Equalize

by Ryan DeBruyn

  The stones were only ten feet high, and they had steep slopes. The almost sheer faces would cause trouble for people who wished to crest them. This was also why Jason was laying flat atop one of the rocks, and Oliver was resting flat on the other.

  By no means was this a perfect set up for an ambush, but since they had only had a few minutes to prepare, Rocky felt an odd feeling of pride when he saw it.

  The group of approaching individuals had gasped in unison a moment before. At the gasp, both Oliver and Jason had leaped up, expecting an imminent attack because of the shocked exclamations they heard from the woods. However, the gasps and attempted whispers that echoed off the trees and canopy were not because of the boys.

  No, the panic they had heard was because Rocky had entered Stealth and disappeared in front of the group of survivors. He wasn’t thinking about how the survivors would react and winced from their reaction as he leaped forward towards the cave from tree to tree. He had hoped he could let the boys know in advance that the survivors were not enemies so they wouldn’t attack and had left the survivors a good one hundred meters behind to do just that.

  Now, due to his playful nature with children, he had wanted to awe the young men a little, but seeing the boys jump to their feet in obvious distress at the collected gasps from one hundred meters away, he realized this was also a bad idea. Rocky instead chose to release Stealth and approached in what he thought would be clear sight.

  However, the boys were looking at the ground at a level they expected humans to approach from, and Rocky, who was currently twenty feet off the earth moving along low hanging branches, went unnoticed.

  Shaking his head, Rocky called out, “It’s me, Jason, and I am bringing a group of survivors.” The answering fireball that formed in Jason’s hand made Rocky catch his breath and simultaneously very glad he had chosen not to sneak up on the young man.

  Jason’s fireball winked out when he looked up and recognized Rocky, but his wild eyes and quick breathing told Rocky that Jason was on a hair trigger.

  Rocky apologized when he landed on the rock beside the young man and clapped his hands on Jason’s shoulders. With everything going on, it was far too easy to forget that everyone was experiencing horrors on a daily basis, that no one was okay, and everyone had been forced into the unknown simultaneously.

  These young men probably would have been texting friends to play on a summer off from school if the world hadn’t changed. Rocky called out to Alex and Oliver and motioned them over as he climbed down from the boulders with Jason. Calming the three boys down took a few moments, but Rocky managed it by talking in a sedate voice until their breathing and irises grew more relaxed.

  Then Rocky towed the three young men back into the forest to greet the group from St. Monika. Rocky introduced the young men, and then pulled Phil, Jeff, Pat, and a still groggy Nick, who had woken up before the group had begun the trip, aside. Nick had refused to go back with the wounded like the other injured members, telling everyone he was excellent even though he looked anything but.

  Once aside from the larger group, Rocky looked at the four men with obvious hope in his eyes and asked Nick the same question he had asked Phil, Jeff, and Pat. The faces of all four men fell in unison, the eyes of each unwilling to meet Rocky’s and the shoulders hunched in a way that spoke of not wanting to be seen. Rocky saw their obvious embarrassment and knew that no one had any specific news for him, and a moment later, Nick confirmed it in a whisper.

  “I am sorry, Rocky. The others asked me on the way over if I knew where Benoit, Lilly, and Marilynn were. I remember talking to them about their weekend before they left, but for the life of me, I don’t know where they were going.

  I would have just checked Facebook if I needed to ask them about the trip later,” Nick finished, finally meeting Rocky’s eyes and searching them desperately for forgiveness. Forgiveness that Rocky didn’t feel he needed; none of them were his family’s keeper.

  The world they had all been a part of before the crash had been carefree, and Rocky was guilty of that himself. He was sure that his mom had sent him a message on some form of technology months in advance telling him about all of her trips.

  Usually, Rocky did the same as Nick and would check the stored information and had taken that ease of information for granted. Now, just like the four men in front of him, Rocky was berating himself for the lack of diligence to detail that he had shown his entire life.

  “It’s okay, Nick. I understand,” Rocky choked out over the lump forming in his throat. Refusing to cry, Rocky coughed and rubbed at his eyes before looking away himself, realizing his hand was damp.

  After a long minute, Rocky felt he was back in control of his emotions and turned back to the group who had remained silent, each one thinking of their own families. Deciding that it was time to broach the subject, Rocky asked the men about the militia.

  Pat was the first to speak up, his voice a mix of praise and anger, “They saved us, Rocky. Within the early few days, they had a contingent of people with tanks and laser rifles. They began by removing all the golems in the city and recruiting groups of survivors.

  Within five days, they had removed all the lesser golems, and all they asked for was that the groups who didn’t join hunted for food and contributed Crystalized Ether. Each group would hunt for themselves and would be aided by the militia in a desperate fight. The tanks can only fire a certain number of rounds per day, at least according to the groups we have talked to. So it and the laser rifles, which have a similar problem, were kept in reserve for the challenging encounters.” Pat stopped there, looking off into space and not wanting to continue. His voice had risen in volume and anger towards the end.

  Phil picked up in his usual calm voice, “At first, they helped a lot because the groups of survivors were mostly level one or two. We had very little in the way of weapons and really were just overwhelming weak creatures with numbers. Whenever the group faced stronger monsters, the militia would fire the tank and help us injure it before our group would finish it off.”

  “So, of course, we shared the food we butchered and handed over the Crystallized Ether.” Even Phil needed to pause and take a deep breath at this point. “Then in the last few days, some of the groups of militiamen let slip that the Crystallized Ether was how they were buying the weapons. It was suspicious, but we had heard other survivors who had gone to see the leader speak.

  Those people said the leader was building up an army to take out a massive golem and the albino crocodile. That after he accomplished killing the creatures, he was going to build a place of safety for all of us. That it would go back to the way it used to be.”

  Phil dropped his head and shook it at the end of his words. He apparently didn’t believe the world could ever go back to the way it was.

  Pat jumped in during the pause, anger thick in his words, “However, in the last two days, we noticed that the militiamen seemed to help out less and less. They were taking noticeably more food, too, claiming it was because the militia group was growing. I was telling the others that if they were growing and the area was safer, then why couldn’t they hunt more significant game than us.

  Why did they need more of our food if they had the weapons which would allow them to hunt more effectively? I think they were trying to weaken us.” At his pronouncement, Nick, Phil, and Jeff rolled their eyes and groaned, apparently having been through this particular discussion with the man. Jeff even looked directly at Rocky and spun his finger around his ear.

  This theory didn’t seem that crazy to Rocky. In fact, with what he had seen and heard since coming to Ottawa, he had already concluded that the man in power would try to weaken and enslave the people. People who weren’t under this Corsair’s thumb were going to be a problem later.

  Even people who left the city to embark on their own were looked at as future threats. All of these facts spoke to Rocky of a man who was insecure in his power, who was afraid of inevitable retaliation for actions he was pla
nning on or was currently taking.

  During the silence that followed, the lagging tail of the St. Monika group finally finished trailing into the clearing. Once everyone arrived, Rocky heard the volume increase on the other conversation and told the four men he would have more questions shortly. Then the group walked back to fully join the others.

  The scene that they met made Rocky’s eyes narrow and his heart sink. the group from St. Monika had formed a bully circle around the young men and were seeming to throw real stones instead of questions by the reactions the boys were having. Each question about the deaths of their families was asked with anger and disbelief, clearly highlighting the doubt this group felt at the tale the young men had told. Unfortunately, Rocky hadn’t heard the tale himself and didn’t know exactly what the boys had said, but he assumed they had told the story of the massacre the way it had happened.

  Unwilling to let this abuse continue, Rocky stepped into the space around the young men and shouted, “What in the Cracker Barrel is going on here?” His hand was clenched on his sword, and his eyes were hard in a way the survivors hadn’t seen before.

  To Rocky, the actions of these people were disgusting in a way that set his entire being on edge. Maybe it had been the bullying he had been forced to endure in elementary school and the constant abuse he had taken from people who assumed an athlete was stupid. Unlike in elementary school when he had allowed and, in so doing, encouraged the treatment, he had since learned that standing up for himself and giving as good as he got reduced the occurrences significantly.

  That was when the tank rolled into the clearing, and a cheerful Stacey opened the hatch and popped her head out. “I have got to get me one of these!” She said the words in a pretty convincing imitation of Will Smith’s character in Independence Day.

  Then she noticed her cowed friends and an angry Rocky in the center. Stacey whispered to herself, “Damn, Stacey, read the mood.”

  This somewhat humorous display allowed Rocky’s hands to unclench, and he shook his head before glancing at the boys and then back at the crowd. “Okay, I think things got a bit out of hand there for a moment. I can understand that some of you might not want to believe these young men, and I can also understand that we have no proof of what we are saying. All I ask is that you listen carefully to the words and think about them. Afterward, you can make whatever decision you want!” Rocky finished with a firm, no-nonsense tone that reminded everyone the man had killed a troll almost single-handedly.

  Listening with half an ear as the boys started from the beginning of their story again, Rocky checked his awaiting notifications, starting by checking the recap and sum features. He ended up seeing all the notifications from the previous day.

  Quest Completed

  Escort the Pembroke Survivors

  The survivors from the city of Pembroke have safely made it back to your Territory. Since you have gone above and beyond in the level of protection by bringing them to the only safe Territory on your continent, Etherience has been increased.

  Atlantian Statutes, Preservation of Life, Section XII

  750,000 Etherience Awarded

  Rocky paused after the first notification, not realizing where the quest had come from. Then he realized that he was probably unconscious when the quest had been offered and Sela must have accepted it on his behalf. Thinking of his dead companion made his mouth sour, and he hastily chose the next notification to distract himself.

  Quest Completed

  Save the Ottawa Survivors 1

  You have saved a group of survivors from Ottawa from certain death from a monster far stronger than the group’s average level. Even though the survivors were unaware of their need to be saved, you still saved them. For that reason, this quest was generated and automatically accepted.

  Atlantian Statutes, Preservation of Life, Section VI

  500,000 Etherience Awarded

  Quest Available

  Save the Ottawa Survivors 2

  While saving the previous group of survivors, you have confirmed an earlier suspicion of a greater danger to the survivors of Ottawa. To complete this quest, rescue at least five percent of the current population of survivors and unaware militiamen. Total population remaining in the Ottawa Area, 121,321.

  Preservation of Life, Section XXXVI

  Reward Etherience

  Possibly new People for your Territory.

  Do you accept this quest?

  Yes

  No

  For killing 35 Insectoid Creatures: Level Apprentice 4-12: You and your group have been awarded 34,089 Etherience.

  Ether Adjustment.

  For dealing the 80% of the damage in this battle and the group’s level disparity, you have been awarded 91.8% of the Etherience.

  Your personal Etherience gain amounts to 31,308 Etherience.

  For killing 5 Mammalian Creatures: Level Apprentice 9-13: You and your group have been awarded 17,292 Etherience.

  Ether Adjustment.

  For dealing the 82% of the damage in this battle and the group’s level disparity, you have been awarded 94.3% of the Etherience.

  Your personal Etherience gain amounts to 16,308 Etherience.

  Rocky paused because it was the first time he had noticed the “Ether Adjustment” notifications. He had helped the boys out quite a bit in all the encounters the previous day, but the individual notices hadn’t shown this much detail. It made sense because the boys had only reached level five. However, for him to take that much of the Etherience seemed unfair. He vowed to stay entirely out of their fights if possible in the future.

  For killing Troll Level 27 Journeyman-Fist: You have been awarded 231,243 Etherience.

  Etherience Adjustment.

  For dealing 91% percent of total damage against enemy Troll Journeyman-Fist and dealing the final blow, you have been awarded 95% of the Etherience. The remaining five percent will be split amongst the assisting group.

  219,681 Etherience Awarded

  Congratulations! You have reached level 17!

  You have been awarded 1 stat point and 1 skill point.

  512,138 Etherience remaining until level 18.

  Rockland Barkclay

  Level 17

  Health Pool: 200/200

  Ether Pool: 190/190

  Class: Apprentice-Dark (Azrael) Revenant

  Level 1 Leader: Level 1 Strategist

  Class Skills: Revenant Blade, Dark Mending, Dark Blade, Dark Cloak

  You have 1 stat points and 1 skill points to distribute.

  Stamina

  *20* (Strength of Body)

  Strength

  *29* (Strength of Armsx2)

  Agility

  *33*(Speed of Arms)

  Dexterity

  26

  Intelligence

  19

  Wisdom

  23

  Charisma

  25

  Luck

  7

  Weak Skills

  Combat Skill (Non-Class)

  Swordsmanship 12 (+2)

  Combatant 7 (+2)

  Stealth 8 (+7)

  Common Skills

  Endurance 15 (+1)

  Sneak 24 (+3)

  Perception 15 (+5)

  Tracking 1

  Camouflage 3

  Analyze 16 (+4)

  Profession Skills

  Skinning 13

  Butcher 13

  Mining 1

  Herbalist 1

  ***

  The first quest, which he had determined Sela must have accepted on his behalf, made Rocky smile. The news it contained meant Azoth and the survivors from Pembroke were safe. Maybe Rocky would summon him back soon; he did have that ring after all.

  Rocky’s eyes widened at the amount of Etherience awarded for quests. It was quite a bit, and he was wondering how much he might receive if he managed to save the people from Ottawa because the five percent requirement felt really low.

  Finally, he placed his skill point in Dark Cloak to better
his Dark Ether consumption on the skill. Then he dumped his stat point into Intelligence to increase his Dark Ether pool. It would seem that the more powerful he got, the more of that resource he would need.

  Once finished, Rocky stood to the side, awkwardly listening to the ending of the boys’ story which he had already heard. Finally, the story of the young men came to an end, and they added that Rocky had brought them away from the carnage then helped them level quickly to their current levels of five.

  With a surge of gut-clenching fear, Rocky had chosen not to tell these men and women about his Territory, at least not yet, seeing their earlier aversion to leaving the school and distrust of him. He worried they would reveal his Territory and open it to attack by the militia.

  The boys ended with how they had achieved level five in a day was met with shock. Most of the group from St. Monika was just above level five, and for them, this wasn’t due to a lack of fighting as it had been for Jason, Alex, and Oliver.

  These men and women from St. Monika had been going out every day and fighting creatures. However, the hint of an answer for why the group had received such low Etherience gains had been in Rocky’s notifications. The survivors of Ottawa and the militiamen often went out in large groups, trusting in the old adage of safety in numbers.

  While this did increase the likelihood of everyone returning home with all of their limbs, it was not conducive to gaining Etherience quickly, or so it seemed, even then though the numbers didn’t add up entirely; he wondered if there was a penalty to Etherience for too many people being in the group.

  It would seem that over the past week, the group from St. Monika had only received in the neighborhood of forty-five thousand Etherience. This number was probably a little low, but he was doing quick math using an approximate of one thousand five hundred Etherience needed to level seven and thirty hunters. If those numbers were correct, Rocky realized that it would be much better to fight in smaller groups for leveling. He also assumed that after a monster was slain and butchered that could feed the people, the group would stop hunting. They wouldn’t choose to hunt multiple creatures for increased Etherience. Also, it wasn’t like the Ottawa survivors could store food like he was able to.