by Adam Drake
“And it has a one hour cooldown,” Shwenn said.
“Which is not so great,” I said with a wry grin.
Witt noticed Holpa snooping through the native corpses. “Hey, FILTERED! What did I tell you about the loot procedure?”
Holpa rolled his eyes and went to crouch under a tree. The thief looked beat up, and I was actually a little impressed he had held his own. Despite all his whining he could still put up a good fight.
Shwenn quaffed a mana potion, then went to the corpses.
“No, take a break Shwenn,” Witt said. “You've earned it.”
“It's okay,” Shwenn said. “I wanna see what these guys got.”
First, she went to each corpse to check for gold, netting each of us 210 gold pieces. I smiled as the coins clinked into my money purse.
Then she went through the items. Not all the natives dropped something, but there was a good number to go around.
These three items went to Bozar.
Broadsword of Destruction
Required Strength: 35
Required Agility: 22
Durability: 35/35
Damage: 245-285
+10% Swords
+15% Double Handed Weapons
+1 Deadly Strike
+3 Path of Destruction
Value: 3,500 Gold Pieces
Bamboo Chest Plate of Sisoria
Required Strength: 32
Durability: 45/45
Armor: 28
+15% Heavy Armor
+20% Poison Resistance
+10% Dark Magic
+80% Hit Points when in the presence of Sisoria
Value: 2,800 Gold Pieces
Axe of Silence
Required Strength: 28
Required Agility: 25
Durability: 30/30
Damage: 145-190
+15% Axes
+5% Dodge
30% Chance cast Silence spellcasters on hit.
Value: 1,400 Gold Pieces
These two items were won by Witt.
Dagger of Wounds
Required Agility: 30
Durability: 32/32
Damage: 125-150
+15 Damage
+20% Daggers
45% chance to cause Bleeding Wound on hit.
Value: 1,300 Gold Pieces
Boots of the Jungle
Required Strength: 20
Required Agility: 22
Durability: 30/30
Armor: 12
+15% Light Armor
+30% Sneak when in jungle terrain.
Value: 700 Gold Pieces.
This item went as need to Holpa.
Bracer of Secrets
Required Agility: 25
Durability: 35/35
Armor: 10
+15% Detect Traps
+10% Detect Treasure
+5% Find Path
Value: 2,600 Gold Pieces
This went as need to Shwenn.
Ring of Mana
Required Intelligence: 30
Durability: 40/40
+130 Mana
+8% Mana
+5% Mana Regeneration
Value: 1,650 Gold Pieces
And I got this which I immediately wore.
Amulet of Power
Required Level: 45
Durability: 35/35
+25 Hit Points
+2% Hit Point Regeneration
+10% All Damage
Value: 3,500 Gold Pieces.
“That was an okay haul,” Bozar said, his eyes on the jungle. “But I would have expected more considering how tough those mobs were.”
“Preaching to the choir,” Witt said.
Shwenn said, “Gentleman, loot isn't just given away. It must be earned. And, as usual, it's never good enough. Ever.”
We moved past the corpses to stand on the path. The jungle revealed nothing of what lay ahead.
“Maybe it will get easier from here on out,” I said, teasingly.
“Don't jinx us!” Witt said as the group continued on.
Turns out, I did.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
We cautiously moved along the pathway, all the while watching the dense vegetation for signs of an ambush.
Everyone was on edge after the fight. The strength and resilience of the natives made each one of the group uneasy, particularly Witt.
He said, “Shwenn, if Dispel magic negates Dark magic, why didn't you cast it back there? We could have used the help.”
Shwenn frowned, not keen with the implication she didn't know what she was doing. “The spell doesn't work like that.”
“Then how?” Witt said.
The mage took a breath, and I could tell she was trying not to lose her patience. “Casting it on one of them would have only done some damage to the Dark magic in their bodies. Sure, I might've been able to kill one, but with the one hour cooldown on the spell, I needed to save it.”
“For what?” Witt said, getting annoyed. “Until one of us gets killed?”
I found myself ticked off with his attitude and answered for Shwenn. “She needs to save it in case one of us gets hit with Dark magic. That's more important.”
Shwenn nodded. “That's true. If one of us gets hit with Dark magic, I need to Dispel its effects quickly. Most Dark magic spells are damage over time, or binding. Without my Dispel, you'd have to wait for the Dark magic to dissipate, if it does at all.”
“Okay, fair point,” Witt said, calming down. “Didn't mean to snap at you, Shwenn.”
“It's alright,” Shwenn said. “We're all a little frazzled after that encounter. It was tough, but we pulled through it.”
Bozar said, “Now I can see why so few people make it through this place. This instance doesn't pull any punches. Reminds me of the ones you can find deep in the Ice Fields of Yindle. Those are so tough, you have to give up and label them as RR.”
“What's RR?” Holpa asked, clutching the boomerang in one hand, and his short sword in the other.
“Reroll,” Bozar said. “As in that's the end result if you were dumb enough to go inside. This Emerald Caldera is like that, an RR instance. I'm beginning to think we made a mistake coming in here.”
To hear Bozar say so was telling.
“Great,” Holpa said. “We're in a guaranteed reroll instance without a means of escape or Teleport Tokens.” He shook his head.
Shwenn said, “We all knew this was a possibility when we signed up. Not like it's coming as a sudden revelation. Besides, knowing that certain death could lurk just around the corner makes the game more fun.”
Oddly, I found myself thinking about how I didn't want to leave this terrible place. The Shadow Blade was here, somewhere. I didn't care about the Caldera's quests or even about the group at all. They were all a means to an end. One that would get me another Legendary item.
Playing in these MMOs can make one pretty cold, almost mercenary in the approach to others in the game. I used Shwenn to get a spot on the group, and she used me to gain access to the instance. And now that we were here, beyond that little arrangement, I didn't care. I wasn't vested in the experience, or crossing it off my list of instances to conquer. I was here for one loot item only.
Witt was about to say something else when Bozar raised his axe, stopping the group.
Ahead were some ruins. A wall of old stone, choked with vines and covered in vegetation, crossed our way. The path led to a narrow gap between its stacked stones.
After a moment, Bozar signaled for us to continue. At the wall, he poked his head through the gap, seeing if it was clear. Satisfied, he nodded and walked on to the other side. We followed.
Beyond were more ruins. Ancient buildings surrounded us, forming a long courtyard. Every stone or brick was cracked and eroded with age. Vines and vegetation covered everything, so much so it was hard to tell if it was buildings we were looking at or hilly mounds.
Several doorways and windows dotted the structures, but no light came from inside. Looking closer at the exposed
stone showed carved reliefs of snakes coiled around people, or swallowing them alive.
Midway down the courtyard Bozar stopped and glanced at Shwenn. “What should we do, boss? Investigate?”
The mage surveyed the buildings, trying to decide.
Holpa said, “I think we should just log out now, while we still can.”
Shwenn looked at him, incredulous. “And then what? What could that possibly serve?”
Holpa said, “Then we pay for a Location Transfer from customer support. Get them to move us back to Helto Port.”
Witt scoffed and Bozar groaned.
Shwenn shook her head and glared at the giant thief. “You don't play the game just to pay for a Location Transfer whenever you want. That's cowardly.”
“No it's not,” Holpa said, getting defensive. “It's smart. If it keeps you from having to reroll and level all over again, I don't see anything wrong with it.”
I asked, “Have you ever paid for a Location Transfer before?”
The minotaur glanced at the others sheepishly, then said, “Yeah.”
“How many times?” I said.
“A bunch,” Holpa said. Seeing our disgust he quickly added, “It isn't that bad. All those times it was life or death, you know. And I don't have the time to retread old levels.”
I said, “That's part of the spirit of the game. The fact you can die at any moment and have to start all over again. That's part of why we're all here now, the thrill of a potential permadeath. Paying for a Location Transfer just because you can't use a Teleport Token goes against that.”
The Location Transferring service provided by UFW was controversial for as long as it had been available. Nearly thirty years prior, they introduced the service in a bid to get more money from their playbase. And people happily paid for the exact reasons Holpa said. But for the vast majority of players, it was plain wrong and ruined the experience for those who knew the risks they took in game.
Witt shook his head. “Man, that's weak. Do you plan on using a location service to get out here, now?”
“Maybe” Holpa said, almost petulant.
“And what about us?” Bozar said, his voice rising.
Holpa shrugged. “If you were smart, you'd do it to.”
“You'd abandon us here?” Witt said.
The minotaur shrugged. “It's not like you really need me.” He pointed at me. “You already got a thief.”
Everyone groaned and shook their heads.
But before anyone could verbally lambaste Holpa for his admitted cowardice, someone called out.
“Beg pardon, but might I interrupt?”
Caught off guard, the group whirled around in the direction of the voice, weapons at the ready.
Standing in an entrance to one of the ruined buildings was a man. Tall and lanky, he wore simple clothing as if he were out on a stroll, rather than in a lethal island-jungle. Dark boots came up to his knees, and a wide-brimmed hat did little to contain the tangle of gray hair beneath it. On his nose perched a pair of spectacles with one lens cracked.
He looked at our stunned expressions, then said, “Sorry to be a bother, but might you consider keeping it down? There are natives everywhere and you're only drawing attention to yourselves, and, in turn, my hiding spot.”
I was the first to get over my surprise and said, “Who are you?”
“Me?” He said, a little annoyed by the question. “I'm the man telling you that making loud noises in this place is most certainly not wise if you wish to stay alive. But if you insist on speaking then perhaps you can do it inside here.” He pointed back to the room behind him.
I looked to Shwenn, who shrugged. “Well, we would like to speak with you,” I said.
The man nodded, “Then come in, and do it quickly please, they may come by at any moment.”
Shwenn said, “Okay, let's check this out. Be on your guard.”
Bozar was the first to follow the tall man back through the entrance. Looking around, he turned to us and gave the all clear.
Carefully, we filed inside to find ourselves in a large, low ceiling chamber. The far side had crumbled into ruins with a gap between the stone blocks that led to a dark hall. Two windows allowed for a view of the courtyard outside.
The tall man looked us over and nodded. “So, you're on an expedition, too, I take it?”
“In a manner of speaking,” I said. “We're adventurers on a hunt for treasure.”
The tall man let out a tittering sound and I realized it was laughter. He said, “Oh, well you will certainly find treasure here. But whether you survive to leave with it is another matter.”
Getting back to my original question, I said, “Who are you and what are you doing here?”
“Oh, where are my manners,” the man said, extending a hand. “My name is Nigel Bridgestone of Bridgestone Explorations. And you are?”
“Vivian Valesh,” I said shaking his hand. I introduced the others in turn and Nigel insisted on shaking their hands, too.
“A pleasure to meet you all,” he said. “Certainly nice to encounter someone from civilization. As to why I'm here, well my company had sent me looking for the Emerald Caldera in hopes of making contact with the lost tribe of Sisorians. Turns out, we found both, unfortunately.”
“That's your airship, out there?” I said.
“Correct. It was my airship, but now is a complete wreck.” His face suddenly brightened at a thought. “Might you have a ship, here? I'm in need of transport and am willing to arrange payment once we make it to the nearest port.”
“No,” I said. “Sorry, we don't. Not any longer.”
“Oh, dear,” Nigel said. “Then it appears I'm stuck here for the duration.” He gave the ruined chamber a mournful look.
Quest competed. 'What goes up, must come down.'
You have located one of the survivors of the airship crash. Find out what he knows about the island.
Reward: 500 share experience points.
Shwenn asked, “What happened to your airship?”
Nigel said, “Oh, after leaving Grishen City we sailed in the direction we thought the island might be hidden. After several days, we drifted right into the worst storm you could imagine. Tossed us about like a fly in a kettle. Fortunately, it spit us out right over this island, and the moment I saw it I knew this was the Emerald Caldera. But the damage from the storm was too great, and we crashed into the jungle. Not long after, the Sisorians arrived and took my assistant and the airship captain. I managed to escape unnoticed and found this place. A dreadful episode, all together, if you ask me.”
I said, “How long have you been here?”
“Six days and five uncomfortable nights. But I haven't been sitting in here waiting to die. I'm an explorer after all, so I've been venturing into the jungle looking for things to eat and such.”
“So, your assistant and the airship captain have been kidnapped, and need rescuing?” I asked, waiting for the quest to appear.
“No, they don't need rescuing anymore, as they are dead.”
That explained the lack of a rescue quest. “What happened to them?”
“They were fed to the great Sisoria over at the main temple. Grisly affair that.”
Bozar asked, “How do you know?”
“Because I saw it! Like I said, I've been exploring about, looking for food, and eventually I happened upon the massive ruin complex at the base of the mountain. Well, volcano, now. Anyway, hiding up in the jungle I was able to see down into the complex which is shaped like a bowl. At the bottom rests the great Sisoria who guards an ancient tomb.”
You have found a quest. 'Enter the tomb.'
Kill, or evade Sisoria to enter the ancient tomb.
Reward: 1,500 shared experience points.
“Who is this Sisoria? One of the natives?” I asked.
“No, not at all. See, I'd been doing research on the myth of this place and wanted to find it myself. Legend says that the natives here found a huge conch by the lagoon one da
y and decided to sound its horn.”
“Sounds familiar,” I said with a frown.
“This summoned Sisoria from the great depths of the ocean to this island. Here, she used her Dark magic to transform the human natives into a reptilian mutation who, for generations, live and die to serve her every whim.”
“Why would you even want to come to this place?” Holpa said, incredulous.
“For science, my good man!” Nigel said, offended. “Why do it for any other reason? Why did you come here?”
“Loot,” I said.
“Oh,” Nigel said, “that's a good reason, too, I suppose.”
Shwenn asked, “So this Sisoria guards a tomb?”
