Day 11
Marx has already known this for a while now, but this world is seriously amazing/scary.
Yesterday, he was the size of a 5 year old kid with green skin... But now... Well, let's just say that Charles Darwin (the guy that coined the Evolution Theory) would be rolling in his grave if he knew about this world's Evolution.
Marx could vaguely recall a window popping out while he was half asleep. It was something about reaching the required level and satisfying certain conditions and stuff.
Whatever he did during his drowsiness resulted in a massive change in his body structure.
First up, he grew from a kid to someone who is in his late teens in one freaking night!
Naturally, he experienced the disorientation that came with this sudden growth, yet he didnt feel a speck of pain. THAT is unnatural.
Normally when you shove something up your body that was originally not there, your skin stretches and rips. This goes the same to the muscles as well.
How mysterious...
Next drastic change was his skin color. From green it suddenly turned into white. And not the white that's normally found on Elves, but pale, disturbing, ghostlike white.
He understands the allure of this type of skin color in anime girls, but such a thing does not apply to men.
How creepy...
Last but not the least, he has HAIR!
His hair is black and is styled into a short crew cut. It's exactly the same as his IRL hair that he has maintained for many years.
Atleast he no longer looks like something that went through a failed face lift operation. Sure, he looks like something that walked out of a freezer, but its a big improvement
How awesome!
It took him about 5 minutes of freaking out until he could get a grip. While the current situation calls for more than just 5 minutes of freaking out, Marx concluded that the best course of action is to ask Geezer for information.
Naturaly, the old gremlin nearly had a heart attack at the sight of Marx... Of course the statement was ment as a figure of speech, not literally.
Marx then listened to Geezer's words with great interest.
As the old gremlin explained a few days ago, all monsters undergoes Evolution as a means of getting stronger. However, evolution is not a straight line, but a tree that branches out from one point of origin. In order to proceed to these branches, certain requirements must be met.
The main problem is that the requirements are largely unknown and very random. Since the combination of requirements are near infinite, no one bothered keeping track of it anymore.
The best example for this is Marx who evolved into a White Orc.
Standard Orcs normally have grayish skin which, based on American Sever Elder Tale Lore, was once Elves who were turned into evil beasts when the Six Scrapped Princesses of the Alvs summoned the Demi-Humans into the world. You could say that Orcs are Dark Elves.
Variants on the other hand are said to be demi-humans with more demon blood in their veins than their regular brethren, thus are normally superior in some way. Naturally, the requirement to evolve into a Variant is a mystery, but it does normally have something to do with performing feats that are normally impossible for their standard brethren (ex: uniting a gremlin tribe or defeating monsters using strategy and tactics)
The White Orc Variant is a particularly terrifying Orc because they are said to be blessed by the God of Deceit. While they are known to be strong combatants, what makes them extremely dangerous is their cunning, ingenuity and resourcefulness.
Now that Geezer has mentioned it, Marx could recall a fair bit of monthly quests that involves slaying an Orc Leader before he could gather up a large army. Apparently these Orc Leaders are White Orcs. Though it's just a mid level quest, it does explain why there are so many guides that keeps complaining that it is harder than its suppose to be.
Either way, the in-game lore states presence of the White Orc marks the beginning of the end. That is why when Elder Tale was still a game, players must stop it before the bud blooms.
In a sense, it's just like Pokemon except the rules are much crueler, the Pokemon are much more sinister looking and there are more than 3 evolutions. Not to mention that love, friendship and doing your best means squat.
While Evolution is common place in this world, Geezer stated that Marx was an abnormality.
While it is a known fact that demi-humans grows at a break neck pace, it normally takes more than 12 months for a decent Gremlin to evolve into an Orc. Since most Gremlins are idiots by nature, the process of acquiring essential skills such as strategy and tactics are painfully slow. Most Gremlins dont even make it to the first evolution due to the extremely steep learning curve.
Yet here comes Marx who successfully evolved after a mere 10 days since birth. It wasnt just abnormal... It was a down right impossible feat.
Naturally, Marx has mountains of gaming experience that gave him a huge edge in terms of understanding what needs to be done in this game-like world. On top of that, he also has to thank his IRL work that allowed him to steel his nerves and do what needs to be done.
Knowledge is truly power.
Ofcourse, he doesnt tell Geezer that.
It's just like what his Grandmother used to say:
"Keep an ace up your sleave? That's what idiots do... Smart people keeps a spare deck their sleaves. Those gamblers that win all the time are the ones who make sure that they never lose"
Marx has been wondering this for some time now... But is his kind and loving Grandmother a bad person?
Nah... Cant be... Her words of wisdom has saved his life on a regular basis.
Anyway, Geezer suggested that Marx to stay in the cave and get a feel for his new body.
Marx agreed to that one. While he is currently feeling the sense of invincibility due to his power up, he knows that it would bite him in the butt if he allowed himself to indulge.
With that in mind, Marx makes his way to where Riz and Dor normally sleeps to inform them of his decision... The sight that met him was jaw dropping.
Just like Marx, Riz has also experienced evolution.
She has grown to the size of a girl in her mid teens with light gray skin and messy pale red hair, a standard look for a female Orc. Maybe Marx didnt notice it at first because gremlins looked the same to him, but Riz's eyes were quite sharp which gives her a cold beauty vibe.
In a scale of 1 to 10, she most cetainly scores a 9.5. She would have been perfect if she'd learn how to smile.
On the other hand, Dor remained a gremlin as expected. However, Marx has a feeling that his trap friend may not be too far behind.
Anyway, he told his companions that they'll refrain from hunting for now. As for food, the three of them will rely on the tributes that their brethren will be offering later on.
Mind you, Marx never asked for tributes or anything (though he planned to do so at one point in the future), but it seems that the rules of gremlin society states that those below must offer a small portion of their labor to the one who sits on top as a form of thanks for leading them to the right path.
Well... If they're willing, who is he to stop them?
For now, they started the day with the usual training. Naturally, the other gremlins were shocked to see Marx and Riz, but it soon turned to amazement and admiration.
To give them some motivation, Marx told them that evolution is inevitable if they follow his commands. Thanks to that, the gremlins were much more serious in their training.
What a bunch of simple minded fools.
For the rest of the day, he and Riz proceeded to spar with each other in order to get used to their new bodies. Naturally, Marx never lost a single bout thanks to his work experience IRL, but he didnt win unscratched.
He was a bit hesitant on hitting a pretty girl such as Riz, but after receiving a bone breaking punch to the arm, his gentleman ways were thrown out the window.
Riz was strong when she was a gremlin, but now, she is REALY strong. If Marx didnt have his IRL experience, he would have been taking a dirt nap by now. She really is someone that fits the role of a tank and Marx is truly blessed for teaming up with her.
After that, Marx and Dor spent the rest of the day crafting new armor. It cant be help, seeing how both he and Riz suddenly outgrew their original apparel. It was mostly a larger version of their previous items, but it cant be helped.
He really should find a way to get past such crude equipment.
-:-
Day 12
Today, the trio resumes their regular hunting activities after morning training.
Thanks to Marx and Riz's evolution, their pace suddenly shot up to unrealistic levels. In barely an hour, 10 Blade Shrews and 13 Rhino Boars fell under pure brute force alone. He even called a few gremlins and have them carry the loot back to the cave.
It was obvious that Marx and Riz has grown too strong for the monsters near the cave. And just like any over leveled character, the two received little to no exp from their recent kills. The best solution for this would be to venture farther to hunt new prey.
With that in mind, the trio made a beeline to a place that they avoided in the past. It was a small and simple clearing but there was a demi-human called a Naga Pathfinder that regularly patrols it.
As its name states, it is a half man half snake demi-human with very light metal armor (a mere metal shoulder armor) that befits its pathfinder status. It also wields a simple short bow for its weapon.
The reason why Marx targeted the Naga Pathfinder is three folds.
First, the bow. While Dor's slingshot has done its job well, it pales comparison to the range and piercing power of the bow and arrow.
Second, the possible existence of a hierarchy among the Naga. If the Pathfinder is a scout, then there must be a chain of command with soldiers and leaders in their society. This means that each of them has a different skill set to complement their position. Marx will greatly benefit from devouring them.
Lastly, the existence of metal armor. If his guess is right, the Nagas have a forge in their home base. If he can get access to it, he can greatly increase the minimum gear quality of the entire gremlin society in one go. This is an opportunity he cannot pass off.
For now, he decided to test the strength of the Naga Pathfinder in order to get a vague idea on the opponents they might face.
After briefly stalking the Pathfinder, they formulate a plan and put it into action.
Using a poisoned stone, Dor aims for the Naga's lower body in order to cripple its speed.
Marx and Riz rushes with weapons drawn before the Naga can recover from shock. Unfortunately, the Naga was quick on the uptake and was able to dodge the duo's first few strikes by running full speed, but the effects of the poison and Dor's constant long range harassment caused it to fall face first into the ground.
For the next few seconds, Marx and Riz performed a series of excessively violent actions that may earn an R-18 rating in the movies.
They then split the meat among themselves and ate with gusto.
New Skill Acquired: Increase Movespeed
New Skill Acquired: Item Identification
Pretty standard RPG skills, but useful never the less.
Item Identification gives the name and a short description of any item. Let's take Marx's makeshift weapon for example.
Item Name: Makeshift Saw Sword
Item Rank: Production Class
Description: A tree branch with Rhino Boar horns attached to it. Not a very reliable weapon but if your desperate...
Well sorry for not making a reliable weapon! ... At least the description has a sense of humor.
The next skill, Increase Movespeed, is fairly self explanatory. This obviously works in tandem with his Increase Leg Power skill which can be incorporated to many strategies. A simple yet very useful skill indeed.
As for the loot, Marx gives Dor the bow and Riz receives the metal shoulder armor. It isnt much of an upgrade, but it's a start.
While Marx didnt get anything this time around, he gathers up the scales of the Naga. It's quite durable for something so light, thus it could be an armor with the right crafting techniques.
Satisfied with their progress, Marx took note of the area on his mental map and decided to head back even if it is still early.
While they could hunt more Naga's, Marx decided against it. There is a possibility that the Naga's might search for their fallen comrade in greater numbers, something of which they are still ill prepared to go against.
He must make preparations.
Upon reaching the cave, he gathered those with sufficient dexterity and used the loot the other gremlins gathered to mass produce leather armors for everyone.
-:-
Day 13
The day starts off with a very pleasant surprise. Just like Riz, Dor evolved into a standard Orc overnight.
Similar to his gremlin days, Dor's physical appearance as an Orc is incredibly feminine. His short brown hair is now up to his shoulders. Aside from his obvious lack of breasts, he sports subtle yet proper curves that normally befits a budding teenage girl.
It's seriously disturbing how pretty he is...
Marx cant help but wonder if the gods are trying to shoehorn a certain taste into his fetish list.
... Putting that thought aside, Marx decided to reward Dor by giving him the leather armor that Marx was currently using. It was fairly big for the femine Orc due to the large difference between their height and build, but until they can craft something that fits Dor, he will have to make do.
Dor was fairly surprised at this and tried to refuse. He insisted that as the leader, Marx has priority over them in terms of gear, food and women. Dor suggested that he can use a loincloth for the moment and tried to return Marx's clothing.
Marx countered Dor's humility by telling him that Marx's sacrifice was not an act of kindness, but as a risky investment. Marx values Dor so highly that he is willing to downgrade his own equipment to ensure that Dor's survival odds are better. In return, Marx expects Dor to further improve his needle skills which will be a very big contribution to the gremlin society in the future.
"It's a risky gamble, but it is worth it" Marx said while placing both his hands on top of Dor's shoulders
Unable to hold back his tears, the feminine Orc gently hugs Marx. As expected of Marx, he was down right confused of his current feelings for Dor.
Could Dor be the catalyst that will open an unknown path for Marx?
Before he could think any further, Riz suddenly sinks a painful body blow into his gut.
Jealousy is a scary thing...
The day began as usual.
After training, Marx revealed his plans of attacking the Naga tribe to his gremlin brethren. Naturally, they were a bit hesitant to go along with his plans, seeing how the Naga's are a step above the normal gremlin
Any opposition that met his plan was crushed by using the Will of the Ruler skill. He has no idea how it works, but he was able to convince entire gremlin community to prepare for war using words and logic alone.
He didnt scream, threaten or lie to anyone. He simply stated the benefits of taking over the Naga's lair and how the gremlins are more than capable of doing this task.
Mind you, Marx was never the charismatic leader type, but his words, tone and confidence was somehow enough to crush everyone's hesitation. This was quite surprising even for him. Maybe this is how Adolf Hitler pulled off his rise to power.
The Will of the Ruler is truly an amazing skill.
For now, Marx gathered those who had sufficient dexterity and gave them permission to use as much loot as they need in order to make weapons and armors for everyone.
For those who are incapable of crafting, Marx had them on hunting duty. They are to gather materials and food for the crafters back at home base.
As for the trio, they returned to the clearing yesterday to gather information on the Nagas. They stalked the area until a patrol consisting of 2 Naga Soldiers and a Naga Druid passed through.
As their name states, Naga Soldiers are heavier armed compared to the Pathfinder. They carry a sword and a chest plate. They dont look brand new, but they are miles better than what the trio are currently wearing.
On the other hand, the Naga Druid is as you'd expect of someone in the mage class. He dons a robe and a staff and nothing else, but this weakness is negligeable compared to his spells.
As far as Marx can tell, the Naga Druid is capable of using Heal (a HoT skill that all Elder Tale Healer class possesses) and Stone Spear (a Sorcerer/Druid missile skill). These may not look like much, but one of these is extremely vital for Marx's future plans.
While their wounds are normally remedied using the combination of medicinal herbs and the gremlin's natural regeneration, these methods are too slow. Receiving big wounds, even if its not lethal, can greatly hamper their ability to fight. Healing skills will remove this problem entirely.
Originally, Marx wanted to follow the scouting party to their lair, but the opportunity of learning a healing skill outweighs it.
With that in mind, they attack.
The strategy is simple.
The Druid goes down first with an poison arrow to the head from Dor. This greatly reduces the enemy's capability to prolong the battle.
Riz and Marx then charges while Dor pesters the enemy with his volley of poison arrows. With a simple application of concentrated fire, the 2 Soldiers falls with little effort.
Marx divided the spoils based on ability.
Riz moves from a leather armor to a chest plate in one go, thus increasing her defensive capabilities. For some reason, she insists on dual wielding instead of a typical tank build. While Marx has his reservations, he decided to let Riz do whatever she wants. With that, she now wields a spike club on one hand and a sword on the other.
Maybe her upgrade beauty has something to do with it, but Marx has been experiencing some difficulty turning her down as of late.
As for Marx, he gets a chest plate and a sword as his primary while inheriting Riz's spike shield as his off hand. Since he seems to be the only one with magic potential within the gremlin society, he keeps the staff and the robe as his back up apparel.
Dor gets nothing this time around but he doesnt seem to mind.
As per usual, the meat is divided among the three with Marx getting more of the Druid than the others.
From the Soldier, Marx receives:
New Skill Acquired: Increase Heavy Armor Proficiency
Quite simply, it is a skill that reduces the movement penalty while wearing heavy armor. Mind you, his movement speed has substantially dropped which resulted in the incapability of performing high flying acrobatic maneuvers. On the other hand, his movement on the ground remains the same and the added protection more than makes up for the deficit. All in all, its a win win situation.
From the Druid, Marx receives:
New Skill Acquired: Heal
New Skill Acquired: Stone Spear
Seeing how he received 2 skills from the Druid, it is safe to assume that the mage was stronger than the soldiers. Either way, the Healing skill was definitely worth the minor set back in locating the Naga lair.
Unfortunately there is a slight problem in his new skills. It seems that Druid magic can only be used when wielding either a staff or a magic centered melee weapon. He cant use a combat focused weapon (his current sword) if he wants to cast spells.
While he can dual wield a staff and a sword to bypass this predicament, he loses the protection of a shield in the process.
The problem not only lies with the weapons, but with the armor as well. While he can still cast magic while wearing heavy armor, every spell is subjected to an annoying phenomenon called an Arcane Spell Failure (a fairly big chance that the spell will fail to form when wearing non mage specific armor). If he wants to cast spells with heavy armor, the armor must be specifically made for mages, else he has to make do with robes.
Quite a predicament which requires a fair bit of thought. He'll figure this one out on a later date. Right now there are things that needs to be done.
For now, they decided to fall back to the cave while hunting miscellaneous monsters for crafting materials.
After hunting 10 Rhino Boars and 6 Blade Shrews, they went back home to help with the crafting preparations.
While there is a minor setback on the Naga's base location, another day of preparation is welcome.
-:-
Day 14
The following day, the gremlins that concentrated on crafting presents Dor with his own set of leather armor that fits his build.
Marx was particularly happy with this since he was fighting with only a loin cloth to cover his lower half. The cold draft that passed through his hotdog and eggs were quite uncomfortable.
Riz also received a gear upgrade. Her spike club, which was about the same size as a short sword, was replaced by an identical weapon that was the same size as a baseball bat and double the thickness. And as you'd expect, it was horribly heavy.
However, despite dual wielding a sword and a heavy spike club of different weights, Riz experienced no difficulty. Such is the testament to her ridiculous strength
After morning practice, Marx decided to test out Heal and was very pleased. As long as the patient has not received a lethal blow, Heal can pretty much repair any damage. Burns, cuts, scars, disfigurement due to blunt trauma, etc. The worst injury that Heal has repaired was regrowing a missing limb.
If you think about it, in-game injuries are nothing more than numbers on the HP bar. It does not reflect which body part was injured or how severe the injury is. With that in mind, it is possible for a crippled vegetable of a man to make a full recovery as long as someone refills his HP bar.
These actions were well received by the other gremlins. Some of them even started seeing Marx as some sort of messiah. While it's good to be admired, religious fanaticism can be a double edge sword if not utilized properly.
Before heading out, a gremlin named Adra prostrated before Marx and begged to let him join the group.
Adra was the last survivor of the gremlins that ambushed the trio a few days back. He stated that hunger clouded his reason and asked that he make amends by serving Marx for the rest of his life.
Truth be told, Marx had completely forgotten about Adra's existence if the gremlin hadnt presented himself in front of them. Since there was no downside to Adra's offer, Marx decided to give him a trial run.
Adra was outfitted with Marx's spike shield, Riz's small spike club and Dor's old leather armor. While second hand, this was a big upgrade for Adra who only used a simple club.
After they set out, Marx made Adra fight 3 Rhino Boars at the same time in order to gauge his capabilities. Mind you, 3 on 1 is a suicide scenario for a gremlin so Marx made sure that he was close enough just in case that Adra couldnt take it anymore.
The result if this test is as follows: Adra failed to kill even one of the Rhino Boars.
While this was expected for the weakest race, Marx was thoroughly impress with Adra seeing how he survived 10 whole minutes before Marx was forced to intervene. Once again, Marx found another gem among the gremlin filth.
Adra was a genius in defensive combat. Making full use of his shield, Adra accurately dodged, parried and block any attack that came to him. In comparison to Riz's aggressive fighting style, Adra is tougher, smarter yet weaker. If anything, he is more suited as a tank than Riz.
Marx heals Adra's wounds and officially welcomes him to the group.
The quartet makes for the clearing once again and stalks the area. A few minutes later, a group of 3 Naga Soldiers passes through, though this time, they look much more vigilant. Losing 2 patrols at the same spot must have tipped them off.
Fortunately for the Naga patrol, Marx has no intention of attacking them.
The quartet keeps their distance and stalks the patrol until the finish making their rounds. The patrol eventually leads them to a small cave near a river where about 15-20 Nagas were present.
Marx wasnt sure if that was all of them, thus they proceeded to stalk the entrance. About an hour or so, Marx makes a rough estimate of 21-24 Nagas were present in the cave.
Satisfied with their recon, the quartet began their long treck back.
They took down about 7 Rhino Boars and 4 Blade Shrews enroute, though this is merely for food and to help Adra level up.
Marx also tested his Stone Spear spell and discovered the annoying restrictions that separated warriors from mages
First he tried casting a spell with full armament. With a sword on his left hand, a rod on his right and his chest plate equipped, Marx instantly noticed that he was overweight. He could barely walk and running was out of the question.
Such immobility is fatal in the battlefield, thus he abandoned the idea.
Next he tried casting with only the rod and the chest plate. Here he realized how annoying the arcane spell failure was. Out of 10 attempts, he was able to succeed only 3 times.
A mage that is incapable of casting spells is no mage at all. He decided to fully abandon using heavy armor. Quite a shame really, seeing how he has just received the Increase Heavy Armor Proficiency skill.
He then attempted casting with the rod and the sword as equipments. While he did cast spells with no problems, the uneven weight made him unbalanced. He even experienced a fair bit of difficulty taking down a Blade Shrew which he normally eliminates within 10 seconds.
Quite simply, his body was simply not blessed with enormous amounts of strength, thus he abandons dual wielding all together.
FYI: Riz dual wields heavier armaments with little difficulty or effort. As you'd expect of an all brawn no brain character.
Lastly he decided to go with the standard mage set up. With a rod on his hand and light armor for protection, he casted Stone Spears with no difficulty what so ever.
From the looks of it, any non metal heavy armor is good enough to avoid arcane spell failure. However, robes seems to have special effects that boost a mage's efficiency.
The brown robe that Marx took from the Naga Druid is imbued with the ability to increase the damage of all spells.
Last but not the least, was the Stone Spear itself. After testing it on a wide variety of enemies, Marx can say that the Stone Spear was a very powerful spell despite its looks.
A single Stone Spear was able to puncture through the thick spike armor of a Blade Shrew and killing it with one shot. This is something that not even his current sword could achieve.
All in all, despite Marx's preference to close quaters combat, the mage path is not something he should easily disregard.
At home base, Marx and Dor proceeded to help with the crafting preparations. Riz took her usual spot beside Marx and remained silent. Adra had some talent for crafting so he helped out a bit.
Later that night, Marx gave his brethren a briefing on what they have learned and commanded them to eat to their hearts content, sleep early and get ready for tomorrow.
-:-
Day 15
The gremlins ate just enough to last through lunch, then made one last inspection on their gear.
Thanks to the 2 days allocated to crafting, the gremlin's equipment were mostly consisted of a spike club, spike shield, shepherd sling and leather armor. Quite an improvement if Marx says so himself.
As for Marx himself, he decided to go full mage on this battle. With this set up, he can give commands while in the middle of their formation where the best view of the overall battlefield is at, and still contribute to the offense with his Stone Spear.
Marx gave his 32 brethren one last briefing before they headed out.
It was still dark when they left their home ground and day break approached when they were in range of the enemy camp.
The battle began
Long story short, Marx and the gremlins won without a single casualty.
At the start, Marx noticed that there was about 4 Nagas on night watch duty. They quickly eliminated 3 in a noisy manner in order for one of them to alert those who were inside.
They then positioned themselves near the entrance and formed a kill zone for the Nagas within the cave to unwittingly waltz into. Naturally, Marx adopted a strategy where a single Naga would face atleast 2 melee gremlins and an unknown number of fire support from the rear.
At this point, Marx understood that he clearly misjudged Riz's combat abilities. While she is indeed tough, her true calling was not to be a tank. Riz's forte was actually that of a berserker.
He realized this when he saw Riz's spike club smash into the chest plate of a Naga Soldier. While it did not kill the Naga, the damage was so severe that even Marx could hear the shattering of bones from a distance. Riz then finished it off by chopping its head off.
This was all executed within 3 seconds which is a fine testament to her brute strength. The most terrifying about it is that she constantly maintained her emotionless mask. Quite scary.
The summary of the battle is as follows:
3 Nagas died in their surprise attack
About 14 more died by the entrance of the cave due to their killzone
5 perished when the gremlins stormed the cave. They were unable to move freely due to the limited space within the tunnels
The last 3 which comprised of the Naga Clan Chief and 2 other Naga Soldiers fought bravely in their main shrine room, but was easily brought down due to the large number of gremlins.
While the Clan Chief did challenge Marx into a one on one duel, Marx simply commanded his entire force to attack in unison.
'Unfair?' you say?
There is no such thing as fair in war. Taking another one's life is the ultimate form of theft. It is unfair no matter how you slice it.
It is like what Marx's Grandma used to say
"Honor, fairness and respect does not win wars. Wars are won by the skillful application of excessive force"
With that in mind, Marx and his gremlins slaughtered each and every Naga to the last man. By lunch time, the deed is done and the gremlins bask in their victory.
With elated morale and deflated stomachs, Marx decreed that the Nagas will be the gremlins feast for the day. By removing the scales and cooking the meat, the gremlins partake in an all-you-can-eat snake barbecue.
Surprisingly, snakes tastes like fish. Not bad.
Skills gained from Naga Soldiers:
New Skill Acquired: Increase Resistance to Slashing Weapons
New Skill Acquired: Increase Water Resistance
New Skill Acquired: Decrease Damage Over Time Duration
Mostly defensive passive skills but definitely useful. The Decrease DoT Duration skill is particularly handy if Marx was forced to fight enemies that possesses skills that can inflict Burn or Poison.
Skills gained from Naga Clan Chief:
New Skill Acquired: Track Allies
New Skill Acquired: Heart Beat Detector
An interesting set of skills, that's for sure.
Track Allies is similar to a GPS tracking device that tracks all of the people that Marx considers as allies. There seems to be a range limit on how far his radar can detect his allies. Quite useful when keeping a close eye on his patrols.
Heart Beat Detector, on the other hand, is an something out of the ordinary. By focusing hard enough, Marx can hear the heart beat of a certain target.
To experiment this ability, Marx used Riz as a test subject. He thanked her for her efforts and patted her on the head. The result of this was a slight increase in heart rate.
"I'm very happy that a cute girl like you is at my side" said Marx to Riz.
"I see..." replied Riz with her monotone and expressionless voice.
On the other hand, her heart rate skyrocketed.
Heart Beat Detector is not something that can be underestimated. Who knows what use it has in the future.
After the feast, Marx commanded the gremlins to go back home and make preparations in order for them to move the next day. On the other hand, Marx will stay in the Naga's Cave in order to keep it secure.
After the others have left, Marx decided to explore the cave.
The Naga's cave is surprisingly large with numerous rooms and facilities.
There is a barracks complete with bunk beds that could easily house 40 Naga's at the same time. Seeing how there is a big difference in body size, the room could easily fit 50 gremlins with a fairly good degree of personal space.
There is also a primitive looking kitchen complete with pots, knives and a stove. While none of them knows how to cook beyond the usual over-the-fire frying method, the presence of a kitchen might be useful in the future.
There is also an armory filled with numerous weapons and armor. With the amount of arsenal in this room, Marx could easily level up all of his subordinate's equipment from leather into metal in one go.
Then there is the main reason why Marx decided to invade the Nagas, the forge. With this, metal weapons and armors are now easily available. There is a major problem of the lack of knowledge in using a forge, thus it is useless for now. Hopefully, he'll find someone with knowledge in the near future.
Next up is the shrine. While it is simply a large empty space, there is an small box that contains what seems to be the center of Naga worship. Inside the box was a heart that still beats for some reason.
Marx uses his Item Identification skill
Item Name: Serpent's Lore
Item Level: Phantasm Class
Item Type: Consumable
Item Description: It was said that the Ancient Naga's were once beings that could withstand the test of time. The Serpent's Lore is the symbol that the Naga's were once immortal.
Interesting... And it's consumable?
While he wanted to know more about the it, the only ones that possesses the information are now in his digestive track.
Without a second thought, he eats the Serpent's Lore.
New Skill Acquired: Viper's Aspect
WARNING: Only one Aspect is allowed per person. Once you learn one, it is permanent and cannot be removed. Will you proceed learning the Viper's Aspect?
Oh? ... It seems like the Viper's Aspect is a rare skill. And since it's one aspect per person, then Marx might not find another one like it.
Suddenly, Marx realized that there was a countdown timer on the pop up window, and there was only 5 seconds left.
"Oh crap!"
As much as he wanted to learn more on what entails with the Viper's Aspect, he had no time to lose. He said yes to the pop up message.
New Skill Acquired: Viper's Aspect
-Increase effectiveness of all magic
-Further increases effectiveness of Earth based magic/skill
-Further increases effectiveness of Water based magic/skill
-Further increases effectiveness of all Damage/Heal-Over-Time magic/skill
-Further increases effectiveness of Healing spells
... Crap...
This is what happens when one does not think before acting.
With only one aspect per person, Viper's Aspect forced Marx to go onto the Mage path. While he can still fight in melee combat, pursuing it is a good way to waste Marx's potential.
His dreams of becoming a Swashbuckler now became impractical.
Marx can do nothing but facepalm in regret.
While wallowing in his carelessness, Marx continued to explore the Naga's Cave.
Aside from a few private bedrooms, the only thing left to see is the dungeon.
Compared to the other parts of the cave, a great deal of designer thought went into the dungeon's construction. While it looks like any other medieval dungeon you see in the movies, the bars are covered with small metal thorns, the wall between one cell and the next was atleast 20 foot thick, and there seems to be numerous instruments of torture lying around.
Marx cant help but be impressed of the sick fetish that the Naga Clan Chief has. Butchering him to death was clearly the right decision.
Marx then notices that the dungeon was housing 4 prisoners.
One was a Naga that looked like he was at the later half of his lifespan. Despite his age, he had enough muscle to put most of the Naga soldiers to shame. He looked at Marx with calm eyes, as if he has accepted whatever fate he may end up with
Next was a female centaur that seemed to be in her early 20s. As you'd expect from a popular MMORPG, the character designs were greatly beautified. The female centaur had waist long brown hair and rosy white skin. Based on her sharp eyes and rigid demeanor, Marx can guess that she's a soldier,
The last was 2 People of the Land with varying age. They seemed to be a mother and son since they both shared dark blue hair and many similar facial features. The mother looked like a strick beauty in her late 20s with shoulder length hair that was tied into a ponytail. The son was about 10-13 years of age with short hair. They also seemed like civilians based on the child being scared as hell while the mother tried her best to look calm despite being frightened herself.
The common thing about these 4 is that they are all injured in varying degree.
The worst one was the Naga with many fresh wounds all over his body. He was also missing an eye and a few fingers on his left hand. He doesnt look like he'll survive beyond the day
Next was the centaur who had all four of her legs broken in an ugly fashion. If she doesnt get treatment, she'll be crippled for the rest of her life
Last was the mother and son pair with a bunch of cuts and bruises. Nothing life threatening.
He approaches the Naga and says.
"My name is Grem Marx. Please tell me your name and the reason why you are here." said Marx, much to the surprise of the Naga.
The Naga hesitates for a few seconds, but then answers.
"I am Rashid Salaih. I was imprisoned here due to a crime against my clan."
Rashid is the blacksmith of Naga's that originally inhabited this cave. His crime was an illicit affair with the Naga Clan Chief's wife.
While he never had feelings for the woman, that cannot be said to the other side. The woman tried to seduce him multiple times though he ignored her advances.
Unfortunately for the Rashid, the Clan Chief found out and extracted harsh punishments despite Rashid's innocence.
The wife was executed via beheading while Rashid was subjected to torture until he dies. Quite an ugly state of affairs.
"I see... I understand." said Marx.
Marx then casted healing on the Naga until he was back to full health. While confused of Marx's actions, the Naga thanked him never the less.
Marx moves to the centaur and repeats his introductions.
"I'm Janette Windwalker. I am a prisoner of war" said the centaur.
A few weeks ago, there was a big clash between the local Centaur tribe and the Nagas with the Nagas emerging as victors. The centaurs were routed and 10 survivors were captured. One by one died under the Naga Clan Chief's games until Ranette was the only one left.
This actually explains why the bunks in the barracks did not match with the body count. Marx and his gremlins seemed to have attacked the Nagas while they were still suffering from the effects of their clash with the centaurs. Quite a pleasant series of coincidences
Marx thanked the centaur and completely healed her wounds.
Last but not the least, Marx introduced himself to the 2 Landers.
"My name is Lisa Bristof and this is my son James. We were captured by a Naga raiding party"
The Bristof family belonged to a group of traveling trades that went from town to town. About 10 days ago, their caravan was attacked by a Naga raiding party and all but the 2 of them were slaughtered. Their cargo was looted and both of them were taken as prisoners.
Normally, this incidents never happened due to the presence of Adventurers, yet 15 days ago, they suddenly stopped helping the Landers for some reason.
This actually piqued Marx's interest.
He was reincarnated into this world exactly 15 days ago. There might be some connections to his current predicament and the state of the Players AKA Adventurers.
After thanking the Bristof pair, he heals their wounds until not a scar was left.
Marx then decided to release them, but could not find the key to their cells.
With that in mind, Marx asked them move to the corner of their cells as he used Stone Spears to destroy the lock.
At that moment, Marx realized how powerful the Viper's Aspect was. Before, his Stone Lance had enough power to embed itself to a Blade Shrew's back. It also was able to penetrate atleast 3 inches into the chest plate of a Naga soldier.
But now, the Stone Lance blew through the incredibly thick metal lock and made a fist size hole on the cave's wall 5 meters away. The increase in traveling velocity and penetrating power was astounding.
Maybe going full mage wasnt so bad after all.
For now, Marx told the 4 prisoners to gather in the barracks. There he explained the annihilation of the Naga's under the gremlins hands and the plan of taking over the cave.
He told them that if they want to leave, they are free to take whatever they needed from the armory. He has no intention of stopping them.
On the other hand, he advised against leaving due to the abundance of monsters in the area.
For now, he suggested that they should get some rest. They can occupy which ever room they desired and make use of whatever equipment they can find. Whatever plans they have, Marx suggested that they put it off for tomorrow
With that said, the 4 went their own separate ways.
Rashid went to the forge
Janette slept in one of the bunks in the barracks
The Bristofs went to a private room.
Marx position himself at the mouth of the entrance and stood guard. Once in a while, he would hear painful sobs echoing through out the cave.
This world is truly a harsh one.
-:-
Day 16
It's been a while since Marx forced himself to stay awake for an entire night. While staying up all night on guard duty wasnt really required, Marx didnt want to be complaisant and end up regretting it.
A few minutes after dawn, he spots his gremlin brethren with Riz taking up the lead.
As expected of his loyal second in command, Riz and the gremlins arrived as scheduled with every bit of luggage they could carry.
Marx pats Riz on the shoulder for a job well done.
Marx then gathers all the gremlins before the entrance and told them to stay there because he has an important announcement.
He then went back into the cave and woke up the 4 prisoners. He then led them to the entrance and introduced them to the gremlins.
He specifically told them that the 4 prisoners are important guests. Should anyone try to harm them, Marx will make sure that the offender will experience the full pleasure of the Naga Clan Chief's torture chamber.
He then told the 4 that they are free to do what they wish as long as they do not harm the gremlins. He also reminded them that he has no intention of stopping them from leaving.
The 4 answered with a nod, yet they still look undecided on what to do.
Seeing this, Marx allowed them to stay as long as they want until they decided on what to do. If they have any problems, Marx insisted that they come to him for help.
Marx gives Dor temporary command of the gremlin community as he was too tired to stay away for today. Marx leaves him with instructions in regards to the gear distribution, training menu, bunk assigning and many others.
With that out of the way, Marx headed for one of the private rooms.
He was already asleep before his head landed on the pillow.
-:-
Day 17
It was raining today, thus after morning practice, he decided to check up on the state of things.
Thanks to the increase in minimum gear quality, yesterdays hunting session went well even without Marx's supervision. Because of that, there are plenty of food and raw materials to be used, so he is pretty sure they wont get hungry or bored.
The priority in Marx's agenda for today is to gather info on Aspects. With that in mind, Marx searches for Geezer to make use of his pool of wisdom.
Eventually, he finds the old gremlin together with Old Naga Rashid whom was reminiscing of the good old days. It seems that they have developed a certain bond thanks to their old age.
It was quite convenient that they are together since he planned on asking them about Aspects.
When Marx made his inquiry, Rashid seemed very pleased at his thirst for knowledge.
Geezer then boasted that Marx is truly one of the rare few that gives a damn on how the world works.
From there, the two demonstrated how old men loves long wind explanations.
An Aspect is an extremely rare passive skill that pushes a monster's capabilities far beyond what is normally possible.
There are many ways to get an aspect. Sometimes its through eating a rare consumable, sometimes it is learned through an ancient tome or sometimes it is passed down from teacher to student.
Despite having different methods of acquisition, aspects are incredibly rare and very few are given the chance to have it.
One thing is for sure though, most of the monsters with aspects are extremely powerful that it even the dreaded Adventurers stand little chance of winning against it. In most cases, Adventurers normally require atleast a full raid of 24 members in order to have a slight chance against a monster with an aspect.
In laymans terms, a monster with an aspect is normally a Boss monster.
The Viper's Aspect seems to be related to the nameless patron deity of the Nagas. Information available is scarce because the teachings were mostly kept secret by the Naga Clan Chief and is passed on to the next generation orally.
One thing is for sure though, the Naga's Patron Deity symbolizes wisdom, healing and rebirth. This fact is further inforced by Marx's massive increase in affinity to Water and Earth which are normally elements that has deep connections to life itself.
While Marx decided to follow through with being a mage, it seems that he also has great potential as a full support healer. Another annoying predicament has popped up...
On the other hand, Geezer has high expectations for Marx since mages are incredibly rare among the gremlins. They are stupid after all.
Marx spent the rest of the day either crafting with Dor, Adra and Riz (thought the female gremlin didnt do anything) or double checking if the instructions he left yesterday were followed.
With no particular problems found, Marx called it a day.
-:-
Day 18
Today, Marx gave a generous amount of pain to some gremlins during training.
Originally, it was an accepted fact that gremlins were no match to a naga event if they outnumber them 10 to 1. Gremlins are the weakest race in this world after all.
However, thanks to the victory they have achieved 2 days ago, some gremlins became overconfident and started spouting nonsense like they have become strong and dont need to train anymore.
Confidence may be good but overconfidence is bad, and in this world where the weak is food to the strong, overconfidence is lethal.
To solve this predicament, Marx turned to his Grandmother's ever trusty words of wisdom.
"There are 3 possible cure for arrogance. Humiliation, Violence and Death. Choose wisely"
Taking Grandmama's words into heart, Marx decided to go with humiliation and violence.
In front of many, Marx used his full physical might on the arrogant gremlins and beat them to a bloody pulp. He even went as far as using magic to blow one of the gremlin's arms off its hinges.
Ofcourse, he quickly healed their injuries. He has no intention of reducing their already small manpower.
Thanks to his actions, the entire gremlin society was reminded that they are still in the bottom of the totem pole. Death is still very much a reality to them, thus it is much better to be prepared than be sorry.
FYI: while Marx has decided to go full mage, he has no intention on slacking off his physical training. A tough mage that is quick on his feet is much better than your garden variety physically weak mage.
After training Janette the centaur approached Marx and expressed her desire to join their next training. While she was still undecided on her future actions, she has nowhere else to go due to the annihilation of her tribe. With no concrete plan, she'd rather train herself than worry endlessly.
Marx approved without a fuss. He told Janette to chose a weapon of choice from the armory and have the other gremlins craft her an armor.
With a thank you, Janette proceeded to do just that.
Oh yeah, it seems that a fully grown centaur stands much taller than an average adult human male. An example of this is Janette who stood a head taller than Marx, though this is mostly thanks to her lower body.
If she was human, she'd be at the same height as Riz.
On another note, Marx seems to have acquired a new taste in women. He cant really help it though since Janette is one very pretty centaur. From her cute horse ears, to her ever serious facial expressions, to her decently sized breast, to her stallion lower body. He finds her quite attractive
New Fetish Acquired: Centaur Fetish
Just kidding.
Today he went hunting with Riz, Dor and Adra. With the occupation of the Naga's Cave, all of their equipment have improved considerably.
Riz and Adra sports a chest plate, shoulder pads and gauntlets that were made of metal. Adra dons a small buckler and a short sword that befits his gremlin size while Riz dual wields an iron mace and a long sword on each hand.
Dor sports his usual leather armor with a long bow as a primary weapon, 1 obsidian knife and 2 metal knives.
For Marx, he sports his regular leather armor which a robe as an overcoat. As for weapons, his primary is his staff and a long sword as a back up weapon.
Thanks to that, nearly every opponent they encountered faced a one sided slaughter.
For now, Marx focused on Adra in order to make him an Orc as quickly as possible. His defensive skill is too much of a gem for Marx to ignore.
While they didnt encounter anything new today, they leveled up in an acceptable pace and they filled their stomach. They also gathered a fair bit of crafting materials to be used at a later date.
At night, Marx went through the armory because no one had any idea on the actual contents. Aside from the expected weapons and armor, Marx found a fair bit of hidden treasures in the pile.
First and foremost, finely made survival backpacks. This may not look like much, but these backpacks allows them to carry a lot of support items without hindering their movement. It also allows them to carry more loot than can be used for food/crafting.
A profitable discovery, without a doubt.
Next discovery is A LARGE PILE OF GOLD! ... Well truth be told, it is worthless as of the moment, but you never know when money is required. Better keep it handy for now.
Last and most certainly not the least is a book called Introduction To Magic. Marx couldnt contain his excitement when he discovered it beneath the pile. He literally ran back to his room and began studying the contents
Unlike learning spells from monsters via Devour, learning from a book requires him to completely understand the inner workings in order to acquire a spell.
Thanks to his experience using Stone Spear and Healing, he was able to learn a fair number of spells.
New Skill Acquired: Flare Arrow
New Skill Acquired: Icicle Blade
New Skill Acquired: Slicing Wind
New Skill Acquired: Heartbeat Healing
New Skill Acquired: Thorn Bind Hostage
Flare Arrow, Icicle Blade and Slicing Wind are, more or less, basic projectile magic similar to Stone Spear with different elemental properties. He found this easy to learn
Heartbeat Healing is an Earth based non channeling HoT spell that constantly recovers a target's HP for an extended period of time. Since it's basically a Heal that is extended for a long period of time, Marx also found it easy to learn.
On the other hand, Marx struggled to learn the Enchanter's Thorn Bind Hostage since he has no experience in root-type spells. While it took him 5 frustrating hours of trial and error, it was more than worth it.
With Viper's aspect, he can expect great things from Icicle Blade, Rejuvenate and Stone Spear.
Learning new spells the hard way was tiring but satisfying.
-:-
Day 19
The day started on an unexpected note.
Before training started, Marx spotted 2 new additions to the usual line up.
First is Janette Windwalker who was wearing a chest plate while wielding a long sword and a longbow. From the looks of it, she's a flexible warrior that can do both melee and long range combat. In a sense, she and Marx have similar fighting style.
The second and most unexpected was the 10 year old James Bristof. He was wearing a bit of leather armor and a short sword for a weapon.
Marx asked why he was here.
While fighting down his obvious fear, James replied that he wanted to train.
Marx asked why.
With tears in his eyes, James replied that he never wanted to feel powerless again. He desires to gain power so that he can protect his mother.
Good kid.
Marx decided to test James out.
The 2 took center stage, and at Marx signal, James began attacking him at full force. As expected, the child was horrible at this.
As a son of a merchant, James lacked any form of combat training, thus he swung his sword clumsily.
The other gremlins laughed at the sight of this.
"SILENCE!" roared Marx. "You were all like this before I took over!"
Naturally, the gremlins silence themselves in shame.
Despite his humiliation, James continued his attack with tears in his eyes. The kid has guts, that's for sure. But that means little in the wild where the weak are crushed like bugs.
For now, Marx ended their sparring and took James to the corner while the other gremlins began their training.
He told the child nothing but the facts. Since his physically weak, then the obvious solution was strengthening his body.
It was simple push ups, sit ups, running, etc. but the basics are the most important if James wants to improve.
With the will of steel reflecting on the youth's eyes, James engrossed himself in training.
Truth be told, Marx wasnt sure if James will ever equal the gremlin's fast growth, but it was hell better than letting the child cry helplessly in the corner.
Who knows? The child might end up becoming one of those heroes in Elder Tale Lore.
Morning training proceeded as usual until Lisa Bristof ran into the training ground in a panicked state. Upon spotting James who was doing laps under Marx's supervision, she rushed at the white orc while screaming for his son's safety.
"What were you thinking?! James is just 10 years old! " screamed Lisa
Since Lisa was only an inch shorter than Marx, she looked him in the eye. Quite a brave woman.
The gremlins (especially Riz) didnt like her attitude but Marx told them to continue with their training.
"He asked me to help him become strong. I just complied with his wishes" Marx replied in a calm manner.
"He is weak! He-" said Lisa but Marx cut her off.
"Did you enjoy watching your family and friends die? James didnt." Marx replied, causing Lisa to clamp up. "He desires never to feel helpless again. I see no reason to stop him."
Unable to find a satisfying answer within herself, Lisa simply clinged to Marx and cried her heart out.
FYI: Lisa is one hell of an MILF... But now is not the time to admire that.
James wanted to comfort his mother but Marx told him to continue his training.
Riz wanted to smash Lisa's head into a bloody pulp but Marx told him to continue with her training.
Seriously... Jealousy is a scary thing.
After Lisa calmed down, Marx led her back to her room and put her to bed.
No... He did not smexy time her.
Even he isnt cruel enough to abuse a woman in emotional distress.
He then returned to the gremlins and proceeded with his training.
A few hours later, Marx and his usual group went hunting while increasing Adra's level in the process. The hunt proceeded normally and there were no significant events.
No news is good news.
Later that night, Marx continued to train himself in the magical arts before going to sleep.
New Skill Acquired: Atral Hypnos
-:-
Day 20
Rashid approached Marx during training and asked if he was interested in making higher quality weapons and armor.
Naturally, Marx said yes.
Rashid explained that while he can make do with the iron found in the Naga's Cave, there was a mine where they can ores with top grade quality. Unfortunately, this mine was infested with Black Ants so it was a bit troubling to extract ore.
Surprisingly, this was the same mine where Marx, Riz and Dor encountered the Queen Black Ants and her minions. With no hesitation, Marx agreed to Rashid's plan and began making preparations.
This time, Marx's party comprised of himself, Riz, Adra and Janette Windwalker.
Dor seemed to have found a passion for crafting. It wasnt just leather works, but also potion making, cooking and other feminine crafts. While Dor felt guilty about it, he asked Marx if he could focus his time on his passion.
The loss of a trusted archer in the frontlines was unfortunate, but Marx understood where his friend's passion lies, thus he agreed with no fuss. He gave Dor permission to use the stockpile freely.
Marx also told Dor to use a book that he found in the armory. Along with the Introduction to Magic, Marx also found Alchemy for Beginners, Jewel Crafting 101 and The Food Encyclopedia among many others. While Marx was only interested in the magic book, there were too many books that had potential use in the future, thus he kept it all.
Unfortunately the only one in the gremlin community who knows how to read was Marx, thus he suggested to ask Lisa Bistrof for assistance.
With a smile that could melt Antarctica, Dor gave Marx a hug and went on his merry way.
What a confusing young man.
The quartet then proceeds to the cave specified by Rashid.
With a powerhouse like Riz in the front and a nuker/support like Marx at the back, the 4 tore through the swarm of Black Ants like insecticide. Marx was almost nostalgic of the time where the original trio fought tooth and nail just to survive.
As expected, Adra was experiencing a bit of a challenge fighting off the endless swarms of Black Ants, but it was necessary for him to evolve to an Orc as quickly as possible. Ofcourse, Marx made sure that he was fully healed, and if the need arises, Marx could slaughter the Ants with a barrage of spells.
On the other hand Janette seems to be at the same level as Marx and Riz.
While they were fighting, Janette explained that Centaurs also experience Evolution. Similar to Grelim-Orc, Centaurs evolution is normally Centaur-Dragoon.
Do note that the word Dragoon has no relation to the mythical fire breathing beast.
Janette, who has more than a year of combat experience, has underwent her first evolution into a variant of the Dragoon called a Cuirassier. A Cuirassier is the middle ground between a Dragoon (light armor, long range) and a Knight (heavy armor, close combat)
While she cant display her full might due to the cramp space of the cave, she does show of her archery skills. In this case, she uses the ability called Arrow Shower where she fires one arrow which suddenly spawns 10 more out of nowhere and damages multiple enemies at the same time.
Quite an impressive sight if Marx says so himself.
Oh by the way, Marx could finally see how much improvement the Viper's Aspect has done to his magic.
His favorite spell Stone Spear goes through atleast 5 Black Ants before the projectile loses its momentum and stops.
The Icicle Blade which originally launches a singular ice projectile now has a grenade like effect where it explodes on impact and damages nearby enemy with shrapnels.
Heal, which originally was a one shot HP recovery, now has an HoT effect right after the HP is restored.
Heartbeat Healing normally recovers HP every second for 15 seconds now does it every 0.5 seconds.
While the rest of his spells remained the same, these 4 was not how Marx remembered when Elder Tale was a game.
He can now understand why Aspects are normally found in Boss Monsters.
Anyway, the quartet exterminates every last Black Ant in the cave and mined a large number of high quality ores. They then took whatever they could carry and returned to HQ.
By the way, it seems that centaurs can carry at least 5 times more than an Orc. Naturally, Janette was not pleased of being a baggage donkey, but she performs her role anyway, seeing how these ores will greatly help them in the future.
The quartet then deposited their entire loot in the storehouse by the forge, pleasing Rashid in the process. The old Naga then told them that he intends to deliver on his promise of high quality weapons and armors. With the amount of high quality ore at his disposal, it is possible for Rashid to make Production class items that can rival low-mid tier Artifact class items.
Marx is looking forward to it.
When the dinner time came, the food that was served was so delicious that Marx couldnt stop himself from crying. It seems that Lisa Bistrof and her assistant Grem Dor was behind the culinary masterpiece.
While raw meat was good and all, nothing beats the perfect balance of spices and cooked ingredients.
Marx was so happy that he told Lisa that if there's anything she wants, anything at all, Marx would do his utmost best to give it to her. Ofcourse everyone knows that this is an exaggeration, but Marx was seriously happy enough to follow through on his word.
For the first time since they've met, the ever strict Lisa smiles beautifully. As expected of a hot MILF that would look good in a business suite.
After dinner, Marx went back to his room and tried to learn the spell Purification Barrier of the Shaman Class (Kanagi in Japanesse Server). Unfortunately, he experienced great difficulty and was not able to make any sort of progress.
While he was trying to figure out what was he doing wrong, Lisa suddenly visits and asks if he had time to talk.
Well, since he was at a dead end with the Purification Barrier, Marx agreed to chat.
They mostly chit chatted about irrelevant things.
Unfortunately, there was something in their conversation that reminded Lisa of her deceased husband, resulting in her unable to keep her emotions at check. She cried while clinging to Marx.
He stroked her head while patiently waiting for Lisa to calm down.
Marx has seen this type of behavior IRL during his work. At times of extreme distress, someone acting as an emotional crutch is sometimes necessary to stabilize an controllable emotion.
It is similar to how Riz formed romantic emotions to Marx, though in Lisa's case, she was already driven into a corner. Marx just happens to be there to alleviate her pain.
Lisa eventually calms down but continues to lean on Marx's chest in silence. Another person's warmth is important when in times of uncertainty.
30 minutes of silence passed before Lisa spoke.
She thanked Marx for listening to her and asked if he could walk her to her room.
Marx agreed.
Lisa held Marx's hand and walked in an excruciating slow pace, turning a 3 minute walk into a 10 minute procession. Upon reaching her and her son's room, Lisa took another minute to let go of Marx's hand.
Once again, she thanks Marx for his time and entered her room where her son slept peacefully.
"Emotional wounds are always the most painful form of injury" thougth Marx as he went back to his room.
He accidentally bumped into Riz at the corner, and without as much as a warning, ends up in the receiving end of a painful body blow.
As he crumbles into the floor, it didnt take him long to understand why Riz did what she did.
"Physical wounds due to jealousy are also painful"
-:-