An Old Enemy

Baal listened to Bunny’s story with growing frustration and anger. Suo had gone down while covering the retreat. The price for his first and most loyal minion had been a wizened old goblin and two more who had been lucky enough to follow along. Not just the slime, but the rest of that tribe had likely perished as well.

Would the slime respawn? And would it still be Suo if it did? So far none of the dead goblins who followed him had respawned in his dungeon. Nor had they been found in the forest as of yet. And despite what the fame interface stated, no new goblins had been born inside the dungeon.

It seemed increasingly likely that whatever grace had gifted him the opportunity of the dungeon was fleeting. When his minions died, they stayed dead. If he died...

Baal punched the stone wall. The hp loss was minimal. The pain was welcome. It was something he could target, unlike the pain in his chest. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel real. Something deep inside him refused to accept the story he had just heard.

Baal still faced the wall as he absentmindedly flicked through his interface. With his good hand he opened the fame menu. There was something buried there. Something he had seen and forgotten, dismissed as too expensive and un-useful.

Minion Link - level 1
Requirements: Leigelord - level 1
Creates a passive link between liegelord and their minion(s). At level 1 the liegelord will always know minion’s location.
100 Fame Accept/Decline

Baal’s hand hovered for just a moment then pressed accept. The exorbitant price dropped his pool of fame points, but added a new tab to his growing menus.

Map

The orc selected the new option and was greeted by... nothing. An empty black screen. A roar of rage began deep in his throat but was cut off by a sudden light in the dark screen. A lone flashing light, then another, and another, until a dozen lights scattered seemingly at random around the screen. Scanning with his hand, Baal quickly realized he could spin and change the viewpoint, even pinch or expand his fingers to make the dots larger or smaller. Gaining his bearings was difficult, but since the center remained fixed it was reasonable to assume that was him. The first blinking dot next to the center was therefore likely Bunny. Spinning the map he found two more dots above where the guard room would be. Many more dots littered the level below, in the workshops, barracks hallway and arena. Bringing the image out further he saw two dots spaced out far below. The two dust golems, he realized, deep down in the caves they were still busy carving.

He pulled out further and watched the dots shrink. Further. Further. The dots in his dungeon clustered together tightly in a single point. Further. Further. A solitary dot appeared on the far edge of the map, far away from the other minions, deep in the forest.

Baal let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. The solitary light blinked weakly in his face.

“Suo,” he whispered.

The next hour was a flurry of activity. Baal used the newly acquired resources and water to start a batch of healing potions which he had Bunny continue. The goblin smith was ordered off of tool making and started making spears with the limited amount of the better walnut wood they had gathered as well as the scrap ore. Baal also ordered the crafting of a new item he had so far carefully avoided, torches. He was close to leveling up but rather than using the skeleton to farm more experience in the arena, he gathered more water from the manna spring in empty bottles. He also confirmed the gist of the story with the trickster goblin who had scouted for the group and gained a better understanding of the lay of the land.

Once it was clear what their lord was planning the goblins tried to talk him out of it. It was already nighttime. The mountain and forest was too dangerous. Feathers didn’t try to stop him but she did prepare herself to leave as well. If this beautiful, terrible, crazy orc wanted to die, she would give her life to buy him another second. Bunny as well readied herself to return to the forest.

Baal ordered them all to stay behind. He didn’t need their tracking and they were too weak to be of much help. In truth he knew he wasn’t much better. But at least alone he was a smaller target. Besides he didn’t know what he was walking into. The wolves could still be lurking. The slime might have respawned with its own kind. Not to mention all the other dangers of the forest. No, if he was intent on this foolishness, he would only risk himself. His tone made it clear there would be no arguments. The lord of the dungeon gave his commands, collected the tools he could, and slipped into the night.

Every shadow on the mountain was a threat, but at least tonight the moon was mostly hidden. Quickly enough, his eyes adjusted , and he hurried down the mountain following the blinking dot. Navigating the forest was even worse. The pitch black under the trees obscured obstacles and foes alike. The orc was hardly the stealthiest as he groped blindly along his way, but at least with the dot on the map guiding him he never lost his way.

If other creatures were aware of him, they wisely avoiding the microboss. He was not afraid of the dark. Instead Baal was angry. Angry at his own foolishness for this errand. Angry at the slime for not returning. Angry at the goblins for leaving his minion behind. Angry at his own helplessness. He had thought himself more powerful, the gods laughed.

He avoided casting his flashy magic when he was **** to fight off the snaring plants and relied on a spear instead for its silent reach in the darkness. He wanted to tear them apart with his own hands, to feel them wriggle as they died, to drink their life fluids. He wanted to fight the world.

The night wore on as he moved through the thickly shadowed woods. His progress towards the light was agonizingly slow. He was walking along a shallow stream when a new pop up suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Warning you have entered the range of a target’s vendetta!
You have been detected!

Baal immediately stumbled backwards.

Fuck not tonight! Not ever, but certainly not tonight!

The warning disappeared as he retreated. Baal checked the map function again. He was close to the dot but not close enough. He moved away from the stream in a wide circle. Every time the alert would reappear, he’d back up and try again. The task was made easier when he found the camp in the clearing that seemed to be the alert’s epicenter.

“What’s so important?” The voice in the dark was husky but decidedly female.

“I told you I marked the son of a bitch!” A deeper masculine voice replied. “A named orc, wandering, microboss. The bastard was holding a piece of obsidian when I first found it. Practically flaunting it. Who knows what sort of rare drops it has!”

Flaunting?! More like running for his life. Though he almost had to chuckle at the absurdity of adventurers killing him in the hopes of gaining some rare gear. He hoped they choked on a thousand copies of his original useless staff.

“So what... you think it’s an orc variant of a treasure goblin? Seriously? You understand how dumb that sounds?” The female sounded half asleep and half amused.

For an adventurer, the female almost made sense.

“It’s better than picking over rocks finding jewels piecemeal like this, and then watching you waste weeks of work!” The male was not as amused. He had a temper.

“Look you’re the one who wanted an obsidian great sword. I warned you obsidian is so rare it’s practically special grade, and I warned you about the fail rate!”

“You didn’t warn me I’d be stuck babysitting for weeks! If you weren’t a useless blacksmith we could farm the raid boss for all the gems we’d ever need!”

“You agreed to power level me as payment! You knew it would take time! You’re more than welcome to find some other useless blacksmith who even has a chance at crafting that absurd sword! We had a deal!”

These two clearly had issues they needed to work out. Hopefully whatever they were would keep them too busy to bother the orc...

“We still have a deal, so keep it and help me find the fucker! It has to be close, it keeps setting off the proximity alert!”

Or not...

At least as the two adventurers split up they headed away from the still blinking dot in the map. Thankfully the female adventurer didn’t seem very keen on finding the orc, and while the male adventurer seemed to receive the same kind of alerts as Baal, he clearly didn’t know the orc’s exact location.

Baal moved as quietly as he could and stuck to the darkest shadows. No more alerts appeared as he moved further away from the adventurers and their camp. He hoped they’d wander blindly off a cliff in the dark, not that there’s was much chance in the relatively flat forest. But he could dream.

The dot grew larger as he approached, but the forest was quiet and still in the night. Finally he reached the point where he was right in top of the blinking dot and found... nothing. It was a nondescript spot, no different than the rest of the forest. There were trees, bushes, and rocks. There was no slime.

“Suo!” The orc whispered into the darkness with in a hiss.

He stood alone in the blackness and strained to listen for a response in the cold night air, but there was none. He opened the map again. The dot was right there in the middle. The slime has got to be right between his legs. It was always under foot... under... Baal spun the view of the map. On the blank screen it was difficult to tell what was left or right, or up and down. However, as the view shifted, the dot moved as well, now blinking several feet below him.

Baal dropped to the ground and felt around. He wasn’t standing on the soil of the forest floor but a rather flat pile of rocks. He felt around the edges. It was much too small for him or anything larger than a small rodent to fit between, but a slime...

“Suo!” He called again into the narrow void.

The forest was silent but his heart beat fast and heavy in his own ears.

“Suo answer me!” He commanded the darkness.

“....ssssu....” the black softly responded.

In the darkness no one could tell if the orc cried in relief, but it did take him several moment before he found his voice again and trusted it enough not to crack when he gave an order.

“Come out of there,” Baal called into the hole.

This time there was no answer. Baal checked the map. The dot didn’t budge. The slime either didn’t want to, or couldn’t, move. He had an item he had hoped he wouldn’t need, but now he had little choice. He took the torch out of his inventory. The stick lit itself when it touched the cool night air and finally revealed the terrain around him for about a three meter radius.

Light and shadow danced on the leaves and branches around him. The pile of rocks were covered in grass and moss and sloped slightly to reveal the hole he had felt. He still didn’t see the slime though.

He was a mage, he could blast apart the rock. Though the noise would likely alert the adventurers and there was a very high probability of collateral damage to the slime or even himself. But he was also an orc, a species known for their stubbornness and strength. Baal staked the torch into the ground then grabbed the raised lip of stone. He ground his teeth as he strained to move the not inconsiderable piece of rock. It stood on one end then fell in a heavy thud that shook the darkened forest. He scooped out more small rocks by the handful and revealed the small burrow underneath. The slime pooled at the bottom of the pit, unmoving and unresponsive to its master’s actions. Something was clearly wrong with the normally lively Suo.

“Suo!” Baal called as he reached out to the slime. “What’s the matter?”

The weak torchlight barely reached the bottom of the small hole. With nothing else to try, Baal withdrew one of the minor healing potions from his inventory and poured it over the slime.

“Ssssuo,” the slime called out weakly but still made no effort to move.

Baal splashed another potion on the slime, and another, but there was no further reaction. The slime remained limp and unresponsive. Carefully the orc shifted his hands under the slime and picked it up. It was like trying to carry an egg yolk, it held together, but only just. There was no way he could carry the slime all the way back to the dungeon like this.

Baal cradled the slime, kneeling over the vacant hole, highlighted only by the fading halo of the burning torch, and considered his options.

Grrrrr

The deep throaty growl came out of the forest in front of him. Step by step, a shadow emerged before the still kneeling orc. Four legs. Shaggy black fur. Bared fangs leaking drool. It’s good left eye stared into the orc’s soul with a burning hatred. The right side of its face was covered in an evil series of scars, its right eye was missing, and its ear was torn.

“Nice to _SEE _you again too,” Baal quipped to the face of the devil staring him down from the edge of the light.

The wolf hunched down, readying itself to leap.

_Fuck. _As fun as it was to taunt the wolf, it probably wasn't the smartest move he could have made.

Baal wrapped Suo in the flowing front of his purple and black tunic. He spun and grabbed the torch. The wolf leapt onto the orc’s back, biting and scratching. The wolf was nearly as big as the orc. It could do considerable damage with its natural weapons and the impact nearly took him off his feet. However, Baal was ready for it. As the teeth and claws dug in, his HP dropped, but not as badly as he expected. His stamina was even greater now, giving him ever more health, and his broad back was covered by the salt and pepper speckled Badger’s Protective Coat which gave him additional piercing resistance.

The wolf fell off as Baal stood. He could fight this animal! He had the weapons. He had the health. He had the manna. He could win! The wolf launched its head back and released a long howl. Within seconds it was joined by others nearby in the darkness.

Baal ran.

Thanks to the torch he at least did a better job of keeping his footing. There was just enough time to see the roots and rocks. Tripping now would probably mean **** for himself and the slime. There was more movement as dark shadows streamed through the brush all around him.

Fuck. Fuck. Fu-uck!

He may have had the endurance but he lacked the speed to outrun the wolf pack.

With the tunic and slime in one hand and the torch in the other, Baal also had no way of fighting back.

“Oh gods,” he chided himself as he adjusted his path. “This is a bad plan!”

With his new goal set, Baal pushed himself to run even faster. The wolves nipped at his feet, daring him to fall, waiting for their prey to exhaust itself and be too weak to fight back. Baal had other ideas.

Warning you have entered the range of a target’s vendetta!
You have been detected!

Fuck this was a bad plan!

The two adventurers sitting at the camp fire watched stunned as the hideously dressed orc burst into the clearing and sprinted towards them holding a torch and grabbing himself.

“What?” Asked the short chubby female wearing patchwork of leather and metal armor.

“The Fuck?!” Finished the male, his polished silver plate armor shinning in the fire light.

The orc recognized the man. The source of the vendetta against him. The adventurer who had haunted his nightmares.

SirWalterTheDread - ???

The name was still dark red. Baal ran towards the campfire and the warrior who was now hurriedly withdrawing a massive blade from behind him.

“Die!” The adventurer yelled as swung the mighty blade horizontally, trying to split the orc in half.

Baal slid under the blade as it sliced through the space he had just vacated. The orc never lost his momentum as he hopped out of the slide and resumed his race.

“Get the fuck back here!” The adventurer screamed from behind him.

Black shadows swarmed the campsite and the two adventurers. Baal heard the surprised exclamations of the adventurers, the snarling and yelping of wolves, and the clash of weapons from behind him. He never turned to look, instead he ran for the tree line beyond the clearing.

“Kill these fuckers!” The male ordered.

“What?! I can’t kill this many black wolves!” The female protested.

“Fucking useless! At least stop the orc!”

Baal didn’t hear anything more as he re-entered the forest. Thankfully the wolves also faded into the distance behind him as he ran along the stream. Whatever was wrong with the little slime, all this activity couldn’t be good for it, but it had to be better than doing nothing, certainly better than dying.

Baal splashed forward when a solid wall of rock suddenly erupted in front of him blocking the way. No time to stop, he at least turned so he wouldn’t squish Suo as he collided with the sudden obstacle. His health took another dive and he reeled backwards. Before he could collect himself, more walls sprang up to his left and right, boxing him in.

Only one path remained as Ball turned and faced the panting female adventurer blocking his exit.

She was short and stocky, a dwarf. Medium length dirty red brown hair ringed her squat face. Her same colored eyebrows were thick and her nose a bit wide and puggy. Her lips however were luscious and full as she panted from the exertion of catching the orc. And her breasts. Dear gods there was nothing like the breasts of an adventurer. The oversized endowments were straining to break free of the leather bodice constraining them. If not for the metal reinforcements riveted into the leather they just might have burst free. Leather breeches and boots were likewise plated, outlining a body that wasn’t quite fat but was certainly pleasantly soft and plump. A heavy war hammer dropped at her side as she held her hands on her knees and eyed the orc.

Isabella Thundercunt - ???

The strange name was pink. Stronger than him but not overwhelmingly so.

The exertion of running and casting the earth magic had drained the dwarf smith. In the first place she was a craftsman not a fighter, and a damn good one in her not so humble opinion, and backed up by the rankings. Yet now here she was facing off against some random boss on her own. Even worse, according to Walter this bastard was supposed to be a weak level four, but it’s status clearly displayed level eight. That was nearly her own level! She really didn’t want to fight on her own. Though in fairness he had only told her to catch the orc, not to kill it. Maybe she could delay it long enough for Walter to deal with the monster parade.

Isabella inspected the strange boss with a craftsman’s eye. Who had designed this monstrosity? It was dressed like a circus performer. A black and white speckled Badger’s Coat. A purple fringed mage’s tunic. A beggers’s tattered pants, but the shiny metal threads reflecting in the light betrayed that someone had actually taken the time to reinforce the useless item. And to top off the ensemble it was actually wearing snakeskin cowboy boots!

She snorted with laughter.

This had to be some sort of joke easter egg hidden by a disgruntled programmer.

Then she caught the flash of blue on the hand cradling its tunic to its stomach. A sapphire? She looked closer though it was hard to make out the details in the faint torchlight. The band was rusted and spotted, jagged and roughly crafted. Then she saw another dull multicolored stone on the hand holding the torch, and another in a roughly fashioned necklace revealed by the tunic’s low neckline. Opals?! And someone had had actually used crap scrap ore for the settings?! Why?! The fail rate alone for trying to place a rare gemstone would skyrocket in that terrible material. And even if it succeeded the end product would suffer incredible penalties! Why had someone done this? How had they managed to do this?! The smith had to know.

“What.... what are you?!” Isabella asked in awe.

The light of the torch revealed a sly smile as the orc dropped the torch into the shallow stream, plunging his three walled cage into darkness.

Ting

Ting

Ting

The sharp, clear sounds rang out of the darkness. On the fourth hit, the stone wall behind the orc crumbled, revealing the orc’s silhouette against the night sky. The hand that had dropped the torch now held up a crafting hammer.

“I am Baal,” the orc rumbled in a menacingly low but undeniably intelligent voice, then disappeared into the night.