Continue Online (Part 5, Together)

by Stephan Morse

  “We might have a way, but this could possibly let out something worse than the Sage’s Guardians. But you know the story of the golden goose?”

  I shook my head. The story didn’t ring a bell.

  “Well, we could have cracked it open for a one-time item or maybe a monster worse than the guardians, or we could keep milking the place for energy for enchanting.”

  “We’re beyond that now,” Xin said.

  “Right. So once everyone’s online, we’ll tackle all four Sage’s Guardians at once, then crack this room open. At least that’s what your quest implied. Seek the Sage’s Secrets, right?”

  I shrugged. Their quest name was probably way different than mine. Still, this felt like the best bet. Maybe we were lucky that the town was in dire straits. It sounded like arriving weeks, or months, ago would have gotten us nowhere. They were only opening this doorway as a last resort.

  Xin and I explored the room further. Well, she explored and I sat near the doorway dozing. Rest inside the ARC was a pale imitation of rest in reality, but leaving after seeing this secret felt wrong. I needed more downtime to try to recover.

  TockDoc and Xin sounded intent upon charging this location up. I caught pieces of their conversation. The glasses-wearing Traveler boasted about his repairs. Apparently parts of his unique class features came from studying this location too. After a while, I couldn’t make out what they were talking about anymore and started to fade.

  Random thoughts shot through the haze of near-sleep. Did Xin dream anymore? Did she even need to sleep? I wondered about Dusk and Jeeves.

  I blinked, and Xin’s body in the basin faded. Another version of her appeared. My body fell on the ground with my head in Xin’s lap. Around me, people spoke in words that didn’t register correctly. My heart rate jumped and those figures faded, replaced by TockDoc speaking.

  Dusk’s head tilted upward. Either he saw a rat, or something else had gone wrong. His mouth opened wide in a hiss, then the [Messenger’s Pet] ran upstairs and out of the room.

  “Something’s wrong,” I said while trying to stand. My arms felt numb from the nap. Both legs were heavy, but neither prevented me from stumbling up the stairs.

  Dusk stood at the top, facing the southward cliff where Xin and I had viewed the town. A body fell down the hill and caught our attention. The [Messenger’s Pet] jerked his head back, then hissed with a small ball of flame jutting out.

  Energy rushed into me as my feet backed up. We were close to the town’s starting point. Plus, only a few people were acting as lookouts for monsters, not Travelers. A quick ping of the area with [Echo of Mercari] revealed a huge number of people nearby. We were being visited by a mob less than a mile away, and more were arriving.

  “What the hell?” I asked while staring up the hill. There were at least a hundred people standing up there and looking down. “Voices above, are those bandits?”

  “Travelers.” Xin sounded disgusted. “More like raiders. Look at them, every single one is red.”

  My wife referred to the player status bar that could show up. Upon killing another player, people were often tagged in some way. She and I saw them the same, as red names on the [Identification] window. The exact method of viewing another player’s information varied depending upon skills on both sides. Some could obscure misdeeds or place in a false status.

  Someone whistled, and people stopped what they were doing. Travelers who were logged in started typing rapidly and punching at invisible screens. Some people arrived in town while others logged out. Apparently not every Traveler wanted to fight the incoming bandit army.

  Awesome stepped up and put a hand above his eyes. I didn’t know when he had logged back in. Yellow flashed as his [Far Sight] ability activated. Beth had done the same to see farther.

  “Shit.” The man’s head shook, and he started equipping other items. He put on heavy-looking shoulder pads that dripped with a green glowing chain. “These guys are bad news. Their leader has his own channel online and a huge following.”

  Awesome pointed at a tall man who wore nothing on his chest. Instead, the other player was adorned by tiny human-looking skulls woven into his hair and his belt.

  “Neat.” I had to admire the look even if it made me shake.

  At his side were two people in pitch-black armor with long serrated blades. Behind them were all sorts of others.

  “The guy with skulls, that’s Nam Redrum. He’s got at least six hundred tokens, and most of his followers have more than a hundred each. They’ve been raiding cities, but I didn’t know they were this far out.”

  It made no sense for the Voices to provide a quest that led players here. My eyes went to Xin, and she shook her head. Neither of us had an explanation. Maybe the Voices wanted us to kill these players or the other way around? No, it could be a coincidence.

  Awesome cursed quietly. He waved at other people from his guild, and at least eight who remained frowned. Among the gathering people was TinkerHell, SheHulk, Edward, and many others I didn’t recognize. They all clustered together. People ate food, poured liquids down their throats, or switched out armor. One man walked around rubbing a strange-smelling mix of herbs on everyone’s neck.

  “Great,” SheHulk said, tilting her head sideways so the weird paste could be applied.

  “We can defend, but player versus player is way different than raiding.” Awesome blinked a few times as more raiders showed up. We were running out of time to formulate a real plan.

  “No shit.” Elane glared at the group up above. “Tink, ready your nukes now.”

  I couldn’t tell their exact numbers from this far away. Some were running ahead of the main group.

  “For the Horde!”

  Two absolutely huge spears sailed through the air in our direction. The man who had shouted, Nam Redrum, looked beefy with about five brain cells, a million hit points, and far too many miniature skulls.

  “Wrong game, idiot,” SheHulk said. Her body bulged as muscles tightened into huge bunches under chainmail.

  “He is rather dashing for a tool.” Edward’s mustache twitched. In his hands were two long rapiers.

  Nearby, TinkerHell was etching runes into the ground. The enemy had at least four spell casters also chanting [Lithium]. Red mist appeared on some of the leading enemies charging toward us.

  I looked at them and readied my weapons. Xin stepped back, and a crackle of bones clinking together started up. Her dress’s hem flickered with white runes as each piece of skeleton formed in the air. Dusk blasted three balls of fire in their direction, and I threw out two of my own.

  “Come on!” Awesome’s arm rose, calling his group into action. “Protect the town and drive them back!”

  System Notice!

  Another Traveler with high [Leadership] and [Respect] is attempting to [Lead] you. Following the commands given by this person will provide a temporary increase.

  Actions adhering to the orders provided gain…

  5% to all base stats

  +1 Rank to Path in use

  +1 Rank to skills under Rank 3

  Health Regeneration is increased by 10%

  The box confused me. I had never been subjected to anyone’s [Leadership] before. Other people were suffused with a low blue glow. We were fifty against hundreds. My eyes drifted off, then saw the domes behind us. I thought of another plan, a terrible one that might end our lives just as easily.

  “No! Pull back! We’ll trigger the event!” My idea blurted out in a rush.

  Awesome looked at me, then his eyes widened and a nod followed. He understood immediately. Triggering the event had made [World Eater]s spawn last time, and according to TockDoc, those monsters spawned every single time a dome fired up. What better for a mess of recklessly charging player killers than monsters that might delete them?

  Our side turned in unison to tactically retreat. A few of us faced the oncoming rush. I hurled [Morrigu’s Echo] rapidly into the nearest player. His eyes went wide as the spear form slam
med through his shield, sending splinters flying, then turned his head to powder. My weapons were driven by an obscene amount of [Brawn] that few players could match. [Recall] brought it back with less durability.

  The giant skeleton waded in with a bone ax, and two players went flying before its knees were chopped out. The huge monster went down, and enemy Travelers quickly reduced it to pieces. Xin launched a few of her bone bolts, and the effect left her sweating.

  White icons on her dress flashed red as the giant creation was broken and consequentially unsummoned. She took a breath, then shook her head. I turned, taking an arrow to the shoulder, and grabbed my wife. We [Blink]ed ahead with Awesome, who was shouting orders.

  Arrowed!

  Total health loss: 10%

  “One and two! On the left!” Awesome shouted orders. “Group three, take the second one from the right! Dwight, can your people stay alive in the broken one?”

  “Maybe,” Dwight said between heavy huffs. He looked ridiculous trying to run in his bright shining armor.

  “Hermes! Go with SheHulk and TinkerHell!”

  “Fuck no!” SheHulk yelled back. Her legs weren’t covering ground nearly fast enough.

  “Shut up and do it! Hermes, you’ll need a solid tank, and we’ve got enough for groups one and two.”

  He paused as two spears sailed overhead, along with a huge glob of earth. SheHulk turned and threw up her shield while TinkerHell ducked behind it. Another chunk of earth fell upon us.

  Awesome’s two groups veered left toward the far two domes. Dwight and most of his guild members went for the third one, which had suffered untold levels of damage from [World Eater]s. Bolts sailed toward them while a few people in his group fired back.

  [Awareness Heightening] kicked into effect for Xin and me. A horn slowly sounded in the distance. It brought back memories of being hunted in the forest by my first human enemies. My blades came out and formed a solid wall similar to SheHulk’s shield.

  Both weapons formed into linking panels with curved bumps for my hands to grab. My feet braced, and Xin ducked behind my shield. [Immovable Object] drained some mana, but my body remained upright. A dozen thunks of metal hit my shield.

  “Go ahead!” I yelled at the women.

  SheHulk growled at me, and TinkerHell ran with Xin. Two figures were approaching rapidly, according to [Sight of Mercari]. My shield broke apart, and two large blades swung out upon the unsuspecting players. One’s life bar vanished in a flash of overpowered damage. The other grunted in pain and fell back.

  I [Blink]ed again to catch up with the others. Dusk soared ahead, leading the way to the fourth dome. Behind us charged players who were laughing, giddy or mad with the joy of running people down. To top it off, the rain started pouring down once more.

  Session Ninety-Four

  Anger Management School

  All three females ran into the dome ahead of me. Our path went up a ramp into the dome’s second story. SheHulk kept spinning around to deflect incoming projectiles with amazing timing, likely warned by a skill. Each time, her shield flashed a bright gold.

  “Through here!” TinkerHell yelled from the doorway.

  We ran down a curved hallway that bent around the dome’s inside edge. Concrete-like substance with bits of wiring poking out littered the wall like an electrician’s nightmare come to life. Swords and other items lined the hallway.

  Skill Used: [Identification]

  Results: Sword

  Details: Enchant [Lightning’s Minor Bane] present. This weapon will deal increased damage to electricity elementals and ignore a portion of energy-based shield abilities.

  System Notice!

  Most enchanted weapons do less damage than average due to their altered makeup. This makes them dangerous to use as everyday weapons. Higher Ranks of [Enchantment] will allow these modifications to be negated, or other possible side effects.

  “Babe!” I yelled while pointing at the weapons. Hopefully she saw what I did.

  Xin nodded, then turned quickly, took a stance, and started chanting. A horde of people were coming up the ramp behind us. I turned and threw [Morrigu’s Echo] across the field once more. Most players were wise and flung to the side to get out of its way. One particularly rough-looking woman took my javelin to the knee. She cried out until two of her own team members promptly decapitated her.

  “Voices,” I muttered, aghast at how quickly her people turned violent. Seeing this made me feel a little better about my actions in times of battle.

  My wife’s hands bobbed in the air as runes on her robe lit up. Many were still red from the earlier destroyed monster, but she had enough to recreate two small skeletons that promptly collapsed next to enchanted weapons. Their bony fingers slid around the hilts, creating an illusion of deceased Locals.

  An enemy figure literally flashed into view next to me. I barely reacted in time. [Awareness Heightening] helped me get a blade up. Their deflected attack skimmed off [Morrigu’s Gift] and tore into the meat under my shoulder.

  Ice spilled down the hall, slowing this newest player killer even further. I turned and smashed him with a shifting [Morrigu’s Gift], then I watched as the ARC took visual input too far. Faint reassurances that the player was okay in their own ARC, though maybe upset, meant little as his head cleaved in two. A slight taste of bile crept up my throat once the game gave me tokens for murdering another player.

  “Come on!” TinkerHell yelled from down the hall.

  An actual body joined the two skeletons. Other attackers filled the far doorway and peered inside with caution. Our small group of players stood on the far side of the long hallway, through a doorway, on what looked to be a ledge.

  “Oh, he’s not going to like this.” Xin’s voice carried as I ran to catch up.

  The wall curved right, and the next room opened to a huge, wide open area. At a glance, we seemed to be two stories above a flattened floor. We were inside the dome proper, and orange crackled along the ceiling. To one side was a rickety ladder to get down.

  On the dome’s far side sat an absolutely giant mechanical monster. It had eight legs, large faceted eyes that shone red, and a large red end that housed gears. Small spikes came off each leg, and the dried bits of prior combatants could be seen all around the room.

  “It’s a big. Mechanical. Spider.” I felt a chill of annoyance. One eye twitched while I tried to figure out how large a hammer I would need to smash this damned bug into oblivion.

  Heavy footsteps down the hall distracted me.

  Skill Used: [Identification]

  Results: [Sage’s Guardian #4]

  Rarity: Four of a Kind

  Health: [Extra], [Regenerates]

  Details: The Sage handcrafted four of these beasts over many years of hard labor. In the end, he left the key to their usage unexplained, and perhaps never created. The Sage himself has not been seen in [Arcadia] for years.

  An Ode to the Sage’s creation;

  Of mechanical creatures, the Sage was a fan.

  Four of these roam the halls made by one man.

  On the power of runes and bound magic, they ran.

  In the end, each is still an ugly tin can.

  “Tin can?” I questioned.

  Stomping pounded down the hallway. My head shook to get back in the game. Another stealther could be sneaking up. I closed my eyes to remove visual feedback long enough to activate [Sight of Mercari]. The results displayed an army’s worth of people nearby. At least fifty stood outside our dome alone, while more rushed through the town. We were outnumbered, and most of the players were headed our way, no doubt to pick off the smallest group.

  No one with a [Stealth] ability showed up, at least not below Rank Four. I turned, ready to throw a javelin down the hallway again, but the lead person had both a heavy shield and blue glowing energy about them. They crept up slowly. [Morrigu’s Echo] couldn’t pierce that even with my [Brawn].

  I threw it anyway. The blue shield crackled violently as my weapon skidded
into a wall. One of the enemy players reached out to grab the weapon while shouting happily. [Recall] made it vanish from their grip and return to my side. I twisted the long spear into a smaller shape, then readied myself to hold them off.

  “We’re going to pull! Engaging the boss will close the entrance!” SheHulk motioned to TinkerHell.

  “What else happens after we start it?” Xin’s normally quiet voice picked up as a fresh blast of energy arced overhead. The energy kept overpowering our speech. Communication would be difficult, and my wife looked paler than normal.

  “Bad shit happens,” SheHulk grumbled, then leapt down. Her body plummeted like a slowly falling meteor.

  Xin nodded, then turned back toward me, looking beautiful despite the haggard chaos. She handled [Awareness Heightening] far better than I did.

  Thuds pulsed in my ears. The people coming down the hall grew closer, and the heavy shield-bearer remained in front. Xin waved both hands, and the skeleton traps reached for people hiding behind their tank.

  I leapt in as they became distracted. Xin’s minions slashed wildly. Two people coming down the hallway took damage while their companions rang out the alarm. [Blink] put me half twisted near the ceiling. Bones of her pets crunched as I fell down with a slash.

  [Morrigu’s Gift] cleaved through two people who were close together. I suppressed my stomach and tried once again to remember this was just a video game. These people weren’t really dying. My actions were simply like punching someone out of a bad dream.

  “Fuck! What Rank are these guys?” someone in the back yelled in slow motion.

  [Blade Dancer] and endless hours of footwork kept me moving the huge two-handed blade. A dagger hit me in the same damaged shoulder, and in response, the still-spinning [Morrigu’s Gift] cleaved into another attacker. One foot dipped, and I rolled forward to get into a new position. Shazam’s lessons had all involved moving constantly, especially when fighting mobs.

  Red mist hung from unexpectedly weak defenses as I dashed through. One arm dragged slightly. A foot squeaked while trying to get into a new position. The floor was only wet with heavy rain from outside. These people’s feet were simply slippery. The liquid forming in puddles below couldn’t possibly be blood.