit. I'm much happier staying in the city, and healing people."
"And yet you both showed up," Sara wrote.
"Well..." Mirielle blushed. "It felt like one of those opportunities that one shouldn't pass up. It took a little coaxing to get Nieri to come along as well, but I figured one Priest might not be enough."
"That's your colleague?" Sara asked.
"Yes. I'm glad she agreed to come," Mirielle replied with a smile.
"It let you ditch the others to go with me instead," Sara wrote.
"W-wha- I-I didn't mean to ditch them, I just... I thought..." Mirielle's blush grew quite fierce.
"That was a joke, Mirielle," Sara wrote quickly.
"I was also quick to step up when the City Guard asked us. I think the Elders sort of felt I had priority anyway..." Laroni said with a conflicted look. "Daahn was right there with me. There were more who wanted to come as well, but the Elders didn't want to send any more of us. I think there are several Speakers who feel it's unfair that only Hunters get to work alongside traditionally hostile mobs, and that's why they wanted a chance. Though taming is slightly different..."
"So taming is a thing," Sara wrote, even though she already knew. "I wonder if it would be possible to tame me."
"I don't think so," Laroni said, though she didn't sound completely sure. "I've never heard of anyone successfully taming a boss mob."
"I think you might be too different," Mirielle said, maybe referring to Sara's past life circumstance. "But I am not familiar with the Hunter class, or how it works."
That would line up with what Aina had said, though maybe it would work on Kathleen. Sara would not stand for anyone who tried it, though. She would hunt them down again and again until they released her. Though it was possible the system relied on some sort of mutual understanding, rather than pure dominance. If that was the case, then Kathleen wasn't likely to agree to it in the first place.
"Oh, and congratulations on your levels," Sara wrote before she forgot again.
"Ah, t-thanks..." Laroni said awkwardly, and blushed a little.
"Thank you," Mirielle said. "It certainly went faster than just working at the Temple normally does. Maybe I should get your help for the final push to 30, S- Guardian Beast."
"Maybe. We could go hunting together one day," Sara wrote. Right, I haven't actually told these two that they both know my name, have I? It feels kinda awkward to try to insert that into the conversation now. Mirielle wouldn't get jealous, would she? I should probably clear it up nonetheless. "Laroni also knows my name, Mirielle, so it's fine to call me Sara when it's just us," Sara wrote after erasing the board.
"S-she does?" Mirielle stuttered.
Maybe she does get a little jealous after all. "I told her when we were on break during the survey mission. She looked so depressed that I wanted to cheer her up a little, and it wasn't like anyone could overhear us," Sara offered as an explanation.
"U-um..." Laroni looked awkward about the way Mirielle was looking back and forth between her and Sara, but thankfully the atmosphere was quickly broken.
"What are you talking about?" Gloria asked. She had finished a deer mince pie, and didn't want to be left out any longer, so Sara and Laroni had to fill her in on the important points of what they had been saying.
Kathleen hadn't said anything after she first said hello to Laroni. She had seemed content to listen. and apparently was now taking a nap after trying some of the food.
It was somewhere in the mid afternoon when the curious picnic between three wolves, and two elves came to an end. Mirielle had to get back to the city since she was going on duty soon. Apparently she worked evenings a lot. Laroni had to report to the Society, and suddenly seemed a little nervous that maybe they were waiting for her. Sara had to remind her that her colleague had probably handled the worst of it, which gave the Druid a slight sense of relief.
As Sara headed back towards her den, she could see clouds were starting to roll in. It was going to start raining soon, for the first time since she had arrived in Ildhena. It reminded her of how Aina had said the new update would have changing weather more often. A bit of summer rain wasn't so bad.
Summer... wasn't it September back on Earth last I remember? Yet it's clearly somewhere around early summer now. Was I dead for over half a year? What date is it, mother?
"It is currently 3. December 2041."
December? So Moorhold's seasons don't match Earth's?
"The development studio is based in Chile, so the seasons match Earth's southern hemisphere. Though the geography of this continent still matches a northern layout, so going further north will lead you to colder areas, and south to warmer. Moorhold is currently not expanded enough that it reaches the equator in the south, so its overall climate is similar to Europe's, if a little more condensed. I'm not entirely sure whether this reversal was deliberate, or accidental."
Sara figured it didn't really matter, and picked up the pace so she'd get back inside before the rain started.
December, huh... so Yuletimes are upcoming. I wonder if they celebrate anything here in Moorhold. Most MMOs like to have holidays that match the timing of real-world ones. If I remember, I should ask Mirielle next time I see her.
She managed to get inside mere minutes before the first raindrops began hitting the ground. It still felt a bit early for bed, but she didn't have much else to do. Though she was feeling a certain canine instinct to frolic in the rain.
If I had a computer, time would pass a lot quicker. Maybe too quickly. Even just having something to read would be nice. I wonder if I can get a library card, or get someone else to borrow books for me.
One of her only forms of 'entertainment' was looking at her skill list.
[ Active: ]
[ Chomp Lvl Max (Max) | Rend Lvl Max (Max) | Body Slam Lvl Max (Max) | Savage Blow Lvl 6 (Max) |
Pack Leader's Howl Lvl Max (Max) | Sprint Lvl Max (Max) | Root Bind Lvl 6 -> 7 (Max) |
Poison Arrow Alt. Lvl 4 -> 5 (Max) | Frost Arrow Lvl 3 -> 4 (Max) | Greater Fireball Lvl 4 -> 6 (Max) |
Water Jet Lvl 4 -> 6 (Max) | Arcane Blast Lvl 5 -> 6 (Max) | Thorn Armour Lvl 7 -> 8 (Max) |
Growth Lvl Max (Max) | Budding Regrowth Lvl 2 -> 4 (Max) | Rejuvenate Lvl Max (Max) |
Mass Rejuvenate Lvl Max (Max) | Bear Form Lvl Max (Max) | Cat Form Lvl Max (Max) |
Tree Form Lvl Max (Max) ]
[ Concealed Active: ]
[ Charge Lvl Max | Ambush Lvl Max | Throw Lvl 1 | Strong Poison Strike Lvl Max | Death From Above Lvl 8 |
Solid Kick Lvl 3 | Back Attack Lvl 2 -> 4 | Struggle Lvl 1 | Stomp Lvl 1 | Pounce Lvl 4 -> 5 | Shred Lvl 4 -> 5 |
Crush Lvl 1 | Rock Shot Lvl 5 -> 7 | Lightning Arrow (New) Lvl 1 | Mass Thorn Bind Lvl 1 | Poison Cloud Lvl 2 |
Poison Enchant Lvl 7 -> 8 | Water Bubble Lvl 1 | Water Film Lvl 1 | Earth Wall Lvl 1 | Leech Lvl Max | Roar Lvl 1 |
Taunt Lvl 1 | Erase Presence Lvl 12 -> 13 | Extrasensory Perception (Merged) | Slow Fall ]
[ Passive: ]
[ Keen Senses | Danger Sense Lvl Max (Max) | Claw Expertise Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Firm Grip Lvl Max (Max) |
Enhanced Movement | Insulation Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Solid Coat Lvl 8 -> 9 (Max) | Leadership Lvl Max (Max) |
Nature Element Up Lvl Max (Max) | Mana Manipulation Lvl Max (Max) |
All Attributes Up (Medium) Lvl 3 -> 5 (Max) | Commune With Animals ]
[ Concealed Passive: ]
[ Trap Sense Lvl 4 | Intuition Lvl 4 | Dig Lvl Max | Burrow Lvl 2 | Spider Climb Lvl Max | Spider Silk Lvl Max |
Thread Manipulation Lvl 3 -> 5 | Paralysis Venom Lvl Max | Swim Lvl 6 | Dive Lvl 1 | Chameleon Lvl Max |
Pursuit Lvl 5 | Ranged Attacks Up Lvl 1 | Copy Cast Lvl Max | Fire Element Up Lvl 8 -> 9 |
Water Element Up Lvl 2 -> 3 | Poison Immunity | Fire Resistance Lvl 2 | Dark Resistance Lvl 1 |
All Regen (Small) Lvl 6 -> 8 ]
[ General: ]
[ Identify Lvl Max (Hidden) | Communicate: Family (Hidden) | Conceal Status Lvl Max (Hidden) ]
[ Concealed General: ]
[ Skill Gain (Hidden) | Languages (Hidden): Common, Beastkin, Goblin, Elf, Human, Troll | Life Magic Lvl 9 |
Decryption Lvl 1 | Double Skill Experience (Hidden) ]
[ Disabled (All Hidden): ]
[ Tough Scales | Flight | Spider Net Trap | Logging | Cleave | Chop | Bow Expertise | Woodworking | Power Shot |
Glide | Disarm Trap | Smack | Skewer | Spear Expertise | Cooking | Slash | Blacksmithing | Sweep |
Medium Armour Expertise | Snipe | Fire (New) | Tailoring (New) | Sword Expertise (New) | Lockpick (New) |
Alchemy (New) ]
[ Skill points: 19 -> 22 ]
If she kept getting into the thick of combat, then Solid Coat would probably max out soon.
All Regen was going up fast, and it would probably evolve into a Medium version. While it would be exaggerating to say it had tipped the scales, it had helped with her MP situation during the raids, especially today's which had dragged on longer than the last. She'd had to get into physical combat several times as well, but the regular bandits were not as tough as their boss, plus she'd had her pack with her.
She also noticed her skill point count had gone up further, even though she'd done a skill merge. It might be time to take the plunge, before she could change her mind again.
[ Skill Purchased: Vanish. ]
She was sure she would find a use for it. It probably would have already been useful if she had gotten it earlier, but if she spent time regretting every poor decision she ever made she wouldn't get very far.
It had started to pour down quite heavily outside. Typical summer shower. It smelled nice. Probably felt nice too. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to do a little bit of frolicking before going to bed.
