Henry lifted the FIVR lid, stepped out, and walked to the kitchen to grab a package of spicy ramen. He filled a bowl with water, dumped in the package ingredients, opened the spice packet, and shoved the bowl into the microwave.
While the microwave counted down to zero, he clicked on the tv and scroll his remote to the online news channel. The anchors were going crazy predicting the winners and talking about the different beasts that would appear in various regions.
On the forum, people were praising the developers for the wave of EXP. Some players were cautious, but most were unbelievably excited and debated the contents of the treasure chest prizes.
But Thaddeus was curious to see if there was a settlement page created yet. It didn't take him long until he found the City Building subforum. The subforum had over 10 million views and 50,000 followers.
Both guild and individual settlement owners gave city-build tips. The number one piece of advice, purchase as many laborers and slaves as you can feed. Players bragged about spending millions of dollars to build their settlements.
The game update did two things, it allowed settlement building, and it allowed people to exchange their Dollars, Euros, and Pounds for gold. Wealthy players spent billions to upgrade the equipment, fund their guilds, and build their guild settlements.
But Thaddeus didn't care about any of that stuff. He enjoyed working on his farmstead and enjoyed building with his two hands. He didn't plan on competing to see whose settlement upgraded the fastest.
It seemed like building a keep, sawmill, and carpentry shops were the most difficult and time-consuming to construct. Followed by a blacksmith shop and bunkhouse. Bunkhouse surprised him. He'd never heard the term before, but it was simply a barrack-like place for laborers to sleep.
He also found it amusing that players were building keeps, no doubt they wanted to sit on their thrones as soon as possible. But…keeps did make for a good defensible building. If he built a fortress, on the hill overlooking his hamlet, he wondered if he could draw the beasts away.
Unfortunately, that was the best plan so far. But he still needed to research more. He wanted to know what other people were strategizing. The more he read, the more a persistent rumor kept appearing. The rumor said new settlements had a three-month protection period. Thus, a large group of people planned to log out and check on their territory in the morning.
Guild members were required to participate. Every guild wanted to earn a top spot in the Beast Wave rankings. Guilds were quick to purchase every weapon, armor, and potion they could get their hands on.
Finally, after scrolling for an hour, he found a second helpful piece of advice. One player announced she purchased a group of five adventurers to protect her territory for five gold. People warned her she was scammed, but she didn't listen. Paying 50,000 coppers to a group or 10,000 per adventurer to protect her farmstead was exuberant. But it was still a good idea. Instead of purchasing an adventurer, he'd ask Dhruvah for help.
He felt much better now that he had a beginning of an idea. When he returned to the game, he'd ask Alfred to run the numbers. If the success rate was high enough, he builds a fortress and recruit Dhruvah.
When the microwave timer hit zero it beeped, Thaddeus got up from his kitchen table pulled out the hot bowl, and slowly ate the meal as he scrolled through Forum's Popular subforum. He scrolled past the beast wave discussions and read a subforum about the first in-game auction.
Someone, whose parents worked at Buena Vista, said their parents told them, the first in-game player auction was scheduled for July 1. From what others posted, this player was the first to break the news about the beast wave.
Most VRMMORPG games had an auction within the first six months and one at the end of the year. Some games had an auction three times the first year. In the second year, there might be one or two, and then no more. If you missed your chance, too bad.
After eating, he took a shower and ran errands. He needed to purchase more nutrient capsules and groceries. He also paid his bills. Running out of nutrient capsules or having his FIVR shut down while in the game worried him. He didn't want to be ejected from the game in a mid-axe swing.
After the errands were finished and the bills were paid, he cleaned his FIVR and logged back into the game.
When he logged back in it was 3 am. But he was restless and couldn't sleep. He crawled out of his bed, down the loft, and outside. The morning was peaceful, no doubt the developer wanted to give players a free evening.
"Alfred, I want to build a fortress on top of the hill. What is the likelihood the animals will attack me and not Woodhaerst? Also, what's my likelihood of survival," Thaddeus said
"Yes, sir. From my calculations, your chance of survival is 89% and there is a 95% likelihood the beasts attack the fortress and not your hamlet," Alfred explained.
Thaddeus was happy his plan would protect his hamlet, but he wanted to know how to increase his survivability. "Alfred what can I do to increase my likelihood of survival?"
"Learn a short-range skill," Alfred suggested bluntly like Thaddeus was dumb for even asking.
"What if Dhruvah helps me?" Thaddeus asked feeling slightly offended.
"There's a 60% he's under the effect of the Blood Moon and kills you. If he's not, then your chance of survival is 99%." Alfred explained the gamble.
That was good enough for him. He ran over to the hill and used his skill in Architecture to design a simple small stone fortress, big enough to house a barrack, stable and small two-story keep. But all Thaddeus cared about were the walls. He designed the hill and got to work making the stone walls and parapets.
"Sir, without a keep or great hall, the likelihood of beasts attacking the hamlet increases by 20%," Alfred warned.
'I wonder why beasts' hate keeps?' Thaddeus thought.
"Sir keeps are where most lords reside. By attacking the keep, beasts or an invading army attack a territory's center of power and authority. You, sir, are the only settlement owner who lives in a yurt," he explained.
'Was it him or was that another passive-aggressive comment?' Thaddeus thought but chose to ignore the comment.
According to the translucent green 3D instructions he had to cast [Stone Wall] four times to make the 24-foot outer wall and battlements, as well as a 12-foot wooden door. For the sake of time, he made the door with boards he planned to use for the farmhouse.
The first wall was the tallest with crenellations. The other three walls would allow the guards space to walk as they patrolled the walls and landscape. By the time the walls were finished, it was 4 am, because Thaddeus had to rest and let his MP recover twice.
When he finished, he built a small grand hall, which consisted of three 10-foot stone walls and a stone roof. The back of the grand hall was against the castle's interior wall. To finish the grand hall, he'd need to build a 6-foot table, chairs, two chandeliers, and a door. But that was a problem for later down the road.
Next, he built the 36-foot keep outer walls and three floors, which was the minimum he could get away with. As long as the keep and great hall were sufficiently "under construction," the beasts would attack the keep first.
"Congratulations, sir. There is now a 96% chance the beast will leave your settlement alone until the keep and great hall are destroyed," Alfred said robotically.
By the time he finished, it was 7 am. He raced back to the yurt to let the animals out and do his chores. He was two hours behind his normal progress, but he didn't care. His first priority was to protect his settlement.
After he finished his chores, he ate. His character was already debuffed to hunger. He ate a three-heaping portion of bread and eggs before his hunger was satiated and the debuff went away. Big body, big appetite, and his tall 7-foot muscular frame ate food like a machine. Thaddeus looked at his tan skin and toned body. He looked stronger, but he added stat points to strength, nor had he leveled up in a long time.
"Alfred, what's going on with my character body?" Thaddeus asked confused.
"Due to your constant crafting work, your body has become stronger and leaner," he explained.
"Why didn't I receive notifications?" Thaddeus asked.
"This is not an achievement. Constant work will tone your body over time. Whether you swing a sword, axe, or hammer you tone your body in a variety of ways. Other players have noticed this," Alfred said pulling up the Combat Physical subforum.
Alfred was right, a group of body enthusiasts was the first to document their bodies getting stronger, learner, and more toned, from repeated exercise and weight lifting. Heaven's Gate was the first game to allow players to get stronger by working out, in addition to the normal combat kill level-ups.
Taking his shirt off, Thaddeus worked without stopping to finish two more houses. When he finished it was late afternoon. He sat down inside the house, ate some jerky he made, and looked up at the sky. The sun was setting over the mountain range. He didn't see the moon yet, but he did start to feel uneasy. After snaking on jerky and a slice of bread, he drank large gulps of water to wash it down. The food made him feel better and less anxious.
He looked at the timer. The Beast Wave would start in two hours. He walked to the forge and sharpened his axe, then moved the animals into the fortress. By the time he was finished, there was less than an hour remaining.
The evening turned darker than a normal summer's night. The bright red Blood Moon lit up the evening sky, he could landscape clearly but he felt cold. There was a cold chill in the air. Thaddeus stared at the moon, he couldn't take his eyes away. It was both beautiful and mysterious. He only likes away when red mist began spreading through the forest and slowly floated throughout the prairie.
He quickly climbed up the stairs and looked out over the battlements. From this height, he could see his entire territory. He swiveled his head East towards the forest, South to the river, and West to the prairie and mountains. He didn't know what animals to expect, and how many would be in each wave. But he knew even if he had to die a thousand times, he'd protect what's his.
With sword and shield out, he was ready as he'd ever been. He sent a quick prayer to Demeter watching the beast wave timer click down to zero.
He looked out and saw…nothing. What was going on, where was the wave of massive cougars or wolves? Nothing was attacking. He felt disappointed.
"Below, sir," Alfred called.
He looked down and saw mounds of dirt moving toward him. Burrowing animals were the first wave of attack. That would make it difficult to kill them. When they got close to the fortress they burrowed out from the ground.
He quickly analyzed them and saw they were Level 20 Steel-Teeth Prairie Dogs. The beasts were quick, small, no bigger than a foot, and looked like big squirrels with two sharp teeth.
Thaddeus jumped off the battlements and crushed a Prairie Dog to death. He looked, and sure enough, he lost 200 HP from the jump. But it looked cool and was something he secretly wanted to do for a long time.
On the ground, he chopped his way through the first wave of 50 Prairie Dogs as they tried to bite his legs. Thanks to Demeter's blessing of triple healing to residents and animals, he healed as fast. But that didn't stop it from hurting like hell when it ripped through his leg.
They were quick and burrowed underground when they were injured. The was hard to kill them. Slowly, he was able to kill 20 to 30 when their attack pattern changed. Instead of swarming him, they burrowed underground and surprised and attacked him. But before he could kill them, they'd disappear underground.
He activated his skill Surveyor and closed his eyes. He could sense the ground below him. He could see the little buggers moving around and there was one behind getting ready to attack. When it burrowed out from the ground Thaddeus cleaved and chopped it to death. He could now fight back, that was a good feeling. It wasn't long until he killed, he killed the rest, and that's when the Prairie Dog Boss stuck its head above ground and angrily stared at him.
He analyzed the boss and saw it was Level 25 Prairie Dog Boss. The boss was twice as fast as the ones below and its teeth were longer and thicker. Thaddeus swung his axe, but the boss dodged and bit off his foot.
"Fuck, that hurt!" Thaddeus yelled as blood spurted out from his ankle. He checked his most recent notification.
System Message: You lose 478 damage. You are under a bleed effect, you lose 30 HP for the next 5 minutes.
Using Surveyor, he dodged the boss's next attack and used cleaved at the boss' head above ground. He heard a "cling" as the boss blocked the swing with his teeth and the boss went back underground.
When the boss reappeared a second later somewhere else, Thaddeus spun, and activated Bash, slamming his shield into the back of the boss's head, and cleaving him. He continued to chop at the boss until he woke up. Thaddeus repeated the same attack and on the third time, he finally managed to kill the boss.
System Message: First Wave Completed. Time: 26 minutes and 37 seconds. Global Rank 236. Settlement Rank: 25. Time Until Next Wave: 5 minutes.
Thaddeus drank a healing potion and watched as his foot reappeared. He walked to where his foot and boot were bitten off. He looked inside the boot and saw his old foot. He picked up the bloody stump and buried it.
Then he went back inside to rest and prepared for the third wave. Five minutes later he heard a familiar howl. He looked outside and saw a pack of seven coyotes. It was the same pack he found when he arrived and the same pack he saw in the forest.
"Alfred, if I kill mobs outside the forest, in my territory, do they respawn?" Thaddeus asked.
"That is correct, sir," he replied.
Thaddeus was thrilled. That meant this pack of coyotes would die today and never respawn. After he killed these coyotes, he planned to loot their den.
Thaddeus stepped outside the fortress door and bashed the nearest coyote. Two strikes late it died. The coyotes were incensed by the quick attack. As a pack, they all jumped to claw his face. He swung and cleaved a second coyote in half midair. The other five coyotes landed on him, one clawed his face and raked his claws across his cheek. But before the coyote could get away, Thaddeus slammed his axe into the back of the coyote's head killing it. He bashed two more coyotes stunning them before he killed them.
The last three coyotes surrounded him, their eyes were red with bloodlust. Two coyotes came from his side and another from behind. He swung his axe and shield in a different direction. One coyote hit his shield, another hit his axe, and the third bit the same leg as his new foot.
The coyote that hit his axe died and he cleaved the coyote who bit his leg. Looking at his HP dropping he could tell he was back under a bleeding effect. He quickly killed the last coyote and went back inside the fortress to rest. Sitting on the stairs that led to battlement, he checked the rankings.
System Message: Second Wave Completed. Time: 10 minutes and 57 seconds. Global Rank 196. Settlement Rank: 10. Time Until Next Wave: 5 minutes.
Thaddeus rested and watched his HP crawl back up to full. When the timer returned to zero, he heard a different howl.
He walked up the stairs and looked over the battlements. He saw 26, Level 30 to 35 Timberwolves running in a straight line out of the forest to the fortress. He knew fighting them alone meant death. Just to be sure checked his last level-up notification:
System Message Congratulations you reach Level 24. +5 Stat Points
He watched as the wolves waited for him to come out. When they realized he wasn't coming, they started to attack the fortress.
"Sir, the fortress is under attack!" Alfred warned.
Thaddeus ignored him and looked at the wolves ferociously clawing at the fortress. Their blood-red eyes looked at him murderously. He debated what to do when he realized something. All the wolves were scratching at the fort, their hind legs dug into the ground so they could law the wall.
"Sir, the fortress has dropped a 1-point in durability," Alfred warned.
"[Erosion]," Thaddeus cast, as the ground around the fortress, disappeared along with the wolves. Thaddeus MP for the third time today reached zero.
System Message:
Third Wave Completed. Time: 5 minutes and 42 seconds. Global Rank 122. Settlement Rank: 5. Time Until Final Wave: 5 minutes
Five minutes later, Thaddeus heard a loud howl. He watched as a majestic Timberwolf walked out of the forest. He was over 6 feet tall. Thaddeus tried to analyze it but instead, he received a system message:
System Message: Your Analyze Skill is not the sufficient
"Sir, I detect mana coming from the wolf," Alfred said.
"Mana! You mean that wolf can cast spells!" Thaddeus said in shock.
"Yes, it's preparing an attack spell now. might I advise you to duck and cover your ears," Alfred suggested.
Thaddeus ducked down below the wall and covered his ears, just before the wolf let out a monstrous bark. A tornado force of wind slammed against the fortress shaking it. Even with his hands over his ears he still was affected by the spell.
System Message: You lose 98 damage. Your eardrums have burst. Due to the Wolf Boss' attack, you have lost the ability to hear for 1 minute.
Thaddeus stood up. He didn't plan to give up just because he was outmatched. He activated Growl and taunted the boss and summon Dhruvah.
The enraged Wolf boss ran like the wind and slammed into the fortress like a battering ram. He slammed against the walls again and again shook the entire fortress, and sent pieces of stone crumbling down. He only stopped again when he saw Dhruvah approaching.
"Sir, can you hear me? The fortress is under attack! Its durability is dropping quickly! And Dhruvah is under the effect of the blood moon."