“Come on, I’ll tell you about it with Doolittle. Introduce you to Silvia. She has the whole story.”
Silvia Diamond casts Awaken on Sorry.
They gather nearby as I dismiss Djinn with a thumb’s up back to his.
Sid summons Xiuhcoatl.
The great, coiling golden dragon spirals out of his shining mist, and he leans down to my face. His nose touches mine and oddly, I’m not terrified. I meet his eyes and in his golden glow, I can see the deep red irises and black slit pupils. It may be my imagination, but I swear I hear his thoughts projected to me, and he says, “I am yours, and only yours.”
I blink as he pulls away.
I read his ability list.
Power of Dragons—Xiuhcoatl summons damage dealer of your choice to you. Speak the player’s name to Xiuhcoatl.
Sid commands Power of Dragons.
“Simple.”
Xiuhcoatl spits a yellow fireball in front of him, but it stops before exploding into the floor and Simple appears where it would have hit, sitting with legs crossed and two books in her lap. “Huh?” Her head twirls all around, then up at Xiuhcoatl. “Oh! Must be Ananta time.”
Simple never had a doubt. Maybe she found something else in another old book in the day I was gone.
Days calls out to her. “Over here. We’ll explain.”
She grins at me and whips out her wand, then runs over to the others. I glance at Silvia as she casts Awaken on Simple. She looks as strong and confident as ever, interacting easily with my Dark World friends, telling them what’s what.
Keres and Oni are left, but I have no more friends to invite.
I decide to summon them anyway. They must have something, but what?
Sid summons Keres.
The bare-breasted wraith forms out of the black smoke coming from me, and she asks, “Feed me? A sacrifice must be made.”
“No, Keres, I’m just looking at your ability list.”
“Soon, then,” she hisses.
I see a fifth option, but it’s not for summoning players to us.
Feed Keres—Sacrifice player of your choice to Keres. Speak the name of the player to Keres.
I dismiss her immediately.
“What did she have?” Silvia asks.
“Nothing at all. All that’s left is Oni.”
They stop talking and turn to me, approach me. “But we’re all here,” says Simple.
“I think there isn’t any more summoning players,” I tell them.
Sorry puts her hands on her hips. “What do you know?”
I shake my head and hold out my hands. “Nothing. Nothing—I’m nervous, alright? I don’t want anyone getting hurt, but I can’t do this without all of you. I know you well enough that I’m sure you want to be here. Yeah, I need you too, Silvia.”
My Dark World friends turn and look at her, but she keeps her steady, glowing gaze on me with a small, defiant smile on her thin lips. “Was it right to use Awaken, then?”
“I couldn’t interact with Elora until you cast it on me. None of them would be able to hit Ananta, possibly. Most likely. That’s how things work in Dark World. You always get screwed when you do something right,” I tell her.
“But, there was a possibility…”
Days shakes his head. “Sid is right. What if we started with the beastie, and then had to wait while you cast Awaken on all of us? Sid would be fried.”
She nods. Blinks. “Alright. I might not be able to interact with Ananta, but I don’t affect the mobs. I take care of the players, and if I can cast on you now, then I’ll be able to there. That’s all that matters.” She casts a Cure on Days. He nods with a light-headed expression.
“Yeah,” he says. “Mantra girl’s a fighter. Some stats on you.” He felt the strength of her Mind stat.
“So, they all have these moves but Keres. Check Oni, for Christ’s sake,” Sorry says.
“Yeah,” I mutter. After seeing Keres’ new ability, I’m concerned what Oni’s might be.
Sid summons Oni.
He fills the chamber, lighting it up soft blue. All three eyes are on me, and I see anticipation.
Doolittle is sweating, wiping his forehead with his White Blessings Robe’s sleeve.
I check Oni’s abilities.
Call Ananta—Oni brings forth demons of the greatest degree of creation and destruction, and in this place, Oni offers you a doorway to Ananta.
“Guys,” I say. “This is it.” I read them the ability Call Ananta.
We’re all quiet, and then Silvia says, “Sid, I’ve invited everyone to our group. Don’t you think it’s time?”
I wait, wondering. “Buffs?”
“If we enter a battlefield,” says Doolittle, “they’ll all be gone.”
“If he shows up here, we’re defenseless,” says Sorry.
I look at Oni’s eyes. The way he meets my gaze inspires confidence. Instead of the lost soul look he usually has, pensive and brooding, he looks determined and wise.
“Now’s the time,” I say.
Oni nods once.
Sid commands Call Ananta.
I hear ungodly wailing and shrieking as wispy, wicked wraiths form all through the room, whipping around us madly. Everything fades to black in the confusion as I feel my heart thump in my chest so hard I hear it in my ears.
Then we’re in the battlefield.
Open air all around, and nighttime. So many stars in the sky, and all three moons are out and full, aligned in a triangle directly overhead. We’re on a small island in a sea that stretches forever in all directions. There’s a fire burning in the center, and tropical trees and bushes seem planted by a great gardener’s hands in a deliberately disorganized pattern. Pink flowering jungle vines climb the trunks of the twisty trees.
“Everyone okay?” I ask.
I hear all of them say they’re here. My eyes adjust more and I make out their figures in the moonlight. I sigh in relief.
Silvia and Doolittle begin buffing even though I haven’t spotted Ananta yet. I throw some Spontaneities out, as well as Meditations. Days gets three of each, making his buffs last sixteen minutes.
“So, where is he?” Sorry whispers.
“Don’t know,” I say.
“This is amazing,” Silvia murmurs.
“Stay here,” I tell them. “I’m going to walk around.”
“Like hell,” says Days. “Quit being a pussy about us getting abused and suck it up. We’re following.”
I smile up at him. “Dork.”
“A comeback. With no excuse. Bad one. I like it.”
I turn and walk toward the fire pit. They follow. Once there, we surround it, looking into the yellow, orange, red, green, blue fire. A fire like Ananta’s fire in the opening cutscene.
Sid summons Oni.
Oni flows out of me and floats just behind me, saying nothing. I check his ability list in case he has something new, but no. The ability that got us here is gone.
“Oni, how do I find Ananta?” I ask him, looking back at him.
“Invite him,” says Oni in a smooth voice.
I look back at the fire and clear my throat. “I just say it out loud, Oni?”
“That is generally the way an invitation works, Master Sid.”
Oni’s never been a smartass. I take a slow breath. “Ananta, I’m Sid. Would you like to join me and my friends… for a friendly chat?”
Sorry chuckles darkly.
The fire burns brighter, and I hear seawater splashing at the south edge of the island to my right. We all look.
Ananta, with nine serpent heads at attention, lightning-sparking eyes making the sand glitter, climbs from the sea and approaches us on four clawed legs, forked tail swishing behind him. He looks more indigo than blue, like in the cutscene, but that might be the moonlight. His face slowly emerges from his belly once he’s close to us, the familiar, golden-skinned man’s features with white, penetrating eyes, coming out of the opening completely by the time he reaches us.
&nb
sp; By now, we’ve huddled on the other side of the fire from him.
Nobody says a word.
I tremble as his glaring white eyes and still mouth await… something. I need to act.
“Ananta, hello. I’m happy to have found you. Would you like to be my summon?” Will Nuudle charm work on him?
Why not? It might be that easy.
I’m wrong. It isn’t.
“Mystic Sid, I have watched you, and have found you to be a mystery. How you convinced all the summons of this time and world to ally with you when no one else has but claimed two or three. Now you want me, but for what use?” His voice is silky and accented oddly, tone not too deep, not too high. Steady. Steady, yet intimidating. So strong in that he knows exactly who he is and what he wants. Unfortunately, I know neither of these things about him.
I’m not sure how to answer and glance around at the others. They give no help, and even Days looks uncomfortable.
“I don’t really know, but I think when the times come, I will.”
He doesn’t blink. His lined, gold lips hardly split when he talks. “Djinn speaks highly of you.”
“You’ve talked to Djinn since…?”
“No and yes. I, too, know the limitlessness of no time, but there are many stories of life and existence now instead of one. This happened again when you entered Dark World and chose Mystic.”
I’m not sure what he means, but I nod as though I do. “Go on,” I encourage him.
“The other summons have their reasons to be under your command, and I have only one requirement.”
“Sure, Ananta, anything.” I give him a weak smile, hoping forced charm in the face of terror will entice him to take it easy on us. He doesn’t return it.
“We fight to the death, and I assure you, you will all die.”
I look down at the sand. Think for a minute, scared stiff. This summon means it. “Is there any other way?”
“Mystic Sid, I have known great pain. For you to understand how to use me, you, too, must endure the greatest pain you can imagine. Do you agree to my battle terms?”
I look at the others. “Guys? You still want to do this?”
Days lifts his sword, twirls it in front of him. “I’m game.”
“I’ve died before,” Sorry says, hand waving through the air like it’s nothing.
Doolittle and Simple nod.
I look at Silvia. “You can leave.”
“Don’t be stupid. I can’t even feel anything like you.” She pulls out her Diamond Dirk. Twists the handle in her right palm while preparing her wand in her left.
“So, Ananta, how do we start this?” I ask, trying to sound brave and casual. I sense he likes confidence.
His golden face disappears slowly into the belly of the serpent body. The serpent heads writhe for action.
Days wastes no time, as usual, and begins before I’m ready. Then again, I’ve never felt ready for any of these summon battles.
Days uses Invoke Inner Demon.
One of Ananta’s serpent heads shoots lightning at Days, which he blocks with his shield.
Oni moves in on Ananta, hitting him on his side with his head horns.
Ananta ignores Oni, focused on Days. The guy really can keep hate.
Sorry casts Weaken Enemy. Ananta has Offense Down.
Another serpent head dives for Days’ throat, but he evades. With Weaken Enemy, Oni’s hits do more than 0.2%, and now closer to 0.5% damage. I feel sick.
Doolittle casts Protection on Days. Days gains Protection.
Oni has done about 3% damage to Ananta by now, and that’s not nearly what he usually does to a boss. More like 5% a hit. Oni’s gotten in about ten hits. 3%. Days’ hits do no damage whatsoever.
Simple casts Ball Lightning. Ananta takes no damage.
“Ah, crap, he’s immune to my lightning magic,” calls out Simple. “I don’t know what to do.”
“It might just be too weak of a spell,” says Doolittle.
Simple spins on me. “Mantra me,” she hisses, eyes wild with excitement.
Days continues to battle Ananta, holding hate. He’s lost 30% HP while Ananta stands at 96%.
Silvia Diamond casts Cure. Days gains HP.
“Do it,” Days says. “I’ll get hate off her.”
Sid casts Mantra.
“Silvia,” I say, hoping she doesn’t hear. She’s dashing off a bolt of light from her wand to refresh her spell abilities.
She looks at me funny. She did hear.
Simple gains +190 ATT.
Simple casts Death Lightning. Ananta takes damage.
His HP only drops another 10%, and all snake heads are on Simple in a snap. Simple takes 20% damage from a couple of snake strikes. She never knew defensive fighting, but takes the hits without more than anger in her eyes. But there’s blood, a lot of it.
Days uses Crushing Blade.
Now, Ananta turns back on Days, missing about 14% more HP. Thank God it did more damage than Simple because that could have been nasty for my Nuudle friend to keep the hate.
It gets worse than I thought with Ananta on Days. The golden face emerges quickly and his eyes spear my Dark Knight tank.
Ananta uses Ananta’s Gaze. Days dies instantly.
My heart stops at seeing the beam shoot out of Ananta’s eyes and directly into Days, disintegrating him.
He’s just gone.
We’re so screwed.
Sid commands Disaster Strike. Ananta cannot use Special Ability until end of battle.
Ananta turns on Oni.
Ananta uses Snake Bites.
All snake heads snap at Oni, taking his HP to 50%. That’s way too much damage for a summon to take from a hit.
Doolittle casts Deep Heal on Oni.
Ananta rips around to Doolittle. The hate is loose and everywhere without Days, and we’re all freaking out, not thinking.
We’ll have to hop the hate. We all know it. That means we all bleed like Simple, or worse, we get zapped like Days.
Ananta uses Dweller on the Threshold. Doolittle’s stats are reduced by 80%.
“Damn,” he yells.
Sid casts Spontaneity. Doolittle gains +10 DEF.
It didn’t even match his old stats, just his lowered stats.
Ananta’s face still protrudes from his belly. Snake heads snap at Doolittle, knocking him to the sand with 0% HP in a hit. No way he could have done otherwise with those stats. His White Elf body lies crumpled on the ground, and then vanishes.
Silvia casts Blessing of Inner Peace. Sid will dodge all critical attacks in battle.
“Thanks!”
Ananta turns on Silvia. Oh no. It’s going so fast….
Ananta uses Ananta’s Gaze.
Sorry uses Special Ability: Mirror of Darkness. Party is protected by magical mirror for next attack.
Ananta’s laser hits something in front of Silvia, and it bounces back straight at Ananta himself. His HP drops to 40%.
“Holy shit!” Sorry says. “It didn’t even kill him. It’s supposed to reflect back any attack. That attack kills.”
Ananta uses Take Life.
Sorry casts Reflection of Darkness. Take Life is stopped and Ananta takes damage.
Usually, that spell drains a ton of HP and does arcane DoT, but on Ananta, just 20% HP lower. He’s at 30% HP. There is no DoT effect at all.
Ananta uses Ananta’s Gaze. Sorry dies instantly.
I watch the whole thing unfold in horror. I’d never seen Sorry fight like that, never knew she could deal out damage like a Black, and then… she’s gone.
Where are they going when they die? Under the Temple of Nuudlel? Back to Dark World?
Sid commands Demon Call. Ananta takes damage.
From Oni’s chest, a legion of twisted, dark creatures spring and fly at Ananta. They claw at his flesh and face, yet his features take no visible damage while his body shows deep wounds. His HP goes down to 15%.
Simple uses Special Ability: Reverse to Light.
Sim
ple casts Shield of Honor. The party gains Protection of the Ages.
My DEF stat is boosted up 100 points. I assume everyone else’s has, too.
Ananta turns on Simple. She puts her arm over her eyes instinctively and leans away from the wicked summon.
Ananta uses Take Life. Simple loses 90% active HP and gives it to Ananta.
Simple falls to the sand as I swallow the fact that Ananta is now way up on HP, at 78%. What must that have felt like to Simple? Take Life sounds like it would pain your very core being. Her face is pale and blank.
Silvia casts Deep Heal on Simple. Simple gains HP.
Simple should have gotten full HP, but no. She only gets 40% back. What is this trick of Ananta’s summon battle? Our moves aren’t working correctly, and everyone is fighting in a panic.
Simple casts Deep Heal.
Ananta blocks Deep Heal.
Now, Ananta is at 100% HP. He somehow took that magic right out of Simple’s wand.
Sid commands Disease. Ananta is diseased.
If this works right, then for the duration of the fight, Ananta will lose 15% HP every three seconds no matter what until he dies or I stop it.
His HP drops only 8% every three seconds. Damn. Of course, I lose track after counting two ticks and drag my shocked attention to the battle at hand.
Ananta uses Ananta’s gaze on Simple. Simple dies instantly.
She disintegrates.
It’s just Silvia and me left.
“Just do it!” I scream at Ananta.
Sid uses Seizure.
Sid commands Swallow. Ananta dodges.
Dammit.
Silvia casts Protection. Sid gains Protection.
Oni still slams and slaps Ananta, doing slight damage as my DoT move lessens in damage every tick. Ananta is at 60% HP.
I pause, thinking. He hasn’t attacked yet, but I’d think he would go after Silvia next.
He doesn’t.
Ananta uses Take Life. Oni loses 90% HP and gives it to Ananta.
He’s back at 100% HP, while Oni is struggling at 10% HP.
Oni can’t do anything now. Neither can we. I reach in my memory about how I decided all my summons chose me instead of my defeating them. How would this equate to my current situation with Ananta?
Sid commands retreat. Oni retreats.
Oni floats back to me and hovers by my side as Silvia casts Deep Heal on him. He goes to almost full HP.
Total Immersion: Dark World: A LitRPG Adventure Page 24