After the battles was even worse. He could stanch blood flow, yes, but never completely heal anyone. Animal poisons, even mild ones, were beyond his grasp. He was basically hopeless with broken bones.
Luckily he had a wide collection of magical vials and tubes hidden away in his coat.
After one particularly bloody battle, he was trying to cast a spell over Drogar’s mauled leg. As always, it wasn’t working.
“Just geef me the damn potion,” the barbarian grunted in pain.
“No – I can do this – I know I can do this,” Eric insisted, and tried again.
Nothing.
“Geef me the damn potion!”
“Just let me try one more time – ”
“NO! You tried twice already, now GEEF it to me!”
“Heal your own damn self, then!” Eric yelled, throwing a tiny bottle at the barbarian as he stormed away.
“I WILL!” Drogar roared. He uncapped the vial, poured it over his leg –
And within seconds he was back to normal.
“Stupid ahss-hole – cahn’t even heal at-uh-lete’s foot!” Drogar taunted Eric from a distance.
Drogar’s insults were far from uncommon. Daniel would never say anything bad about his best friend, Mira was sympathetic because she liked him in real life, and Simik was his usual taciturn self – but the other players were merciless.
“I don’t need to flay anyone’s skin or gouge out their eyes,” the goblin liked to say. “I just let them get wounded in battle and let Eric handle it.”
“Deed you get a peemple?” Drogar would shout. “Don’t let Erich pop it or you’ll die, doot.”
“Hey, hey – who am I?” Lotan asked once, and stuck out his tongue and let his eyes roll back in his fishy skull like he was dead. “One of Eric’s patients.”
It was warranted, even if it was assholish. Eric was the weak link of the team, there was no getting around that. Even the goblin and the droth, at first the most looked-down-upon members of the group, were held in much higher esteem. At least they added something to the battles, sometimes quite a bit. Lotan in particular had been crucial to a couple of their victories.
Eric was incompetent – and he became the butt of a thousand jokes.
It angered him. Ate at him. He became sullen and withdrawn, and even less apt to help out during battles.
Drogar in particular pissed him off. Every chance he got, the barbarian mocked Eric and his ‘rock-star rings.’ “Hey mahn, don’t try to heal me – just play Stahrway to Hef-un.”
Eric would seethe, clench his fists, and storm away.
It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying. He became incredibly frustrated every time his incantations failed to help out. When the group wasn’t fighting, he would spend hours poring over the scraps of parchment he carried with him, trying to master the spells written on them, even practicing by firelight when everyone else was bedding down for the night.
But it wasn’t working.
Daniel couldn’t understand it. Everyone else was progressing so rapidly the more experience they got – while Eric was just standing still.
It was weird. Almost as though he’d sunk all of his resources into some aspect of maging he wasn’t using at all.
But all in all, they survived. Their serious wounds were few, Eric’s lack of healing ability forced them to be more careful fighters, and having a common butt of their jokes bound half of the group together in solidarity.
Most importantly, no one ever died.
That was about to change.
49
As the sun was setting on the third day, the mountains loomed up ahead of them. They stretched in an unbroken chain from east to west, and the slope of the land began to noticeably rise.
They were within several hours’ ride of their destination – but it was obvious they couldn’t reach it before dark.
“And even if we were to ride on past dark, ‘twould be folly to go into the mines at night,” the dwarf said.
“Why?” Eric asked. “It’s going to be dark in there no matter what.”
“If something chases us out, I would prefer to fight it in the daylight,” the dwarf answered ominously.
“Look,” Daniel said to the group, “it’s probably about 10PM back where Mira and Eric and I are from – ”
“What does it matter what time it is where you came from?” the dwarf asked, irritated. “You and your strange fixation with time in your native village!”
Daniel ignored him. “ – so why don’t we call it a night and regroup here tomorrow morning?”
“Tomorrow morning in the real world,” Lotan asked, “or tomorrow morning in the Shattered Lands?”
“Ugh, good point,” Daniel groaned. “We’re going to have to skip a couple of days here in the game.”
“Real world, game, skip days,” the dwarf muttered bitterly. “I’m surrounded by lunatics…”
“How about if we meet here in two days Shattered Lands time – say, 8AM Pacific in the real world?”
“Dat’s only 6 at night for me… yah, I can do dat,” the barbarian agreed.
“Insanity!” the dwarf snarled as he walked away from the group.
“Is Simik going to hang around for two days if our game bodies just sit around doing nothing?” Mira asked.
“Of course, he’s an NPC,” Eric said contemptuously. “He won’t know the difference.”
Daniel shot him a look. Simik had become a point of contention between them. Eric insisted over and over that the dwarf was nothing more than a commodity, a feature of the game – a combination guide/trainer/source of expository information. To Eric, Simik had about much value as a scroll or list of instructions, just with a bit of programmed personality thrown in to make it more interesting.
But Simik meant more than that to Daniel. Their conversation about the sword had touched him deeply. Plus he might have been killed several times over had it not been for the dwarf’s expert instruction in swordplay.
Daniel knew it was sort of stupid – that Eric was right, or at least partially right, anyway – but he’d become attached to the little guy. Fond of him, even.
“Simik’ll be fine,” Daniel said. “I’ll pay him to hang out.”
“Or don’t pay him anything, and he’ll sit here all day anyway,” Eric smirked.
Daniel had noticed something else about Eric in the last couple of days. Daniel had become the de facto leader of the group – not because he’d sought it, but because it had happened naturally. As Eric’s favor had fallen, he’d become much more comfortable taking swipes at Daniel – especially in front of everybody else.
“You deal with NPCs your way, I’ll deal with them mine,” Daniel said, his tone a bit harsher than he’d intended. Rather than address Eric’s irritated look, he turned to the rest of the group. “So, it’s decided – meet here Sunday, 8AM Pacific?”
The group agreed. They set up camp, Daniel made arrangements with Simik, and everyone logged out as the stars shone bright above them in the night sky.
50
Eric
Once he got back to the real world, Eric let go of any minor friction he’d had with Daniel in the Shattered Lands. If Daniel wanted to pretend all his imaginary friends in the video game were real, whatever. Eric thought he was being stupid, but it wasn’t worth arguing about.
Besides, Daniel had been totally cool about backing him up and taking his side when the others were ragging on him for not being able to cast spells. Mira was okay, but the barbarian, goblin, and fish-nerd really got on his nerves.
Eric gritted his teeth in anger.
If those assholes only knew I’m actually holding BACK.
I’ll show them eventually.
Make them see.
THAT’LL be fun.
After Eric and Daniel logged off the system, they ate microwave dinners in the kitchen and talked excitedly about the mines – and whether or not they’d be able to make it back to Blackstone by the start of school on Monday morning.
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Eric yawned several times throughout dinner. He’d been able to hold it together during the quest, but now he was hitting a wall.
Daniel looked concerned. “Hey, you wanna sleep over again tonight so we can start early tomorrow?”
“That’d be great,” Eric said gratefully as he yawned again.
The best part is, I can actually SLEEP tonight. Don’t have to go on any errands in the game.
After dinner, they got ready for bed and said goodnight.
As Eric pulled up the covers and drifted off to sleep, he thought of a dark orb gleaming in torchlight…
…and in the shadows, untold horrors of all shapes and sizes, every single one eager to do his bidding.
51
Daniel
He’d always hated getting up early for school, but now Daniel jumped out of bed as soon as he woke up. When you were going to the best place in the world (or in another world, haha) instead of a prison full of classes and rules and boredom, it was easy to wake up happy and ready to go.
Eric was already up, too, and fully dressed. They wolfed down some cereal and logged onto the system at precisely 8AM.
The sun was high overhead when they returned to the Shattered Lands. Daniel and Eric’s characters were just standing around the campsite, not really doing much of anything, it seemed.
Mira was already waiting for them. “You guys ready?”
“Yup – everybody else here?”
“Just Drogar.”
The barbarian was a hundred feet outside of camp, yelling and roaring as he ‘shadowboxed’ with his ax. Simik was packing up the horses. But the goblin and Lotan were standing nearby, blank-eyed and motionless.
Daniel went over and clicked his fingers in front of Vlisil’s face. No reaction.
“Is this what we looked like before we got here?” Daniel asked.
“Even dopier,” Mira teased.
“Any weird looks or comments from Simik?”
“No, he acted like it was completely normal.”
“Told you,” Eric smirked.
Within one minute of each other, the goblin and Lotan logged on.
As soon as they did, Simik walked over and asked, “Everyone ready?”
“Hell yah,” the barbarian said as he slung his battle ax across his back. “Except maybe that guy,” he added, pointing at Eric, though for once he said it good-naturedly.
Eric just shot a death stare at Drogar.
“Don’t go killing each other just yet,” the dwarf said grumpily as he headed for his horse. “There’ll be plenty of things in the mines that’ll do that.”
52
They reached the mines after a three-hour ride – and just the sight of it alone was worth the journey.
There was a massive cave, a hundred feet wide and forty feet high, at the base of the mountain. The cavern stood thirty feet above the next closest shelf of rock, and a waterfall splashed from its mouth down into a deep, crystal-clear pool. From there a sparkling stream descended through rocks to the valley below.
“There is a body of water!” Lotan cried out, overjoyed.
The cave was accessible by wide stone steps on either side cut deep into the mountain. Hanging plants grew from cracks in the rock and dangled over the opening like emerald curtains. The entire effect was one of beauty, mystery – and danger.
They all stared up at the cave in awe as they enjoyed the cool spray of the waterfall on their faces.
New Quest: Explore the Mines of Alark.
This deserted mine is a bountiful source of adventure… and danger.
Challenge Level: Severe
Reward: Riches beyond comprehension
Punishment for Failure: Death
The Challenge Level is Severe?
Greaaat.
“What can you tell us about this place, Simik?” Daniel asked.
“It has been abandoned for centuries,” the dwarf growled. “A rich and powerful tribe of dwarves mined for gold and precious stones here, but they all disappeared in a single night.
“Legend has it that they broke through a wall deep within the mountain and found another enormous cave. Inside they discovered some sort of horrible temple constructed by a race never encountered before.
“The occupants who built the temple did not take kindly to the intrusion. Nightmarish creatures spilled out of the fissure and massacred the workers, their families, and every other soul in the mines.
“Over the years, other infernal creatures took up residence in the dwarves’ empty homes, burrowing like insects into rotted wood. Whatever evil lies within the center of the mountain has been content to let the monsters stay.
“No one who enters this mine knows exactly what horrors they might face, and few return once they step inside the cave. None have ever made it far enough within to find out what destroyed the tribe of dwarves.”
Daniel shivered. He knew that it was just a story, written by game designers, created as a backdrop for a quest. But still, the story was incredibly creepy… especially the way the dwarf told it, in hushed and serious tones.
“How much treasure is in there?” Vlisil the goblin asked.
“Vast amounts.”
“How much ees vahst?” Drogar asked.
“All the wealth of the tribe, mined over generations of dwarves. More than you could spend in twenty lifetimes.”
“I don’t know, I cahn spend a lot.”
“So how are we going to do this?” Mira asked. “What’s the plan?”
Everyone in the group looked towards Daniel. He was about to speak –
“I’ll go in first,” Eric volunteered.
They all stared at him in surprise. Except for the barbarian, who laughed.
“Vatever, doot – you’ll get slaughtered.”
“What do you care?” Eric snapped.
“I don’t, but – ”
Eric turned to Daniel. “I can be the point man. I can scout ahead and let you guys know what’s coming.”
“That’s suicide, boy,” Simik snapped.
Eric scowled at the dwarf. “Again – what do you care?”
“I don’t want to have to go in and save your sorry ass when the screaming starts.”
“So don’t come after me, then.”
“I wouldn’t – but he certainly would,” the dwarf said, pointing at Daniel. “And then I’ll get dragged along.”
Eric turned to Daniel. “If I die, you know I’ll just respawn. It’s not a big deal.”
“What’s this ‘respawn’ nonsense?” the dwarf asked huffily.
Eric ignored Simik and turned from Daniel towards the others.
“Look, we all know I haven’t been worth a damn the whole quest. At least this way I can give you an early warning about what you’re facing. Otherwise I’m going to hang back, do jack shit, and you’ll walk into some horrible trap and die – and then I die, too. If we do it my way, maybe you guys won’t die.” He paused dramatically, then added, “If nothing else, at least let me do this. Let me contribute something.”
The group all glanced around at each other. You could tell they were impressed – especially the ones who had mocked Eric incessantly over the last three days.
“I mean, if he wants to…” the goblin said hesitantly.
“Vat about the healeenk potions?” the barbarian asked.
Eric stripped off his cloak and held it out to Daniel. “I won’t need it.”
Daniel looked at him in silence for a long moment. When he finally spoke, he sounded sad. “You don’t need to do this. You’re part of the group.”
“That’s why I want to help the group. So please – let me.”
He pushed the cloak towards Daniel… who took it grudgingly.
“For the record, I think this is a horrible idea,” he grumbled.
“I agree,” the dwarf snarled.
“Just think of me as bait,” Eric said with a grin. “Then you can see what falls in the trap – and kill it.”
Daniel sighed
and shook his head.
The rest of the group stood there uncomfortably. It was difficult to know what to say when someone was walking off towards certain death.
“Alright… well… see you guys on the inside,” Eric said, and turned to go –
Mira rushed over to him, caught his arm, and kissed him on the cheek.
He turned to her, surprised.
“You’re very brave,” she whispered – then blushed, her indigo cheeks suddenly a tiny shade redder. She stepped back, abashed at what she had done.
Eric rubbed his cheek softly, then grinned and turned to Daniel. “See? That made it all worthwhile.”
“At least take this,” the dwarf grumbled, and forced a short sword into Eric’s hand.
“I didn’t know you cared,” Eric said sarcastically.
“I don’t. But maybe with that you’ll live to be ‘bait’ for three minutes instead of two.”
Eric laughed. He smiled at Mira, then looked once more at Daniel.
“Don’t worry – it’s only a game,” he said with a grin.
With that, he turned and headed up the stone steps, his walking staff in one hand, sword in the other, and the leathery bag strapped to his back.
Once he got to the top, he paused at the mouth of the cave… turned and waved to the group…
…and then disappeared into the shadows.
53
Eric
Well, that went better than expected.
Thank God (or the game designers) that other players couldn’t see your stats when they appeared. Otherwise they would have seen what popped up after his speech:
Deception: +5
He’d been working on his argument for a while. Crafting it, writing draft after draft in his head. In the end, it had come out perfectly.
Shattered Lands: A LitRPG Series Page 23
