by Jesse Wilson
“Yeah, sure. I have to log out first. It’s been an hour. Once I log out then you can too since our profiles are connected,” she said and brought up her menu. “See you on the flipside,” she said, and pressed her button.
All at once her avatar disappeared and he was alone in the world. It was time to go so he brought up his own menu, found the log out button and pressed it. In bright red letters the word Error popped up, and nothing more. “What is going on?” he asked and pressed the button again. Nothing but another error message. “Are you kidding me. I knew this would happen. I knew it,” he said angrily and stood up.
He pressed the log out button again, and once again, nothing. “Damn this stupid luck, what the hell man, how is this even happening right now?” he asked no one.
“Dude, are you alright?” a voice came from behind and he turned. It was another vampire, pale skinned and much like him, was a beginner.
“No, I tried to log out and I got the error message,” he said and was growing in a panic. “Oh man, that’s a tough break. It’s rare but it happens, hey what’s your name?” the guy asked him. Derek remembered the rules.
“I’m Devon, I just, well, I just started today actually,” he replied. He needed to keep his real name secret.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Tavon. I just got my vampire butt kicked by the golem for the sixth time today in this session. I think I’m going to just give up,” Tavon replied and crossed his arms. “This game just isn’t for me, but I thought it was. I thought I could handle it,” he said and Derek felt bad for him.
“Well, alright, I just want to log out, but it looks like I’m stuck here,” Derek replied and didn’t know what to say.
“Hey, why don’t we find a couple of other rookies to team up with and fight a golem together. If we’re in a party, we all get counted in winning the fight,” Tavon said and smiled. “Sure I guess, why not. I’m not going anywhere,” he replied and Tavon brought up his menu, pressed a button and a screen opened up on Derek’s all on its own.
‘Would you like to form a party with Tavon, yes or no,’ it read. He clicked the yes button and nothing happened, he didn’t feel any different. ‘You are now in a party with Tavon,’ it read just before closing.
“Alright, now we got that stupid golem outnumbered. I think we stand a chance,” Tavon said and felt a bit too enthusiastic about all of this. Derek thought this guy was acting too much like a little kid, he wanted to ask him how old he was but decided against it. It really didn’t matter here.
“We might have it out numbered but why should we stop here. We need a healer, do they exist in this game?” Derek asked and Tavon nodded. “Yeah, sure, but they all hang out at the Thorn temple and are, well, mildly annoying to say the least,” he replied and Derek nodded.
“Lead the way, friend,” Derek replied. This guy wasn’t really a friend, he didn’t know him from anyone else, but it was better than being alone in the world. Derek turned to the bed he was just lying on and watched another body appear on it.
“Come on, let’s not stay in here very long. Most people aren’t exactly too good at being friendly, you’re lucky you met me, come on,” Tavon said and walked out of the room. The two of them walked out of the recovery room and into Pick’s Town. Derek was surprised at what he saw.
Chapter Seven
Pick’s Town reminded him of every old movie he had ever seen. There were people walking the streets dressed in weird outfits, weapons hanging on their side. The streets were lined with strings of light that dimly illuminated the tents they clung to. “What is this place?” Derek asked. He knew what it was but this was not what he was expecting.
“It’s our own little town of beginnings, player made. Everything you see here was crafted out of thousands of hours of dedication and creativity,” Tavon replied and smiled. “No one really knows who started or named it, but here we are, come on. The Talon awaits,” he said and led the way. Derek followed and did his best to not catch the attention of anyone with eye contact. He knew how people could be if they found out someone was brand new to something, it could be an unpleasant experience.
The two of them walked down the dirt path for a short distance until they came to a dark green building that looked less like a temple and more like a bar. There was a sign hanging on a post in front of it that read “Thorn Temple” on it, but it looked like someone had carved the words into the sign with a knife more than anything else. It didn’t look like a place where any kind of healers would hang out however, this was unlike any other game he’d ever experienced.
“Come on, let’s see if we can go find one,” Tavon said and walked forward and up the stairs. He moved to the green doors and they opened on their own. Derek followed him inside. He was right, this place had no religious value at all. There were people in every dark corner, people with glasses, drinking weird colored fluids and chatting. A strange mist filled the air and it smelled like smoke, but he didn’t see anyone smoking. Nothing made sense.
“Are you sure this is where the healers hang out?” he asked and Tavon turned to face him. “You bet man, watch,” he replied. “Hey, we’re looking to get out of this pit and us two here have a party. We’re looking for a healer,” Tavon said loudly, advertising it to the whole room. No one responded. Derek was beginning to wonder if getting out of this pit was not as simple as his sister made it sound.
“You want to form a party, you know that the bigger the party the harder the golems become, right. It’s the reason no one does it,” a voice responded from the dark. Derek had no idea but if it was true that would make sense. The voice belonged to a lady, but when she walked out of the shadows it didn’t look like any woman he’d ever seen before.
She was tall, thin, impossibly thin. Rags hung off her body, the parts he could see and she used a long staff to help walk. She was covered with a deep red cloak. “And your chances of winning are next to nothing. Two neophyte vampires. How many hours have you been in the game, ten, fifteen?” she asked in her sweet voice, but now it had an edge to it. “It’s my first hour, second now. I, I can’t log out,” Derek said but couldn’t bring himself to look at her.
“Aw, we have ourselves a glitcher. That’s fine, I’m sure you’ll go back to your real life and never come back here again. As for the loud mouth, I’ve seen him all over the pit begging any sucker he can find to look for a helper. How many times have you died now, two, three hundred times. Why don’t you just give up?” she asked him and Tavon looked to the ground.
“Hey, lady, if you haven’t noticed you’re still here in the pit too. How many times have you died trying to get out?” Derek asked her and the skeleton thin woman stood up straight, insulted almost. “None,” she replied.
“Yeah, I think that’s because you’ve never been in a fight at all. You’re more scared than either of us,” Derek replied and hadn’t noticed that he had caught the attention of everyone in the room. She didn’t respond for a few seconds. “I just happen to like it here, is all, fear has nothing to do with it,” she replied and Derek just shook his head.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s all that it is. Tell you what. If you party up with us, I’ll give you any items I win,” Derek said, but he didn’t know what he might be giving up by doing this. Tavon was impressed, no one was willing to give up loot to someone they didn’t know. Either he wasn’t coming back or was a genius.
“My name is Cyren, I accept your deal. Just remember it when the time comes,” she said and pulled up her white menu, quickly requested to party up with both of them. The two of them responded to her request. “Four is the biggest party one can have in Night World, at least in the Starlight, maybe we should just do this right. We should get a tank,” Cyren said to them. Tavon shrugged and Derek didn’t see why this was a bad idea. “I know where to look,” she said to them and started to walk away.
“Where are we going?” Derek asked her.
“The only place tanks hang out, meat headed idiots who love nothing more than being in co
mbat. We’re going to the Boneyard. I know a guy who’ll be dumb enough to sign up to this stupid plan of yours,” she said as she walked away.
“Oh man, the Bone yard, really, I hate that place,” Tavon said with a sigh. He followed the two of them out. Now that the scene was over, the other players went back to their normal routines.
Chapter Eight
Derek opened his menu again as they walked. The log out button was still there. He pressed it only to get the red error message again. “Damn it,” he said to himself.
“Don’t fret, this happens sometimes. I’m sure it won’t last long,” Cyren said to him and he didn’t feel any better. He had wished he never put the helmet on in the first place. He could only imagine how worried Jenny was right now.
“I sure hope not. I was only supposed to be here for an hour, I’m sure that hour’s long up by now,” he replied, but tried not to be too whiny about it.
“Kid, like I said, I’m sure they have a maintenance team on it as we speak. If you’re really worried you could contact a moderator and see what they can do but I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Cyren replied to him as they walked. “So, what are you under that cloak?” Derek asked, changing the subject in a hurry. She laughed a little bit.
“I’m a wendigo healer. In the character creation I wanted to be something different. So, I picked two opposites and put them together. Most people want to be a vamp or a werewolf in this game. Most are scared to be different,” Cyren said and continued. “Lucky for us the guy we are going to go see isn’t either of them,” she said.
“Hey, being a vampire, Night World was literally made for the vampire class. Always night, no sunlight. It’s perfect,” Tavon said and smiled.
“Yeah, no one in this party knows what life is like outside the immortality field. Night World has thirteen areas counting this one, and you’ve only seen one, and I’m going to guess you haven’t even seen all of this one,” she said and continued. “These areas are hundreds of miles, the pit is no exception to the rule and I don’t think anyone’s ever seen the entirety of this place,” she finished.
The words didn’t make either of them feel any better. The sheer vastness of this place was an alien thought to them. “Fine, but I still think vampires are the best,” Tavon said and Derek shook his head.
“I hope you’re not all like that. The superiority trait is going to get old fast,” he said and Tavon looked at him. “Dude, you’re one too,” he replied.“Yeah, I am, but I didn’t pick this. It’s my sister’s sub account, one she never used apparently,” Derek replied, annoyed already.
“Well she made a wise choice,” Tavon said and they turned a corner. There in front of them was a large, bone white building with high towers with blazing torches. Between the towers was a large gate that looked like it had never been closed.
“This is the Boneyard,” Cyren said and walked forward.
“I hate this place,” Tavon said and walked forward. Derek didn’t bother commenting. The closer they walked to the gate, the more sounds he could hear. The sounds of clashing metal, screaming crowds and everything he expected a place like this to be.
They walked inside and the blackness opened up to a torchlit hallway. “It’s the peak time, so there are going to be lots of people here. Anyone can challenge you to a duel and because of the immortality field, it’s a fight to death. If you die you’ll wake up where I found you,” Tavon said and Derek nodded. He wasn’t planning on getting into any more fights today.
The crowd was intense, hundreds of players cheering, screaming, around an arena with a dirt floor surrounded by rings of yellow and black fire. Directly opposite of them was a skybox with two people sitting inside of it. These two were not like any players Derek had seen yet. They were more like what his sister looked like. Strong, powerful and in charge.
“The Delwrath clan owns the Boneyard. Travix is the Bone Master, beside him is Lucy, the Bone Mistress. Both of the Delwrath clan, they use the gold flow from the yard to fund their clan and their searches. A bunch of arrogant pricks if you ask me but they keep the pit dwellers happy,” Tavon said but did his best not to look at either of them directly.
“Yeah, she mentioned them once. I’ll stay out of their hair,” Derek replied. Then the announcer came on, overpowering everyone else in the room.
“Ghouls, goblins and monsters of all kinds welcome to the Bone Yard’s main event. As always, we introduce the challenger,” the voice said and continued. “From the Lizard man race, standing tall and strong, the crazy barbarian Otham,” the voice said and the lizard person came walking onto the stage. He must have been at least six and a half feet tall.
He was dark green and had the head of a dinosaur. He wore golden plate armor and carried a large and shiny broadsword in his left hand and a round black shield in his right. The crowd cheered but it wasn’t all that enthusiastic.
“And now our nine time champion returns to claim his tenth championship title in a row, the undisputed king of the ring, master of disaster, the ultimate vampire, Drakis,” the announcer said and the crowd erupted into screams and cheers. It was clear who they supported. The vampire walked out into the ring and he was dressed head to toe in shining black armor. He looked like a medieval knight. His blade was long, black and serrated in his left hand. In his right was an axe with an oversized blade at the end.
“There is no chance the scale face down there has a chance, he’s an outlander and level sixty,” Tavon said to Derek. “Well he better because that’s the guy I know, I don’t want to have to go all the way back to the recovery room,” Cyren interrupted them both.
“Of course, it’s your guy, all of this is starting to feel like a really bad movie,” Derek said and Tavon laughed. Derek scanned Otham and the blue dot over his head disappeared. His readout appeared. Level sixteen, lizardman. Weaknesses: Fire, Cold, Shock. 210 hit points. The readout went on with other things he didn’t understand yet. Derek was now one hundred percent sure of two things. One, this fight was rigged from the beginning and two, this lizard really didn’t have a chance.
Derek watched as the bell rang, sounding more like a train whistle than anything else. The lizard man wasted no time and ran toward the much larger enemy. The black vampire knight didn’t move an inch. The broadsword, typically a two handed weapon, made a large overhead swing and cut into the knight’s left shoulder. Well, it tried.
The edge of the shiny blade made contact and stopped cold. The crowd cheered. “How did the lizard make it all the way to the champion fighter like this?” Derek asked.
“No, anyone can challenge anyone else. There isn’t any structure. All you do is put yourself in the queue and wait for someone to call your name,” Cyren replied and continued. “Most people don’t bother with the upper level queue because, well, you can see why. Otham is just insane enough to keep trying. Every time he levels up he tries to challenge the champion. He thinks he can break through the Obsidian Armor,” she finished.
“Obsidian Armor, real obsidian, wow that’s insane, nothing in the pit can break that,” Tavon said. The three of them watched as the black serrated blade swung forward. Otham leaped back and avoided it, it was clear he had done this many times in the past. Immediately he charged forward and bashed his shield into the vampire’s head. There was a loud clang and a shower of sparks, the knight staggered back three steps.
The crowd screamed and howled with excitement. Derek was pretty sure this black knight guy was just putting on a show. This was all for the benefit of a bored crowd who needed violence, too scared to go out and find it on their own. Draxis hefted his oversized black axe and threw it as hard as he could. Otham spun out of the way and avoided the weapon.
It landed blade first in the dirt floor. Then it pulled out of the ground and flew back to the knight’s hand in a second. Derek was the only one who seemed impressed by this move. He looked around and it appeared that everyone had expected it.
Derek already knew how this fight was going to turn
out, why was everyone so excited over such a lopsided battle? It didn’t make any sense to him. For the first time the knight began to walk forward like the juggernaut of death he was. Watching him move was like watching a machine. He had noticed that about all the avatars, they were all just a bit off, mechanical. “Oh, scaly’s had it now. Draxis never takes more than ten steps to win any fight,” Tavon said with a slight groan.
Derek watched closely and the knight was five steps forward when he stopped. Then he knew what the crowd was waiting for. Not for the predetermined victory, but to see if this lizard person could get him to take more than ten steps to win the battle. “And now you get to see why they call vampires the master race,” Cyren said with a hiss and crossed her bone like arms.
Draxis’ armor began to burn with purple fire and Otham took a defensive stance. Derek watched closely as the vampire knight disappeared. “Teleportation?” he asked quietly. His avatar eyes thought he saw something move but it was nothing but a mirage.
“No, flash step skill. A special skill mid to high level vampires get. In the outworld, people can defend against it. Here, it might as well be a death sentence. Draxis uses it almost every time and it only counts as one step,” Tavon said just as Draxis reappeared behind Otham and wrapped his black, armored left arm around Otham’s neck. Then the blade was pushed through the golden armor’s chest. Red pixels spilled out in all directions. Derek supposed this was supposed to be blood.
It was good enough for the crowd, it went wild. The three of them watched as Otham’s body dissolved in red light, fading from view. His sword and shield, however remained behind. “Damn it, now we need to go find him,” Cyren said to herself, she was hoping for mercy and that idea crumbled.
“I am Draxis, the champion of the Bone Yard. If there’s anyone else who wants to fight me, you all know where the sign up board is. However, if you lose the fight, you lose your gear. It’ll go up on the wall of the broken for everyone to see. Hopefully, I’ll be seeing another one of you losers again very soon,” Draxis screamed into the crowd. “Well we can zip on over to the recovery room and find this guy,” Tavon said and Cyren sighed.
