Rebirth Online 2

by Michael James Ploof

  “Samson Sullivan,” came the deep, booming voice. “I have been waiting for you.”

  “I get that a lot,” I said as I struggled to move.

  A silhouette appeared in the blinding light and blocked some of it, then the figure grew bigger as the person drew near. I tried again to move and, finding that I was just as paralyzed as I had been in my previous life, I began to second guess the intelligence of our plan.

  The figure stood before me, but I still couldn’t make out any features.

  “I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t show,” said the figure. “It is nice to see you again.”

  “Again?” I said. “It’s Pygon, right? I don’t think we’ve met.”

  “I go by many names,” said Pygon, but then something struck me about the voice.

  The blinding light behind the figure began to dim, and slowly I could see the features of the person standing before me. He had smooth green skin, big curved horns, eyes like a cat, and two long fangs poking out between his lips. The dude looked so much like the devil that he was actually sporting a little goatee and flavor-saver patch.

  “Some bow before me and call me Pygon, Devourer of Souls, but others call me Doctor.

  My mouth dropped when the image of the devil began to shimmer like a mirage, and a familiar face replaced the green, horned version.

  “Doctor Marks?” I said in disbelief.

  “Hello Sam, it is good to see you again.”

  Chapter 23

  My guildmates and I were lowered to the floor gently, and the good doctor stood before us smiling.

  “How the hell did you end up a boss of the Underworld?” I asked as I shook his hand.

  “I have my ways,” he said with a sly grin.

  He snapped his fingers and the room was lit by a warm yellow glow. The antechamber we were in had smooth dark walls and four tall pillars. At the other end of the chamber was a single door, and the doctor began walking toward it.

  “Please, come with me and we will talk more,” he bade us all.

  “Doctor, my army…”

  “They are fine. I have called off the defenders, and healers are working on the injured as we speak.”

  “Why did you let your minions attack in the first place?” Trinity asked as we followed him.

  “They are programmed to respond to threats,” said the doctor. “You attacked, so they did their jobs.”

  We followed him up a long flight of stairs and into a room that appeared to be situated in one of the four corners of the top of the upside-down pyramid. Through the big windows we could see the city below, as well as our little army, which had surrounded the pyramid.

  “Can I offer you a drink?” the doctor asked.

  “To hell with a drink,” said Trinity, “Tell us what the hell is going on here.”

  “I have positioned myself as the lord of the first level of the Underworld so that I might be of assistance against Kincaid,” said the doctor. “It wasn’t easy, but luckily my administrative permissions in game have given me a bit of an advantage.”

  “What about Doctor Hamilton?” I asked, remembering his unfortunate demise in game.

  “He is here as well.” Dr. Marks grinned and nodded at Nanaya. “You may know him as Harkuu, Lord of the Second Level.”

  “Well I’ll be damned…” Tweak muttered.

  “Looks like you two are really on top of things,” said Ember with a smirk.

  “We wanted to be ready when you arrived, Sam,” Dr. Marks admitted.

  “But, how did you know that I would amass an army and try to free all the players?”

  He shrugged. “That’s who you are.”

  “Big Daddy’s a hero,” Kit purred.

  “Not to mention, Hamilton gave you the Gilded Orb.” Dr. Marks glanced at my left pocket, exactly where I had been keeping the orb.

  “Have you had any contact with the corporation?” I asked.

  “None.” I can only assume that they are ensuring that everyone trapped in the game is having their physical needs met and waiting to see how this all plays out. They know that Hamilton and I are in here, and they know that you are working on the plan that I proposed. There are also nearly 100 game moderators trapped down here ready to act when given the command.”

  “So why wait for Sam?” Ember asked.

  “We needed the orb.”

  Trinity glanced at Ember, before frowning at the doctor. “But why wait? It seems like between all of you it would have been easy to find us.”

  “You would think, wouldn’t you? But alas, it seems there is a side effect, or should I say bonus of the orb, that has made you nearly invisible to prying eyes. I couldn’t scry you, and even the imps couldn’t find you. I assume that Kincaid has been having the same trouble locating you, or else I believe you would have encountered him by now.” He looked to me curiously. “You haven’t encountered him, have you?”

  “No.”

  “Ah, good. Then I believe that we may still have the element of surprise. Kincaid has been met with much resistance, and he has weakened himself in his battle with the surface world. He and his guildmates, which he has crowned as Demon Princes I might add, are constantly challenged by the other bosses. But Kincaid’s power is great, and I suspect that he has retained some of his world-shaping abilities.”

  “World shaping?” said Cecilia.

  “Yes,” the doctor said with a pensive frown. “When this version of Kincaid was created, Arthur Gaines had hacked into the game, and could recreate the reality of the game as he so chose. I think that some of that ability was transferred to cyber-Kincaid.”

  “So, the only way to defeat him is with the orb?” I surmised.

  “Indeed,” said the doctor. “Are you ready for war?”

  “To tell you the truth, Doc, I just want to get out of this hellhole. The sooner everything returns to normal, the better.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. First, we need to return your army to their rightful levels and give them back their abilities. Then we make our move.”

  The army filed into the tower for more than an hour, and when they emerged, they had all been restored to their true level. I didn’t know how Dr. Marks had the ability to do it, and I didn’t much care. I was just happy to have a powerful ally.

  My guild and I were given quarters inside the pyramid, and we tried to get what rest we could while Dr. Marks worked on the army. We freshened up and dined on food that was conjured by an old wizard NPC who was working as the doctor’s butler. The food and drink did us all good, and we finally got some solid rest.

  The doctor offered us lodging in the pyramid’s lavish quarters, which he had fashioned to resemble the inside of a castle. Soon we would go to war, and we took what rest we could get.

  When we awoke, we dined on a hearty breakfast and I met with Dr. Marks and Dr. Hamilton in one of the pyramid’s corner chambers overlooking the busy city. I watched as the ghouls of the Underworld prepared for war and laughed to myself when I considered that they were now on our side.

  “Hello again, Sam,” said Dr. Hamilton when he arrived. “I’ve got to say, I’m really glad we finally found you.”

  “Me too,” I admitted.

  “While you were resting, we met with the other bosses of the Underworld,” said Dr. Marks. “We’re moving against Kincaid tonight Sam. Soon this will all be over.”

  I returned to our quarters and brought my friends up to speed. Trinity and Tweak were grinning from ear to ear, having been given back their levels and powers by Dr. Marks as well.

  “You look happy,” I noted as I passed Trinity.

  She unsheathed her long sword and bellowed a war cry, and a notification appeared on my interface that made me grin.

  Warrior’s Cry

  + 25% Strength

  Duration – 10 minutes

  “It’s good to be back,” she said happily.

  “Check this shit out,” Tweak said with glee. He formed a circle with his palms, and a glowing purple o
rb appeared inside it. With a laugh he flung his hands into the air, and a dozen little purple balls shot into the air. I watched mesmerized as the balls grew and suddenly burst to life. A moment later, twelve purple monkeys landed on the floor and bounded around their leader.

  “Awe, it’s the purple cuties!” Kit cried happily and hugged one of them. Another began humping her leg, and Tweak had to swat the little pervert’s ass to get it off her.

  “The little dude thinks like I do.” I spun around when I heard Frig, and the imp offered me the middle finger.

  “It’s about time you returned,” Nanaya said angrily. “Where the hell have you been?”

  “Uhhh, finding this old crusty bastard for you,” said the imp. He snapped his fingers, and an old mage trainer appeared beside him looking quite confused.

  “Sweet!” I walked over to the mage trainer and explained to him why he had been brought to me.

  “Oh good,” he said with a big sigh of relief. “I thought the little pervert was bringing me to the imp gangbang festival. They have those down here you know.”

  He stared at me with wide eyes.

  “You don’t have to worry about that now,” I assured him.

  I had gained more than ten levels, and I was eager to apply my attribute points and learn the new spell, Firestorm.

  “Ah,” said the trainer when he saw how many points I had available. “Been saving up I see.”

  “I guess you could say that.”

  “Where would you like to spend them?”

  Spread them out evenly,” I told him.

  He did so, and then nodded affably. “Now, you have a very powerful new spell to learn,” he said proudly. “I remember when I unlocked Firestorm.”

  “That’s great. Can you work me through the hand gestures?” I said, not wanting to be rude, but I was kind of pressed for time. And besides, the dude wasn’t even real, and either was his life history.

  “Of course, but it would be much better if you learn more about—”

  “Let’s go the quick route,” I told him.

  The mage trainer rolled his eyes, but then began to roll up his sleeves. “Have it your way,” he said, and then slowly showed me how to cast the spell.

  I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of the hand gestures needed to conjure the spell. It was performed by bringing my hands together high above my head, and then pulling them back slowly like a bowstring down to my chest, before thrusting them upward once more. When I did so, small meteorites suddenly rained down from the ceiling and slammed into the floor with a booming retort.

  My guildmates leapt for cover behind the assorted furniture, and the mage trainer laughed with delight.

  “What the hell?” Frig yelled angrily, and I saw that his little devil tail was on fire.

  Equipped with my new spell, and with my guildmates at my side, I went down to the tower courtyard to join the waiting army. When we emerged from the upside-down pyramid, we were met by thunderous applause.

  The doctors were there as well, and they smiled at us as we approached.

  “It’s time,” said Dr. Marks. “Are you ready?”

  I glanced around at my guildmates, and the light in their eyes was infectious.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be to overthrow the Lord of Darkness,” I said with a small laugh. “Let’s do this shit.”

  Chapter 24

  I took in the sight of our army, and my confidence grew by the second. Not only did we have over five-hundred full-powered players with us, but there were also thousands of the doctor’s minions grouped together in tight formation. The real-world players kept their distance from the NPC’s of the Underworld, which consisted of everything from demons to zombies.

  I had mentally prepared myself for the coming battle, and I had been under the impression that the journey through the levels would be a long and arduous one, but when Dr. Marks opened a portal in the courtyard of the tower, I realized that travel on foot was below a lord of the Underworld.

  My friends and I were some of the first through the portal, and I nearly gasped when I took in the view.

  “Welcome to the seventh level of the Underworld,” Dr. Hamilton said cryptically as he spread his right arm outward like a magician performing a trick.

  The landscape that lay beyond was a smoldering battleground stretching as far as the eye could see. Not only did the massive armies fight on the ground, but they also battled in the thick black clouds that churned overhead. Blood rained down upon the battlefield, where all manner of demons, ghosts, and ghouls battled in the name of their master. Far in the distance was an impossibly tall tower with no end that I could see beyond the clouds that it pierced. The tower looked to be made completely of gigantic bones, and the only light that issued from it came from the eyes of the many large skulls fused to it.

  “I assume that Kincaid is holed up in the tower,” I said, wondering how the hell we were supposed to get there.

  “Most likely,” said Dr. Marks. “We’re going to have to fight through to the tower. Are you ready?”

  “I glanced back at the army pouring through the portal. I looked to my guildmates, who stood ready to give everything they had.

  I offered Dr. Marks a nod, and he raised his staff high in the air. His army of demons and ghouls howled, snarled, and growled in response, and Dr. Marks suddenly changed form. He sprouted wide wings, long, curled horns, and hooves burst through his boots. When he was finished transforming, a twenty-five-foot-tall demon stood before me.

  “To the tower!” He bellowed, and adrenaline surged through me as we charged across the charred earth.

  Kincaid’s army was chiefly composed of tall blue-skinned demons that carried massive, glowing swords, and we soon caught their attention as we charged toward the tower. The army of blue demons surrounded the tower, at least ten thousand strong, and fought back the vast assortment of Underworld baddies.

  Dr. Hamilton joined the fray with his army of hellhounds, wolf-men, succubi, and lava giants, and soon the chaos reached a nearly unbearable level.

  We raced down the smoldering valley amidst volcanic explosions and steaming fissures, fighting through the lesser defenders that made up the outer ranks of Kincaid’s army. There were four other giant Underworld bosses aside from Dr. Marks and Hamilton, and they tore through the ranks of monsters with their massive weapons and incredible magic.

  “This is fucking awesome!” Trinity yelled gleefully to my right, and the look I gave her must have been comical, because she laughed like a woman possessed.

  Our six armies charged the tower from all sides, and thousands of spells flew in all directions as the ground began to quake, and massive volcanoes in the distance spewed their hot lava. High in the clouds lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as demons, dragons, giant bats, and massive winged wyrms fought for supremacy.

  Dr. Marks leapt into the air and glided on black wings over the battlefield before doubling back and laying waste to the blue demons charging toward us. His sword of flame turned the demons to ash upon contact, and the army at my back bellowed a collective war cry that made my heart leap with excitement.

  I stopped, conjured Firestorm, and unleashed my new spell upon the advancing horde. To my delight, red-hot meteors began to rain down from above, exploding on contact and sending demons and body parts flying.

  A barrage of spells streaked over my head and slammed into the demonic ranks, and beside me Trinity gleefully swung for the cheap seats with her enchanted sword. Kit leapt from Tweak’s back and rode a demon to the ground, stabbing it murderously with her own enchanted blade, while Ember quietly moved about slashing necks and hamstringing attackers. Cecilia kept a steady stream of healing magic directed at my guildmates, while Nanaya stayed close to me and kept the attackers at bay.

  When the armies began to compress, things got a little sketchy, and given that there was hardly any room to move in the tight-packed mass of screaming and dying fighters, I opted for my fire shield and enchanted blade. />
  I don’t know how long the battle lasted, but it must have been hours. Kincaid seemed to have an endless supply of minions at his service, and it didn’t help that once a killing blow was landed to one of our own, they rose again with demonic green light shining in their eyes.

  It soon became clear that we were slowly losing the battle. Two of the bosses had already been slain and risen again to fight for Kincaid, and we were being driven back by the horde of blue demons.

  “This isn’t working,” Nanaya said as she ripped her sword from the chest of a blue demon, causing it to burst into flames.

  “You got a better idea?”

  “Actually, I do. We’ve got to get you inside that place. It’s the only way.” She cast a spell on herself then, and slowly began to change into a brilliant white dragon. “Hurry!”

  “Come on!” I told my friends, and we all hurriedly climbed onto Nanaya’s back.

  “Hold on tight!” she warned us, before leaping into the air and spreading her massive, translucent wings.

  “Anything comes after us, blast them out of the fucking sky!” I told the others.

  We soared high into the clouds, where the battle raged on like some biblical doomsday scenario. Hell, there were even dark angels driving chariots, and I could have sworn that I saw the four horsemen out there in the fray.

  Nanaya dove when we gained too much attention, and Tweak, Cecilia, Trinity, Ember, and Kit kept up a steady barrage of enchanted arrows that took the pursuers from the sky. I focused my attention on those that came at us from the front, as did Nanaya, who spewed a steady swath of arctic ice breath at any who got too close.

  We were almost at the tower when a massive skinless dragon swooped down and came straight at us.

  “Shit!” Nanaya growled and banked hard to the right.

  “Shoot the dragon!” I warned my guildmates, and they promptly turned their bows in the beast’s direction.

  The dragon was undeterred, however, and as it veered toward us, I realized for the first time its massive size. The thing must have been as big as a skyscraper, and it seemed to grow as it steered toward us. Nanaya tried to outfly the thing, but to no avail. It opened its maw and engulfed us like a shark scarfing down a minnow, and I could only scream in defiance as the massive jaws closed around us.