For a time nothing really exciting happens. That would change when Eric levels up to level ten Epic Ranger. Those who possess an artifact meet the requirements to level up in one class in it's epic version. Eric is level 50 ranger/10 Epic Ranger.
Eric: Huh? I leveled up? Thank you Mr. Bandit for your XP.
Ishi: Huh? Don't thank them. We had a bounty on them. You do know that these guys are the rapist and murderers the Yuuen Town was talking about.
Niko licking her lips: mmm... They REALLY do give nice XP though. Guys! I can harvest human meat from the corpses! You couldn't do that before!
Coal: I think I'm going to be sick...
Eric: Niko NO!
System: Eric, Level 10 Epic Ranger. You are scheduled for an transformation. Please do not change loading zones or log out. Press start when you are ready.
Eric: What? No. I am happy being a kobold.
Foxbold: sigh.... No Eric. You won't change race. You will still be a kobold. Shawn is already undergoing transformation.
Coal: That's why he won't leave his room? I wish you told me sooner!
Eric: What's a loading zone?
Foxbold: It's any portals or entering or exiting buildings.
Eric: Ok. I'll do it now. I don't want to be stuck inside a building and would much rather stay outdoors the entire time.
Niko: Ok so what aren't you telling us?
Foxbold: RUDE! I am not hiding anything! Hey! Kit! Come on! Ok, THAT isn't fair!
Niko: looks like Kit agrees with me.
Foxbold: Epic classes completely overwrite your non Epic class that evolved. Epic classes are far superior to the normal kind. You will slowly lose your Ranger skills and powers and only once you lost everything will the new power set in.
Eric: Oh. HUH?!?!?!! Why didn't you tell me that a few moments ago when I pressed start!?!
Foxbold pushes his glasses up: hmmm. Perhaps you didn't let me finish before you pressed it?
Eric: hehe....how long will this take?
Foxbold: Three days.
Eric: Three days alone in the woods. I like those odds.
Foxbold: We will come to pick you up at that time ok?
Eric kisses Ishi: I'll be back!
Ishi: O-ok! Stay safe!
Eric sets up a camp in the woods and sleeps through the first day of wait. At night he reviews his powers.
Eric: wait... My stats too? That might be a concern... I lost expert tracking...At least I still have the tracking skill. Better just sleep. I just have two days left of camping.
Eric falls into a peaceful sleep however camping out in the woods did not turn out to be a good idea. Eric wakes up as he gets sliced in the face with a scimitar. His body reflectively hardens casting stone skin reducing the attack from a deadly strike to a minor wound. Eric sees that he is being targeted by two Players with the tag: "Player Killers".
Eric: H-hey! Y-you cowards! It's not enough that you would attack someone who did nothing to you, but you would snoop so low to attack them in their sleep?!
Player Killer 1: Heh. Aw. He woke up.
Player Killer 2: pff. Noob. Come on. You should have used the blood hunter death strike.
Player Killer 1: HAHA! No way I would use it on a Kobold.
Eric's thoughts: Huh?! How can they be so cruel?! Good thing I still have some combat skills left.
Eric uses his artifact which manifests in his hands like a bow of pure energy. He fires off three shots before his mana completely goes dry. His stone skin spell disappears.
Eric: How about that? Not so easy pi...
Player Killer 2: Ow. Man that really hurts....Just kidding!
Eric: Y-your hp!
Eric's thoughts: How... his hp dropped to zero...
Suddenly Eric's arm has three massive holes in it. He yelps in pain and starts tearing up. He looks up and suddenly understands.
Player Killer 1: You were so close! haha!
Player Killer 2: Voodoo magic. Sorry but this isn't our first fight.
Eric growls before doing the most logical thing to do. Immediately running away.
Eric's thoughts: Waaaaah! HECK NO! I'm not going to fight this battle! Warlocks like Shawn are SCARY enough! Voodoo magic... That's a Warlock subclass.... I basically blew off my own arm!..... That was my Arm's hp I was seeing.... This is bad....
Eric can sense that they are still tracking him for about four hours before they logged out to go to bed. Eric is tired, bleeding, and nearly crying.
Eric: Track animal.... target human....calculate distance between nearest target.
System: You do not posses: Track animal skill. Request invalid.
Eric: They are going to be hunting me and over four fifths of my ranger levels are gone.... They are level 50.... This hurts so much.... Ishi... I wish you were here... I wish everyone was here... I was so used to being with everyone that I forgot how weak we kobolds are alone...
Eric goes hunting and eats grimly as he watches his skills disappear one by one. He manages to stop the bleeding but it still hurts him. Suddenly Eric remembers something important.
Eric: Thank you God for both the meal and the idea!
Eric remembers that kobolds are the definitive best when it comes to traps so much so that they are often hired by liches to trap their dungeons although the poor workers never get the credit. Eric gets to work. He knows that he can't hide because they would have access to his spilt blood and track him using the Voodoo magic. He starts setting up traps. He knows he just has to hold out until he can gain his Epic Ranger levels.
Eric: There.
The player killers log back on and the hunt continues. Eric lures them to one of his many traps.
This trap spills oil he made out of animal fat all over them. Eric quickly avoids a purple blast of energy knowing that he would die.
Eric's thoughts: I REALLY wished the world changes didn't take away my OP amount of health... I had so much health before but now I'm level 2!
Eric uses his fire breath to cough up a small flame but that was more than enough to set them aflame.
Eric: HAHA! You should take better care of your hair otherwise you'll go koBALD.
Eric cringes at his own joke
Eric's thoughts: Ow....Deekin would love that joke... I am SO embarrassed that I said that out loud!
This really angered the Player Killers. Eric quickly runs to his next trap when his level drops to level 1. This time Eric was hit by a slow spell.
Eric: D-damn...it.....
Player Killer 1 Kicking Eric between words: Where's the humor? Come on. You're a funny guy.
Player Killer 2 doing the same as his friend: Not so funny now huh? I'm going to skin you alive!
system: Transformation to Epic Ranger class complete. Please hold for three seconds to gain your new powers.
Eric's thoughts: About time! My arm also gets fixed from this!
Eric: I'll... tip the scales... in my favor.
Player Killer 1 slashes Eric with his scimitar and cuts Eric's head clean off or so he thought but instead he cuts the head off shed skin.
Player Killer 1: huh?!
Eric behind him: Omae Wa Mou... oh forget it. I can't pronounce the dumb word.
Eric shoots an arrow from his energy bow and Player Killer 2 jumps in the way
Player Killer 2: You just doomed yourself!
Eric: Am I supposed to be impressed with that cowardly skill again? I know how it works.
Eric just shed his old skin to evolve. His race is now Draco Kobold. He now has more muscles and his dull claws are sharpen. He now has fangs. Eric sits there and to the Player killer's surprise Eric doesn't have a single wound on him. An owl nearby drops dead with a hole in it's head.
Eric to the owl: Thank you. You took the spell in my place and gave me time to figure out how it works.
Eric glares at the Player killers and summons his Artifact. He shoots an arrow of pure energy that slows just before it hits creating a delay which bypasses the Voodoo magic that gave him trouble.
Player Killer 1: W-WHAT?! Impossible! Nothing can hurt him!
Eric: Read the Freaking description. I did. You have to cast it right before getting hit. I just delayed the attack to make him miss his timing.
Eric shoots down the second Player killer. Even though he is only level ten in the Epic Ranger class he is about the same power level of 40 players and Eric just tosses his bow of pure energy away and it disappears. Eric bites down on their defeated avatars and consumes their data.
Eric: I feel like I went overboard....
Eric is then immediately pounced upon and knocked to the ground by Eos who then proceeds to lick him.
Eric: EEEEEE! Eos! S-stop! Noooooo..... Stop licking me.... We kobolds don't taste good!
The group shows up and Eric can see Shawn has also evolved into a Draco Kobold
Eric: SHAWN! You look so cool!
Shawn blushing: It's too revealing.... I just want to hide in a hooded cloak.... This....muscle is not a blessing for me....
Coal: Aw... I really like seeing you not wearing the hood.
Shawn: R-really?.... I just feel naked this way...
Ruby: You know that it's not uncommon for kobolds to run around naked right? We just choose to put on clothes to conform to societal expectations.
DDDeekin: huh? I see! Good bye pants- OW!
Niko: DO NOT STRIP. Some of us like things this way.
Foxbold: Sigh..... You seemed to have a rough time Eric.
Eric: You think?!
Foxbold: If it makes you feel better consider it a rite of sorts and you pass.
Eric: I feel like ripping something apart. I didn't use to feel that. Don't tell me that this is good.
Shawn: You can turn off the trait: Blood Thirsty.
Eric: Turn off, Blood Thirsty! Thank goodness...
Shawn: I know. I'm just happy about the boost in stats and having wings.
Eric: Huh?! Wings? and... Your face...
Shawn then shows off two large black bat wings.
Coal: Oh....
Ruby: Honestly expected more draconic kind of wings...
Foxbold: This is due to Shawn being a warlock. Think of it as an adaptation. Don't worry about the white skull he is wearing. One could say that Shawn is a Kobold Shaman.
Shawn: I like that. It is fitting for me.
Ruby: Oi, how about me Foxbold?!
Foxbold: Huh? What about you?
Ruby's voice suddenly goes deep: Don't Thou dare play with me! Thou know what I mean! when Wilt I be a Draco kobold?!
Foxbold: Excuseth me. Go level up.
Ruby back to normal: You know that isn't fair! You know that I have a hard time getting XP! Gha! These voices are SO annoying!
Niko: Voices? Is that the drawback?
Foxbold: Every change she does to herself will be a part of her. If she turns into a male elven fighter then that dude is now a voice in her head. As for XP you have yourself to blame for that. Shawn, you can appraise her curse.
Shawn: High-tier Curse. Effect: Ruby can't gain XP directly. In addition Ruby and any party Ruby is currently will not acquire money from monster loot drops. Origin: Stealing cursed Ruby from a thief guild.
Ruby: It was WORTH it.
Shawn: Um... How did you hide this from us? I feel like this is a rather big thing that we should have known a long time ago.
Ruby: Sigh.... "Hey guys! I have a curse that doesn't let me gather XP directly and you won't be able to collect money from the loot from monsters. Do you want to form a party?"
DDDeekin: Sure!
Ruby: You are such an idiot Deekin.
DDDeekin: I want to try to evolve. I don't care about money. Besides we are a guild so the wealth is shared.
Coal muttering: Some of that money was earned with hard work...
Ishi: I mean I guess evolving would be cool. I think we should make small groups and head to a dungeon.
DDDeekin: Ruby! I Invite you to be in my party!
Ruby: Decline.
DDDeekin: H-huh?! Why?!
Ruby: sigh... Look Deekin-
DDDeekin: Deekin understands. Ruby does not wish to make a party with Deekin.
Ruby: ugh... Now I just feel bad. I guess if you really want to make a party with me I guess I can join you.
DDDeekin: I'm starting to change my mind. Cancel part-
Ruby: No! I'm sorry! I accept!
DDDeekin's thoughts: I am not dealing with Ruby trying to be hard to get. I starting playing this to avoid the "splice of life" of real life.
Coal: So Ishi and Niko. Want to form a group?
Niko: An all girl group? Isn't that unbalanced?
Ishi: Of course not. I'm the fighter who will be fighting up close, Coal will be the spell caster fighting at a distance, and you will be the support and healer.
Niko's eye twitches: Excuse me... I'M support? ME a healer?
Ishi: You are a cleric right?
Niko: Oh.... Yeah... I forgot...
Ishi: How.... You been that all your life.... It's part of you. HOW DOES ONE FORGET?!
Niko: hahaha! I haven't the faintest clue! Let us go.
Coal: Let's all go to the same dungeon just in two groups. Is that fine Deekin?
DDDeekin: You should be asking boss lady Ruby.
Ruby: You were the one who sent the... How.... the...heck... did... you...make ME the leader?
DDDeekin: I sent an invitation for you to be the leader of the group!
Ruby: Is that even a thing? Foxbold did you know this was a thing?!
Foxbold: No... No I did not. Strange. I'll have to deal with that bug later on.
Eric: Can we come?
Coal: No.
Ruby: No.
Eric: Huh?
Ruby: The less people in my party the more XP I get.
Coal: I agree with Ruby there. And let us do this. Consider it our rite.
Foxbold: I will send Eos if anyone gets into trouble.
Eos nods
Foxbold: To summon him you have to say his name with your hand outstretched. Good luck. This is important. Everyone must be strong for what is to come. The world hangs in the balance.
Eric: It is what we signed up for. We did it once and we can do it again.
Shawn: Be safe and be careful Coal...
Coal kisses Shawn before they leave to be one of the most difficult challenges they have ever had.
Eos: Kyuu...
Foxbold: Yes. I know it's cruel to send them there. But they must grow. They must get stronger. We are already short on time. I'm short on time.
Eric: What do you mean by that?
Shawn: Please elaborate.
Foxbold: They will go to one of the infamous dungeon that is notorious for killing players. It is based on the D&D module: Tomb of Annihilation. The Tomb of the Nine Gods. There they will find death at every corner. Each time they die their they will get penalized and there will be a point that if they die too much they will be unable to press forward. The penalties only disappear after the final boss of the dungeon is defeated or they quit and leave the dungeon.
Shawn: If they leave the dungeon uncompleted they don't gain any collected XP. That's the rule of High ranked dungeons right?
Eric: This makes my encounter with player killers sound like nothing...
Foxbold: Only time will tell if they can make it. They can't go to any other weaker dungeons to grind for XP. This is the only way to make it in time. Come on everyone... I know you can do it... We believe in you.