“Guess I should break out the Loot Lure,” Sam said, moving a little closer.
She pulled the item from her inventory and prepared to use it. It looked a little like a miniature fishing rod as she pointed it toward the loot box. A line of laser light shot from the end of the small lure and hit the center of the box, at which point it vanished from sight.
>> LOOT BOX ACQUIRED [GREEN RARITY]
“Got it,” Sam said unnecessarily. She turned around and pointed to the other dead hobgoblins. “So, that’s it? We only get one loot box?”
[Nero] In this case, yes. The number and variety of loot boxes will depend on each encounter, but as you are only in the starting area of the contest, you do not have access to higher-level loot boxes or rewards. For the most part, you will only receive a single loot box when defeating a boss-level character or completing a mission.
As if in recognition of what Nero had just said, a quest completion notification appeared.
>> QUEST COMPLETED: Class Act.
Congratulations! You successfully killed all members of Grinko Maas’s raiding party and survived to tell the tale. Hobgoblin children throughout the Dominion will quiver in fear at the mere mention of your name. At least, they would have done if you’d left any survivors. Now, the deaths of Grinko Maas and his band of marauding morons will go down in history as a simple mystery.
QUEST REWARDS: 300 Belch Bucks
BONUS REWARD: 50 Belch Bucks [Max Kills]
Pete breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the money he just earned appear in his wallet. He felt a strange kind of security having that money. Even though being broke had provided him with an incredible ability that he could see himself using again and again in the future, walking around with nothing in his wallet was more than a little nerve-wracking given the nature of this contest.
“Hey!” Sam blurted. “He gets a bonus for killing more hobgoblins than I did?”
[Nero] Indeed, he does. You will find that the Mammon System provides additional rewards for various feats and achievements. In this case, Pete killed more of the hobgoblins than anyone else, so he is entitled to a small bonus. This may not happen with every encounter, but the purpose of these early skirmishes is to get you all acclimatized to the contest and the various functions the System performs.
Pete turned to face her. “So it showed that bonus on your display as well?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but it had your name next to it, so I could tell I wasn’t getting that money.”
“I could see it too,” Coop added. “Seemed like gibberish to me, but I guess money is a good thing.”
[Nero] As you are all technically in a party together, you will each be able to see expanded versions of System announcements that encompass all members of the party. In this case, you were all able to see Pete’s bonus. This also means, if you purchase a communications package, you will be able to chat with one another by means of an inbuilt mental communications function.
“You mean we can talk to each other just by thought?” Pete asked.
[Nero] Precisely. Being able to communicate in this fashion can be quite beneficial, particularly if you are separated by some distance or unable to vocalize traditional communications due to injury or duress. Here is a more thorough explanation.
+| COINLINK AUGMENT: A series of enchanted coins stamped with a mirrored sigil that are augmented to a player’s gauntlet. When one bearer thinks into the coin, the words ripple across an invisible ledger and manifest as a whisper in the minds of the other linked holders. Each Coinlink set is attuned to its party only—outsiders can’t intercept the “transaction.”
FEATURES:
>> Direct Mental Chat: The Coinlink projects communicative thoughts, allowing allies to communicate with one another at the speed of thought.
>> Silent Channel: No sound is produced; outsiders cannot eavesdrop on party conversations.
>> Range: Functions flawlessly up to 1 mile between linked coins.
>> Split Channels: Party members can broadcast communications to all party members or direct messages to a subgroup within the party or even an individual.
>> Limited Transfer: Party members can transfer limited amounts of funds directly via the Coinlink facility, allowing funds to be shared throughout the group where needed.
“Okay, great,” Pete said. “How much?”
[Nero] A hundred and fifty Belch Bucks per unit.
“Fuck!” Pete blurted. “Seriously? Why the hell does everything cost so much money in this damned contest?”
[Nero] It is the nature of the Mammon System, Pete, and the Dominion Ultrimax Contest itself. The acquisition and shrewd application of wealth are as much a requirement for success as is the ability to slaughter your enemies and rise through the ranks. Those who succeed in gladiatorial combat are not merely the strongest or greatest fighters, but those who are able to acquire and spend coin wisely. You will find that the requirement to buy upgrades, augments, and vital quest components will continue to the very highest levels of the contest.
“Pay to win,” Sam said with a nod. “Speaking of which, I see a bunch of weapons lying around. I’m gonna start picking them up so we can sell them.”
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Pete nodded. “Okay, I’ll pick up any trash loot I can find. Nero, I’m gonna start searching these hobgoblin bodies, but I don’t want to accidentally touch anything valuable and drop its value. Is there a way to check beforehand whether they’ve got anything valuable on them?”
[Nero] Perhaps you could use a pair of tongs to inspect items. You should be able to tell what quality they are without having to physically touch them.
“And where the hell would I get a pair of tongs out here?”
[Nero] I am still not completely familiar with your world, Pete. However, I am led to believe that most human households contain several pairs of tongs or tong-like devices. You use them to prod at various meats and cookery items, do you not? Those that are in the process of being seared over flames to make the foods more pleasant to your organic palate.
“Yeah, I get the idea, but all the houses are locked down by this damned contest, so how the hell am I supposed to get hold of a pair of tongs when I can't get into any of the buildings?”
“Motorhome,” Coop suggested. “There’s bound to be a bunch around here and sure as shit a few of them will have tongs in them.”
Pete shook his head. “I’m not gonna go searching through hobgoblin pockets with a pair of damned tongs for fuck’s sake. That’ll take forever. I’ll just try to be careful before I pick anything up.”
He caught sight of Sam, who was holding the loot box she’d acquired in her hands, tossing it up and down like it was a ball.
“Weighs hardly anything,” she said. “I hope that means there’s not a paper crown or something like that inside.”
Pete grinned at that. “Why don’t you open it and let’s see. Then we can pick up all the other stuff.”
She shook her head, and the loot box vanished as it popped back into her inventory. “Nah, let’s save it until last. Make it a nice surprise once we’re done.”
Sam frowned as she looked past Pete. She pointed at the trio of horrified figures standing just behind him, and Pete turned around to see that the three goblins were huddled together, the two smaller ones ducking in behind their leader.
Each of them was staring wide-eyed, their former calm confidence completely shattered. The goblin at the front of the group stood with his mouth open, and there was blood spattered all over his white robe.
“The…pppp….Path…” was all he could manage as he clutched the religious book to his chest.
Pete walked over, frowning down at the trio of goblins and wondering why their demeanor had changed so much. Surely they knew that they were standing smack bang in the middle of a deadly gladiatorial contest. Surely they’d seen death like this before.
“You okay, little guy?” Pete asked.
The goblin looked up at him, stuttering and shaking. “Sssso…much…dddd…death.”
Pete turned around and considered the carnage all around him. He supposed it would be quite shocking to someone who hadn’t played as many video games and watched as many horror movies as Pete had.
Now that he thought about it, the fact that he’d been able to start killing goblins and hobgoblins without stopping to wonder at how brutal those acts were was a little disturbing. Then again, he’d been forced to protect himself, at least in the beginning, so that was probably just down to adrenaline and the need to survive.
He looked at the two closest hobgoblin corpses. He hadn’t been simply protecting himself with these two, though. He could have run away. But then they needed the cash, and, after all, this was just a giant game, wasn’t it?
A game where humanity was being invaded by space-faring goblins and the entire world had been turned into a gigantic game arena.
Sam shook her head, walking away. “Well, I’m gonna leave you to it. Got some axes to loot. I’m also gonna check those big-ass hobgoblin cars. See if there’s anything we can swipe.”
Pete nodded, his attention still fixed on the goblins.
“So…much…bb..bbb…blood!” the head goblin said. “I’ve never…seen so much…blood.”
“Stinkin’ Commies,” Coop grumbled by his side. “They sprout all that equality nonsense, but when it comes down to it, they’re just yellow-bellied rats with—”
“Coop!” Pete snapped, motioning to the goblins. “Read the room. They’re obviously scared shitless.”
“That’s my point,” Coop pressed. “If you’re gonna stand there dressed like a monk in the middle of a warzone, you should expect to see some shit!”
Ignoring the ferret, Pete turned back to the main goblin. “Haven’t you seen fighting like this before?”
The little figure looked up at Pete, eyes wide, his demeanor completely changed.
“Shit no, dude! This is my first gig, and I only signed up with The Pious Path of the Penniless Penitent because I heard there were orgies.”
The female goblin behind him frowned, backing away a little as the goblin continued.
“I mean, they said it was a contest and that I’d be near some violence, but not like this.” He motioned down to his blood-slick robes. “I’m covered in guts and gore for Grag’s sake.”
The goblin shook his head, throwing his sacred book to the ground.
“Nope. No, I’m not doing this. No way.”
He started stripping out of his robes while the other two goblins backed away in confusion and alarm.
“I’m not gonna die in some shitty backwater world just because I haven’t had my first orgy yet.”
“But we don’t do orgies,” the other male goblin said with a look of confusion. “That’s just what they do to help recruit new Penitents.”
The first goblin’s eyes went wide. “WHAT?! Why the shit didn’t you tell me that! All this time, the shitty food, these crappy robes, and all that guff about memorizing scripture and bringing in as many new converts as possible. I bust my hump for weeks trying to fit in and now you’re telling me that there are NO ORGIES?!”
The other goblin shrugged as their female companion stepped forward.
“But Craig, what about The Path? What about our holy mission?”
He ripped his robes up over his head and tossed them on the ground, revealing a bony green body with nothing but a white loincloth.
“Fuck your holy mission! I joined for the babes and the orgies. Now I find out that was all a lie.” He jammed a finger toward her face. “You should be ashamed of yourselves, dangling orgies in front of poor unsuspecting goblins like me just to lure them into your stupid cult.”
Without another word, he turned and ran, thrusting three fingers of one hand in the air as he belted away in what Pete presumed was the goblin equivalent of the middle finger.
“Screw this noise! I’m out!”
“Craig?” the female goblin said, clutching her book to her chest as though it was a protective talisman. “Craig?!”
The two goblins turned back to Pete, their eyes swollen with tears. They were staring up at him as though they expected Pete to offer some words of comfort, something that would ease their trauma.
“Go on! Get!” Coop barked, charging toward the pair and flashing her claws in the air like a little lion taking a swipe at them.
The white-clad goblins flinched, backing away as she continued the offensive.
“Get your Commie asses out’a here!” the ferret barked.
The two goblins turned and fled, running in the opposite direction to their former leader to the accompanying sound of bitter weeping. Pete looked down at the ferret as Coop spun around and strutted toward him.
“You didn’t have to chase them off for God’s sake. They were harmless.”
“They were baggage, and you can’t afford to carry a couple of goblin freeloaders while you’re trying to haul your ass through a life-and-death contest, can you?”
Pete opened his mouth to reply but found that Coop was absolutely right. The goblins would be a liability, and they’d likely get killed the next time he and his group came up against another enemy. Then again…
“Wait, I was never gonna bring them with us. I was just saying you didn’t have to shoo them off like that.”
Coop shook her head, walking over to the closest dead hobgoblin and giving the body a sniff.
“So, you were going to just leave them here to fend for themselves?”
“Yeah… well, I mean…”
“You weren’t going to try and take them; you were going to leave them here to get picked off by one of those vomiting wolf creatures or the next pack of hobgoblin bastards that comes by? That’s cruel, Pete. Cruel. At least they’ve got a chance of surviving if they run.”
As much as he hated to admit it, she kind of had a point, provided he followed her crazy logic. While Pete was still contemplating this, the ferret burrowed into one of the dead hobgoblin’s pockets and started rummaging around.
“The hell are you doing?” Pete asked.
The little ferret continued burrowing, ignoring his question entirely.