MH2 - Chapter 7: All Hands on Deck

Dolli was thankful for all the combat training they’d done the weeks prior. She was especially thankful she’d made it mandatory for all dungeonfolk, no matter their rank, level, or excuses.

“Heroes incoming!” Dolli shouted as she hit the “Mass Summon” button on the recently created quest. They were starting to get heroes quickly now, as word seemed to be spreading that something was afoot with Monster Haven.

The first hero she’d summoned for a real quest had instantly jumped into combat, but with the use of a new trap device Greg made especially for that, she was able to calm him down enough to explain the need. She’d showed him the gold, and even gave him half up-front to do the quest. Low and behold, two hours later the hero had returned with the specified ingredient.

It wasn’t what Dolli had needed to get the ultimate winning potion together, but it would allow her to start analyzing Kelzoul’s essence. She could discover a lot about him with that lock of hair, and hopefully save her home.

Blinding white light filled the catacombs of the dungeon and twenty heroes materialized.

“It’s a battle!” One hero yelled.

“Aw, I wanted an alchemy quest!” Another whined.

The Belgrus charged in, rending armor loose and destroying the heroes’ stamina. Then the Bronzite stepped up, blocking the Wispelle, Wendigos, and Oakenheart while they laid down various spells.

“Come on! We can do this!” A tall horned hero in the middle of her pack yelled.

These hero fights weren’t like the attack made by Keegan’s guild. Sure, some of the heroes who accepted Dolli’s quests told their friends, and some of the summoned fodder knew one another. But for the most part, these heroes had never fought a single day together. Dolli’s troops dominated them in mere minutes, the longest bout lasting only twelve.

Dolli moved onto the field, casting Gravity Sink on the frontline fighters, then pummeling the crowded group with Solstorm. The bright yellow spell zapped, jumped, and arced its way across the battlefield, healing friends and damaging foe.

The caster heroes cried in pain as the storm zigged and zagged its way into their ranks, doing less and less damage with every jump. Eventually, the spell faded, but Dolli’s Spark was already on the rise.

At the front, one of her Belgrus had to take over tanking for a critically low Bronzite. Dolli cast Zeal on the quick-thinking dungeonfolk who filled the gap to protect the casters. The bear-like monster grew in size by three feet and flared bright red. That wasn’t anything Dolli had done… must’ve been his own spell.

Dolli smiled to herself as the heroes screamed and battled with all their hearts to the end. When the fighting was done, Dolli took stock of who remained. She’d lost one Wendigo, but nothing to stop the party from going on. They still had two more hours in their shift, and Dolli was on the brink of leveling up to fifteen. The Dungeon however had leveled up.

“Take ten. Replenish your Spark and Health,” Dolli said, pointing to the kegs mounted on the wall behind her. “We’ll bring in ten this time so we can find our balance. We need to be quick and efficient, and we cannot afford to lose a single one of us.”

“For Haven!” Julie said with a victorious cry.

Dolli grinned and raised her misty little fist. “For Haven!”

“For Haven!” the crowd cheered together.

There was an energy in the room that Dolli had never felt before in Little Crossroad. It was as if they were truly connected, bound to one another by the singular goal, the one hope that they would live.

Dolli opened her menu and saw the Hero Quest tab blinking. That would have to wait, as she had Dungeon leveling to handle first. When she moved to the Overlord menu, a popup appeared.

[Congratulations – Your dungeon has reached Level 7]

Unused Monster Slots: [38/200]

Undistributed Roles: [0/6]

Open Lifestream Slots: [0/6]

Unclaimed Overlord Ability Points: [1]

[3] levels remain until next dungeon ability: Modulate; Resolve.

-----

Dolli saw there was a new ability in the Dungeon Abilities menu called [Auto-Complete] which would allow the Officers to use Lifestream energy to complete their creations faster, or level up their skills. While the Lifewell upgrade blinked at her annoyingly, Dolli felt certain that the new [Auto-Complete] ability would help prepare them for war much better than faster respawns by 5%.

[Auto-Complete] had its own Lifestream Reservoir that could be upgraded. It currently held [300] points of energy, which was good for about thirty “Auto-Completes.”

Dolli couldn’t wait to tell the others about the new ability, so she made up a quick chat message targeted at her officers to inform them. To her surprise, Greg replied back:

I’ll experiment with production upgrades now. This “chat” thing is cool!

Julie: Save some for me! I want to try the maze upgrades.

Dolli: We’ll have to work the points distribution into our daily meeting. If you have something that needs working on, bring it to the table. We’ll reserve a bit of points every day for emergencies, and we’ll make sure we use everything before the timer resets at midnight. This could be a great boon!

That last round leveled Dolli up to Fifteen as well. She wasn’t entirely miffed that the level up didn’t come with any new abilities, since there were several she already had that she wanted to upgrade, like Zeal. She’d used the ability many times but had never had the opportunity to prioritize upgrading it.

[Wispelle Ability: ZEAL]

Spell type: Active

Cost: 75 Spark

Cast time: Instant

Cooldown: 8 minutes

Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds

Range: 20 feet

Target: Self or Friendly / Single Target

Spark Alignment: Divine

Description: Empower your target with the essence of Spark to do great things.

Effects:

- Increase target’s Agility, Constitution, Stamina, and Strength by 75%.

- Increase target’s Mental Prowess and Magic Affinity by 225%.

- Increase target’s Armor Rating by 150%.

- Instantly heal the target by 35% of their total health.

Debuff Disclaimer: When Zeal’s duration ends, the target is debuffed with the inverse of all the beneficial stat improvement effects for 20 seconds.

-----

The upgrades going to level two were significant, but the increase in duration of the debuff was a bit of a downer. It was a greater reward, for greater risk. She would have to balance that accordingly.

Finally, Dolli panned over to the blinking Hero Quest menu. One of the fetch quests had been completed and the hero was awaiting turn-in. She selected the singular Summon button and the room glowed with white.

“Another one!” a dungeonfolk screamed and ran in to attack.

“Wait! This one is for a quest,” Dolli blocked the hero from the incoming horde of rabid dungeonfolk. They slowed to a stop, snarling and brandishing weapons.

Dolli turned with a business-like smile. “I assume you collected everything I asked for?”

“Uh huh,” the hero said, her knees trembling as she clutched her shabby brown robes and gnarled staff.

She was lower level, which was all the more reason why Dolli wanted to help instead of hurt her. Noobs—as the heroes called other lower level-heroes—sucked hard at “the game” and weren’t allowed to go on big raids. But, by letting this Noob participate in something fun and interesting, Dollie was generating camaraderie with the Hero community.

The young mage pulled a weathered, rolled-up parchment and a silken drawstring sack from her inventory then passed that over to Dolli. She inspected the items to confirm they were what she’d conscripted the mage to retrieve.

[Gathmendu’s Scroll of Arcane Alchemy]

This is a ripped page from Gathmendu’s Tome of Arcane Alchemy. Use to Bind into your own potion recipe book and unlock the recipes.

Those aren’t wine stains on the page…

-----

Dolli felt bad for Gathmendu that the hero had torn the page straight out of his book, but whether the Mage knew it or not, she’d made the right choice. Most potions had counter-potions inscribed with them, and Dolli most certainly didn’t want the antidote to her plan left for someone to find.

She moved on to the brown satchel and inspected the contents.

[Sack of Dolli’s Requested Ingredients]

- 1x vial Grepfel’s Gold [Excellent]

- 1x vial purified moon water from the Lake of Animas [Excellent]

- 1x Ambrosstone [Good]

- 5oz Oxine ore powder [Good]

- 2oz Hempsye leaves [Excellent]

Contents liable to explode. Handle with care. Do not ingest.

-----

Dolli beamed. “You’ve done well my dear. Let us go get the rest of your reward, as promised.” She turned to address the dungeonfolk. “Back in five.”

Julie looked worried, her green brow of smoky mist furrowed. She raised a hand to protest, Dolli assumed to say something to the effect of, “It’s dangerous to go alone,” but then she lowered her hand with a smile.

Everyone saw or had heard of Dolli’s face-off with Keegan, and Kelzoul. They all knew she was crazier than a bag of cats and as dangerous as one too when it came to combat. Not only that, but the Noob posed absolutely no threat to Dolli. The dungeonfolk nodded their heads and returned to slurping down Spark and Healing positions from beer steins provided by Rufus.

“My apologies dear, but may I blindfold you? Don’t want you memorizing our layout and telling anyone,” Dolli whipped a bit of cloth from her inventory and held it up to the girl.

“Oh, I would never tell.” She shook her head earnestly, but then nodded. “I suppose you can never be too careful. Please don’t murder me as soon as I put this on.”

“If I’d wanted you dead, I wouldn’t be wandering off alone with you toward the exit.” She passed the mage the blindfold and she tied it in place.

Dolli grabbed her hand and the girl flinched. “Sorry, just a little cold.”

They walked in silence for a little way, then the mage couldn’t contain herself. “So I hear you used to like, be an NPC town, is that right?”

“Yes, we were citizens of Hafheim and became monsters,” Dolli said.

“And now you like, still work with heroes sometimes? How? Is your code broken?” She asked.

“What’s your name, dear?”

“It’s right over my head,” the mage said, pointing to the floating text that read, “Tina-flamestorm.”

Dolli had noticed over the course of farming heroes that sometimes they called one another by different names, less strange things. Pwner420 was actually called Tom, and Lizlacks-Paddiwhacks was called Lizbeth. Dolli assumed knowing her enemy’s true name gave her some power over them, just as it did when she was a Witch of the Wild. It wouldn’t allow her to hex her enemy, or mind-control them—though it was almost just as good: Influence.

“No, dear, your other name,” Dolli emphasized the word with an audible wink, hoping she’d understand.

“Oh like, my IRL name? I mean, we’re not supposed to tell people online our real names. But I guess since you’re just an Overlord and not really a person, it’s okay. I’m Katrina.”

Dolli didn’t particularly like being called “not a person,” but supposed this poor Noob didn’t know any better. “What a lovely name. Mine is actually Dollitrice Grandmeir, but you can call me Dolli.”

“Dolli, I like that a lot. Sounds cute, just like you,” Katrina said with a grin.

Dolli chuckled. “I assure you I only look cute. I’m fierce on the battlefield and with a beaker.”

“I’m sure you are… you’re trying to save your people, right? I mean I’ve heard rumors, that’s why I gambled and accepted the quest.”

Fear tickled Dolli’s neck. Had she gotten sloppy?

She tried to sound amused instead of worried as she asked, “What gave you enough evidence to gamble with painful, gruesome death?”

“Weeeell. Okay so I’ve been reading the forums a bit because this thing is really starting to take off on Rebit, and some people are self-reporting by taking a screencap of their quest, then results: battle or quest. I started putting it together and…”

Dolli stopped. “And what?”

“I know what you’re trying to get to.”

“Oh, you do?” Dolli asked, amused.

“You want to destroy an essence. A powerful essence. And I have to warn you, it’s not really what you think it is!” Katrina said in a hush.

Dolli nodded, then remembered the mage was blindfolded. “Yes, that is my aim, but I assure you, it is safe in my skilled hands.”

“Then you know the risk, and why heroes take a chance on it? It can have some unpredictable effects based on character alignments and races, even just minor differences cause huge discrepancies!”

Dolli nodded. “Yes dear, I know I look youthful but I’ve had a long life, and have encountered this brew before. I’m confident we have this under control.”

They continued on in silence for another fraction of a moment before the talkative energy burst from Katrina again.

“Who are you trying to kill, Keegan?” She asked with a thrill of excitement.

Dolli laughed out loud. “Why would I want to forever kill a hero?”

“Because he stole your wyvern’s eggs and hiding them up in his Guild Tower.”

“In his Guild Tower?” Dolli stopped abruptly, squeezing the girl’s hand.

Katrina turned to Dolli and lifted her blindfold. “Yeah, and he shows screencaps off to everyone on his VR-Tube saying how he’ll be the first player to have dual wyvern guardians for his guild. I mean Kaxlorick had three DRAGONS guarding his guild tower, but I suppose two wyverns is cool.”

Dolli’s throat was like ash, but her heart felt a glimmer of hope. The children weren’t lost to the auction like Keegan had said. She could still get them back.

“You are a fount of wonderful information,” Dolli said, returning a smile to her features.

Katrina dropped down to one knee so she was slightly below Dolli’s line of sight. “I know as a Witch of the Wilds that must be really painful for you. I’m sorry.”

Dolli tried not to let her eyes narrow, or the smile fade from her lips. “How did you know that?”

Katrina shrugged. “Well, I kinda know a lot about The Realm of Hafheim. I know, I’m low level. This is just an alt.”

Dolli frowned at the word, but urged her to continue with a knowing, “Uh huh.”

“I’ve been playing since release, ten years, so I’m pretty knowledgeable. Most of the players have moved to other servers for the Land Beyond the Seas expansion, I dunno if you noticed, not a lotta players around here recently.”

“We had indeed taken notice. Part of the reason we’re now a dungeon,” Dolli said with a nod.

“Wow, that’s so cool. We’ve been coming up with theories of how this happened. I heard the devs are just kinda letting it ride, being coy about who’s really responsible for this because it wasn’t announced or anything! Villages converting into higher difficulty dungeons, it’s like new game plus!”

Dolli was putting together the pieces of the Hero Magic event over the past few weeks since they’d transformed. The different names they called one another, calling themselves “players” and Hafheim “the game.” Dolli had known Shamans that talked of other realms, places one could see between the air and the sky, connect to different worlds…

Could the Heroes have discovered a way to tap into that magic and open the portals at will?

Katrina took a deep breath, no longer able to contain her rambling spew of knowledge in the silence created by Dolli’s thinking. “Aaaanyway, most of us think it’s some broken code, a bug in the system, and what you just told me gives me a good lead to follow. Polar Games is sort of playing it off like it might be an expansion, or new content, since it’s really improving the numbers. Honestly, I’m happy to see the spike in players. The Kingdom of Goreck was getting to be a ghost town but now my auctions are flying.”

Dolli turned back toward the exit, urging Katrina on, despite her blindfold being up. There was a deadline on Kelzoul’s arrival, and as much as she wanted to uncover more about the Heroes’ Magic, she needed to get back to work toward the immediate threat.

Katrina followed clumsily as she pulled her blindfold back up. “So… what is it? Are you bugged out?”

Dolli shrugged. “I don’t know.”

They reached the trap door exit and Dolli went up first. They made their way toward the treasury, and once inside, Dolli let the mage see the wonders they’d collected: a healthy hoard of weapons, armor, enchanted jewelry, and a small mountain of gold and gems.

“Whoa, this is a pretty decent dungeon stash for level six. It must be true about your increased difficulty level.” Katrina said with an approving nod.

“Seven, actually. We just leveled up. And yes, we’re quite proud of it. It is well guarded.” Dolli added with severity, then retrieved Katrina’s reward.

It was a long-sleeved, gold and orange iridescent flame robe. One of the best pieces of gear Dolli had gotten from a fire mage. It was an appropriate reward for the work Katrina had done. Dolli was certain based on the age of the parchment that it was the original document from the alchemist’s lab, not just a copy, and that deserved an equal gift in return.

She was still trying to foster a relationship with the heroes, afterall. It was one of her more long-term goals she’d let fall by the wayside for too long; discover the secret of the Hero Magic, and undo it.

“Here you are,” Dolli said as she flourished the garment with a smile.

Katrina’s eyes sparkled. “Wow, the Heartfire Hero’s Gown! That’s gear from the most recent expansion!”

She took the dress from Dolli and her eyes unfocused.

“Well, dear, if you don’t mind, I need to return to farming.”

Katrina’s gaze snapped back to Dolli. “What did you say?” she asked, wholly amused.

“Isn’t that what it’s called when you slaughter noobs and take their stuff?” Dolli asked.

Katrina squealed. “Oh em gee, no I mean you’re using ourphrases! The devs have always kept the NPC’s in character for the realm. This is insane. I’m sooo glad I’ve been screencapping this!”

Dolli smiled, an idea sparking. She could get a lot out of this girl if she just gave a little in return. “How about after we’ve survived the next weeks, I’ll invite you for tea. We can talk all about our worlds together.”

Katrina’s jaw dropped. “You’re not shitting me? For real? I can get exclusive access to the reveal? I’m gonna get so many new VR-Tube followers!”

Dolli opened her Hero Quest menu and scrawled out a quick, low level, low stakes quest. “Collect one Lillyfern. They’re common everywhere in Hafheim. Whenever you’re ready to be summoned, complete the quest. It’ll alert me to summon you—if I’m still alive.”

She targeted the quest at just Tina-flamestorm. Of course, Katrina could share the quest with her guild, but given the use of the words “exclusive” and “followers” Dolli doubted the mage would want to share any of the glory.

“Holeesheet…” Katrina said, her mouth snapping shut. She stepped to the side. “I wanna screencap this with you next to the popup. This is gonna get mad hits. Everyone is gonna be flocking to my guild for a spot!”

“Yes, well, use this power wisely. Surround yourself with those you trust and nothing can stop you. That bit of wisdom is free of charge,” Dolli said with a wink.

“You bet I will. Only the coolest, strongest, most down to Earth dudes.”

Dolli cocked her head. “Earth?”

Katrina grinned. “Oh, yeah, that’s the name of my planet. Down to Earth means to be real.”

Dolli nodded, finally understanding. They believed that to be of Earth was the only way to be real. That’s why Dolli herself wasn’t considered “really a person.” Katrina believed she was in a land of make-believe, playing a game.

“Interesting. It’s been nice talking to someone so Down to Hafheim, but now I really must get back to my farming,” she said, ushering the girl toward the exit. “Would you like a swift departure by death?”

Katrina grimaced, the smile fading from her face for the first time in minutes. “No, I think I’ll just Homecall… thanks though!”

The girl raised her hand and a burst of yellowy light rained down around her, sticking to her body and making it glow. With an audible chime and a whoosh of air, Katrina burst into a thousand golden sparks. The cloud of shimmering dust floated toward the wall and passed through it.

Dolli lingered for a beat, trying to take in everything she’d just learned.

No. No time for that, she reminded herself. She’d have to think about it later when she wasn’t about to have her respawn essence sucked out by a mad Overlord. With the scroll in hand, Dolli sped back to the battlefield, counting down the minutes to the end of her shift.

There were murder potions to make.