*Ding*
[Congratulations!]
[You have been registered by the Kingdom Core]
"W-what?"
[You are now recognized as a worldwide player on the planet of Fell-Terra.]
"W-what again!? Recognized as a worldwide player? What the heck does that even mean? Does that mean I can be seen on the map now? Am I broadcast to the world?"
[No. Your presence remains hidden until the time is right.]
’Not exactly helpful...’
[You may now claim land and build upon it. Blueprints may be used on any claimed land. The domain will also fall under Eye Of Ace.]
*Ding*
[New skill unlocked!]
[Skills]
>[Status]
>[Eye Of Ace]
[Eye Of Ace Description: A passive and active ability that allows the user to see all entities within their claimed domain. Entities are always seen, but some can be marked to be shown only when they reach a certain power level of your choosing.]
[Eye Of Ace Searching Power Levels: 2
>[Choose One]
>[Deadly]
"Huh? Only those two options? Does that mean the power levels start from deadly as the weakest, and go up from there? How the hell does that make sense..."
[Your low power level makes almost all things on this island deadly.]
"Ah..." A dim expression covered Midas’ face, "Hey! Since when did you start talking back!?" He asked, confused.
Having fire prepared, Midas began to move on to creating a shelter.
As he began breaking logs against an edged stone nearby, he abruptly heard a sudden rustle along the treetops above him.
The noise wasn’t like birds scattering from the canopy, or a small critter rushing around tree branches.
It was loud, thudding, and seemed heavier.
Midas gazed at the tree tops for a bit, but having seen nothing, he brushed it off as nothing and continued working on his shelter.
Just then, a green head poked behind the trunk of a large tree near the top of the canopy.
The head belonged to a creature that slightly resembled a human. It had pointy elvish ears, but more bulky and thick compared to those of an elegant elf.
Its nose was long and pointy, while its skin was dark green--rough and covered with scars.
It wore leather armor. A dagger was holstered on his hip, and a smile crept up on his face.
"Kill him..." The creature muttered, "We must kill him." He whispered again before lunging forward.
He moved only a foot forward before a hand grabbed his shoulder and jerked him back.
"Stop!" Another creature that looked nearly identical yelled in his whisper. This creature had very similar qualities, except its scars were different and its nose wasn’t pointy, but rather flat.
"We are only scouts! New ones at that... if we get caught here, do you think Dorhal will forgive us!?" The flat-nosed creature exclaimed with urgency.
The pointy-nosed creature grunted angrily, shrugging his companion’s hand off his shoulder.
"Fine... but I just haven’t tasted human flesh in so long..." His stomach grumbled.
"I know... I haven’t either." The flat-nosed creature exclaimed slowly in his whisper, his mouth watering as he stared at the unsuspecting young man down below.
"But remember," The flat-nosed creature snapped out of his delusion, "This one... is a Player. If our ruler has power over a Player, we can conquer this entire island! Hell... even Sergalas’s cavern wouldn’t stand a chance..."
The pointy-nosed creature nodded, "Let’s go... It’s getting late. We must inform the others that he is still alive and kicking..."
The two creatures hopped from tree to tree, quickly disappearing into the forest.
...
Deep in the mountains of the island, a massive fire raged. Hundreds of massive humanoid beasts rushed around, carrying what looked to be dozens of spears and swords.
The humanoids were anywhere from eight to ten feet in height, with skin of a grayish-white color. Their faces were masculine and scarred, their bodies covered in rippling muscles.
They wore leather armor that was reinforced with iron pads around the shoulders, knees, wrists, and shins.
At the center of these creatures was a forge where a red-hot fire roared.
Dozens of these beasts worked together, forging weapons using anvils and hammers.
The scene was chaotic, beasts rushing left and right, trying to accomplish their duties.
Amidst all of them, a single very tall humanoid creature walked slowly with his hands behind his back. He was 12 feet tall, his muscles bulging with veins.
A large scar covered his chest, serrating down all the way from his collar-bone to his hip.
Six other beasts followed behind him, all 10-foot-tall themselves.
A smaller one of the bunch rushed forward, stopping the tallest one in his path.
All six behind the tallest one halted as well.
The tallest beast looked down, an almost disdainful look on his face:
"How is production?" He spoke with a hoarse, deep voice.
"C-commander Dorhal..." The smaller beast lowered his head, "It’s going smoothly." He grinned, "We will not fail to conquer that long-defeated land this time around."
Even though the short beast seemed excited, the tallest one didn’t share the same sentiment.
He looked to the side, his face growing with disgust as his top lip raised slightly.
"Gruh..." He grunted, "No... we may have more soldiers now than our previous siege... but that damn serpent must have recruited more members on its ragtag crew as well..."
He paused, walking toward the forge. Once he arrived at the edge of the pit of fire, he stopped.
"We must have the Player this time... then our victory will be guaranteed." He turned, "We are not normal orcs!" He roared, capturing the attention of all orcs that the eye could see.
"We are White Orcs of Demadur Island!"
The other orcs erupted in a rowdy cheer as they raised their weapons.
"Once, this island was ours to roam freely! And it will be once again!"
The morale of the army of orcs before him looked to be lifted instantly.
One of the six orcs behind the tallest one stepped forward, leaning into the ear of the commander.
"The goblins we sent out have arrived, Commander Dorhal."
Dorhal turned to face two short, 3-foot-tall goblins as they approached him with grins on their faces.
"Fresh... fresh red human blood is on this island!" The pointy-nosed goblin exclaimeeed with a cheeky smile.
The flat-nosed goblin pushed him with his shoulder, "Act accordingly!" He whispered in a low voice, not wanting to be heard.
"Oh? And is he the Player?" Dorhal asked, his eyes raising as his look of disgust slowly faded.
"Yes... Yes indeed, he is!" The pointy-nosed goblin screamed with joy.
"Did you verify it?" Dorhal asked, his tone deeper this time.
"Oh... well... not quite. But we are sure he is the Player! We’ve been tracking him, you see... he defeated a Giant Mosquito all on his own!"
Dorhal sneered at the goblins that were now standing before his feet.
In a flash, he picked up both goblins and held them over the forge.
"Ahh!"
"Please! Stop!"
"Commander! What did we do wrong!?"
The two began squirming like maggots, screaming for their lives.
"Failures... why should I let you live?" Dorhal asked, his tone like a bear.
"Mercy! Mercy, my lord, Dorhal The Bone Eater!" The pointy-nosed goblin exclaimed as his feet began to crisp up due to the fire.
The flat-nosed goblin followed up, "We will verify it! Give us another chance!"
Dorhal grunted, "No! No more verifications... It’s too risky to send you maggots for that again. That may be a fresh Player, but he is a Player nonetheless."
He stared at the sky, "They have already given us the rules of this game that we are now a part of... that Player is not to be underestimated."
He looked back at the goblins with disgust: "Too bad our only small and sneaky soldiers are dimwit goblins!" He grunted again, pissed.
He dropped the two goblins back onto the floor before giving them his order.
"Still, I mustn’t send orcs. If that player learns too much of this world, he may be too prepared to deal with. Goblins... You will go and capture him. That is your next task. If you are to fail..." He paused as the forge behind him erupted in a massive flame: "You know your fate."
"Y-yes, Commander! We will retrieve him immediately!"
"Thank you for this opportunity! I will not let you down!"
The two goblins scurried away.
Dorhal glanced back at one of the six orcs beside him, nodding for one of them to follow the goblins.
A white orc stepped forward, bowing his head before breaking out into a sprint toward the goblins.