Louella rolled her eyes but loosened the vine noose she had thrown around him and packed it back away in her inventory. That was a handy little item. Nika wondered if it were strictly available for pixies to use, or if the whole party could make use of them. They could come in handy in a battle.
“We might want to take this outside at this point,” Evan said. “The entrance isn’t much farther.”
He was right. Nika could see the tunnel getting lighter just ahead. A sure sign that they were getting close to the mouth of the cavern.
She reached a hand down to help the dwarf to his feet, and they all headed out into the clearing.
The little man took a deep breath and then another one. “I was truly afraid I’d never smell the sweet aroma of the forest and open air again. They’ve had me in there that long.”
Then he turned to Nika, his eyes actually sparkling in the sunlight. She wondered just how long that little programming miracle took. It couldn’t have been an easy thing to do.
“And now, my beautiful goddess, for introductions. My father truly did me a fine favor by sending the likes of you to rescue my unworthy soul.” He gave her a deep bow. “I am Striker.” He gave her a wink. “Also known as Striking Striker to the ladies, I might add.”
Well, the name did suit him. He was every inch the perfect man. Shoulder length raven-black hair tied back with a piece of ribbon, blue-green eyes that honest to God sparkled with love of life, a face a movie star would be proud of, and a muscular body that included a nice six-pack set of abs. If he was twice his height, he would be a force to be reckoned with.
As it was, he stood only an inch or two over three feet tall. Those glittering eyes had a long way to look up into Nika’s own.
Then it hit her. Blake’s note. That low-down, dirty rotten scoundrel had programmed Striking Striker as her love interest.
Okay, now she no longer wanted Blake behind bars.
She wanted him in a grave.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Striking Striker
"So, what now?" Ash asked. "Do we take Striker back to his dad in town to get Dean's long bow?"
Striker turned his head to gaze at her. “And just what long bow did my father promise the gentleman? It wouldn’t happen to be the Golden Bow of Apollo, now would it?”
Dean nodded. “That would be the one.” Then he frowned. “There isn’t a problem is there? I mean, we did rescue you. Those were the terms.” Dean looked at Nika. “Right?”
“Right,” Nika said slowly. “But maybe we should let the… Striker here elaborate a bit.”
The small man gave Nika a brilliant smile, showing off a pearly white set of perfect teeth. Really, other than the height issue, he was the perfect specimen of a man. And he certainly seemed to be in love with their leader. Of course, it was programmed love, but still, Ash felt sorry for him. Blake really was a dirt bag.
Striker gave a long drawn out sigh. “There is no problem with you having the bow exactly, it’s just that my father can be a bit tricky that way.” He looked embarrassed. “You see, I’m very grateful for your timely appearance and rescue, but taking me back to town won’t get you your bow, and well Father knows it.”
He turned to point back to the cavern entrance where Evan was standing to the side listening hard for sounds of more elven pursuit. So far, nothing.
“The elves kidnapped my person to help them recover the treasure of the hermit dwarf. Sadly, he passed on years ago, but in his life, he managed to obtain a multitude of fine things. Unfortunately, no dwarf has been since able to find that lovely treasure.”
“So if even the dwarves don’t know where the treasure is, then why did the elves kidnap you?” Ash asked. “They would have just as good a chance of finding it themselves as you would, right?”
Striker kicked a small tree branch and his face turned red. “Well, there may be many reasons why they took me. One is that elves are woodland beings and dearly hate the underground.” His face got redder. “Another might be the fact that I just sold an item many thought to be in old Hermes’ stash.”
Nika’s head snapped back to him. “And is that where it came from?”
He gave another long sigh. “I cannot lie to my dear goddess. It did.”
“So you do know where the treasure is then,” Ash said, her voice carrying her excitement.
“Aye, I do.” He glared at the cavern. “Not that I’d ever take that horde of misbegottens to it.” He looked back to Ash. “Ye found me pretty early in the cave. A tad bit farther in it starts getting tricky. There are many passages in there and a scared elf can travel a fair ways going in the totally wrong direction.”
Ash looked at the still empty cavern. “You mean they aren’t coming after you because they’re lost in there?”
He shrugged. “It’s possible, but I’ve no way of knowing for sure.”
The sun was quickly setting in the sky. It would be dark out here as well very soon.
“Maybe we should set up camp and get some more information about exactly what, and who, is in that cave. We can tackle it again tomorrow when we’ve rested.”
“Oh, to sleep with the stars above me again would be a heavenly thing,” Striker said.
They made their way back into the trees, preferring not to make camp in quite so open a space that close to the mouth of the cavern that just might be full of elves. They found a spot with just enough room to fit their tent and set up for the night.
Dean stayed at the cave’s mouth, and the group made sure they were within hearing distance of a loud shout. The plan was to take turns watching the cavern throughout the night. None of them wanted to be rebooted in the middle of the night due to a sneaky elven attack.
Striker surprised them all with a healthy roast of pork he had stolen from the elves’ store before fleeing. It wasn’t nearly as potent as the in-game beef, and turned out to be quite tasty. That, teamed up with the boiled tubers that Ash dug up, made a fine meal for all of them. Nika made sure to take a large plate back to Dean, too. He’d never have let them hear the end of it if they’d forgotten him.
He did love his food.
As they munched their way through dinner, Striker updated them on the status of the cavern as he knew it.
According to him, there were no fewer than a dozen elves still inside. The mention of one of them made him shiver.
“He’s a big hulking brute, that one,” he said, his head nervously nodding an emphasis to his quaking words. “Far larger than an elf should grow naturally. And quiet as the grave, he is. Not a sound comes from him, not even when he’s walking.”
The group looked at each other. It sounded like this elf was more than the average enemy.
“Sounds like a mini boss battle,” Nika said slowly.
“Oh, he’s the boss alright,” Striker quickly agreed. “No doubt about that at all. The scary thing is, he never says a word, just looks at them and they jump to do his bidding. It’s like he burns his thoughts straight into their brains.” He shuddered again. “Spooky to no end, that.”
“Well, if tomorrow is going to see us face twelve elves and a mini boss, then we’d probably better call it a night. Don’t you think, Nika?” Evan asked. The question came a bit delayed, but at least he made an effort.
Ash didn’t know about the others, but while she liked Evan well enough, Nika was the one she was going to follow. She was the leader, period. Even if it had been meant to be Evan.
When she thought of it that way, she could see the leadership issues in a whole new light. Still, to her, it would always be Nika.
Ash’s turn at cavern watch was the early morning one. She actually preferred it that way because it meant that what sleep she got was undisturbed. Of course, it also meant getting up while daylight was still a couple of hours away.
They had managed to make room for a tiny campfire which lit the camp area well enough to allow the one going on watch to take Louella’s lantern. The full moon lit the clearing fairly well, so the one standing watch did
n’t really need it. But going to and from through the darkness of the trees made having a light more than necessary.
She was relieving Louella, who had drawn the watch before hers. At first, she didn’t see her. Just before she started to panic, Louella floated down from the top of the cavern.
Ash jumped at her sudden appearance, and Louella giggled. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “There hasn’t been any movement in the cave all night. At least not at this end. I got bored and then I saw the herbs growing on the hillside.”
The pixie held out her hands and passed several magical herbs into Ash’s hands. “I figure you can use them for potions, or whatever.” She pointed up to the top of the hill. “There are plenty more up there if you want them.”
“Thanks,” Ash said. “And yes, I can definitely use these. They are the main ingredient for the health potions.” She might not be reckless enough to leave the cavern mouth watch to gather more now, but she sure wanted to hit them before they left the area for good.
Louella shrugged and then yawned. “No problem. Well, I’m off for a couple more hours of sleep. Yell real loud if you need us.”
Then the girl took up her lantern and walked back into the woods. As it turns out, the full moon didn’t give nearly as much light as Ash had thought. Her idea of keeping watch inside the entrance was out. The total absence of moon light in there meant she would be virtually blind.
Looking around, she chose a likely spot to the left of the opening and put down the blanket she had brought to sit on. She sat and leaned back against the cavern walls, keeping her ears alert to any sounds coming from the cave itself.
Quiet as a tomb.
That thought caused her to shudder. She hadn’t mentioned it to the others, but she really didn’t like close quarters. And it didn’t get much closer than that tunnel. The dampness of the walls and the musty odor didn’t help her claustrophobia either. The fact that most of tomorrow was going to be spent underground wasn’t an appealing thing.
Quite the opposite actually.
It didn’t take long for the boredom to overcome her, too, and she tried to think of something to keep her mind occupied. Then she remembered her fresh herbs. Unlike the rod that she had to travel back to town for, the health potion recipe had shown up immediately in her inventory once the necessary supplies had been gathered.
She hadn’t had the chance to try it out yet, but there was no time like the present, now was there? Especially as it didn’t require a fire. Just the herbs Louella had picked for her and a few golden mushrooms. She had seen those growing just inside the cave.
Taking a deep breath, she walked into the opening. Tilting her head, she listened. Still nothing.
The light from outside barely penetrated the room through the small opening in the hillside. Ash felt more than saw her way to where she remembered seeing the mushrooms growing in a tiny alcove off the main entrance wall.
Turning into the small mushroom covered space, she realized a wonderful thing. The golden mushrooms glowed in the dark. Her breath came in a gasp at the sight before her. Dozens of bright and shining mushrooms grew from the sides of the tiny room, giving off almost enough light to actually see by. It was almost like looking at a star filled sky.
She was so captivated by their beauty that she never saw him coming.
And she sure as hell never heard him.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Cavern Save Point
At the first light of dawn, Nika was up and getting the others up as well. It was time to move out.
Striker had said that it would take a good morning’s walk to reach the treasure, and she was fairly certain that before they got to it, there would be a massive battle scene. The sound of that one elf had her worried. She really hoped it wasn’t another of those invincible ones.
If the character creation program had been linked with the NPC programs, she would have asked Louella to check into it first. But her father had been far too thorough in his security measures when it came to compartmentalizing the program.
So going in blind it was.
It didn’t take long to break camp and store everything away in their respective inventories. Then they were on the move to the cave, gathering berries and fruit on the way for breakfast. The one lone apple tree was out of place in the forest among all the pines, but that didn’t stop them from taking advantage of its offerings.
When they got to the cavern entrance, Nika immediately knew that something was up. Ash was nowhere in sight. They spread out looking for her, but nothing. She had disappeared.
“Do you think she got attacked and rebooted?” Dean sounded worried. “Should we go back to town and look for her?”
“Not quite yet,” Nika said. “Let me check my party map, it should tell me if she’s still in the area.” She pulled up the map and saw only four purple dots. No Ash.
Damn.
Then she remembered that the map only worked on the level you were on. Above ground or below.
She walked just inside the cavern mouth and pulled up the map again. Now there were only two purple dots. Herself, standing there, and Ash far ahead and deep within the cave itself.
Nika jumped when the voice came from beside her.
“I’ll bet my life it was the big ‘un,” Striker said sadly. “She never stood a chance, your mage.” He shook his head. “Turn your back for an instant and that one’ll have you by the hair of your head.”
“So?” Dean asked.
Nika shoved the map up in the right-hand corner of her monitor so that she could see it while she walked. It might tell her of an enemy’s proximity sooner than her actual senses would, especially if one of them was that damn quiet.
“She didn’t get rebooted. Ash is in the cave, just a lot farther in.”
“The elves are using our tactic of divide and conquer,” Evan said.
She nodded. “Looks like.” Nika glanced around to Dean and Louella. “So from here on out we all stick together. No side missions, no distractions. Don’t leave the party for anything.”
The two of them nodded their understanding. Good, everyone was on the same page.
“Do we stand a chance without a mage?” Louella’s voice was quiet.
Dean took out his bow and checked his arrows. “Doesn’t really matter, does it? We sure as hell aren’t leaving her in their hands. This game is a bit too real for that.”
“Of course,” Louella said, ducking her head. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
Nika looked at Louella with an odd expression on her face. “Louella, can I speak to you for just a minute in private?”
The girl swallowed but nodded.
They moved outside to the open area and left the men inside. A short conversation and a few minutes of computer fiddling later, they rejoined them. Nika had done all she could to ensure a fair fight.
With Striker guiding them, there was no question of getting lost, so they made their way much quicker through the tunnel leading deeper into the cave. Once they got a little farther than they had made it the day before, the tunnel started branching out and doubling back, just as Striker had said it would.
It made Nika very glad to have him along. Even if he did look at her with that lovelorn expression.
They had a method of travel that would hopefully protect them from a silent attack. Evan led the party by several steps as he was the one with the highest health stats. In turn, Nika followed the party several steps behind, her map always in full view, watching for any surprises.
She was really wishing they’d had time to level up before reaching this stage. In the game, it was possible to win the forest level and only have reached level ten at the end of it, but it was a hard thing to do.
At level seven, they might well not be strong enough for the mini boss ahead. Their only ace in the hole was the pixie and tiger. The game hadn’t been designed with those two character types in mind, so hopefully, they might give them an edge in battle.
With a great deal of luck, it would be eno
ugh.
It must have been about midday when they rounded that last corner and the small underground pond, complete with save fountain, came into view. The first wilderness save point and a very good indication that they were very near a boss-type battle.
None of them wasted any time getting to the fountain and saving their progress. They might be only level seven, but that last level had been a long time gaining.
Which reminded her.
“Hey, what did everyone get with that last level?” she asked, quickly flicking open her diary and reading. Giving a relieved little smile, she continued. “Looks like I got another war call. This one’s called Intimidation, and it lowers the enemies’ defense by fifteen percent.” That was about as close as it got to an area of effect attack for an Amazon.
“I got Flaming Arrow,” Dean said. “And thanks, I hadn’t taken the time to check out my new stats.” He paused. “Oh, and my Double Shot leveled up too. Cool.”
“Looks like I got a passive ability called Tiger Strike that gives me an added twenty percent to my speed. Oh, and the ability to use a blade. Which might be nice if there happened to be one handy.” Evan paused. “Thanks, Pixie.”
“It’s Louella, and you’re welcome.”
“Once we reach the dwarf hermit’s treasure, finding a blade shouldn’t be an issue at all,” said Striker. “There are a fair few in there.” He coughed. “Or at least so I’ve heard.”
Louella hadn’t said anything about her gains yet, and looking over at her, Nika saw that her cheeks were a bright red. “Louella?”
The pixie was currently hovering a few inches off the ground, and she didn’t meet Nika’s eyes. She gave the thin air in front of her a half-hearted kick and finally said, “Well, my Earthquake went up to level two and can do some pretty substantial damage to the entire enemy group.”
“And?” Nika prodded.
Louella gave a sigh, then raised her eyes to Nika’s. “And I have the ability to call on a clone of myself. That basically doubles all of my attacks as the clone will perform the same attack I do, a split second after me.” She raised her head defiantly. “You have to remember that I didn’t know you’d let me in the party. If I was on my own, I’d need help. Even if it did just come from a carbon copy of myself.”
Gaia's Rebirth Box Set Page 18
