by P. J. Frost
I heard an anguished squeal from below and looked down again. The boulder that had missed Erinye had knocked two of Donal's mercenaries off the mountain... and from that height, I doubted they would survive the fall.
“At least it's not just our misfortune,” I pointed out.
More stones showered down on us. One of them smacked me in the head, causing me to momentarily blink red. Another one crashed into my shoulder and almost made me lose my grip on the pitons.
“What are we going to do?” Quorull asked, raising her voice over the shrieking winds.
“There's nothing we can do except keep going!” I answered. “And hope the rocks hit them instead of us!”
We continued our harrowing climb for what felt like hours, listening to the incoherent growls of the Skin-Golem above and the increasingly-colorful threats from Donal below. A few of the stones kept hitting us, and we each came close to falling numerous times – but we shook it off and kept climbing.
Donal's people weren't so lucky.
The boulders kept steadily picking them off until only Donal remained, still swearing violence upon us.
Up. And up. And up.
My Rest and Health Meters were in serious trouble. It was getting harder and harder for me to drag myself up the mountainside, and I could see that the others were having difficulty too.
But we couldn't stop.
Not now that we were so close.
At last, we found ourselves a short distance from the ridge. There was just one problem.
“When we make it to the top,” I said, “that Skin-Golem's going to be waiting to shove us off. Erinye, you said your wings can carry you short distances?”
“Yes,” she affirmed, “but I am weak and tired. I am uncertain of whether they will be able to lift me.”
“I know, but you have to try,” I told her. “You have to fly up and get the Golem away from the edge, just long enough to buy us time to climb up over it.”
She thought it over, then nodded. “For you, Sydnar... yes. I will try.”
Erinye let go of the pitons one by one to undo the clasps on the heavy coat, letting it fall away and be carried off by the wind. Her wings unfurled majestically, and she released her grip. The breeze caught her and carried her backward, but she beat her wings furiously, soaring to the top and attacking the Golem. It roared, flailing its many arms at her as she drove it backward.
“That's our opening, guys!” I announced. “Let's do this!”
We pulled ourselves up the rest of the way, listening to the harsh sounds of Erinye doing battle with the creature. Quorull climbed up first, then helped Trish up over the edge before they both reached down to pull me up.
Ordinarily, the four of us could have overpowered the monster relatively easily. But we were all exhausted. My arms and legs were shaking, and I could barely stay on my feet. I swigged a Health Potion, and the other two did likewise. It helped, but not as much as I would have liked.
The Golem had punched Erinye to the hard ground, and he was stomping on her relentlessly. Her verdant blood was flowing again, staining the ice beneath her. She tried to lift her emerald sword, but he kicked it out of her hands, and it vanished in a flash of green light.
“Get the hell away from her, Karloff!” I bellowed, pointing my staff at him. “Flame of the Infernal!”
Hellfire spewed forth, igniting the beast. He yowled in pain, blinking red once and stumbling backward. It figured – I'd only fought a Skin-Golem once before, but I remembered that fire was a big weakness for them.
“If you've got any fire-based attacks,” I told the others, “now's the time to use them!”
Quorull drew an enchanted flaming arrow from her quiver and fired it into the Golem's chest.
Trish pulled out her ax again, calling out, "Fire-Smite!" The huge, curved blades suddenly rippled with crackling flames, and she ran forward, swinging the weapon at the monster.
The Golem shrieked angrily, punching at Trish with its burly arms – but Trish took the hits and kept on coming, striking him over and over again with the ax until they were both blinking red. Another of Quorull's fiery arrows pierced the beast, this time in the shoulder. He wailed helplessly, turning solid red.
Erinye picked herself up off the ground and generated her emerald blade again, wiping the blood from her face. “You will find the Empress of Monsters is not so easily defeated, you undead obscenity! Especially not when aided by her friends!”
She raised the green sword and slashed the Skin-Golem. It let out a final anguished cry and disappeared.
“Good work,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I just wish instead of killing it, we could have found a way to sic it on Donal rather than waiting for him to get up here too. I do not have another fight in me right now, especially not with that dickhead.”
Quorull raised her eyebrows. “Well, hey, just because the Skin-Golem is gone doesn't mean we can't honor his memory, right? In fact, let's all take a few moments and do something that used to be one of his favorite activities.”
I smiled slowly, nodding. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”
I picked up the biggest rock I could lift, and the others followed suit, joining me at the edge of the ridge. Donal was still climbing. From the look of it, he'd reach us in minutes.
If we let him, of course.
Which we had no intention of doing.
“Hey, Donal?” I called down.
He looked up at us, and his eyes widened. "No! Don't!"
“The Golem sends his regards!” I finished, chucking the stone down at him. Erinye, Quorull, and Trish threw theirs as well.
At that distance, missing him was impossible.
All four of the stones hit him squarely, causing him to lose his grip and tumble backward. As he fell, he cried out: “This isn't over, Sid! You know I'll re-spawn! And when I do, I'm coming for you, and I'm gonna make you pay, do you hear? I'm gonna...!”
Then there was a hard smacking sound at the bottom of the mountain, and Donal's avatar blinked red and vanished.
“Well, so much for him,” Quorull said with a satisfied nod. “Even if he does come back, he'll still have to build his character back up from Level One.”
“Shouldn't take him too long,” I observed. “You know how he cheats.”
“Even so, he'll be out of our hair for a while. Long enough for us to complete our quest, at least. First, though, I'd say we've all earned a bit of a rest before this last stretch, wouldn't you?”
“Damn right.” Trish sat down on the ground, opening her Bag of Cherishing. “Anyone want to buy some food?”
Chapter Fourteen
As we snacked on our supplies and allowed our Rest Meters to charge (all except Erinye, who required neither food nor sleep since she was an NPC), something occurred to me.
“Hey Coral,” I asked, “in real-world time, how long have I been inside this game?”
“Um, it's around seven o'clock at night on your second day,” she answered. “Why?”
"Because avatars aren't the only ones with Food and Rest Meters," I pointed out. "Theoretically, my actual physical body is still out there somewhere, right? But I haven't been consuming real food, and I probably haven't been getting real rest either. I have no idea what condition I'm in out there or if I'm even still in my own place. Shit, for all I know, I could be hooked up to a VR rig in some mad scientist's lab."
“Cool,” Trish chuckled.
Erinye was frowning at us, clearly confused by our words even if she sensed the importance behind them.
But she couldn't do that before, I reminded myself. When we first met her in the Valley of the Monsters, she didn't register the cross-chatter between players, which made sense since she's an NPC. Now it seems like she can, though. So what does that mean? Could she be... evolving? Maybe being away from her coded location is loosening up her programming, letting her push past it.
Or maybe that's just more wishful thinking on my part since I've developed feelings
for her.
“You're right,” Quorull agreed, “and that's kind of scary to think about. But I've still got the spare key to your apartment, remember? You gave it to me in case you ever got locked out. If you want, I can go there now to check and see if you're there?”
“I'd really appreciate that,” I said gratefully. “But make sure you take your laptop with you, okay? That way, you'll be able to plug into the game while you're there and let me know what you're seeing.”
“Sounds like a plan. Stay put until I get back, all right?” She logged out, disappearing.
“So are you two, like, falling in love or something?” Trish asked. “Coral said you totally are, but she told me not to say anything about it.”
“Then why did you?” I asked incredulously.
Trish shrugged mildly. “I don't like being told what to do. Well? Are you guys boyfriend and girlfriend or what? Are you gonna get married in the game and have, like, a thousand babies together?”
“Your questions are pointless and juvenile, young one,” Erinye snapped. “Besides, if it is true that I am simply a character in this... game...”
“You are,” Trish confirmed.
“...then it would seem that the question of procreation is a moot one,” the Empress finished sadly. “Fictional characters cannot bear children.”
“Well, they can if that's how they're written,” Trish said. “Or in your case, coded.”
“Don't be silly, girl,” Erinye answered. “Why would my creators wish to do such a thing? What purpose would it serve for them to allow me to breed?”
“Hey, we don't have to talk about this stuff anymore if it's upsetting you, Erinye,” I interjected uneasily. I didn't want Trish's big mouth to push her too far. She'd already had a hard enough time accepting the truth of what she was.
But predictably, Trish kept right on going. “There's lots of reasons they might do that. I mean, maybe they think it would take your story in an interesting new direction. Maybe the baby you give birth to could be, like, some kind of monster messiah or whatever. Yeah! And there's, like, a cult that wants to kidnap it and sacrifice it to conjure up their ancient gods!”
“Child,” Erinye replied, curling her upper lip in disgust, “you possess a truly depraved imagination.”
"I want to design games like this myself someday," Trish informed her. "So anyway, like, all that stuff could be a reason why you might be programmed to have a kid. Or maybe you're not programmed to, but you can anyway, so you do."
“Do not speak such foolish falsehoods to me,” the Empress spat. “If I am not programmed to do a thing, then I cannot do it. That is the entire nature of my 'existence,' as I understand it.”
“That's not strictly true, actually,” I chimed in. “You've already moved beyond your coding in ways that are noticeable. I meant what I said to you before... you're a lot more than the sum of their programming. You're a unique and complex entity.”
“Aww, did you tell her that right before you guys smooched or something?” Trish made a series of obnoxious kissy sounds. Watching the Orc's lips pucker to correspond to them would have been hilarious if it hadn't been pissing me off so much.
Still, it's not like I can yell at her, I told myself. She's Coral's niece, she's just a kid... and to be fair, she did save our asses. I might find her bratty, but I still feel better about what might be ahead, knowing she'll be facing it alongside us.
“So?” she prodded. “Now that I've said that, are you guys gonna, like... 'do it?' Can I watch?”
I was getting pretty embarrassed, but more than that, I had to admit she had brought up a valid – if somewhat sensitive – question. Now that I was a character in the game, did I still have my “equipment” down there? Some digitally-rendered version of my junk?
And if so, was it functional?
It wasn't like I'd gone to the bathroom since merging with my character since, well, avatars didn't need to pee or anything like that.
That question “raised” a few more (unfortunate pun aside). Could I even open my robes to check on that? In the game, the characters were never naked, for obvious reasons.
Either way, I wasn't exactly in a good position to check on that since I was in the presence of a middle-school-aged girl – even if she was inhabiting the lumpy gray body of an Orc.
To my relief, Quorull appeared again.
Except my relief didn't last long when I saw the look of shock and uncertainty on her face.
“What is it?” I asked urgently. “Is my body gone?”
“Um, no, you're definitely still here,” she answered shakily. “You're at your desk, and the game is on the screen, following our progress.”
“Am I doing anything to control my in-game self? Using the mouse and arrow keys?”
She shook her head, mystified. “No. You look like you're in a trance. I've tried talking to you, snapping my fingers next to your ears, waving my hands in front of your face, shaking you. None of it's working. You're barely even blinking. You're just... sitting there. I can't believe I'm saying this, Sid, but, um... it seems like you're controlling your avatar with your mind.”
“Holy hell.” The harder I tried to picture what she was describing, the more it frightened me. “What's happening to me?”
“This is just a guess based on what I'm seeing,” Quorull said, “but since there aren't any wires or VR goggles attached to you, I have to assume that there are data patterns coming out of the screen and creating some kind of mental bond between you and your avatar.”
“That's bizarre,” I marveled. “So they could have singled me out somehow. Sent these secret waves through my screen to manipulate my brain and drag me into WarriorWorld. But why would they do that? And why would they choose me?”
“For all we know, you're not the only one stuck in here,” Trish pointed out. “Could be others. Lots of 'em.”
“That's a mystery for another time,” Quorull interrupted. “Because I've got to tell you, Sid, whatever is happening to you, it doesn't look like it's doing you any favors. Your eyes are bloodshot, your skin is clammy, and you're, um, ew... having some trouble swallowing.”
“Sorry about that last one,” I replied. “Have you tried pulling me away from the screen?”
“Yeah, that didn't go so well. Every muscle in your body locked up. I couldn't even tilt your head. I was worried that if I tried, I might accidentally hurt you.”
“Fair enough. And thank you.” I thought it over for a bit. “I mean, it seems like the only thing left to try is to shut down the game, right?”
“I had the same thought,” she admitted, “but something about suggesting it made me a bit uncomfortable.”
“Why?”
“I don't know. Just... a bad feeling, I guess. But you're right, we should at least give it a shot. Okay, I'm using your mouse to reach the main screen. So far, so good. Jeez, I was worried the thing would stick in place, or burn my hand, or electrocute me or something, ha. This has been kind of a weird forty-eight hours, huh? All right, I'm about to click on the Quit option. Here we go, fingers crossed!”
Suddenly, my brain felt like someone was stabbing it with a screwdriver.
I screamed, my entire body twisting with agony. My legs went out from under me, and I fell face-down in the snow... which was immediately stained a lurid shade of red.
“Oh shit!” Quorull yelled. “Oh shit, something is wrong! You're having some kind of seizure out here! There's... oh God, there's blood coming out of your nose and ears! A lot of it!”
“It's happening in here too!” Erinye called out. “Please, Night Elf! Do something! Save him!”
So that's why the snow is red, I thought, the words dissolving in my mind before they could even fully form. It's blood. My blood. It's coming out of me because I'm dying. This is what dying feels like.
“Boot up the game again!” Trish insisted.
“I am!” Quorull wailed. “It's just... loading and finding the save point! Just hang on, okay, Sid? Just stay
with me for a few more seconds...”
I wanted to answer, but I couldn't. Things inside my skull were tearing in half and re-forming, just to rip themselves apart again. I had never felt anything like it before. The closest I'd ever come was a migraine, and this was a hundred times more painful.
“Hurry up, Coral!” Trish whined. “He's blinking red!”
“Okay, got it! The game is back up now!” Quorull announced. “And it looks like his body out here is stabilizing again. How about in there?”
I groaned, pulling myself off the ground. I was still blinking red and feeling horrible, but at least I could put coherent thoughts together again, and the bleeding had stopped. "Ugh. The next time I have an idea that bad, do me a favor and talk me out of it, okay? Yikes."
“So what the hell happened?” Trish asked. “What made him do that?”
“It felt like something was shredding my brain,” I told them, taking a Health Potion from my Cherishing Bag and drinking it. “I'm guessing whatever the connection is between me and the game in the real world, it's strong enough to do some major damage to my central nervous system when someone tries to shut it off.”
The potion rejuvenated me, and the bottle vanished. I stopped blinking red, but I was still shaken up by what had just occurred.
Also, I only had one Health Potion left.
“Then... this means there is no way for you to leave this world?” Erinye asked uncertainly.
“That can't be true,” Quorull said. “Whoever did this couldn't possibly have meant for it to be permanent. That wouldn't make any sense because eventually, Sid's real body would die of thirst, starvation, or sleep deprivation, making the whole thing pointless. And clearly, way too much planning went into this for that to be the intended outcome. No, I think this just means if there is a way out, he'll have to find it here within the game.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “and our best hope of finding it is still at the top of this mountain path, so I suppose we'd better get back to it.”
As we trudged through the knee-deep snowdrifts, I thought I saw an uneasy expression on Erinye's face. I chalked it up to the fact that we didn't know what threats were waiting for us ahead.
