by Oliver Mayes
“I put my neck out for you. I vouched for you. And then I watched you throw it all away, for nothing.”
Aetherius grabbed the knee that was pinning him, but there was no resisting it. He looked up at his older brother, his face dark with the wisp behind his head.
“For nothing? You made me boost the guy who took my spot against Toutatis, on the same day you had me lined up to end my relationship with Lillian, and you call that nothing?”
Magnitude raised his jade-encased hands and the dome reverberated with the slowest of slow claps.
“You threw a tantrum because you were sad about losing your girlfriend. At whose cost? I thought you were smarter than that, but she completely destabilized you. As I always knew she would.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
The knee on his chest dug in again, pressing him down tightly.
“She was never good for you, Andrew. How much more obvious can it be? She took the competition away from you the moment she couldn’t use you anymore. How can you still not see that?”
Aetherius paused to contemplate his brother’s words of wisdom. Briefly. He abruptly brought his hands together and they pulsed red. Magnitude tumbled backward, the Arcane Beam searing through the rock overhead and causing it to crash around them. Aetherius canceled the channel and pushed himself up, one hand preparing an Arcane Bolt while the other shielded his eyes from sudden daylight. It was streaking in through the hole he’d made in the ceiling. He hadn’t realized they were only separated from the surface by such a thin layer.
Aetherius span round, his held spell lighting the ground around him, but Magnitude was nowhere to be seen. That was ominous. Whatever his secret class was, it wasn’t stealth- or speed-based. So where did he go? Aetherius sent the Mana Wisp into the darkness ahead while he remained in the light beam.
“You should never have interfered in our relationship! You had no right!”
“She was using you! She could’ve taken Rising Tide any day she wanted! I thought I’d saved you, that so long as you pulled that off nothing else could go wrong.”
Aetherius hurled a string of bolts behind him, where the voice had suddenly appeared. They didn’t impact anything either. This shouldn’t have been possible. Magnitude was obviously playing a strength-based class and he had the armor to match, there was no way Aetherius could imagine him moving so fast and so quietly in the enclosed space. Aetherius fired a pair of bolts around him in an expanding circle, lighting up the whole dome piece by piece. Magnitude wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
“But I was mistaken.”
The voice had come from right behind him. Aetherius was caught in the back with a hook, sending him hurtling to the periphery of the dome. It had been a big hit, even unarmed, and Aetherius was not built to take hits of any kind. Combined with the ground slam, he was down to a fraction of his health. Magnitude was toying with him.
“I solve one problem, you cause another. Just when I’d made you safe, you kicked Damien into the Downward Spiral, spiting him, us and yourself. After you did that, my hands were tied.”
Aetherius fired an Arcane Beam back the way he’d come. No one was there. He gave up. He had no idea how his brother was appearing and disappearing. Without knowing how his abilities worked, he was outmatched. He stumbled to his feet, eyeing up the portal on the opposite side of the dome. It was still active.
Aetherius needed a gesture his artifact could convert into a natural facade. The foot-tapping had always been very effective, but was too well known. It had to match the situation.
“Forcing a breakup with my girlfriend is helping me? Really?”
Aetherius put his palm on his forehead and slowly shook his head, staring at the floor.
“I should never have come to you for help in the first place. ‘Bro’.”
Decoy.
He set the Mana Wisp to remain above his decoy and started walking toward the portal very carefully, popping a health potion as he went. He could barely see where he was going. His only reference points were the light of the Mana Wisp behind, the two holes he’d made in the domed ceiling and the dim glow of the portal in front. That and his brother’s voice, which was coming from somewhere in between.
Aetherius was invisible, but he could still be heard and touched. The dome offered no sound to cover his footsteps. He carefully crept forward as his older brother tutted then obligingly started monologuing, his words tinged with anger.
“You’re taking me for granted! I did everything in my power to make your streamer dream happen. I convinced my group to give you power most players won’t ever get: a custom-made artifact, the best bag in the known game and two legendary mounts!”
Aetherius quickly checked on his decoy as he popped a mana potion. It looked pretty authentic. Halfway to expiration. The only problem was, Aetherius couldn’t find his way around Magnitude’s voice. Wherever he went, it seemed to follow right in front of him, always blocking his way to the portal. Maybe the acoustics were off in here? It could explain why the voice was also getting louder. He just needed to get a little closer, then his Blink would carry him straight to his escape route. But Magnitude’s voice remained right in front of him.
“You were fed dungeon and boss mechanics in advance, you were told your traits and skills up to level 50, you had all the information on rival guilds we could acquire. And now you’re using the artifact I built you with my own two hands to try and sneak past me?”
Magnitude had gotten as far as ‘built’ before the Mana Wisp was jetting away from the decoy and in front of Aetherius as fast as he could make it go. By the time it settled, the decoy was all but expired. Magnitude was standing directly in front of him. Looking almost straight at him.
“I’m not impressed.”
Aetherius Blinked through his captor and ran. The portal was only ten steps away. He made it three steps before it started to drop into the ground and his feet became heavy. He looked down at it incredulously as it descended out of view, trying to figure out what was going on. It was as the air rushed over him that he realized why he felt heavier. The portal wasn’t going down. He was going up. It didn’t matter. At that point, there was nothing he could do.
He was slammed into the ceiling headfirst, falling over onto his face. His ascent did not slow. The ceiling crashed into his back, crushing him all the way from his ankles to the back of his head. In an instant, he went from full health to teetering on the edge of death, his body a mangled, immobile wreck. Then the pressure subsided and the crushing platform descended to the floor, the portal a mere five steps away.
Aetherius couldn’t get up. He willed his last health potion into his hand and was dragging it to his lips when Magnitude snatched it away. The Mana Wisp followed close behind, giving Andrew a good view of his older brother draining his only hope at salvation. Magnitude put his foot on Aetherius’s head, nudging it to look away from the portal before pressing down, and spoke to him levelly.
“You remember when I promised I’d leave the party if we didn’t deliver your artifact? They didn’t take too kindly to that. They didn’t much like the idea I was more loyal to you than them. So they made an arrangement with me in private, to balance it out. I promised that if you screwed up, I’d handle it myself.”
While he was talking, Aetherius had pointed a shaky hand upward. His health might have been low, but his mana was full. His hand glowed red, then exploded. Magnitude’s upper body was engulfed in the beam and the dome was filled with the roar of the release of pure energy. It did less damage than a double-handed cast but also cost half as much mana, resulting in eight seconds of Aetherius’s go-to instant-death spell at point-blank range.
He held it until every last drop of his mana had been depleted, his hand only falling back to the ground when he was completely spent. And in its wake, found himself staring up and sidelong at Magnitude. Who had 65% of his health remaining, a slightly singed beard and a foot on Aetherius’s head that hadn’t budged for the entire spell-cas
t. Magnitude paused for effect, allowing Aetherius to see the results of his determination. To add insult to injury, Magnitude’s health was regenerating. Absurdly quickly. He was back at full in ten seconds flat, without having used any skills or abilities.
Magnitude continued to talk as if nothing had happened.
“If you’d won the competition, you could’ve started a new life. But you dropped the ball. I can’t help someone who won’t help themselves, and I won’t undermine my own position trying, and let you drag me down with you.”
Aetherius heard everything he’d been told, even with Magnitude’s foot muffling one of his ears, but his understanding was different. Maybe he and Lillian could’ve patched things up if he hadn’t been offered a dark path at a bad time. Maybe a lot of things would be different. Now he’d never know, because he’d taken up his brother’s offer and had ended up here, under his jade boot. Magnitude leaned in, his arm bracing on his knee and adding more pressure to the side of Andrew’s head.
“So, here’s what’s going to happen: first, I’m going to kill you. Sorry. Then, you’re going to forget this whole sorry mess happened. It must hurt now, and that’s the last thing I wanted for you, but it’s only been a few months and your life will improve. Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. But you can’t come back to this game. They won’t allow it. Every time you come back, they’ll have me or someone else find and kill you. Don’t put me through that. Give up on this, learn from it, go live a productive life. I know how much effort you put into this, but it’s over. When I’m finished, I’ll be able to help you financially and make this right. But please. Please give up on this game.”
Andrew drew a ragged breath and expelled it in a long sigh. He’d already made up his mind.
“Are the others listening right now?”
“No. I told them I’d deal with you, but I wouldn’t be sharing it with them. They consented, though they weren’t very happy about it. More trouble you’ve caused me, despite my better judgment.”
Aetherius grimaced under the weight of the boot on his head. That wasn’t half as much trouble as he felt like causing. He’d lost Lillian for good. His guild was in its death throes. All the wealth and power he’d accumulated would soon go with it. His reputation as a streamer had been shredded, his fall even more rapid and brutal than his rise. His job prospects were severely limited. His Universal Income was the lowest it could be, a prompt for him to find gainful employment. All he had to show for his whole life up to this moment were a lot of bad choices and a failed streaming career, turning him into a figure of ridicule worldwide.
But he had nothing to lose, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
“That’s a shame. You’ll have to tell them on my behalf. First, I’ll kill Damien. Repeatedly. Then, once the status quo has been restored, I’ll upset it by killing you. Repeatedly. Then, I’ll find out who your party are, and I’ll kill them. All of them. However many of them there may be. Repeatedly. Over, and over, and over again, until I’m satisfied your debt has been repaid. Because for the sake of your plans, you interfered with my personal life. I’ll ensure using me the way you’ve used me becomes your greatest regret, the biggest mistake you made in your entire life and, before that, the fear that prevents you from sleeping at night. I’m coming for you, Richard. You controlling, remorseless, feckless stain. I hope that’s nice and clear.”
Aetherius was smiling. It was nice, to have a life with meaning. To have a clear goal he could focus on for the rest of his existence. He was happy to know the hurt that had been inflicted on him would be translated into misery for the people who’d inflicted that hurt. He’d never been more sure of anything.
Magnitude pressed his temples between the fingers of one hand, the other keeping his knee steady as his foot pressed down on his younger brother’s head. Andrew watched him struggle. Good. That meant he believed him. Magnitude raised his boot over his younger brother’s head.
“I understand. I hope you reconsider.”
Aetherius smiled. He wouldn’t.
1
Good Intentions
Damien sat at the foot of the steps, his head supported by an elbow on one knee, and wondered if he was making a mistake. This clearing at the base of the mountain was where players gathered and formed their parties before starting the climb to Brociliande’s highest-level dungeon: the ‘Lair of the Emerald Queen’, the grand finale to the main questline in the region. It felt like a place with credentials worthy enough to satisfy his viewers. The only issue now was whether he could find a party crazy enough to run it with him.
It had been a good day so far. Damien had finally hit level 40. He’d got most of the way there two weeks prior, hitting level 36 before his headset was pulled off. The last four levels had taken almost as long to secure as the thirty-five that preceded them, now that he had his mother and his viewers to look after. Regardless, it was an important milestone. Now he wanted to try something new, to celebrate the momentous occasion. While his plan to join a dungeon party seemed ambitious, he felt the risk was justified by the potential rewards.
People had been complaining about a lack of livestreams on his channel, as if a stealth character who ran solo could afford to do such a thing. His only chance at not being hunted down in the process was embedding himself in a party, which would also add a more traditional experience to his streaming repertoire. It was easier said than done: as an ‘Enemy of the Realm’, he was automatically regarded as hostile by any ‘Order’-affiliated characters. So pretty much everyone. His name on their HUDs would be highlighted in red to denote his status as an enemy, and vice versa.
However, he knew they could form parties. He’d partied up with Lillian on several occasions and they’d shared EXP as normal, although thanks to his ‘Soul Harvest’ trait he’d received experience from enemy players they’d killed as well.
It was very important he extend this concept to other players. His murder hobo routine was quickly becoming unsustainable; being a professional streamer was a lovely idea in theory, but in practice there were a few things he hadn’t considered. For instance, how much harder it is to surprise an enemy when you’ve taught them where you hide. Or how difficult it is to catch large groups in an Imp-losion when your targets know the spell’s range.
Fortunately, there were aspects of his class that were more flexible and less well known. Everyone focused on his abilities as an occultist, far fewer had memorized the abilities of all his minions. Which were not to be taken lightly, especially considering his ‘Nine-Tenths of the Lore’ trait doubled the stats of whatever he was possessing.
In fact, he was possessing a hell hound right now, using its ‘Detect’ skill to reveal entities hiding in his vicinity. He’d propped his own body up at the foot of the steps as bait. This allowed him to draw in and observe the potential party members hiding in the undergrowth, who in turn were obligingly observing his empty shell.
The enhanced senses his hell hound provided had illuminated his voyeurs’ profiles clearly, even in the dark and through the thick foliage. He drew closer, taking care to keep his possessed unit in cover, until he was near enough for their basic stats to pop up above their heads. There were three of them, still a long way shy of the ten recommended for this dungeon. CactusLover, Akunaratana and LightLawd. All from the Death-God guild.
It would be better to talk to them now, before anyone else got there. If he could strike up a conversation and show he meant no harm they might help convince any other players joining. Also, if he waited for more to show up before introducing himself, group think would likely prevail and they’d kill him where he lay. Well, then. No time like the present.
Damien canceled his Possession and, without moving his head, set his eyes on the foliage where he’d seen the figures hiding. Now he knew where to look, he thought he could see some of their outlines himself. Not nearly enough to form basic stat boxes, though.
He blinked hard twice, then checked to ma
ke sure his input had been received and he was streaming. The box showing his viewer count showed up underneath the red recording light. 106. Well, it was modest, but then again he hadn’t announced he was livestreaming today. That would be tantamount to suicide. It was already dangerous enough without giving potential hunters advance warning.
He’d scarcely finished the thought when the number jumped. 584. Anyone following his channel had been notified that a livestream had begun. So presumably, around 106 people had been browsing his page before the livestream even commenced, and a further 500ish people browsing elsewhere had clicked their own notifications as they popped up. That was a decent start.
Damien took a deep breath, his fist still pressed under his chin so as not to trigger any reactions until he was ready. Here goes nothing. He stood up, raised his hands to either side and spun around slowly on the spot, showing he was unarmed. That might not have meant much in a game where you could materialize weapons in your hands at a moment’s notice, but it was still the best gesture he could think of to show he bore no ill will. Then he hollered into the trees.
“Hey, you guys need more players? I’m DPS, obviously. I know the boss mechanics.”
One of the three started to rise, only to be dragged roughly down by the remaining two. Three stat boxes popped up and were quickly snuffed out again, although Damien could still see exactly where they were. He stifled a laugh and tried again.
“Seriously, if I was looking for a fight I wouldn’t be standing out in the open. Can you come out here so we—”
The same player rose up again, this time too fast for his allies to drag him back, and ran 90% of the way to him before taking a more considered approach to get within Damien’s melee range. It was the level 39 ranger, CactusLover. Man, some people really don’t care what they call their characters.
