Or Brock for that matter, but he’s left me no choice.
I cast a Cyclone spell behind me to catch up any arrows he might shoot, and then I spun to meet him. I gasped when I saw he was right on top of me, his dragon ready to launch its Ice Breath, which was as strong as a level three spell and more than enough to get through my Cyclone and freeze me solid.
I didn’t hesitate. Raising my Boomstick I called forth my Wildfire. Fire and Ice met inside the cyclone in a tangle of hot and cold air. It blasted us away from each other. Mounts may not have Hit Points, but when we fell, they fell. Luckily we were far from finished and I pulled up . . . and hit the Storm Wall.
I suddenly realized why Brock had been constantly firing at my left side. He was trying to back me into the Storm Wall. It buffeted me, and bolts of lightning struck down to prevent me from going any further. I reared up and turned, racing down its edge.
Brock was hot on my tail, literally, after my fire spell. However, I also knew that he could only use Ice Breath once during a battle as it consumed all his Mana, and his one opportunity to freeze me had been canceled out by my most powerful attack. However, after casting Wildfire I was almost out of Mana myself, which meant I couldn’t sling spells at him willy-nilly.
Once he caught up, I pulled away from the Storm Wall and we circled each other. Catching Brock’s expression, I saw him looking pained but determined to catch me. I, on the other hand, would have left if given the chance.
If only I’d brought the Transfer Orb with me!
I ducked a few arrows, casting pathetic level one spells at him that did nothing but get in his way. We chased each other’s tails, sometimes slamming into the Storm Wall in our attempt to dodge another one. The rain pelted down as the battle wore on, and although I knew I was losing, I faced him. I wasn’t fast enough to flee from him after all.
“I know you have it on you!” Brock called as he caught up to me again. “I’ll steal every item in your inventory if I have to!”
“Just think for one second, Brock!” I called back. “This will avenge Sue and make it so you don’t have be on the run anymore! I’m doing this for both of us, don’t you see that?”
“And let Wona get away with what they did to my friends?” Brock shook his head. “Never!”
“You can’t prevent that!”
Brock sneered. “You’re a coward.”
This brought up the memory of Chloe’s words to me after I called her a pessimist while being surrounded in the Broken Clock Tower. “The word you’re looking for is realist!”
I was desperate enough to start pretending to give up, in the hopes of hitting him with a sneak attack, when a window popped up in my vision, distracting me. At the same time, Brock dipped his huge Ice Dragon’s wings and slammed me into the Storm Wall. Peragon flipped backwards and spread its wings to steady itself. My Hit Points were dwindling from the attack, with less than a fifth left.
That’s when I read what was in the pop-up window.
— PERAGON HAS LEARNED ‘STORM HORN’ —
I gaped. My mount had finally learned its attack, and at the most perfect time. Yet I could only use it once, and considering I had never used it before, I didn’t know what to expect.
I have to make sure it hits him!
I realized then that the only way to corner Brock was to use the Storm Wall. Peragon flapped its wings and I arced away from the wall, knowing the move would be my last chance to get away from him.
Brock aimed at me with an arrow, his back to the barrier of wind and lightning. I lifted my Boomstick and used the last of my Mana to cast one last Cyclone spell at him. The wind stopped the arrow, and as I had hoped, slammed him back into the Storm Wall, trapping him between the two winds.
I found ‘Storm Horn’ in my Key Triggers and activated it. Peragon’s wings suddenly splayed and its body stiffened. Its lion legs shot out as though to support itself in the air. A pool of electrified energy began to rise out of its forehead, as though to form a horn like that of a unicorn.
A fork of lightning hit the tip of the horn, although I had no idea if this was a part of the attack or just the weather. The energy continued to build until it shone a bright white. It then shot forth in a beam of light, striking Brock and driving him deeper and deeper into the Storm Wall. Electricity flared all around him and a look of pain went through his expression.
Brock’s Hit Points must have taken a beating during our fight as well, for after only a second, his avatar and the Ice Dragon were both obliterated against the Storm Wall.
I had won.
I don’t believe it. He had Wanted ranks in Tertiatier, and I managed to beat him!
I couldn’t help but grin at my success as lightning forked down around me. I then felt my face go grim as I realized what this now meant.
Brock, one of my best friends, was now my enemy.
Chapter 24: The Dragons’ Nest
It made sense to Frank that this place, of all places in the Dream State, was Siena’s favorite dungeon. The amount of levels in the canyon north of Toena allowed the redheaded Warrior a great deal of free space to move from ledge to ledge along the cliffs. Frank, on the other hand, had to edge around each of the dragon nests.
The way the dungeon worked was simple. Touch an egg and its mother will come, that mother being a fire-breathing dragon. However, the color of the egg determined the dragon, so to get the armor she wanted without being swarmed by hundreds of dragons, she had to make sure only to touch the red eggs.
Frank thought she should feel lucky that a player like Siena_the_Blade would invite her to do another Tertiatier dungeon. However, she was beginning to think that maybe she should have earned her way here without having a partner who had accumulated far more Skill Points than she had. Frank would have waited until she had made up with Tessa, but Siena had promised her the special Dragon Armor a player could get there.
She either feels really bad about me losing my identity, or this really is her favorite place here.
She clutched the vines hanging down from trees at the top of the gorge to keep her balance. The ledges around the nest were narrow, making it hard for her to navigate her way through. Ahead of her, Siena was taking care of a Red Dragon on her own, having gone ahead and touched a red egg.
This is a Tertiatier dungeon. If we die here, I could lose all of my . . .
She paused in thought as she realized that after having a full set of armor stolen from her in the Broken Clock Tower, she had nothing left to lose. She grinned and stopped being afraid of falling. Using her strength to jump from ledge to ledge along the narrow cracks in the earth, she charged in swinging her Broadsword at the Red Dragon.
A giant claw hit her and knocked her against the canyon wall. She groaned, realizing that having lightweight stats definitely had a downside. Despite this, Siena grinned at her as she picked herself up.
“Now we’re talking!” She raised her scythe and swung it at the dragon’s snapping head, its fangs gnashing at her. “Come on!”
Frank charged in again, and with Siena distracting it, managed to get a few good slashes in before Siena finally cut the thing’s head off. She breathed out and couldn’t help but grin when seeing the fierce look on Siena’s face.
“That’s two,” Siena announced proudly. “Just two more to go.”
“Wait . . .” Frank frowned. “When did you get the first one?”
Siena shrugged. “I think it was when you were struggling to climb up those vines earlier. Don’t get me wrong, you climbed faster than most Heavies I’ve taken here.”
Frank’s eyes narrowed. “Thanks, I guess.”
Siena tossed her the red, steel-like dragon scale, the Resource Item they were trying to collect to synth her new armor. They were pretty large and she was surprised that four of them were needed to make the armor. Although, thanks to Siena, she doubted it would take too long to get them all.
— ACQUIRED ‘RED DRAGON SCALE’ —
They moved on and Siena exhaled,
as though enjoying the illusion of fresh air.
“I really love this place. Not just because of the dragons but thanks to the shadows it’s the coolest place in Onjira.” She turned a grin Frank’s way and she nodded. “And what better way to stay longer in a place like this than fighting with a newbie like you to help slow me down, eh Efty?”
Frank raised an eyebrow at her. “Flattering.”
“Not really.” Siena flicked back her ponytail and turned. “Playing with you is like driving a car with a failing battery.”
Frank continued to follow her through the gorge, avoiding the black and blue eggs but taking the yellow eggs, for they gave Siena a temporary strength boost.
“Do we really need only four scales?” Frank asked.
“If you want a full set of armor, then yes.” She flicked her head around, ponytail waving like a flag. “Isn’t it great, you get to spend an hour with me!”
Frank nodded, bemused, but not entirely sure if she was grateful. Ever since she and Tessa hadn’t been on speaking terms, she had also done a Secotier dungeon with David, Chloe, and Keri’s group. It was a fun, Spanish, carnival-themed dungeon west of Galrinth, and Frank had enjoyed the banter between them while fighting the face-painted, voodoo-possessed zombies. She hoped they could do it again soon.
Maybe I should have asked Chloe and Keri to come with us on this one. Chloe in particular would have been really helpful to explore the different levels of this place.
The next red egg was found among a group of minor monsters. Several young dragons guarded it. Although they looked innocent enough, the flame they breathed at them when they drew near proved otherwise. Siena lost some Hit Points in order to cut through them with her Reaper’s Scythe.
Frank had noticed that the mother dragons would only attack the player that touched their egg. Something about this put her on edge, but she couldn’t figure out why. Even so, the feeling made her equip a magic defense shield she had won in a mining dungeon with Tessa before even meeting Siena.
It wasn’t until they tried to get the third scale that she realized what the feeling was trying to warn her of. As soon as Siena crouched down to touch it, not only did a Red Dragon appear but several Range players from another party dropped from the lip of rock above them. They swung down on the thick vines and began to fire projectiles at them.
The dragon only attacks the player who touches their egg, making them a perfect target for players to ambush them!
Seeing how many Hit Points Siena had lost from the Dragonflame, Frank knew that taking on both the Red Dragon and these players would be too much, even for her. Siena had underestimated the dungeons she was doing ever since she’d lost her Ruby Edge, and Frank knew now what this meant for ambushes.
“Look out!” she called.
Without hesitating, Frank jumped out in front of her, using her shield to block the oncoming arrows and throwing knives. She turned to see Siena spin about, the Red Dragon landing behind her.
However, the expression Siena made when she turned to see the other players was more in line with adoration than horror, as though they had just made her day.
“Oh, you guys . . .” she said, like they had just revealed a surprise party in her honor. “You really shouldn’t have.”
Instead of fighting the dragon, when its long neck swooped down to bite at her, Siena jumped up onto its head. Its head rose quickly, carrying her up the cliff face as though it were a lift. She flipped backward onto the ledge the other party had just jumped from and began using her scythe to cut the vines each of them were hanging from one by one.
One Range Niche yelped as he fell, another screaming until all Frank could hear were the running footfalls of the rest of the members in their party fleeing above her. Frank could have sworn she heard one of them scream, “It’s Siena_the_Blade!” as he ran from her. Although she didn’t see all of it, Frank was pulled out of her awe when the giant dragon reared up and shot Dragonflame at her.
She raised her shield to block the attack but the flames didn’t last long. Peering out from behind the shield, her mouth dropped when seeing Siena on top of the dragon’s neck, her scythe’s blade stabbing through its head and pinning the dragon’s mouth shut against the ground. She grinned mischievously before pulling her scythe free and cutting off its head.
I’m beginning to think I underestimated her a little.
“Wow. You really do know this dungeon like the back of your hand.”
Siena shrugged. “Well, I did say it was my favorite.”
Frank nodded and decided to stop doubting her. She was well-known in the Dream State for a reason. She brought out her Broadsword and moved to follow Siena to the final red egg.
“Do you, like, not have any friends in the Dream State?” Siena asked, blunt as always.
Frank sighed. “I had one, and I usually played with her party.”
“I’m guessing that she was the one who sold you out?” Siena raised an eyebrow. “Considering you’re not playing with them anymore.”
Frank nodded. “But I think there’s more to it than just simple betrayal. She seemed scared the last time I tried to bring it up.”
Siena nodded. “Catastrophe is a scary bunch. They work for Wona and aren’t afraid of threatening people outside the game if things don’t go their way. You should talk to Noah about them. He’s suffered more from their actions than anyone else.”
I might just do that. Maybe he can help me get Tessa out from under their thumb.
They found the fourth red egg on the ledge near the end of the canyon. Much to Siena’s chagrin, Frank made sure to check the area before she touched it, making sure there was not another party around that could ambush them.
There wasn’t, and like the previous three, they took the dragon down without much effort. Although after having used the yellow eggs to increase her strength, Siena didn’t need any help. After it had vanished, Frank had everything she needed to make a full set of Dragon Armor.
Siena beamed. “You’ll be able to go to New Calandor now as well.”
Frank nodded, relieved that she wouldn’t have to restrict her teammates to playing behind the Storm Wall. They weren’t a bad group of people, and though she didn’t always get along the best with Siena, she found herself getting used to her endearing, devil-may-care attitude.
It doesn’t make losing Tessa any less painful, though.
Siena was suddenly looking out into space with bulging eyes, as though she had received a message from someone and was shocked by what it read.
“What is it?” Frank asked.
Siena turned to her, expression shifting from shock to horror. “Noah, he’s . . . he’s not going to do anything with the evidence.”
Chapter 25: Obligations
My decision had already been made. Having evidence against Brock just lying around David's apartment in multiple devices was too risky. Skinny arms shaking from the effort, I quickly went about destroying them, almost breaking David’s microwave in the process. I knew how easy it was to recover ghost files from a device with the right software, and couldn’t risk someone else getting their hands on the evidence.
Brock was insistent on avenging his friends by taking on Wona. However, considering he wouldn’t have a chance in court after signing the confidentiality agreement, I knew keeping the evidence from Brock was the only way to save him from himself.
The only copies I didn’t delete were on the USB I decided to always keep on me and the one I had encoded into my Wakizashi, which I had to deliver to Wona upon signing the contract. I had to be careful. If one of them went astray, my deal with Wona and everything that came with it would be forfeit. Perhaps this even included the part about them putting Samuel and Colban in prison.
Now that I had accessed the Gateway at the airship platform at Land’s End it was in the list of settings I could pick from when selecting areas on the map. I appeared on the high-rise landing after leaving Galrinth, hoping Brock had told no one about what had occurred be
tween me and him.
From how he tried to use Sue’s memory, I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried using my friends against me as well.
I looked up in awe as one of the massive airships took off from a runway next to the platform I was on. Seeing the way the sun glistened off of its balloons and propellers as it ascended into the sky made me realize that I had been fooling myself all this time. The reason I kept returning to the Dream State despite what had happened to me wasn’t because I needed to. I loved it here.
The beauty of the world, the excitement of the game, the escape from painful reality—particularly now that I was debilitated—all of these elements were brought together to create an experience that I had not only become fond of, but was partial to. I could now see why people became addicted to this game like David was, and now I was going to be paid to play it.
Instead of flying up to Heaven’s Gates on Peragon, I decided that this time I would take an airship. As one landed and I was about to get on, I received a message notification from Siena. I ignored it, knowing exactly what it would be about. Especially since she would have heard everything from Brock’s perspective, I could understand how my sudden change of heart would seem a little suspicious.
An NPC waved me onto the airship as it was taking off and I walked up the ramp and made my way onto an open deck. I watched in amazement as the propellers began to spin, lifting me up into the air with the other administrators going to Heaven. In the distance, I could see players trying to catch a peek of what was going on inside the gates.
Our speed increased as we made our way over the ocean and up into the clouds. I went inside to have a look, but all that was in there was an unfurnished hall with, I was pleasantly surprised to the see, a viewing window in the floor. Although it currently showed the ocean hundreds of feet below, I could only imagine what it would be like to have the opportunity to ride one of these over the rest of New Calandor.
Message notifications popped up in my vision several times during my trip to Heaven’s Gate and I ignored them all. If any of them were from Wona I would be speaking to their president soon, anyway. If they were from my friends, I thought it would be better to get this over and done with than drag it out.
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