Awaken Online: Catharsis

by Travis Bagwell

  Without warning, one of the zombies grabbed the girl from behind, bodily lifting her small form and throwing her over his shoulder. The other two zombies formed a defensive wall behind the girl. Her escort and the group headed to the tree-line where Jason sat, watching Riley kick fiercely in an attempt to free herself.

  Jason ordered the ice mage into action again. The mage froze the ground in front of the soldiers. With an evil grin, Jason gave new orders to his fire mage and a wall of flame appeared at the end of the frozen field.

  The enemy soldiers ran headlong through the frozen patch, many slipping and falling. Their momentum caused some to tumble and slide headlong into the wall of fire where they started burning fiercely. Screams issued from the burning bodies and mingled with the dying cries of the other soldiers at the gate.

  Jason chuckled tiredly. First zombie hand grenades and now a deadly slip-n-slide. God I love this game.

  Onyx rolled his eyes beside Jason.

  The commotion on the battlefield quickly took the attention away from the girl and her small escort. Soon the group made it back to Jason and he deactivated Sneak.

  “You can set her down,” he ordered her zombie guard.

  The zombie carrying Riley gently set her on her feet. The three zombies immediately took up defensive positions between Jason and Riley, holding their weapons ready. Jason’s mages continued casting actively in the background.

  Riley looked around with a disoriented and angry expression. Jason supposed that being grabbed by a zombie and carried on his shoulder would piss most people off. She opened her mouth to say something before catching sight of the zombies. They had quite obviously been dead a moment ago, and their bodies were riddled with gaping wounds. Riley gasped and took an involuntary step back. Then she saw Jason standing behind his minions, robed in dark leather and his face obscured by his hooded cloak.

  Jason looked at the blond girl, his mind a jumble of confused emotions. He couldn’t remember the last time he logged off. His emotions were all over the place. He was exhausted and his head hurt, his body running solely on adrenaline. To top it all off, there was also a war going on a few hundred yards away.

  In spite of everything, he could still feel the dull anger simmering inside of him as he looked at Riley. She had thrown him to the wolves without a care. Yet at the same time, confused questions sprang up in his mind. Why on earth was she playing AO? Why was she here of all places? Why did she attack Alexion?

  Maybe there is more to this story than I assumed, he thought reluctantly.

  “W-Who are you? What is this?” Riley asked, as she continued to look around in confusion. The dark mana faded from her eyes. Jason noticed her haggard appearance. Her shoulders drooped, and dark circles hung under her eyes. Her face had a haunted look about it.

  Jason remained silent, still not certain whether to trust her.

  She started to put everything together as she looked back at Jason's hooded form. “Wait I know who you are! You're… you're Jason aren't you?!”

  Jason stood in shock for a moment.

  How could she know who I am?

  The answer came to him a moment later, and he felt like hitting himself.

  Of course. She saw the prompt like everyone else. She doesn’t know who I really am.

  But that raised another question…

  Should I tell her? I suppose it's really only a matter of time before my identity is known and I can always use Disguise if need be.

  Screw it…

  Jason released his dark mana and pulled back his hood, revealing his face. “Yes. I’m Jason all right,” he said with a grim chuckle.

  Riley just stared at him for a moment in shocked silence.

  Then her words came out in a tumble, “Wait. Y-you're the Jason... but you're also my Jason?”

  Jason raised an eyebrow. “Your Jason huh?”

  “W-what? No... wait! I mean like the Jason from my school.” Riley seemed extremely flustered by this turn of events.

  While she collected her thoughts, Jason glanced over at the still raging war against the Twilight Throne. He had many questions for Riley, but this really wasn’t the time or the place. He needed to get back to the battle. Many of his future subjects were dying while he stood here talking.

  Riley looked at him, and tears budded in the corners of her eyes. “I-I've wanted to talk to you. To explain what happened...” she trailed off at this last part and appeared uncertain how to continue.

  “Riley, I certainly have plenty of questions for you.” His voice sounded cold to his ears, almost angry. “I also have you to thank for Alexion’s death, which is the only reason you’re still alive... but, I have to get back to the fight. Many more of my people will die if I don't help.”

  Riley flinched at his cold tone. Then her eyes turned to glance at the battle that was going on nearby, and she seemed to collect herself a bit.

  She looked down at her hands. “No, no. I understand completely. I think I need to log off for a moment anyway to clear my head.” Riley shook her head slightly as she said this last part.

  She glanced at Jason. “When you're done here, could we grab lunch? You know, like in the real world? I know you have no reason to trust me, but I would really like to explain what happened at school... and here.” She hesitated. “I'd like to explain everything.”

  Riley glanced down at her hands again and fidgeted. Jason could still see the faint glimmer of tears in her eyes. The same tortured look flitted across her face. This wasn't the effervescent, confident girl that he remembered.

  What happened to her?

  “That's fine. I’ll call you when this is over,” he said finally, some of the coldness leaving his voice.

  “Great,” Riley answered, looking relieved and slightly hopeful. “I’ll see you later then Jason.”

  She pulled up the system menu in the air in front of her. Before she hit the logout button, she looked over at Jason one last time. In spite of her haggard appearance and the tears that glistened in her eyes, she grinned ever so slightly.

  “Remember I won't be here to save you again; try not to lose the war.”

  Then she disappeared.

  Chapter 31 - Recovering

  Robert was sitting on the raised dais in the middle of the control room, gazing steadily at the large screen hovering over the room. The screen was currently divided into a grid of sixteen different player perspectives. Periodically, Robert would stuff some popcorn in his mouth. All of the techs in the room had stopped what they were doing and were also staring at the screen from different positions around the room.

  The screens showed various views of the field in front of the Twilight Throne and the last minute preparations of the army that was about to lay siege to the city. It was awe inspiring to see the magnitude of the assault on the walls. Giant siege engines had been built and were being rolled onto the field, while the soldiers and players were sorting themselves into orderly ranks.

  Claire walked into the control and paused as she saw what Robert was doing, “What is this Robert? Are those player cameras? You know we can't access the cameras unless they violate the terms of service!”

  Robert glanced over at her and grinned. “I'm investigating the several dozen player reports that we have received in the last twenty-four hours. You know as well as I do that someone has allegedly been hacking the game.” He chuckled at this last part while shaking his head.

  “So far I haven't seen any evidence of hacking. But I could! I need to be vigilant,” he said in a solemn tone before stuffing more popcorn in his mouth. He turned back to Claire and waved at the screen. “Besides, this gives us front row seats to the war!”

  Claire frowned. However, what Robert was doing could be justified in a convoluted way. They had received numerous reports over the last few days that Jason was exploiting the game. The reports had all come from the players that were traveling to the Twilight Throne. She had seen some of the tactics Jason had used, and she shuddered slightly. Claire
knew he hadn’t hacked the game, but she wasn't certain she was comfortable with what he had actually been doing.

  “Oh, it’s starting!” Robert said excitedly. The room hushed and all eyes turned the screen. Even Claire grudgingly took a seat beside Robert.

  Alexion gave a moving speech to his troops, which was met with a rising cheer. As the roar of the soldiers petered out, a lingering silence fell over the field. The undead simply stared at the troops, and the army began to shift anxiously.

  “You have to give Jason credit,” Robert murmured into the silence, “The guy knows how to wage one hell of a psychological war.” A few techs nodded in agreement. They had all seen what Jason had done to the NPCs and players on the journey to the Twilight Throne.

  As the uncomfortable silence lengthened, Alexion finally ordered his troops forward and the siege commenced. It was incredible to see so many soldiers and NPCs running at the walls of the city. Claire let out a sharp breath, her eyes were glued to the screen.

  “What is that?” Robert cried, pointing at a camera in the corner of the screen. “Enlarge it!”

  A single perspective filled the screen. It was a player standing at the trebuchets. Hulking, black skeleton warriors were hurtling toward the siege engines. Their footsteps caused the ground to tremble and their tails lashed the air behind them.

  “Oh shit! What the hell are those?” the player exclaimed in a frightened tone. The camera tilted, as he backpedaled away from the oncoming skeletons. His retreat was stopped and the camera jumped, probably because the player had backed into something. The camera turned to reveal a wooden bulwark behind the player. Another roar ripped through the air, and the player whipped his head back to the oncoming skeletons.

  The staff watched as the skeletons crashed into the line of soldiers. Claire gasped as she saw the carnage caused by the Death Knight's initial charge. The player looked to his side, watching as his friend was impaled on a bone shield and slammed against the bulwark. The camera turned back to the left, catching sight of another Death Knight that was hurtling towards the player with its horned head lowered. The Death Knight struck the player, and his camera went black.

  “Damn it! Find another camera!” Robert ordered the tech.

  After a few long moments, a new perspective resolved on screen. This player was standing at the eastern tree line and watching the now burning trebuchets in the distance. Due to the time compression, the fight around the siege weapons had already ended. The new player could make out the forms of the Death Knights as they let out a roar of triumph and raised their swords into the air. Zombies stood inside the wooden bulwark, letting out their own howling roar.

  “Charge!” yelled a nearby player. The group sprinted from the tree line, attacking the dark skeletons and zombies from behind. Fireballs and bolts of ice flew through the air, striking bone and rotting flesh.

  Robert's fist slammed into his arm chair as he saw the ambush from Alexion's forces. It was clear to the staff watching the screen that the Death Knights had been severely weakened by the initial charge on the trebuchets. They wouldn’t be able to take another full-fledged confrontation.

  “Is this it?” Robert muttered. “Jason’s force is going to get wiped out!”

  Then the game froze for a moment, and the screen stuttered. The staff watched with mouths agape as the Death Knights and corpses were ripped apart. A cloud of bones flew through the air toward the cemetery. Then the ground of the graveyard erupted in a fountain of dirt and bones. The maelstrom of bones centered on the roof of one of the tombs in the graveyard, swirling in a gigantic vortex. The cloud was so dense that the group in the control room couldn't make out what was happening.

  “Is that Jason? He must be standing on that tomb,” Robert’s voice sounded loudly in the hushed silence that had fallen over the control room.

  The vortex resolved itself into a monstrosity of bone. The horror roared as it stretched its new body, clutching at its two-handed bone scythe. Its form towered over the walls of the graveyard, obscuring the tomb where Jason stood. The camera tilted for a moment, as the player stumbled backwards away from the skeletal terror that stood before him.

  “W-what is that thing? It looks like a demon…” the player muttered, his voice trembling with fear.

  The creature turned its head toward the ambushing group. Its face contorted in a cruel smile. Without warning, the demon dashed directly toward the soldiers. Its enormous form approached at a frightening pace.

  “Oh fuck!” the player shouted. The camera turned as the player tried to run. “Oh god! Run!”

  Then the camera tilted erratically as the player tumbled to the ground. Wisps of shriveled grass appeared horizontally in the camera's field of view, and blood rained around him. The screen went dark.

  The group in the control room sat in mute amazement. Finally, Robert's voice croaked, “Another camera.”

  The dumbstruck tech pulled up another camera. The new player was looking directly into the swirling vortexes of dark energy that were the creature’s eyes. They seemed so close. Too close. A manic grin was painted on the bone demon's face. The player let out a scream as the creature pulled him closer.

  “Please! No!” the player begged to no avail. Within seconds the creature’s teeth sank around his neck. The screen went dark once more.

  Everyone in the control room was still. They weren’t certain how to process what was happening on the screen.

  “What the fuck is that thing?” Claire finally asked, horror in her voice. It was unusual to hear her cuss, and some of the techs looked at her in shock. A few people used this opportunity to leave the room, shaking their heads. This was too much for them.

  “Sir,” one of the techs said, “The game forums and live streams have exploded with traffic. The servers for some of the streaming sites have crashed. Even our servers are starting to hit capacity. Everyone is watching this.”

  He shook his head. “Literally everyone.”

  Robert's face was a mask of amazement. “Find me another camera. Maybe one a little further away from the fight this time.”

  The screen resolved back into color. The new player was standing in the main army and was casting a spell at the defenders on the wall. Suddenly, a roar erupted from behind him and he turned. The bone demon was now drenched in blood and was racing toward the rear line of troops. As the demon ran, he grabbed at zombies beside him, hurling them towards the army.

  Right before the zombies landed, they exploded in a cascading ring of shrapnel and dark energy. Players and NPCs were torn apart by the explosion and their skin melted. The camera tilted and spun as the player was knocked down by the aftershocks of the explosions. When he looked back up, the demon was laying waste to the army. Its large scythe swung in a whirlwind of death and blood.

  “How are we supposed to fight that thing…?” the player murmured in shock.

  A golden glow enveloped the player. He turned to see a knight, clad in shining steel armor, racing through the line of troops. The knight’s eyes shone a brilliant gold and bands of light wound around his body. Alexion had arrived. He challenged the demon, brandishing his sword.

  Turning to the small shining man, the bone demon grinned grotesquely. It roared into the dark sky that hung over the field. A bolt of lightning struck the ground, and the screen flashed a blinding white. When the player's vision returned, Alexion's steel-clad body lay a couple dozen yards away.

  Alexion slowly pulled himself from the ground and cast a spell that transformed his sword into a flaming greatsword. He turned and rushed at the bone demon.

  “Damn this is entertaining,” Robert said into the quiet room as he lifted more popcorn into his mouth.

  If the summoning had been spectacular, the showdown between the bone demon and Alexion was downright extraordinary. The two figures clashed on screen with mighty, ringing swings of their weapons. The crowd in the control room and gamers around the world watched in wonder as the fight unfolded.

  Finally, A
lexion stood victorious over the demon, and his sword sunk into its skull. Dark energy swirled in the air. Grumbles of discontent filtered through the control room. Most of the staff were actually rooting for Jason and were disappointed that Alexion now stood victorious. Money changed hands surreptitiously to the gloating expressions of the staff who had bet on Alexion.

  Alexion lifted his helmet off his head and thrust his sword into the air triumphantly. A roar went up among the NPCs and soldiers. Some of the techs shook their heads in disappointment, turning back to their screens.

  “What the hell!” Robert yelled, spewing half-eaten popcorn on the desk in front of him.

  A dozen pairs of eyes were whipped back to the screen. Where Alexion's head had once stood, only a bloody stump remained. A blood-filled mist hung around his form as dark energy whipped and crawled over his armored corpse. As the body finally crumpled to the ground, the staff could make out a petite blond girl standing behind Alexion and holding a bow. Her eyes glowed a dark obsidian and a vicious smile was painted on her face.

  “God I love this game,” Robert said as the other techs yelled at the screen in confusion.

  Then undead rushed from the tree lines on both sides of the gate. Dark spells and arrows streaked toward the players as screams filled the air. The camera turned to watch the onrushing horde, and the sword of an undead soldiers met the player’s neck. The screen went dark.

  “Are there any other cameras?” Robert asked frantically.

  The tech shook his head as he frantically typed away at his computer terminal. “They're dying too quickly. I can't connect to a camera for more than a few seconds.” Long minutes passed as short clips played across the screen. The gist of the battle was clear from those brief snapshots. The army was being massacred. The tech continued typing frantically.

  “Wait here's one!” he called out, slumping against the back of his chair.

  The screen settled on a single viewpoint. The player was lying on the ground, watching as blood rained from the black sky. Corpses of players and NPCs lay all around him. The remaining NPCs and players were running desperately for the tree line. The undead around the player raised their weapons into the air and let out a howling cry into the night. Thunder peeled over the city as lightning flashed between the dark clouds.