Party Hard

by David Petrie

  Kira saluted formally. "Gotcha. One crazy plan. I'll do my best."

  Max then turned to Farn. "Can you move while you protect us?"

  She nodded. "Yeah."

  "Okay, let's make our way toward the edge. We can climb down and hide until Kira gets the others back in here."

  Farn looked away, Kira catching a forlorn expression on her face as she began to move. It worried her, but she didn't have time to say anything. Instead, the three of them backed their way to the edge, blasts hammering the shell the whole way.

  Once they reached the side of the stone ring, Max began looking for a space to climb down. "Stay close, Farn. You're going to have to get down here quick once the barrier drops. I'll try to get as stable as I can, so I can help."

  Farn shook her head. "No need. I'm not coming."

  Kira's flicked her eyes back to her. She didn't need to say anything more. Her feelings on the matter may as well have been written all over her face.

  "Well, don't look at me like that.” Farn gave her a sad smile. “This contract is called Blood Shell. It has a price."

  Max lowered his head in understanding. "You were dead the moment you used it."

  "Yeah." Her voice sounded apologetic. "I can block any attack, but my health is going to hit zero as soon as the timer runs out."

  Kira started to argue, but before she could say anything, Max cut her off.

  "Well, that sucks, but it was a good move." He looked up at Kira from the edge. "Now get going."

  She stomped once in protest, her bare foot patting the rough stone with a slap. She looked back to Farn who was making a point of avoiding eye contact. Then she let out an immature huff and took off toward the hole in the ceiling.

  Using what little remained of her mana, Kira weaved around a beam that had targeted her as soon as she left the protection of Farn's Blood Shell. It seemed that Famine was just happy to have something to shoot at again. She dodged another few blasts on her way when a streak of red on her wrist caught her attention just in time to see Farn's name fade out of the party list.

  Kira looked back as the Shield dropped to her knees, the glowing particles of her body drifting away. Her chest tightened at the sight so much it hurt. She had let too many of her friends die. She knew it wasn't real, but she had always had trouble separating the game from reality once she was in the thick of it. Noctem had a way of taking her over. She knew she shouldn't let it get to her, but still, it did. She turned back up toward the exit. It didn't matter; she had planning to do. So again, she just shoved an imaginary chair against the closet of emotions in her mind and flew into the light, explosions following in her wake.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Alastair stood on the bridge of the Nostromo as terror washed over the room. He gripped the railing with white knuckles, his eyes locked on a readout showing the party's connection status. In only a couple minutes, four of them had been killed and kicked into the reconnection process, leaving just two remaining. Any second, they would lose another, and his world would be torn apart. He fought back tears. It had been his life’s work. His dream. He would have done anything to save it. Risked anything!

  Desperately, he wanted to rush into the dungeon or at least do something other than sit on his hands. The fact of how powerless he was stabbed him right in the chest. Anger at Carver surged. Max and his team had the best chance of succeeding. If they couldn't win, then the quest was impossible. That was when the last thing he expected happened.

  Kirabell burst through the door of the bridge, a confusing expression on her face. It was a mixture of exhaustion and annoyance. She stopped short as soon as his panicked eyes met hers. "It's not as bad as it looks."

  Alastair froze for a moment, unable to pick up the pieces of himself enough to get back into character. Then the questions started, "What happened in there? Where's Max? What killed everyone?" Alastair asked one after another, his voice rising with each question.

  The diminutive player's face dropped, a panicked expression taking over as she stepped back and glanced around the bridge like she was looking for someone else to take charge. It was probably an instinct for her, Alastair thought, remembering how she had let Max do most of the talking during their meeting back in the tavern the night before.

  Kira opened her mouth. The words, "I, ah," was all she got out.

  Alastair backed off a little, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts. "Sorry, I know there’s a lot going on, but are we okay here?"

  "For now, yes, I think." She fidgeted before settling down. "Max is still in there hiding in the only cover available. As long as he can stay hidden long enough for the others to get back in, we have a chance."

  "What happened?" Alastair asked again, softening his tone, not wanting to push her too far.

  Kira shuddered as if remembering a recent trauma. "It was like nothing we've ever encountered. The Nightmare is a five-story bell that shoots some kind of freaking laser beam that can kill in one hit with no cooldown. We just can't move fast enough to dodge, let alone cause any damage. Oh, and all of our consumable items are useless in there."

  Alastair sat down and sunk into his chair, placing a hand to his brow. "Is it possible to beat it?"

  "No," she answered without hesitation.

  He released an exasperated sigh. "So what can we do?"

  Kira was silent for a second, then cracked a wry smile. "We change the fight. If we can't move fast enough, we just have to move faster."

  Ginger was the first to get logged back in, her figure appearing under the spawn crystal within the grand cathedral in Valain. She ripped off her cloak and patted her body in an attempt to put out any lingering flames. The fact that they were imaginary gained her several odd looks from the surrounding players. She glowered back at them and plopped herself down on a bench to wait for the others as the figures in the stained-glass windows above stared down at her. She rolled her eyes at them and checked her journal to pass the time. The experience points she’d earned that night had meager to say the least, so she hadn't actually lost much for dying. She was just glad she'd stored the feathers she'd taken from the first dungeon in her virtual inventory. She would have lost them too if she'd been too lazy and just stuffed them in her item bag. That would have been tragic. She still intended to sell them.

  After a few minutes, Corvin showed up, looking apologetic, followed by Kegan, who just seemed stunned after being killed so fast.

  Ginger stood and stuffed her journal back in her pouch. "Finally."

  Kegan checked his quiver and pulled a couple bundles of arrows out of his inventory. "Should we wait here for the ship to come back and pick us up or get our own transport shuttle?"

  The inability to communicate with the rest of the party over the distance was crippling, but at least, Farn was able to fill them in on the situation when she arrived.

  After listening to the Shield’s account of the events, Ginger decided. "We take a transport. We can get there faster than having them come all the way back here to get us. I have a one stored at the port. I was going to sell it, but I guess we can use it once before I do."

  Kegan looked up from counting the arrows in his quiver. "What if they come back for us and we miss them?"

  Ginger turned and marched to the door, pushing through a group of players loitering in the way. "Don't worry, Kira's smarter than she looks. She'll keep them there. We’ll just have to trust her. Right now, we need to get to port."

  Max winced at the sound of explosions. They better get back here fast, he thought as he clung to the side of the stone ring in the dungeon, bits of debris dropping down on him as Famine slashed at the floor above in artificial frustration. The boss seemed to know right where he was despite not having a line of sight. Not that it had eyes anyway.

  A few blasts from above came too close for comfort, eroding the wall of stone between them. The damage forced him to climb sideways in the hope of finding better cover. He had once gone rock climbing in the real world. At the time, he
had been good at it, but that was in a gym with an employee holding a safety line attached to a harness. This was different. There were no handholds, just jagged stone. He struggled to find a spot to grab on to as he climbed, occasionally finding a ledge large enough for him to stand upright on, giving him a place to rest and catch his breath. Nevertheless, the relentless pounding from above never stopped.

  He switched out his gun's magazines with two more loaded with the homing rounds that Kira had given him earlier. It was a shame to use such a rare ammunition with no one around to see, but now wasn't the time to worry about what looked cool. He aimed upwards and fired a test shot.

  Homing rounds were less of a bullet and more of a tiny monster encased in lead that sought out whatever target was closest. It found its mark and the massive health bar that ran along the tattooed flames on his forearm dropped by an almost imperceptible amount.

  "At least that's something," Max said to himself as he fired off the rest of the magazine, doing a small but respectable amount of damage. He laughed and yelled up at the boss, "That's right, I don't have to see you either!" He emptied his other pistol into the air, getting the same result. It made him feel a little better. A part of him was tempted to climb up and take the thing on, a ridiculous fantasy going through his head of everyone getting back only to find that he'd soloed the thing. Then a blast from above that dislodged a boulder, which fell straight for him, caused him to rethink the idea. He leapt off the ledge on reflex, catching a handhold with his fingertips as the spot he had occupied was smashed beyond recognition. A view of glowing magma filled his vision as he fumbled for a better grip.

  "Never mind; I'll wait."

  Farnsworth’s heart beat hard in her chest as she stood in the rear of the Karura class transport shuttle that Ginger had liberated from a clan of sky pirates a few weeks prior. It wasn't technically stolen, but that didn't stop Ginger from making air quotes around the word liberate when she explained it.

  As far as ships went, it was small, fast, and durable. Its armored front bore decorative patterns that flowed down onto large engines on either side of its body with a narrow window running vertically down the front. It had a powerful look, like a battering ram with stubby wings. Although, as far as comfort was concerned, it was far from first class. The cabin was bare with nothing but a handrail running along the ceiling. There wasn't even a bench to sit on. Of course, Ginger could've upgraded the interior at a shipsmith, but that would have cost real money, and as she had explained, she'd leave that to whatever fat-cat decided to buy it. That being said, Farn's legs were getting tired after standing for the entire half hour ride back to the dungeon. She might have sprawled out on the floor like Kegan, but she had too much on her mind to relax.

  Her thoughts ran around in circles, thinking about Famine and how it had handed them their asses in less than five minutes. She knew Kira was back on the dock, tasked with coming up with some kind of plan, but no matter how Farn looked at it, she couldn't see a way to win. She hoped she was wrong. That was when Ginger looked back over her shoulder.

  "I see the dungeon. We're almost there," the Coin announced.

  Farn tightened her grip on the handrail. "You can do this," she said under her breath, trying to gather her shaking nerves.

  The ship set down hard, a little too close to one edge of the dock. Evidently, landing was not one of Ginger's strengths.

  Farn jumped out as soon as she could, scanning the area to find Kira sitting at the bottom of the Nostromo's retractable stairs. She would have run to her, but she didn't want to seem too enthusiastic, having only met her the night before. Plus, the fairy hadn't seemed to appreciate her heroic sacrifice earlier. She hoped Kira wasn't still angry. Farn motioned to wave, but she looked away. Farn swallowed. "What's the plan here?" She tried to sound nonchalant.

  Kira answered with an annoyed, "Humph," and crossed her arms.

  "You mad?" Farn winced a little.

  Kira didn’t look at her. "I'm giving you the silent treatment."

  "You're not very good at it."

  "No, I am not. You're lucky I like you." The fairy pouted.

  "And I did kinda save us in there," added Farn.

  Kira groaned. "Maybe. Just don't go killing yourself all willy-nilly." She ran a finger over the ring that tied their lives together in a one-way bond.

  Farn lowered her head. "I promise."

  With that, Kira’s body relaxed as if it had been taking significant effort to stay mad. Her smile returned. "Now, let's go get Max before he kills this thing without us."

  Farn laughed at the thought.

  "I'm not kidding," Kira added, pointing to Famine's health bar that still showed on her forearm. "Max has been getting impatient in there. Famine's actually taken a little damage. I'm just hoping he waits for us before he tries anything badass or stupid or both."

  "Well, he better not get himself killed," Ginger jumped in. "I don't want to have to fly all the way back to Valain to get him."

  Kira sent out a round of invites to get the others back into the party, and Farn fell in line behind Ginger who seemed to take charge while Max wasn't around. Then, back together again, the team began walking toward the door to begrudgingly re-enter the dungeon. Or at least, they would have if Kira hadn't spoken up, "Wrong way."

  Farn turned to find the fairy boarding Ginger's shiny new transport ship, a new bone charm hanging from her item bag.

  "That hole I escaped through was pretty big, so I'm thinking we can get this thing through." Kira slapped her hand against the side of the ship, emitting a hollow sounding tang.

  Farn's eyes widened at the realization of what she meant.

  Kira continued, "We'll never be able to dodge that thing on foot or even with Flight magic, since y'all are too slow. But if we can circle it in this, we should be able to move way faster than its targeting system." She wore a goofy grin on her face, clearly proud of the absurdity of the plan. "Also, I'm gonna need all the explosive items that you have in your inventories."

  Farn boarded the ship with the others, leaving Alastair again to sweat it out in his captain’s chair as they took off for where Kira had escaped earlier.

  Ginger approached slowly, her knuckles tight on the stick. Her face dropped as the opening came into view. "What the hell? That's not big enough!"

  Kira immediately gave Kegan a dirty look before he had the chance to blurt out an obligatory ‘that's what she said.’ "It's plenty big," she said, continuing to glare at him.

  "Have you seen how long this thing is? It will never fit in there," Ginger added.

  Kegan began to shake visibly as if holding something in.

  Kira pointed a finger at him. "Don't you dare. That joke got old years ago." She turned back to Ginger. "You'll just have to go at it at an angle and kinda bust your way through."

  Kegan nudged Corvin with an elbow, who looked annoyed at the jabbing.

  "This isn't a fighter jet; it's more like a helicopter. You can't just dive in there," Ginger explained.

  "Cut it out, man." Corvin shoved Kegan to the side in the cramped space of the cabin for the continued nudging.

  "Just get the nose pointed down at it and cut the engines, the weight of the armor in the front should pull us down in the right direction," Kira said as if it was just that simple.

  "Your funeral. Well, ours, I guess." Ginger shrugged and tipped the nose of the craft downward before reaching for the engine's toggle switch. "Hold on; this is gonna get rough!"

  Farn and Kira both looked at Kegan who remained strangely silent.

  Ginger flicked the switch, and the ship dropped out of the air. Gravity did the rest.

  The craft's nose rammed into one side of the entrance, sliding into the space, the lack of seat belts becoming a problem.

  Farn anchored herself to the handrails at the rear and pushed Kira behind her to keep the fairy from rattling around the cabin and losing a few precious hit points.

  Kegan glommed onto Corvin as the two fell to one
side, flipping one of his furry ears inside out as they landed against the wall.

  Corvin squirmed. "Aww, come on!"

  "Shut up, you love it," Kegan argued.

  Ginger’s whole body tensed as the cavern came into view through the windshield. "It's gonna be tight, but we're almost in!"

  Kegan, still holding tight to Corvin, finally shouted back, "THAT'S WHAT SHE–!"

  Chapter Eighteen

  "Oh good, this is familiar," Farnsworth said through a thick layer of sarcasm, as she plummeted toward a lake of fire for the second time in less than an hour. At least this time she was in a vehicle. Granted, the engines hadn't fired back up yet, but really, that was several problems down the list at the moment.

  Farn braced her legs against the floor of the cabin to keep herself from falling into the cockpit that was now directly below her. She didn't want to end up like Kegan and Corvin who were tumbling around on the windshield with Ginger yelling at them both to get out of the way so she could see. Kira, on the other hand, just laughed in Farn's ear like a mad woman as she remained safe, sandwiched between the rear of the cabin and Farn's back. Farn gained a greater appreciation for how little the fairy weighed as she tried to hold her in place with her butt.

  Ginger leaned to one side to see through the small windshield, made even smaller by Kegan's armpit being in the way. "Oh shit!" the Coin shouted as the top of the massive bell filled the window.

  The ship lurched to the side with a crash, followed by a few seconds of continuous grinding coming from the other side of the metal plating near Farn’s head. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Famine's health bar drop. They must have hit the boss on the way down and scraped it as they fell. She tilted her head to the side in approval. It had caused a decent chunk of damage.

  Ginger yanked back on the stick. "Come on, come on. I still intend to sell you. You're not about to give up on me here," she spoke directly to the vehicle. Golden light swept past them, illuminating the tiny porthole windows on one side as it almost grazed the craft. Finally, the engines kicked back in, allowing the Coin at the stick to pull out of the dive. Molten rock erupted into the air in one huge wave as the beam cut a wide swath through the lake of fire. Ginger spun the craft to avoid the deadly obstacle before pulling up.