Maelpith Island Trials
Escape Maelpith Island
Objectives Complete
Discover a way off Maelpith Island:
2000 experience points
500 Ignis dominion credits
500 Khertahka dominion credits
Maelpith Island Trials passed:
5000 experience points
1000 Khertahka dominion credits
1000 Ignis dominion credits
“Thanks, homie.” Frost stroked the drake’s neck. “Couldn’t have done it without you.” The drake gurgled. “I was thinking that if we’re gonna be together, I’m gonna have to give you a name.” Frost pondered it for a moment. One thing made sense. “I’ll call you RnB. Yeah, I like that.”
With the quest completions, Frost contemplated the items on which he might spend his credits. He remembered he still owed Meritus for Deadeye, Stand and Deliver, and the Comm Orb. He’d have to find a roundabout way to repay Meritus, or else his best friend would just return the credits. Perhaps some skills or items. Or clothes. Meritus had a thing for clothes.
Gotta get something for Gilda too. Flowers, maybe? Girls like that kinda stuff. Nah, she’s not like other girls. She’s too hard for flowers. Probably better off if I take her on a hunt. He nodded at that last.
Thoughts of Gilda sent his mind wandering. He missed her cerulean skin and lithe body. Her smarts. Her attitude. He couldn’t wait to see her again, both in-game and IRL. He basked in the memories of their lovemaking.
Frost activated the Comm Orb. A simple thought drew out the intended address @GildaMordian. But the address didn’t illuminate. Frost sighed. He’d keep trying. Sooner or later, she would acquire an Orb. He hoped it would be sooner.
Stroking his aether ring, relishing the feel of the cool wind, Frost considered how well his leveling had gone on the island. He’d seemingly hit the sweet spot where a person could readily solo the island’s low-level elite mobs. Having RnB meant he could come and go as he pleased as long as he stayed away from the drake area and the Coalition.
“Maybe I can shoot for level fifteen. Go find Dagrun, Gunarr, and Sigrid… see if they have any of that chimera scale armor. Or maybe get some korbitanium to take back to Marang and have a smith make me a shitload of projectiles. What do you think?”
The drake made a cooing sound.
“Yeah, I agree. Sounds like a plan.” Gripping the reins, Frost tilted his hands to the right, causing RnB to bank and circle back toward the island.
His Comm Orb dinged.
“Yo… what up, homie.” Frost froze at the melancholy in Meritus’ voice.
“It was supposed to be a surprise. I’d linked up with Gilda. We were in Ezaki, completing quests and farming the materials Nakada Masami wanted.”
There was a long pause.
“But now she’s gone. She went to deal with a merchant but didn’t come back. He said someone took her. Claimed it was most likely slavers.”
Frost barely heard the rest of the message. Turning his hands, he made RnB circle back out to face the sea. Images of Gilda filled his mind. Worry was a weight on his chest.
He aimed RnB like an arrow at the dark line that split the azure sky and the sapphire sea. Above him, the fitful gray murk of the voidstorm’s remnants bled into the bowl of heaven before disappearing entirely. Below, the ocean was a frightening expanse of undulating hills, valleys, and white-capped teeth.
Memories of almost drowning tried to form, but Frost pushed them away. He had one focus.
“Activate Comm Orb. Voice. @MeritusKillgain. I’m on my way.”
CHAPTER 9
Frost flew all day and all night. He spent the night battling sleep, battling nightmares where Gilda’s captors mutilated or killed her. He sent messages to Meritus, asking for news, hoping the original report had been wrong, hoping Gilda had shown up, or praying she’d escaped her captors. The response was always negative.
He inquired after her kidnappers’ identities. And the details as to how they’d managed to take her. Meritus didn’t know. Frost was certain of one thing: the kidnappers were much stronger than Gilda, despite having her outnumbered. He had that much confidence in her fighting ability.
He lost himself in thought amid the rhythm of RnB’s wings, a sweep and then a glide, a reliance on aerodynamics Frost didn’t quite understand, but which kept them aloft without the need for constant flapping. The mainland had grown from a line to prominent features: forests, mountains, shores, landmarks, and distant colored lights that spoke of civilization.
Frost snapped his head up from a doze. Night had given way to the pale pearl of dawn. Land was to his immediate right, but RnB still soared over the sea whose frothing mouths of white teeth gnashed at a beach. He made to steer RnB toward land even as he allowed his gaze to follow the coastline, head turning until he saw over his shoulder.
A landmark stood out. A peninsula. Not just any peninsula. It was the spear that gave The Glaive its name. That meant the land to his right was Ignis. Ignis meant being too close to the humans, to the Coalition, and the debacle he’d fled in Kituan.
Frost stared ahead. The ocean appeared as an endless sapphire in that direction, and the gnawing in his stomach, his stiff legs, and his thirst said he needed to land. RnB had to feel the same. But Frost knew if he continued on this current line for several hundred miles, he would see the great curve along Lothal’s eastern coast. Rescuing Gilda required him to push on.
Disheartened by the distance left to travel, Frost occupied his mind by practicing Replenishment although his aether pool was full. Meditating on the connection between himself and the world allowed him to sense aether, the living power of Mikander, the near invisible swirls and bands. He siphoned it. In minuscule increments, excess aether collected into Aether Overload’s reservoir. With Overload, he could activate his most powerful ability, Stand and Deliver.
Smiling, he recalled using Stand and Deliver to defeat Emperor KiGyaba. In his mind’s eye he looked like a Vindicator, dressed in high level silver and gold armor, suffused in a blue glow, abilities flying from the cannon too fast to follow, lighting up the air like fireworks.
The power he’d experienced in that moment had been incredible. Overwhelming. He promised himself to experiment with the skill, to see which combos sped up the cyclic rate to maximum in the shortest period of time.
The day dragged on, its heat growing. The sun beat at his back. Frost asked Meritus for updates, but the answers remained a disappointment.
Frost checked his empty canteen for the tenth time. Sighing, he welcomed any cool breeze carrying the ocean’s briny scent. Squawking gulls swooped by, none daring to come close to RnB.
His thoughts wandered to Mom, Kai, and Pops. He reminded himself to find a way to tell Mom about Pops’ holo. He smiled as he considered the holo now. Pops was the ghost in the machine.
A part of him wished he was back in the real world with them. Another anticipated seeing Pops again. Yet another yearned to simply enjoy Void Legion.
He scowled whenever he thought of Sidrie. Combatting the loathing he had for her, for what he knew she had done to Pops, was beyond difficult. Particularly since he had to trust her to keep her word.
As time dragged on, Frost resorted to stretching as best he could, checking his inventory, his stats, theorycrafting about various skills, and weapons. Looking toward the expanse of land to his far right, he tried to name cities and locales from his old memory of Ataxia One, although there was the likelihood some had changed.
Eventually, there was only so much he could do to distract himself from the lengthy trip. Hunger crashed down on him. As did the stiffness in his legs.
“RnB.” He petted the drake’s neck. The drake gurgled. “It’s time we land. You gotta be as hungry as me and probably need to stretch your legs to
o.”
Choosing a lake not far inland, he steered RnB to his right, swooping over waves that frothed onto the shore. A lake of the sort ahead meant fresh water. And wildlife. Wildlife meant food. Frost pushed down on the near indiscernible aether reins. Wings spread, RnB descended in a glide.
As the ground drew closer, Frost made out a few creatures wandering in a nearby marsh. Giant green or blue scorpions came to mind, complete with two claws, one massive and the other much smaller, a barbed tail, and segmented bodies. IM identified them as swamp scorpids.
Frost considered hunting them for all of a second. As usual, he had no way of telling their level or strength. They could be elite, for all he knew. When RnB flew over the scorpids, they scuttled along on eight legs, tails swaying back and forth.
Refocusing on the lake, Frost soon discovered that which he sought. A herd of deer-like cervin were busy grazing among grass, shrubs, and occasional trees. Frost aimed RnB at a shore downwind from the cervins, making certain not to fly over the animals and spook them.
RnB landed gracefully. As much as Frost wanted to leap from the drake’s back, his stiff legs wouldn’t comply. He was forced to lift one leg over and slide off RnB’s back.
It was like heaven when his feet touched ground. Yet, they almost failed him. They felt numb and didn’t immediately respond to his body’s need for support. He steadied himself by leaning on RnB.
Moments passed and the unsteadiness vanished. As did the numbness. Frost took one tentative step, then another, and soon was strolling among the spongy grass. He performed a few practice sprints and Leaps to make certain all was normal.
Once satisfied, he made his way to the water’s edge, squatted, and scooped up a handful of the clear water into his mouth. He sighed at the heavenly taste, made more so by his parched throat. Beside Frost, RnB lapped up his fill, gurgling in contentment.
After filling his canteen, Frost headed toward the grassy area with the cervins, RnB following some ways behind. Staying low, he crept along until he was almost within range of his prey. He took Deadeye from his inventory.
Frost glanced back to tell RnB to wait, but the drake was gone. Brows furrowed, Frost looked all around. But there was no sign of RnB other than the drake’s musky smell. Assuming the drake had flown off, he returned his attention to the cervins.
Frost Concealed. He took a few tentative steps forward to get within range of the animals. He aimed at an older buck with weathered horns. A doe was just on the other side of the buck.
Selecting Piercer, Frost took a slow breath and squeezed. A red bolt streaked across the distance. The whine of its discharge echoed a moment later, startling the herd.
But the bolt had already struck. It blasted through the buck, the doe, and continued on for some distance before dissipating. The two animals crumpled. The herd scattered.
Frost deactivated Concealment. He took one step forward when RnB appeared up ahead next to the cervins. Mouth agape, Frost stopped and stared. Had RnB also Concealed? He grimaced in doubt but couldn’t deny his eyes.
Shaking his head, Frost strode over to the kill. He pointed to the buck. “That one’s yours, boy. Eat.” RnB gurgled and tore into the cervin.
Smiling, Frost slid the sword from its scabbard and chopped up the doe. He dragged the haunches over to one of the large trees in the area.
Frost cleared a space in the tree’s shadow, collected some dry grass and twigs, got his flint and tinder out, and started a fire. Soon enough, he was roasting skewered meat. When he’d finished cooking, Frost kicked dirt over the fire to put it out.
As he ate, Frost basked in a late afternoon breeze that carried a medley of fragrances from the lake and nearby blooms. Birds piped high and low in a harmonious ballad, the tree leaves murmuring in applause. When Frost finished the meal, he stored some extra food in his inventory, reclined on the spongy grass, and stared up at the sky.
RnB strutted over and settled down on his stomach near Frost, his head and tail curled inward until they almost touched. In moments, RnB was snorting and snuffling.
Brows raised at the sound, Frost propped himself up on his elbow and studied the drake. RnB’s red and black body rose in a steady rhythm. Frost almost laughed. The damned drake was snoring. But even as Frost watched, something odd happened.
RnB disappeared. But the snoring said the drake was still there.
Without thinking, Frost let out a series of clicks. Echolocation activated. The world within three hundred feet was revealed to Frost’s second sight. RnB became a shadowy mass in the shape of a drake.
Separating his sight from Echolocation, Frost studied the spot. He knew certain creatures like defilers could see through Concealment, and RnB had displayed a similar ability, so it might be possible for him to do the same. Squinting, he tried to pick out a difference between the space occupied by the Concealed drake and the air around it.
RnB shifted. The instant the movement occurred, there was an almost imperceptible distortion in the air. A blur, framing RnB. The trees and grass seen beyond was like looking at a steamy mirror.
The effect reminded Frost of the time he’d picked out the Concealed Redthorns by way of the rain falling on them. Or more recently when he thought he’d discerned the same from the Concealed arket.
He smiled as the thought sparked a memory from a movie. One of the Jedi in Episode Twelve, Legacy of Jade, had a similar skill. Hughey had argued that the old Predator movies made the ability look way cooler, and in fact, LOJ had copied from Predator. They’d argued for hours, pulling whatever references they could from the Grid.
The blur shifted upward. Frost deduced that RnB must have stood. A snorting growl rumbled from the drake.
Eyes narrowed, Frost scanned the field. A man approached from a copse some distance away. He was tall for a human. Well-built. He was dressed in dark trousers, a tan shirt, and a long cloak. The stranger carried a staff in one hand, using it almost like a tall walking stick.
Although Frost could not see the staff’s base, the light crackling down its length marked the weapon as a storm lance. He had to assume the man was a stormcaller.
Cold fingers slithered down Frost’s spine. What’re the chances of running into someone with a hierka out here? Was he a player grinding levels? An NPC? Or is he trying to gank me?
Again, Frost wished a way existed to discern levels or player type, some kind of identification like there was for mob names and GUMs. But then what difference did it make? None at all if this was some Player Killer.
And if he’s a PKer much higher level than me, I’m most likely dead anyway.
Frost always hated the idea of ganking. Whether it was by using unfair numbers or taking advantage of higher levels to kill lowbies, ganking sucked.
True PVP was more his thing. Challenging players who were of a similar level or range of equipment. A sign of player skill.
Frost considered trying to leap onto RnB’s back. For all of an instant. Not only was the drake Concealed, but in all likelihood the stormcaller could hit him with a thunderbolt before Frost was able to get airborne.
Aiming Deadeye in the stranger’s direction, Frost inched backward. His advantage was range.
As if reading Frost’s mind, the man Flickered. One moment he was on the field’s far side, and the next, he was halfway across it. Blue electrical arcs crackled around the man’s body.
Frost stepped behind the tree, Concealing the moment he was out of sight. He darted around the tree trunk, returning to the spot he’d vacated.
As Frost had anticipated, the man had Flickered again. The man was in the spot Frost had abandoned.
Frost aimed Deadeye at the middle of the man’s back. “If you move, I'm gonna take it as a threat and kill you.”
Storm energy flared. The man made to spin.
Frost fired a Staggering Shot into th
e stranger’s back. He followed with an Aether Shot. The first attack blasted a hole through the man’s chest. The second took half his head. Gore splattered the ground and tree trunk, followed by the heavy thud of the man’s corpse.
Frost had the sudden urge to vomit. Gritting his teeth, he fought down the sensation. He chalked it up to his distaste with the kill as well as the heightened emotions the game injected into players.
Guess he wasn’t that much higher in levels after all. He strode toward the dead man.
RnB reappeared a few steps from the corpse. He gurgled but made no attempt to move closer.
By an effort of will, Frost ignored the gore and rolled the dead man onto his back. An emblem stood out on the man’s left breast. It depicted a storm lance and a great sword, the weapons pointing up, crossing each other to form an X. Nestled in the topmost V of the X was a shield. In the bottom, between the handles of the weapons, was a brazier with a flame.
Abruptly, the body dissolved. One moment it was flesh and blood, and then it was a bunch of bones. A player, Frost concluded, recalling how the Battleguards killed by him, Gilda, and Saba had remained as flesh for some time.
The player’s belt, clothing, armor, and weapon remained. Frost emptied the belt pouches.
Health Extract:
Level 10
Regain 1000 Health instantly
Reuse: 2 minutes
Rejuvenation Extract:
Level 10
Regain 2000 health over 30 seconds
Reuse: 2 minutes
He found three of each. In another pouch was a red and green card. Expedition Pass was stenciled in bold letters.
Did he follow me from Maelpith? Frost pocketed the Pass for future use.
A thought made him stop looting the corpse. He recalled the trailer and demo mentioning new Player Killing penalties.
IM was there to provide an answer. Self-defense and fulfilling a bounty did not incur penalties. Neither did accepted challenges to a duel, nor any killings in Open PVP zones, which were a few designated areas within the Coalition’s immediate jurisdiction, and anything beyond it, starting from the Dagoda Front and continuing north across the entire Akufa dominion. Anything else was considered murder and allowed for the placement of bounties. A second murder, or committing too many crimes, resulted in the person becoming fully chaotic, punishable by diminished exp, town and city bans, and guards automatically trying to kill or capture the criminal.
The Forsaken Crypts Page 10
