by Rick Scott
I need answers now more than ever and I have a feeling a lot of them are locked away inside my head. I have to figure out how to get to them. But I won’t be doing much of anything while we’re still on the run. We need to find someplace safe.
We push on and the air gets colder. It’s been dropping steadily ever since we left the caldera but it feels to be absolutely freezing now. It’s a reminder that the caldera itself must be some kind of unnatural heat source. There the air was cool but now, only twenty miles away, it’s frigid and laced with snow. The light flakes whip up in flurries as the wind whistles through the tree tops with a ghastly sound.
Both the sound and the wind itself makes me shiver. When we left last night I hadn’t given any thought to the weather, but now I’m wondering just how far we might get through this forest. We travel another hour and the elements begin to take their toll. My face burns with the icy cold and I shiver uncontrollably.
I watch as our stamina bars decrease, our maxes reduced by half. Not good. We begin to slow and by the looks on everyone’s faces, I can tell we’re all thinking the same thing.
Was heading this way a mistake?
I feel responsible for making the call and a gnawing uncertainty and guilt accompanies my physical discomfort. After another half hour I finally hear the call I’ve been praying for.
“Guys, I think I found something here,” Rembrandt reports through the party chat from up ahead.
Thank goodness….
“What is it?” Maxis says.
“I honestly don’t know. You’re going to have to come see it for yourself.”
* * *
I push to the front where Rembrandt is standing on a snow-covered tree stump overlooking a half-frozen stream. Just beyond it, the trees thin out and rise up a slope of freshly fallen snow to meet the dilapidated stone walls of a half-demolished structure. It’s roughly square in shape and the walls themselves are about thirty feet high in some places, but in others they’ve collapsed right to the ground. The wall facing us stretches perhaps a hundred feet before hitting a corner that’s also been demolished—granite blocks scattered across the ground.
“Is it a fort?” Gilly says.
Rembrandt shrugs. “Was one maybe. Doesn’t look like much of anything now.”
“It’s looking like shelter to me,” Maxis says. “We need to get out of this wind.” He then looks up to the sky, where the clouds have formed in a thick white blanket, blocking out the sun. “Could be a blizzard coming in.”
“It’s half demolished though,” Becky says. The brown eyed Halfling has thrown on some noob gear, compliments of Gilly, but it looks barely enough to keep her warm. She’s still sitting at level 5, and while I haven’t asked, the fact that she hasn’t changed her class all this time, leads me to believe that Celestial Mage is the only thing she has leveled. Or had leveled, before she got drained in that labyrinth.
Val Helena shrugs, her massive pauldrons rising and falling with the gesture. “Well, some shelter is better than none. Let’s get inside before we freeze to death out here.”
I can’t agree more, but then Aiko speaks up.
“Hold up you guys,” she says. “This could be a bad idea.”
I furrow my brow at her. “Why?”
“There’s an army behind us. If they catch up to us, and surround us while we’re in there, that place could become a deathtrap.”
My stomach sinks. I didn’t think of that. Right now all I can focus on is getting warm and resting my weary feet. I look up at the sky. “Well, like Maxis says, this weather doesn’t seem to be getting any better. We need to do something.”
“I say we take our chances,” Gilly says. “If this storm is forcing us to stop, then it’ll force them to stop them too, right?”
Aiko shrugs. “I guess that’s a point.”
“Agreed, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” Maxis says, stepping forward while readying his fists. “We still need to find out if it’s inhabitable at all. We might not be the only ones seeking shelter in there.”
* * *
Aiko and I inch forward with Shadow Cloak on. As the Ninjas of the team it only makes sense for us to be the first to head in to investigate. I’m sure I’m failing my Sneak skill though, as my boots crunch the snow under my feet. Popups on my HUD confirm it.
Your Sneak skill increases by 0.4.
Your Sneak skill increases by 0.4.
Skill Up! Your Sneak skill is now 87!
At least I’m getting skill ups out of the deal. I climb over the pile of stone blocks lying at the base of the dilapidated wall and jump down into a completely empty courtyard. I breathe a sigh of relief. I was half expecting to find a maze of walls inside with any number of unknown inhabitants hiding behind them, ready to pounce.
But the space is completely open. Whatever was once here is now long gone. From the inside, it appears only the wall we entered through and the one at the far corner have collapsed, the rest stand tall. Fresh snow covers the interior, which is about the area of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The blanket of white makes it look like carpet from afar.
“It’s clear,” I say in the party chat. “You guys can come in. Nothing in here.”
A few minutes later the rest of the team enters.
Rembrandt shivers. “Not much warmer in here, mate.”
I laugh. “You’re right about that.”
For a moment I wonder how the cyberpunker is even staying warm at all with his completely bald head, but I suppose his trenchcoat helps a lot.
Gilly steps towards the collapsed stone wall, the blocks big like nano-processors. “Maybe we can fix this,” she says and then looks to Val Helena. “Can this place be claimed like a town?”
I smile at Gilly. She’s always thinking ahead.
“The stone is still here to do it,” Gilly continues. “We can force build it with nano it we can get the same interface we do with the village.”
I glance up at the half-giant. “Is it possible, Val?”
Val Helena looks to both Aiko and Becky. “I don’t think we’ve ever claimed a structure like this before, but it should be possible, I guess. See if there is a node or something at the center to interact with.”
“On it,” I say.
I skirt forward towards the middle of the snow-covered courtyard. The idea of being able to take control of this place just like Brookrun has me feeling optimistic. And if we can fix the walls, I wonder what else we could build here. From the depths of the snow, I see the cap of a Wayfaring Stone.
“Guys, I found it!”
I touch the stone.
[Node Terminal 62DC: NULL_ERROR_541]
Damn, it still doesn’t work.
But something else appears on my HUD as well.
[Unknown Keep]
Name: Null
Level: 0
“The node doesn’t work, but I’m detecting something here,” I say.
“Try to claim it,” Gilly says through the chat.
The name is grayed out and it’s not prompting me with anything. I run through my town admin screens next, looking for options. Most actions looked grayed out, but finally I see something I can activate.
[Attempt to Claim Unknown Keep?] [Y/N]
“I got it!”
I hit yes and another message appears.
You attempt to claim Unknown Keep…
Claim failed.
You cannot claim structures occupied by hostile enemies.
“Huh?”
The ground trembles.
What the heck…?
“Guys watch out!” I cry.
A huge torrent of ice and snow erupts from the ground a few feet from me, shooting high into the sky. I Retreat reflexively, my heart jumping into my throat.
“Reece!” Gilly shouts.
At first I think it’s some kind of geyser, but the solid column of white bends and flexes at the middle, raining down sheets of ice. A sharp screech fills the air and the tip of the column bends earthwa
rd towards me, revealing a lamprey-like maw of sword-sized teeth. My flesh crawls at the sight of it, but I draw my kunai and prepare to fight whatever this thing is.
Ice Worm
Level: 85
From the glacial depths these ancient creatures burrow their way to the surface, often hiding beneath derelict structures to lay in wait for prey.
Holy crap…not good.
I check my stats. I’m exhausted, my Stamina bar barely enough for a few swings.
The giant worm flexes again and white light shines from its body.
Ice Worm uses Star Fall!
Twinkling snowflakes descend from the sky and I feel my exhaustion take me completely. I fight a sudden pull toward sleep, but my eyes are heavy before I know it. The world fades as a final message appears on my HUD.
You are asleep.
Chapter 24: Ice Worm
I awake to a bone-jarring smack!
“ARRGH!”
Ice Worm hits you for 972 Damage!
You are no longer asleep.
Geez!!! It feels like every bone in my body just took a personal thrashing.
I tumble backwards with the force of the hit, rolling in a backflip to regain my footing. My head swims as I try to regain my senses and take stock of what’s going on. My teammates are all shouting my name but I can’t see any of them. All I can see is the massive white worm towering above me, winding up for another hit.
I dash to the side as it comes crashing down with its maw and sends snow flying on impact. I need to get it together. I take a quick peek at my vitals.
Reece Level 85 Ninja
HP: 760/1732
Stamina: 67/87 (Exhaustion: -75% Max Stamina)
TP: 261/261
Crap! How am I supposed to fight this thing with my Stamina so low?
But I’ve got to do something. I still have TP left to spend. I buff myself with Shadow Haste, Shadow Copy and Shadow Tendrils to pull hate. I yell with a War Cry and lay into the worm’s leathery hide with a couple of quick attacks.
You hit the Ice Worm for 352 damage!
You hit the Ice Worm for 356 damage!
You hit the Ice Worm for 353 damage!
You hit the Ice Worm for 354 damage!
I dent it for maybe 2% of its Health bar, but worse than that, I lose five stamina per hit, dropping down to 47. Crap, I need to be careful and conserve. I’ve never worried about Stamina before, but I need to now. I need to save it to dodge more than attack. The Ice Worm rears back and thrusts its grisly maw at me again in a rapid three-strike combo. I’m able to dodge the attacks easily, but burn a whopping ten Stamina points each time.
Ice Worm misses you!
37/87 Stamina
Ice Worm misses you!
27/87 Stamina
Ice Worm misses you!
17/87 Stamina
I never realized it cost more Stamina to dodge than to attack. This isn’t going to work! My Stamina isn’t even regenerating any more. I feel my fatigue physically, my arms and legs growing heavy. The Ice Worm comes at me again, but this time with a horizontal spin move, using its entire body as a weapon. It’s far too big to dodge. An AOE attack!
It passes right through me with a puff of nano-dust.
Your shadow absorbs the attack!
Dang! That must have been what it woke me up with earlier.
I manage to cast Shadow Copy again as it pulls back for another three-hit combo.
“Gilly! Heal Reece up!” Val Helena shouts through the party chat.
“On it!” Gilly says.
A wave of relief washes over me as I remember I’m not in this fight alone. My friends are here and we’re more than capable of taking this thing on as a team. I hope. A white light engulfs me and fills me with warmth as Gilly casts her spell, topping my HP bar to full.
Gilly casts Heal IV
You gain +972 HP!
I see her then, just completing her cast. She’s by the foot of the wall on my far right, a few steps behind Val Helena and standing with Becky. Just beyond them I spot Rembrandt opening fire from the opposite side. My brother charges in ahead of him, hitting the worm with a flying kick before tearing into its hide with a full rotation of punches and jabs.
Maxis hits the Ice Worm for 343 damage!
Maxis hits the Ice Worm for 346 damage!
Maxis hits the Ice Worm for 345 damage!
“Keep Becky out of AOE range!” Aiko says as she appears behind the worm. She jabs it with a Backstab, causing the worm to face her.
Aiko uses Backstab!
Aiko hits the Ice Worm for 742 damage.
The monster slams its mouth at her three times, just like it did with me and Aiko lets out a cry as she loses her shadow.
“Reece! Take it back! I’m out of stamina!”
What? Already?
I check her status.
Aiko Level 85 Ninja
HP: 1312/1312
Stamina: 3/49 (Exhaustion: -75% Max Stamina)
TP: 155/175
Darn! In my crappy old armor she has way less Stamina than me.
I barely have any left myself, but I can’t let her get hit.
I’m about to use War Cry when I hear one come from Val Helena.
“Over here!” she yells and then adds with laughter in her voice. “Time for a real tank to take over!”
I check her stats.
Val Helena Level 85 Paladin
HP 6012/6012
Stamina: 180/180 (Exhaustion: -75% Max Stamina)
TP: 390/390
Wow! Even with exhaustion she has nearly triple the Stamina that Aiko and I do. She’s good at conserving it too. Where we have to constantly stay on the move, Val Helena simply stands there and takes the triple hits from safely behind her shield. She performs a couple more abilities, enhancing her defenses and threat generation while Gilly tops her up with a Heal III.
“I got you guys,” Becky says as she skirts around the perimeter of the enclosure to stay well out of reach of the worm. She reaches Aiko and me and casts a couple of spells. A blue light surrounds me, filling my Stamina Bar to full.
Becky casts Second Wind
You gain +70 Stamina
Becky casts Second Wind
Aiko gains +36 Stamina
Becky shrugs apologetically. “Best spell I have at the moment, I’m afraid.”
I grin at her as I feel my vigor renewed. “It’s just what we need, Becky. Thanks!”
I jump back into the fray, slicing and dicing with my kunai blades. Aiko, however, sheathes her weapons completely and Sprints up the wall behind her. What the heck? I stop and balk at her a moment. What’s she doing?
The elf stands completely still and then flashes with a bright light. Nano-dust swirls at her feet, rising upwards. Her Ninja garb disappears to be replaced by thigh-high black leather boots, matching arm-length gloves and a tight-fitting black bodysuit with more buckles than I can count. At her hips are two matching knives that are curved and as long as shortswords.
I check her stats again.
Aiko Level 85 Thief
HP: 1267/1267
Stamina: 82/82 (Exhaustion: -75% Max Stamina)
TP: 125/125
“You’re using Thief?” I say, still shocked by her sudden transformation.
“No sense us having three tanks,” Aiko says through the chat with a melody in her voice. “Get ready for some hate, Val!”
She preps herself with a couple of abilities, her body flashing with clouds of dark nano-dust.
Aiko readies Sneak Attack.
Sneak Attack
Perform a debilitating critical attack from any position.
Aiko uses Misdirection.
Misdirection
Transfer the enmity of your attacks to a party member.
She leaps off the wall, flying straight at the giant worm. She flips in midair and drops onto its hide with a Plunging Attack. The bonuses combine to perform a massive critical hit that removes 10% of the worm’s health.
Aiko us
es Sneak Attack!
Aiko hits the Ice Worm for 9742(942) damage!
Holy crap!
That’s way more damage than I’ve ever seen her do as a Ninja.
Aiko flips off of the Ice Worm’s back and then disappears from sight for a moment. She then reappears for another critical hit.
Aiko uses Backstab!
Aiko Backstabs the Ice Worm for 1211 damage!
She settles into a rhythm of quick double attacks that hit for huge critical damage each time.
Aiko hits the Ice Worm for 542 damage!
Aiko hits the Ice Worm for 537 damage!
“Wind!” she calls.
“I got you,” Becky says and tops up her Stamina bar with another Second Wind spell.
Becky does the same for me, but I’m barely attacking anymore, too mesmerized by Aiko’s sudden transformation and righteous display of damage dealing prowess. We have the worm down to 40% now. Val Helena is doing fine tanking, taking the big hits while Gilly tops her up every so often with a Heal or a Second Wind. I conserve my Stamina by going through my elemental magic wheel and debuff it with Shadow Dark before spraying it with a Shadow Mist.
You cast Shadow Mist.
Ice Worm resists the paralyze.
Ice Worm is poisoned!
