by KJ Harlow
“Earth Wall!” Cal raised a wall, once again closing the path. The party did their best to ignore the muted wails and the rising stench of burning flesh. Once it had fallen silent, Cal dropped the wall again. Wisps hovered through the air, floating back out the other side of the tunnel. The ground was littered with shards: green, blue and red. Cal made to pick them up then looked back at Cist.
“Be my guest,” he said, gesturing at them. He gathered the currency and deposited them into his new wallet.
Acquired 412 shards!
Cal huffed and puffed. He nudged forward a little more. “I can’t do this.”
“Yes you can,” Kai said from the other side of the narrow tunnel. Easy for him to say. Cats loved crawling through tight spaces. Cal was was on his stomach, inching himself forward on his elbows. He’d sooner face a horde of rotters again than move into tight spaces.
“Can you kill me?” The orc asked.
“What?”
“Just… get your lance and shove it into my brain.”
Cist’s face appeared. “Cal, don’t take the easy way out.” His expression was soft but stern.
Cal sighed. He could do this, he just… didn’t want to. After that one time where he was put in an MRI machine and Doctor Tran had to answer a Code Blue, followed by a power outage… he had screamed until he was hoarse. By the time they found him, he had pissed his hospital gown twice.
He kept edging forward. Cist’s face was three feet away, then two feet away, then inches away… his strong arms gripped Cal’s elbows, hauling him out of the small space. They watched him gulp down the foul, stagnant air.
“So we are here now,” Kai brought up the map on his own vision, pointing to a long rectangle with a lot of little squares on the long sides. He looked around the room. Cal stretched, taking another deep breath in. “Looks like we’re in the right place.”
Cal was the last of the four to make it through the small tunnel. There had been a fork earlier in the Catacombs that also had unmapped territory. Cist formed a party with Kai, Cal and one of the Lightblades named Ferros. Cist and Ferros were looking at their own maps so Cal took the opportunity bring up their status screens:
NAME: Cist
AGE: 82 (Terrafaytum)
CLASS: Lightblade Assassin
LVL: 53
HP: 600/605
MP: 666/666
AFF: Wind (x14)
STR: 135+6%+2%+1%
DEF: 121+5%+2%+1%
AGL: 170+11%+1%+3%
INT: 149+7%+3%+2%
ABILITY: Examine, Track, Lockpick
SKILL:
Lightblade – Level 29–3% to next level
Light Clone – Level 11 – 94% to next level
WEAPON:
Knife/Dagger – Level B – Next Level in 43%
NAME: Ferros
AGE: 71 (Terrafaytum)
CLASS: Lightblade Assassin
LVL: 37
HP: 280/380
MP: 120/400
AFF: Wind (x14)
STR: 98+8%+2%+1%
DEF: 80+6%+2%+1%
AGL: 120+15%+1%+3%
INT: 100+8%+3%+2%
ABILITY: Examine, Lockpick
SKILL: Lightblade – Level 18–52% to next level
WEAPON: Knife/Dagger – Level C – Next Level in 19%
“I hear voices.”
Cal abruptly closed the screens. The gravelly voice that said that came from the long, narrow path ahead. It was sandy and dry, as if the person hadn’t had water to drink for several moonshifts.
“Hello, is someone there?”
“Let me out of here!”
Cist and Ferros closed their maps at the same time and looked in the same direction as Cal. “This is the Prisoners’ Path.” Ferros said. He eyed Cal and Kai. “Many of the souls of the rotters were once these prisoners.”
Cal took a step toward the path. Arms clawed out from the rusted metal bars. Whether they were trying to grab Cal’s arm for help or to attack him, he couldn’t tell. It didn’t deter them that he was an orc either. Had these people been here for so long that they didn’t care what kind of being came to visit them?
“They are given rations for a moonshift.” Cist ushered them through, staying close to the middle of the path. It was the furthest they could get from the desperate arms clawing at them. He pointed out a wooden board that shifted aside in one of the cells. From the darkness, a tray was pushed out, containing a bowl of gruel and bread that looked more rock than food. The prisoner pounced on the tray as if it were live prey, his long unkempt hair soaking up at least half of the gruel that was in the bowl.
“Don’t pity them.” Cal looked at Cist, who was staring at him carefully. “These men suffer, but because they have made countless others suffer before them.” His face twisted into a mask of hatred as one of them renewed their efforts at swiping him. “If they are to become rotters, they only have themselves to blame.”
They walked single file, keeping their eyes ahead. Cal couldn’t help but look at a few of them. They seemed innocent enough, features plain and uncomplicated. That’s when Cal realized that could have been how they lured their victims in.
The screeches, yells and bellows of the prisoners became quieter and quieter. Eventually, they made it back out into a large open room. Two, large stone pillars stood on the left and right. Intricate runes and sigils adorned them from top to bottom. There was a heavy grinding sound. A large stone slab started closing from the ceiling behind them. Cal pointed his hand at the ground beneath it.
“Don’t bother,” Cist said. “I’d rather be here than go back there.”
“Prepare yourselves, fellas.” Cal and Kai turned around to look at Ferros. He had knives out in both hands and focused at something on the ceiling.
“Ah yes,” Cist said, flipping open his satchel and pulling some knives out. “Mea’s Guardian.” Cal and Kai craned their necks and looked around. Dark miasma clouded the ceiling. Openings here and there showed inscriptions similar to those on the large pillars besides that, there was nothing.
“Mea’s Guardian?” Kai whispered. “What is he protecting? Who is–?” The werejaguar swung around wildly. “What in Karst?” There was laughter. It was unlike anything Cal had heard before. It was like ten voices, ranging in different pitches all layered over each other.
-10 Damage!
There was a sharp pain in Cal’s ear. He slammed his hands onto them and knelt to the ground. It felt like a needle was piercing his ear drum over and over. Kai was on the ground too. Cist and Ferros winced but kept standing. Darkness rushed through the air and crashed into the side of Cal’s head. Then, more laughter.
-15 Damage!
-20 Damage!
“How do we defeat a being we cannot see?” Kai said with wide eyes.
“Mea’s Guardian is formless.” Ferros said quickly. “It is everything and it is nothing. It reads minds and tastes memories, taking particular enjoyment out of those that are vulnerable. It cannot be defeated but it can be overcome.”
“What does that mean?” Cal said, one knee on the ground. His heart thudded in his throat. He picked up his axe and kept looking around. It was fishing, casting a line out, hooking its catch and reeling it in.
“Mea’s Guardian targets the person in the room with the lowest level and changes its form into something that causes that person almost unbearable pain.”
The person in the room with the lowest level… she is targeting me. So be it. Cal got to his feet. He held his axe by his side, walking towards the middle of the two large, square pillars. Kai, Cist and Ferros watched him, weapons at the ready.
“Come at me,” Cal whispered.
“Callie.” He froze, his axe clanging onto the floor.
“Cal!” Kai ran towards him, lance gripped tightly. “What is it?”
Cal was staring at something on his left, at the edge of the pillar.
“M… M…”
“Cal!”
Cal couldn’t hear Kai. He watche
d a woman in a hospital gown step out from behind the pillar. Her brown hair floated around her head as if she were underwater. Her hands were folded in front of her legs. She stood there, a look of profound sadness on her slender, pale face.
“Mom.”
Kai stared at the space. He felt something there, but he couldn’t see anything. “Who’s ‘Mom’?”
“Callie, my boy.” Cal’s mom stepped towards him, one hand outstretched. Cal took one tentative step towards her. “Mom?” It couldn’t be… “Why are you here?”
“Callie,” she furrowed her brow, “what happened to you? Why do you look like this?”
“Mom, I’m playing a game. It’s called ValorVale. I’m an orc, but it’s me.” He opened his arms out, as if that would help her see through his game avatar. “See? It’s me.”
“Callie…” she disappeared in a whisp of smoke and reappeared a foot away from him. “I’m so disappointed in you.” Her face twisted and morphed, a maelstrom of skin, flesh and bone. Cal took a step back, breath catching in his throat. Kai stared at his comrade. The way he looked at the being, it was almost as if it was right in front of him. He stabbed through the air. His weapon passed straight through Cal’s mom’s hospital gown. It rippled like water before it reformed. She turned her broiling face and screeched her multi-layered screech; everyone in the room heard it. Cal blinked and turned to the werejaguar.
“Kai?”
“Cal, you have to defeat Mea’s Guardian. He’s not ‘mom’, you have to do kill him. You–”
“Master Cal.”
Natasha stood in front of him, the same look of sadness that adorned his mom’s face now occupying hers. She was wearing the dress he bought her.
“Tash? He took a step towards her, arms outstretched. “I miss you Tash. I’m so–”
She took a step back, shaking her head slightly. “I have a gift for you, Master Cal.” She bent her head forward as if she was looking down. Her head rolled off and fell into her hands. Bone poked out of her neck, her jugular squirting out pink-red blood.
“No… no…” Cal stepped back.
Natasha stepped towards him. She turned her head in her hands until she was looking at Cal. “You did this to me.”
28
Mea
20,156th Cycle
17-Hyten
“I didn’t.” Cal shook his head. “You’re not real, you’re already dead…”
Natasha’s head laughed the laugh of Mea’s Guardian.
-30 Damage!
Cal shut his eyes, tears welling at the corners. He opened them and she was still there, leering at him.
“No… Natasha wouldn’t do this. She wouldn’t. She…”
Cal became very still. He slowly removed his hands from his ears and dropped them by his side.
‘Natasha’ frowned. “What are you doing?”
He exhaled then took a step towards her. “I don’t know what I’m doing…” he placed his hands either side of Natasha’s head and picked it up. Her eyes searched his, an expression of hope and fear scrawled over her face. He brought it to his face and kissed her mouth. He could taste her lips again and smell her scent. She was there, but she wasn’t there. He drew his mouth away and looked at her. Her eyes were closed; she looked at peace.
He walked towards her headless body and placed her head back on her neck. It sealed itself back up. He then collected her in an embrace.
“…I just know it’s the right thing to do,” he whispered, his voice muffled in her shoulder. He pulled away from her again. His mom was staring at him, her face still creased with disappointment.
“Mom this is my life now, whether you like it or not. You fought for me to live a fulfilling life. It wasn’t happening on Earth so I took my chances and I’m now doing it in a game world.” She furrowed her brow even more. “Yeah I know, sounds lame. But I’m having the time of my life.” He paused. “I’ll tell you all about it pretty soon. Just wait for me, OK?”
Cal’s mom stepped away from him. She walked back around the pillar, bare feet on the cold, stone ground. She placed her hand on the sigils and traced them. They glowed and in a flash, the intricate runes illuminated the room. She smiled at Cal one last time and disappeared behind the pillar.
Cal stood there, staring at the spot where his mom disappeared. He smiled, turned around and ambled back towards Kai. Picking up his axe he looked at the werejaguar.
“What?”
Kai’s mouth hung open. Cist chuckled, putting his hand on Kai’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ve seen stranger things than that.” He patted the werejaguar’s shoulder a few more times for good measure then headed towards the new door that formed on the other side of the room. Ferros gave Kai a amused look then followed his boss.
Cal threw his arm around Kai’s shoulder. “What? You never seen an orc kiss a headless succubus ghost before?”
After overcoming Mea’s Guardian, they faced a pack of wargs, another horde of rotters and margoyles, stone creatures that imbued their spears with earth craft. Cist’s party easily despatched of each set of enemies and had a blast while doing it, even going so far as to wait a moment for them to respawn so that they could fight them again. Cal and Kai got creative; Cal would lure the rotters into a corner, use Earthquake, then Kai would fire up his lance and try to slay as many rotkin before they were able to move again.
“We’re getting close to the end of the map,” Ferros said. He looked ahead. “Mea will be in there.”
Cal took note of what Ferros said, but he was preoccupied with updating his stat sheet:
Gong!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
You have been allocated 40 points. Use these to improve your base statistics.
Skill Up!
You have gained one (1) level for your Skill Earth Wall! Mana Usage -2%/sec.
Skill Up!
You have gained one (1) level for your Skill Earthquake! Mana Usage -3%, Skill Effect +0.9 sec.
Cal replayed the psychological duel with Mea’s Guardian over and over. Legend had it that Mea had trained the Guardian herself, setting her as a gatekeeper of sorts so that only those with the highest mental fortitude could meet her. At least that’s what Cist had claimed. He wasn’t sure how much EXP he got from defeating her, though.
Which stat had helped him out the most recently? Cal tended to favour Intelligence for some reason. He knew that Intelligence in the game didn’t equate to Intelligence in real life, but it sure felt good to use his craft without having to worry so much about whether his MP was going to run out or not. Besides, after having used five MP potions, he still had 35 that Cist had given him.
In the end, he allocated a disproportionate amount of points (20) into Strength, halving the amount into 10 for Defence and halving it again, putting five into Agility and the remaining five into Intelligence. Orcs were meant to be physically strong; he felt like he wasn’t doing his species justice. If he ever faced an orc horde again, he wanted to beat them at their own game.
NAME: Callahan Rogers
AGE: 29 (Earth)
CLASS: Orc Fighter
LVL: 32
HP: 351/351
MP: 473/473
AFF: Earth (x1)
STR: 90+9%+6%+5%+50%
DEF: 80+5%+5%+4%
AGL: 79+11%+12%+11%
INT: 93+3%+9%+8%
ABILITY: Examine, Verdant Whisper
SKILL:
Earth Wall – Level 10 – Next Level in 81%
Earthquake – Level 8 – Next Level in 76%
WEAPON: Axe – Level D – Next Level in 30%
With the support bonuses, Cal could feel the added power coursing through his veins. He jogged up to the leader of the Lightblades’ side.
“Thanks again for letting us come with you, Cist.”
Cist collapsed the map he was looking at and smiled warmly at Cal. “It’s good that you have become stronger; I wouldn’t have hesitated to lea
ve you behind.”
“I know. I hate being a hindrance but you can’t blame those who want to leave the weak behind.”
Cist gave him a perplexed look then relaxed. “Well it seemed like you handled Mea’s Guardian well. A few of my men buckled under its pressure and went insane.” His face darkened. “One time, I went in with 10 men. One by one she took them apart finishing with me. Luckily, I was able to overcome the demons she presented.
“Boss.” Ferros gestured with his head to a door way in front of them. A large slab of stone, curved at the top and flat on the bottom filled the doorway. It bore the same sigils and runes from Mea’s Guardian’s room.
“How do we…” Cal raised a hand to touch the stone and almost fell onto his face when his hand passed through. “It’s… not there.”
“Mmm… anything to do with Mea is not necessarily as it seems.” Cist looked at Cal and Kai. “Weapons aren’t required here.” Cal holstered his axe. Kai hesitated for a moment before doing the same thing.
The room they entered felt a lot like Mea’s Guardian’s room. It looked about 10 stories high and 50 yards across. This one though had no pillars, just a large, sandstone statue against the far wall. It had the body of a woman with modest breasts covered by a toga. She had a lioness’ head and was sitting with her legs crossed. She was cradling her cheek with her right hand, leaning her elbow into the side of her knee, as if she fell asleep while daydreaming.
Cist and Ferros stared at the statue while Cal and Kai looked around. “Where’s Mea? Is she formless like–”
“I’m here.”
Kai jumped five feet into the air and drew his Blood Lance out, immediately setting it on fire. The large statue’s previously closed eyes were now open. She folded her hands in her lap and leant towards Kai.
“Heehee, quite cute you are.” She reached a large stone hand out. Kai’s clanged his lance into her finger and she withdrew it reproachfully.
“Not nice.”
“Hello Mea. It’s been a while.” Cist said, stepping forward. He bowed his head reverently, crossing his right arm over his chest. Ferros did the same.
