Rules-Free VRMMO Life: Book 1 - Tutorial Read online

  Still, now I had the ruins in sight. It looked like an old keep of some kind. Checking the quest timer, I saw that I had used five of my twenty-four hours getting here. Looting the hut, killing monsters, and the like had been good for my XP and skill levels, but I wanted to find a safe place to rest for a bit before making with the killing. Maybe I’d also be able to use my crafting skills to boost my chances somehow.

  Chapter 9 – The Ruin

  Looking at the ruin, I felt that it was some kind of temple. Looked like something you’d see on the Acropolis in Athens. Columns and engravings and the like. But the forest had reclaimed this temple, and what had at one time clearly been well kept grounds was now choked with undergrowth. By the size of the trees growing here, it had been at least a hundred years since it was abandoned, probably more.

  Oh, and it seems someone had been busy in the nearby crypt, because I can count at least fifty skeletons in between me and the door. I’ll have to get through this horde if I’m going to do anything to stop the ritual. Now, some people would charge in, shouting to the gods of light, and generally lay some paladin-level whoopass down on the skeletons. These people tend to die a lot.

  Since I’m solo right now, and I don’t have any instant heals, I’ve gotta be smart. Searching around, I pick up a bunch of stones, and put them in my inventory. While characters in AAO can carry bags and the like, and those store things nicely, we also have a 10x10 Inventory screen. You can ‘stack’ items in the Inventory as long as they’re the same, up to a stack of ninety-nine. Between looting the hut, gathering herbs, skinning animals, and the like, I had nineteen slots filled, so the 20th got to have ‘Stone x24’ tossed in it. The system is pretty cool. Your ‘inventory’ is weightless, but limited to that 10x10 grid, and you have to summon the items out. Items placed in a bag or on your body have weight, but can be grabbed much more easily, which is why my weapons weren’t in my inventory.

  I activated ‘Sneak’ and ‘Move Silently’, and crept forward, a stone in hand. Finding a nice tree to hide behind, I picked a target near the edge of the horde, and threw the stone. I was hoping to hit the skeleton, maybe draw one or two off so I could deal with them in small groups. Standard pull strategy.

  Apparently, my really high STR, DEX, and Luck combined to make the stone actually do damage! Sure, it was only five points, but the problem was I missed my target, and hit one further in the crowd. The skeletons all turned to me at once, as I saw a screen pop up.

  A skill has been created through successful action: Throwing

  Level: Beginner 1 (0%)

  Thrown weapons are .01% more accurate, and do .01% more damage. As this skill progresses, more objects can be used as thrown weapons.

  Oh, goody. I made a throwing skill, but I also pulled a good fifteen skeletons towards me! A quick Observe told me more fun news. The skeletons were all level 7. Not out of my league individually, but together, this would SUCK! Especially since I was willing to bet they were resistant to slashing attacks. Still, nothing for it. I drew my swords, and assumed a stance.

  “You want to dance? Let’s dance.”

  (Later)

  I’d like to say that there was an epic battle of one against a hundred, and that there was a badass soundtrack as I went off like an anime hero on the skeletons. That would be giving me FAR too much credit.

  Honestly, what saved me was that Level 7 skeletons are stupid as hell. Fighting them was all a matter of keeping mobile. As I suspected, skeletons were resistant to slashing attacks, and weak against bludgeoning. I drained my MP completely, but between Darkbolt, Dark Tentacles, and throwing those stones (before later just punching and kicking the things), I somehow managed to get rid of all the damned things. My swords were badass, but against this kind of enemy, I needed a staff or something. Maybe nunchucks?

  When the final skeleton fell, I was pleased to see that Dark Magic had risen to Basic 6, increasing the power of my Dark spells by 30%. Throwing was up to Beginner 2, and I had gotten Unarmed Combat Mastery, which was already halfway to levelling up. Speaking of Leveling up, I got a big boost, and jumped to Level 6. I figured I’d check my stats when I finished looting. I’d need to rest, anyway, and recover MP.

  More coins, some ruined weapons and armor that weren’t worth space in my inventory, and a whole crapload of ‘Undead Bone’. Apparently it was used in Alchemy. I did find a rather bitchin’ gold ring on one of the skeleton’s hands, though.

  Ring of the Wyrmwood

  Type

  Ring

  Rank

  Rare

  Before the Scourge, the elves of the Wyrmwood were one of the most powerful empires on the continent. Rings such as this were given to nobles who had won favor with the Queen of the Wyrmwood. They were often enchanted in some way, though each ring is different.

  +5 INT

  No quest alert, so I didn’t have enough info to go checking on this ring’s former owner. Still, stat boosts are always welcome! For now, I decided to save my stat points, and get a nice reserve going. The passive boosts from my traits were doing well for my already overinflated stats for now. When I found a class, I could boost the stats I needed.

  Checking my spells, I saw that both Darkbolt and Dark Tentacles had leveled up, as well.

  Dark Magic

  Darkbolt (Level 2, 4%)

  A bolt of magical darkness that can damage enemies at range. Damage and range increase with level.

  Damage: 5-25. Range: 30 Feet

  Cost: 10 MP

  Dark Tentacles (Level 2, 10%)

  Conjure Tentacles made out of pure darkness that move according to your bidding. Number and strength of tentacles increases with level.

  Number: 3. Strength: Lift 100 lbs. Range: 50 feet.

  Cost: 50 MP, 1 MP per second

  Little bit of improvement in direct offense, and the tentacles were a lot more useful now. That’ll make not dying easier, especially if there are more skeletons to deal with. Still, I’ve sat around enough. HP and MP recovered, loot sorted. But since it doesn’t look like the skeletons are going to spawn again out here, I might as well take a bit of time to prepare myself.

  Another hour later, and I’ve actually made some progress. Thanks to my traits, my crafting skills improve faster, and the quality is better. So with my Alchemy, and the herbs I stole from the hut, I was able to make a dozen Healing Potions and a half dozen Mana Potions. I also used my Leatherworking skill to good effect. I couldn’t wear armor, but all the wolves I’d run into had given me enough leather (especially now that I had a proper knife) to allow me to make some simple add-ons. They didn’t count as armor, so I could wear them.

  I also started enchanting things. Turns out you can’t enchant Soulforged weapons, so no enchants on my main weapons, but I put basic enchants on all my other gear.

  Ring of the Wyrmwood

  Type

  Ring

  Rank

  Rare

  Before the Scourge, the elves of the Wyrmwood were one of the most powerful empires on the continent. Rings such as this were given to nobles who had won favor with the Queen of the Wyrmwood. They were often enchanted in some way, though each ring is different.

  +5 INT

  Enchanted: +1 MP Regeneration/Minute

  Wolf Leather Gloves

  Type

  Gloves

  Rank

  Common

  A basic pair of gloves, made by every beginning leatherworker in the world at some point. Still, they provide some protection from the elements, as well as helping the wearer fend off enemy attacks.

  Durability: 10/10

  +2 Defense

  Enchanted: +5 DEX

  Wolf Leather Bracers

  Type

  Bracers

  Rank

  Common

  A basic pair of bracers, made by every beginning leatherworker in the world at some point. Still, they provide some protection from the elements, as well as helping the wearer fend off enemy attacks.

  Durab
ility: 10/10

  +5 Defense

  Enchanted: +5 CON

  Belt of the Novice Hunter

  Type

  Belt

  Rank

  Common

  A basic leather belt, made by every beginning leatherworker in the world at some point, decorated with wolf teeth.

  Durability: 10/10

  Enchanted: +5 STR

  Wolf-lined Boots

  Type

  Boots

  Rank

  Common

  A basic pair of leather boots, made by every leatherworker in the world at some point. Good craftsmanship gives it slightly better durability.

  Durability 15/15

  +2 Defense

  Enchanted: +20% Speed

  Greaves of the Hunter

  Type

  Greaves

  Rank

  Uncommon

  A superior version of the basic greaves every leatherworker first starts making. The craftsmanship gives increased durability and protection.

  Durability 15/15

  +6 Defense

  Enchanted: +10 Attack

  Fascinating Codpiece

  Type

  Special

  Rank

  Uncommon

  A custom piece made by an Incubus leatherworker, this codpiece provides protection from attacks, and is imbued with a small charm effect.

  Durability 10/10

  +25% Stun resistance to attacks made against crotch

  Hypnotic - Low level Charm effect draws people’s gaze, causing them to stare at codpiece. May cause ‘Dazed’ or ‘Fascinated’ conditions (10% chance) if foe is Level +5 or lower.

  Enchanted: +5 CHA

  Sacrificial Dagger

  Type

  Dagger

  Rank

  Uncommon

  Damage

  1-6

  Damage Type

  Piercing

  This wave-bladed dagger is wholly evil and tainted by the blood of the innocent. Deals no damage to Evil creatures. Deals double damage to Good creatures. If used in a sacrifice of a sentient creature, the user may gain points in the victim’s highest stat. Success chance and amount of points gained depends on victim’s level.

  Durability 10/10

  Warning: Using this dagger may cause your alignment to shift.

  Enchanted: +2 Dark damage

  Midnight Cloak

  Type

  Cloak

  Rank

  Uncommon

  This cloak is infused with the powers of darkness. While this provides some measure of a defensive bonus, the primary benefit is the ability to hide the wearer’s face in shadow whenever the hood is pulled up, regardless of lighting. Negates glare penalties.

  Durability 10/10

  +5 Defense

  Mystery Man: Hide the user’s face, name, alignment, and level whenever hood is drawn up.

  Take no penalties due to glare or bright lights.

  Enchanted: +10% to Sneak skill

  Healing Spit

  Type

  Exotic Weapon

  Rank

  Common

  Damage

  5-10

  Damage Type

  Piercing

  A spit, typically used for roasting a boar or other large animal over a fire. While it can be used as a weapon, like a spear, it is not designed for such, and may incur penalties, even with the appropriate proficiency.

  Durability 15/15

  Enchanted: When victim successfully spitted, automatically heals victim for 1-10 HP each second, while draining 1 MP each second.

  Now, I had a little over sixteen hours to go until boom time. But waiting until the last minute to deal with cosmic-level bad guys is generally a bad thing, so I gathered my new gear, and went into the ruined temple.

  (Later)

  Four hours of bloody fighting, and I’ve managed to cut my way through GODDAMN GIANT SPIDERS! These developers were not playing around with the tutorial! OK, I suspected someone had set the thing to adjust the difficulty based on whoever was going through it, but still! I had leveled up again, bringing me to Level 7. Sword Mastery just got to Beginner 10. A little more, and I’d crack Basic.

  Only good thing about the damn spiders is that I got some of their blood. Giant Spider Blood is only good for two things, with my skills: antidotes and poisons. So I got a dozen antidotes, and another dozen vials of Spider Poison. Not sure what I’ll do with it yet, but I’ll think of something.

  For now, though, I’ve been doing hard fighting for over twelve hours. I still have twelve to go before doomsday. I’m in a safe zone in this ‘dungeon’, so I’ll set an alarm and catch a four-hour nap. Can’t save the world falling asleep on my feet.

  Chapter 10 – First Conquest

  Ah, that was refreshing. Nice to know that the alarm function works as it is supposed to. Anyways, no one has tried to murder me in my sleep, which is always a bonus. Guess the safe room I made was really safe. Now, I have eight hours to stop the end of the world. Let’s party.

  First floor of the ruin is clear. I’m figuring that since there’s no second floor, and we’re talking about unspeakable evil rituals, going down is the best bet, and I just found stairs going down. I activate Sneak and Move Silently, because I’d rather like to avoid getting swarmed by whatever is down here.

  My caution comes in handy, as I discover a set of three cultists. I know they’re cultists because Observe told me so. Because it had leveled up a bit, and I was higher level than these guys, I got numbers for their HP and MP!

  Terror Cultist

  Level 5

  HP: 100/100

  MP: 200/200

  All three were the same. None of them looked like they were in charge, so this was probably a patrol of some kind. Still, three on one in my first fight against creatures that can actually think, and call in reinforcements? I’ll need to weaken or disable them somehow. Fortunately, I had a few ways to do that.

  Sneaking up behind the cultists, I had my blades ready, and slashed out at the guy on the left first. My blades crossed eachother passing through the man’s neck, causing his head to actually spin in the air for a moment before it fell to the ground, the body following shortly after.

  Sneak Attack! Critical Hit! Fatal Hit! 1604 damage dealt to Terror Cultist!

  Sneak Attack! Critical Hit! Fatal Hit! 1250 damage dealt to Terror Cultist!

  6 Fire Damage dealt to Terror Cultist!

  You have killed a Terror Cultist! You gain 200 XP!

  That’s what I thought. Sneak attacks, criticals, and fatal hits did massive damage to enemies, meaning they’d do massive damage to me, too. But the XP was really low. Apparently, the XP you get depends on your level compared to your victim’s level. Killing creatures above my level gave me oodles of XP, but these cultists were slightly below my level, so I was only getting normal amounts.

  Of course, I didn’t sit there daydreaming after killing the first cultist. I used my dark tentacles to deal with the woman. I’d want to ask her some questions later. Two tentacles grabbed her wrists, pulling them out to the side so she couldn’t try anything, while the third stuck itself in her mouth when she tried to scream. That just left me and the second guy.

  30 damage to Terror Cultist!

  20 damage to Terror Cultist!

  5 Fire damage to Terror Cultist!

  Parry! You take 5 damage (reduced from 15) from Terror Cultist!

  34 damage to Terror Cultist!

  Bleeding Effect dealt to Terror Cultist!

  You take 20 damage from Terror Cultist!

  Disarmed!

  Critical Hit! Fatal Hit! 40 damage to Terror Cultist!

  You have killed Terror Cultist! You gain 160 XP!

  This one was actually ready for me, so I had a bit of a fight on my hands. But two swords versus a dagger leaves little doubt about the winner. Wasn’t able to get the bonus for a decapitation this time, but I considered it lucky, since the bastard had managed to score a couple hits, an
d even made me drop my wakizashi by slashing my hand. If he was any better skilled, or had more HP, I’d have been in real trouble.

  Looking at the female cultist, I could tell that she was a human. Well, no time like the present to test out some new abilities, right? First, I use the Charming Gaze, my racial ability. The girl’s expression changes from hate to something much friendlier, so I dismiss the tentacles. Before I do, I cast Selfish Lover on her, as well. She falls to the ground, which puts her at eye level with my codpiece. The design causes her to stare.