Awaken Online: Precipice

by Travis Bagwell

  “What do you mean?” Frank finally asked.

  “The traps don’t make any sense, do they?” Jason continued. “We know that the minotaurs have great hearing and, as you said, terrible eyesight. It didn’t seem like they triggered any traps? How do they avoid them as they navigate the maze?” Riley and Frank watched him with puzzled looks.

  Riley finally spoke up, a surprised expression on her face. “The only explanation is that the minotaurs are somehow working with whomever is occupying the maze. That would explain how they know where the traps are in the first place.”

  “Exactly!” Jason said, stopping and staring intently at the pair. “Not only that, but the minotaurs must have the maze memorized. That’s the only way a group of nearly blind bulls could navigate the maze without tripping the traps.”

  Frank looked at the zombie minotaurs that stood nearby. The doubt and self-recrimination were starting to fade from his face. “So these zombies must know the maze. If that’s the case, they could help us plan an ambush.” Frank’s mouth curled into a grin. “Now this is the Jason I remember!”

  Riley nodded as she followed their reasoning, but a small frown tugged at her lips. “Couldn’t we just use the zombie minotaurs to take out the next group? That seems more straightforward.”

  “We could,” Jason agreed, “but we don’t know how many minotaurs are in the maze. This time, we were attacked by three. What if next time it’s six? Or ten? What if they attack from two directions? If they are alerted to sound, then we’re probably lucky the fight didn’t attract more.”

  Jason tapped his lips with his fingers. “What we need to do is draw a large number of the beasts to one location and ambush them. If we set up a proper trap, we could take out most of the minotaurs in the maze in one fell swoop. Even if we don’t kill them all, this should provide enough corpses to handle the remaining fights.”

  “Okay, okay. I see your point,” Riley replied, shaking her head. “Well, let’s say we ambush them. How are we going to kill them? They’re still a pain to take down.”

  Jason grinned evilly. “I think I might have an idea for how to handle that.” He motioned the pair closer and began drawing a crude map in the dirt with his finger.

  It took several hours for the group to arrange the ambush. First, they had to find a section of the maze that terminated in a dead end. It also needed to have several hallways adjacent to it. They did this by projecting an incomplete map of the maze into the air and having one of the zombie minotaurs point to an area of the map that met their specifications. Luckily, the ambush location was relatively close to the entrance to the maze.

  Riley then carefully scouted the portion of the maze identified by the zombie minotaur. They decided her Dexterity skill made her both the most nimble and quietest person in the group. She took one of the werewolves with her to find the traps and alert her to any approaching minotaurs.

  In the meantime, Jason and Frank took the other zombies back to the trail entering the valley. Their mission was to cut down a few dozen trees and haul them to the entrance of the maze. The minotaurs made this task relatively simple since they could fell a tree in a few blows. Jason then ordered his minions to haul the timber back to the entrance to the maze and chop most of the trunks into manageable pieces.

  Once Riley reported that she had found the ambush site, she led a separate group of zombies carrying the lumber to the ambush location. In short order, there was a rather sophisticated assembly line in place. After a couple hours, the ambush location was lined with wood, and the trap was set.

  The group was now huddled in another dead-end hallway adjacent to the ambush location. They were waiting to spring the trap. Riley sighed quietly as they sat there in the dark trying not to make any noise. Jason raised an eyebrow at her in response.

  “I called it. We’re hiding in a corner again,” Riley whispered softly, a small smile curling her lips.

  Jason grinned back. “Would you rather take them head on?” He glanced at Frank suggestively.

  She groaned softly, and Frank smiled at her. “Come on, Riley. Be patient. We don’t want to get in over our heads!”

  “Okay. You guys can stop now,” Riley said in a pained voice.

  The group quieted as they heard a thumping sound echoing down the hallways. The ground beneath them also began to tremble slightly. After a moment, they could hear roars reverberate off the stone walls leading to the ambush location.

  “This is it,” Jason whispered. “Get ready. Remember, don’t let them out of the kill zone.”

  Jason edged up to the corner of the hallway where his group was hidden, along with the remainder of his zombies. He saw small dark forms dart down each of the hallways leading to the ambush location. His orders to the bait zombies had been clear - make lots of noise and then haul ass back to the ambush site. Yet when Jason witnessed the mass of minotaurs following each of the zombies, he did a double take. There must have been at least thirty of the beasts charging down the hallways.

  For a moment, Jason briefly considered giving up - this was more than he had been expecting. He could feel his pulse speed up, and his fists clenched reflexively. Images of his brutal death flitted through his mind. Then he forcefully shook himself, summoning his dark mana. The chill power curled and coiled in his skull, soothing his anxiety.

  Screw it. Worst case scenario, we all die epically and start over.

  The horde of minotaurs thundered past and into the dead-end hallway. The bait zombies weren’t coming back out of that hallway, but their loss wouldn’t be in vain. As he saw the last of the minotaurs charge into the ambush location, Jason turned to his group. “Go, go, go!” he ordered. The group charged forward into the entrance to the ambush hallway.

  The zombie minotaurs lugged the makeshift blockade that they had constructed and began hastily setting it up with the support of Jason’s human zombies. The entrance to the hallway was only ten feet across, and the blockade nearly filled the length of the hallway.

  As luck would have it, one of Jason’s remaining zombie soldiers had the Woodworking skill. Now that Jason was Intermediate in Summoning Mastery, he had been able to take advantage of the zombie’s trade skill to have him craft a blockade. The structure they had created was simplistic. It was basically a wooden stand that held a row of makeshift spears constructed from the trunks of the pines in the valley outside the dungeon. The group had dug a shallow trench in the floor at the entrance to the hallway, made possible by the thick layer of dirt that covered the original stone floor of the maze. The butt of the spears rested in this trench and leaned against the fortified stand facing the hallway.

  The two minotaurs stood behind this makeshift structure on a support beam attached to the blockade. This added the minotaurs’ weight to the blockade and would hopefully keep it in place when the bulls in the hallway began to rush back out. The minotaur zombies also each carried their own roughshod spears, their points facing the hallway.

  Once the blockade was in place, Jason ordered his mages into action. “Fire mages!” he yelled as the archers and mages lined up behind the zombie minotaurs. Fireballs flew through the air, striking the heaps of wood that had been carefully staggered along the length of the hallway. Jason grimaced as he saw the occasional missile splash against the horde of minotaurs. Firewalls then erupted at regular intervals along the hall.

  Tortured screams filled the air as the first of the bulls was ignited by the flames. A blazing inferno raged in the hallway, the fire spreading to the beasts that were crammed into the narrow space. The matted hair that covered their bodies acted as kindling, igniting the beasts into ten-foot tall pillars of flame. Fire from the wooden piles crawled up the vines hanging from the walls and engulfed the lattice hanging over the hall. The flames were intense, and Jason took a tentative step backward as he was struck by the almost palpable wall of heat.

  The first of the minotaurs came to their senses and turned, trying to flee out of the entrance to the hallway. They charged head
long into the waiting spears of the blockade and Jason’s minotaur zombies. The makeshift bulwark trembled and shook, but it held. Jason’s minotaurs stumbled backward slightly from the force of the charge - their spear tips impaling more than one beast. The muscles in their arms bulged as they tried vainly to stop the onrushing bulls.

  “Archers fire!” Jason screamed over the chaos. A rapid-fire series of twangs filled the air as streams of arrows pelted the burning beasts in the hallway. With the roaring flames and smoke filling the hallway, it was difficult to tell where the arrows struck. However, the ranged attack served to escalate the chaos since many of the beasts were blinded by the fire and smoke. The combination of pain and the loss of their senses caused small fights to break out among the burning creatures.

  After several long minutes, the fight was over. The group could no longer see through the burning torrent of flames or the smoke that filled the hallway, and they also couldn’t hear any sound beyond the roar of the flames. Jason covered his mouth with his cloak to block out the thick black smoke and waved at the fire mages. They stopped channeling their firewall spell, and the flames slowly began to shrink.

  As the fire and smoke began to clear, the group gazed at the scene with their mouths agape. The destruction was incredible. Heaping piles of corpses lay along the hallway, many still smoldering. The stench of burnt flesh and hair was almost overwhelming even with the dampened sense of smell in-game.

  Coming to his senses faster than the others, Frank nudged Riley. “So, are you in the mood for some barbecue?”

  Riley shook herself and looked at him with an irritated expression. “That was terrible,” she muttered.

  Frank put up his hands defensively. “Hey, don’t glare at me. I’m allowed to joke. One of these assholes chopped my head off, remember?”

  Alfred padded through the bodies, inspecting them and recoiling in disgust. He looked back at Jason with an accusing expression that seemed to say, “Again? Really?” Jason couldn’t help but chuckle. Knowing now that he was looking at the game’s AI, he couldn’t help but wonder how much of Onyx’s personality had actually been colored by Alfred’s own reactions.

  Jason was surprised at how effective the strategy had been. Similar to his previous battles, he had taken advantage of the element of surprise and the ensuing chaos to conquer a much stronger foe. His eyes gleamed darkly as he observed the line of corpses. These new troops would allow them to conquer the maze more quickly.

  Which is a blessing. We need to move faster. Riley and Frank will need to log off soon and we likely only have a few days left to finish this dungeon. He could only hope that he hadn’t doomed them with the hasty message he had sent before they entered the maze.

  Jason then turned his attention to his system messages.

  x7 Level Up!

  You have (45) undistributed stat points.

  x2 Skill Rank Up: Leadership

  Skill Level: Intermediate Level 1

  Effect 1: Minions and subjects will receive a 6% increase learning speed for skills.

  Effect 2: Increased reputation with NPC commanders and leaders.

  x1 Spell Rank Up: Specialized Zombie

  Skill Level: Intermediate Level 2

  Effect 1: Increased skill proficiency retained by zombies. Skill cap Intermediate Level 2.

  Effect 2: Zombies may now retain trade skills. Skill cap Beginner Level 2.

  x1 Skill Rank Up: Tactician

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 9

  Effect: 13% increased damage multiplier for a successful ambush or strategy (Currently, Damage x 1.13)

  Finally! There’s nothing like massacring a few dozen cows to get some levels!

  Jason glanced over at Riley and Frank, who were pawing at the air. He grinned. “So how did we do? You guys gain a couple levels?”

  Frank glanced over at him with an incredulous expression. “Are you kidding? I gained fifteen levels from that. No wonder you level so fast!”

  Riley nodded in agreement. “I know, right? It feels like he might be cheating. If I hadn’t watched him spend hours cutting down trees and planning this trap, I’d say his class was overpowered.”

  “What can I say? This game doesn’t reward you for playing the hero and charging headlong into battle.” Jason rubbed his hands together gleefully as he surveyed the minotaur corpses. He had some new minions to raise and then they needed to clear the rest of this maze. He expected that there would be something interesting waiting at the end.

  Chapter 15 - Avenged

  After the massacre of the minotaurs, Frank logged off for the evening. He woke in his bedroom and lifted the heavy plastic helmet from his head. As usual, it took his body a moment to remember how to function in the real world. His muscles felt stiff and unwieldy. After a few minutes, he managed to muster the willpower to push himself upright, and his eyes surveyed his darkened room.

  “Lights on,” Frank called out. A dim glow illuminated the room, slowly increasing in intensity to avoid blinding him with an immediate flash of light. Just one more perk of his parents’ money.

  He looked around his bedroom. It was lavishly furnished with expensive, sleek furniture and all the modern technological amenities. His parents had even briefly discussed installing a residential AI to operate the house. They didn’t really need an artificial butler to set their alarm clocks and regulate the thermostat, but he expected this is what happened when you ran out of things to buy.

  Frank stood and made his way out of the room. As he lumbered down the hallway to the kitchen, the wooden floor creaked under his weight. He hated that sound.

  “Coming out of your cave, huh?” A snide voice asked from behind him. Frank paused and closed his eyes, willing himself to be patient. “I heard bears are supposed to hibernate all winter.”

  “I’m not in the mood, Tina,” Frank said softly, struggling to control the anger that welled in his chest. He continued his slow plod toward the kitchen without turning. He knew his younger sister was still standing behind him. He could just imagine the smirk on her perfect face as she watched his ponderous footsteps.

  Tina snorted indelicately. “Well, then I’ll leave you to your latest feast.” He heard a door click shut behind him.

  Frank knew he wasn’t supposed to hate his siblings, but he did. His eyes glanced at the picture frames that hung along the hallway. Instead of the pictures featured in most houses, these frames showcased awards. They weren’t his of course. They belonged to his brother and sister. First prize in Math. First prize in Gymnastics. First prize in damn-near-everything.

  Frank made his way into the kitchen, grabbing a tub of ice cream from the freezer. He was certain his mother had purchased another set of “diet-friendly” meals for him, but he was feeling depressed. He sat at the kitchen island, turning on the wall display with a quick command.

  The screen jumped immediately to a reporter for Vermillion Live who was covering the events in Peccavi. The house’s network had saved Frank’s preferences and recognized him by his voice. The display behind the reporter showed Jason’s dark-robed figure standing atop a hill, blood running down the cracked earth in small rivers.

  Frank envied his friend. He had changed so much in such a short time. Only a few weeks had passed since the release of AO, but, in that time, Jason had turned into a calculating, unapologetic man that took what he wanted. His timid, nerdy friend was gone, and Frank wasn’t certain whether that was such a bad thing or not.

  “I wish I could do the same,” Frank muttered, staring at the spoon in his hand.

  Games were supposed to be an escape from his life. Yet even in AO, Frank was just average. All his affinities were set at exactly 3% each. He had no ability to perform magic, and the mages in Grey Keep had laughed him out of their schools. So Frank had stupidly decided to roll a warrior, thinking he could stand on the frontlines. Yet that had ended in complete and abject failure.

  AO wasn’t like the other games he had played. He couldn’t just auto attack a target. He h
ad to run and jump and swing. Frank just couldn’t do it. He had even gotten the shit kicked out of him by the low-level monsters in the first town. With few options, he had joined groups to level, relying on others to carry him through the fights. He had felt like virtual dead weight.

  He had thought joining up with Jason and Riley would be different, but so far he hadn’t offered much help to the group. He was merely a distraction. First to allow Jason and Riley to kill the werewolves and then by sacrificing his life to buy the group additional time in their first encounter with the minotaurs.

  “Maybe Jerry was right,” Frank said aloud. “Maybe I just can’t get out of my own damn way.”

  He knew the enemies in the game weren’t real. He knew that running up a mountain had nothing to do with his fitness in the real world. Yet he just couldn’t get past this block in his head. Years of living as the fat family-reject and enduring the constant abuse were just too much.

  The reporter continued to drone on, the display behind him shifting. Patricia and her daughter appeared briefly on the screen, and a memory flitted through Frank’s mind. He remembered what Jason had said to Patricia after he had raised the woman and her daughter.

  Jason had spoken with such passion and conviction. “You have been given another chance to remake yourself,” he had told Patricia. Frank wished he had the strength to do the same - to be something more than average.

  ***

  The group had logged off for the evening shortly after the massacre of the minotaurs. When Jason entered the game the next morning, he immediately began summoning his new minions. Most of the minotaur corpses had been burnt beyond redemption, but that didn’t stop Jason from re-summoning the beasts as skeletons. This reduced their level from roughly 140 to 120, but they were still effective in combat.

  Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that each of the minotaurs took up two spots in calculating his Control Limit. This meant he could only summon 17 of the creatures. Confused about this quirk, Jason decided to scout the maze a bit before Frank and Riley logged in later that afternoon so that he could inspect a living minotaur.