Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy

by S. L. Rowland

  “What was that?” I ask.

  “It’s called Velvet Night and it’s the rarest item I own. Or owned, now, I guess. It’s a one-time use item, but I didn’t see us making it out of there alive.” She smirks. “I thought I told you to pay attention?”

  “I was,” I counter. “I just didn’t expect a tripwire in a dimly lit dungeon.”

  “What did you think it would be? Did you think it would have a bright yellow icon signaling ‘don’t step here?’” She laughs.

  “Tell me more about this Velvet Night. What did it do exactly?”

  “It’s a beautiful item. It takes the user and up to two others to a lower plane of existence for up to thirty seconds. Essentially, it makes you invisible.”

  “And why did you waste it here? There has to be a million other places where you could have used that. I mean, this dungeon is below your level.”

  “Not everything is about level, Esil. I thought you of all people would understand that.”

  We walk down the corridor, the scuffle of the goblins echoing behind us. The hallway turns and leads into stairs that curl downward. I can hear a raspy breathing the closer we get to the bottom. My breath begins to smoke in front of me and my haptic suit does its best to showcase the cold. This must be the dungeon boss.

  The princess stops and pulls several vials from her inventory. I recognize the Fire Whiskey, but not the blue or green bottles.

  “I think this is it. I suggest you use any buffs you may have been saving.”

  “What do you think is down there?” I use my Fire Whiskey and check my stats. My mana and HP are both full. I put my new stat point into Intellect. If anything, I’ll need the bonus mana for Lunging Strike. My current stats are:

  Strength - 14

  Agility - 0

  Vitality - 2

  Intellect -3

  Dexterity -0

  Stamina -0

  With the plus ten strength from the Meteoric Axe and two percent bonus from the Fire Whiskey, I’m hoping I can at least get in a few good hits before I die.

  The princess looks determined. An aura of light surrounds her from whatever buffs she just took.

  “Whatever we find at the bottom of these stairs, it has been an honor fighting beside you today, Esil.”

  Her words are touching. I almost wish she was streaming this so that all of her fans would know what she just said. Yesterday, I was nothing and today, I’m in a secret dungeon with one of the most popular streamers in Pangea.

  “The honor is all mine, princess.” I try to be smooth, but my words sound hollow in the cold stairwell. Aleesia does her best to conceal the laughter that bubbles on the edge of her lips.

  When we step into the room, I am surprised. A frail old elf hunches in the corner. He wears a dark purple cloak that conceals his body and face. The only thing that dictates he is a male is the long gray beard that dangles across his chest. The cloak he wears is made of fine linen and embroidered with gemstones that gleam in the firelight.

  A few small fires light the room. A podium holds an ancient book in the center of a circle engraved into the floor. Elvish runes run along the circles edge. Aleesia gasps when she reads them.

  Her gasp startles the old elf. He raises his head and the space where his eyes should have been are dark, empty sockets that glow. When he steps into the circle, I can see that his eyes have been replaced with gemstones. They shine a bloody red. I focus on the old elf to find out what he is.

  Elven Lich. Level 49. This once great Elven Wizard bound himself to a dungeon so that he may never meet true death.

  “Welcome, Esil. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.” A whithering old voice like dried parchment whispers in my ear. I look to the princess, but her eyes are focused on the lich.

  “Who said that?” I ask.

  The princess turns to me, confused. “Who said what?”

  “You didn’t hear that?” I ask. She should have been able to hear the voice from where she is standing.

  “Pay her no mind,” the voice beckons me. “You and I shall leave this place together. Only another elf may take my place. Free me from this crypt and I will make you stronger and richer beyond your wildest dreams. I have magics you could only dream of. All you have to do is subdue the elf.”

  The lich steps to the podium and turns the page of the book. He lifts his arms into the air and begins chanting in a language I don’t recognize. A ribbon of light floats upward from his hands.

  An arrow zooms across the room. I think it is going to hit the lich, but it explodes some ten feet from his position. The circle in the floor acts as a shield, blocking the princess’s attacks. I can make out the shape of a dome surrounding the lich. Tiny magical veins almost invisible to the eye form a barrier between he and us.

  The lich’s words run through my mind. Riches and power. I know so many others from the orphanage who would betray the princess in a heartbeat. Perhaps she would betray me if she had the chance. But she has been kind to me as long as I have known her. I can’t betray that trust.

  “He wants me to attack you and take him out of here,” I say. She needs to know what he wants if we are going to have a chance.

  “Only two may enter. Only two may leave. It all makes sense now. He’s offering you a dark quest.”

  Just as she says this, a notification pops across my vision.

  Congratulations! You have been given a new quest. The Elven Lich has requested your help in escaping the Dungeon of the Guardian Forest. Reward: 500 gold and an unholy alliance with the dark. Do you accept? Y/N

  Five hundred gold is a lot of money. And an alliance with the dark. No doubt he would teach me spells and abilities that could really take my game to the next level. But where is the honor in that? Just because we are in a game doesn’t mean I can abandon everything I believe in. What do I have if not my honor?

  The lich continues chanting and the light emanating from his hands grows brighter and denser. After a few seconds, the light disappears.

  Without warning, a beam of light smashes down from above, rooting me to the ground. A loud boom that makes my ears ring is the only thing I hear before I lose all sense of feeling.

  “What is she to you?” the voice asks me. It’s almost like he is inside my head. “She would betray you in a heartbeat. Join me. Fight for power and darkness.” The words disintegrate inside my mind, littering their dark intentions in my head. The lich begins chanting again and this time, yellow light slowly rises from his fingers.

  The princess fires another arrow and it bounces off the shield surrounding the lich.

  “We have to break the shield. It’s the only way we can defeat him.” Her legs are still rooted, but she continues to fire arrow after arrow to no effect.

  “How do I free myself?”

  “You have to dodge his attacks. If you do, you can attack the shield. His magic is powerful and has a bonus effect on me because we are two sides of the same race, but it takes time and concentration for him to cast.”

  His beams continue to charge. Once they are ready to attack, I feel my feet free themselves. His spell has worn off. I jump to the right and do a barrel roll. A beam of light smashes into the ground next to me. I dodged it!

  “Do not fight it. You will join me or you will die.”

  The princess is still rooted in place and now her health has depleted by a quarter. The root must last longer on her because she is quicker and more agile than me. The spells must get stronger with each turn as well, considering the damage she is taking. She continues her barrage of imbued arrows on the shield.

  I need to break the lich’s shield.

  I run for the magical shield and begin attacking furiously. My attacks have no effect and all the while, the lich continues to speak into my mind.

  The lich starts casting his next spell and a lilac beam forms in his hands. It will undoubtedly be stronger than the last. I continue to slash and stab at the shield to no avail. Just as his beams disappear, a small crack appears
in the shield. I dive and roll, narrowly dodging the spell that rips apart the stone where I just stood.

  The princess lets out an agonizing scream. Her health is down to ten percent and she seems barely aware of the situation. She is no longer shooting arrows, but swaying back and forth, still rooted in place. If I don’t break the shield soon, she will die.

  Our eyes meet for a moment. She gives me a knowing look and whispers something in Elvish. A weird sensation flows through my body before a notification runs across my vision.

  Aleesia has cast Resilience upon you. You have increased attack speed for 20 seconds.

  I don’t waste any time before attacking the shield. My axe smashes into the invisible barrier and the crack widens, tiny webs stretching along its surface. I swing harder and faster with each blow.

  The lich begins casting another spell. This time the beam is black. It draws in the light from the fires, devouring them and casting the room in shadow. I know that it will be the end of our quest if it lands on the princess. I am no match for the lich on my own. I decide to keep attacking and try to break the shield before he kills us both.

  My stamina bar is low, but my dwarven boots replenish it before it can ever truly deplete. The cracks in the shield grow larger and wider. The black light disappears from the lich’s hands and I brace myself for the incoming pain.

  The shield shatters before me and I fall into the circle. I only have a mere moment before the princess will die. I toss my axe with as much force as I can muster and it flies across the circle, lodging between the jeweled eyes of the lich.

  The beam of black light dissipates into the air above the princess, inches from her head. Her legs unroot and she falls forward to the ground.

  The lich’s jeweled eyes fall out of his skull and clatter across the stone floor.

  Notifications ding and a silver ten flashes across my vision. I’ll check them all later.

  I rush over to the princess and she has a wild smile on her face.

  “We did it! Well, you did it.”

  I help her to her feet and we walk to the lich’s corpse.

  “Shall we check our spoils?” she asks.

  Gold is scattered across the floor along with the spellbook and the two jeweled eyes.

  “You take the spellbook,” I offer. I have a gut feeling that the spellbook is what she was after to begin with. “I’ll take the jewels?”

  “Works for me.” She winks.

  I pick up the items and add them to my inventory.

  Currency. 500 gold.

  Item: Jeweled Lich Eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul.

  Another notification pops across my vision.

  Congratulations! You have just completed the quest ‘Guardian Forest Dungeon.’ You now have an increased alliance with the elves.

  Congratulations! You chose light over darkness, bonus 50 gold.

  That’s cool. I never knew you could be awarded based on the moral choices you make in the game.

  “So, what does the spellbook do?” I ask.

  “It’s a new spell. I don’t think I’m ready to use it yet, but maybe one day it will be useful. Thanks again for helping with this. I have something I want to give you.” She presses her hand on my chest and recites a few words in Elvish.

  Congratulations! You have learned the ability Resilience. Resilience increases the attack speed of you or an ally for 20 seconds. Cost: 50 mana. 20 second cooldown.

  “That’s awesome! Thanks. That, combined with my boots, means I can attack like a madman now.”

  “You’re welcome, Esil. It’s the only ability I am able to teach others, but it should come in handy for you. I should probably get going though. We’ve been here a while and I have homework for school.”

  We teleport back to the entrance and leave the dungeon. I sort through my notifications as we walk and notice I finally have a message from Buzz. It looks like he’s ready to talk.

  Chapter Eight

  Buzz waits for me in our private chatroom when I leave the Mortican Mountains and return to my home portal. I’m still on cloud nine from my dungeon quest and can’t wait to tell him all about the past two days. It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve done so much in the past couple of days and Buzz has no idea.

  Buzz’s face pops up in a screen to the left of my vision once I arrive in my home portal. He’s wearing his starter rags. The same ones I had until yesterday. He looks tired and I wonder if the avatar is mimicking his actual facial expressions. His face lights up when he sees me.

  “Holy shit!” he practically screams. “Where did you get those clothes? And where have you been? Your status message said you were in the Mortican Mountains, but I know you don’t have money to travel. What’s going on?” His questions come out at a mile a minute.

  “You’re not going to believe what happened to me.”

  I spend the next thirty minutes telling him about the Developer’s Chest, the Worldpass, my first day leveling up, Princess Aleesia, and the dungeon. Buzz is beside himself with excitement. It’s great having a friend who is genuinely happy when something good happens to me.

  “There was one really weird part,” I continue. “Grayson knew something was up. He gave me this really cryptic advice. I think he may have found a chest a long time ago.”

  Buzz lets out a bellowing laugh. “You gotta be kidding me. What are the chances?”

  I remember his message from yesterday and am suddenly ashamed I haven’t asked him about his mother.

  “How’s your mom?”

  His smile disappears.

  “It’s not good. She has a hard time moving, barely eats. They sent out a medical drone to scan her and that ate up most of our savings.” His voice is overcome with emotion and I wish I was there to give him a pat on the back or a hug. His mom is the only person Buzz has in his life and she means everything to him. “The real shitty part is that there is a cure. We just can’t afford it. She has maybe a year before her body shuts down and there is nothing I can do.”

  That’s the problem with being dirt poor, when you barely get by as it is—there’s no room for error in life. Maybe I can help.

  “I can help. I have over a thousand gold. You can take it. Get your mom better.” I don’t even hesitate to offer the money. Buzz’s mom is more important than anything I could ever want to buy. I’ve never had money and I’ll gladly go back to that if it means getting her the treatment she needs.

  Buzz’s eyes go wide when I mention the amount of gold.

  “Wow, Esil. I don’t know what to say. That’s very generous.” His eyes blink in rapid succession, almost like he is holding back tears. “It’s not enough, though. The treatment is expensive.”

  “How much?” I ask. I can go questing every day until I have enough to pay for it.

  “Over eighty thousand for the initial treatment. Not to mention the medication she would need for the rest of her life.”

  Shit.

  “It’s okay, Buzz. We’ll figure something out. You can’t just give up.”

  “What can I do, Esil? The only thing I can do is go to the mines and work until I die. We’re fodder for the system. Deep down, you know it. You know they probably don’t even need us to mine data, but it’s safer for them to lock the poor neighborhoods away under the pretense of work than it is to let us live on the streets. On the streets, we might realize how unfair everything is.”

  I’ve never heard Buzz sound so defeated. He is always the guy with a smile on his face and a laugh in his belly. I need to find a way to cheer my friend up.

  “Hey, Buzz, do you think you could spare a little time to go traveling with me?”

  “What do you mean?” he asks.

  “I’ve got more money than I know what to do with right now. If it’s not enough to help your mom, then maybe I can buy you a day pass and we can go visit one of your favorite worlds.”

  A smile starts at the edge of his lips and I think I might have cheered him up just a bit.

  “Le
t’s do it! Let’s go to Steamworld.”

  You are now entering Steamworld. Steamworld is an alternate-future gameworld where steam-powered technology rules the world. This is a non-magic-based world. All magical components have been disabled upon entering Steamworld.

  The portal drops us on a bustling city street that reminds me of photos of Victorian England I studied in school. Steam billows into the air from a hundred different sources. Whistles and the hiss of steam play across the airwaves.

  Everyone that passes by looks so formal. The men wear three-piece suits and top hats. Monocles with tiny gears and multicolored lenses adorn many faces. The women wear corseted dresses that push their bosoms up to their chins.

  “Man, oh man. I’ve died and gone to heaven,” says Buzz as he ogles a woman in a purple dress. She has a red heart tattooed on her breast and a hefty supply of cleavage. She gives Buzz a wink as she passes by.

  The streets are made of a dense inlay of bricks. A carriage pulled by mechanical horses parts the crowd. Tiny steam-powered mechanical insects flutter in the air near my head. I swat at one and the whole lot takes off. A bicycle with a large front tire and small rear tire zooms past me, narrowly avoiding my foot. The rider removes his hat and bows in apology, leaving a trail of steam in his wake.

  Many of the people I watch wear jetpacks on their backs. Some have pipes that wind around their bodies. A street performer draws a crowd while he displays some sort of weapon. Fire erupts from the end of his hands in a large stream, propelled by the pack strapped to his back.

  “Where do you want to go?” I ask Buzz. I paid for him to come here and I want him to have his fill. Personally, I much prefer the fantasy worlds, but there is a certain elegance to this place.

  “Can we just walk around and explore? It’s so crazy to finally experience something that’s not a smoke-covered mine. I can never thank you enough for taking me here, Esil.”

  “It’s nothing. I got lucky. It’s the least I can do to share some of the fun with my best friend.” I give Buzz a squeeze on the shoulder. Hopefully, I can make him forget about his troubles for a little while. “How about we get you out of those rags?”