Hero Read online

+1 all other stats

  Congratulations! Level 8 achieved!

  +2 Strength

  +2 Constitution

  +1 all other stats

  +1 2H Spears

  +1 Dodge

  +1 Improvisation

  +5 Unarmed Combat

  Wow! That fight had and quest reward had given him two whole levels, and most of the way to a third.

  Jaxx pulled up his character sheet:

  Name

  Jaxx

  Race

  Human

  Level

  8

  Total XP

  11,520

  XP to Next Level

  1280

  Strength

  15

  Intellect

  0

  Agility

  7

  Stamina

  7

  Constitution

  15

  Charisma

  7

  Rage Capacity

  18

  Skills

  Dodge – 12

  2H Spear – 13

  Improvisation – 5

  1H Sword – 3

  Shield – 1

  Fire Starting – 1

  Fortification – 1

  Stealth – 7

  Weapon Repair – 1

  Unarmed Combat – 6

  1H Axes - 1

  Skills

  Dodge – Level 12

  Dodge is the ability to avoid blows in combat. Each successful combat session where you successfully dodge at least one attack will raise this by +1. Only one level will be achieved per combat session. Current affect – 12% more likely to dodge an attack by an attacker of the same or lower level. Each enemy level above yours reduces the chance to dodge by 5%. Agility level increases Dodge.

  2H Spear – Level 13

  Your chance to land a blow with a 2H spear is increased by 13% against an attacker of the same or lower level. Each enemy level above yours reduces the chance to hit by 5%. Agility increases chance to hit with a weapon.

  Improvisation – Level 5

  Improvisation is the ability to make something from nothing. 5% increased chance to put together a viable item from raw materials.

  1H Sword – Level 3

  Your chance to land a blow with a 1H sword is increased by 3% against an attacker of the same or lower level. Each enemy level above yours reduces the chance to hit by 5%. Agility increases chance to hit with a weapon.

  Fire Starting – Level 1

  The ability to start fires is a gift straight from Prometheus himself. Higher levels allow you to start fires in adverse conditions. 1% increased chance to start fires.

  1H Sword – Level 3

  You chance to land a blow with a 1H sword is increased by 3% against an attacker of the same or lower level. Each enemy level above yours reduces the chance to hit by 5%. Agility increases the chance to hit with a weapon.

  Shield – Level 3

  Your chance to block a blow with an equipped shield increased by 3% from an enemy at or below your level. Your chance to land a blow with a shield increased by 3% against an attacker at or below your level. Each enemy level above yours reduces the chance to block and hit by 5%. Agility increases chance to hit and block with shields.

  Stealth – Level 4

  You move silently, grasshoppah! 4% chance to move unnoticed while sneaking around. You are slightly ashamed as a Barbarian shouldn’t be sneaking, but here we are.

  Fortification – Level 1

  You begin to appreciate the value of a well-fortified position. You do 1% more damage and receive 1% less damage when fighting from a fortified position.

  Unarmed Combat – Level 6

  You are a barbarian! 6% more base damage dealt when using your fists in combat.

  1H Axes – Level 1

  You chance to land a blow with a 1H axe is increased by 1% against an attacker of the same or lower level. Each enemy level above yours reduces the chance to hit by 5%. Agility increases the chance to hit with a weapon.

  Blessings

  Apollo’s Light (Cloak)

  +2 to Agility

  +2 to HP regeneration (5 per minute)

  +2 to Stamina regeneration (5 per minute)

  Solid gains in strength and constitution, and good overall growth. He noticed the surprising 5 levels in unarmed combat, but realized that he’d done more of his damage in the fight barehanded.

  He turned to Toxotis. “All right, let’s go.”

  “Go?” Toxotis looked surprised. “Go where? We have found the source of the traveler deaths. We should head back to Delios.”

  “How do you know that was the only thing out here?” Jaxx asked.

  Toxotis spoke slowly, as if to a child or a slow adult. “Because the quest completed. If there were more to do, we would not have fulfilled the quest.”

  Jaxx felt dumb. That should have been obvious. Maybe the stamina drain from Berserk was still affecting him. Well, that and his 0 intellect.

  “Huh, yeah you’re right. Well, I still want to do the full circle of the town.”

  “What? Why? That will take 2 or 3 days of living out in the woods. We have good food, good beer, warm beds….” He looked slyly at Jaxx. “Hylonome.”

  Jaxx laughed. He knew Toxotis was just teasing him. “Well, I think that it would be a good thing to clear out any dangerous monsters that are close to the town, and perhaps get some XP and level up a bit.”

  Toxotis nodded. “That makes sense. It is difficult for a single person to level up on their own, far easier for a group who can watch each other’s backs.”

  “Yeah, speaking of that….” And it was Toxotis’ turn to look away in embarrassment.

  Jaxx laughed. “It wasn’t your fault that the witch’s magic captured you unawares. If I hadn’t been in my Berserk status, it might have caught me too. Plus, as a Barbarian I am naturally resistant to mental magic.”

  “Yeah, that zero Intellect sure does show up sometimes…” Toxotis mumbled under his breath.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing.”

  Chapter 14

  Two days later, Jaxx was starting to question his decision. It had seemed to be the right call, continuing their circuit of the village to clear out any monsters surrounding the village. To be honest, he hadn’t really expected to see much and was just hoping for a pleasant few days of recovery, with perhaps the odd fight with some wolves or something. He had been mistaken.

  The first day, they had tangled with a pack of Forest Wolves and a giant snake. The wolves had included a Matriarch, who was level 9 and a tough fight. Jaxx had been unable to find a constricted area like he had with the Wolf Alpha, so the fight dragged on for over 2 hours. Having Toxotis with him had made a huge difference, as he was able to constantly draw the attention of the wolves away from Jaxx, allowing him to fight them one at a time. Toxotis had been severely drained by having to kite the wolves around and had needed some time to recover.

  Towards the end of the day, Jaxx had literally stumbled upon the snake while searching for a good campsite. Before he knew it, coils of heavy, muscled snake had covered his lower body and began to squeeze. Only quick thinking by Jaxx, coupled with the quick availability of Berserk, had allowed him to attack and sever the snake using his sword. Toxotis had peppered the snake’s head with arrows, and they had killed it pretty easily after that.

  Both passed out after a very long day, trusting that the area was fairly clear of predators due to the snake’s presence.

  The next morning, they had awoken to a pouring rain and were soaking wet. Almost immediately upon setting off after a cold and wet breakfast, they had stumbled into a pack of Gorgons.

  Gorgons, Jaxx had discovered, snake-like creatures with the lower bodies of large snakes, and the upper bodies of women. Ugly women. Their heads were covered with small, hissing snakes, and they were all armed with bows. Caught by surprise, Jaxx had managed to kill one before they knew that Jaxx and Toxotis were there. Toxotis had slain an
other in a duel at long range with arrows, while Jaxx had dodged arrows while trying to get the third one. In what must have been a Gods favor of good fortune, he had managed to get his Rage up enough to hit Berserk, which apparently made him immune to the Gorgon’s ability to turn him to stone with their eyes.

  Jaxx still remembered the look of shock on the last Gorgon’s face when her ability failed, and Jaxx’s spear had taken her head off. Toxotis had just shaken his head, commenting “Lucky bastard.”

  “About another half day to the main road,” Toxotis estimated, pausing to wipe the water from his eyes. He was particularly grumpy due to the fact that he had to carry his bowstring wrapped in his pocket – he claimed he felt naked with his bow unstrung.

  Jaxx wasn’t feeling much more cheerful after the Gorgon fight and slogging through the mud all day. His footwear, solid leather sandals, was not suited for mud. They sank in with every step due to his weight, and then the mud stayed in between the sandal and his foot, causing him to feel like he was going to slip at any moment. The rest of him, however, was fairly dry – the water and mud slid off of Apollo’s Cloak easily, leaving him in much better condition than Toxotis, who was soaked to the bone.

  As they walked, talking softly, they became aware of various carcasses of forest animals laying in various states of decay. Stopping to examine a giant boar, they saw what looked like multiple bite marks at different parts of the animal, tearing away to get to the juicier bits like the heart and liver which were missing.

  Toxotis examined the carcass, then did a quick walk around the area where they had found the boar, looking for tracks. Jaxx saw him tense, clenching his bow in both of his hands. He laid a hand on Toxotis’ shoulder, causing the man to jump.

  Toxotis stood slowly, eyes never stopping as he looked around them. “What is it?” asked Jaxx.

  “I am not sure, but I think there is a hydra somewhere around here,” Toxotis said.

  “What is a hydra?” Jaxx asked.

  “It is bad news. Think of a large, lizard-like body with a long slender tail, barbed at the end. It will have multiple heads, at least two, possibly more. Each head is capable of magic, and can spit fire or lightning at its foes. Couple that with spike armor, and fearsome teeth and claws. Depending on the size, I do not know if we can defeat it.”

  That sounded bad. There were only two of them, and neither had much protection against magic.

  “Where do you think it is?” Jaxx wondered. He was making progress on his tracking, but Toxotis was a true master of the forest.

  “Judging by these tracks, it went that way.” Toxotis pointed towards the way that they were already traveling. “They tend to stick close to water, and are often found inhabiting a pond or lake.”

  “What do you want to do?” asked Jaxx. He was up for anything, and felt confident in his abilities, but he was worried (again) about Toxotis. If Jaxx died, he’d awaken safe and sound back at the Barrel. Toxotis wouldn’t.

  “Let’s keep going, and keep a sharp eye out. If you hear anything, stop and let’s evaluate before doing anything. If it is a large one, we should leave it alone and tell the guard force in the Village.”

  Jaxx agreed, and they continued through the downpour. After a few miles, they heard the sounds of water, and paused. Motioning for Jaxx to stay put, Toxotis glided off through the trees towards the sounds.

  Jaxx waited, tucked under his Cloak. He tried to remember what he could about hydras – he remembered that Hercules had killed one as part of his Tasks, and that if you cut off one of the heads, it supposedly grew back 2 in its place. That probably meant that you had to get to its heart or somewhere vital – a fun task when you have scaly, fire-breathing heads trying to get to you while you did it.

  After a few minutes, Toxotis came back through the trees, moving quietly. “I found it,” he whispered to Jaxx. “It is lounging in a pond up ahead. It has just killed some sort of water creature and seems like it is sleeping off its meal.”

  “How large is it?” Jaxx asked. “It looks like it has 2 heads, and is about the size of a large horse in its body. I can’t tell how long the tail is: it is curled up around its body.”

  “Level?”

  “12.” Toxotis looked grim. The creature was 3 levels above Jaxx currently, and 5 above Toxotis. Both had leveled the day before and were making progress today, but they were still outgunned.

  “Toxotis.” The man looked at Jaxx. “If we do this, and it looks like we’re losing, I want you to leave me behind and get away. I’ll make sure it focuses on me if it comes to that.” Toxotis started to protest and Jaxx cut him off. “No, if you won’t agree to leave me behind then we won’t even try. Remember, I can come back from death – you can’t. I won’t risk your life.”

  Toxotis studied him, and nodded. “Thank you for your concern for my life, my friend. I know that to you; you could easily treat me as disposable. The fact that you don’t speaks greatly to your character.”

  Jaxx flashed a grin. “I keep telling you that I’m a Hero, you just keep forgetting.”

  Toxotis snorted. “All right, Herakles, what’s the plan?”

  “Well, I say the way we have been rolling has worked so far, why not keep it up?” Jaxx asked.

  “So, you want to, what did you call it, tank him? While I damage from afar?” Toxotis asked. “Do you think you can handle that much damage? Because I’m not sure that I can kill it that quickly before it takes you down.”

  “All we can do it try,” Jaxx said. He fixed Toxotis with a look. “And remember- “

  “I know, I know, if it goes badly, I leave you and run away, and meet you back in the village.” Toxotis still looked unhappy about it, but he had accepted the conditions that Jaxx had demanded.

  “Alright, lets go.” Toxotis nodded, then moved out, stringing his bow as he went. He circled around to the right around the edge of the trees next to the pond. He was hoping to find a spot where he could fire from but had enough cover that he wouldn’t be fried by the hydra’s breath attack.

  Jaxx entered Stealth and crept up to the edge of the tree line. He settled down and looked at the hydra for himself.

  The beast was lying on the edge of the pond. As Toxotis had said, its body was about the size of a large horse. The dual heads had necks that were about 10 ft long, from chest to nose. It had blueish-green scales on the top half of its body, with whiter colors starting about midway up its sides and chest and extending down its belly. The heads were about 3 feet long, with sleekly raked spikes and small, narrow eye sockets containing green eyes the color of moss. The heads were lying, eyes half open, one on top of another. The top head had its mouth half open, tongue hanging out. It seemed lethargic, enjoying the sun’s rays. Jaxx couldn’t see its entire body, only its front half, but the front legs were muscled, with small, dense scales flashing pale in the sun. Long, dark claws kneaded the sand in a rhythmic pattern, almost like a cat kneading a knit blanket. Jaxx squinted, trying to analyze it. “Level 12 – Juvenile Hydra” was over its head.

  Jaxx shook his head. If that was a juvenile, he didn’t want to meet an adult until he was a lot stronger.

  Jaxx waited until he saw Toxotis settle into place about ¼ of the way around the pond’s edge. Toxotis strung an arrow, then gave Jaxx a nod.

  Deep breath. In, out. “Okay,” Jaxx thought, “Let’s do this.”

  Jaxx exited the edge of the wood-line at a run, holding his spear in both hands above his head. His strong legs pushed him across the sand quickly and quietly. The hydra, hearing him, raised one head and looked his way quizzingly, wondering what the sound was. Jaxx saw its eyes widen right before he plunged his spear into the neck of the hydra. His momentum and strength were enough to push the spear all the way through the neck of the hydra and into its body, pinning the head to its own trunk. The pinned head let out a roar of pain and surprise, causing Jaxx’s head to ring with the noise. His momentum, transferred perfectly to the strike, had stopped him on the left side of the hydra, pinnin
g the left head in place. The right head, woken by the jostling, whipped around towards Jaxx, squeezing itself between the ground and the bowed neck of the right head.

  Jaxx whipped himself backwards, falling on his ass, with the right head’s teeth barely missing him. Jaxx couldn’t believe how fast the beast had reacted. The right head, glaring at him, opened its mouth to hiss as the hydra got up to stand on all four legs. Jaxx watched the head move back and forth, and he nearly missed the danger. “Jaxx, duck!” yelled Toxotis as the hydra’s barbed tail came whistling around at head height. Jaxx laid back flat as the tail whipped through the space where his body had been, then pushed himself up with his arms and shoulders to flip himself upright. He saw the right head opening its jaws, about to breathe fire or lightning on him, and in desperation he dodged right and ran a few steps out of the line of fire.

  A blast of lightning hit the earth where he had been standing, blowing a crater 2 feet in diameter and causing the sand in the middle to melt, glowing. The sound of the blast dwarfed the hydras earlier roar.

  Glancing at the beast, Jaxx saw some arrows jutting from its torso and the head that was still pinned by Jaxx’s spear. They didn’t seem to be slowing it down much, but every little bit helped, Jaxx figured. He pulled his sword from its scabbard and rushed towards the left side, which Jaxx figured was the best way to go since the left side head was still pinned.

  WHAP. Jaxx cursed to himself. The damn tail! It had come back around and caught him in the back, slamming him forward. He dropped his sword and hit up against the body of the hydra, which had just stood up to its full height.

  He lay there a second, against the beast, staring into the eye of the pinned head. It was enraged, glowing moss-green, and slavering from its jaws as it bit at the air, straining to get to him. This close, it reminded him of an old move with dinosaurs who had been cloned and predictably let loose to attack the humans who had cloned them. Just now, the image of a terrifying head full of sharp teeth and hatred made it all too real.