Awaken Online: Catharsis

by Travis Bagwell

  His current Control Limit was 40, and he had already summoned 28 minions. That meant he could raise twelve skeletons. They would need to be fast and designed for stealth for the type of fight he was visualizing. If they were also terrifying, that would be an added bonus. He was still limited to something that was humanoid in appearance since he only had human bones to work with. He couldn't radically alter the bones just yet.

  Jason began experimenting with the editor and a form slowly began to develop in the air before him. It was about the size of a ten-year-old child. It had a hunched posture, and Jason had used longer bones from the ribs to form its hands. Each finger was now much longer than normal and terminated in a vicious curved point. He added bladed bones to the elbows and bones spikes along the spine. Its feet were primarily humanoid, but the toes were elongated and sharpened.

  After playing with the editor for a bit, he discovered that he was also able to change the composition of the bones themselves, making them darker by mixing in small amounts of graveyard dirt. This turned the bones a dark grey which would help camouflage the skeletons.

  Once the complete skeleton floated in front of him, Jason began adding dark magic to the joints. After a moment of experimenting, he realized that he could add the dark mana in varying amounts. A thought occurred to him, and he began adding extra dark mana to the joints. His theory was that the extra energy would act like additional cartilage and reduce bone grinding. It might also provide additional “muscle,” increasing strength and speed.

  It took several tests to get a product that worked well, but the result was more than a little scary. The extra layers of dark magic in the joints actually increased the creature's speed substantially. Jason confirmed that the dark magic held the bones together, acted as cartilage, and provided a substitute for muscles. The downside was that the extra layers of dark magic cost more mana. Each finished creature cost nearly 2,000 mana.

  After some time, twelve of his finished creations stood before him. They were naturally small, and their dark grey bodies were difficult to see in the darkness. They didn't need any gear with their natural claws, they were almost unnaturally quiet, quick, and limber. He also expected that their clawed hands and feet would allow them to easily climb trees and traverse almost any type of terrain. With Jason's current Willpower, they were each level 66.

  The only downside to his creations were that they were exceedingly fragile. His inspection showed that they almost had less health than he did. Jason expected that they would likely crumble after a few well-placed blows. However, they were suitably terrifying and fast. He expected that if they caught an opponent unaware, they would kill him long before he was able to strike back.

  After thinking for a moment, he decided to call his creations the Night Children due to their small stature. The editor saved the design so that he could easily create more and make modifications.

  As he was working he received several notifications:

  x3 Skill Rank Up: Bone Crafting

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 4

  Effect: Access to bone modification in the skeleton editor. May currently alter the composition of a bone by 8%.

  x2 Skill Rank Up: Custom Skeleton

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 3

  Effect: You may raise a custom skeleton using nearby bones. The skeleton’s level is calculated as the caster’s level + Willpower/74.

  As Jason reviewed the prompts that appeared before him, he noticed that the increase in the spell level of Custom Skeleton had slightly increased the level of the skeletons by decreasing the Willpower per additional skeleton level. He imagined that if he was able to level the spell high enough, his skeletons would be pretty powerful since they would be at a much higher level than he was.

  Even though most of his minions were not nearby, Jason decided to pull up his Summoning Information screen to review his current army:

  His small army was beginning to grow into a respectable strike force.

  He had maximized stealth and damage. The thieves and mages could both Sneak, and his Night Children would likely be stealthy enough to avoid detection even without the Sneak skill. He had outfitted all of his thieves with bows so that he could use them as ranged support. The guard zombies could act as a reserve force and be used to create kamikaze zombies if needed.

  Jason glanced around at the graveyard and noticed that time was still being slowed. He had left the skeleton editor enabled. As he closed the editor, time sped back up to a normal pace. He glanced at the clock. Only two hours of in-game time had passed. Yet, he felt that at least six hours had passed while he was playing around with the editor and designing the Night Children.

  Did the skeleton editor triple the time compression?

  That means that time runs nine times faster in the editor than in the real world! How was my mind able to handle that level of time compression for such a long time? Did the CPSC really approve this game feature?

  His thoughts were interrupted by the pounding headache he felt coming on. His mind suddenly felt heavy and tired, in spite of the small amount of time that had actually passed. He staggered for a moment as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

  Onyx gazed at Jason with an anxious expression from atop a nearby gravestone, his tail twitching spasmodically. Jason pet Onyx, hoping to reassure the cat. He decided that he needed a short break. He would log off for a bit and then regroup and start moving toward Alexion's army.

  In spite of the headache and weariness, Jason felt excited about the upcoming battle and his eyes glowed with unholy energy as he surveyed his creations.

  It was almost time to bring the fight to Alexion.

  Chapter 26 - Mended

  Another day had passed in their trek towards the Twilight Throne, and the NPCs had begun their routine of setting camp for the night. Riley sat in front of a campfire, staring into the tumbling flames. The chaotic dance of orange and red was comforting. She hadn't felt much peace lately, but the solitary late-night campsites had become a relaxing sanctuary.

  Her moment of peace was rudely interrupted, as a heavy hand landed on her shoulder. She turned and looked up to find Alexion staring down at her.

  “I am off to my tent to log out for the evening. I expect you to stay here until I return. That is, unless you would prefer to join me?” A leer curled his lips, and his dead eyes seemed to undress her.

  An involuntary shiver ran up Riley's spine. She turned back to the flames in front of her, trying to ignore the way her skin crawled. “I’m fine where I am,” she said quietly.

  A cruel chuckle came from beside her. “Well, in that case, you should stay clear of the kitchen tent in the NPC camp. I hear they just opened a keg.” Alexion laughed at his own joke and walked off towards his tent.

  Riley physically flinched at Alexion's words, and tears began to form in her eyes. She tried to take a few calming breaths, but the frustrated anger that overcame her made it nearly impossible. “How could he be so cruel?” she thought. “How could anyone be that cruel?”

  As she stared through bleary eyes at the flickering flames before her, she recounted the events that had led her to this miserable place.

  Riley had begun dating Alex a few weeks ago. She was reluctant at first, because she had heard whispers from her friends that he could be a bit heartless and even cruel. This surprised her. He had only been kind and considerate when he spoke with her. She began to think her friends were making up stories. Eventually, she had agreed to go on a date. It had been a splendid, excessive affair.

  Over the last few weeks, that all began to change. She started to notice moments when Alex’s mask of kindness slipped. She could see something disturbing beneath the surface. At first she thought she was just imagining it, but then the encounter in the cafeteria had happened. She didn’t understand how he could attack Jason, someone who had always been so nice to her. That action alone would have been enough for her to end it.

  Yet it was Alex’s dead eyes as he stood over Jason’s pron
e form that had really scared her. That hadn’t been mere bullying. That had been the look of someone who preyed on other people in a dispassionate, clinical fashion. The look of someone who would pull the wings off a butterfly to carefully examine how it thrashed.

  Horrified and angered by what she had seen; Riley immediately broke up with Alex. At least she tried to. That was when he told her that she should rethink her decision - that he had a video she wouldn't want anyone to see. He reminded her of a night they had attended a party together and she had overindulged with the beer. She had never really drunk heavily before, and her memory of the evening was blurry and unfocused.

  She had demanded to see the video, thinking Alex was lying. His lips had ever-so-slowly crept into a cruel, knowing smirk as he had revealed snippets of the video. Those few flashes were enough for her face to flush with embarrassment. Riley’s hands had moved to cover her eyes, as though she could hide from the recording he held in his hand. Shame settled in her stomach.

  What had shocked her the most was that Alex showed no hesitation or remorse as he blackmailed her. He didn't even seem upset that she had tried to break up with him. She couldn't forget his emotionless, almost bored eyes as he threatened her. It was as though he knew that she would capitulate.

  And she had.

  Sitting by the campfire, Riley recoiled from the memories that flashed through her mind, tears trickling down her cheeks. It made sense now. Of course he had known that she would break. He knew exactly what to expect when he plucked a butterfly's wings. He had plenty of practice.

  “I didn't do it for myself though,” she whispered miserably into the empty night around her.

  Or at least not just for herself.

  While Riley cringed at the thought of the video being passed around school, the potential harm the video posed to her family’s reputation was much worse.

  Her father made his money by selling self-help books. He was also a prominent public figure and was perceived as a titan of moral integrity, which is what made his books so successful. A video of his drunken, underage daughter would be the sort of thing that could severely damage his reputation.

  With this leverage, Alex forced her to keep up the charade of dating him and to play this game. He seemed to take great pleasure in watching the discomfort and pain it caused her to be around him.

  He had also made her to support his story that Jason had attacked him in the cafeteria. She had resisted at first. Could she really do that to someone who had always been so nice to her? Even if it was to protect herself and her family? She had finally caved. Riley figured that at most Jason would be suspended temporarily. The harm to her family seemed much greater.

  How could she have known he would be expelled?

  She would never have gone along with Alex's story if she had known what would happen to Jason. Yet what could she do now? It was hopeless. If she went to the administration after going along with Alex's story, he would likely "break up" with her and contrive some story about how she was trying to get back at him. Then he would release the video of her drunken antics. No one would believe her.

  She felt helpless. She was too weak to confront Alex or to protect herself. Too weak to tell the administration at Richmond what Alex had done. She couldn't even make herself tell her parents. Her mind boiled over with a strange medley of emotion. A cocktail of anger, shame, and guilt swirled in her mind as she scrambled to think of some way out of her situation.

  If only she were stronger.

  Her thoughts turned again to the Jason that had conquered Lux. If only she could be someone like that. Someone who could stand before an army without fear. Someone powerful. She knew she couldn't. She was only a weak, stupid girl who had played right into Alex’s sadistic hands.

  Digital tears full of helplessness and frustration flowed freely down Riley's cheeks, as she sat alone in front of the campfire. The flames continued to dance in front of her in a gleeful mockery of her pain. She knew she had to find a way out.

  * * *

  After logging out, Jason was lying in his small room at Angie's house.

  He pulled the helmet off his head and looked around the spartan room. He had no furniture, and his bed was a single mattress without a frame. At least he had a place to sleep and a roof over his head. Over the last couple days, he had discovered that his aunt was actually a pretty good roommate.

  Angie worked long hours at a biotech company and spent most of her time in the lab. The company was always intent on getting some project or another completed, so she was constantly in crisis mode. Being at the bottom of the corporate totem pole also meant that she got stuck with the crap work and long shifts. Despite all that, she still managed to stay relatively upbeat about it.

  Jason left his small room and made his way to the kitchen to make himself something to eat. It was a Saturday evening in the real world, and he had been playing AO almost constantly for the last week. It was a weekend, which meant the other players that were marching toward the Twilight Throne could afford to stay in-game for long periods of time. AO had drawn in a younger group of players. Most of them didn't have either work or school to interrupt them for the next two days. That had allowed them to keep up with the NPC army as it marched toward the dark city.

  They’re going to need to create some way to put your character on autopilot when you're outside the game. Otherwise, larger battles would be almost impossible to organize from a logistics standpoint.

  As he was making himself something to eat (ramen again!), Jason pulled up the Rogue-Net website on his device. In particular, he was anxious to check the market to see if his sword had sold. He was elated when he discovered that the item had been purchased.

  After the bidding war had stopped, the purchase price settled at a whopping $6,700. The other items were still on the market, but he was hopeful that he could at least make another $1,000 or so when they sold. He was a little curious about the type of person who was willing and able to drop nearly seven grand on a few strings of ones and zeros. Unfortunately, he couldn't see who had purchased the sword since the name of the buyer wasn't publicly available.

  I guess it doesn't matter! That amount of money will give me nearly three months of living expenses unless I encounter setbacks. I might even be able to spring for some furniture for my room and higher bandwidth!

  Still riding high from the sale of the sword, he heard the door to the small bungalow open. His aunt walked in looking tired from her day at work. Dark circles hung under her eyes making her look drained and stressed. He expected she had started work incredibly early that morning.

  “Hi Angie,” Jason greeted. “I was just making myself something to eat. Would you like me to make you something?”

  Angie glanced over at Jason and a smile lit up her weary face. “That would be lovely. I'm starving and I didn't get a chance to eat at work today.”

  Jason added an extra packet of ramen to the pot that was boiling on the stove. They certainly didn't live like kings. However, if he was being honest, he felt more at peace here than he had in a long time. It was also nice to live with someone that remembered you were there and came home every once in a while.

  “How was your day?” Angie asked, as she set her bag on the counter and slumped wearily into one of the stools at the counter.

  “Not bad at all! I sold one of the items I found in AO. Let’s just say I don’t need to worry about rent for a couple of months!” Jason grinned at Angie excitedly.

  Her eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? Maybe I should give up biotech and become a professional gamer. That sounds like a cushy job!”

  Jason chuckled. “I’m not certain I’m going to be able to keep it up or what I’m going to do in a couple months, but at least it takes a bit of the pressure off.”

  He continued, “I also checked on my application for the Calvary School. They accepted me. I need to select my classes, but I can start on Monday.”

  Angie nodded her head. “It’s good that you went ahe
ad and applied.” She eyed him appraisingly as she spoke, “You seem to be in good spirits. I’m actually kind of surprised what with the week you've had...” She trailed off slightly at this last part and looked a bit embarrassed.

  Jason’s smile faded. “I can’t sit and sulk forever. Plus, the time compression from AO makes each real world day seem like three days. For me it’s been a bit longer than you would think”

  “I suppose that makes sense.” Angie paused for a moment, then continued, “Have you heard from your parents?”

  Jason's smile had now disappeared. “Actually, no. I expect that they need a few more days to cool off. I was going to call them early next week. “

  He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Regardless, I’m not going back to Richmond.”

  “I guess I don’t blame you,” Angie said quietly.

  An awkward silence descended on the kitchen. After a few minutes passed, Jason couldn’t take it anymore. He tried to break through the morose cloud that now hung over the room. “So how was your day?” he asked Angie.

  “Ugh,” she groaned.

  “Same old grind. They had me doing quality control on this new diagnostic test we are developing. I really don't know how this thing made it past development. I can only imagine the company's directors pushed it through because the budget couldn't handle any more development time.”

  She looked sad for a moment. “You know what really sucks about it though? These diagnostic tests we're developing will be used on living, breathing people. They aren't just statistics in a control study. Can you imagine being misdiagnosed for ovarian cancer?”

  Angie shook her head. “I just can't understand how some people can put money over the well-being of others. It makes it hard sometimes to tell myself that I'm helping people, when the higher ups are making decisions solely based on how it affects the company’s bottom line.”