Or were there. For all Jimmy knew, they were being watched even now somehow.
Being out farming would give Jimmy a chance to get his own mind cleared before they tackled the next dungeon and faced down Demon Lord Calict. They’d asked a few locals during their quests in the new far eastern coastal territory about Calict, but they had refused to say anything about him, or her. Jimmy did not take that as a good sign and they had no information to go off from their quests yet. All they had was a name. If no one wanted to talk about…it…then Jimmy was left to assume he was a big baddie, far worse than anything they had faced so far. He hoped they were ready for it. Two Demon Lords left, they definitely weren’t going to be a walk in the park. But after what Dennis told them, about their characters breaking the boundaries of what they were supposedly capable, he guessed there was a chance it might not be as terrible.
A slim chance, but a chance all the same.
Jimmy reassured Maverick a few more times before she finally agreed to let him wander away to gather mats around Weston. He promised he wouldn’t go far and made sure he had some dried meat for Willy. He missed the white furry beast lumbering around when they quested, or snoring loudly while they were at the guild house. They assumed when Bishop turned, Willy would go with him, but the wolf had simply vanished. Jimmy used his sandy colored mount to carry him out of Weston, past the farmers’ fields, and into the forests north of the city where the majority of the plants needed for potions could be found.
At least, sticking close to Weston, he wouldn’t have to deal with pulling too much random stuff to kill. He didn’t aggro anything here, too high of a level. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with any mobs or mindless orcs when he knew what else was out there now and how bad it was.
He passed a few camps they had taken out early in the game, picking the night blossoms and poison thorns he could find before moving on further north. Without meaning to, he replayed the first few weeks of this game over and over again. His first-time meeting Harrison in the game and seeing him in real life. He was a cool guy and Jimmy looked forward to when the beta test would be over when maybe they could be friends outside the game. Or game online together. He might act like he was the friendliest guy in the world, but Jimmy had a hard time making friends. Here, he had found a family and now he was so close to losing everything.
He swatted aimlessly at vines hanging from branches, blocking his path. “Stupid Dennis and his stupid computer genius mind. Stupid game, stupid damn Demon Queen. Gah!” He threw back his head and yelled for the hell of it. Birds fluttered from the treetops, shrieking at the disturbance and he watched them fly higher and higher.
Blinking in confusion, he rushed through the woods until he came to a clearing and had a good view of the sky.
“When did those get there?”
As he’d set out from the guild house, the sky had been bright blue and the sun shining. Deep in the woods, he hadn’t realized how dark it had grown or that the sunlight was blocked out completely by dark clouds. Lightning flashed so bright Jimmy winced and looked away. Cursing, he rubbed his eyes, but all he saw when he opened them were dark blotches.
“Damn it,” he mumbled, rubbing at them thinking it would help, which of course it didn’t.
Leaves rustled as if someone walked close by and Jimmy froze. If Maverick or anyone else had come to check on him, they would’ve called out by now, right? Unless it was Willy. Jimmy licked his lips nervously and peered around.
“Willy? If you’re there, boy, you can come out. It’s safe.”
More rustling and a quiet growl. It was Willy. Jimmy crouched down, trying to see, but then there was silence.
Might not be the wolf, he told himself as he stood again, wondering what else was out here with him. Or who.
“I’m not in the mood to fight,” he yelled, struggling still to see clearly as he turned to the right first then to the left when the rustling came again. This time though it sounded like a person walking, definitely not a wolf. “Maverick? If that’s you, you know you worry too much.”
More shuffling, and still no words. He opened his bags and removed his staff, holding it at the ready. The stone at the top hummed with his power as it built, a bluish white glow lighting the sudden darkness of the day.
“Benji? Man, if this is you trying to get me back for scaring the hell out of you, it’s not a good time! Get out here already and show yourself!” Jimmy scanned the trees but, with the lack of sunlight, he kept mistaking trees for figures and his fingers rubbed his staff as he held it defensively before him, waiting. “I don’t have all day to wait around!”
“Don’t you?”
Jimmy gulped at the sound of that voice, but he refused to turn around and see for himself who stood behind him.
“You won’t even face me? And I thought we were friends once, brothers even.”
“You don’t even know who you are anymore.”
Bishop sighed and Jimmy heard the leaves rustling more before his boots appeared in his field of vision. This time, he looked up into the eyes of Bishop. He appeared like his old self from the outset but the longer Jimmy stared, the more he found flaws in his friend’s facial expression.
“You and Calista continue to believe I was something that I don’t recall.”
“It’s this game. It’s messed up your head and I don’t even know why I’m bothering,” Jimmy said, stabbing the end of his staff in the dirt. “You won’t listen so there’s no point.”
He set off through the trees again, lightning flashing overhead, but there was no following rumble of thunder. Not a sound. Jimmy’s steps slowed. There was no sound at all. Bishop spread his arms wide and threw his head back, staring up at the sky.
“You’ll want to wait around for the show,” he assured Jimmy.
“What show?” He studied his face, trying to decide what Bishop was up to when his stomach plummeted. Were they attacking Weston already? Were they too late? He had to get back and warn the others, had to do something to save the city.
“No need to panic,” Bishop assured him. “Well, at least not at the moment.”
“What are you doing?”
Bishop held his finger to his lips for quiet, but Jimmy heard nothing still. Not a single damn sound. What was he waiting for?
“Whatever. I’m leaving.” Jimmy turned his back and started to walk away when the twang of a bowstring was the only warning he had a split second before he was struck in the back. The attack sent him sprawling through the leaves, his staff skittering away out of his reach. “What the hell, man?”
His health dropped by a few hundred points and Bishop already had his next shot nocked and ready. His smirk was gone, replaced by a deadly serious look as he drew back on the string and the arrow tip burst into flame. “I didn’t say you could go.”
“Shit!” Jimmy scrambled to get away, knowing exactly what that flame meant.
Bishop let the shot fly and Jimmy dove into the trees, but not fast enough. The resounding explosion sent him a few yards into the air before he crashed down hard on his side, smoking and burnt leaves falling around him. A tree cracked close-by and he heard its trunk break before its thud shook the ground when it hit. His health was down to half now. He would not last much longer against Bishop. Focusing his power on a Life Absorb, he rolled to his feet and thrust his hands outwards. The magic surrounded Bishop, pinning his arms to his side in blue and white bright beams of light. He glowered at Jimmy, struggling to break free, but the spell was strong and held him fast.
“Come on, come on,” Jimmy whispered, watching his health go back up, but it was too damn slow. The spell only lasted for so long and, the second it faltered, he readied for another attack. Bishop was quicker, however.
He drew back and one of his Instant Shots hit Jimmy square in the chest. He gasped for air from the impact and realized too late it wasn’t just an Instant Shot.
“You bastard! Did you just stun me?” he ranted, unable to mov
e. He caught the icon out of the corner of his eye, but there was no timer. He grunted with effort, desperate to break free as Bishop stalked closer and closer, drawing back on the string again. Jimmy dreaded to see what the next attack would be and flinched when it was Rain of Thorns, tearing his robes and adding a bleed to the stun. Jimmy’s health took a hit every few seconds and he watched it steadily drop. “You’re really going to kill me?”
“Not yet,” Bishop told him, standing straight as he rested his bow. “But soon.”
“What are you waiting, for, huh? Just finish it!”
Bishop laughed. “You always act so brave, but let’s see how brave you are in the face of what comes next.”
Jimmy cringed, his fingers finally able to wiggle against his thigh. He checked his health again, but he wasn’t going to get free in time to save himself. Bishop was going to stand there and watch him die, but why? Jimmy would just come back and then what?
A drop of cold hit Jimmy in the face and his nose twitched. Rain? He glanced upwards and saw more drops fall around him, pattering the leaves gently along with Jimmy.
“Of course it’s going to freaking rain,” he grumbled, his fingers twitching more. Another drop landed on his hand and he froze, watching the drop slide down his skin. It left a dark trail behind it, almost like an ooze. “What the hell is that?”
“That is the end.” Bishop tilted his head back, letting the rain wash over him, smearing his face with the dirtied drops. “The end of the heroes and their rebirth.”
If Jimmy wasn’t still stunned, he would’ve been frozen in shock at Bishop’s words. What Dennis had told them, about Valen finding a way to ensure no heroes could revive…it was happening right now.
“She’s using the rain,” Jimmy whispered, tilting his head back as his face was gently washed by the drops. “How?”
“You underestimate her, you all have,” Bishop informed him as he picked up his bow again.
“What are you doing?” Jimmy’s foot slid in the mud, but the rest of his body remained stuck fast. “Bishop, whatever you think you have to do, you don’t. Just let me go, alright? Just let me walk away.”
Bishop drew back, barely a yard from Jimmy, and tilted his head. “Why would I do that?”
“Because we were friends once! Shit, man!” The rain came down harder, soaking his robes, but he was getting movement back. If he could keep him talking, maybe he stood a chance of getting out of here in one piece. All he needed was a few more seconds…just a few more…
“Good bye, Jimmy. I must say I hoped our last encounter would have been more exciting, but alas, this will have to suffice.”
He pulled back and Jimmy shut his eyes, not ready to see the death blow coming for him.
Except it never did.
The ground trembled beneath Jimmy’s feet and he heard Bishop yell then a horrible crunching sound and leaves scattering. “How’s that for exciting?”
“Maverick!”
She rushed to Jimmy’s side as Bishop hurried to get up, but he was slow. She’d plowed into him with the full force of her beast’s charge. She grabbed Jimmy’s arm and, with a hard yank, broke him out of the stun. They staggered forward together as the rain picked up strength, dousing them.
“We have to get out of this storm,” Jimmy urged. “Now! Where’s Giles, or Zoe?”
“A few of them are right behind me,” she said, brow furrowed confused. “It’s just rain—”
An arrow hit her in the side and she growled in rage, trying to shift back to beast form, but whatever Bishop had hit her with stopped it for a few seconds at least and her health plummeted.
“No, this rain has that stuff in it that kills characters!” Jimmy attempted a heal on the wound, but another shot hit him, throwing him off balance and interrupting the cast. Bishop was on his feet, furiously drawing back for another attack. “Duck!” He grabbed Maverick and they fell flat to the ground, army crawling through mud and foliage, trying to get away. “How are far away are the others?”
Maverick and he pulled themselves up behind a tree, peering around it and ducked down when another shot exploded right into it. The tree held, barely, but it wouldn’t survive another attack, and whatever Bishop had hit Maverick with put a drain on her arm.
“Damn it,” she cursed. “Too far out. I took off when I heard you yelling.”
“Aw, you came to check on me. I’m touched,” he muttered sarcastically, annoyed she didn’t trust him enough to be on his own.
Then again, if she hadn’t shown up, he’d be dead by now. He gave her hand a quick squeeze and she bobbed her head in understanding.
“We have to get out of here before he kills us,” she said. “We can’t run for it. He’s too good of a shot, too damn quick.”
“Milestone?”
“Takes a long time to cast, but might be our only shot.” She sent a quick message to the others to hold their position, telling them Bishop was in fact there and the rain was a potion that would ensure their character’s deaths.
Jimmy’s life was still draining away, past the half mark now. The second Maverick was done sending the message, she took Jimmy’s hand and he started the casting to get them out of there.
“It’s pointless you know,” Bishop called loudly, getting closer.
Jimmy urged the casting bar to fill up faster, but it took its time as always.
“If I don’t kill you here and now, Valenastrious will be the one to do it and you do not want that to be the case. She’s not as merciful as I am.”
Jimmy opened his mouth to curse him out, but Maverick stepped on his foot. “Ignore him.”
“You should’ve just died at Hillside. It could have been heroic, dying in the face of a massive army charging in, died while saving everyone,” Bishop went on, but Jimmy frowned.
He couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore. His blood ran cold and he kept his gaze locked on Maverick’s. Her eyes widened slightly then narrowed to angry slits, staring at something over Jimmy’s shoulder. He shouldn’t have looked, but he couldn’t help it. The urge to do so was too strong. There, not even two yards away, was Bishop, the string pulled back and a glowing white tipped arrow mingled with a new shadow waited to strike them down.
“Assassin’s Tear,” Jimmy whispered. “You’re really going to finish us off like that?”
“Why not? Seems fitting I think.” He pulled back harder, but he didn’t release the shot. The casting bar for the milestone was only halfway, but still Bishop didn’t let loose. His fingers shook and his eyes darted to the right as if he heard something.
As if someone was talking to him.
Jimmy and Maverick exchanged a panicked look thinking it was Valen, but if she was there, why was it taking so long for him to kill them? His lip pulled back in a snarl and he seemed to convince himself of his decision. He directed the shot straight at them and Jimmy knew this was going to be it. Neither one had enough health to survive such a powerful attack. The casting bar was three quarters full. Almost there, another few seconds and they’d be free.
Bishop’s whole body trembled now and, with a yell of frustration, he let go, but at the last second, his arm jerked to the right and the shot exploded behind them. Jimmy and Maverick yelled as they were thrown through the trees, slamming into the trunks before thudding to the ground in a heap. But they were alive.
The shot had missed them. Bishop didn’t kill them. Jimmy spit leaves and grass from his mouth, cringing as he sat up with a few HP left and saw Bishop wave his hand in a large circle. A portal appeared and, with one final look thrown Jimmy’s way, he stepped through. But that one look said so much. Bishop was still in there, their Bishop, and he was fighting to get out. He could’ve easily destroyed them both, but instead he had misfired.
Bishop never missed, not in all the hours they had spent playing in this world.
“Jimmy! Maverick!” Trajan bellowed.
“Over here!” Maverick yelled, waving her hand ov
er her head. Jimmy crawled towards her and held out his hand, healing her with a burst until a full-fledged healer reached them. “You should’ve saved that for yourself,” she growled, both lying on their backs as the rain continued to pour down on them.
“I’ll be fine,” he promised, reaching for her hand. “Did you see that?”
He saw her head move in a nod. “He’s in there still. Harrison knows exactly what’s going on.”
“You think he’ll break free of her on his own?”
“Maybe. Calista thinks he needs a push in the right direction.”
Jimmy turned his head as he stared at her. “A push? Like what exactly?”
“She thought maybe something involving seeing the love we have for our friend, or her love for him, but then we decided it might be a different push.” She faced him and he knew what she was going to say before the words even left her mouth. “Like killing one of us.”
Jimmy gulped. “He won’t do it. He can’t. You saw it yourself.”
She shrugged, but they didn’t get a chance to finish their conversation. Trajan was there, and right behind him were Benji and Aiden. They each took a player and healed them before the bleeds left by Bishop could drain the last bit of their health away.
Once good to go, Jimmy sat up and pulled leaves and twigs from Maverick’s hair for her as they told their friends what happened.
Trajan held out his hand, catching drops in his palm and studied them closely. “I wondered how she’d find a way to make this affect us all. The whole game is changed now.”
“For everyone.” Jimmy and Maverick stood. He looked at the crater left in the ground from where Bishop loosed the killing shot meant for them. “Bishop’s still in there.”
“What do you mean?”
Jimmy pointed to the smoking crater. “That was meant for us.”
“So he missed.”
“No, you know Bishop. That cocky bastard never missed a shot, ever. He’s fighting himself in his head, or Valen,” Jimmy said, shaking his own head as the thoughts became complicated. “Either way, our friend hasn’t given up yet, which means we can’t either.”
The Final Chapter Page 8
