by Sam Ferguson
Granted, Terramyr was only a VR setting, but the shark fin still took the beauty out of the sea for Brian. He’d much rather face the fire kraken again. It was illogical, he knew, but that’s how his brain worked.
Grasping for anything to take his mind off of the shark, he turned to Mike and asked, “How is Rhonda liking the site?”
“She loves it,” Mike said. “Plenty of equipment for her studies. She’s already collected several monkey-puzzle tree bark samples, some rare ferns, and found a couple of beetles to examine too. And, I dare say I didn’t mind it when she asked me to join her in the hot tub either.”
Hot tub! “You dog!” Brian snapped.
“No, no, not like that. She mostly just wanted my help cleaning it and preparing it for use. It hadn’t been turned on since the hotel was evacuated. But it was simple enough, and we sat there drinking lemonade and watching the stars.”
“Anything happen?” Brian prodded. Secretly he hoped the answer was no, of course. Brian’s crush on Rhonda had started from the first moment he saw her. Beautiful, dark skin, a smile to light up any room, and a laugh that was both delicate and slightly quirky. All of this, to say nothing of her body. She wasn’t just an excellent academic, she was also a track star. Never made it past competing for her undergrad alma mater, but she still kept up her training, and Brian could only imagine that had he been the one in the hot tub, the stars would have been the last thing he would have watched.
“Nah, she talked about the local vegetation mostly. Asked me about my home life, the usual stuff. We both chatted about Meredith too. Seems like no one likes that lady.”
They both shared a laugh.
“We’re coming up on it,” Mike said. They stopped jumping and crested over a sandy hill as the coast stretched out westward before them. The marker was due south, taking them back into the forest, but it appeared to be just a couple hundred yards away. As they pushed into the forest, they saw a campfire. Three large humanoids sat around the fire and one more patrolled the outside perimeter. In the camp there was a man stuck inside a cage made of wooden bars.
“Orcs,” Mike guessed.
“If you sneak around to the east of the camp, I can switch into my assassin armor. Then I can sneak up and try to assassinate the sentry. You come in and join the fight after you see the others move.”
“Done and done,” Mike said. He turned and crept along the forest floor, careful to go around bushes and other noisy plants. Brian moved a bit farther to the west and then changed into his assassin armor.
[Leather Morr’Tai initiate hood equipped. Stealth +10 Armor +13]
[Leather Morr’Tai initiate hauberk equipped. Armor +13]
[Leather Morr’Tai initiate trousers equipped. Armor +13]
[Leather Morr’Tai initiate gloves equipped. Armor +13]
[Leather Morr’Tai initiate boots equipped. Armor +13]
Time for some fun. Brian snuck between the trees toward the back of the camp. The closer he got, the clearer he could hear the prisoner.
“Please, let me go, I’ll pay you!” he pleaded.
Brian crept along a patch of bushes and waited patiently for the patrolling orc to come into view around the south side of the camp. He walked with a long spear, dressed in a chain mail shirt, but regular trousers and boots. The orc turned northward and walked about ten feet in front of Brian, totally oblivious to him. Slipping out around the bushes, he equipped his dagger.
[Iron longsword unequipped. Slashing damage -14]
[Feathersteel dagger equipped. Attack +9 piercing/slashing]
He approached the orc silently, waiting until he was right up on the creature before attacking. Brian’s avatar reached up, muffled the orc’s mouth, and slit the orc’s throat in one smooth move, then gently lowered the corpse to the ground.
[+100 XP]
[ Stealth +1]
Two hundred total XP. Brian counted in his head. The hundred for gaining a stealth level wasn’t overtly counted like the hundred for slaying the orc, but he knew if he checked his stat sheet, he’d now see his experience would be up to four thousand, nine hundred. Brian looted the body, but frowned when he saw that the chain mail was broken. It provided less protection than his leather hauberk and was worthless to sell.
Had he been an armorer, perhaps he could have used it for scrap, but as it was there was no point to taking it. He took the spear and the three gold pieces he found, then watched as the body despawned.
He then moved close to the rear of the camp’s tent, inching around so he could just make out the first orc. Seeing that its back was to him, Brian moved in a bit closer, using a small fern for cover.
The orcs spoke to each other in their guttural language, but since Brian couldn’t speak orcish he had no concept of what they were saying. Perhaps Chris would have been able to gain additional insight based on the orcs’ conversation, but he wasn’t there. Brian gauged his distance to the three orcs and figured he could likely sneak up and have just enough time to assassinate one of the sitting orcs before the others would stand up and attack. It was a gamble, but it was worth it.
“Let me out! Please!” the man in the cage beyond the fire called out.
All three orcs turned to look at the man, giving Brian the opportunity he needed. He rushed as fast as his sneaking avatar could go. Just as the far orc started to turn back around after shouting something at the prisoner, Brian was able to strike the closest orc. Knife to the throat. Repetitive, but effective.
[+100 XP]
The other two orcs leapt to their feet. One drew a longsword and the other an axe. Brian stood up and dodged the first axe swing, turning and scoring a light gash on the second orc with his dagger that dropped about a third of the orc’s HP.
The axe came in hard and heavy. Brian lost a third of his own HP and staggered backward several feet. His eyes shot open wide when he saw his stamina bar drop to zero. The orc had stunned him! No matter what he did, his avatar wouldn’t move—bright spots played around the viewable space like stars circling his head.
The orcs moved in, but before they could reach him, a fire bolt slammed into the wounded, axe-wielding orc. The orc’s HP bar dropped to twenty percent and he fell to his knees.
The third orc stopped and turned to face Mike. Mike threw another fire bolt, but the third orc dodged to the side and then produced a javelin. He threw the weapon at Mike, who took a direct hit to the shoulder. The javelin protruded grotesquely, swinging and bobbing as Mike moved around and tried to flank the third orc.
As the second orc started to rise up, Brian’s avatar regained his stamina and was able to move again.
[Feathersteel dagger unequipped. Attack -9 piercing/slashing]
[Iron longsword equipped. Slashing damage +14]
Brian rushed in and swung with his sword, catching the orc in the shoulder and severing the orc’s arm. The limb fell to the ground in a spray of blood and the lifeless orc body fell to the side. Brian continued onward, not stopping to admire his handiwork as Mike cast another fire bolt at the final orc. The orc dodged to the side, and suddenly the fire bolt was heading straight for Brian. Brian only barely managed to somersault below the hurtling fire bolt, and then he came up right behind the orc as the orc pulled out another javelin and prepared to throw it at Mike.
Brian hacked into the orc’s back. Instead of seeing the normal swing, Brian was pulled out from his avatar just enough to watch a mini cut scene. Brian’s blade stabbed into the orc’s back and erupted through the chest. His avatar lifted the orc from the ground, and then used a front kick to push the lifeless body from the blade.
“Well done,” Mike said. “For a level-four guy.”
[+100 XP]
Brian frowned. “I think they have that dynamic XP split system,” he said. “Each of the first two orcs were worth a hundred XP when I killed them. But then the last two together only came out to a hundred XP. So I assume it split the last two evenly, since you joined the battle at that time and had a successful acti
on.”
Mike shrugged. “I like the system. It makes it fair for large quests like dragon hunting and stuff. If I hadn’t joined the fight, you probably would have gotten all the XP. But… you also might be dead with no XP at all.” He smiled broadly.
“I suppose it’s better than giving all the XP to whoever makes the killing blow,” Brian admitted. “If that had been the case, I would have gotten all four hundred XP then too, even though you helped.”
“Helped?” Mike laughed. “I saved your life. No way you could have beaten the last two after that one stunned you like he did. You needed time to pull out your sword and stuff.”
“True,” Brian admitted.
“Nice armor though,” Mike commented. “I can’t even see your gamer tag. It helps add mystery to the whole assassin thing.”
“Yeah, it’s fun.” Brian moved over to start looting the orcs. “Each piece is a base eleven defense points. I have a level-one armor mastery skill point, so that adds two to each one as well.”
“Not bad,” Mike said. “Soon you’ll be an assassin tank slicing throats and taking all the damage so I can waltz in and finish off the big monsters like the Jathler that trapped us in the cave.”
Brian snickered. “I think that will be a while yet. Let’s just focus on getting the books first.”
“HELP!” shouted the NPC in the cage.
“Almost forgot about him,” Mike said.
“He can wait.” Brian looted two of the orcs, gaining an iron axe and a total of seven gold coins.
The prisoner kept repeating his pleas for help.
Mike investigated the camp and found a small lockbox. He knelt in front and went to work with his lockpick set. “Twenty gold and a couple of small rubies,” he announced.
Brian knew Mike well enough that the gold was likely double what he claimed it to be, but it didn’t bother him. Mike was always a team player when it mattered most. Going over to the cage, he struck the lock with his sword. The lock shattered and the door fell open.
“Oh thank you!” the NPC said as he clapped his hands together.
“Where’s the book?” Brian asked.
The NPC froze and his eyes went wide. He turned and pointed to a spot on the ground next to the campfire. “It’s over there, the orcs took it. I don’t know if they could read it, but I think they were trying to use it on me.”
Mike started laughing as he moved to it and picked it up. “It’s a cookbook,” he said. “Deidra Dii’s Famous Satyr Recipes.”
Brian chuckled and shook his head.
Frowning, the NPC folded his arms. “You mean you came to rescue the book and not me?”
“Oh, you’re important too,” Mike said as he approached, “just apparently not as valuable to the Order of Anorit.”
“Well, my name is Bergint Featherstone. If you can provide me safe passage back to Fezhik, I can reward you handsomely.”
“Ugh, I hate escort missions. They’re always so slow,” Brian said.
“No worries, I’ll do it,” Mike said eagerly. A little too eagerly.
“You know something I don’t?”
“Let’s just say that there was a certain house I couldn’t open last night. And now that the owner is here, I am hoping I can get in and... reward us appropriately for our troubles.”
Brian smiled. “Sounds like a deal. You’d be better at protecting him anyway. I’ll go for the other book.” Brian opened his map. Three of the book locations now had green dots instead of red, indicating that only one remained to be collected. “Looks like Rhonda and Augustin are done. I’ll meet you back at the save point as soon as I can.”
Mike accepted the quest to escort Bergint Featherstone back to Fezhik, and the two took off through the woods. Brian shook his head as Bergint went on and on about how smelly the orcs were, how terribly fearsome they were, and how much he really hated the thought of never again seeing his pug back home.
Brian noted the fourth book was another five miles south near what appeared to be a cliff on the map. Setting his marker, he went off in as straight a line as possible. Going the rest of the way alone, he wanted to make sure he kept his wits about him. He was not about to lose his progress by dying out in the forest somewhere just to turn up empty handed at the save point.
As he crossed over a small stream, he found a single buck grazing on the grass.
Crouching down, he equipped his shortbow, but before he could line up a shot, an arrow came in from the side and took the animal down. Moments later a pair of tall, muscular centaurs strode into view. The red dot above their bodies confirmed Brian’s suspicion that they were well beyond his capabilities to take on alone.
He waited until they harvested the carcass and then doubled back in the direction they had come from. He crept through the trees until he could verify that they were off chasing game headed away from him before he resumed his journey toward the mountain a few more miles to the south.
At first all he could see were glimpses of the rocky mountain base through the trees, but about three hundred yards before the mountain the trees broke and allowed him a full view. He looked up to the peak, some two thousand feet up by his best estimate, and noted a dark silhouette circling the top. From this distance he couldn’t tell what it was for sure. It was likely too early in the game to be a dragon. So perhaps a young drake, or maybe another manticore or a griffon perhaps. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to attract its attention while climbing the mountain toward the book.
Studying the base, he observed a couple of raptors chasing a herd of mountain goats up along the western slopes. Fortunately they were heading southward. Brian sighed. Perhaps he should have accepted the escort mission.
“Nothing to do about it now,” he said. He crept through the trees, scanning the mountain for the cliff face shown on the map. Toward the center of the northern face, he saw it. The slope rose up a couple hundred yards and then stopped at the base of a two-hundred-foot-tall cliff. Near the top of the cliff was a single ledge that led to a cave.
“This better not be some monster lair.” Brian equipped his sword again, assuming that any fighting needing doing would befall him quickly. He then gave the clearing before the mountain one more scan and then made a run for it.
He scared a couple of bunnies and a lone red fox, but otherwise he made it to the mountain without incident.
He ascended the northern face, avoiding a coiled serpent that raised its head and hissed at him from ten yards to his left. He let it live, but made a mental note that other snakes could easily be hiding themselves along the rocks.
Small scorpions, spiders, and lizards scurried about the mountain slope around him, but none of them registered with names or HP bars as they were clearly meant to be part of the ambient environment.
A gentle breeze flowed in from the east, carrying a chill with it that gave Brian goosebumps for a moment. When he reached the cliff base he stood at the bottom and looked up. There were handholds, but he couldn’t be sure his stamina bar would last long enough for him to reach the top. Likely better to circle up the steep slopes on one of the sides of the cliff. Then he could climb down the twenty or thirty feet to the cave entrance. Even if he fell partway before reaching the ledge, he could probably survive that.
He clambered up the left side of the cliff. He needed to lean forward to maintain his balance, but it was easy enough. Nothing like the exhaustion of climbing an actual mountain. A trek that could have taken over an hour of real time was done within three minutes with hardly a noticeable impact on his character’s stamina bar. He moved onto the precipice, a twenty-foot-wide swath of rough stone with cracks and jagged bits running along the entire length of the cliff. A few boulders held back the occasional shale slide that had accumulated over time in the environment. Brian almost found himself analyzing the stone patterns, but quickly refocused his mind to the task at hand. He turned to the cliff’s edge and walked as close as he dared, then leaned over to look down. The ledge leading to the cave was in the c
enter of the cliff, so he walked along the edge and then studied the handholds to try and pick his best way down.
As he watched, he saw a shadow float over his location. He looked up to see the ever-circling creature flying through the air around the peak. Now that he was closer, it indeed looked like some sort of lesser dragon.
Definitely beyond my current level.
He then caught movement out the corner of his eye and turned.
An assassin clad in Morr’Tai attire rushed toward him, dagger in hand.
What’s this?
Drawing his sword, he prepared to fight.
There was no name above the character and the hood was drawn over the face, but the orange dot above the assassin told Brian his chances were not good.
“Heeeeeeere’s Barry!”
Brian grunted. “Barry, I’m a full member now. You can’t kill me without getting kicked out!”
Barry lunged in with the dagger. Brian managed to block with his sword, taking only a minor hit to his stamina bar. Brian countered with a quick slash of his sword, catching Barry’s character in the arm. Barry’s HP bar dropped by maybe five percent.
“Nope,” Barry shouted happily. “One of the Morr’Tai masters gave me a special quest to kill you.”
“Me?” Brian asked. “But why?”
“You must have angered the guild somehow, but no matter the reason, I am going to enjoy this.”
The two clashed again. Brian blocked the dagger twice and then ducked low and swiped his sword at Barry’s legs. He managed a shallow hit as Barry tried to sidestep, nearly going over the edge in the process.
Barry rushed forward, feinted with his dagger, and then launched a front kick that sent Brian several feet back and cut his stamina bar by a third while simultaneously reducing some of his HP.
