by Raelyn Drake
The silence that pressed in on them was almost worse than the darkness. There were no insect noises, no breezes to stir the leaves. Just the sound of their shallow breathing and a dull thudding sound that might have been their own heartbeats. Em3ra1d froze as a twig snapped in the forest to her right.
“I wish we had night vision like Hunter,” E1_Kapitan muttered.
She suddenly thought of the large eyes on both the squirrels and the saber-toothed bear. She knew from last year’s biology class that nocturnal animals could see in the dark because they had big eyes that let in more light. She had just enough Power for that.
A low growl came from the darkness in front of her and grew into a roar. She had no way of knowing where exactly the saber-toothed bear was, but she aimed her hand at what she hoped was the direction of its eyes and screamed, “Light!”
She didn’t know if it was because she said it like she meant it this time, or if she was just getting better at magic, but this time there was no feeble light like in the tutorial. Instead a large sphere of light blazed like a miniature sun in the air in front of her.
The saber-toothed bear crashed out of the trees, and her spell surprised it in mid-charge. Em3ra1d barely dodged out of the way as the bear bellowed and flopped heavily to the ground, its eyes shut in pain.
E1_Kapitan aimed his staff at the blinded saber-toothed bear. Vines shot out of the staff—thick rope-like vines with sharp thorns. They coiled around the saber-toothed bear’s legs like snakes, then crawled up, winding around its body, binding it in place. The vines twisted and grew until Em3ra1d couldn’t even see the saber-toothed bear underneath the choking layer of the leaves and thorns.
The creature growled one last time, and then there was silence. The vines fell limply to the ground. The saber-toothed bear had vanished.
Rox_Ur_Sox respawned a second later. “Yay, you defeated it,” she said in a flat voice.
D4rkHunter respawned next to her. “Nice! Good job, guys!”
E1_Kapitan bent down to examine the pile of vines. He held up a shining gold key and grinned.
Chapter 7
Rox_Ur_Sox walked up to Em3ra1d, her face furious. “Were you trying to get me killed?”
Em3ra1d was forced to take a step back. “No, of course not.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Look, I didn’t even want to be here in the first place!”
“Well, you’re here now,” Rox_Ur_Sox said, “and the only way out of here is to win.”
“I’m trying to be a better player—”
“Try harder!” Rox_Ur_Sox put her hands on her hips.
“You are getting better, Em,” E1_Kapitan said. “I never could have defeated the Earth Level without you.”
Em3ra1d felt a surge of pride.
“Yeah, go easy on her, Roxy,” D4rkHunter called over his shoulder as he searched the ground for arrows he could reuse. “It’s her first time playing a game like this.”
“I don’t know how you can be so sympathetic, Hunter,” Rox_Ur_Sox snapped. “You’ve died twice in the first two levels. One more time and you’re out for the count.”
“But those weren’t my fault!” Em3ra1d protested.
“Not directly.” Rox_Ur_Sox pursed her lips angrily. “But this would be a whole lot easier if we had a Mage who knew what she was doing.”
“Aw, c’mon Roxy,” E1_Kapitan said with a sly smile. “You can’t tell me a pro-gamer like you wants things to be easy?”
Rox_Ur_Sox rolled her eyes, but she managed a small smile. “Fine. Maybe I do love a challenge.” A scowl quickly replaced her smile when she looked at Em3ra1d. “But you’re still on notice, n00b.” She strode off down the path out of the forest.
The rest of the party followed her.
“So, what was your fear, Kap?” D4rkHunter asked. “And don’t tell me it was saber-toothed bears.”
“Fine,” E1_Kapitan said. “I went on a camping trip last summer with my abuela and my mom and my cousins. I had to leave the tent in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. And one of my cousins thought it would be hilarious to leap out of the woods at me wearing a Halloween mask.” He smiled sheepishly.
“You gotta love family bonding,” D4rkHunter said, laughing.
The light from Em3ra1d’s spell began to fade as her Power drained, so the party hurried to the edge of the forest.
“Look, there’s the chest!” E1_Kapitan ran over and unlocked it with his key. This time the key crumbled away into dirt. The staff inside seemed to be made of shadows and swirling gray smoke. From certain angles, it was almost entirely see-through. It didn’t look like a solid, physical object, but E1_Kapitan was able to lift it out of the chest.
The message above the chest read:
SHADOW STAFF
E1_Kapitan raised the staff slightly and then brought it down with a soft thud. His avatar flickered and disappeared. If Em3ra1d looked closely, she could see a shimmery patch of air and a faint silver outline where he stood, but he was almost completely invisible. They heard another thump and he reappeared.
“That’s so cool!” D4rkHunter exclaimed.
E1_Kapitan grinned proudly.
Rox_Ur_Sox sighed. “I’m happy for you guys, but I think it’s a little unfair that you get sweet leveled-up weapons and I’m still stuck with my starter shield and sword.”
Em3ra1d hadn’t known enough about video game weapons to notice before, but compared to the new weapons that E1_Kapitan and D4rkHunter had received, Rox_Ur_Sox’s weapons were plain and boring. The sword even looked a little rusty.
She looked at her spell book. It was tattered and musty and the leather cover was peeling. Maybe when she beat her level, she would get a gorgeous hardcover book, bound with midnight blue leather and gold embossed lettering. She realized she hadn’t thought about what fear she would have to face in her level. She just hoped it wouldn’t be—
“Hey, let’s go already,” Rox_Ur_Sox said.
Chapter 8
They pushed past the last bunch of trees and came out onto an open plain of jagged, black rock. The ground sloped up to the smoking mountain peak they had seen from the pier. The sky was covered in dark clouds, lit red from beneath. As the group watched, a fountain of lava spewed from the mountaintop. The ground shook.
“I really hope this level doesn’t involve climbing an erupting volcano,” Rox_Ur_Sox said. “Because I’m not a huge fan of heat. Or fiery volcanic death.”
Lava flowed down the mountain in bright red rivers and webs of molten gold. Even at this distance, the air shimmered with heat. Ash and rocks began to rain down on their heads, and their red Health crystals dimmed slightly.
“We’re losing Health!” Rox_Ur_Sox deflected another shower of burning rocks with her shield. “We need to find cover.”
Em3ra1d scanned the area. Everything was rock, ash, and lava, but she thought she could make out a path. She spotted a cave on the side of the volcano, shielded from lava flows by a stone overhang.
“I think we’re supposed to go that way!” she shouted over the roar of the eruption.
They ran for the cave, dodging chunks of rock and flaming stone. The heat grew even worse the closer they got. Em3ra1d was already drenched with sweat. Beads of it ran down her back and stung her eyes.
She really hoped she was right about the cave. Just a little farther. She could feel the heat of the ground through her boots. Her red Health crystal was getting dimmer and dimmer from the choking ash and intense heat.
“Look out!” someone called, but Em3ra1d had already seen the giant lava flow cascading down the mountain, heading toward them like a fiery tidal wave.
“Everyone into the cave!” Rox_Ur_Sox shouted.
They barely made it in time. E1_Kapitan dove in at the last moment. Lava spilled over the stone overhang, creating a molten curtain that trapped them in the cave.
The heat was unbearable. Em3ra1d could feel her skin scorching and her lungs burning as she drew in a breath of superheated air and ash. The red glow from
their Health crystals grew weaker as the red glow of the lava grew brighter.
“What—do—we—do?” Rox_Ur_Sox croaked. “Going to—pass out.” She started coughing and choking, unable to get a breath.
D4rkHunter’s face was nearly as red as Rox_Ur_Sox’s armor.
Em3ra1d scanned the back of the cave, but her vision swam, and she couldn’t see anything that looked like a door. Her vision darkened at the corners. She dropped her spell book as she doubled over, coughing.
The book fell open to a specific page, as if by magic. It probably was magic, thought Em3ra1d. A spell caught her eyes. It had to work. Please.
E1_Kapitan sank to his knees, and D4rkHunter toppled over. Dust and ash filled the small space, and lava still blocked the way out.
Em3ra1d weakly aimed her hand over all of them. She tried to say the spell, but nothing came out but more coughs.
“Flame Guard,” she wheezed, hoping it would be enough.
Suddenly she could breathe again. She inhaled deeply. The air was still hot, but it wasn’t any worse than summer in Florida. Her red Health crystal began to recharge.
“Is everyone okay?” D4rkHunter asked, staggering to his feet. “Any deaths?”
“We’re all still here,” E1_Kapitan said between gulps of fresh air. “Good thinking with that spell, Em.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Rox_Ur_Sox said without looking at her.
Em3ra1d held up her hand. It was covered with a thin film that shimmered with rainbow patterns like a soap bubble. She could see the same sheen on the other players. It was the Flame Guard spell—an actual layer of protection on their skin.
“We really need to be more careful,” E1_Kapitan reminded them as everyone panted to catch their breath. “We almost all died at once. Remember, the Game Runner said that means ‘game over’ for all of us.”
D4rkHunter nodded. “Well, now that we can actually breathe, how do we get out of here?”
Em3ra1d checked the back of the cave. She thought she had seen something before she almost passed out. Sure enough, there was a narrow tunnel close to the ground. As she stuck her hand in, lights in the sides of the tunnel came to life and filled it with a dim yellow glow. There was barely room to squeeze through. They would have to crawl on their bellies.
“I think we’re supposed to go through here,” she said.
E1_Kapitan raised an eyebrow when he saw how small it was, but then he shrugged. “Eh, whatever, at least it’s not dark.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Rox_Ur_Sox, her eyes wide. “There’s no way we’ll fit.” Her voice shook slightly.
E1_Kapitan grinned. “Wait, don’t tell me our fearless Warrior is scared of the tunnel. Is this your level, Roxy?”
“I guess it must be.” Rox_Ur_Sox frowned. “I just don’t like small, enclosed places.” She peered into the tunnel. “Tiny, cramped, claustrophobic places where I could get stuck and never get out.” She gulped.
D4rkHunter walked over to her. “Why are you scared of—?”
“There’s no horror story or bad childhood memory behind it,” Rox_Ur_Sox snapped. “It just freaks me out. It’s a perfectly reasonable thing to be scared of.”
He held up his hands. “Fair enough. But I think it’s the only way for us to move forward. There’s still lava blocking the mouth of the cave. And I doubt even this Flame Guard spell would protect us from that.”
“Speaking of Flame Guard,” Em3ra1d said, “this spell is slowly draining my Power. I don’t want to use up it all up before we defeat this level, so we should probably hurry.”
D4rkHunter crawled into the tunnel first. After a while, he yelled back to them. “I can’t see the end, but it’s clear so far. Follow me in.”
“I might as well get it over with,” Rox_Ur_Sox said with a grimace. “If I wait to go last, I’ll psych myself out and won’t be able to do it. And then you’ll have to go on without me.”
“No one’s leaving you, Roxy,” E1_Kapitan said. “Your shield, on the other hand . . .”
“What?” Rox_Ur_Sox said sharply, clutching her shield to her chest. “I can’t leave my shield!”
“You’ll still have your sword,” E1_Kapitan reasoned. “But that shield is wider than the tunnel. Unless it folds up, there’s no way it’s going to fit through.”
Rox_Ur_Sox looked at Em3ra1d. “I don’t suppose you have a spell for folding up shields?”
Em3ra1d shook her head.
“Are you guys coming or not?” D4rkHunter’s muffled voice echoed back down the tunnel.
Rox_Ur_Sox sighed. “Ready or not,” she called back half-heartedly before setting her shield against the cave wall. Then she got down on her belly in an army crawl. She held her sword awkwardly in one hand, aimed point first down the tunnel.
“You should just strap your sword across your back,” E1_Kapitan called to her.
“I’m not going to be defenseless if I run into something in this creepy tunnel,” they heard her snap back.
Em3ra1d went next. Rox_Ur_Sox is right about this tunnel being creepy, she thought as she crawled along. The ground quaked with the force of the erupting volcano above them. The lights flickered and dirt shook free from the ceiling. Once or twice, the tunnel narrowed until she could hardly move. She had to dig in with her toes to push herself forward, inch by inch.
She thought she could hear Rox_Ur_Sox muttering angrily to herself from somewhere up ahead.
The tunnel seemed to go on forever, and Em3ra1d was grateful when she finally reached the end. She wriggled out of the tunnel and stood up slowly. She tried to massage the kinks out of her sore muscles. It felt like they had been crawling for hours. E1_Kapitan exited the tunnel behind her.
Rox_Ur_Sox brushed dirt off her armor. Sweat poured down her face, her forehead crinkled with anxiety.
“It’s not as much fun when it’s your own fear you have to face, is it?” D4rkHunter said, poking her gently in the arm.
“Whatever,” Rox_Ur_Sox said grumpily, redoing her ponytail. “Let’s just get this level over with. At least it’s less claustrophobic now.”
Em3ra1d examined their surroundings. They were in a large cavern. Pools of lava bubbled here and there, giving the room a red glow. “I need to save Power, guys,” Em3ra1d explained as she lowered the Flame Guard spell. The air was still hot, but it was clear.
Stalactites and stalagmites sprouted from the ceiling and floor of the cavern. Em3ra1d looked up. The cavern seemed to rise to a peak at the top. How could the volcano be erupting outside if it was hollow inside? She shook her head, reminding herself that it was a video game. Things didn’t have to make real-world sense.
An ear-splitting screech echoed in the cavern high above them. A massive fiery bird circled overhead. Its feathers were the color of molten lava—shades of crimson, orange, and gold.
Em3ra1d gasped. “Is that a phoenix?”
The phoenix swooped down to attack Rox_Ur_Sox. She raised her arm to fend it off, but at the last second, she seemed to remember that she no longer had a shield for defense. With a yell, she dove to the side in a half somersault, the talons scraping her shoulder. She brought up her sword as she landed and slashed at the phoenix. A shower of red feathers floated down around her.
E1_Kapitan used his staff to shoot thorn darts at the phoenix. It squawked and reared back as they hit, but it wasn’t enough damage. The phoenix flew at him, talons outstretched, but E1_Kapitan struck the ground with his Shadow Staff and turned invisible. The phoenix screeched in frustration as more thorn darts shot out of nowhere.
E1_Kapitan reappeared suddenly, his eyes wide. Em3ra1d could see from the dull blue crystal on his wristband that his Power had run out. The phoenix dug its talons into E1_Kapitan’s leather jacket. Before the rest of them could react, the phoenix half-dragged, half-threw E1_Kapitan into one of the lava pools. He pixelated instantly.
EL_KAPITAN: DEATH 1 OF 3
The phoenix circled over their heads and screeched again. It pulled in its wings and dive-bo
mbed Em3ra1d.
Em3ra1d_with_3nvy yelled the first spell that came into her head.
“Fireball!”
None of the other players are nearby to take friendly fire, she reasoned. And it’s okay to use a high-powered spell on a high-level enemy.
The plume of green Mage flame hit the phoenix square in the face.
It didn’t damage the phoenix at all.
She thought she heard Rox_Ur_Sox yell. “Fire Level, n00b! FIRE!”
Of course, thought Em3ra1d as the phoenix’s talons hit her in the chest and knocked her to the ground. Flames glowed deep in its throat like a furnace as it opened its beak wide. You can’t fight fire with fire.
EM3RALD_WITH_3NVY: DEATH 2 OF 3
Chapter 9
When Em3ra1d respawned, it was right in the thick of the battle. She felt like things were moving in slow motion around her. E1_Kapitan had respawned behind a pile of rocks, but he seemed to have trouble getting around them without putting himself right in the phoenix’s way. The phoenix was attacking Rox_Ur_Sox, its giant wings churning the air around them. Fire shot from its mouth as if it were a dragon.
Em3ra1d dove in front of Rox_Ur_Sox and threw up her hand. “Ice Wall!”
A sheet of ice flew up in front of them like a force field. The phoenix’s flame hit the wall instead of Rox_Ur_Sox.
The ice melted in seconds. A cloud of hot steam surrounded them, blocking them from the phoenix’s view for several moments. Rox_Ur_Sox grabbed Em3ra1d’s hand and they ducked behind a stalagmite on the other side of the cave. The phoenix shrieked, unable to find any of them in the thick fog.
“That was so cool!” Rox_Ur_Sox whispered excitedly. “You just came out of nowhere, like BAM.” Then she seemed to remember she was talking to Em3ra1d. She blushed and looked away. “Thanks for saving me, n00b. I guess.”
“How are we going to defeat this thing?” Em3ra1d asked as D4rkHunter scurried over to join them.
“I have an idea,” he said and leaned in to explain it to them.
