by J D Astra
My eyes flicked, for what felt like the thousandth time, to the timer in the corner of my vision. He was right, of course. We had much bigger fish to fry and very little time to get cooking.
“Okay. You’re right.” I conceded with a nod.
Otto’s brows shot up, then one eyebrow came down as the other pointed hard as he said, “You’re not just saying this to get me off your case, are you?”
“No,” I said with a smirk. “Osmark is our Priority One threat. I don’t want to get tangled up in something else and get distracted.”
“Good,” Otto replied with finality. “I’m going back to bed.”
With that, he jumped back onto his top bunk, lay flat on his stomach, and huffed. Renzik sighed as he sauntered over to his bed and plopped down. I didn’t really want to let this go, as the way those men were talking was definitely devious, definitely more than just normal rebel business, but I needed to stay focused.
I lay back on my bed with still-damp hair and stared at the slats of the frame above me. Renzik blew gently and the room darkened as his candle went out. What the hell was I going to do with two more days of this? I closed my eyes and tried to let my mind drift as I listened to Otto’s rhythmic snores.
“Up, up! Everyone up!” The voice jerked me from what I thought was just a few seconds of shut-eye, but turned out was an hour and a half.
I sat up and rubbed sleep from my eyes as Tabor made his way around the room with a brightly glowing candle, calling for everyone to rise. There were two others in the bunk with us, but they didn’t look like permanent residents. I didn’t really know what set them apart, but they just seemed like they were passing through, needing a place to stay, but not part of the rebel group.
I flipped the blanket back and instantly regretted it. Shivers began in my jaw as the cold underground air enveloped my arms and legs. I pulled the blanket back up and wrapped it tighter around me as I moved to the edge of the bed.
“Where’s my breakfast?” Otto asked with a deep grumble in his voice. His feet swung over the bunk and dangled next to my face as he did a similar rubbing routine on his eyes.
Tabor made his way to the still sleeping Renzik and said, tone thick with sarcasm, “No breakfast in bed today, sweetheart.”
“I’ll kill you,” Otto replied with a glare.
Tabor grinned, then leaned down to Renzik’s bed. “Wakey, wakey,” he said in a playful tone as he moved a finger in to poke at the sleeping Dokkalfar.
Renzik’s hand flew up to his face and batted the offending finger away in a flash. “I am not asleep. I am meditating,” he said matter-of-factly without opening his eyes.
Tabor harrumphed and stood upright. “Sleeping or not, it’s time to get out of the bunks and get to breakfast, then chores. There’s no official assignment for you yet, so you’ll all be helping around the homestead for a bit.”
“And there’s absolutely no availability in Arcona’s schedule any earlier to discuss assignments and Osmark?” I asked, irked. “We need to talk about how we’re getting into the Grand Archive ASAP.”
Tabor shrugged uncomfortably. “I don’t know much, but some things are coming together... you have to wait.”
The other two inhabitants left the room and Renzik sprung out of bed. I wished I had their pep at six in the morning. I didn’t have a Tired debuff, but I was sporting level-three Hungry and Thirsty debuffs. I rose to my feet and made my way to the wardrobe for Wildfire. It was there, pristine and clean. I wished I’d had a V.G.O. magic cleaning closet back IRL, could’ve saved countless dollars and days of my life on laundry.
I exchanged the robes in my character screen with a pop, and warmth spread through my limbs. Ah, yes! The rush of power from serious stat jumps surged down my limbs and up to the top of my head in a breathtaking wave. Although I’d taken Wildfire off and put it back on a few times, the rush of power still gave me chills.
“Today we have four shorthanded sectors,” Tabor said as he pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket. “Alchemy, Forge, Tunnel Management, and School.” He looked up from his paper expectantly, eyes drifting from Renzik to Otto and finally resting on me.
A quest pop-up appeared in my view.
<<<>>>
New Quest: Daily Chores!
Even organized rebel institutions require some daily maintenance! Tabor has given you the option of selecting one of four different duties to carry out in the rebel underground. You may choose to do nothing, but you will suffer a 150 Renown penalty with the rebel faction of Alaunhylles.
Quest Class: Common
Quest Difficulty: Moderate
Success: Select one of the four chores and report for duty. Serve with the master as long as needed, and fulfill their requests.
Failure: Do not report for duty. Fail to satisfactorily fill the master’s requests. Refuse to accept a job; suffer a loss of 150 Renown.
Reward: 500 XP.
<<<>>>
500 XP? That was it? I wasn’t about to argue with Tabor about chores, but Arcona was going to get an earful, as soon as I could get a moment with her ear.
Alchemy was fine, but not really my thing. Lenny came to mind at the mention of the forge. He seemed to be an interesting dude, and the Residual Heat buff would make working a bit easier, maybe. Tunnel management was either patrols or some kind of heavy lifting, and neither of those sounded fun. School was for sure not the place for me. Tiny children running around screaming and puking, stuffing things up their noses, diaper changes. No thanks. Not right now.
“Forge,” I called, and the quest disappeared from my vision as it was accepted.
“Tunnels.” Otto groaned as he dropped to the floor and walked to the wardrobe.
“Alchemy?” Renzik asked with a shrug.
Tabor grimaced. “And I get school duty.” His head dropped and he stuffed the paper back in his pocket.
“Don’t you have important missions to be doing, or something?” I asked.
Tabor sucked in a breath as he stopped mid eye roll. “I work directly with Arcona—she tasks me from day to day. For the foreseeable future, I get to work with you, keep you out of trouble,” he said as he shot Otto a wink.
“Hmm,” Otto said thoughtfully as his pants and boots popped onto his body. “Last I recall, you were the one getting in so much trouble.”
“Pfff!” Tabor waved him off with a chuckle. “You’re remembering it wrong, old man.”
“Indeed,” Otto said with a grunt. “I need to report for tunnel excavation in twenty minutes, and it’s nearly a ten-minute walk. I’ll see you all later tonight for dinner.” Otto waved as he stepped through the open door, his gear, sans breastplate, all in place.
I opened my quest for a look. Sure enough, I needed to report for duty in twenty minutes as well... and I had a departure time: 5 PM. Damn, Osmark Tech got pushy about core hours, but 6 AM to 5 PM? That was insane! At least I’d be sleeping well tonight.
“I’ve gotta go, too.” I clapped my hands together and closed the menu. Tabor had a pleading look on his face as I gave him a playful salute and said, “Best of luck with those tots.”
I cast a fireball to light the way, as lit torches were sparse in the early hours. It made sense, as having all of them lit at all times was wasteful of oxygen, and made it pretty toasty. My stomach groaned at the scent of Quarry Grub wafting through the air as I passed through the Great Room. I didn’t even know where to get food, and I didn’t have time for it anyway. I’d just have to hold out. Or would I?
Steam rose up from a tent near the hall to the forge, and I could see a little spit with roasting meat rotating around. I approached the stand with a loud rumble in my stomach.
“How many?” the old Risi woman grunted. She was ancient: skin wrinkled, scars peppering her face and arms, one tusk-like tooth missing. It made her look a bit like a derpy bulldog, cute, but still fierce and grumpy.
“Three?” I asked, and her eyes flicked up to me in surprise. My stomach groaned again, long and lou
d, and she chuckled as she moved back to the spit.
With her bare hands she reached down to the fire, pulled off the metal stake, and scootched all three of the... rats...
Ew.
Ugh, whatever. The rats plopped onto a sheaf of parchment and the old Risi rolled it up until it was a little rat cone. She lumbered back to me, hunched over with a limp.
“Copper a’piece.” She grunted again, then hocked a loogie to the side.
Welp, I was starving so...
I passed her three copper with a cringing smile as I accepted the rats. I turned away with my hot feast of rodent, trying not to think about what it was, and bit into the greasy meat.
Wow. It was delicious! I turned back to see the old Risi woman put up a “back later” sign, and she hobbled on her way with a net and a tiny spear. I chewed the meat thoughtfully, wondering how a limpy old bag of bones like that was catching quick rats. When I swallowed, a notification appeared.
<<<>>>
Buff Added
Spit-Roasted Rodent: Restores 5 HP/sec and increases Stamina regeneration by 5%. Duration, 20 minutes.
Eating on a budget doesn’t have to be tasteless!
<<<>>>
Huh, not bad. I devoured the three rats before I left the Great Room, crumpled up the parchment, and deposited the trash in my inventory. I licked the salty grease from my fingers and sighed contently at my full belly. Now I just needed some water.
As I made my way down the hall to the forge, I could already hear a hammer working something on the anvil, and the low rumble of singing, or chanting, I couldn’t tell. My Residual Heat buff kicked in as I poked my head through the open archway and saw Lenny hard at work. He was mending a helmet that appeared as though it had been caved in on the left side.
Lenny’s voice rose and fell in a hymn-like song with the beat his hammering set, enchanting me with every word I couldn’t understand. He put the hammer aside and picked up the helm with his tongs to inspect his work.
“Ah!” he said with a smile as his eyes moved their focus from the helm to me at the door. “Glad to see ya again, lass. What can I do for you?” He set the helm into a bucket of cool water and it sizzled as the metal cooled.
“Actually,” I said as I stepped into the room, “I’m here to help you.”
“Wonderful! Glad to have a Firebrand! I’ve been needin’ s’more heat to mend a sword we found on an excursion, but we can’t get the forge that hot for long. Maybe you can?”
A quest update appeared at his question.
<<<>>>
Quest Update: Daily Chores!
You have earned 500 XP for reporting for work on time. Good job! Now, Lenny needs you to use your Firebrand powers to help keep the forge at a consistent high heat to mend a damaged sword.
Quest Class: Common
Quest Difficulty: Easy
Success: Maintain the heat in the forge for Lenny as he works the damaged sword.
Failure: Fail to keep the forge at the correct temperature.
Reward: 50 XP.
<<<>>>
I nodded. “I can give it my best shot.” The new leg of the quest was accepted at my confirmation, and I watched as 500 XP was added to my total in my character sheet. Awesome. If it was like this all day, I could get really close to leveling up.
“Great. Gimme a tick to grab it.” Lenny dropped his tongs at the anvil and headed to the back of the cracked dirt room. He nicked his thumb and spread his blood across the dirt slab, darkened with smears from multiple uses.
The portal opened and I recognized the familiar layout of the Armory room. Lenny turned back and shot me a wink as he said, “Much faster than walk’n there.”
“No kidding,” I said as I walked to the portal to look in. “Does every room have a portal?”
“Nah,” Lenny said as he rummaged through a thick chest. “I asked our boyo to set this’n up for me as a courtesy to me stubby legs!” He belly laughed, and I couldn’t help but chuckle too.
“So, the person who sets these up is just a boy?” I said as I gestured to the portal I was sticking halfway through. I pulled my face back as I realized the portal might snap shut at any second and leave pieces of me in both places.
Lenny stood upright, clutching a thick sword at least as long as he was tall, with dull runic engravings and gems lining the hilt. “I didn’t say he’s a boy,” he said, the backpedaling obvious in his voice. “Eh, well, yes, it’s a man.” He walked past me through the portal and it snapped shut. It must’ve been specially designed for only Lenny.
“Do they live here? This magic is amazeballs. I want to learn more about it.” I walked with him to the forge.
“Amaze—what?” He scowled, then waved it off as he said, “Never ye mind. I didn’t say anythin’ at all. Let’s get to work!” He clapped his hands together as he looked at the sword with a delightful glint in his eyes.
“Okay,” I said, ignoring the blatant diversion from my question. I moved in front of the forge and put my hands up to it. “What now?”
“Well...” Lenny looked at the hot coals, then me. “Ye should be able to tell it to get hot. Maybe try that.”
“Like, out loud?” I asked as I quirked a brow in his direction.
He shrugged at the forge. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”
I furrowed my brow as I stared into the red-hot basin. “Get hot.”
Nothing happened.
I looked to Lenny. His face was red, and his lips mashed together tight as his cheeks puffed out in stifled laughs. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot as I said, “Very funny.”
He couldn’t contain it any longer. He broke down, slapping his knee as he roared with laughter. “I’m sorry, lass!” he said as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “I couldn’t help me’self.
“Alright,” he said as he settled down with a few throat-clearing grumbles. “What you want to do is focus on the fire. See it in yer mind. Know that it’s yers and yers alone, it obeys you. Then tell it, in your mind, exactly what you want.”
I licked my lips, turned back to the forge, and stared into it. You’re mine. You are part of me, my fire. I own you. Get hotter. I felt silly as I used my monologue to try and control the heat of the forge.
“Ah, not good enough. Ye have’tuh believe it, or Asima can’t hear ye,” Lenny said.
“Asima?” I asked. I remembered Naitee had said “Asima be with you” right before I punched her in the face. I cringed at the thought of how pissed she’d be when she saw me again.
“What’re they teachin’ Firebrands now? Ye don’t know who Asima is?” Lenny’s brow wrinkled with disbelief and I shrugged. He sighed. “Asima is the god of all fire, banished eons ago to the Shattered Realm with his brother and sisters of the elements. What they left behind were summa their powers, and with it, their worshipers: the Firebrands, Frostlocks, Hydromancers, and Stonewalls. Many don’t believe they’re real, but those who do, truly, unlock secret powers of their element for their devotion. Or at least, that’s how the story goes!” Lenny laughed as he beat a hand on his knee. “So, why don’t you give it a shot?”
A god of fire? Secret religions? I sighed as I looked back to the hot embers in the forge. How could I believe I could control fire with my mind? That was a completely ridiculous notion.
Back IRL.
But this wasn’t IRL. This was Viridian Gate Online, and I could do just about anything I damn well pleased here, like turning my palms into flamethrowers. I’d seen Naitee controlling fire, its movements and shape... maybe this was something similar?
I inhaled deeply through my nose and let the breath out of my mouth, then turned back to the forge. The heat blanketed my skin in a tangible way. I could feel my body accepting it in, using it, feeding off it. The warmth of the fire was the by-product, and if I could use that, I could use the fire, too.
This is my world. This is my space. I made this and I can control it. You are my fire, you belong to me. I coded you. Obey me. Get hotter.
; The coals whitened as a new pop-up appeared in my vision.
<<<>>>
Ability Unlocked: Pyrokinesis
You have tamed the fire in your belly to reach out and command the element, whether you’ve spawned the flame yourself or not! There are five masteries of Pyrokinesis, and ten levels for each mastery:
1. Thermosis. The lowest and easiest skill of Pyrokinesis. Use it to make the flames burn hotter or cooler. Higher levels of this mastery unlock additional Firebrand spell modifications.
2. Engorgeous. Unlocks after reaching level 5 in the Thermosis mastery. Control the size of any fire, including Firebrand spells at higher levels of the mastery.
3. Bulbumos. Unlocks after reaching level 5 in the Engorgeous mastery. Control the shape of a flame, simple shapes at first, but more complex the higher the mastery level.
4. Momentus. Unlocks after reaching level 5 in the Bulbumos mastery. Move fire at will, short distances at slow speeds at lower mastery levels, but farther and faster as you progress in your mastery levels.
5. Omnisis. Unlocks after reaching level 10 in all the other masteries. Control two of the masteries at once at lower levels, and all masteries of the fire at once when Omnisis is at level 10.
You are currently at mastery Thermosis, level 1. Earn Pyro points to level up your mastery in Pyrokinesis. Pyro points are earned through practicing your current mastery level as well as the next mastery level. The clearer your mind, the easier the flame will obey your commands. Effort, dedication, and patience are the path to full mastery. Good luck, Firebrand!
<<<>>>
Holy what the f—
“You’ve done it!” Lenny clapped me on the back and I closed out of the prompt, then opened my character sheet. A new [1] blinked on my Ability tab, and I selected it. Along the right side of my Firebrand tree were five new ability squares, all linked from top to bottom. Square one was Thermosis. Next to my stashed Ability points were my Pyro points. I had none.
I inspected Thermosis further.
<<<>>>
Thermosis
The heat of the flame is yours to command. Glow bright white, burn blistering blue, or smolder a deep red, it’s all up to you.
