"Better quit messing around, or you will start to know that even the lowest pain setting can drive someone mad if you're forced to suffer it prolongedly." The berserker commented and I looked at him, visibly scared, looking down from the tree I jumped on. Then I giggled mischievously and climbed higher. My climbing speed was very high. Although the extra weight affected me, it wasn't as severe if I had run. Movement speed mostly affected the running speed or the dodging rate, but minor movements of arms and legs weren't lowered so much. Especially since I had a skill I got after hunting birds and squirrels. It was a dark era for me, indeed, but those pests kept attacking me at my weakest and I had to learn to kill them fast and efficiently so I wouldn't almost die because of them anymore.
The skill read:
[experienced tree climbing lvl 3 (passive)
Description: Tree climbing is a lot easier with lots of experience and grudge for hunting everything living on or besides trees.
Effect: Movement speed while climbing trees is enhanced by 5 + 0,15 x current level. (11,6)
Every pursuer suffers a decrease in movement speed by 10%
Remarks: This is the solution for a squirrel trauma. Try to find and pet them. If you survive petting them, then try to feed birds. Baby steps to success!]
"Try to catch me!" I screamed from above. Which wasn't a good idea, I must comment. They were enraged and their mage began shooting the tree with magic. Luckily I chose a tree with fire resistant bark and leaves that incinerated only with great difficulty. As long as they didn't shoot acid, I was almost safe here. My grin grew wider. Because I saw a bird fly up. It was a few dozen meters away, but it was more than enough. I would survive. And maybe kill them all.
"Imbeciles, are you too stupid to catch me? Can you even aim properly?" The mage just shooted more furiously, while the others took out their equipment or long-range skills to kill me or pluck me from the tree. But most of them either didn't reach me or I could dodge in the time it needed to fly towards me.
I began to cast [slippery floor] vertically, encasing parts of the tree in ice, so that he was slick with water. Some of them even tried to climb it while others bombarded the bark encased with ice. They were focused on me and my antics and even had to protect themselves as I rained down fireballs and other offensive spells. As a battle mage, I received a few bonuses the more people I fought against. The higher the level, the greater the effects and the borders until which one could receive bonuses. As a low ranking battle mage, it was capped at ten and with the five people facing me, my stats were increased by 10%. It wasn't much, but it distracted them well for a short time.
And when they heard the monsters break through the shrubbery, it was already too late.
Wolf-type monsters as well as more from the deer-like monsters accompanied by many others gathered in a horde to feast on the prey laying on the clearing. The blood of the intact bodies as well as of the sliced corpses lured them and coupled with the fact that monsters were attracted to players and basically rushed to kill them, it was no wonder the unprepared party was run over. Unable to resist properly, they were besieged from all directions, their team split apart and couldn't regroup while everything around them was crowded.
I watched them being clawed, eaten and ripped apart until they shattered into sparks one after another. In favor of not risking their survival I didn't interfere with their death. It was also a measure of mine to not receive the raised number of player kills. Although there were no illegal player kills since we weren't in a safe zone, I still couldn't kill other players as easily as them if I had a high player kill count. Sadly it was visible for those with a higher level as me as well as all people 4 levels lesser than mine. So I gave up the possible rewards for killing the players and focused on the monster horde. Herding was a time-consuming activity. It was often dangerous, too. But this time I had no choice. Now I had to kill the horde to leave the woods. It would cost me a bit of time, but at least, I could finish my mission and my morale. Sometimes it was important not to die to preserve my self-worth. Because if it would forever hit rock-bottom, I would lose faith in myself and my motivation to try. Even small successes made my mentality bloom like a flower and swell with pride. I had done it. I won. And they died although they were stronger and outnumbered me. It gave me confidence and a sense of pride, that I maybe should crush; It could only lead to overconfidence to pride oneself too high.
But it was what I needed to pick myself up after Coven's death. Before he would have encouraged me, build me up and helped me grow as a person. In his death I would have to learn from everything he taught me to find my way to overcome these hurdles alone now. Noone would encourage me anymore but myself. The thought made my eyes burn. I let fire rain from the sky and turned the world under me in a blazing inferno, sprayed acid to kill any monster resisting the fire and watched as charred corpses emerged from the remains of the slaughter. The monsters on the edges of the flames were still intact. They died because of the smoke they inhaled or of wounds inflicted by either other monsters or the players who died earlier.
I picked up all the corpses I needed and those who I could sell to collect enough money for assassins and the drops that laid around as well as those who were shown on the pop-up-windows in my line of sight.
After this fight, I was considerably richer and happier. I fought fire with fire. While Coven was burned by flames, I would use them to avenge him and any other means to drag those down who stood in my way.
It was only the beginning. I had time. I had patience. I would be relentless until I found and killed the murderer. Again. And again and yet again until they would leave Falan forever. I would evict them of this world and erase them from this game.
In the real world, I couldn't harm them. But here, in this world, I could become their worst nightmare.
_____________
Skills I used:
[experienced tree climbing lvl.3] (passive)
Description: Tree climbing is a lot easier with lots of experience and grudge for hunting everything living on or besides trees.
Effect: Movement speed while climbing trees is enhanced by 5 + 0,15 x current level.
Every pursuer suffers a decrease in movement speed by 10%
Remarks: This is the solution for a squirrel trauma. Try to find and pet them. If you survive petting them, then try to feed birds. Baby steps to success!]
[acid bullet lvl.2] (active)
Description: Toxic acid with corrosive components.
Damage: Deals 500 corrosive damage +2(skill lvl) x (lvl). For ten seconds it causes 20 x 2(skill lvl) continued corrosive damage. (Continued corrosive damage can't be overlapped.)
Effect: Bullet of acid can be shot as long as you have enough mana.
Cost: 25 mana per acid bullet
Remarks: Try using it to spice up your meals. It will melt your taste buds more than chilli sauce.
[double casting lvl.11] (active)
Description: Double up every spell.
Effect: The higher the level, the more spells you can cast at once. (Maximum [skill level]: 11 spells at once)
Cost: 1 mana extra each spell you cast.
Remarks: Can be useful if you want to cook or to simulate the feeling of burning like a witch on the stakes but instead in a rain of fire.
> Special condition: If more than five spells of the same school are used, the [rain] effect will be triggered and the following spells of the same school need 25% less mana to cast.
> [fire rain]
> [acid rain]