The Warped Forest

by Thomas Carpenter

  Alex decided that the only way she was going to win this was to get right into the thick of it. Against her desires to stay out of the way of close combat, she leapt from the lower limb, reaching the combatants in a few short strides.

  With the whip in hand, Alex slashed at the backside of the ostrizzle.

  You have missed an angry ostrizzle!

  You have hit an angry ostrizzle for 15 damage!

  You have missed an angry ostrizzle!

  Her damage output quickly made her realize that she wasn't going to kill it. Alex checked her Handysack for ideas, but she didn't have anything that would deal a lot of damage quickly. If she couldn't figure something out, the winner of the battle was going to make quick work of her.

  "But what if they can't attack me?" she said, grabbing the jar of Ethel's Adhesive Ointment.

  Alex snapped a stick from a nearby limb, quickly dabbing the end into the jar. With a hunk of the sticky paste on the end of her stick, she lunged between the combatants, placing the glue on the ostrizzle right before they collided again.

  The stick ripped from her hands as the two creatures rolled into the grass. The larger ostrizzle slammed its enormous beak into the hyenature, tearing at its spotted fur until it was covered in blood.

  Standing at the maximum possible distance, Alex cracked the hyenature with her whip, hoping that it would be enough to claim the experience from the kill. At the very least, she wanted to cover the amount of experience that she'd lose when she died from the ostrizzle.

  You have hit a ferocious hyenature for 9 damage!

  You have hit a ferocious hyenature for 11 damage!

  You have missed a ferocious hyenature!

  You have missed a ferocious hyenature!

  An angry ostrizzle has slain a ferocious hyenature!

  You have gained experience: 1,800 XP

  You have gained a skill point: +1 Mastermind

  Alex pumped her fist when she received both the full experience and a point in Mastermind, proving that her tactics had won the battle.

  Then the angry ostrizzle turned, its beak bloody from battle, and released a soul-shattering screech.

  "Well this should be fun," said Alex, cracking her whip. "Come at me, big boy."

  The ostrizzle tried to take a step forward, but the dead hyenature was still stuck to its round body. The creature made a throaty noise of disapproval and tried to dislodge the body with its beak.

  You have missed an angry ostrizzle!

  You have hit an angry ostrizzle for 15 damage!

  The ostrizzle didn't know whether it should peck away the body or attack her. It screeched with annoyance, its brown fur ruffling.

  Alex kept attacking, but the damage was coming slow. She hit one in three times, barely doing any damage since it was much higher level than her.

  "This is going to take a while."

  Occasionally, the big bird would try to lunge at her, but the dead hyenature unbalanced it, forcing the creature to wobble, making it easy to avoid.

  Alex thought about calling down her minions, but she didn't want to lose them when she could kill it herself.

  You have missed an angry ostrizzle!

  You have hit an angry ostrizzle for 9 damage!

  They danced around the clearing, tramping the remaining brush until the whole area looked like a war zone. Alex kept striking the ostrizzle, gaining a skill increase in the process, while staying ahead of it.

  After ten minutes of battle, her shoulder burning from the constant overhand whip motion, she finally landed the killing blow.

  You have hit an angry ostrizzle for 15 damage!

  You have slain an angry ostrizzle!

  You have gained experience: 1,800 XP

  "Oh, thank Merlin," she said, grabbing her whip arm with her other hand, massaging tight muscles and rotating her shoulder cuff.

  Sweat dripped in her eyes as she surveyed the area.

  "I'm going to have to find a better way," said Alex.

  She was so busy thinking about how to improve her strategy that she didn't know what had happened when it felt like a bubble popped in her mind.

  "Blinky?"

  Alex looked up in time to see the Ghostly Cobrawasp appear before her. The flying creature went from pale smoke to solid black in a single heartbeat.

  She barely had time to lift her whip before the stinger slammed into her, right between her breastbone and her stomach.

  Critical Hit! You have taken 75 damage from a Ghostly Cobrawasp!

  You have died!

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Alex took the next two days off from hunting. She debated logging out to get away from the game, but decided she could do the same thing by staying in her cave, buried in her comfortable furs. It wasn't that she was giving up, but that she needed to plan. There was no task more important than hunting down and eradicating that cobrawasp.

  Axo was waiting for her on its favorite log when she emerged from the cave, her neck stiff from sleeping.

  "No insects, sorry Axo," she told the shrew. After a moment of staring at her, it disappeared into the grasses.

  While she limbered up with stretches, Axo returned carrying a grasshopper in its mouth. The little shrew dropped the green insect at her right foot, then stared up at her with adoring eyes.

  "Oh, thank you, Axo, but I really shouldn't, I'm full up on grasshoppers."

  When Axo didn’t move, Alex realized she was going to hurt the shrew’s feelings if she didn’t eat the grasshopper.

  "You know, the green ones aren't ripe yet. We should wait until it's a nice warm red," said Alex.

  She sighed and snatch up the dead insect when Axo didn't move.

  "I'm only doing this because you're my only friend in this place...which is probably a sign that I'm losing it out here, since I'm about to eat a grasshopper because a shrew asked me to." Alex lifted the grasshopper to her mouth. "Bon appetit!"

  The grasshopper went into her mouth, legs and feet scraping against her lips. She almost spit it out, but decided "why not, it's just a game, and people eat these all the time in other countries" and crunched down on the insect, releasing juices to squirt against the inside of her mouth. Before she could change her mind, Alex swallowed the grasshopper, feeling the antennae tickle the back of her throat all the way down.

  "Oh, that was not good," said Alex with her eyes closed, shaking her head. "Deep breaths, no puking, and one and two and three."

  She gave Axo a thumbs-up while her stomach roiled. When the shrew disappeared, she thought she had appeased it until Axo returned with a second grasshopper, twice the size of the first.

  "No thanks, Axo. I'm full now." She rubbed her stomach. "All full. You can have it. I'm good now."

  Axo crunched down on the grasshopper, reminding her of the fluids squirting into her mouth. Thankfully, the shrew wanted to eat in privacy and took the insect into the high grasses.

  After Axo left, she looked at the four "nests." Her three remaining minions were out hunting, but would be back soon. She'd hoped she could revive Blinky somehow, but it appeared her minions had one life and one life only.

  But her minion's death made her realize she needed to upgrade them. It appeared they received experience for helping her, but they were only effective as scouts and bait carriers. She needed them to do more, and leveling didn't seem to be imbuing them with any abilities.

  When her minions returned and settled onto their nests, fat from feeding on the Plains, Alex produced a hyenature tooth she'd received from her last battle.

  "Okay, which one of you will be my first test subject?" she said with a fake soothing grin.

  The three bloats looked up at her with wide eyes that could have been on a puppy.

  "You first, Clyde," she said.

  Before she cast the Transference spell, Alex reviewed the spell gestures, confirming she could perform it perfectly before attempting it on the hyenature tooth.

  When she felt she was ready, Alex cast the spell, focusin
g on both the tooth and Clyde. When the nodes appeared, she was dismayed. There were only four nodes on the tooth, but nine on Clyde. Clearly the spell was more difficult to cast on living creatures. She'd entertained the idea of upgrading herself if this worked, but she had a feeling the difficulty would be extreme.

  After studying it for a full minute, Alex drew the lines on the pattern, knowing it wasn't going to work, but the pressure of faez behind her forehead had grown too much to delay any longer.

  You have gained a skill point: +1 Transference

  The hyenature tooth disappeared in the casting, but Clyde looked at her with its small brown head tilted as if it were trying to decide if what was happening was bad or not.

  "You're fine, little buddy," said Alex, reaching out to stroke the bloat's head.

  When she was finished, she held her hand against her chest in realization of what she'd been doing.

  "If I start cuddling with you three in the cave, then it's time for me to quit this game," she said.

  While the spell had failed, the experiment had not. The spell had fizzled rather than giving her an "invalid target," and that meant it was possible, even if her skill level wasn't high enough.

  At the current moment her Transference spell was at 6. She was lucky it was governed by the Cunning stat, which was her main ability. If she had more items, she could max it out at 13. She didn't know if higher skill would make the spell easier, but in theory it should.

  Without another item to use, Alex knew she had to return to the forest to hunt for more, but she was going to use her pit trap since the cobrawasp seemed to attack her when she was further in.

  The next day, she used her minions to lure a hydrapig into the pit, dropping logs over it to keep it from escaping. The three pig heads made it more difficult for her minions to drain it, but once they'd gotten it low, Alex moved to the edge of the pit.

  "Come here, Clyde," she said, motioning for him to land on the log above the trapped hydrapig. The heads had given up and were back in the pit, resting as the body heaved with exhaustion.

  When she started the Transference spell, she feared that the number of nodes would be so great that the chance of it working would be impossible, but the hydrapig only had seven nodes, two less than Clyde.

  The pattern was still difficult, and Alex knew she'd failed even before the spell was complete.

  You have gained a skill point: +1 Transference

  You have killed a Juicy Hydrapig!

  You have gained experience: 1,800 XP

  The kill was a surprise, but she guessed it shouldn't have been, since her items disappeared at the conclusion of the spell, success or failure. It would keep her from trying it on the same creature over and over, and it wouldn't work as an offensive spell since it took so long to cast and complete.

  More importantly, it proved that she could use the creatures as a method of leveling up and practicing connecting the spell nodes.

  She wished she had a notebook so she could start making notes, possibly figuring out the fundamentals of how Transference worked so she could improve on her rare successes.

  "The next time I get a hide, I'm making parchment," she said.

  The next two weeks the pit trap got a workout. Alex gained four more points in the Transference spell. She got the tenth point on a Murderous Bladeboar.

  You have gained a skill point: +1 Transference (Tier Two)

  You have killed a Murderous Bladeboar!

  You have gained experience: 2,000 XP

  Clyde has gained the Assassination skill!

  Quest Completed: Earn an ability for a minion

  You have gained experience: 2,000 XP

  "What the?"

  Alex almost slipped off the log when the spell worked, transferring the Assassination skill into her minion.

  Clyde, Minion, level 2

  Ability: Assassination (Dmg: 50-100 on successful surprise hit; if more than 50% hps then insta-kill)

  "Now we're talking," said Alex with her whip hanging over her shoulder.

  When she brought up the Transference spell, she was greeted with the reason it'd finally been successful.

  Spell: Transference – Tier Two

  Faez: Varies ׀ Duration: Permanent

  Effect: Transfer magic from one item or creature to another.

  Before the spell had only said "item," but now it gave the option for both item and creature. Looting the bladeboar gave her two hides, which she turned into parchment that night. After a few hours of copying, she had a stack of coarse parchment.

  Next, she converted the Shiny Black Feather that she'd found after her first visit with Ethel into a quill with the Minor Creation spell. Experimenting with the various berries in the area gave her a rudimentary ink until she could find something more suitable.

  That night, she took notes on intricacies of the Transference spell, indicating the nodes and lines that she could remember. Having a permanent record to study convinced her that the underpinnings of the spell were based on a mathematical matrice, but not enough that she could figure out shortcuts to improve her success rate.

  But that didn't stop her from having her second successful Transference casting the next day when she trapped a Tough Wolfelk in the pit. The creature's thick hide had made it nearly impossible for the bloats to drain it until Alex managed to suffocate it with a Dewdrop Orb, distracting the creature with asphyxiation until her minions could do their business.

  Pinky, Minion, Level 2

  Ability: Reactionary Armor (Temporary invulnerability upon first hit of battle)

  Seeing what the spell had gained her minion explained a lot about why they couldn't breach its armor in the early part of the battle. Having upgraded two of her minions with new abilities, Alex decided to leave Inky until she found the right critter.

  She was starting to feel ready to take on the Ghostly Cobrawasp, especially after she spent a few days making new traps and gear.

  Alex had every intention of making her antagonist the next target when she noticed how much time had passed since she'd been outside the game last. She'd been keeping track with a crude calendar etched into her cave wall.

  When she realized what day it was, Alex gave her minions instructions to feed each day, but to stay out of the forest. Not knowing how long she'd be out of the game, she put away her gear and tidied up. The XP loss was unfortunate, but Alex logged out as soon as she was finished.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Outside Gamemakers, the thirteenth ward was covered in pristine snow, turning the ugly forgotten industrial complex into a lovely winter scene. The Spire glittered like a jewel as the setting sun caught the upper half with its brilliant rays.

  Alex shivered. When she'd entered the game a few months ago, it'd been much warmer. She was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, which did nothing in the drafty hallway. She rubbed her arms while watching the light snow drift through the air, catching her reflection to realize that her hair was the same length it was when she logged out, suggesting that certain aspects transferred between the two realms.

  On the way to her room to get warmer clothing, she heard laughter coming from the kitchen area and took a detour to investigate.

  When Alex entered, she found Bucket, Martina, and a few other students, including the red-haired girl she'd seen briefly enter the game a few months ago, sitting around the wide kitchen. White Christmas lights hung on the cabinets blinked festively. The conversation halted as everyone turned to look at her, which brought heat to her face. Not knowing what else to do, she tepidly raised her hand and gave a tiny wave.

  "Hi," she said, one shoulder lifting.

  "Hey, new kid!" said Bucket, laughing. Green and red tinsel was draped around his neck, and he held up a pewter mug. He looked a little glazed.

  "Her name is Alex," said Martina, winking in her direction. "Glad to see you've joined us. Grab a mug and some holiday brew."

  The conversations resumed, taking the focus off her, which allowed her to breathe
again.

  "Does everyone log out for the holidays?" Alex asked Bucket and Martina, who were standing next to a metal cauldron on the stove. Bucket grabbed a ladle from a cauldron and scooped some into a pewter mug for her.

  A tentative sniff revealed a sweet concoction.

  "Do I want to know?" she asked, remembering the odd things that Bucket was eating last time she saw him.

  Martina's eyes widened and she shook her head feverously. "Nope. Hard pass. Just drink."

  The milky liquid had a complex flavor—a hint of tangy mint, tingly ginger, and a sweet aftertaste.

  "That's delicious," she said, staring at the mug suspiciously.

  "To your earlier question," said Martina, "the holidays, especially this one, are probably the best shot at meeting your classmates."

  "This is a particularly robust party. Last year there were only three of us. And someone"–Bucket stared at Martina—"was a no-show."

  "I was about to finish a big quest that was going to level me. No way was I logging out until that was done," said Martina.

  While they were bantering, Alex realized the red-haired girl was watching her from the corner of the room. Her hair was shaved to fuzz on the sides, but the center reminded her of a cockatoo. She wore a black jean jacket covered in buttons and pins.

  "Hey everyone," said Bucket, raising his mug, "who wants to go into the second ward for the holiday show?"

  Martina held her hand over the ear on Bucket's side, squinting. "We're all right here."

  The second ward of Invictus was world famous for its free street shows. Alex had watched videos of the illusionary battles between gargantuan, building-sized creatures as they lumbered through the streets.

  "I'd love to go, but I need to call my mom first and get on some warmer clothes," she said, trying to remember if she'd brought winter wear.