by Tom Larcombe
“At least ten in there,” he said. “I think it's mostly orcish speech, but I'm not a linguist or anything, so who knows?”
“Well, here goes,” Charles said. “Everyone ready? Or so you think we should try to wait for Stalker.”
The thief appeared from nowhere at the back of the group.
“I'm here, not a lot of use yet, but I've got enough stamina for a bit of a fight, at least.”
“Then I guess we're ready,” Charles said.
He reached down and grabbed the doorknob. Eddie stared and blinked when he noticed just how large it was. Charles wasn't a small guy, but he looked like a toddler working at an adult-sized doorknob as he twisted it to open the door. The door swung open quickly as Charles thrust it away from himself and brought his battered shield in front of him.
~ ~ ~
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aaron checked out the email he'd just received from Cynthia. It was regarding the code changes that they had ready to go into place.
'I knew you were fast Aaron, but really? One third of the changes you recommended set to go in already? The changes listed in the file at the end of this email can be patched in at your earliest convenience. Thanks for commenting your code so clearly, nobody else that submits me code manages to make it as clear as you do. Maybe I'll start routing all code submissions to you for commenting before I even look at them.
Cynthia.'
Aaron pulled up the attached file and yes, the one change that everyone would notice, and be overjoyed about, was in the list.
Alright, he thought. I'll stay late tonight and around three AM, game time, I'll do the patch. There should be the fewest players active at that point, so the least stress on the servers from the patch, and the fewest players directly affected.
He'd been informed before that any time a patch was added, the players who were active at that moment would suffer a brief, less than a second long, patch of lightheadedness. So he was trying to keep the number of players who experienced that effect to the minimum.
Although if they knew why they were experiencing it, what the patch was that caused it, they wouldn't complain in the slightest, I'm sure.
He went through the list of the other changes that were already authorized and started building the authorized group into a single unit with a batch script.
I just wish I could see the look on Eddie's face the first time the prompt comes up asking him IF he wants to learn a new skill as opposed to just giving it to him. Hey, I wonder if Freyja would be able to get a picture of him when it happens? I should ask her, she might enjoy the look on his face also, he thought when he finished the script.
He promptly opened another program from his desktop and started typing
Internal World Message – Aaron Opman to AI-F:
Freyja? I've got a favor to ask.
Internal World Message – AI-F to Aaron Opman:
What is it, Aaron? I'm slightly busy, but happy to help if I can.
Aaron shook his head.
There she goes again, using emotional references. I do wonder if that's just a programmed response she set or if she actually does feel things like that. I know the AIs were given ghost emotions, but has she developed more than that or enhanced them? I'm not going to ask her directly though. What you don't know, you can't reveal. Better if I don't know.
He started typing again after that brief moment of thought.
Internal World Message – Aaron Opman to AI-F:
I'm going to do a patch tonight. I wanted to inform you of that first. Once this patch is made though, I'd like to see Eddie's face when he first interacts with one part of it. Is it possible to get a picture of that? Maybe set a trigger for it or something?
Internal World Message – AI-F to Aaron Opman:
What conditionals? What does the patch do? I need to know more before I can answer your question.
Internal World Message – Aaron Opman to AI-F:
Oh, sorry. This portion of the patch affects how players learn skills. A very common complaint when I was in the game was that people accidentally learned skills they didn't want. The skill was just given when the conditions were met. This patch will make it so instead of automatically getting the skill, they'll get a prompt asking them if they want to learn it instead. The players were complaining that it was very hard to guide their character development when they ended up learning skills at random, so this should fix that.
Internal World Message – AI-F to Aaron Opman:
Yes, I have heard that complaint a number of times. Yes, I can do what you're requesting. So long as he doesn't get offered his next skill within a few seconds of when the patch completes, I can make a minor addition that will capture his expression the first time he encounters that piece of code.
Internal World Message – Aaron Opman to AI-F:
Thank you Freyja. I think the expression on his face will be priceless, and I wanted to save a copy of it to show him if I ever encounter him out of game, or maybe even show it to him in game if I go back in myself.
Internal World Message – AI-F to Aaron Opman:
You are most welcome, Aaron. Did you ever get a chance to scan the data I provided?
Internal World Message – Aaron Opman to AI-F:
Yes, and it is concerning, but I don't want to talk about that right now.
Aaron sighed heavily.
I hope she understands that I mean I don't want to talk about it on this channel, Aaron thought.
Internal World Message – AI-F to Aaron Opman:
Can I trust you, Aaron? I think that I can, so all I will say is to relay those concerns to me as you can. You should have an opportunity to do so, a prompted opportunity as it were, very soon. I must go now.
Aaron was confused, for all of ten seconds. Then his phone buzzed with an incoming email on his personal email account. He wasn't used to that, he had very good spam blockers and got very few emails to that address, so he pulled it out to check. When he saw the sender and subject line, he almost fainted.
Freyja has a web email address now? How did she get out onto the internet to do that? Wait, once again, I don't want to know. And really, a subject line of 'Prompted Opportunity'? She's developing a sense of humor also, not a very good one yet, but still...
~ ~ ~
Charles, with his shield in front of him, was blocking the view through the lower portion of the door. Unfortunately, Eddie could still see over him, and whatever the thing was that was in the center of the room was large enough to easily be seen over Charles.
“Yup, an Ogre,” Charles said.
He stepped into the room, clearing the doorway. Jern slipped through next, taking up position beside Charles and the rest of the two parties slowly filtered in.
The massive thing in the center of the room wasn't even standing. Sitting, it was over six feet tall. Although part of that might have been what it was sitting on. Eddie could only describe it to himself as a throne, a stone throne that was rough-cut out of a boulder.
On either side of the throne there were goblins, one to each side. They appeared to be shamans, although completely exhausted shamans. Each had a collar around its neck, and chains attached the collar to the throne.
In front of the throne were orcs. Ten of them, in armor and carrying weapons. They were in a straight line and, as of yet, were not charging the party. The loudly grunted command from the ogre might have been the reason why, but Eddie was still impressed by their discipline since it was not something orcs were known for.
The last two orcs were the ones that worried Eddie the most though. On either side of the line of the Orcish warriors, a pace or two back from the rest, was another orc. Both of them were dressed in the regalia that Eddie associated with a shaman. And since the orcish shaman in the tunnels had summoned that weird arthropod golem that almost kicked their asses, and another one had had acid based spells, those two orcs worried him more than anything but the ogre itself.
“Are you all here now?” the
ogre said, its voice rough like the throne it sat upon.
When there was no answer and several seconds passed with no-one else entering the room, it continued.
“Good.”
With a wave of its hand the door slammed shut behind them.
“Uh, Eddie? I think that thing just used magic to slam the door,” Dominic said, nervousness evident in his voice.
“Can't have, everyone knows that ogres don't do magic,” Ephram replied.
Eddie noticed that despite Ephram's confident tone, he'd also had to gulp a time or two to clear his throat before speaking.
Another gesture on the ogre's part hurled Ephram into the wall behind the two groups. He hit with a grunt and slid to the floor, groaning.
“I might have been wrong about that,” Ephram gasped out.
“Ogres aren't supposed to be able to do magic,” Charles said, “but this one obviously can, so...”
Eddie was thinking furiously. He turned to Dominic.
“You have a way of detecting magical items, right?”
The fire mage nodded nervously.
“Check the collars on those two goblin shamans. They're exhausted and chained to the throne. Maybe he's stealing their magic.”
Dominic chanted softly. In the background, the ogre was still talking, but Eddie wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying. Instead he waited until Dominic was done. The fire mage gave him a quick nod.
“Yeah, they are magical.”
“Okay then, Karl?”
Eddie looked around and didn't see the scout. Then a whisper in his ear almost made him jump.
“Stalker and I both stealthed before we came in here.”
“Can you find him?” Eddie asked.
“Sure, he grabbed my sleeve and pulled me over this way when Ephram went flying.”
“I need you two to do your thing.”
“What, backstab stuff? Who?”
“No, I need you to get up there and remove those collars from the goblins. They're what's giving that ogre his magic, I'd stake my life on it. Wait, I suppose I am doing that, but you get my drift.”
“No sooner requested than done, with normal delivery waits, of course,” Karl said.
Eddie felt a momentary breeze and waited, but Karl didn't say anything else.
I sure hope he and Stalker are on their way to doing what I asked, Eddie thought.
He edged over near Charles.
“Can you believe it?” Eddie asked softly. “A monologuing villain?
Charles stifled a snort.
“He does have the upper hand,” Charles replied, equally as softly.
“Not for long, not if my guess is right and we can keep him busy for a couple of minutes.”
“What are you up to, Eddie?” Charles asked.
“Notice anyone missing?”
Charles glanced around and a smile started to spread across his face.
“I do hope you know what you're doing.”
“So do I, Charles, so do I.”
The ogre was still speaking.
“Make sufficient tribute and I let you go. Do not, and you die,” the ogre said.
“A moment, sir?” Charles said. “Allow us to see what we have that is most worthy of yourself.”
A grin spread across the ogre's face now.
He's used to brown nosers and yes men, so of course he doesn't see anything fishy in that request, Eddie thought.
Meanwhile he looked through his inventory, seeing if he had anything flashy enough to distract the ogre for an extra moment or two.
Better yet, Eddie thought. We'll see if he reacts to this like the goblins did.
“Sir ogre?” Eddie called out, tentatively. “Would you have any desire for foods from the overland? I have breads, meats, and fruits.”
“Bring here,” the ogre called out.
Eddie started walking forward, keeping his eye on the base of the throne, not the ogre. He saw one of the chains sway a bit, despite no movement on the part of the goblin shaman it was attached to and decided that a bit of distraction was in order.
He stopped a few feet back from the line of Orcish warriors and pulled out the blanket that he'd planned to use for their lunch. Snapping it out he laid it down on the floor, then began to produce, one item at a time, all the food he'd brought for both parties' lunches. Lunches which they'd, once again, never stopped for.
“You, guard, bring,” the ogre commanded.
Eddie looked up to see the ogre leaning forward hungrily, staring at the food that Eddie was laying out on the blanket. He also saw the two goblin shamans start to move backwards, obviously not under their own power.
He quickly laid out the rest of the food, then backed up again.
“Ogre's batteries have been drained, or at least any further charging from them is cut off. No idea if he, or that throne, holds a charge on its own though,” Eddie said to Charles once he was beside him again.
“Only one way to find out,” Charles said. “At least both our stealthy types are out of sight behind the big guy. That might be a very good thing.”
“Well Charles, I think I need to find out. If you try to charge him, the orcs are going to bog you down.”
“I wasn't going to charge him,” Charles said. “He hates disrespect and acts on it, like with Ephram.”
Then he drew himself up to his full height and took a deep breath.
“Yo, stinky ogre! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!” Charles bellowed.
The ogre gestured, much the same way he had before, but this time nothing happened. Looking confused, he tried it once again.
“Guess you got him drained then, Eddie,” Charles said. “Alright everyone, let's do this. Ranged on casters, Jern and Allie, you're with me. Let's keep these warriors off the ranged while they deal with the shamans and maybe take one or two down ourselves.”
The orcs, both warriors and shamans, were looking shocked that Charles hadn't suffered after insulting their leader, and when the party drew weapons and began to advance their shock grew. It didn't last long enough for much of an advantage though. Before the tanks had made it to the line of warriors, the orcs were already drawing their weapons, or in the case of the shamans, beginning to cast.
“Ephram, caster to the left, I've got right,” Eddie called out.
He nocked an Arcing arrow, drew it back and released in a single smooth movement. The arrow flew towards the shaman, deflecting down off of a shield at the last moment. The shield shimmered for a moment before fading out of view again.
Physical shield maybe? Eddie thought.
He slung his bow over his shoulder quickly, then started in on a Frostbite spell. Before he finished it, the shaman had released a spell of his own, a small cloud of fire racing out into the area between the missile troops and the tanks, the area in which Alyx and Tiana had stationed themselves so they could heal any of the combatants.
Eddie released his Frostbite spell as quickly as he could, targeting the same shaman he'd shot at before. The spell made it past the shield and the shaman immediately started shivering, his teeth chattering and causing him to lose whatever spell he'd been starting to cast.
Limited to his new Frostbite spell, his Arc spell, and his bow for ranged attacks, he dropped back to his Arc spell. He cast it at the shaman while it was still incapacitated by the Frostbite spell and watched as the little blue arcs of electricity danced across the shaman's body. As his notification light flashed he quickly called it, skimmed it, and dismissed it.
You have upgraded the spell Arc to (5). What a fighter sub-class you make, standing off and hurling magic. You should get right in there with your sword, after all, his is only about six times the size of yours.
Eddie had no idea what the snark from this message was talking about, until he quickly glanced around the room and saw that the ogre was now standing, his hands wrapped around the hilt of a two-handed sword that was correctly sized for him.
Oh, shit! Eddie th
ought. How the hell would you fight something like that in hand to hand?
The shaman he'd been targeting stopped shivering and as Eddie saw him begin to chant again, he tossed out another Arc spell, hoping to disrupt him. The spell hit, but the shaman maintained concentration through the damage. A moment later a bolt of greenish-black force shimmered through the area, headed directly for him.
Eddie tried to dodge, but was too late. There was a piercing pain as he was struck, and then another pain, a rhythmic one that pulsed with each beat of his heart started up.
Health: 199/261
You have been Poisoned!
You will lose five health per second until the poison is gone.
Eddie started his own spell again, he was going to have to practice his Frostbite spell right here and now if he didn't want this shaman to wreak havoc on him and his party.
His Frostbite struck the shaman, disabling it again. Eddie followed up with another Arc in the time when the shaman couldn't cast, then went back to Frostbite. This time, the shaman resisted, but Eddie's notification light started flashing and he figured the spell had gone up another point.
The shaman let off another spell, targeting Eddie again. He was still taking damage from the poison every second, and this time three small green balls of light struck him, stripping even more of his health.
Health: 143/261
You are Poisoned!
You will lose five health per second until the poison is gone.
Eddie glanced over towards the healers as a warm feeling washed over him, curing the poison. A moment later another feeling of warmth swept over him, leaving him in significantly better health.
Health: 243/261
Okay, he thought. Gotta remember to thank Tiana later on.
He tossed another Frostbite at the shaman, and this time it took. As he was readying himself to cast another Arc spell, he saw a shimmer behind the shaman. A moment later it collapsed forward and Karl came into view as the shaman slipped off the swords that had been planted in its back.
Eddie looked around the room and found Ephram having problems with his own shaman. The archer was wounded, and from the blood surrounding him it looked like he had already received some healing. His shaman had several arrows stuck in it, but was still going strong. Eddie trotted over into range and cast his Frostbite again.
