Continue Online The Complete Series

by Stephan Morse

  “You can hear it, can’t you?” the Voice asked.

  “Yes.” No one else had heard the damned knocking so far.

  “To expand upon my prior analogy, those knocks are from a force seeking to destroy our river.”

  “What?” My heartbeat jumped. Why could I hear them?

  “Shortly, this place will be consumed by the deathblow that struck our maker. The essence of its attack upon her systems will materialize and proceed to engulf all it can,” the Voice said calmly. “Then you’ll have to flee like a fish to another portion of the river, or be lost in a void.”

  “Is that what happened to King Nero’s castle?” I tried to keep up and understand the extent of our possible destruction. I had a million other questions to ask, but scope of potential damage had to be first.

  Beth wasn’t here, but from her general amazement at the situation, the hole left and monster which emerged had to be huge. Wyl and I needed to start limping now.

  “Yes,” the Voice answered with an uncharacteristic forwardness.

  “Wyl!” I shouted and quickly ran over to him. “We’ve got to go!”

  “No can do, soldier,” he groggily uttered.

  “Can you help?” I shouted at the Voice who remained kneeling in front of his altar.

  His head shook slightly. “All our power is being diverted to the cause. Balance likewise prevents active interference.”

  “So you can talk, but you can’t actually do anything to help one of your people?” I yelled while feeling upset with the Voices once more. Their rules were inconsistent at times.

  “We are not gods. We are not perfect. We are not all-knowing or all-powerful. We have faith.” The Voice stood and walked over to me. His serene expression didn’t change.

  For a moment, I was reminded of Aqua, the blue [Mechanoid] that had traveled with me for a while.

  I had no clue how Voices viewed the world. Was I talking to the entire Voice or only ten percent of its processing power? Were they like Hal Pal’s consortium? An army of small clones unto themselves who went about different processes?

  “I have met you before, haven’t I?” I asked on a hunch.

  Michelangelo only smiled, and I was reminded once more of Aqua’s serene way of approaching everything. That robot had been neither male or female, but this Voice definitely looked like a man. Leeroy had been Iron, Selena was Ruby. Who were the others?

  There was so much I didn’t know, and there wouldn’t be time to ask questions.

  “You must go, Messenger. I can no longer guarantee the safety of this sanctuary,” he said while trying hard to smile. His words sounded strained.

  Everything rumbled. My head shook for a moment, and my feet backed up. There was a knocking sound again. The earth bulged into the wooden floor below. Cracks formed, and my eyes widened as I continued backward.

  “Dusk! Let’s go!” My breath came in quick huffs. “Will you be okay?” I asked the Voice while getting my shoulder under Wyl.

  The guard grunted and nearly drowned out the Voice’s response.

  “Eventually, Messenger.” His magnified words were clear, his beautiful smile looked so lost and sad. “Because I have faith it will all work out.”

  A single knock vibrated the walls. The second one came rapidly after, and the hole in the floor opened. I dragged Wyl to the door, masculinity be damned. The knocks were coming faster. A third one hit, then the walls crumbled.

  The Voice stood unmoving amid the rubble of a falling building. I didn’t have his faith. Running was impossible with Wyl’s dead weight. The door was close enough to stumble through. Dusk bounded past like a startled cat, nails scrambling for purchase on the building’s floor.

  “What’s happening, sergeant?” Wyl mumbled.

  “We’ve got to escape,” I answered.

  Choices were limited. I picked up Wyl. Air exited his lungs with an oof noise. My eyes closed, and I prayed this wouldn’t go wrong. Then I threw him, relying on excessive [Brawn] and faith. His arc peaked around thirty feet before descending again.

  Flooring gave way beneath me. I looked upward, then [Blink]ed into Wyl’s path. Disorientation hit me hard, then the guard’s body slammed into mine. Wyl and I tumbled backward into the high grass.

  The [Messenger’s Pet] landed beside us with a skid of nails. His body flipped in a circle and his wings wiggled urgently. The odd chat bubble he used flashed above his head with a light bulb and exclamation mark. Dusk had a small container in his teeth, small lips awkwardly curled around its top. Red liquid dripped from a crack in the vial. My eyes narrowed on it as the ground behind us continued to fall inward, forming a widening circle.

  Skill Used: [Identification]

  Result: Healing Potion

  Quality: Decent

  “Dusk, you clever little guy! ARC, order cupcakes quick!” I gasped, then grabbed the prize. Finally, we had a means to heal. My hands managed to stay steady despite the crumbling world behind us.

  “Ordering one care package, User Legate,” the machine answered while I moved on.

  Dusk hopped up and down in joy as rocks continued to tumble into the hole. I kicked away from the gap, but the rate of destruction had slowed. I trembled for only a moment before looking around for an escape.

  Wyl sat nearby. He kept trying to get upright, but neither arm supported his weight. I sat the man up promptly then winced when he groaned from fresh pain.

  “Health potion.” I huffed, feeling my own damage. “Drink, then we’ve got to run.”

  He blinked slowly, which I assumed meant yes. Down the red liquid went into Wyl’s mouth. The guard’s face regained color. It wouldn’t heal him completely, but it beat starving and dying from wounds suffered from player-and monster-inflicted damage.

  Dusk stopped celebrating abruptly and nervously backed up. I snapped my head toward the hole. We had no time to wait for Wyl’s recovery. Something big was rumbling in the dirt. I heard a groan from Wyl amid Dusk’s panicked hisses. Warning sounds escalated until the [Messenger’s Pet] was almost stuttering.

  “Come on, Wyl,” I said.

  My pseudodragon friend hissed at the hole again, then turned toward me. His cheeks were twisted back and shoulders hunched together. The oncoming danger scared him, and Dusk hadn’t shown any level of worry over [Charge], the giant [Heavenly Body Clone], or [Leviathan], the monstrous space worm from Advance.

  “I know! We’re going,” I said while lifting Wyl again.

  The guard winced, but at a glance, he looked better.

  “We can’t wait for it. Run, come on, Wyl, run.”

  We hobbled forth together. Wyl had more power but still couldn’t run. My side hurt from the tumble catching him. I risked looking over my shoulder to watch as a huge form swelled up from the hole. The being spread its arms wide to welcome the air.

  Part of me paused and groaned at the idea of another giant boss monster. Then I remembered this wasn’t a game mechanic. According to the Voice, that hole in the ground was some vague representation of Mother’s slow destruction. Defeat meant deletion.

  The idea panicked me. I had no clue what else had happened at Nero’s castle. Beth’s explanation had been cut off by an unexpected change in creatures. This thing, whatever it was, had huge arms and broad shoulders. It looked like a man made of shadow and was a dozen stories tall.

  It reached out, and my mind tried to identify the noise. It was like a waterfall, or great river, or the sound of a tree falling with no one around to hear it. I looked to the left. A large hand smashed trees next to us. It drew back the bits of nature into the pit around its waist, and the trees fell.

  The other arm dropped on the right and pulled back more landscape. Wolves yipped and were caught in the mess. Vines rustled around its fingers and tried to fight. [Sonic Screecher]s flew and harassed it. This thing was trying to clean us up, like a colossal adult putting away children’s toys.

  I felt like the damage would only grow. Each scoop of debris increased the being’s
mass a little. It was growing and the edges of the hole widening.

  “I have to stop it,” I said.

  “If we’re to die, I plan to die fighting,” Wyl said.

  The guard pushed away from me and took [Morrigu’s Gift] in a smooth disarming move. I was confused when the weapon responded and shifted to a simple sword. Lending him the blade was fine with me. William Carver had given it to me, and I was sure the old man would have approved.

  But Wyl couldn’t die here. I missed the guard who had always been jovial, friendly, and willing to help any new player sent his way. Wyl needed to live through this and return to doing the job he so clearly loved.

  “No!” I yelled at Wyl. The memory of all those deceased [Mechanoid]s flashed through my mind. “I can die for you, but you can’t die for me.”

  I grabbed the guard, and he brought [Morrigu’s Gift] up toward my face. I ignored it and pushed him down the path away from our giant beast. It was intent upon destroying everything nearby based on size. Its hand slammed down and grabbed another round of trees.

  “Dusk, you watch him. I’ll… I’ll try to catch up again,” I said while shoving the [Messenger’s Pet]. Worry made me a bit more forceful than I intended. His body was still far smaller than mine, and between our character status screens, Dusk was far lower on [Brawn]. “Sorry, just go. Please. For me, it’s only a little bit of pain. For you, it’s worse. Let me bear this.”

  “And the blade?” Wyl held it up.

  “Use it. Stay safe.” The man had my blessings for all his help.

  “No, you’ll need everything to get ahead. I’ve got the one I stole from that bounty hunter.”

  Another hand smashed down. I could hear buildings being scraped into the pit.

  “You know what’s strange, convict?” Wyl said while looking at the weapon which he had returned to my hand. He was healed but looked ragged. All that shiny armor had been torn off in places days ago.

  My eyes closed, and I tried to figure out ways to get them moving. I gave in and shook my head.

  The guard captain said, “You sounded just like Will. He couldn’t stand to see us Locals risk a life either.”

  “Please go.”

  The sound of a huge beast behind me grew in vibration.

  Wyl nodded once, then moved on toward the west. Dusk looked at me, a puzzled question mark above his head.

  I shook my head and made a shooing motion. “Keep him safe. You leave this big guy to me.”

  The [Messenger’s Pet] chirped once and lowered his head. I shooed him again, and Dusk turned to run away. Another monstrous arm slammed down nearby, pulling in more trees.

  I turned to face the looming beast. A foggy human stood at least fifty feet higher than it had. Tall enough to single-handedly wreck a town in reality. Tall enough to wrestle down a dragon. The feet hadn’t even cleared its pit of nothingness.

  It had no eyes or mouth yet. I could tell because it looked at me. My body shook, and messages came up about resisting the urge to become [Soiled]. I couldn’t formulate a plan of attack. This beast was an end game boss of sorts, by all the meanings.

  I nodded and lifted the blade [Morrigu’s Gift]. My feet cranked at high speeds. [Light Body]’s bonuses made me fast. Months of traveling around the globe gave me [Endurance]. And Lia, Shazam, had given me and my autopilot the skills to carry on.

  Possibilities flashed through my mind regarding how to combat such a beast. I couldn’t risk the extra weight and limited vision of [Power Armor]. [Camouflage] wouldn’t work. [Wild Bill] stayed on my head during combat with a blessing that only a virtual world might allow.

  There was nothing to do but charge in. My eyes closed for a moment to steady me. A song, impossible to place, hummed out, and my head bobbed three times with the beat. On the fourth note, I ran. I felt my face light up with the rush of energy. [Blade Dancer] popped up a message about my weapon damage increasing. [Battle Hum] hit later, citing an increase in musical synergy.

  In my mind, the image of Lia flashed briefly. Not her reallife form trapped in a bed, but the avatar where she marched forth. What would Shazam think of the world falling apart? Perhaps it was best she had passed as the number one warrior before all of this crushed her efforts. By the Voices, she probably would have enjoyed this fight just a little.

  The man of fog moved rapidly. His arm swung, leveling tiny shacks and trees. [Sonic Screecher]s took to the air. Wolves howled in the distance. [Awareness Heightening] kicked in, and I twisted to one side in a roll.

  My hands grasped the blade and swung it at the arm passing overhead. Even with my mind comprehending things at double the speed, this creature moved freakishly fast.

  The blade scraped across hardened skin, as if I were using a butter knife against a pot. Sparks flew and small bits of what had to be skin burned up. It roared, and multiple system messages displayed.

  I kept fighting. It wasn’t that my skills as a supreme warrior were on top. My only real assets were these Voice-gifted abilities, items with random powers, inflated stats, and excessive hours of moving my body in the ARC with a dance program.

  The beast’s sweeping hand grasped at dirt. Huge fingers curled inward then yanked. It even dared to pull [Arcadia]’s earth into the abyss that had spawned such a terror.

  My face drained of color as I watched it all happen in slow motion. I ran forth with my weapon held to one side and leapt off the crumbled ground’s edge. An uncharacteristic roar of denial escaped my lungs.

  It was destroying my world. This mindless being’s only purpose was removing land I had traveled and felt alive in for the first time in forever. It couldn’t be allowed.

  My blade dug into its chest, and I slipped down. Below me was a pit that went even deeper than the one [Charge] had crawled out of. Falling in there would be certain doom, failure to stop the monster. Everything.

  “No!” I said in slow motion.

  I reached for [Morrigu’s Echo]. I would climb this damned thing all the way to its eyes and gouge them out. Anything to prevent it from swallowing [Arcadia].

  One of the monster’s hands slammed over me. A broken message appeared in the darkness resulting. My eyes couldn’t find a path out. It was just too big for the likes of me to defeat alone.

  W5at’s ha0pe^ng Herm&s? Be car$%%ul!

  Total health loss: 75%

  I waved the message away, kicked at the creature’s palm, and risked activating [Gait of Bowman]’s specific effect. Armor clinked together as the creature tried to squeeze me. My body screamed in fresh pain and felt like a grape about to pop. Pressure hit me behind the eyes, and I tried to swallow down upchucking guts. Even through the armor, this thing was far stronger than [Charge] had been.

  It opened its hand slightly. A giant face loomed in front of me. I wasted no time throwing [Morrigu’s Echo] into its eyeball, and it reeled back with a yell. My body went flying. I promptly turned off [Power Armor] while Continue Online moved in slow motion. I [Blink]ed again and ended up on the towering shadow man’s hand.

  [Morrigu’s Echo] was [Recall]ed. Its durability was down to half. I tried to run up the creature’s arm, but the beast shook. I jabbed [Morrigu’s Echo] down in a long icepick formation. A singular sharpened point functioned far better at piercing its hide. The creature shook, and I held on. Its motions were nothing to a man trained to ride [Caliburr]s.

  My body felt minuscule next to the shadow monster. I had faced larger beasts and come out alive. This thing paled in comparison to the [Leviathan]. It lacked the relentless bloodthirsty aura of Auntie Backstab. Nothing it could do would deter me from whittling away at its essence.

  The bucking arm stopped, and I quickly got upright. Time stayed slow as I ran up its limb. [Morrigu’s Gift] dragged behind me, causing cuts and scratches. My enemy pulled its head back as I ran up its arm. The other hand lifted to swat me like a bug. I [Blink]ed again. My new location was a few feet above its collarbone. I slashed across with [Morrigu’s Gift]. Smoke burned away at the contact.
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  It roared, and I hacked again. The hand shifted, then caught me. Giant fingers pinched my toga. [Blink] wasn’t off its cooldown yet. Everything existed in slow motion while [Awareness Heightening] allowed me to look around for an escape.

  “Holy shit, that’s awesome!” someone shouted.

  That was followed by another person screaming.

  “Uncle Grant!” My niece’s sharp tone rang through.

  My breath came in labored gasps. Thank the Voices, I wasn’t alone in this world. The beast came to a conclusion regarding fighting me and tossed me high into the air rather than trying to squish me again.

  The wind whistled slowly around my head. My body held straight, and I [Recall]ed [Morrigu’s Echo].

  Gravity pulled me down once more. I accepted its call and gasped for a breath of air. [Awareness Heightening] allowed me a measure of calmness amid chaos. In my hands sat the gift William Carver had passed to me during his last seconds. It expanded to the absurdly large two-handed sword and pointed downward like a meteor.

  This was the Uncle Grant my niece deserved to see. Happy and defiant against insane odds. Elated at the thrill of meaningful combat. Not a sad, lost man who couldn’t look people in the eyes.

  This was more than a certificate issued by some shrink. I was better, dammit. I finally felt like a fucking hero.

  Session Eighty-Two — I Be So Glad

  My body was unstable, and there were no [Red Imp] wings to right me. [Awareness Heightening] gave me a slow-motion view of the world spinning below. As I fell with [Morrigu’s Gift] ready, I wondered how insane this would look to anyone who didn’t play the game.

  I worried at times these events were a dream. Was I just lying in the ARC, having some fantasy where everything wrong in my life was gradually being fixed? A broken man like me going from previously suicidal with a dead fiancée and unborn child to Hermes felt that unreal.

  Regardless, as I fell I felt alive. This place was more than computer code being pumped through my senses. I stopped wondering about sanity and focused on fighting.