Timothy Nugent Author
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Chapter 72 - Arachne
🕑 Added 2024-10-18 13:00:04 +0000 UTCBlake slowed his old diesel truck to a crawl as he navigated the potholes in the rutted forest road. He sat almost thirty minutes north of Payson, Arizona, just below the Mogollon Rim. The Rim was the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau, and jutted upwards over a thousand feet into the sky for over two hundred miles.
The cliff-face itself was relatively sparse of vegetation, but above and beneath it grew lush evergreens that climbed over a hundred feet high. Blake was a quarter of a mile away from the rock face, on a network of old dirt and gravel forest roads, which spider webbed throughout the forest.
It had rained just the day before, and he was concerned that he may get his truck, or the trailer of materials he towed behind it, stuck in the mud. The flatbed trailer was stacked high with over a thousand pounds worth of wood, stone, and bits of metal.
The metal was not needed to construct the level one faction hall. However, after he summoned his companion, he had learned they would not be able to transport materials to the new faction town until after he constructed a warehouse.
Ideally, they would immediately construct a warehouse once the faction hall was assembled. Unfortunately, it required a level two faction hall, which in turn required a metal workshop, wood workshop, and a quarry.
His trailer load did not have anywhere close to the amount of materials needed to construct that many structures. However, it had more than enough to get started, and they could always either harvest the resources locally, or haul another load in.
Shit!
A downed tree lay across the road. He stopped the vehicle, put on the parking brake, and exited to examine the tree. It was almost two feet in diameter, and over fifty feet tall. The tree had obviously fallen sometime during the winter, and the forest service had yet to clear the way.
Blake grasped onto a thick branch and heaved in an attempt to pull the heavy arbor off the roadway. He cursed as the offshoot splintered away from the main trunk, and he stumbled backward, defeated.
Stupid tree.
He kicked the large plant in anger, but it refused to budge.
Let’s see just how strong I am right now.
With a Physical Power of thirty-one point seven, Blake was over six times stronger than an Olympic level weightlifter. He estimated that with the proper leverage, he could lift a three ton object. If this tree weighed under four tons, he was sure he could at least drag it off the road.
However, when he wrapped both arms around the trunk and heaved, it would not budge, no matter how many different grips and stances he tried.
Just how much does this damn tree weigh?
After almost ten minutes of failure, he decided to chop it to pieces rather than drag it off the road. Unfortunately, Blake had replaced his old self-repairing sword with a new chi spear he had earned by defeating the level three scenario.
He collected the higher level weapon from the bed of the truck, stomped over to the roadblock, and slammed it into the center of the trunk. The tip of the spear sank a quarter inch into the wood and became lodged within. He yanked the shaft out, and inspected the small incision.
That’s it? This is going to take all day!
Blake briefly considered building the satellite town here, at the side of the road. He was sure he could find a large clearing for the level one faction hall, and, with axes, they could clear-cut enough forest to place additional structures.
No, it’s too far from the portal.
The road continued to the base of the cliff, which is where the Arachne portal was located. Blake wanted his new town to be as close to the scenario as possible, as they would rely on it for off world materials, and leveling.
Let’s see what adding chi does.
He checked his heads-up display and found that his chi reserve was a bit over fifty percent full. Blake had healed the last of his wounds just a few hours before, which required most of his energy, and in the time since had only recovered half his pool.
That’s good enough.
He reflexively siphoned chi into the conduits engraved upon the spear until the tip glowed bright with chi. In his past life, it had taken him days of trial and error before he was able to accomplish the complex task. There was no skill associated with it, which would download the necessary information into his head, or tutorial to guide him in the process. Instead, much to Rajesh’s consternation, he had to go by feel.
Once the end of his spear was enhanced with chi, he once again slammed it into the center of the trunk. This time, the tip sank three inches before it became lodged. It was an improvement, but not the end result that Blake aimed for.
He flared his chi and closed his eyes.
A wave of force, centered around the tip of his spear, expanded outward. Chips of wood peppered him and left whelps along his unprotected skin. When the dust finally cleared, he examined the new void left within the trunk and nodded.
An almost perfect sphere, six inches in diameter, was missing from the tree. He checked his energy levels once again and found that the exercise had expended six percent of his chi.
I should have enough.
It took another three chi explosions to fully cut through the log. Unfortunately, he had to repeat the process on the opposite side of the road if he wanted to drive his vehicle through. Five minutes later, he easily rolled the newly cut, ten-foot section off the road and climbed back in the old truck.
When his vehicle reached the end of the old road, he found exactly what he remembered, a clearing in the forest, at least a hundred feet wide. The glade ran all the way up to the base of the cliff, which is where the portal was located.
This is perfect.
He unloaded all the materials from his trailer and stacked them neatly along the side of the road. Once that task was completed, he opened his interface and chose to construct a faction hall. The wire-frame hologram appeared before him.
Blake rotated the building, moved it near the center of the clearing, and then accepted the placement. He dragged the five hundred pounds of wood and one hundred and fifty pounds of stone over to the building and fed it twenty mega-nano to start the assembly process.
Just six hours, nice!
Unlike the first time he constructed a faction hall, this time he supplied it with cut boards rather than whole trees. The processed lumber cut the assembly time almost in half.
Once it began, he dusted off his hands and contacted Jessica. Without a smartphone and the ability to share a GPS location, it took quite a while before she was confident in his directions. She verified them through satellite imagery and promised to arrive shortly after the completion of the faction hall.
Okay, time to check out the Arachne portal.
For weeks now, Blake had endlessly fought against the Manders.
With his level one spells, evolutions, and attribute placements, it was the most efficient scenario he could complete. He had meticulously planned his level one build with the direct goal of soloing a scenario two levels above him.
Blake had accomplished that goal and upgraded his achievement.
His next goal for his personal growth was to gain one point six billion nano and reach level two. Once he did so, he would no longer tailor his spells and attributes to a specific enemy. After all, he would need to complete many unique scenarios, scattered throughout the state, to gather materials for his growing town.
He knew killing Manders was still the fastest way to accomplish his new goal, but could not bring himself to return to their caves just yet. The Arachne scenario offered a break from the monotony, and would serve as a diversion, even if it only rewarded him around ten million nano at level one.
At least I get to keep most of what I earn now.
Before he left, he had met with his mother and established a ten percent income tax on all nano gains. The income from their non-combat classes would be minimal for now, but with three separate combat teams clearing scenarios, the treasury would slowly start to fill up.
He estimated the three teams would bring in one point five million nano per day at their current rate. Once they began clearing two scenarios per day, that number would double.
Of course, Blake would still be the largest contributor through taxes. His Scion of Humanity title doubled his nano gain, and he could clear two scenarios per day, each a level above him. That would grant him around a hundred mega-nano per day. Ten percent of that would now go directly to the town treasury to pay for new buildings and upgrades.
Eventually, when they had far more members, his own contribution would be a small percentage of the total rather than the vast majority. However, they still had three and a half months until Invasion day. Until then, they had to stay under the radar, and could not go on a recruiting spree.
Enough math, time to do this.
Blake turned sideways to enter the small crevice in the cliff. He ducked below a low overhang, and then straightened when he entered the tiny cave. His fingers traced the rock to his side as he blindly maneuvered through the dark.
Suddenly, he was pulled into the void.
As it was the first time he had completed this scenario, at least in this life, he was not presented with a choice to increase the difficulty. Instead, he was given his objective for the level one scenario.
Kill the queen Arachne.
Too bad it’s just level one. I could’ve made a LOT of nano.
Blake had completed this exact mission type before. Last time, there were hordes of enemies between his team and the queen. The objective could be completed through stealth and assassination, but he preferred the opposite approach.
It was far more lucrative.
For this type of objective, the scenario boundary would be far larger than normal. He would be forced to explore a truly massive area until he found his quarry.
The Arachne queen his team killed, in his past life, had a grotesquely extended abdomen. She was immobile and defenseless as she continuously gave birth to her young.
She was also heavily guarded.
With their somewhat stealthy approach, it had taken them hours to find the queen’s abode. They had attempted a scenario a level above them for the increased nano gains, and were wary of drawing too many enemies down upon them.
That’s not a problem this time.
Blake now had the attributes of someone six to seven levels above him.
Faint light appeared in the distance, and he suddenly found himself ejected from the void. Blake stumbled after he landed in the soft leaf-laden soil of the dark forest floor, but quickly caught himself.
He kept his spear and shield at the ready as he first searched the immediate area for threats, and then froze as he listened for anything headed his way. Once he was sure he was safe, he paused to examine his new environment.
It looks just like last time.
Even though it was likely midday, hardly any light breached the thick canopy of leaves above. The gravity of the Arachne planet was close enough to Earth’s that he barely felt the difference. However, the air was much thicker.
The high levels of humidity made it even harder to pierce through the fog of the forest. Its presence forced him to rely more upon his sense of hearing than sight, which was limited to only a few dozen feet.
He cast Improved Flame Shield upon himself, in case he ran across a fire based mana user. However, it was unlikely to be useful, as the human spider hybrids’ spells were split almost exclusively between psi and aether.
Which way should I go?
Blake checked his map, and found himself close to the center of the boundary. He had hoped to enter close to the edge, as that would suggest a likely orientation to start his search. Instead, the queen could be found in any direction.
Wait a minute, why go to them when I can make them come to me?
Blake threw caution to the wind and shouted like Montgomery had days prior, “Hello, Arachne! Come and get me!”
He paused to listen. A moment later, he heard the high-pitched chatter of Arachne voices in the distance and prepared himself for battle.
He grinned.
Montgomery would be proud.
The somewhat intelligent creatures came from behind him and to his left. He marked their estimated current location on his map and reoriented himself. The density of Arachne increased as one neared the queen, and the location of enemies could help guide him towards his objective.
Blake grimaced as his boots sank into the soft ground.
The eight legs of the Arachne would give his opponents the advantage on the spongy surface. They would use that edge to quickly surround him and attack as a unit. Luckily, he could use Guided Spatial Step to overcome their ambush and create one of his own.
Patience, Blake, patience.
Blake acted as if he were unaware of their presence as they slowly surrounded him. Their soft chitters sent a chill up his spine, yet he ignored the instinctual sensation.
As long as he was careful, he had nothing to fear.
Now!
A distinct double click was the sound he had been waiting for, their signal to attack. He teleported forward, twenty feet, and reoriented himself to face the opposite direction.
Directly before him was the backside of a confused Arachne. Its target suddenly disappeared, and it was left directionless when their carefully planned ambush failed. He thrust his spear into the backside of its humanoid head, and pierced its skull.
It died instantly.
After he removed his spear, he paused to listen to his enemy’s high pitch voices.
“Where did it go?”
“What happened?”
“Do we go back?”
“No! I will use Sense Mind!”
Blake rushed toward the closest voice, an Arachne just fifteen feet to his left. His passage through the forest floor was loud, and alerted his enemy to his presence. It immediately alerted its kin and quickly turned to face him. However, it was too slow.
A single thrust of his spear ended its life with a squeal.
Two down.
The Arachne, finally aware of their target’s location, descended on him as he stood his ground. They were enraged by the death of their kin, and ignored all strategy to quickly reach him.
Blake welcomed their anger.
They suddenly appeared before him in the fog. Three separate spells partially affect him. He suddenly became slightly heavier, was blinded by a bright flash of light, and felt his mind become sluggish.
Blake shook off the sensations and cast a Directed Mind Blast in a cone in front of him. Suddenly, the spells were interrupted as every Arachne before him suddenly became stunned. His Magic Power was much higher than their own Magic Resistance, and even at the spell’s maximum range, they felt the full effect.
His enemies never stood a chance.
He systematically executed all fourteen of the stunned Arachne. Once the last died, he checked his log and saw that he gained on average three hundred thousand nano per kill.
In just a single fight, he had received a little over four mega-nano with what felt like very little risk, and there were likely hundreds of enemies left within the boundary. If he eliminated them all, he could earn more than a hundred million nano with just a few hours of work.
This actually might be better than the Manders.
Blake knew that the AI’s risk assessment calculation ignored bonuses granted from achievements. It had to, or the policy would disincentivize people from attaining them. After all, why would you want an achievement that lowered your nano rewards. It would be counter-productive to the Architect’s goals.
Blake grabbed a handful of leaves from the forest floor and removed the ichor from his spear. He stomped through the forest until he reached his map’s marker, once again yelled a greeting, and then paused to listen.
The Arachne responded.
Comments
Timothy Nugent
I would say you compare total active nano in each. That includes gear, potions, levels, attributes, etc.
Lion3125
Btw, does that mean that DPS builds automatically gain more nano than tank builds?
Lion3125
Ah, okay so there is my misunderstanding. To me this seemed like a 50/50 fight, no matter how you lose, meaning the risk is the same as two people with 10 everywhere fighting where it's also 50/50. If risk is calculated like that I see why it's doing that. Thanks for the answers
Timothy Nugent
Sure, then you get 1 nano for killing it instead of 300,000. Its pretty much the same thing as no reward
Lion3125
Huh, but wouldn't that mean that in your example you'd still have risk? Because you can damage them just as little, and even the miniscule damage would add up eventually? Especially since your stamina might not keep up?
Timothy Nugent
Miniscule. Think of it as diminishing returns, or a curve towards zero that can never actually reach zero. Sure, you may take 0.000000001 damage, but you wouldn't even feel that.
Lion3125
Ah now I get it. I completely misunderstood the risk assessment. Or maybe the stats. Let's say someone with 10 power attacks someone with 1000 resistance. Would that mean there is absolutely no damage done or just so miniscule that you can basically ignore it?
Timothy Nugent
In my extreme example, I forgot about magic. Let's say you also got 1000 magic resistance. If you are completely invulnerable to the enemy you are fighting, you get no nano. There is no risk. In order to finally gain nano, you would need to increase the level monsters you fight until you are no longer invulnerable. Unfortunately, you are also too weak to hurt them.
Lion3125
I mean sure, but such an achievement would likely be impossible anyways (as in the energy consumption would be too high), but let's ignore that, and assume it's possible. Why would you need to fight level 80s to gain nano? Basically all your stats are in resistance. You should be able to be immune to enemies of a higher level than your level equivalency, right? As in: Let's assume I put all 12 points in physical resistance until level 10. I'd have to fight level 10 enemies to gain nano, but would have resistance far above the resistance needed for level 10. And that actually makes a difference. Well at least it might. Is it necessary to land the killing blow on an enemy to get nano? Or would the people fighting it get nano equivalent to what they did? Because even in your extreme case, they'd be a phenomenal tank for physical damage, buying a lot of time for the DPS. The only question is, whether you can damage them at all and land the killing blow, if that is necessary. Plus for that to be a problem at all the achievement rewards would have to be unbalanced (which we haven't seen yet, but I'm assuming is possible) and extremely huge relative to the current attributes. Assuming that the larger the rewards the larger the previous accomplishments have to be, it should be impossible to get anything even close to path breaking? Or am I forgetting something?
Timothy Nugent
So, let's straw man this out. :D If an achievement gained at level 0 granted you 1,000 physical resistance, you would become invulnerable to everything under, let's say, level 75. However, you would still only have 5 physical power. You would be unable to harm anything above level 3 or 4. You would need to fight against level 80 or so creatures to gain nano, but aren't even capable of killing a level 5. Your progress path would be broken. Hence, why achievements and titles don't count toward 'more risk, more reward'.
Timothy Nugent
Yes, it is.
Lion3125
Tftc! It feels weird that Achievements are disregarded. Depending on how they would get calculated, the adaptive risk assessment wouldn't disincentivise achievements at all. If you calculate the effect of achievements on risk, you just treat them like the according stat increase. (As in: a +1 due to achievement or simply a 1 higher starting stat would count the same.) In that way, if you have the same personal risk to you, you still gain the same amount of nano, regardless of Achievements. Therefore there would not be any downside to getting them. There would not be any incentive in terms of nano gain either, but there doesn't have to be one. The only difference would be absolute strength level. A higher strength level in itself should be enough incentive, since it reduces all threat levels, not just the risk of combat you want to participate in.
John Doe
Considering that there is a statewide (at least) B.O.L. advisory posted with a warrant for his arrest, I am surprised that he is driving a vehicle registered in his name. "Blake slowed his old diesel truck to a crawl as he navigated the potholes in the rutted forest road." Perhaps this is simply one of the (unregistered) trucks that his mother purchased for the commune?
Undead Writer
Thanks for the chapter!
