Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy

by S. L. Rowland

  Monkey. Level 32. It’s all fun and games until someone throws poop.

  Another coconut flies in my direction. This time, I lean to the left and the coconut whizzes by my ear. I can hear it clacking against the rocks as it tumbles down the cliff. I’ve spent so much time playing in non-RPG worlds over the last few weeks that I haven’t sorted my inventory or checked my stats in days.

  The monkey loads up another coconut and I search through my inventory for the best way to fight the annoying creature. I have my axe, a spear, my staff. Oh, and Grappler.

  Item: The Grappler. Ray Gun. +7 Strength. Ability: Grapple, fires a grappling hook and attaches to the first object it hits. 30 second cooldown.

  I equip Grappler and use its special ability, firing the grappling hook at the monkey. It lodges around the monkey’s shoulder and when I retract it, it jerks the monkey screaming and flailing in my direction. The monkey collides with my body, causing it to drop the coconut.

  The monkey bares its teeth, intent on ripping out my flesh, but I grab it by the shoulder and toss the raging furball over my head and off the cliff. Its howling screams echo on the wind before suddenly stopping at the same time my XP bar goes up.

  With the monkey out of the way, I have a chance to canvass the area. A small path leads higher into the mountainside. We appear to be on one of the few habitable mountains filled with animals and vegetation. Several volcanoes spew lava into the sky and many more smoke ominously. If we climb the summit, I’ll have a better idea of where we should go next.

  I urge Fenrir forward and his powerful paws grip into the earth. We pass palm trees and flowers the size of my body. Everything is tropical. Several monkeys howl from deep within the trees. Birds chirp and insects buzz as we continue to climb and soon arrive at the top of the mountain.

  From this height, the world unfolds in every direction. This must be the tallest peak in all of Obsidia, because nothing blocks my view. For miles and miles, volcanoes and mountains stretch across the horizon.

  A gorilla sits behind a small hut talking with a human and a dwarf. A panama hat falls low over his eyes. The human wears a blue button-up shirt and khaki shorts with hiking boots. The beardless dwarf wears nothing but a loincloth. With dark olive skin, he is the most hairless dwarf I have ever seen.

  “Crikey,” says the man, pointing at Fenrir. “That’s a big wolf.”

  “What is this place?” I ask.

  The gorilla comes forward, his muscles rippling with each step. His knuckles brush the ground as he walks.

  “I run the traveler’s stop for this mountain. Name’s Flufu.”

  “Flufu?” I ask. He does not look like a Flufu.

  “Yes.” His eyes cut at me. “Got a problem with that?” His giant fist clenches and then opens. I’d hate to be on the receiving end of a punch from him.

  “Nope, not at all. Um, so what does the traveler’s stop offer?”

  He relaxes a little, though his eyes still radiate suspicion.

  “I sell items explorers might need. Potions, food, weapons, maps. Things like that.”

  “And bananas,” says the dwarf.

  “Benji here loves bananas.” He points to the dwarf.

  “Really? I’ve never seen a dwarf eat anything other than meat and ale.”

  The dwarf’s eyes cut at me.

  “I am not a dwarf. I am a Menehune,” he says curtly before turning around and walking back to his seat.

  “I’m sorry, did I do something to offend him?” I have no idea what it could have been, but the little guy is pissed. He practically has steam spilling out of his ears.

  Flufu smirks at me. “You called him a dwarf. He’s a Menehune. An ancient race of the Hawaiian peoples.”

  “How was I supposed to know that? He looks like a beardless dwarf.”

  “You fantasy guys,” says the gorilla. “No culture. What brings you here anyway?”

  "I wanted to let my wolf stretch his legs. Maybe find a quest. It's been a while since I've taken one."

  "Well, you're in luck," says the human. "There's a board over there where people post all kinds of quests they need help with."

  He leads me over to a large wooden board. Several handwritten notes are posted. I look through them, seeing if anything interests me.

  Quest: Searching for phoenix feathers. Many are located in the heart of a dormant volcano. Bring five to the white temple on Monteluna Mountain to claim your reward.

  Quest: The Night Walkers are taking over the island. Come to the Shadow Island after dark to rid the town of the ghosts of slain warriors.

  Quest: Looking for a partner to help clear a hidden dungeon. More details available upon request.

  There are a few more, but the hidden dungeon catches my eye.

  "How do I find out who is offering the quest?" I ask.

  "That's what I'm here for," says Flufu.

  "Okay, well, who is looking to clear the hidden dungeon?"

  He tilts his massive head back and laughs, deep and boisterously.

  "What's so funny?"

  "You're going to need to go make amends with Benji."

  The Menehune sits at the table sulking to himself. Do I even want to clear a dungeon with him? He doesn't have a weapon, nor does he look like a remotely good fighter.

  I think about turning around and finding another quest, but Fenrir nudges me in the shoulder with his snout, as if telling me to get moving. I guess I should at least give it a chance.

  "Fine." I shrug.

  I take a seat next to Benji, and Fenrir sits at my feet.

  "Sorry about earlier. That was insensitive of me. I've never heard of the Menehune people before."

  He sits silent for a moment before responding.

  "It's okay. You were ignorant. Children cannot be judged for their ignorance, however, if it happens again, that is stupidity. And stupidity threatens the entire world."

  What the hell just happened? This guy just went from goofball to ancient sage in about two seconds.

  "Um, so, you're looking to clear a dungeon?" I ask.

  "Indeed. It is no small task. There will be many dangers, which is why I do not wish to go alone."

  "Can I help?"

  He stands up and looks me over. Then he moves into my personal space and grabs me by the arm. He lifts my arm, inspects it, and places it back down. He does the same with my left. Then he grabs my ears, chin, and nose, all in the same fashion. What he is looking for, I have no idea.

  "You can come,” he says. Evidently happy with whatever he was looking for.

  With that, he stands up and takes off down the mountain.

  "You better follow him if you want to clear that dungeon," laughs Flufu from beside his hut.

  I hurry to catch up. Benji is already well down the mountain. He moves fast to be so small.

  When I catch up to him, he turns and smiles. It's oddly comforting and creepy at the same time.

  "Do you have any weapons?" I ask.

  "Indeed."

  "And magic? Do you know any spells?"

  "Indeed."

  That gives me nothing to go off of.

  "Do you plan on sharing anything with me at any point about what we are getting into?"

  "All in due time."

  "What does that mean?" I rub my hands through my hair. I feel like I've made a big mistake helping him with the quest.

  "To find your way into the mountain, you must first become one with the mountain."

  He grabs me by the arm and the next thing I know, we’re surrounded by black smoke.

  Chapter Five

  When the smoke clears, we're inside a dark cave. A few fires burn along the floor, igniting a narrow path that stretches out before us. I can feel Fenrir’s presence in my inventory, but I can’t call him to my side. Mounts must not be allowed here.

  "Where are we?" I ask Benji.

  "The heart of the mountain. Listen closely and you can hear its heartbeat."

  I focus on the sounds around me, but all
I hear is the crackle of the fire. What is he playing at?

  "I don't hear it."

  Benji's eyes bore into me, unamused. Maybe he was being serious.

  "Close your eyes." I do as he instructs. "Now listen."

  With my eyes closed, I try to expand my hearing. The crackle of the fire becomes more intense and I can begin to pinpoint individual fires and follow them along the cavern.

  And then I hear it. Slow at first, a dull beating begins to echo around me. I search for its source, but I can't pinpoint it. It feels like it’s coming from the very walls. The more I focus, the louder it becomes, until the beat pounds around me like a thousand drums.

  A gentle hand grips me on the shoulder and I open my eyes.

  "The heart of the mountain beats within us all. We have a perilous journey ahead, and the mountain does not relinquish easily what it holds, but if we respect the mountain, it may give us what we need."

  "And what is that exactly?" Does Benji ever speak in anything that isn't a riddle?

  "The Pearl of Monteluna. It is a rare and magical item. Help me retrieve it and you will be rewarded."

  Congratulations! You have been offered the quest 'Retrieve the Pearl of Monteluna.' Reward: Increased alliance with the Menehune and 50% of spoils. Do you accept? Y/N

  I accept the quest and Benji moves forward down the cavern. The beating of the mountain subsides, but I can still hear it faintly if I listen.

  "Wait," I call out to Benji. "Before we go, let me check through my stats and items." It's been a while since I've been on a quest and I don't want get into a fight unprepared.

  He nods at me and stops, leaning against the cavern wall and cleaning his fingernails with his teeth.

  I bring up my stat page.

  Level 25:

  Strength - 14

  Agility - 4

  Vitality - 5

  Intellect - 6

  Dexterity - 5

  Stamina - 0

  I must have leveled up at some point over the past few weeks, because I have a stat point to allocate. I add it to Vitality, increasing my health a small amount. Even after the developers fixed the bug that made all miners extremely strong, I am still a formidable opponent based on my strength alone. I can’t battle outside of my level like I used to, but I’ve learned enough over the past few months to give most players a run for their money.

  My dwarven boots offer me great Stamina regeneration, never allowing me to completely run out, so I've never put a single point into Stamina. I equip my elvish spear, as it is still my best weapon for now. As much as I love my battleaxe, I think it’s important to make sure I have the best gear possible. As of right now, my gear consists of the following items:

  Item: Dwarven Boots of Stamina. Soulbound. Cannot be traded or discarded. These ancient Dwarven Boots recharge 2% Stamina every five seconds.

  Item: Elvish Battle Spear. +12 attack. +15% armor penetration.

  Item: Vampiric Ring. Grants 2% lifesteal per attack.

  Item: Forgotten Chainmail. +12 armor.

  Item: Benevolent Shield of Healing. +10% health. Unique ability: Double-edged shield. The next attack will be blocked and heal both attacker and defender for 5% health. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

  Item: Ring of Power. +15 attack. Unique ability: Double Ring of Power’s attack bonus for 30 seconds. After the bonus is up, Ring of Power offers no bonus for 60 seconds.

  I also have Staff of the Water Ancients, which I can switch out if I need to cast magic.

  Item: Staff of the Water Ancients. +20% magic damage on elemental attacks.

  I have a few health and mana potions, but no other buffs at the moment. It would have been smart to stop by Flufu’s hut before we left to pick up any items we need, but with Benji already leaving me in his dust, there just wasn’t time.

  With all of my items equipped, I feel ready to take on whatever comes next.

  “I’m ready.”

  Benji nods and sets off down the path.

  The path into the mountain is narrow, barely wide enough for Benji and I to walk side by side. We follow it for a while. Nothing but the crackling of fire greets us. I check my map, but as it is unexplored territory, the only visible parts are where we have passed.

  Finally, the tunnel empties into a cavernous room where stalactites and stalagmites cast eerie shadows in every direction, making the walls feel alive. In the far back of the cavern, a pool glistens and gently sloshes against the mountainous rocks.

  “A spring?” I ask.

  “Indeed. Springs are the blood of the mountain, bringing life to the surrounding areas.”

  Something splashes in the depths of the pool and then one of the fires goes out, casting part of the cavern in darkness.

  “Ah, yes,” says Benji. “So it begins.”

  “What’s happening?” I ask, taking a defensive position with my spear pointed outward.

  “The mountain is ready to test us.”

  In the dim light, a long purple tentacle reaches out from the water. Then another. And another. What comes out next is the thing nightmares are made of. Eight long tentacles hold up an octopus body with the head of a shark. It’s razor-sharp teeth gleam in the firelight.

  Sharktopus. Level 35. Hugs and kisses. XOXO.

  The giant monster extends its tentacles, pulling itself to its full height and towering over both of us.

  Beside me, Benji begins making gestures in the air, drawing symbols and leaving trails of glowing filament as if writing in the air itself. An aura surrounds his body and when the sharktopus approaches, Benji pulls his hands back against his chest, cupping them. A tiny ball of light swirls between his palms. The longer he holds it, the bigger the ball grows. The sharktopus is nearly on us when Benji pushes the ball of light from his chest and it shoots out like a cannon, hitting the monster square in its shark face.

  The blast knocks the creature back several feet, taking out a tenth of its health.

  “Wow, that was awesome! What was that?”

  Benji smirks. “Ancient battle magic. Now, fight!” Benji springs forward like a ninja, hitting the ground with a roll and disappearing into the cavern.

  Carefully, I approach the creature. The blast from Benji has made it more cautious and it surveys my every move.

  I cast Resilience on myself, increasing my attack speed by twenty percent. With the increased attack speed, I lunge at the monster, stabbing swiftly. My spear rips into one of its legs before it jerks away. Dark blood stains the end of my spear.

  Another blast of light slams into the monster’s body, knocking it off balance. I move in to strike again, but a flailing tentacle collides with my ribs, knocking me into a stalagmite and breaking it in half. My vision flashes red and I lose twenty percent health.

  The sharktopus is down to two-thirds health now. It seems we have a good shot of defeating it if we can keep at a distance. I cast Mud Pits and several splotches of mud appear on the ground, slowing any enemy movement inside them. The monster’s tentacles stick, leaving a trail of mud that stretches with each step.

  I move in with my spear, hoping to land a few attacks while the monster is slowed, but it sees me coming and shoots black liquid out of the shark’s mouth. It covers my face and I can’t see anything.

  Alert! You have been blinded by ink.

  My vision is complete blackness. In a panic, I back away from the sound of battle. The sound of Benji and the monster fighting roars in front of me, so I attempt to retreat in the other direction.

  “Watch out!” Benji yells, but it’s too late. Tentacles wrap around me just as my vision returns and squeeze tight. They lift me high into the air and then thrust me against the floor, reddening my vision and dropping me below half health.

  The monster releases me and springs forward like a spider at Benji. He makes a symbol with his hand and an orb of protective light surrounds him. The sharktopus wraps its tentacles around the orb, but it can’t break through the barrier. Benji stands inside, his face set in concentration as
he attempts to hold the spell.

  I switch to my staff and cast Haunted Earth. Roots spring forth from the ground, wrapping around several of the sharktopus’s tentacles. Then, I cast Waterfall and after a two-second wait, water pours from the sky, barraging the monster. It has surprisingly little effect, perhaps because it is a sea creature.

  The monster slams the orb protecting Benji against a nearby stalagmite repeatedly until tiny cracks begin to form on its surface.

  I need to do something before it cracks. But what?

  I switch to Grappler and fire off a few laser beams at the monster. This gets its attention, because it drops Benji and rushes in my direction. The way its legs move is a grotesque motion of bends only a boneless creature could have. All the while, its hundreds of teeth gnash against each other.

  A large group of stalactites hang from the ceiling nearby. I fire the grappling hook and it wraps around the largest one. I retract it just as the monster extends its tentacles towards me, leaving it swiping at air. The gun pulls me with such force that I boomerang around the stalactites, back in my original direction towards the sharktopus still in pursuit.

  Thinking quickly, I equip my spear in my other hand and collide with the monster at full force. The spear hits the sharktopus in the mouth, shattering teeth and lodging in the beast’s throat before it collapses to the ground in a puddle of ink and blood.

  Critical hit!

  You have slain Sharktopus.

  “Well done!” says Benji. He flashes me a big, toothy grin. “That’s a way to use your surroundings.”

  We check the body for loot, splitting the gold and items.

  Item: Shark’s tooth.

  Item: Vial of Ink.

  There is a loud rumble, causing several stalactites to fall from the ceiling and shatter on the ground. Near the back of the cavern, a crack forms in the wall and after a few seconds of rumbling and grating rock, it widens until it is the size of a door. It looks like we get to move on to the next level.

  Once we pass through the newly-formed entrance, the mountain shakes and the door closes again behind us. Win or go home, it seems.