Fortunately, the news of clearing out the zombies was well received by Astral’s villagers and Eric received a boost in reputation with them as soon as Wellman spread the news of his success. It didn’t take long for Eric to locate a villager planning a trip to city the next morning and graciously offering transport. Eric was treated to a warm meal and taken to a well-earned bed to recover from his injuries until morning.

Eric sleep restlessly due to the pain caused by the ogre, making him question his initial resolve to use the fifty percent pain threshold, but he reassured himself with the old saying, ‘what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’. How relevant that would be in Teurilia when dying was commonplace to many players would yet to be seen. The morning eventually came. Fortunately, the wounds to Eric’s ribs had healed overnight making his breathing much easier. His leg was a different story and Eric had to be helped onto the small cart used by the villager heading to the city.

The cart was filled with meager supplies for trade and sale and pulled by a strange looking creature that reminded Eric of a horse mixed with a sheep. The villager who offered Eric a ride was a middle-aged man with graying hair and a rough beard. He proved to be extremely knowledge about the continent politics and Eric spent the journey discussing the villager’s most recent news and the rumors swirling across the kingdom since the recent monster uprisings had begun escalating.

The villager conveyed some interesting information about the state of affairs within the continent. It seemed the unusual speed and spread of the monsters witnessed in Astral was quickly becoming common across the kingdom and uprisings were starting to take place due to the lack of response by the local powers. The once safe lands surrounding the major cities had become dangerous to commoners, and many were fleeing into cities seeking shelter which was adding to the overpopulation concerns.

The kingdoms were being forced to seek the help of the nobles who kept armed forces mobilized. They had been hired to respond to the more vicious creatures identified. This led to a strain on treasuries, and according to the villager, some kingdoms were starting to offer unsettled territories to the highest bidder as a means to raise funds. The strategy was to sell the land near the dungeons and areas that were causing the most problems and let the new adventurers that purchased the land deal with the infestations and any future spawns.

Eric tucked away this nugget of information for later. He knew players could gain land rights, but didn’t realize the rights could be bought by individuals and was surprised to find out quickly the admins were opening up the sale of territory. Although the land rights were likely already being sold for absurd amounts of gold to the rich guilds, it might be possible to find a cheap cut of land in an undesired location. Eric figured the prime land would inflate to incredible prices in the future and bring speculators galore, but some of the less desirable locations might not be hit with as heavy speculation. Eric never dreamed of being a land owner in his old life so the possibility of even owning a small lot for a home was exhilarating.

The two travelers made it to the outskirts of the city by mid-day, and Eric had the villager drop him off near the cathedral after a friendly goodbye. His first priority was to get his wounds addressed before finding Flynn and reporting his successful completion of the quest. Eric stumbled into the massive stone cathedral that was in stark contrast to the more simply crafted buildings around it. The cathedral was bustling with activity as expected, and Eric made his way through the crowd to the healers set up on one side of the hall.

He stepped up to a man wearing a thick white robe that had just raised his glowing hands from a wiry man’s arm. The man lifted his arm and rubbed along where the previous injury must have been. He said. “Wow, it feels like the bone had never been smashed by that mace! Thank you.”

The recovered man pulled a silver coin from his pocket and handed it over before making his leave. The robed man pocketed it quickly and ushered Eric over after seeing his splinted leg. Eric made his way over, grimacing a little from the pain in his leg when he had to apply weight.

“I am in need of some healing,” Eric said nodding toward his leg.

“So it seems, it will cost you two silvers to fix that kind of injury. If it was just broken it would be less, but shattered bones take more mana to repair,” the healer replied as he guided Eric into a wooden chair.

Eric nodded as he settled into the chair and untied the cloth holding the splint in place. The healer stepped forward and placed both of his hands over the damaged leg. Eric felt the magic pouring into it from the healer’s hands. A bright light emerged from and lit up the man’s face as the magic began weaving through the mangled leg and repaired the bone and tissue.

Eric felt the bones shifting and was thankful the magic numbed the nerves while it was repairing the damage. It took only a few moments before the priest lifted his hands and nodded at his completed work.

“That should do the trick. If you don’t have a healer in your party you should purchase some healing potions, there are concoctions that can heal just about anything but missing limbs. Although more expensive than my services it will keep you from walking on a crippled limb for an extended amount of time,” the healer said while helping Eric to his feet.

“Thanks, I’ll stop by the Alchemy shop before my next quest now that I have some extra coin,” Eric replied as he passed the healer two silver coins for his services.

“You might want to keep that undead bone you used as a splint as well. I’ve dabbled in Alchemy, and that’s the highest quality one I have seen. Undead bones are used as ingredients in some advanced potions and you should be able to get a few dozen silvers for it from an alchemist,” he said while signaling toward the next patient clearly in pain, he was missing an entire arm from the elbow down.

“Excellent, thanks for the tip,” Eric said in farewell. He grabbed the bone from the floor and added it to his inventory bag for safe keeping.

Eric’s leg felt back to normal after the healer applied his magic and he was able to walk out of the cathedral without the assistance of Shadowspark as a crutch. He headed directly for the training grounds to find Flynn and find out what was next for him.

The training grounds were in their normal state of affairs and Eric wandered around searching for Flynn for several minutes before finding him chatting with one of the local guards near the entrance to the barracks. He made his approach as the guard bowed slightly and made his leave at a quick pace with a worried-looking expression.

Flynn’s face had a blank expression as if in deep thought. Eric greeted him with a smile looking forward to delivering the news of his successful quest.

“I’ve returned victorious. The zombies won’t be causing any more trouble for the villagers,” Eric said positively.

Flynn nodded unimpressively before responding, “I expected nothing less. I am glad you made it back quickly. I have just received urgent news from the royal court that has presented an opportunity to accelerate your training.”

Flynn’s expression turned more serious as he continued, “The kingdom’s scouts have reported the movement of a mass of troops gathering strength near the frontier. They expect the monster force to near the kingdom’s borders within the week at their current pace.”

“That is grim news, with the rumors I’ve heard the military is already engaged on multiple fronts across the kingdom. How does the king hope to confront the army knocking on his borders?” Eric replied. He felt concerned for the state of the kingdom. If the monsters started impacting the economy and welfare of Dorenth, it could have grave consequences on his ability to establish a home for himself.

“Unfortunately, the king has waning options. He has sent emissaries to the neighboring kingdoms to negotiate military support, but by the time the support arrives, it may be too late. I’ve just received word that the king is going to issue a call to arms to the travelers and recruits. He plans to establish a Legion of troops to meet the enemy as they cross into Dorenth territory,” Flynn stated.

Eric perked up hearing the news of a legion getting established. He knew it would likely be an incredible opportunity to gain contribution to the kingdom and receive rare rewards or favors from the king, he thought carefully before speaking, “I would be honored to participate in defending the kingdom. I know I am still inexperienced, but I believe I can provide some support if called upon.”

“You underestimate yourself. I’ve been asked to help establish the Legion with the help of the local militia. I’m appointing you as a captain of one of the ranged divisions, although you don’t have as much experience as others you are in a unique position of being my apprentice and I trust you to handle this appointment,” he responded swiftly.

Ting!

You have been granted the title of Captain in the upcoming Call to Arms Legion to engage the monsters approaching the Dorenth western border.

+10 to Leadership

Eric suddenly felt a wave of nervousness sweep over him for a moment thinking about having to lead others into battle, but quickly strengthened his resolve and considered the implications of having this position forced upon him. He would be able to have a real impact on the battlefield and leading troops increased the potential experience gain, and his contribution would be that much higher.

Eric steadied his voice and said, “I will not let you down. How soon will we mobilize?”

“It will take a day or two to organize the rest of the troops, but we will have to move hastily to meet the opposing force before they reach the border once the troop assignments are complete. Take the day to gather supplies and rest. The announcement will be released soon for the call to arms, and I expect things to get hectic until it gets sorted out,” Flynn replied calmly.

Eric left Flynn to attend to the rest of his preparations and decided to head to the shopping district to find appropriate equipment for the coming battle. He also wanted to look into selling the ogre zombie bone that the healer mentioned would fetch a high price. Based on his previous exploration of several markets around the city he already knew a nearby Alchemy shop and decided to head there first.

Eric stepped into the gloomy shop and looked up at a small bell hanging above the door letting out a light ringing noise. The shop wasn’t very crowded, and only a few other shoppers were present. They were all casually browsing the shelves of ingredients and potions. Eric noticed the prices listed on many of the items were several gold pieces indicating their rarity. The potions that lined the wall running along the left side of the shop were more than any beginner could afford with most being five or more silver. Eric spent some time exploring the shop and examined the various goods before he made his way over to shopkeeper.

He strolled up to the shabby wooden counter and pulled out the bone from his inventory. The shopkeeper noticed the item in his hand as he approached and Eric caught his golden colored eyes widen slightly before quickly going back to an uninterested gaze. The shop keeper was a dark-skinned man wearing a dull blue cloak that had faded around the cuffs. Eric noticed his facial features were unusually pointed and after seeing the curved tips of his ears determined he must be some type of dark elf.

Eric slowly held up the bone and said, “Good afternoon, I am looking to barter or sell this rare ingredient for a fair price.”

The man eyed Eric wearily before speaking, “I see. What makes you think a simple bone is so rare?”

Eric immediately caught onto the shopkeeper’s game having experienced it numerous times in his own past. Eric faked his ignorance and retorted evenly, “I retrieved it from a rare monster and assumed it would be a powerful ingredient in the right hands.”

“You assumed wrong,” the shopkeeper said smugly. “I’ll do you a favor and take it off your hands for a couple silvers, I might be able to find a use for it in a novice spell enchantment potion.”

“Well, that is unfortunate. I suppose it would be best to get at least something for it,” Eric replied coyly. he placed it on the counter but didn’t remove his grasp. As the shopkeeper reached for the bone with greedy eyes, Eric swiped it off the counter.

“On second thought… I think it might be worth checking with a few other shops, maybe I can get at least a few more coppers for it,” Eric said pulling the bone closer to his chest protectively.

“Wait…wait. I…. uh. How about five silvers and I’ll let you choose a potion off the bottom shelf over there,” the shopkeeper mumbled pointing toward the wall lined with shelves of potions.

‘Now we are getting somewhere’, Eric thought. Eric learned early on in life how to read greedy people that tried to scam anyone who would listen. When you were only given the minimal amount to survive you had to learn how to get the most out of it.

“Hmm… that is an interesting offer it seems the bone is more valuable than you led me to believe. How about you give me two middle shelf potions over there and twenty silvers, and we will have a deal?” Eric said knowing the middle shelf potions all started at least ten silver a piece.

“Hah…you must take me for a fool. You won’t get more than five silver for that bone from anyone else,” the dark elf said and slightly narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not trying to get it from anyone else; I’m trying to get it from you. I’ll tell you what; because I’m feeling generous, I’ll trade it to you for two of the middle shelf potions and one from the top shelf. I know the potions are marked up far more than they are worth,” Eric said knowing he would need to spend the silver on potions anyways.

“You are lucky I have been looking for that ingredient for a long time. I’ll take your deal, but don’t expect a favor from me in the future,” the shopkeeper stated clearly trying to look unhappy with the deal.

Eric passed the bone over to the greedy elf and quickly pocketed the three potions from the shelves that he had already decided would benefit him the most from his earlier investigation. Eric gave the shopkeeper a quick nod and said, “Thanks, nice doing business with you.”

Eric stepped out of the shop feeling accomplished. He only took the bone from the cave because he needed a suitable splint for his leg. It was a good reminder he would need to remember to search for potentially rare ingredients in the future that may seem worthless at first glance.

The potions he procured from the Alchemy shop would certainly come in handy during the upcoming battle. The two middle shelf potions were both Advanced Health Recovery potions which healed crippling wounds and recovered up to two hundred health points. The last potion that Eric picked from the top shelf was a Greater Stamina Reduction Potion that could be used before combat to drastically reduce the amount of stamina used during physical exertion. He knew it was likely to be an extended conflict against the monster forces, and he wanted to be better prepared.

As Eric stepped out of the shop, he was startled by the noise of a loud trumpet hitting him, and he found a new message appear in front of his vision.

Call to Arms!

The king of Dorenth has issued a call to arms to all players in the city.

A Legion is being assembled to engage a hostile monster force marching toward Dorenth’s western border. If you choose to accept the call, you will be given an assignment in the Legion based on level, proficiency, and fame. Rewards will be granted based on your contribution to the campaign.

Eric noticed many of the players around him froze as they read over the same message and then he immediately started to see faces and names popping up in the edge of his vision under the title: 5th Ranged Division. It seemed that each division was similar to a raid party and was linked through the party system. There was also a countdown timer and location listed when he pulled up the division information. Eric carefully read through the information summarizing what Flynn told him earlier and saw the mobilization was to take place the next day around noon outside the west city gates in the assembly ground.

Eric spent the rest of the day exploring the shops in detail and spent 54 silvers to purchase some much-needed items and equipment upgrades. He splurged on some thick leather arm guards interlaced with iron chainmail. Based on his fighting style, Eric wanted to ensure he had some protection for his arms since he would be almost defenseless if he lost the ability to use even one of his arms.

Leather Armguards (Iron Chainmail Inset)- Defense: 14; Durability: 55/55; Grade: Common; Requirements: Strength:12, Vitality:10; Effects: None

He also purchased some leather boots with a minor enchantment that reduced Stamina reduction for sprinting to help with his lack of Dexterity. The battle with the cave zombies taught him having to skirmish with enemies resulted in substantial Stamina loss and anything to save Stamina for actual combat would prove essential.

Leather Boots of Minor Sprinting - Defense: 5; Durability: 30/30; Grade: Uncommon; Requirements: Strength:10, Agility:10; Effect: -10% Reduction in Stamina Usage while Sprinting

In addition to the arm guards and boots, Eric discovered an armorer capable of identifying the helm he acquired from the ogre for a handful of silvers, and he was pleasantly surprised with the results. The additional durability and capacity were small enchantments but could prove very valuable.

Durable Steel Helm of Capacity - Defense: 11; Durability: 87/95; Grade: Unique; Requirements: Strength:24, Effect: +10% Increase in Durability, +25 Ibs. Carrying Capacity

Eric ended his shopping trip by purchasing of a handful of first aid items including cloth wrappings, herbs, and simple bandages which all improved health regeneration speeds on application. Without healing magic and the expense of potions, he figuredthese items could be extremely useful to help mend his wounds between battles.

Minor Bandage of Healing (10) - Grade: Uncommon; Requirements: None; Effect: +10% Increased Health Regeneration for 1 hour while out of combat

Minor Herbs of Healing (10) - Grade: Uncommon; Requirements: None; Effect: +10% Increased Health Regeneration for 1 hour while out of combat

Minor Cloth Wrap of Healing (10) - Grade: Uncommon; Requirements: None; Effect: +10% Increased Health Regeneration for 1 hour while out of combat

Eric finished the day back at the Relic Inn and settled in for the night early knowing that the coming days would likely be long and strenuous.