Dre made to rush toward Sidrie, but the guards intercepted him. “Talk to me, please!” he shouted. “Tell me… tell me they’re alright. Please!” His thoughts spun. He imagined the worst of things.
“Let this be a lesson to speak to me with the utmost respect.” Sidrie’s voice was steel. “To curb your tongue in my presence. I hold your futures in my hands. You can discover their condition if you manage to clear the Sanctum. Fail and you would prove useless to me. So would they.” She turned on her heels and strode away.
Dre was left weeping. His legs were weak. A guard took him by the arm and led him to the pod room. He felt lost as he climbed into the pod, the polymer cold against his skin, his mind occupied by Mom, Regina, Rayne, and Kai. Forcing himself to think good thoughts, to imagine them together somewhere free and safe, he waited for Total Immersion to kick in.
CHAPTER 28
Frost opened his eyes. Only to discover Ryne’s hideous green face looming over him. Frost shied away. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Checking on you.” The goblin leered, exposing yellowed teeth and noxious breath. “Frost’s awake,” he called out.
“So are the others,” said Adesh Hamada’s voice.
Frost sat up, head filled with thoughts of Mom, the twins, and Kai. Filled with worry. Dread. I gotta find out how they’re doing. And he had an idea how to do just that.
Eyes narrowed, he took in his surroundings. He was on a straw bed laid out on hard-packed dirt in a long, narrow abode of some sort, its walls a combination of wood and straw. Near Frost was a totem carved in a vague resemblance of a chimera and a drake locked in battle. Cool air entered by way of open doors, one at each long end, a lone window, and a hole in the roof.
Gilda was in the act of sitting up on a bench a few feet from him. Dante leaned on a nearby wooden beam. Frost saw no sign of Saba. Someone had stacked their weapons, armor, and clothes in a corner.
A dark-complexioned man, no taller than four feet, dressed in skins and a cloak, fussed over a cauldron at the center of the house. His body was powerful and stocky, his legs disproportionately short, his gangly, muscular arms reaching to his knees. He sported a wooly beard and green eyes. Frost frowned at the man’s skin. It had a strange texture. Stony in appearance.
A bouquet of spices and the mouthwatering scent of food filled the air. Soup, if Frost wasn’t mistaken. His stomach grumbled.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“A hut,” Ryne said matter-of-factly.
“No shit.” With a sigh, Frost climbed to his feet. “I can see that. But where exactly?
Adesh Hamada spoke. “We’re among allies on Maelpith Island. One of the dvergr tribes I spoke of.”
“What happened?”
“You four were knocked unconscious when the simurgh crashed,” Adesh said. “We searched all night for you and did not find you until this morning. It was as if you disappeared. Strangely enough, we found you all in places we swore we had already looked. Unfortunately, such a fate was not to be for Pashere. He did not make it.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Frost said.
“He died doing what he loved.” Adesh Hamada drew an X over his heart. “May Nif keep his soul.”
Frost repeated the gesture. He took in the home once more, stopping at the stone-skinned dvergr. “Where’s Saba?”
“Outside. She woke before you did.” Adesh gestured to the dvergr who put a wooden spoon to his lips to taste the soup. “Einarr is the leader of this particular tribe. He and his shamans took care of you.”
“Thanks.” Frost dipped his head to Einarr.
“You are most welcome,” Einarr said, voice a low rumble. “Any enemy of the Coalition is a friend of ours.”
“Speaking of enemies… what happened to the Deathguards?” Frost eyed Gilda, who’d gone over to the pile of belongings to retrieve her clothes and disc-shaped chakrams. A certain warmth rose when he took her in, her sky-blue skin, the shape of her face, her mouth, the curve of her horns.
“We lost them in the storm,” Ryne said. “Hopefully, they’re dead and gone.”
“It does not matter if they met their end.” Adesh Hamada shook his head, braided locks as neat as ever. “Nomarchs Botros and Pansa will send more men to hunt us.”
“Just means we gotta be ready,” Frost said. “Gilda, can I have a sec?”
“Sure.” Gilda had put on her white shirt, black-studded jacket, and matching pants. She hung her disc-shaped chakrams from the loops on her belt at either hip.
“You should eat first.” Einarr indicated the steaming cauldron. “A man cannot function properly on an angry belly.”
“Alright,” Frost said. Not that he needed much encouragement. His stomach had already decided.
Soon enough, he, Gilda, and Dante were wolfing down bowls of spicy soup. It was thick and filled with vegetables and bits of meat. And it was utterly delicious.
While on his second helping, Frost asked Gilda to join him outside. He finished up, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, thanked Einarr again, got dressed in his gambeson and brigandine, and headed for the door with Deadeye in hand. He ducked through the opening.
The air outside the hut was cool, fresh, and damp. Frost found himself among a dozen identical homes built on a ridge overlooking a forest. Dvergr men and women went about their business, not even sparing the two eradae a glance. Children, however, pointed and giggled. A few of them were over in an open space playing with Saba.
Frost tried to get his bearings amid the day’s gloom. The sky had thrown on a gray blanket, blotting out the sun, while the nearby mountain had donned a matching cloak and hood. Clouds argued with each other in a display of radiating thunderbolts; their voices cracked and rumbled.
“What’s up?” Gilda asked.
Frost twisted the Two Ring twice to the left. A part of him wanted to lash out, to blame her and her people for endangering Mom. Another part of him wanted to touch her. Hold her hand. Kiss her.
He sighed. “I doubt they coulda expected it, but when your people used the EMP to shut down Equitane’s systems, it did the same to my mother’s medical equipment.”
Slack-jawed, she covered her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I’m sure they didn’t know.” She shook her head vigorously. “They couldn’t have.” She touched his hand. He found the touch comforting. “You have to believe me.”
“I do.” He twined his fingers with hers for a moment.
“How is she and the twins?” Gilda asked.
“Sidrie wouldn’t tell me. She said I’ll find out if I clear the Sanctum.”
“That bitch is evil.”
“That’s too nice a word for her.” Frost let out a breath. “You said you had someone on the inside. Think you can contact them to find out how my mother and sister are doing?”
“I could pass word to one of ours who isn’t playing in Total Immersion, but that won’t be until we’re off the island. I have to meet them in person.”
Frost sighed. And then had the spark of another idea. “Give me their IGN. I could use the Communication Orb.”
She shook her head. “The ring’s masking effect doesn’t work for messages. The admins would see. And before you mention using some kind of secret message, there isn’t any code Estela couldn’t crack. It would expose all of us.”
Deflated, Frost closed his eyes for a moment. Worry for his family hung like a weight upon his shoulders. There was but one thing left to do. Level up and beat Imanok Sanctum. He turned the aether ring the opposite direction to deactivate.
A ding in Frost’s mind announced a message via Communication Orb. A voice recording from Meritus. With a mere thought, Meritus’ voice piped into Frost’s ear.
“Yo, homie, it’s ya boy, Meritus. We got to the sanctuary in Korbash without any issues. The gargants have been very
welcoming. You should see the size of some of them over here. The Blue Sky members have also been gracious. Tia is settling in nicely. Blue Sky has a crazy operation over here. Can’t wait for you to check it out. Stay safe and kick some ass for me.”
Family Trials
To Save a Sister
Objective Complete
Tia’s safety acquired:
3000 experience points
Family Trials Passed:
7000 experience points
Gained 500 Khertahka dominion credits
Level 6 gained
Frost smiled. His chest swelled with the sense of accomplishment and relief. “Tia and Meritus made it.”
“Awesome,” Gilda said.
With that task completed, there came a certain freedom. “Time for me to focus on leveling up.”
“I know you like soloing, but it’ll be better if you and I group up. Exp will be faster,” Gilda said. “Remember, the mobs are elite,” she added, even as he opened his mouth to protest.
For all of a moment Frost thought about still denying her. But he knew he’d enjoy her company. With the way Mom’s condition weighed on him, Gilda’s presence would be a welcome distraction. Not to mention her fighting skills and knowledge of the island. And the fact that she was right about the exp.
“Alright.” He envisioned only himself and Gilda in the group and IM made it so.
“We shall all go,” Adesh Hamada said.
Startled, Frost turned. He hadn’t heard the sorcerer approach. Ryne and Dante stood behind Adesh.
Einarr was off to one side speaking to two dvergar, a woman armed with a sword and a man with a bow. Both of them were dressed in gray-green shirts and wide-legged trousers. Their boots were leather.
“Einarr’s warriors will show us to a good hunting area,” Adesh Hamada said. “They will also ensure we are not ambushed by the Coalition. When you reach the desired level, we will head to the Sanctum. In exchange, they want our help to solve a problem with some monsters.”
Frost frowned. “What problem? What kinda monsters?”
“Korbitoises. They are part of the secret to the dvergar’s korbitanium stockpiles. The creatures eat korbitanium, and the metal becomes part of their shells and armor-like skin,” Adesh Hamada said. “The dvergar typically harvest them, but of late the korbitoises have bred faster than they can be killed because the tribes have sent off the majority of their casters and marksmen to fight the Coalition. Now, the dvergar are low on metal for weapons and armor.”
“So, they want us to kill a bunch of these things?”
“Yes.”
“No prob.” Frost nodded. The moment Frost agreed, he became aware of a quest line for the korbitoises.
Frost and the others got their backpacks while the dvergar prepared for the mission. Gilda and Saba went about preparing potions and vials with the herbs they’d purchased in Kituan. When the two women finished, they handed some out to their group. They all filled the pouches on their belts with the corresponding consumables and put the remainders in their inventories.
When the dvergar were ready, the two expedition leaders introduced themselves. The green-eyed woman was Dagrun. She wore her hair in a spiked mohawk. The man, Gunarr, had bright red braids and a bushy beard to match. His bow was twice as tall as he. In half an hour they set off, Dagrun and Gunarr leading a company of twenty warriors clad in mismatched bits of armor.
“Saba, Dante,” Frost said, as they wove their way single file down a rock-strewn path. “Because of the Sanctum’s scaling, we can’t afford for either of you to level up, so I’m gonna keep y’all out of the group. Plus, I need as much exp as I can muster.”
“Lovely,” Dante grumbled. “I get to watch you two have all the fun.”
“There’s gonna be plenty for you once we’re inside,” Frost said.
“There better be.” Dante scowled in Ryne’s direction. “Gnome’s been getting all the good action.”
“I knew you were jealous of me, Big Foot.” Ryne grinned mischievously. “Not my fault you don’t get a treat. That you aren’t light on your feet. I’ll let you in on a secret.” Ryne lowered his deep voice. “You need to go on a diet.” He made a circular motion in front of his belly to imitate an oversized gut. “And your armor is too shiny.”
Frost, Gilda, and Saba chuckled. Dante grumbled something obscene. The banter between the two continued, helping Frost to push the real world to the back of his mind.
They soon descended onto grassy plains surrounded by hills. Dagrun and Gunarr dispatched the dvergar to act as lookouts. When satisfied with lookout positions, the two headed over to Frost and his group.
Dagrun pointed. “There. Up on the slopes. Do you see them?”
Frost squinted. Scores of huge slow-moving four-legged creatures traversed a hillside, skin mottled dark green and gray. Spiked shells formed humps upon their backs. On all fours, they were as tall as an average man.
Some got up on two legs to survey the land, elongated necks stretching out, triangular heads ending in thick pointed black beaks. The korbitoises stood at least eight feet tall then, revealing that the spiked shells also covered their underbellies.
Several plodded over to a cliff-face glinting with metallic deposits. They gouged the formation with their beaks and proceeded to chew. Others entered caves along the slopes.
“Looks like Bowser had babies,” Dante said.
Frost smiled at the comparison. He jutted his chin toward the beasts. “Dagrun, those things look pretty tough. How do you kill them?”
“The head and neck are their weaknesses,” the woman replied, voice raspy. “Especially the neck. Our sorcerers or archers wait for one to stand, then they shoot it when its neck is stretched. A perfect shot below the chin kills it instantly.” She pointed to her jugular notch, the dip where her collarbones met.
“Any other place on the neck means a wound that prevents the creature from withdrawing into its shell, which sends it into a frenzy,” she continued. “Our warriors have to get in close to finish them, then. And it usually gets messy.”
“You’re not killing them with one shot, Frost,” Saba said. “Not at your level. Not without a more powerful weapon. This sounds like a job with my name on it.”
“Except we can’t have you leveling up,” Frost reminded her.
“Oh, yeah.” Saba sighed.
“Any other options?” Frost asked Gunarr.
“No. Fail to hit the exact spot and the thing pulls into its shell, rolls into a ball, and attacks,” the red-bearded man said. “The only way to stop it then is to strike its head while it spins. Some of them also spit chewed korbitanium the size of a fist. Seen it knock a man dead or pierce armor. Some can hurl the spikes on their backs.”
Frost could picture the horror. A massive spiked ball of near-impenetrable korbitanium crashing into and rolling over someone. Or those thick bits of metal hurtling through the air to pierce someone’s chest. He multiplied the scenario by dozens. “Do they defend or attack as a group?”
“Yes. But only if you make the mistake of attacking one that is too close to another, incurring the hate of the second,” Gunarr answered. “Or if you use an Area of Effect ability that hits more than one.”
Frost sighed. “No AOEs, then.”
Saba was right, although he would never admit that to her. It would take him several shots to finish a korbitoise, particularly since he was forced to use single target attacks. Also, to get proper credit and full exp for the kill, he could not have any of the warriors finish the job. This had to be done by himself and Gilda. He began calculating.
“What’re you thinking?” Gilda asked.
“A combo between us. You cast Stalactite or Stalagmite, since both stun for six seconds each.”
“Mine stuns for eight seconds,” Gild
a said. “They have Duration and Tenacity shards.”
“Even better.” He stroked his chin. “And if I’m understanding IM correctly… Tenacity means damage doesn’t break the stun.”
She nodded. “You got it right.”
“Here’s the plan,” Frost said. “You cast either stun first. Then follow with Fire or Ice Globes since they’re instacasts with no recharge like my Korbitanium Projectile. After you cast the Globes, I’m gonna fire off a Projectile followed by an Aether Shot, both of which have greater velocity than your spells. Timed well, they should strike almost simultaneously. We’ll continue with a couple more instacasts.
“Then you stun again, and we repeat. That should do the trick. Nice and simple.”
Gilda nodded. “I can also throw in a Flame Column and an Infernal Spear since they’re both single target.”
“Sounds good,” Frost said. “Alright, Dagrun. Let’s go.”
“Follow us.” Dagrun waved Frost on and headed left toward one of the lesser populated hillsides. “We’ll show you how we do it.”
Soon enough, the group was creeping along the slope, utilizing rocks, shrubs, and sporadic trees for cover. Whenever a korbitoise stood, everyone froze in place as instructed by Gunarr. They set off again when it dropped back onto all fours.
Gunarr and Dagrun had them stop behind a massive tree. A korbitoise was on the trunk’s other side less than fifty feet away.
“Watch. Learn,” Gunarr said. The short, stocky dvergr unlimbered his bow. He nocked an arrow and stood with his back to the bole.
Dagrun was on his other side, peeking at the korbitoises. Frost squatted down to make himself roughly the same height as the dvergr and eased his head over until he could see. The korbitoise was busy chewing on korbitanium deposits. It stopped and stood on its hind legs, its neck outstretched.
“Now,” Dagrun hissed.
In one smooth movement, Gunarr stepped from behind the tree, aimed, and loosed. An arrow streaked through the air and plunged into the korbitoise’s neck several inches up from where the shell ended, a spot where the gray and green merged to form a darker blotch. Green blood spurted into the air. The creature pitched over on its side and rolled end over end down the slope until it settled at the bottom. It did not move again.
Void Legion Page 29
