by Jason Cheek
Standing next to the exit, I gave one last wistful look towards the Orc’s corpse and the hole that led to the room full of unclaimed loot before ducking out of the room. While my internal greed monster was clutching at its chest having a heart attack at the thought of losing the epic loot of a Level 40 boss and a room full of high-level, named mobs, I had no desire of pushing my luck and somehow get eaten alive in the process. Besides, I’d already gotten my hands on some epic loot and officially completed my nightmare quest.
Yea … yea, I know. Whether or not the quest was complete, I couldn’t exactly do anything with my new castle until I figured out how to clear out the invading army sitting on its doorstep or fixed up its ruined walls and internal structures, but that was just details. The main point was, I now owned a castle. If I weren’t so exhausted, I’d have rubbed my hands together in excitement at the thought, but at least going over everything I’d managed to accomplish lessened the loss of the epic loot. Who knows, maybe the loot would still be there when I came back.
Following the train of zombies through the jagged cleft was easy enough. Before I knew it, we’d made our way into the main portion of the castle’s lower levels. The trip itself, to say the least, was on the weird side. At first, the walking corpses gave me the heebeegeebees, but after walking along with them in the dark tunnels for twenty minutes being completely ignored, I found myself becoming indifferent to their presence. The trick, I found, was to breathe in through my mouth and not look too closely at any single zombie. Before I knew it, Neysa and I had made it back to the top floor where we parted ways with our putrid host and retraced our steps back to the rockslide that we’d initially used to climb up from the lower levels.
Seriously though, it was kind of funny when I thought about it. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many games I’d played where chopping up zombies were either part of the storyline or the entire focus of the game. While those games had been momentarily scary, that fear had passed by quickly enough. Here in The World, undead were another story altogether. Zombies here made you feel like you were part of the movie Dawn of the Dead or some other equally terrifying film. Besides their unholy stench, they were fast as fuck and super aggressive. Like nightmares come to life. Truly, it made having the Dark Blade of Lord Kayden even that much more awesome, besides the fact that I could now make my own super-fast zombies. Well, I could once I sat down and figured out my new profession.
This new upgrade was almost like the build of my character in Chaos Online, but instead of a pet class that could cast spells and tank, I was a tank that could cast spells and heal with pets. I almost rubbed my hands together in glee as I excitedly thought about the possibilities. Hopefully, the game developers wouldn’t decide to gimp my abilities like what had happened in Chaos Online, but even if they wanted to, I didn’t see how that would be possible without affecting the entire mechanics of the game. Hell, even if they gimped my pets, I’d still have an edge in any confrontation with my current skill sets.
I pushed my concerns away as I came to a stop before the secret door we’d originally used to enter the castle from the caverns below. Looking around, I sighed in relief once I saw that the dusty floor was recently disturbed by a large number of footprints. Obviously, the refugees had at least made it this far in their escape. I just hoped they hadn’t run afoul of the creature that had been stalking us earlier. Placing a bloody hand on the secret runes, I caught Neysa’s eyes as I kept my voice low.
“Hey, good girl. We need to keep quiet and get through these tunnels quick. So, no side trips. Okay?”
I felt a little silly talking out loud to Neysa, but I’d always treated my dogs in the past like little people. Besides being able to take down a Goblin on her own, the little Silver Dire Wolf was currently acting like any other dog I’d had. Except for a quick glance that seemed to say ‘Hurry up and open the damn door already,’ she silently stood frozen ready to spring through the gap as soon as I opened the door.
‘Where in the hell was a pet command interface when you needed one?’ I silently groused. ‘Great, I’d be the first newb in-game with an out of control pet training an entire dungeon on top my head. Yea, me!’
Hopefully, whatever was stalking us had moved on. Checking my weapons over once more, I triggered the lock and stepped into the dark tunnel as Neysa sprang through the gap ahead of me. The darkness was short-lived as my eyes immediately switched over into Darkvision, but that split-second seemed to last an eternity as I crouched low listening intently. My hand gripped the hilt of my Dark Blade as I nervously eyed the rocky alcove. Near the ceiling, I noticed there was a new tunnel that headed off at an angle directly across from the entrance to the secret door.
For a long moment, I didn’t move as I studied the newly dug tunnel. The opening was the diameter of Jeff’s Honda Civic which only made me more nervous. Even more disconcerting was that the rock face around the opening was scarred and pitted with deep slashes as if something massive had scooped out chunks of the solid stone as it climbed up the wall. Those same marks matched those around the archway of the secret door. Again, Ulia’s warning of Greater Cavern Worms came to my mind as I suddenly wished I’d asked a few more questions about the capabilities of the underground predators.
Currently, the only good thing was that I didn’t see any blood stains from the NPCs or have any slavering mob trying to eat my face. I silently closed the secret door behind me with a muted click. My skin prickling as I crept to the edge of the tunnel that led down into the earth. I just hoped that meant the creature had already left in search of new prey. It was either that, or there were too many NPCs for the worm to attack safely. As soon as the thought passed through my mind, Neysa’s low growl suddenly broke the still silence as she abruptly froze in place with her hackles raised.
“Ah, shit!” I managed to swear while ripping the remains of my ruined shield off my back as the mouth of the new tunnel above exploded in a spray of rocks as everything seemed to happen around me at once. I saw Neysa launch herself into the air as I sprang to the side while triggering my Shield Bash. My gaming-honed reflexes were the only thing that saved me from being splatted against the ledge like a cockroach under a boot as the massive centipede-like monster shot out of the tunnel with a trilling shriek.
Fortunately or unfortunately, my Darkvision let me see the creature clear as day as the Shield Bash sent me ricocheting to the other side of the alcove. An unintended consequence of not being planted on two feet when I triggered the blocking attack but one that none the less saved my life.
The monster itself was breathtaking. It was as thick around as a compact car and as long as a semi-truck as it smashed into the ledge where I’d stood a split-second earlier. More insect then worm, the creature was covered in a chitinous armor and had at least twenty legs on each side of its body that ended in harden spikes that gouged into the stone with disturbing ease as it twisted around and reared up on its hind legs in the blink of an eye. Even scarier than the creature’s unreal size was the brilliant black and red skull that hovered over its head where the mob’s level should have been displayed. Meaning, the monster had to be at least more than twenty levels higher than my own, or in MMORPG terms it was insta-death.
A silver streak caught my eye as I plowed into the back wall. I instantly knew what it was as Neysa lunged at the monster’s broad back with a growling howl. Her little jaw’s repeatedly snapped at the creature’s armored back without success as the little wolf’s claws scrabbled for a foothold on the hard chitinous armor. Before I could come to her rescue, the Cavern Warm battered her away with a twitch of its claw-tipped tail as I grounded my teeth in consternation.
There was no time to think. In the blink of an eye, the monster was already whipping around to strike. I would have thought its bulk would have slowed it down somewhat, but the massive creature lunged at me once again with its entire body as I shot away from the wall with a pump of my legs. There was no way I could fight this monster, but I wasn’t about
to leave my baby behind as I shot across the mouth of the tunnel like a running back diving for a catch. Shrugging my shield up over my shoulder, I snatched Neysa’s limp body from the air before being slammed into the far wall shield first as the massive-pede crashed into the spot I’d just vacated with an ear-splitting shriek.
Even though I’d lost my momentum, luck was with me as I straightened out my legs and dropped into the hole below me with Neysa clutched tight against my chest. I heard the Cavern Worm’s screech of rage as it struck again, but I was already sliding down the tunnel on my back. Razor sharp tentacles repeatedly lashed the stone above my head as the enraged massive-pede shot down the tunnel following after me like an avalanche. Rock and dirt rained down around my head as I shot down the tunnel on my back completely out of control.
It was an insane race. As the shrieking monster lunged after me in insect-fast pursuit, I did the only thing I could think of to do. Lifting my legs to my chest, I balanced on the shield strapped to my back as I suddenly picked up speed like an out of control toboggan on an icy slope. Large rocks gouged into my ribs as my head repeatedly bashed against the tunnel’s walls, but in the blink of an eye, I left the enraged worm behind as my Hit Points began to drop steadily from the constant damage. Before I knew it, I shot out of the bottom of the tunnel into the main cavern. My momentum sent me skittering across the stone floor bouncing off rocks like a living pinball until I came to a crunching stop against a particularly large boulder.
Dizzily lurching to my feet with Neysa still in my arms, feeling like I was bleeding from every pore of my body as I stumbled in the direction of the exit that led to the surface. Before I’d even taken three steps, I heard the Greater Cavern Worm’s shrill cries behind me as the worm plummeted towards the tunnel’s exit. One glance towards the mouth of the tunnel and I knew there was no chance I’d make it away in time, so I did the only thing I could think of. Focusing on my magic, I cast Frost Nova and staggered into a limping sprint for the exit.
Behind me, the massive-pede shot out of the tunnel’s exit like a cannonball. Instead of slowing to a stop, the ice-covered rocks sent the oversized insect crashing into the far wall in a crunch of chitin goodness. If I’d been healthier, I might have turned around to see if I could take the fucker out before it recovered. Luckily for me, I was injured which probably was the only thing that saved my life.
In the blink of an eye, the insect was up thrashing and sliding around on the icy rocks as I ran for my life. One glance over my shoulder and I knew the massive worm was only moderately damaged from the impact. Mentally I counted down the seconds to my spell’s dissipation as I forced my legs into a run. As soon as the countdown hit zero, I heard a thunderous roar of triumph blast from the cavern behind me.
Neysa struggled in my arms to get down as I threw myself into the side tunnel that led to the exit. The roar of the massive-pede’s thunderous strides vibrated the stone beneath my feet as it closed in for the kill. Once again the inkling of a plan began percolating through my thoughts as the exit came into sight. I was less than ten yards from the exit when a powerful blow blasted me off my feet as the massive-pede crashed into my back with overwhelming force. Instantly my Hit Points dropped into the double digits as I took over a thousand points of damage. Although the strike sent me reeling, I managed to cast my Frost Nova spell before crashing into the ground.
Instead of crumpling to a stop, I belly flopped onto the ice sheath covering the stone with Neysa securely tucked under my arm. I heard the massive-pede enraged screech behind me as the monster lost its footing in a mass of flailing limbs. Its tentacle-like mouth tore at the tunnel’s walls trying to slow its momentum down as the tunnel began collapsing around us.
I had one chance to get this right. As I crossed the mouth of the tunnel into the afternoon’s sunlight, I hooked my free arm around a large stone, jackknifing my body in a ninety-degree angle. I slammed to a stop at the base of the steps leading up to the mountain trail as the massive-pede flew off the ledge in a small avalanche of sand and rocks.
For a long moment, I laid on my back unmoving as I focused simply on breathing in and out. My lungs burned in my chest from pushing myself too hard, and my whole body felt battered and broken. I knew I had to move before the massive-pede came back for me but my body simply refused to respond. Warning pop-ups about food and water needed to be consumed to recover my stamina flashed in the bottom of my HUD as I slowly climbed into a sitting position and pulled my backpack into my lap. It was even harder since Neysa was still sprawled out panting heavily on my lap, but I managed to get my inventory open to gulp down the needed sustenance as my head flopped back onto the step behind me. It was at least five minutes before I felt like I could climb to my feet. By then I’d noticed I was hearing the massive-pede’s angry shrieks coming from far away. Pushing Neysa off my lap, I crawled to the ledge looking over the valley. What I saw below brought a huge smile to my face.
The Greater Cavern Worm was in a pitched battle with the invading army below. Its fall had dropped it on the edge of the Goblins’ encampment. It must have lost over half of its Hit Points from the fall alone. Even so, it fought with a terrifying fury proportional to its size. From my position above the action, I could see dead Goblin bodies strewn across the icy plain as portions of the invading army slowly wore the monster down.
At first, I was surprised the massive-pede wasn’t taken down quicker, but as I watched the slaughter below, I realized two very important points. First, nearly every ranking officer had been killed in the castle’s Great Hall when the undead attacked. Second, the other half of the Goblin army were still struggling to hold back the undead horde that was trying to break out of the central keep. I couldn’t help but smile as I muttered under my breath. “I came. I saw. I kicked ass.”
I don’t exactly know how long I stood there and watched but it was a lot longer than I should have. By the time I realized how much time had passed, the Goblins had taken out the worm and were working to hold the zombies inside the central keep. I figured it was best to get moving before they got their act together. Shaking the exhausted out of my limbs, I quickly topped off Neysa and my Hit Points before starting the long climb out of the valley. Hopefully, I could catch up with the Ulia, Keela and the rest of the refugees before nightfall.
Once again, I was stunned by the incredible realness of the game as I headed back up the steep mountain trail. Instead of just putting my avatar on autorun and only needing to worry about a shrinking endurance bar, I literally felt the strain of the climb in the muscles of my arms and legs as the intense cold burned my lungs with every breath. While I appreciated The World’s detail to realism on one level and how it made the game world so immersive, another part wished the physical strain and biting cold didn’t feel quite so intense. The thought made me chuckle as I thought of the old proverb, ‘Beware of what you wish for.’
I could still remember the first time environmental changes were introduced into an MMORPG. At the time, they were just basic elemental effects such as rain that reduced visibility and day ‘n’ nite cycles. While the changes had almost zero impact on the actual gameplay, the gaming community ate it up due to its immersion value. Over time those environmental effects grew and had more direct effects on gameplay. Without the right gear, cold and rain could ruin equipment or temporarily affect the Hit Points of a player. The night would reduce a player’s vision and increase the chance of random monster encounters. It was all in the name of the weather having a cause and effect relationship with the player’s character.
The ultimate goal was always to increase the player’s immersion in the game world. To make the feel of playing more realistic and addictive. Still, no matter how powerful those changes were, none of it could compare to the new FIVR technology. The introduction of pain feedback from damage, environmental conditions and touch with software AI generated NPCs was on a whole nother level than anything ever before developed. The virtual world now was so realistic that it was easy to forg
et that this was only a game.
I was just thankful that I was a Pro Gamer who could basically play whenever and how long I wanted to. Otherwise, I’m not sure how I’d be able to handle going to work and holding a normal nine to five job with my current gaming addiction. Just the other day, I’d perused a news article discussing several popular internet pundits’ blogs that were criticizing the new FIVR gaming technology and equating the immersion addiction to a new age of digital crack. While there was a kernel of truth in their words, being addicted to gaming was nothing new nor particularly bad. What was important was how you allowed it to affect your life. But, wasn’t that true of anything? Being into whatever you were into was fine and a normal part of being human, whether it was snowboarding, getting a drink after work, working out or playing esports. The only time that any of these activities were considered bad was when they stopped a person from being able to function in their life. So basically, as long as you ate, slept, made the money you needed to pay your bills and lived your life, then what was the big deal?
The double standard most of society seemed to have against esports was frustrating. These same people would watch football, hockey, and basketball all day long and then go home and play their fantasy sports online without a second thought, but if you did the same with esports, there was something wrong with you. Probably due to the fact that popular sports were considered ‘normal’ aka ‘socially acceptable’ to the majority of society. When was the last time you ever heard a report of people questioning the addictiveness of traditional sports’ negative influences on society? Were the outcries of these pundits truly concerned on the social health of gamers or was it more of a grasping pop culture criticism against the movement away from contemporary sports to esports? Either way, I was sure these complaints were only the beginning. Wait until people started realizing that gamers were actually getting physically fit while they played and learned additional skills to boot. What kind of outcry would be heard then, I wondered? Frowning at the wanderings of my mind, I pushed the negative thoughts of the real world away and focused on getting away from the Pass of Lianthorn and BrokenFang Hold.
