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Eternyte

Part 8: Inventory Management

copyright comidacomida 2020

Will had never been a lady's man; he'd never been a man's man either. The only kind of man Will considered himself was a loner, and his lack of capacity for interacting with others exhibited that in spades. During his time playing Eternyte he'd managed to build up a persona for himself and, in his heyday, a reputation for being a knowledgeable, keen-minded authority when it came to all things Eternyte. Even then, however, he always kept his relationships to very specific, by-the-numbers kinds of interactions with any but his closest friends.

Will Etherborn was a figure far greater than William Becker ever had been or ever would be, and that had always been clear to Will, though once he was faced with a resurrected Hunny Sugar it became even more evident. Rather than retire to the baths to regain her mana, the moment she was brought back to life she clung to Will as if they'd been apart for years. It was his first time meeting her in the flesh, but she embraced him as if he were an old friend-- which made sense if he thought about it, since she'd been his third recruit.

After everyone was brought back most of his followers retired, either to recover from their revival or, like with Durmel and Pat, went off to the baths to restore their mana. Hunny Sugar chose instead to accompany Will and Minotaurus to the meeting room. She wasn't to enthusiastic about the company though. Leaning against him, she rested her ear against his shoulder as she wrapped an arm around his waist, murmuring softly. "Oh Moon of my Night's Sky, my dear, beloved Lord Etherborn, you've been away too long. Surely you can send your Axe away for a time so we can... catch up?"

Will felt his face turn red because, despite her innocent-sounding invitation he knew that she meant something far less innocent than a talk. In none of his journal writings had he ever so much as insinuated that the two of them had 'done it', but he'd always presented Hunny Sugar as a woman who desperately wanted him and everything he had to offer. The fact that she was hanging off of him, practically throwing herself at him was far too much. He was horribly out of his depth but, rather than freezing, his mind chose instead to grasp onto something: she had called Minotaurus his Axe, but she hadn't been told that the bull man had been given a new title other than 'Thrall'.

He distracted himself by pulling on that thread. "And how do you know about him becoming my Axe, Ms. Sugar?"

She pulled away, cheeks reddening like a nun hearing a lurid tale; in Will's journals he often referred to her as Ms. Sugar, and it was something she liked greatly since most others only ever called her 'Hunny' or, worse, 'Demon'. But, no, Will Etherborn had respect for all, and respect was not easy for a Succubus to receive. Hunny Sugar struck a coy school-girl pose (which accentuated her breasts as she folded her hands together at her waist and her upper arms pushed them together-- not by accident, no doubt). "I AM your High Mage, my Love... how could I call myself such without tracking your Pacts?"

Unable to fully comprehend the significance, Will filed his question away for further study, settling on the thought that a title was probably as visible to his followers as it was to him. He seemingly knew his followers' titles innately even without being able to see them floating above their heads like he could back when he was playing Eternyte on his computer. If he really WAS in Mytholm then perhaps that information was perceived in a different way, not unlike how he knew innately that Pip, the lead Kobold of Cragglecrawl was titled 'The Herald'.

Hunny Sugar's hands wrapped around his forearm as she leaned against him anew. "Oh, my most dearest, beloved Lord Etherborn... you look distraught... is something wrong? How can I help make it better?"

Will cleared his throat, starting his trek down the hall again with the Succubus still attached. "Nothing is wrong my... dear..." he had to pause to find the right informal tone and a suitable pronoun, "...I am simply taking stock of the situation, assessing my means and planning our next move."

When he had portrayed Hunny Sugar in his journal writings he'd always made sure that she wasn't JUST a pretty face. At first he thought it would be funny if she were an airhead bimbo demoness but, as he explored the thought of a powerful, willful Succubus controlling the metaphysical flow of mana and casting world-shattering spells he thought it wouldn't be the best idea. Will revised his plan and indicated time and time again that she had a keen mind almost equivalent to that of her Lord.

She presented that intellect then and there. "Proudmane and Raphael are recovering from their resurrection so you are short your Warden and your Bard. Pat and Durmel exhausted their mana reserves restoring health to those of us who have risen. Although my soul recuperates far more basking in your presence than it would in the baths, my mana must still recover so you also lack your High Mage. You haven't recalled the followers you took with you to Vartyn so we are underpowered... so the next logical plan would be to send for Lok, Luna, Gral and Vlad."

The Succubus wasn't wrong, of course; consolidating his power before planning his next move would be the most effective use of his time. That would create more moving pieces to the puzzle however and Will was still trying to put those he already had into place before adding more. "In time, Ms. Sugar... first, Minotaurus and I will convene in the meeting room. Are you SURE you won't take some time in the baths to recover your mana?"

He pleaded with her in his head to make the right choice and replenish her MP, going over all of the reasons why he knew she'd agree with him. Will knew he could order her to and her 'Loyal' and 'Devoted' traits would compel her to do as he said, but she also had the 'In Love' trait and he didn't want to test what might happen if her three traits ended up in conflict. In the end, she didn't heed his suggestion. "No, my Love... mana is a fleeting thing, but the fire that burns in my heart at your mere presence shall not be quenched by distance from you."

Will rolled his eyes, but not in any way that she would notice. Heading down the hall with her and into his meeting room, the young man was only half-surprised to see that Minotaurus had beaten them to the chamber and was standing at attention. The Minotaur stamped one hoof against the stone floor, creating a thunder-crack of acknowledgement as he proclaimed "I am here as you commanded, my Lord Etherborn."

Only once Minotaurus was added to the equation did Hunny Sugar release Will's arm but after he went and took a seat at the council table she pulled a chair right next to his and plopped down in it so she could lean against him, cheeks even redder than their normal hue and a fangy smile of bliss on her face. Since he already had her attention, and since Minotaurus was martially-minded, Will figured the best way to get started was with a report. Looking to his High Mage, Will asked "Hunny Sugar, what can you tell me about the Nether Demon attack?"

Despite Hunny Sugar being head-over-heels for Will Etherborn, the Succubus was astute, intelligent, and always on-point when it came to Eternal Halls business. Her report was direct and succinct. "There were twelve in total. The six of us put up quite the fight. Had the majority not resisted my opening Hellfire Barrage the battle may have gone differently. Looking back on it, I regret not choosing Chain Lightning, as I would have only hit half as many but they do not resist lightning as well as fire."

Turning to regard her, Will saw that her eyes were focused on the table in front of her; she was obviously reviewing the situation in her head and, if his assessment were correct she likely used that time to berate herself as well. Clearing his throat, Will pushed himself to aim for a 'Will Etherborn Leadership Moment'. "Ah... well none of us is above the possibility of making an error of judgment during times of stress. The important thing is that... you... learned something?"

He hated that his encouragement came out as more of a question but Hunny Sugar didn't seem to notice. Her eyes rose again to meet his, glimmering with adoration as a smile lit up her face. "Oh, my Love, you are far too kind... As a high level Mage I should know better, and, had I not chosen to show off, I--"

Minotaurus cut her off, a big fist slamming down on the table as he objected. "You let your personal glory get in the way of protecting these hallowed halls? You are fortunate that the Master does not hold you personally guilty of--"

Will had only to hold up a hand to silence the Barbarian. Once Minotaurus stopped speaking, the young man addressed him. "It is MY place to rebuke my followers, not yours."

The Minotaur bowed his horned head, apologizing without attempting to defend his words. "Of course, my Lord Etherborn. I beg your forgiveness."

The young man was happy to offer it. "I forgive you just like I forgive Hunny Sugar, Minotaurus: on the condition that you've both learned something. Is that the case?"

Both of his followers confirmed their acknowledgement. "Yes, Lord Etherborn."

Turning back to Hunny Sugar, Will asked his next question. In Ethernite the Nether Demon attacks came from the front gate or one of two portals. Did the same thing, he wondered, hold true for the situation in which he found himself. "How did they get in?"

Hunny Sugar answered without pause. "The front gate, my Love. Proudmane was on guard and summoned the rest of us. They were numerous and, after the first volley of spells we fought in pairs. Proudmane and Matt created a front line while Durmel and Pat did their best to heal. Raphael and I remained in the back, the Ratkin for support and I for ranged attack. Still, once Proudmane fell we were quickly overcome. When I was slain there were still three of the Nether Demons left. I am pleased that Matt and Pat prevailed."

'Pleased' was a reasonable description of the proper emotion. Although failing to defend a holding from Nether Demons was not a good thing, losing to the invasion usually resulted in nothing more than the loss of some stored resources and some coins from the player vault. Presumably, at least as well as Will was capable of presuming anything based on an educated guess, losses would be comparable to what happened in the MMORPG. He tested that theory. "Do you know what they were after?"

Minotaurs butted in. "Probably the same thing they're always after, Lord Eternyte-- treasures for the Lord of Greed."

He wasn't wrong, Will realized; that was the exact lore behind the scripted Nether Demon attacks. Granted, there were other seasonal events and special storyline attacks that had other reasoning behind them but the twice (or sometimes thrice) monthly attacks against player holdings in Eternyte were supposedly ordered by some mysterious figure known as the Lord of Greed, presumably a boss fight that would one day be revealed some distant expansion's high level Assualt content. Looking at Hunny Sugar, Will asked "Is that it? Was it a raid by the Lord of Greed?"

She shook her head, not to indicate a no, rather, to offer no solid answer. "I couldn't say, my love... Nether Demons do not speak the same language of the Succubi and, even if they did I couldn't imagine they would be very talkative. Still, they were heading for your treasure room, and the attack was not any different than the usual ones we repel, so if I were asked to make a guess then yes, I would presume that they attacked on the command of the Lord of Greed."

It wasn't a lot to go on, but Will realized that he couldn't expect an obvious explanation like what he'd get if he were playing Eternyte. What he DID know for sure was that if it was indeed a standard scripted nether demon attack then he'd have two full real-world weeks before they attacked again. He began doing the math in his head as to how many 'in game' days that would be but he was interrupted by Minotaurus. "We will be ready for them next time, my Lord Etherborn... of that I have no doubt."

Will nodded absentmindedly, brain already working on resolving an issue with consistency. He had already come to the conclusion that the world of Mytholm was only as advanced as the original vanilla release of Eternyte, which meant that the Nether Demons shouldn't have been attacking at all. Then again, he reasoned, he shouldn't have a Holding, or so many followers, and definitely shouldn't be level 125... with two extra levels of other classes. In the end, trying to reason through things in game terms only made his head hurt more. He let out a sigh of exasperation as a result.

Hunny Sugar reached out and rested a hand on the back of Will's. "Do not fret, my love. We have fought them before, and we have won. This was an exception. Fortune was not on our side... just like the third attack of the Summer Solstice... oh, I still regret being caught so unaware..."

Will remembered exactly what attack she referenced; he had recorded it in his journal since it was his tenth-ever attack. Another scripted every-other-week Lord of Greed Nether Demon attack, he had actually been at his Holding during the event, recovering from a total party wipe after teaming up with some poorly skilled players. He'd just been about to resurrect some of his followers when all of the intractable options in his base grayed out, indicating that an attack was on the way. That was the only time he'd lost while personally being present to defend against the Nether Demons.

Minotaurus snorted. "Oh... if I'd have been here for that then things would have been different, my Lord Eternyte! From what I've heard it was almost as bad as the Lord of Lust's attack on the Eternal Halls... curse his name."

The Minotaur spat to accentuate his distaste for the situation but, more than that, his comment gave Will a reason to pause. Minotaurus hadn't been at the Eternal Halls for quite some time-- he never would have experienced a Nether Demon attack since he'd been at Cragglecrawl for what was essentially the totality of the ninth expansion. What Minotaurus had referenced was a storyline attack in which the players' NPCs turned against them-- Will's entire setup relied on his NPCs to help him rather than attack him.

Fortunately almost all of his NPCs were Loyal and Devoted so, rather than attack him, they did nothing... but he couldn't very well take on all of the Nether Demons himself, and so he failed that event three times until he managed to pay off some other players to provide support. It was one of his least favorite events EVER. Hunny Sugar had plenty to say about that too. "I'll never forgive Raphael or Vlad for their transgressions against you, my beloved."

Since neither Raphael nor Vlad were both Loyal and Devoted the Lord of Lust's effects had caused them to fight alongside the Nether Demons during the first attack. Will had purposefully not resurrected them until after he succeeded at the event. Oh, he'd had quite a few pages to write in his journal about that. Very nearly cracking a smirk at the thought, Will instead kept his expression neutral and gave Hunny Sugar a gentle pat on her hand which rested atop the back of his. "Forgive them, Ms. Sugar... I already have. It was not their doing."

She smiled warmly. "Your forgiveness is legendary, my sweet. I can think of no other--"

Not sure he wanted to give her a chance to start praising him again, Will quickly interjected. "Since we have reason to believe that it was the Lord of Greed who sent the Nether Demons perhaps now would be a good time to address the status of the treasury and armory."

Minotaurus' ears rose. "What about the armory, my Lord Etherborn?"

In an attempt to get the dialogue out of the interpersonal zone, Will was more than willing to go out on a limb and test more of his understanding of the Eternyte game versus the strange, Mytholm-like world in which he found himself. "Gather everyone up and join me at the Museum-- we'll discuss it further there."

Standing, Will went to leave the meeting room only to have Hunny Sugar stand with him, wrapping her arms around his. "I'll join you, my love... we can go together."

Clearing his throat, Will quickly redirected her. "Minotaurus can gather everyone from the barracks; I need you to get everyone out of the baths, Ms. Sugar."

She was Loyal and Devoted so there was no way she would refuse his request, but he still breathed a sigh of relief when she relented. Touching her hand to her chest against her heaving bosom, she proudly declared "It will be done, Light-of-my-Life, and I will see you again soon."

Finally free of the NPCs, Will had a few moments to himself as he strolled down to the lower floor alone with his thoughts. After over a decade of playing Eternyte, he had gathered up quite a collection of epic equipment. Some of it he considered spoils of war, especially if he got items after a particularly memorable in game event or during an Assault where nobody wanted whatever dropped off of a boss. In Will's case, he devoted the entirety of his personal player stash to such items, maintaining a place for them even if he couldn't equip them as an Adept. It was a trophy collection of sorts.

Suddenly coming to the realization that he was able to gain levels in other classes put into perspective the idea that he could possibly equip gear beyond what an Adept was able to use, which meant he had to review his armory. Moreover, he'd seen proof that the situation in which he found himself WASN'T the same as his computer game, thus he owed it to himself and his followers to test the limits of the world's rules, or laws, or whatever system he wanted to consider it, and the most pertinent way to do that considering the Lord of Greed's attack on his holding was with equipment.

Players in Eternyte could carry any equipment that fit into their inventory but they could only equip gear that fit their class. NPCs, on the other hand, could carry supplies and consumables but they were unable to carry or equip player gear. While players gained new gear by adventuring and collecting drops, NPCs could only get new gear when they leveled, at which point their equipment spontaneously appeared on them. There was a short time during the Wildcrest expansion when the game included NPC equipment tokens that could be exchanged for better NPC gear for a select follower but that limited time offer was discontinued due to it off-balancing the game.

The admins actually walked-back the power up, removing it from every follower who had been so empowered. Will had never used his and, in fact, had paid a pretty penny to purchase the items from other players who hadn't used theirs-- the item wasn't removed, after all, just the empowering effect on any NPC who received it. Those tokens were still stored far away in his vault, but his interest wasn't in those; he had something else in mind... something potentially much more 'game breaking'.

Will had perhaps four or five minutes to organize his armory before his followers joined him. Minotaurus, along with Matt, Proudmane and Rafael were the first to arrive but Hunny Sugar joined shortly thereafter accompanied by Pat and Durmel. It was the Ork who first spoke. "Alright, Will... why are we all here?"

Turning to regard his followers, the young man offered up his best impression of the kind of pomp and circumstance Will Etherborn would use at such an important moment. "You have all followed me for quite some time and, as I weighed your lives and the cost of coin to correct the grave injustice done to you by the Nether Demons, I realized that there is no amount of gold too great to protect you, my followers... my friends."

A quiet murmur went through his gathered followers, but it was Proudmane's voice who cut through it all with conviction as he declared "We would die several times over for you, my Liege... many of us have, and would do so again without a second thought."

Rather than reprimand the suicide-in-service attitude of his Warden, Will instead chose to redirect that fervor. "I consider it my task, as your Lord, to do all within my power to reduce the likelihood of you having to pay that cost."

Raphael, toward the back of the group, smirked. "And also reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of resurrections."

Matt gave the Ratkin a firm elbow to the gut to silence him. It worked. Once Will had the floor again he gestured to a collection of items he'd taken out of storage and moved to a pedistal which essentially counted as his active inventory... though he didn't quite realize how. Looking back across his collection of followers, the Human announced "I have quite the collection of trophies earned over the years and you have all done your part in helping me gather them. The time has come that I put them to use."

One by one, in order of their initial summon into his service, Will picked up an item and called his followers forth. To Minotaurus, he presented Kranak's Bite, a powerful Legendary Axe, item level 125. The Minotaur accepted it with reverence and, at Will's insistence, gave the weapon several test swings. While the weapon worked well for any melee class, it excelled most in the hands of a Berserker. As Will watched Minotaurus test it, he smiled when the weapon copied itself with a ghostly duplicate, providing the Berserker an opportunity to dual wield the weapon for extra combat effectiveness. To Minotaurus it was a great blessing and to Will it was a good proof of concept.

Hunni-Sugar received the Staff of Elarathiel, a powerful 125 level caster weapon usable by any mana-using class. Will himself had used it up until he gained the Legendary Rod he had equipped most recently and that fact was not lost to the Succubus. Tears streaming down her face, she pulled Will into a huge embrace. "I will treasure it always, my Love, and it shall never leave my hand a surely as if it were a ring of matrimony."

Red-faced and quickly moving on from there, Will handed complete Armor Sets to both of the Ursurans. Armor Sets were special articles of clothing that grew more powerful the more of them a player had. The Skysinger's Raiments which went to Pat were made for a Druid while the Blessings of Harmony gifted to Matt were specifically for Monks. Both armor sets consisted of five pieces, and, due to his completionist personality, Will had them in their entirety.

To Proudmane, Will gave the only Legendary Shield in his arsenal, the Crest of Lorahain, a level 125 heater usable by Knights, Paladins, Wardens, and Commanders. Unlike most legendary items, the shield was usable by Grit-users and Mana-users, Tank class and Heal class, and its versatility was greatly desired by most high end players, at least until they could get some of the top end Assault gear. Proudmane, of course, was more than happy enough to accept such a treasure, and silent tears rolled down his furred cheeks as he expressed his thanks in humble acknowledgement.

To Raphael and Durmel, Will offered up one unique item each. Rare, limited time quests had started popping up as of the Goldentide expansion, and those quests ofered up unique quest rewards in the form of accessory items which could be equipped at any level and provide the character with a boon of equivalent power. The one item that Bard followers always lacked was a head piece and so Will gave Raphael 'The Adventurer's Cap', a robinhood-esque hat with a long feather emerging from it. Durmel received The Spirit Healer's Band, a unique ring which, like the hat, was a good fit for a follower since they didn't generate their own jewelry in their equipment. Both the Bard and the Cleric accepted their gifts with grace and thanks.

The afternoon passed quickly as his followers accustomed themselves to their new equipment and Will, riding on a high of success, was all too happy to let them focus on his gifts rather than him personally. It was liberating in a way, giving him a moment to pay attention to his own thoughts rather than trying to portray himself as the esteemed Will Etherborn. Taking a seat on the steps leading down into the armory, he let out a long breath.

So many times in his life he'd wished that he could be somebody else and yet, once he'd found himself inhabiting the life of his videogame character he was suddenly able to value not being anyone other than who he truly was. That short, treasured moment was interrupted by a light tug at his sleeve. Turning, will found himself regarding Pip the Herald. Since the Human was sitting he was the perfect height to see the Kobold eye-to-eye. Sighing, Will put on airs again. "Yes, Pip? Do you need something?"

The reptilian humanoid squirmed under his direct gaze. "No, Master. I came to let you know that we have left our gifts for you and we are returning to Cragglecrawl."

Far off down the hall the chorus of Kobold voices patriotically repeated the name of their home, making the Human aware that the other members of the caravan were close by. Will nodded at the acknowledgement but, before allowing Pip to be dismissed another thought came to mind. He'd tested the world's 'natural laws' by trying to equip his followers with player equipment including armors, weapons, set items, and unique quest rewards but there was one specific player-inventory item that he hadn't tried. "Before you go, Pip... I have a gift I would like you to have."

The Kobold's eyes widened to easily twice their normal size as Will reached into a pouch and pulled forth an item from his inventory: a simple red rubber ball, small enough that it could fit easily into his palm. It was specifically called a "Bouncy Ball" and it was a vanity item he'd earned a low level seasonal quest. The item itself was next to worthless, unable to cause any real damage aside from creating a momentary half-second stun effect. Some more aggressive players learned that it could be used to interrupt spell casters in PvP but that was patched in the following update after its introduction. Either way, Will had no real use for it and was curious to see if the Kobold could equip it.

Accepting the inventory trash as if it were a holy relic, Pip stared at what he had been given, murmuring "For me, Master? Really?"

Will smiled. "Yes, Pip... just for you, my Herald... think of it as your very own Craggleball."

Elation burned across the Kobold's face, incinerating the surprise which had taken up residence in an instant and, with fervor and elation he raised the ball up high, almost like a video game character obtaining a key item and loudly proclaimed "CRAGGLEBALL!"

There was a pregnant pause from down the hall, so thick in the air that Will could feel it. A split second later the Kobolds in that direction shouted out almost as a question "Cragglecrawl!?"

Pip ran off toward them fully infused with fury and indignation, shouting out at the top of his lungs "BALL! CRAGGLE. BALL!" at which point he loosed the item with all the strength his little form could muster. Will didn't bother turning around to see what became of it, Pip, or the other Kobolds but the resounding *SMACK-OOF-THUD* told him all he needed to know.