by Rick Scott
“Sure looks like it from where I’m sitting.”
“I was scouting, all right?” she says, glaring at me. “I ran into a little trouble. But nothing I can’t handle. So if you need to run back and “report in” to your girlfriend or whoever, then go right ahead. I’ll come back when I’m ready.”
She cuts her eyes away from me and a burning anger erupts in my gut. Who the heck does she think she is? I was going to play it soft with her before, but enough is enough.
“Look, if you’ve got an issue with me then come on out and say it!”
She turns back to me. “What?”
“Don’t pretend like nothing didn’t happen between us,” I say. “You tried to kiss me, Aiko. For real this time.”
She rolls her eyes dismissively. “Oh please, little boy. You only wish.”
Her dig hits me like a dagger to the gut and I wonder if maybe I did read everything all wrong or something. But no. I know what I saw. What I felt.
“Don’t treat me like a kid over this!”
“You are a kid,” she says with a smirk.
I force down my anger. This isn’t going to work with her. Maybe I need to try something else. Get a rise out of her like she’s trying to do with me.
“You know what? I can see why your sisters both hate you now.”
She lets out a cackle laugh. “Joining the club are you?”
Crap…that didn’t work either.
I release a sigh. She’s stuck in her troll mode again. Anything I say she’s just going to deflect. To resolve whatever this is, I need to talk to the real Aiko, not the person in front of me now. Whatever happened outside that bath has caused her to lock the real Aiko away deep and tight. And the more I try to get to her, the more this Aiko is going to remain.
I don’t say anything for a moment and simply look at the ground. I need to change the subject.
“So what’s stalking you?”
Her smirk fades and my no-nonsense tone must force her to put on her game face on again. I can almost sense relief coming from her as well, perhaps realizing I’m not going to push the issue with her.
“I don’t know,” she says. “But it’s big.”
The way she says it makes my skin colder than it already is. “What do you mean?”
“It’s invisible, but I can sense it.” She then points. “See those tracks?”
I try to make out what she’s pointing at and notice the same disjointed troughs in the snow that I’ve been following. From above I can now see that they are footprints of some kind and made by very large feet.
“What the heck…”
“I’ve seen it moving,” she says. “Like it’s dragging its feet through the snow.”
My heart rate increases at the thought of some giant invisible monster roaming around this forest with us. “And it’s been stalking you?”
“Yes. I sensed it a few minutes after I entered the forest. It took me a while to even really be sure something was there. So then I took to the trees and laid down some traps to see if I could make it reveal itself.”
“Traps? Like Ice Spike Traps?”
She looks at me. “Yeah…did you find one?”
“Ran into one is more like it,” I say wryly.
She chuckles. “Sorry.”
“What makes you think we’re safe in this tree?”
“I think it’s big but not so tall. I was watching the upper branches of the trees and never saw them disturbed.”
I try to focus my senses but all I hear is the whistle of the wind and feel the chill of the lightly falling snow. “I don’t sense anything. How high is your Awareness?”
“278,” she says. “And max-level Thief gets a 20% bonus on top of that.”
“Holy cow,” I say. “I’m surprised you can’t just see the thing even if it is invisible.”
“Almost,” she says with another slick grin. Then slowly her grin fades to be replaced by a grimace. “To be honest, though. I was happy as hell when I saw your PM. I was starting to freak out a bit. Being up in this tree all by myself with that thing down there trying to get me was not a nice feeling.”
Her admission takes me by surprise, the complete opposite of the cavalier bravado she was touting before. She’s dropped her guard again, back to the true Aiko now.
“No worries,” I say and pat her hand gently. “That’s why we need to stick together. And to be honest. I’m glad you’re here too. At least you can sense this thing. I’m completely blind to it.”
She chuckles. “I don’t know which is worse. Knowing or not knowing. Ignorance is bliss, right?”
I chuckle with her. “Maybe not in this case.”
A pause lingers between us as we both stare at the snow.
“Hey,” she says eventually. “I’m sorry by the way…about how I came at you just now. That was uncalled for.”
Holy cow, is she really opening up to me again?
“It’s okay,” I say with a grin. “I know when the real Aiko is talking and when her alter ego shows up to verbally beat the crap out of us.”
I nudge her to make it clear I’m joking. She responds with a smile and then rolls her eyes as she shakes her head. “There’s no fooling you sometimes, is there?”
I squint at that one. “Sometimes?”
That one actually makes her laugh out loud with her annoying cackle laugh, but I have to admit I’m getting used to it. She lets out a sigh and looks at me again. “How is it you get me so well? Not even my own sisters understand me like you do.”
I’m not sure what to say to that one exactly. “I’m sure they probably do. Val especially.”
She shakes her head. “You wouldn’t think so sometimes.”
“Hey you’re sisters. You’re supposed to get on each other’s nerves.” I let out a huff. “I know Maxis and I used to get on each other’s nerves all the time.”
“But you don’t anymore?”
I pause at that one and realize it’s kind of true. I said “used to” and that alone is something new. “We’re actually doing a lot better these days, I guess. I think we’re communicating better here on the surface than we ever did in the ‘real world’.”
“You’d think ten years on the surface would do the same for us, but no chance of that.” She sighs. “Even now, after saving Becky, it’s like we’re back to the same old routine again.”
“What routine?”
“Like I’m just tagging along. Aiko the third wheel. Or maybe it’s the seventh wheel now. Whatever.”
She says it flippantly but I can sense the subtle pain in her voice. Honestly I haven’t witnessed anything that could have made her feel ostracized from the group. We haven’t even had enough time together to even experience anything like that, I don’t think. But clearly it’s real for her. Maybe me not kissing her triggered that too. Like a rejection. Or maybe she’s assuming things and rejecting everyone else first. That defense mechanism again. Whatever the case, she’s opened up now and if I’m ever going to broach the topic about her and I, then now is the time.
“Hey, Aiko?”
“Yeah?”
I swallow the lump that’s forming in my throat. “Are we still…okay?”
Her eyes shift away and I notice her stiffen a bit. “What do you mean?”
Crap…I hope I haven’t lost her again already.
“I mean…after what happened…by the baths. You just kind of got really cold and distant afterwards.”
“What happened?” she says curtly. “Nothing happened, Reece.”
Definitely losing her.
“Hey!” I say more authoritatively and grip her hand. “Something did happen.”
“No it di—”
“Because I felt it too,” I say, cutting her off and her eyes go wide. Her mouth is left open and I feel the need to press on. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m all kinds of attracted to you, Aiko, and I don’t just mean the outside.”
Holy crap, did I really just say that? But I can’t help it. I
t’s honestly the way I feel….isn’t it? What does this mean? How can I feel this way about Aiko when I already have Gilly? What kind of schmuck am I?
She must sense the dilemma in my heart, because she says, “It was wrong of me to try and kiss you like that. I know you have Gilly. It was honestly, a moment of weakness on my part. That’s it.”
“A moment of weakness?”
She looks to the sky and lets out a long sigh. “I’m attracted to you too. From the moment I saw you, in fact. I’ve told you as much. You’ve got a hot bod.”
Holy crap…
“And the more I’ve gotten to know you, the sweeter a guy you’ve become to me.” She then glances at me from the corner of her eye. “Trust me, Reece. There’s a part of me that wants to defile you like you wouldn’t believe.”
Hol--eee crap! My heart feels like it’s about to burst through my chest and another part of my body feels like it’s about to burst through my pants! I can’t believe Aiko just said that. Is actually thinking something like that…
About me!
“But you’re like ten years younger than me and you have a great girl like Gilly who adores you. I couldn’t ruin that. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I just got…well I wanted what she has, I guess.”
I’m stupefied. I don’t know what to say or even think.
“But to hear you’ve got feelings for me as well…” She trails off and then looks away embarrassed again. “Do you really?”
“I…” Holy crap what do I say? “I…”
The tree bucks with a sudden jar and I’m tossed off the branch along with Aiko.
I let out a scream of shock and flip in the midair to right myself.
My previous thoughts evaporate as the massive form of something shimmers into view below us. Two massive reptilian eyes the size of beach balls peer up from within the snow. Beneath them a gaping maw of needle-like teeth opens up, revealing a snakelike mouth and a head covered in sparking white skin like glittering sandpaper. Behind its head are two ear-like appendages that look like giant snowflakes, like the kind you see under a magnifying glass. Its body is at least thirty feet long, most of it tail, and snakes around several trees and held up by six stump-like legs. I focus on it to see what it is.
Frost Salamander
Level: 85
A mysterious creature that appears only in the bleakest of winter storms. Whether they are attracted by the storms, or the cause of them, remains a matter of speculation for many scholars. Regrettably, very little is known about these creatures, as few who encounter them live to give a report.
I fall toward the ground and the beast moves with unnatural celerity, positioning itself right below us to swallow its next meal whole. Beside me Aiko flails and screams. I snap to my senses and grab hold of her by the waist and target the next closest tree using Charge Strike.
We sail through the air in tandem, but with our combined weight we go half the distance and don’t even make it to the tree. We crash into the snow with a tumble and I lose my shadow and a couple of HP as I slam against the tree trunk. A ghastly hiss fills the air and the ground trembles as we both clamber to our feet. The Frost Salamander charges towards us like a snowplow, clearing its own path as it drives through the frost-covered ground.
Aiko backs up against the tree and screams.
I see the wild panic in her eyes. She’s coming undone again!
I reach for her wrist and squeeze it like a vice. “Snap out of it, Aiko!”
She stops screaming and focuses on me.
“We can face this, whatever it is!” I let go of her wrist and draw my blades. “We’re Shard Warriors! We’re trained for this! We can do it!”
She gives a quick nod and pulls her blades as well.
The monster is nearly to us, hissing and gaping.
I yell at it with a War Cry and prepare to fight.
And pray to God that my own words prove true.
Chapter 34: Frost Fire
I brace myself as the giant salamander turns abruptly in my direction, triggered by my War Cry. It snaps at me with its huge jaws and I scoot out of the way at the very last second, using every ounce of my 240 plus Agility to evade. Its truck-sized head flies past and buries itself into the snow. I turn and pepper it with a series of quick slashes to its neck, gaining hate, before backing away with a Retreat.
I can no longer see Aiko. She’s somewhere on the other side of the huge beast.
“Stay with me, Aiko!” I shout to her through the party chat. “I can tank this. You just hang back and get it killed!”
At least I think I can tank it. It moves fast for its size, but I’ve faced worse than this. The only thing that has me worried are potential AOE moves or magic attacks. That reminds me to get my buffs up. I quickly cast Shadow Haste and Shadow Copy as the monster pulls free from the snow.
The salamander plows in my direction again.
I try to evade but the thing is just too darn huge to avoid!
I lose my shadow as it careens into me with the equivalent of an AOE attack but I get a few more hits off as it charges by. I need a new strategy. Its jaw and bites I can dodge, but with it charging at me with its huge body, that’s something I pretty much can’t avoid.
Aiko yells a battle cry as she flips down from out of a tree. She lands on the creature’s back and sinks both knives into its glittering white skin.
Aiko uses Sneak Attack!
Aiko hits the Frost Salamander for 10138(1067) damage!
A huge 10% of its health bar disappears and the monster roars in pain. Aiko is thrown off as it rears up, but she performs an impressive flip in midair to land on her feet in the snow next to me.
“Dang! Nice job!” I say. “How often can you do that?”
“Every 90 seconds.”
That gives me an idea. I need to keep this thing moving. “Keep hitting it from above like that as I train it! Use the trees!”
I blast the Frost Salamander with another War Cry while the creature is still recovering from Aiko’s Plunging Attack. I slash into its sides with my purple buffed blades, but it doesn’t seem to be interested in me anymore. Oh no. It turns to Aiko and lunges at her with its cavern-sized maw.
The world slips into slow motion as I see Aiko freeze again. She isn’t going to react in time!
“Aiko!”
I crash into her, pushing her out of the way.
You successfully Rescue Aiko!
Your Rescue skill increases by 0.8.
Skill Up! Your Rescue skill is now 3!
Your shadow absorbs the attack!
I blur to the side with nano-dust as the giant salamander again bites into the snow. I target its big snowflake-like “ears” and unleash a rapid series of attacks, desperate to counteract the massive hit that Aiko just performed.
You hit the Frost Salamander for 337 damage!
You hit the Frost Salamander for 323 damage!
You hit the Frost Salamander for 338 damage!
You hit the Frost Salamander for 341 damage!
Still it seems to do nothing to grab its attention.
“I need to feed you hate!” Aiko says from behind me. “Just hang on.”
She buffs herself with several abilities and then vanishes from view.
Aiko uses Misdirection.
Aiko uses Poison Blade.
Aiko uses Hide.
The Frost Salamander ignores me, like the pissant I am compared to it, and cranes its stubby neck in search of Aiko. She appears a second later, again dropping down from out of the trees to perform a buff-enhanced Plunging Attack.
The beast loses another 5% of its health as Aiko stabs it in the back of its neck and then cartwheels off to the side. The monster focuses on me, like I was the one that just hit it. It lets out a hiss and steamrolls in my direction.
Hoy boy!
I yell at it with another War Cry, but my scream is filled with just as much fright as fight. I take off Sprinting away from it, running in a zigzag pattern through t
he knee deep snow and towering trees. Snow and ice comes flinging at me from behind and the ground trembles as the massive salamander gives chase.
“You still with me, Aiko?” I yell through the chat.
“I’m keeping up. Thanks for that save, by the way.”
“You can thank me by killing this thing as fast as possible!”
I check its Health bar and note that Aiko has already dropped it to 84% and its HP keeps ticking down with whatever poison ability she applied to her blade. It drops another percent and I realize it must be a very strong poison indeed. We could probably kill it by just kiting it to death.
The Frost Salamander hisses and roars behind me as it loses another 5% of its health.
I risk a look over my shoulder to see Aiko removing her blade from its back. In that brief moment of distraction, I recast Shadow Copy and rebuff Shadow Haste. I give it another War Cry for good measure and then take off again.
“Keep it up!” I yell. “Just like this.”
We do so, falling into somewhat of a routine. Aiko sticks to scaling the trees and dropping down on it with Plunging Attacks, fusing me with hate from her Misdirection ability, while I simply focus on running for my life. We get it down to 40% and I begin to worry about my Stamina running dry when a debuff icon appears on my HUD.
Exhaustion -25% Stamina.
Oh crap.
I can feel it just as much as I can see it on my HUD. My legs are burning from Sprinting through the snow, my lungs are on fire and they hurt every time I take a breath of the ice-cold air. I push on and pray Aiko can kill this thing within the next few minutes.
Then I see something new.
Frost Salamander readies Frost Fire.
Un oh…
When I glance behind me an arctic blast of air erupts from its throat like the discharge of a snowblower. It hits me like a hurricane and strips my shadow instantly. It radiates out in a cone and the trees around me crystalize with a thick layer of ice.
“Reece! You okay?” Aiko cries, alarm in her voice.
“I’m good,” I say, recasting Shadow Copy and taking off again. “If it’s just that one AOE we’ll be fine.”
