Awaken Online (Book 3): Evolution

by Bagwell, Travis

  Warbeaver: That seems like Frank and Riley in the background. At least they match their descriptions.

  Evan: Shit. Original Sin is in Falcon’s Hook? And I just got here hoping to avoid more PK’ers. Just perfect…

  Kryptic: Do you think this girl is part of their guild?

  Eliza swiped the comments away, her eyes closing. This wasn’t good. What if her parents discovered she was hanging out with Jason and his group? They were sort of clueless when it came to AO, but almost everyone had heard of Jason. His videos had been plastered all over the internet for weeks. Would they take the game away from her completely? Just the thought of losing AO made her feel a little sick.

  She opened her eyes, her gaze centering on the frozen image of Jason offering her a hand. He and his teammates were the first friends she had made in a long time. They were good people – despite their online personas – and she finally felt like… like she belonged. As silly as that might be…

  Eliza’s hands clenched into fists, her eyes filling with determination as she shook off her mental hand wringing. This was the sort of thing her old self would have done – not the accomplished person she had become in-game. She didn’t want to give up AO or her newfound friendship with Jason and his group. She wouldn’t give it up!

  ***

  Jason had already finished Robert’s next set of grueling programming assignments and his self-imposed reading. He was now sitting in the Hippie’s amphitheater, his feet swinging over the edge of the stage. His thoughts kept coming back to his recent visions and the conversation with his aunt the night before.

  Maybe Angie was right. Maybe he needed to lean on his group more. Which probably meant leveling with them regarding his visions. He had been keeping that information close to the chest, afraid of their reaction if he revealed he was hallucinating memories from some ancient undead ruler.

  Jason’s gaze shifted to the broad set of double doors at the top of the auditorium. His friends deserved to at least have a hint of what they were about to walk into – not that Jason really knew what to expect from this last level of the temple. However, four brains were better than his rather confused and distracted one.

  “I see you’re ready to rumble,” Frank said, interrupting Jason’s thoughts as he logged in with a faint popping sound, followed closely by Riley and Eliza.

  “Something like that,” Jason replied with a grin.

  “I’m guessing you’ve come up with some master plan for tackling this next level?” Riley asked, taking a seat beside Jason on the stage.

  He spared a glance at Riley, noting the way she sat so close to him and the familiar way her arm bumped against his. You’re just reading into things again. She’s a friend, he reminded himself, his recent conversation with Angie still fresh in his mind. This isn’t the time to get distracted.

  Shaking his head to clear it, Jason replied, “Not exactly, but I want to talk to you all for a second before we tackle this next part.”

  “This sounds ominous,” Frank replied. “You kill somebody… again? Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” he amended quickly, putting up his hands to ward off Jason’s glare. Meanwhile, Riley stabbed at his foot with her dagger and Frank jumped back quickly. “It’s too soon! I get it!”

  “What did you want to talk about?” Eliza asked, rolling her eyes at Frank and stepping over to join the group along the edge of the stage.

  “This quest feels strange. I originally thought it was just a race change quest, but it feels like it’s somehow tied up with the gods in this game. Eliza mentioned the other day that the Hippie has implied that there is some sort of competition between the in-game gods – which might explain why they’re choosing avatars from among the players.”

  “Yeah, you’ve mentioned this in the past,” Frank said, motioning for Jason to get on with it.

  “Okay, so here’s the new part. I’ve also been seeing these… visions, I guess? It’s been happening for a while now, but they’ve become more vivid since we came back from Peccavi and started on this quest. It’s like the world sort of stutters, and then I’m seeing a flashback from the perspective of someone else,” Jason said, gazing at the floor.

  “First it was visions of weird fire demons attacking a city like the Twilight Throne. I also think I saw a Keeper using Undead Devotion like I did in Peccavi – to give people a second chance at life. These feel sort of like memories, but now the visions are more personal.”

  “How so?” Riley asked. Jason could see that his other teammates were leaning forward, waiting for him to continue.

  “I think all of these visions have been from the perspective of a Keeper,” Jason continued, his brow furrowed in thought. “Before, they lacked a narrative and seemed random, but now they are focused around the Keeper and his son visiting this island. The events must have taken place a long time ago since the temple was still intact and there were no lizardmen.”

  “The Keeper and his son, Noah, kept alluding to something called the ‘Purge’ – whatever that is – and they were being chased by human soldiers,” Jason explained, his fingers worrying at the hilt of one of his daggers. “The Keeper was injured passing through the mists, and his son caved in the entrance to the temple.”

  “Did the Keeper have this book we’re looking for?” Frank asked.

  Jason nodded. “I think so. He was hiding something under his cloak, which could have been the grimoire, but I never saw him pull it out.”

  “So that’s why you mentioned earlier that the Hippie might be controlling dark mana?” Eliza offered, adjusting her glasses. “You knew – or at least suspected – that a Keeper had brought the grimoire here.”

  “Exactly,” Jason replied. “That’s why I’m nervous about this next encounter. We might be facing something that is using both water and dark mana.”

  “Fantastic,” Frank muttered. “Although, these last couple levels of the temple are at least beginning to make more sense.”

  “Do you have any idea where this is all heading?” Riley asked cautiously. “It seems like you are only getting fragments.”

  “I’m not sure,” Jason said. “Collecting the grimoire is part of a race change quest based on Morgan’s research. That seems sort of clear. However, how this possible competition among the gods or this ‘Purge’ fit into the story is a mystery to me.” He shook his head. “The Old Man has been typically cryptic as well.”

  “I take it that this Old Man is the dark mana deity?” Riley asked, meeting his gaze.

  Jason nodded in reply.

  “At least he doesn’t seem as talkative as the Hippie,” Frank said with a chuckle. “We haven’t seen him once. It sounds like you lucked out compared to Eliza.”

  Eliza was frowning, her gaze focused on the rough stone floor of the amphitheater. “So you saw the Keeper and his son enter the temple, and they may have had something to do with activating the temple’s defenses,” she said aloud. “Which also means that they might still be up there… They were undead, right?”

  “The thought had crossed my mind,” Jason replied with a weak smile. “Although the Keeper was badly injured in my last few visions. I got the impression that he didn’t have long left.

  “Well, if they are still alive, isn’t that a good thing?” Frank asked in confusion, glancing at the group. “Aren’t these guys on our side?”

  “Has it really seemed like anyone has been on our side so far?” Riley retorted. “I mean we pretty much have every player and NPC in the game gunning for us right now. We also just got sucked into a magical play, and this island is being overrun by lizardmen – who we’ll probably end up betraying. Or did you forget that we haven’t killed that Tentacle Horror thing? What are the chances this Keeper and his son are going to invite us to sit down to tea?”

  “Okay, fair point,” Frank replied with a grin.

  “After saying it out loud, I’m not sure how much this really helps,” Jason added quietly. “But you guys deserved to know what we may be walking into.”


  Frank snorted. “It sounds like it will either be a friendly old man that’s going to politely hand us the tome and this orb thing, or some sort of water-dark mana hybrid monstrosity that will take us out in one blow.”

  The burly barbarian hesitated. “You know, now I kind of agree with Riley. We’re going to get destroyed, aren’t we?”

  Riley suddenly stood up, checking her equipment and a determined look settling over her face. “Maybe, but there’s no sense sitting here and worrying about it. We just need to keep moving and be on our guard. I say we buff up and then check out this new floor.”

  Frank let out a sigh, and Eliza nodded in agreement before rummaging through her pack in search of potions. Meanwhile, Jason was still a bit lost in his thoughts. It felt like had a few of the pieces, but they didn’t quite form a complete picture. It was aggravating.

  “You coming?” Riley asked. Jason looked up to find the dark archer holding out her hand. Behind her, Frank was already chugging multi-colored potions like he was taking shots.

  “I guess so,” he replied with a small smile, accepting her hand up.

  “You need to slow down!” Eliza cautioned Frank. “If you drink too many potions, you’ll barely be able to walk or see straight. The blood toxicity warning is not a joke.”

  Frank hiccupped violently. “Worth it,” he replied, his voice slurring slightly as he gestured to Eliza to hand him another potion. “You heard Jason. We’re going to be fighting some un-killable death machine!”

  Jason had to stifle a chuckle. “I think you can cut him off now,” he suggested to Eliza.

  Frank lunged for a potion and the water mage swatted at his hand. She then snatched away the remaining vials before he could grab them, handing a couple to Jason. “These will give you more mana and health,” she explained, before moving on to Riley and handing her a few potions.

  Jason downed the content of the little vials, noting with interest that they offered a pretty sizable bonus. He checked through his equipment to make sure everything was in order. That just left one problem. He needed some minions. His gaze turned back to the amphitheater, recalling that the Hippie had simply abandoned his undead audience before they logged out the evening before. There were likely a large number of bones now lingering about the empty theater.

  Taking a deep breath, Jason began channeling his dark mana. The chill energy immediately flooded his veins and clawed its way up his spine before settling behind his eyes. He took a moment to revel in the sensation, the icy feeling sweeping away his worry and doubt. Then he began casting Custom Skeleton, summoning the undead corpses around the room in waves – dark energy crashing and curling through the air.

  The undead horde slowly shambled back to their feet, now obeying Jason’s commands. A glance at his summon information informed him that he had raised dozens of the creatures. They were armed and armored in a collection of rotting and rusty equipment. They would be useful, but likely for nothing more than cannon fodder.

  Frowning, Jason decided to change that. After waiting a moment for his mana to regenerate, he cast Custom Skeleton again, this time loading the editing panel. Time slowed to a crawl around him, his teammates barely moving.

  After reviewing his control panel and his available resources, Jason debated briefly what to make. There were nearly two hundred corpses in the room, including the skeletons he had already raised. He could only assume that these were the remains of the humans who had been chasing the Keeper and the crews Lord Baen had sent after the orb.

  He also noted with a grimace that he had about sixty spots available toward his Control Limit – after accounting for the minions he had left back on the mainland and the sailors that were still being held hostage by the lizardmen. He couldn’t summon all of the corpses in the room, but he should at least try to use all of the available materials.

  Not knowing what they were likely to encounter, Jason was going to have to be conservative. He needed something resilient and flexible. Ideally, it should also be a creature that could protect his group while Riley and Frank laid down some damage.

  “I suppose it’s time for a classic,” he murmured after glancing through his list of saved designs. Making a decision, he slammed his fist down on the control panel.

  His new skeletons and the remaining corpses immediately broke apart and a whirlwind of bones whipped through the amphitheater. Jason’s mana pool bottomed out as he funneled his dark energy into the spell. Moments later, the bones began to take shape once more. Knitting themselves together with bands of dark mana, a series of colossal monsters formed around the theater.

  Nearly thirty Death Knights soon towered among the stands, their horned skulls turning to face Jason as the last bones snapped into place. Massive spikes jutted from their shields, and their skeletal tails lashed at the air around them menacingly. It had been a while since Jason had first summoned these creatures and a closer inspection revealed improvements in the way their shields and armored plates were formed – likely a result of his heightened Bone Crafting skill.

  “Are those Death Knights?” Frank asked, walking up beside Jason once the bones had stopped whizzing through the air.

  “They are indeed,” Jason said, forming three bone shields with the remaining corpses. He then mentally commanded his minions to line the sides of the stairwell leading to the next floor. The thunder of footsteps echoed through the auditorium as they took up their positions. “The original corpses the Hippie left behind were poorly armed. I figured we could use something a little more resilient since we don’t know what we’ll be dealing with.”

  “Makes sense,” Frank replied, his words slurring slightly, and a lopsided grin plastered on his face. “It…hic…it’s just interesting to see you back in your element. I’ve kind of gotten used to carrying you.”

  Jason snorted. “That’s ironic coming from the guy who basically dropped us down a hole.”

  “That was a tactical fall,” Frank retorted, gesturing wildly.

  “If you guys are done flirting, we should get going,” Riley said, pulling the bow from her back and nocking an arrow. “Besides, we all know that Eliza and I have been the ones carrying us. What would you all have done without our healing?”

  “Exactly. Mobile potion dispensary at your disposal,” Eliza said with a mock salute.

  Jason and Frank stared at her blankly for a moment, so taken aback by her joke that they weren’t exactly sure what to say. Then Frank started to laugh, his humor dispelling some of the remaining tension that lingered in the air after Jason had revealed his visions to the group.

  “That’s… ha…sorry,” Frank gasped. “That was just so weird coming from you.”

  Eliza folded her arms, looking a little offended. “I’m going to chalk this up to the fact that you’re intoxicated right now,” she said, walking past him and starting up the stairs.

  Jason just chuckled, patting his potion-drunk friend on the back as they started the climb up to the next floor. His Death Knights stood in formation on either side of the staircase, towering over the group as they walked past. At a mental command from Jason, they closed ranks behind the group, marching in two neat columns and their feet thudding against the stone floor rhythmically.

  A moment later, Jason and his teammates stood in front of a broad set of double doors. The portals loomed nearly twelve feet into the air, and the wood was aged and cracked. The massive iron handles embedded into the doors had been carved to resemble flowing waves, yet age and rust had marred their appearance over time.

  “I’m guessing that this is going to lead directly into the last room or floor,” Jason said, glancing at his map. “It looks like we’re only a couple dozen feet below the surface now.”

  He turned to look at his teammates. They looked tense but prepared – their knuckles white as they gripped their weapons. “You all ready?”

  “Ready,” Riley and Eliza replied.

  “Ready Freddy,” Frank slurred. Jason assumed that was good enough.

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nbsp; Without further ado, two of his Death Knights pushed open the massive doors, and the group stepped through the doorway. They immediately found themselves in what appeared to be a throne room. The entry hallway was rather tight but quickly angled outward into a gigantic rectangular room. As they stepped inside, blue torches along the walls flickered to life, illuminating the chamber. They found themselves facing a stone throne against the far wall.

  The group filtered into the room quickly, taking up their usual positions. Frank took the lead, both of his battleaxes held at the ready. Jason ordered a dozen of his Death Knights to stand in formation around the barbarian. His remaining minions flanked Jason, Riley, and Eliza near the rear, their bone shields held at the ready.

  The group stepped forward in this defensive formation, keeping a watchful eye on the throne. As they moved, the torches along the walls continued to erupt in a sapphire glow, revealing more and more of the room. Jason could barely make out four stone pillars resting in each corner of the chamber, but his Perception skill didn’t trigger or reveal any other information.

  That’s odd, he thought, his brow furrowed in thought. Yet he wasn’t about to move out of position to investigate the mysterious columns.

  As they neared the throne on the other end of the room, Jason held up his hand. A heavy silence hung in the air as the group halted their advance. At this distance, he could now see that a skeleton sat upon the throne, its body robed in ragged black tatters and a dark staff held loosely in one hand.

  What drew Jason’s attention were the two columns to either side of the throne, which were now fully illuminated. One appeared to be constructed of marble, and an azure glow emanated from the top. Above the column, a sphere hung suspended in the air, blue lines of power crisscrossing its surface. In contrast, the other pillar was constructed of coarse stone and appeared to have been thrown together quickly. This pillar almost seemed to suck in the light around it.

  Where is the grimoire? Jason thought, realizing that the book wasn’t hovering above what he could only assume was the dark mana well.