Awaken Online (Book 3.5): Apathy

by Bagwell, Travis

  Silver Stag – Level ?

  Health – Unknown

  Mana – Unknown

  Equipment – Unknown

  Resistances – Unknown

  Weakness – Unknown

  Fantastic, Eliza mentally grumbled. The Silver Stag didn’t seem to have a level – or it was so much higher than her that she couldn’t determine its level. Either way, that was bad news. The inspection also hadn’t revealed any additional information regarding the creature. So, she was flying blind. Again.

  Not having any other choice, she decided she may as well fire an Ice Bolt at the creature. She would probably die – horribly. But she could always come back, and she needed more information if she was somehow going to slay the stag.

  Just as her hands began to wind their way through the beginning gestures of the spell, a hail of missiles erupted from the far side of the lake, the black projectiles whistling through the air toward the Silver Stag. The creature looked up lazily, and Eliza could feel her stomach lurch. Then, with an almost bored expression, the deer seemed to teleport six feet to the side. The missiles slammed against the ground where the deer had been standing a moment before.

  Eliza blinked a few times, trying to figure out what she had just seen even as another volley of projectiles raced through the air. She could now see that there were players standing on the other side of the lake – at least five men and women robed in heavy leather with longbows drawn. Their armor had been dyed a dark green, which explained why she hadn’t seen them until now.

  Her gaze was fixed on the deer this time, watching carefully as the missiles approached. In a blur of motion, the Silver Stag dodged to the side. It didn’t seem to be casting a spell – it was just insanely fast.

  At the same time, another group of players emerged from the brush behind the deer, creating a semi-circle around the animal and trying to cut off its retreat. The players wielded heavy spears, the iron tips glinting in the dull light that filtered through the trees.

  The animal turned to look at the onrushing players skeptically. It didn’t seem at all perturbed by its attackers or the new salvo of missiles that was racing through the air from the opposite end of the lake. As the first spear was thrust toward the creature, it suddenly moved. In a flash, it had gored a player’s throat with its horns, the glowing ivory surface now stained crimson as the animal stood beside the player impassively.

  The other players looked on with wide eyes, a shout going up through their ranks as they turned to try to stab at the Silver Stag. Yet the death of one of the attackers created a small opening, and the deer immediately took advantage. It raced away in a flurry of movement so fast that Eliza had trouble following it. Within only moments, the creature had completely disappeared.

  “God damn it!” one of the players shouted, pulling Eliza’s attention back to the group of spearmen that still stood on the bank of the lake. A man had emerged from the woods behind the group of players and waved at them wildly.

  “You knew how fast the damn deer was. I told you to thrust at the same time!” The man roared. He wore the same camouflaged leather armor as the rest of the group. “But this idiot just had to go and try to claim the kill himself,” he spat, kicking at the player’s corpse.

  Eliza realized that she was still standing frozen next to her tree, her hands hovering in front of her – the spell now forgotten. She couldn’t help but recall the advice she had received when she first entered the woods. Not all players were friendly.

  Maybe I should get out of here, she thought to herself.

  Before she could leave her perch beside the tree, she felt something sharp press against her side. “Don’t move,” a gruff feminine voice spoke from behind her. “One inch and you die. Nod your head if you understand.” Eliza slowly nodded her head, not daring to try to look behind her as her heart raced in her chest.

  “We have another player back here,” the woman behind Eliza called. The group near the shore glanced over, and the man – who Eliza assumed was their leader – waved a hand in their direction.

  “Move forward and keep your hands up,” the woman said, prodding Eliza with what she assumed was the tip of a sword. Not knowing what else to do, she walked forward slowly, approaching the group of players along the shore.

  “Who is this?” the leader demanded, glaring at Eliza.

  “I found her on the other side of the lake,” the woman behind Eliza explained. “It looks like she had spread out some potions and ingredients around her. I’m guessing she’s an alchemist.” As the woman finished speaking, she circled around Eliza, finally coming into view. Her kidnapper was wearing the same armor as her teammates, her dark hair bound behind her head in a tight ponytail and her eyes steely as she gazed at Eliza.

  “I… I was just gathering ingredients,” Eliza stuttered, trying to give this group the same story she had used with the other players.

  “A likely tale,” the leader groused, approaching her quickly. “You are quite far from town, and you’re under-leveled for this area. There are foraging grounds much closer to town that have ingredients for basic potions.”

  Shit, Eliza thought. These players were clearly more competent and organized.

  “Which means,” the man drawled, “that you must be after the bounty on the Silver Stag. Not that a solo player at your level would stand any chance of killing the creature.”

  “Or she could just be a noob. The alchemy tools seem to mesh with the story at least,” the woman said, eyeing Eliza appraisingly. “What do you want to do with her?”

  The leader grimaced. “Hmm. Either way, she saw our camping spot and our attack strategy. With the amount of money at stake here, we can’t afford to let her live. Just kill her and take any potions she has on her body,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

  The woman immediately drew a small dagger and placed it to Eliza’s throat, the edge drawing a faint line of blood. She couldn’t help but gulp as a heavy, dead weight settled in her stomach.

  “Wait,” the leader commanded before stepping closer. A moment later, his face hovered only a foot away from Eliza. “Do not come back here or tell anyone what you saw. If you do, we will make it our sole task to hunt you down and kill you – repeatedly, until you’re only wearing rags and you don’t have a coin to your name. Do you understand?”

  “Y-yes,” Eliza managed to gasp.

  “Good,” the leader said and turned away.

  “Goodbye, little alchemist,” the woman said and then, in a swift movement, she drew the dagger across Eliza’s throat.

  A dull pain blossomed in Eliza neck, and her hands instinctively raised to her throat as she sank to the ground. A pained gurgle escaped her lips as red notifications flashed in her peripheral vision. As the world started to go black, she could see the woman rummaging through her pack, pulling out her hard-earned potions and pocketing them.

  Then the world finally went dark.

  System Message

  You have died.

  Thanks for playing Awaken Online!

  Chapter 12 - Disheartened

  “Damn it,” Eliza muttered.

  After respawning, she was now standing in Alma’s garden. The sun had lazily moved toward the horizon, casting long shadows where the light drifted across the trees ringing the compound. Eliza slumped to the ground, her thoughts focused on the encounter with the players. An idle hand rubbed at her throat, and she could still feel a dull pain there – her mind clinging to the memory of her death despite the fact that she was now very much alive.

  Eliza noticed her bag resting on the ground beside her, and, with a hollow pit in her stomach, she opened it slowly. She soon discovered that her entire stash of potions was gone. Her coins were also missing, not that she’d had much money to begin with. The only silver lining was that the other players hadn’t bothered to take her remaining ingredients. She could only assume that there was little market in-game for selling alchemy materials at this point.

  Closing her eyes,
Eliza tried to stay calm. How was she supposed to finish this insane quest? Assuming she could somehow kill the lightning-fast creature, she still had to contend with the other players who were clearly hunting the Silver Stag. She also hadn’t missed their mention of a bounty. Eliza had the almost irresistible urge to strangle the Hippie the next time she saw him, and she could already visualize her fingers wrapping around his irritating throat. He had omitted some important information.

  A normal deer, huh?

  “What are you doing out here, girl?” Alma asked, shuffling up beside her. The older woman’s cane made a rhythmic thump as she approached. As she saw Eliza’s pale face, her eyes widened in shock. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen death itself.”

  Eliza could only manage a weak chuckle. “You aren’t too far off. Some players in the forest killed me, and I respawned here.”

  A flash of anger lit Alma’s face before she managed to school her expression back to something more neutral. “Well, then I suppose it’s lucky that you’re a traveler too. If you had been a resident of this world, you wouldn’t be coming back.” Seeing that this didn’t exactly cheer Eliza up, Alma continued, “Why don’t you come inside? I’ve just finished brewing some tea. It would probably do you some good.”

  “Okay,” Eliza muttered, tiredly rising to her feet. She didn’t expect that tea was going to solve her problems, but neither would moping in the garden.

  The pair entered Alma’s cottage, and Eliza took a seat at a small, rough-hewn wooden table. Her elbows rested against the coarse surface as she tugged off her glasses and rubbed at her eyes – her thoughts still troubled. A moment later, she heard a soft thump in front of her and opened her eyes to find a mug resting on the table, steam drifting atop its surface.

  “Cantail Root mixed with some dried fruit. It improves the circulation,” Alma said, taking a seat opposite Eliza. “These old bones need a little invigoration every so often.”

  Eliza sniffed at the tea skeptically and was surprised to find that it smelled like oranges – albeit rather muted. She took a hesitant sip, and a notification immediately appeared in her peripheral vision.

  Consumed Cantail Root Tea

  Stamina regeneration increased by 5/second.

  Duration 30 minutes.

  Eliza was surprised to see the notification, although she supposed that this was the first time she had tried eating something in-game. It was interesting that even the food in AO had certain properties and she wondered idly if she could receive other bonuses for more complicated meals. She had always enjoyed cooking.

  “So, tell me what happened,” Alma said, jarring Eliza out of her reverie. The older woman’s eyes were fixed on Eliza’s face, and she found it difficult to meet her gaze.

  Eliza wasn’t really certain where to start. It wouldn’t make sense to tell Alma about how she had been killed without first explaining why she had gone out into the forest in the first place – which meant bringing up the irritating, homeless god. Still, she found herself strangely compelled to tell Alma the truth. Maybe she was just tired of keeping secrets. As she ventured a glance at the kindly woman’s face, waiting calmly for Eliza to begin, she made a decision.

  “I-I was approached by a strange young man about a week ago, and he told me that he was a god,” Eliza began tentatively. When Alma didn’t reply – or break out laughing – Eliza continued, “He gave me a quest to kill a troll north of town. I actually managed to kill the monster by brewing a poison using some herbs I found in the forest.”

  She hesitated, finding it strange to tell the story aloud, since it sounded crazy even as she told it. Yet Alma made no attempt to interrupt, and she waited patiently for Eliza to continue. “When you asked me earlier why I was going into the forest… I-I lied. This god wants me to slay the Silver Stag and collect its pelt. I managed to find the animal by following a stream to a lake deep in the forest, and…”

  Eliza trailed off, wincing as she recalled the encounter – both how easily the stag had slain one of the players and how quickly she had been captured and killed. “A group of travelers attacked the stag while it was drinking, but it killed one and got away. It was incredibly fast. I could barely follow its movements. Then the travelers managed to capture me, and they… they killed me and took my potions and money.”

  As she finished speaking, Eliza could feel frustrated tears blooming at the corners of her eyes, unable to will them away. She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She couldn’t believe that she was crying in front of Alma. This was supposed to be a game. Why did everything have to feel so real?

  “Well, that’s certainly an interesting tale. Although, I’m certain I just received the abbreviated version,” Alma finally said with a small chuckle. “To think my apprentice would become the target of a god… I assume he was a young man dressed in rags?”

  Eliza looked up sharply, her mouth dropping open in surprise.

  “Ahh, it seems I hit the mark,” the older woman continued. “Then you indeed met with the water deity – as unfortunate as that might be.”

  “You’ve met him?” Eliza asked, finally regaining the power of speech as she shook off her surprise.

  Alma grimaced. “Once. I wouldn’t wish to repeat the exchange. Yet his tasks usually come with a reward – just not always the one you expect.” A thoughtful look flitted across the alchemist’s face. “I think I can help you, girl. I can’t complete your task for you, but perhaps I can offer some guidance.”

  “T-thank you,” Eliza said, taken aback by the older woman’s support. She had almost forgotten what it felt like for someone to listen to her and then offer to help with her problems. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

  “It sounds like you face two challenges. The first is finding a way to slay this Silver Stag – which sounds like it won’t be easy,” Alma said, her voice sounding distracted as she stared off into space, deep in thought.

  “And the second problem?” Eliza nudged the older woman to continue.

  “Ahh, that would be the other travelers. If they’re also hunting this creature, then you need to find some way to defend yourself – either by incapacitating them or killing them,” Alma stated matter-of-factly. Eliza was forced to do a double take hearing the usually compassionate and friendly old woman speak so easily about killing others. She spent most of her time brewing healing potions for sick townsfolk, after all.

  Yet a hollow weight settled in Eliza’s stomach. It didn’t matter if Alma planned to help her. Eliza had no flair for combat – as the encounter with the bear had clearly demonstrated. “I have no idea how to kill even easy creatures, much less a team of other travelers,” she muttered.

  “Don’t sell yourself short, my dear,” Alma replied sharply, causing Eliza to glance up in surprise. She noted that the normally-kind woman’s gaze was steely as it held her own. “You killed a troll after all – no small task for a novice water mage.” Then she hesitated as a thought occurred to her. “Speaking of which, how exactly did you kill the troll? You mentioned poison?”

  “Uh, like I said, I brewed a poison using plants I found in the forest,” Eliza explained, looking down at her hands in embarrassment. She doubted that Alma would appreciate that she had used her herbalism training to kill another creature. “I didn’t know what I was doing, so I basically just included every poisonous plant I could find in the mixture. The result was some sort of unidentified poison.”

  Alma nodded along with this explanation. “It sounds like you got lucky. On the other hand, luck is often the mother of invention. How did you administer the poison? Trolls are notoriously territorial. Did you sneak up on it?”

  “Sort of,” Eliza murmured, recalling the event vividly. “It was asleep in its cave, and I figured out that I could sort of… pause casting Obscuring Mist – which causes the ball of water to linger in the air. I then poured the poison on the sphere and completed the spell, which created a poisonous mi
st,” Eliza explained awkwardly, feeling a little silly. In retrospect, she was surprised that she hadn’t gotten beaten to a bloody pulp.

  On top of that, she could only imagine that Alma thought she was a terrible person.

  Eliza ventured a glance at the older woman, only to find a proud smile plastered on Alma’s face, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling. “Delightful. What a creative way to administer the toxin,” Alma said, almost sounding excited. “I’ve considered using water magic as a vector for healing and toxins in other capacities… but the mist is a surprising adaptation.”

  Alma’s gaze refocused on Eliza. “Have you been able to repeat the experiment? Pausing the spell, I mean. That might provide an effective means of fighting the players since you have some control over the mist itself.”

  “I actually haven’t tried,” Eliza said. Although, she didn’t see how she could manage to cast the spell in the middle of a battle. She had only managed the feat with the troll because it had been asleep. “I’m not really sure it would work, though,” Eliza muttered.

  “Why ever not?” Alma asked in surprise. “I think you’re on to something there.”

  “It’s too slow,” Eliza explained, her voice downcast. “I have to pause the spell and then add the poison. During a fight, that would be impossible.”

  “Hmm, I see,” Alma said slowly, her eyes clouded in thought. “It seems that we would need to find a way to administer the poison more quickly. If we could reduce the spellcasting delay, then we could effectively weaponize the mist.”

  Alma murmured to herself, distractedly. “We need a way to pour the poison… or inject it… Ahh, I think I have an idea!” the older woman exclaimed, smacking the table with her palm. “I have a friend in Falcon’s Hook that specializes in engineering projects. His name is Evan Crown and he creates custom instruments for people in town. I think he might be able to craft a staff that would allow you to inject the poison – perhaps as some sort of cartridge.”