Hazard Online 2: Revenge

by Jaeger Mitchells

  "Whatever. We need more room to sit and a makeshift table of sorts. Come, help me search through the ruins," I said and motioned for him to join me. He grunted something about there being three other slaves but got up and followed.

  We first hit up the biggest building that looked mostly intact. From the inside, it was a mess and ransacked to the point the walls barely stood up. However, we found two chairs and a coffee table which we could use. Worst case scenario, two of us could sit on the ground. The other three houses revealed a sort of stool and another chair, so we were set.

  Before long, the blue and red lizards came running. They each carried roast fish and something similar to potatoes. Whatever it was, it smelled heavenly. They laid the food out on the table, and asked me to have a word. Which was strange. Why would lizards want to have a word with me? But I obliged and got up, then followed them to a hole in the ground. It was wide and lead deep underground.

  "See the Dryad. Please. We won’t hurt you."

  As if you could, even if you tried, I thought, but followed the creatures. Underground, torches lit the walls and gave off an eerie glow. I could see more than enough, but it felt strange to be there.

  "Approach, savior," a female voice called from a room on the right. I turned to the voice and was startled. The Dryad had changed into a tree like growth, and only the eyes, nose and mouth gave away that it wasn’t a tree.

  "Thank you, Dryad," I replied and stepped up to her. Her eyes watched me carefully, scrutinizing me, before she went on.

  "I’ll keep it brief. There’s two more Dryads from what I can feel, the rest are dead. Save them. Together, the four of us will have a chance to stop death from spreading even further."

  "Yes, about that. I need to kill the witch and lift the curse she put on me."

  The Dryad went quiet and sighed after a long moment.

  "You are cursed, there’s no doubt about it, but I don’t honestly know if it will save you. Her death, I mean."

  I was silent for another long moment. There was no guarantee that the curse would be gone, even if we killed the witch. But maybe it wouldn’t have to go away. If we managed to kill her, our job here would be done, from what I knew. Then we should be able to get home. At least that’s what I hoped for. I sighed and scratched my head.

  "I don’t know, Dryad. All I want to do is get this over with and kill that crazy witch. Even if the curse doesn’t disappear, at least I’ll have gotten some justice."

  "Probably. I hope you will be safe. After all, you saved me and my young ones. There are no words which can describe my feelings at the moment except for these. About three miles to the north, you will find a dungeon amidst the clearing under a massive rock formation. She will be there, most likely. Go, take care of her so this damaged world can heal again."

  "I will, Dryad. Be safe. I hope you can mend the wounds they have caused you, your people and the village. I will do what’s in my power to make things right. Goodbye."

  I turned around and left the damp room without another word. There wasn’t much I could say or do for her, except for taking care of the witch. With a little bit of luck, I’d plant the black dagger deep in her throat and watch her choke on her own blood. Now I had a plan at least, even if it was a shitty one.

  "Savior, wait!" the red lizard called as it ran after me. "I have something for you, if you would accept it."

  I looked at him curiously. What could a lizard have for me that I could use?

  "Hey, red," I replied and crossed my arms.

  "Savior, please, let me give you a gift. It is meant for the fairy. She will know what to do with it."

  I raised an eyebrow, really curious now. Scarlet could only use souls from what I knew.

  "I see. What is it?"

  "My soul." Before I could even joke about it or tell him not to do anything stupid, his small claws dug deep in his chest and ripped out his heart. With his dying breath, red handed me his heart, and with it, his soul. He crumbled to the ground and disintegrated in a pile of ash. I didn’t know how to feel about it, but an involuntary tear rolled down my cheek. The poor thing had given the only thing that was worth something to us: his life, and with it, his soul. I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh. This was slowly becoming inhumane. I’d had enough of this world. Not just this place, but of Hazard. Was there no way that we could stick to the one thing that didn’t mean others getting hurt?

  I pulled Scarlet to the side and whispered what had happened. She took the still beating heart from me and pressed it against her chest. A reddish glow surrounded her and changed all four wings to an autumnal, reddish brown color. I put my arms around her and kissed her hair. We didn’t speak or do anything else. We just cried.

  17

  The dungeon hadn’t been as hard to find as I’d thought it would. It really was just a rock formation in the clearing. A large swirl floated in front of me, one like we’d gone through before we arrived here in this hellhole. I reckoned it must have been the entrance to the dungeon.

  A faint image showed through from the inside and depicted a cavernous area and a lake. It was too dark to see clearly, but at least we had something tangible. There wasn’t any movement I could spot, but it didn’t mean anything.

  "Do you want me to go first?" Dineth asked.

  I shrugged and winked.

  "Once you’re buffed up. Shield out and make the leap of faith."

  "Hah! Leap of faith? Any faith I had was lost when we… died." His face went glum and he looked away.

  "Hey," I said and put my hand on his massive shoulder, "We will make our own faith. If there are more like us out there in Hazard, we need to create a place for them to call home. With that, you create faith for others. At least that’s what I would like to hope."

  "We can talk about that in more detail once were out there again. But I sure like the idea," he replied and jumped into the whirl. In seconds, his image appeared in the swirl. I waited for ten seconds, each agonizingly long. When nothing appeared, I turned to my ladies and flashed them a grin.

  "See you on the other side, ladies!"

  The familiar sensation of getting ripped apart and put together again washed over me. It was quite unpleasant to describe it in polite terms, but once I stood on solid ground, it had fully disappeared.

  A cool breeze sent shivers down my spine in the dark cavern. At the far end, light seeped in, just enough so we didn’t stumble over our feet. Dineth was already halfway there when I appeared. But before I could even make a step, a faint light from behind me announced the arrival of the others.

  "Oh fuck! Is this the north pole?" Katya cursed and ran up to me. "Warm me up already!"

  I caught myself before I burst into laughter and put my arms around her, rubbed her back and arms.

  "Maybe you should wear more, my love," I whispered. She looked up at me with a raised eyebrow.

  "Oh? I haven’t heard that in a long time," she whispered back and bit down on my earlobe. "Can I hear more of that?"

  "Hey!" Scarlet interrupted and pushed past her into my arms. "Me too!" Renee joined in moments later. I sighed and pushed all three of them off me.

  "Not now. We’re in their lair. When she’s dead, we can do whatever you want."

  They scoffed and pouted, but didn’t assail me again.

  "You better make it worth our whiles, or we just might search for someone with more stamina and drive," Katya teased. Luckily they couldn’t see the grin on my face or I’d be tackled from behind. Given different circumstances, I wouldn’t mind.

  Dinethal stopped up ahead and held his hand up for us to halt. So we did.

  "I hear movement and chatter around the corner," he wrote in party chat. Both anxiousness and anticipation for battle rushed through me. Was this really it when we could go home?

  "I’ll scout," I said and tiptoed past him. More light seeped from behind the corner. I pressed against the wall, hiding in the shadow and dared a peek. A long and narrow corridor held a group of creatures with the
head of a wolf and body of a human. Two sharp ears protruded from the top of their furry heads.

  "Monsters up ahead. Seven of them," I wrote.

  "How strong?" Dinethal asked.

  "No idea, I can’t inspect them," I replied. "They look formidable."

  "All right then. I’m always game for a good brawl. Ladies?"

  The shuffle of feet notified me of my group’s arrival. I looked to the side and my Orc tank nod and grin. Two large tusks protruded from his cheeks, white as ivory.

  "Go," I ordered and appeared from the shadows just behind Dineth. An ear splitting shriek cut the silence as one of the creatures closest spotted us. Within moments, they rounded on Dineth who took up most of the narrow corridor.

  "Devour them!" one of the creatures cried.

  "Fuck that!" I called back and struck the creature in his temple from behind Dineth’s shield. Blood and gore splattered his armor as the creature stopped attacking, dazed. Arrows and magic bounced around off walls and the monsters as Dineth hacked away at unprotected limbs.

  A bolt of lightning struck Dineth from behind and stunned him in place.

  "Sorry!" Renee called. "My hand slipped!"

  I grinned and pushed past him, then activated my self-buffs and combo, raking the creatures across their chests and necks. The health bars above their heads dropped quickly with each new hit. Five seconds in, Dineth’s stun wore off. With a roar, he changed his shield to a second ax and charged in. Two of the things lay dead beneath my feet, but the five remaining wolf like monsters cried out from the battering ram that was his head.

  "Light them up!" he called and jumped back. Renee ran up to her brother and cast flame pillar. Fire erupted from the ground and ceiling at the same time and turned their bodies to cinders within seconds.

  "Say, is anyone else worried about them being so weak? The things we faced in fake oblivion were nightmares compared to this," I commented.

  "Tell me about it," Katya said. "Don’t mention them again, pretty please. I hate being reminded where I died."

  I sighed and shrugged.

  "Sorry babe, I’ll try and remember."

  "This isn’t the time or place for this," she shot back.

  "Right, right. See if they dropped anything while I scout the next area."

  I tuned out and slid back in the shadows as I made my way through the next room. Torches were aligned to both sides, lighting it up to the point there was no way to hide. Why bother trying?

  "The next two rooms are empty. Did the creatures drop anything?"

  "Nope," Scarlet replied. "No drops, well, except for a strange item without a description. It looks like it’s a part of a bigger whole."

  "I see. Anyway, I’m waiting for you guys at the entrance."

  Curious about what awaited us in the next room, I inched closer and peeked past the doorway. A great chamber, like the one that we’d seen in the whirl from outside, awaited us. A lake in a cavern.

  Dineth’s hand on my shoulder startled me to the point I yelped. The girls burst out laughing, but quickly quieted down.

  "Shit, man, I almost got a heart attack from your big ass hand!"

  Dineth raised his right eyebrow in amusement.

  "It’s just me, boss."

  "Ugh. Don’t touch me from behind when I’m not looking. It’s wildly inappropriate."

  "Says you," Scarlet chimed in and giggled.

  "Whatever. I don’t see anything, so we’re going in blind."

  "In that case," Dineth said and exchanged his ax for the shield again, "It’s time to do or die," and stepped inside.

  I sighed and grunted.

  "Buff us, please."

  An aura of blue and green enveloped us and lit the area up. From within, a wicked hiss startled me again. Goddamn, did I ever hate the dark in so many ways.

  "Do you see anything?" I asked and slid inside after our tank.

  "Yeah. Someone familiar," he replied.

  "Took you long enough," a familiar voice called out from the deep darkness. A slow burble of water followed his words.

  "Lopo?" I asked anxiously. I wasn’t looking forward to fighting that bastard at all.

  "Oh yes. Me and my friends. What can we do for you? Except kill you and eat your intestines."

  An angry scowl replaced my look of shock.

  "Whatever man. You should be thankful I left you a tool to please your witch with. I could have easily ripped off your… monster thing."

  A chorus of cackles filled the cavern.

  "Shut up! You think it’s funny?" he asked and a lightning bolt followed. All of his friends that had been in the water, died from electrocution. I could see him curse and stomp around in the water, and somehow, I still felt sorry for him. He’d most likely become the way he was because of her, in any case.

  "Did he just kill his own minions?" Monica asked incredulously, as she pushed past Dineth’s shield arm.

  "My lady! Go back, please. You shouldn’t bear witness to things such as this," Dineth replied and tried to push her back gently. She wouldn’t have any of it and ducked under his arm and passed him.

  "You evil creature! How dare you treat your friends as if they were nothing more but bugs?"

  "Oh shit, I don’t think this is such a good idea," I said in party chat. "Katya, you’re fastest, please grab her while I distract that bloated frog lizard."

  I didn’t wait on a reply and darted straight at Lopo. Behind me, I heard Monica curse and knew she’d been taken care off for the moment. Lopo and I had a score to settle in any case, so why not do so here and now.

  His body grew to the size I’d seen him in the first time in the few seconds it took me to get to him. With his right claw, he swiped at me and let go a burst of flame to my right. Luckily for me, he’d been too quick and I could make a decision of my own: be scorched or endure a hit.

  "As if!" I yelled and activated my Vampiric Bite skill. I appeared behind him with my fangs dug deep into his neck. Next, I activated my self-buffs and went into a frenzy with the combo I liked so much. Lopo was stunned, stuck in place, both from pain and my debuff, for the next few seconds. I used that time to inspect him and grinned. He was at just a little under four hundred fifty thousand, and his health bar was somewhere under fifty percent.

  "Would you look at that," I teased, "Your mistress didn’t feel it worth her time to waste her energy on you and heal you up to a hundred percent, did she? Just what does that say about you?"

  Lopo hissed and snapped his head my way.

  "You don’t know anything! Die, you arrogant bastard!"

  Before I could move, his jaws snapped around my side and an excruciating pain enveloped my body.

  18

  "No!" a voice screamed. I hung there, dangling in his mouth and tried to see who it was, but her shape was blurry. All I could make out was that she had a familiar voice. No, it wasn’t one of my girls, but I knew and remembered her. Yes, it was the rabbit doctor. But why was she stopping him?

  "D-doctor?" I wheezed. The pain was unreal and it was all I could do to hold on. But she put her hand on my face, and her soft palm caressed me.

  "What the hell do you want?" Lopo mumbled through a mouthful. Renewed pain shot through my body with every word he said. Darkness was falling over my eyes slowly as she cupped my face with her other hand as well.

  "I want him," she whispered.

  "What?" he yelled angrily. Just then, as his jaws were apart, she kicked out and hit the bastard right in the groin. I fell in her gentle arms as he doubled over and coughed violently.

  "He’s mine!" she snapped at him and kicked out at his chin. The blow connected and sent him flying. "It’s your turn now!" Larina said and turned to my team. "I’ll keep him safe while you take care of this big brute!"

  The rabbit doctor didn’t wait for a reply, and instead lunged to where my group was.

  "Do--it," I barely managed to say in group chat. They sprang to life like stone gargoyles that had shed their outer layer. The light of bu
ffs flooded the area and heals dropped on top of me, bringing my bar up to half and it stayed there. Within moments, I felt better and could partially move again. My hand went for a health potion and pressed it to my mouth. Nothing happened. My health remained at fifty percent.

  "I need to mend the wound first. Once I have, you can heal fully. Until then, lay still and let me do my work," Larina ordered. I followed her order without protest, but had a healthy dose of distrust ready for her.

  "Keep it rooted!" Dinethal yelled, drawing both of our attention to him. More arrows struck Lopo’s feet and vines shot up and drew him back. Dineth charged with his shield held outward and struck a vicious blow against Lopo’s face.

  "Ohh, shit! Was that his nose?" I cringed from the very loud sound of shattering bone. Lopo screeched in pain and terror. He finally understood that he’d done himself in when he’d killed his friends. I doubted they’d been very strong, but at least they could have served as a distraction. Right now, all of our focus was on him.

  The scent of ozone and nitrogen filled my nostrils. I tried to remember where it had come from. Larina leaned in and whispered.

  "Lightning."

  I was about to ask if she could read my mind, but there was no time. The whole cavern was soaked through. To top it off, Dineth stood in the water, up to his knees.

  "Incoming lightning!" I yelled in group chat. But it was too late. A storm frontcame in out of nowhere as Lopo held both of his hands up, scaly palms angled upward. Thunder boomed in the enclosed space and lightning connected from ceiling to floor, electrocuting Dineth and scattering my girls all around the cavern.

  "Stay still!" Larina hissed. "Thirty seconds and you can go finish him off!"

  I ground my teeth together and forced myself to look away. There wasn’t much I could do at this moment, not yet. Just a bit longer!

  Monica was first to recover and cast an AoE heal on the group. It was rather weak, but healed over time and would keep them on their feet for a little while longer at least.