by Shawn Wyatt
Evey urged her horse forward and pulled alongside him. "Your first problem is the way you sit. Loosen your knees and lean back. You've got to put your weight on your seat bones."
Bastion did as she said, and a look of relief spread across his face. "That's better."
"You're going to hurt later," Evey said. "No matter how good your posture is, if you aren't used to riding, you'll feel the pain later. I suggest a long, hot bath when we return."
"Thanks."
I was grateful one of the last games I had played before being stuck in Perla was a western-themed MMO. Horses had been common there, and proper riding posture resulted in an increase in mount speed. Come to think of it, that game seemed more an educational tool than an RPG.
A group came into view ahead. At this distance, features were hard to make out, but their lush green and yellow garb hinted at an affiliation with Grenay. Weapons glinted in the sunlight--swords, halberds, and shields hung at their side, but I saw a few robed figures with canes among the group. Soldiers.
"Ho there," the lead rider called out. "Where are you going?"
"The airship landing," I said. "We've been sent by the Master of Transportation to investigate."
The soldier shook his head. Bandages poked out beneath his armor--from beneath all their armor. Not a single man in the group lacked injury, and exhaustion dripped from their faces. "It's impossible to reach the landing," the soldier said. "We're on our way back to Grenay to make a report. A veritable army has formed a few miles up the road."
"An army?"
"Monsters. All of them, monsters. Creatures I've never before seen or even heard of. And what unsettles me most is their organization. These aren't roving packs. They're organized, with several larger creatures clearly commanding them, including Treants. And there was the other monster--a demon. It was smaller than most of the others, but I felt the power coming off its body." He shivered. "I've never seen anything like it."
"We'll check it out for ourselves," I said. "But you should tell the authorities in Grenay about it."
"I'd advise against traveling any farther, but I can't stop you. If you do go there, and you have the ability, please help the men we left behind. They volunteered to guard our retreat, but it's only a matter of time before they are overwhelmed."
New Quest: Save the Soldiers
Soldiers are a close-knit brotherhood, and few are tighter than the Branches of Grenay. Save the men who volunteered to stay behind.
Rewards
Increased reputation with factions in Grenay.
Lowered prices from military vendors across Toris.
"Okay," I said. "We'll check on them, but no promises."
"Thank you."
The group of soldiers rode on. Bastion sat astride his horse, every muscle in his body tense. Flames danced along his sword. "He said a Treant commanded the monsters."
"I heard him," I said. "Calm down. You can't rush in there. We have no idea what waits up ahead."
He didn't respond for several moments. Evey moved to block his path, but Bastion took a deep breath. I watched the tension flow from his body. "Okay," he said. "Let's get stronger so we can kill this thing."
As we rode, each of us checked our weapons. I counted the Caster Shells in the pouch on my belt and made sure both guns were loaded. Evey tested the tension of her bowstring. Bastion kept his hand on his sword, the flames a steady glow. We were ready.
It didn't take long until we found the blockade the soldiers had spoken of. Army described it well. The road spanned thirty feet from side to side and was bordered by forest on both, but the trees thinned out just ahead. The monsters stretched across the road and into the trees in rows of four.
Behind all of the monsters, just on the horizon, stood a tree that brushed the sky. Its tallest branches reached above the clouds. Small shapes floated in the air, tethered to the branches with ropes. "There's the airship landing," I said. I tried to keep the awe from my voice.
"It looks like these monsters really don't want us to reach it," Evey said.
More soldiers stood in the road, arrayed in front of the beasts. The monsters dwarfed them in both size and number.
"Bastard."
I turned to Bastion. The flames along his sword roared and coalesced into a solid shape, a wall of heat that he seemed immune to.
"There it is," he said, and pointed to one of the monsters. It towered above the rest, easily twenty feet tall, with branches that looked like spears. Part of its trunk was blackened and cracked.
"Bastion, don't do anything stupid. We will take it down, but it's too strong for us to handle right now."
"I know." He grit his teeth as he spoke, but the flames shrank in size.
"Good. And when we get back to Grenay, we're going to have a talk about that sword."
The soldiers and the monsters stared at one another, an uneasy standoff. The men could not turn their backs to the monsters, but neither could they escape. The front line of monsters consisted of Withered Rabbits, their decayed fangs snapping at the sight of prey. Behind them stood Withered Apes, Withered Boars, and other creatures I didn't know. All natural forest animals, twisted and perverted beyond recognition.
The demon the soldier spoke of was nowhere to be found.
"I don't know what we can do," Evey said. "Those monsters are taunting them. If anyone tries to run, they'll give chase."
"Probably," I said. "So we need to cause a distraction. Bastion, have you got healing spells ready?"
He nodded. "Holy Light and Prayer of Healing."
"Then let's do this. I'll fire a shot. When I do, tell the soldiers to run."
Evey nodded. "Be careful."
"You got it. I don't want to become rabbit food."
I urged my horse forward until I stood parallel with the soldiers. The monsters took notice--several turned to glare at me, their lifeless eyes a pit of greed and hunger. I aimed at the rabbit nearest me and fired.
The shot missed, but the crack of the gunshot surprised the monsters and drew all of their attention to me. Evey rode behind the men and shouted for them to run.
Somewhere in the distance, near the base of the airship landing, something moved.
The soldiers fled, and I saw then why this group chose to stay behind. Most struggled to walk, and a few only just managed to stand. Their injuries were too great. They had chosen to be cannon fodder. "Bastion, heal the soldiers!"
He nodded and held out his hands. A halo of light settled around the group and flooded them. Smaller wounds closed, though the more serious injuries remained. The soldiers moved a bit faster.
"Keep healing them," I said. "Make sure they get away."
Pain flared through my leg. One of the rabbits had run forward and launched itself at my calf, sinking its teeth into my flesh. I aimed my pistol and fired. It dropped to the ground, completely destroyed by the bullet.
An arrow flew past my head and hit another rabbit. The smaller creatures lacked HP and were easy to kill, but the apes could be a problem. And there were a lot of them. I dug my heels in and spurred the horse away from the monsters, but kept myself between the blockade and the retreating soldiers.
A loud, keening screech pierced the air. For a moment, the world vanished--nothing existed except that sound. It reverberated in my ears, pounded the inside of my skull like a sledgehammer, and then abated.
I blinked and tried to clear the echo of it from my mind. The monsters stared directly at me. The apes grinned.
The group of monsters charged forward.
CHAPTER TEN: HIDDEN POWERS
I found myself overrun by a sea of snapping teeth and slashing claws. The monsters surged around me, a rising tide of limbs and damage. Some noticed me. Others didn't. I fired both guns, desperate to clear a space around me. My HP bar ticked down, percentage point by percentage point, though I didn't notice the hits. I felt a dull throb in each area a hit landed, but the adrenaline offset the pain.
My attacks worked. I slew enough
monsters in the immediate area for a few moments' breathing room. I reloaded the pistols, this time with Caster Shells, and looked around. I almost didn't see the ape swing. Its massive arm caught me in the chest and sent me sailing through the air. I slammed against the ground and rolled end over end before I came to a stop against a tree.
I sat up and shook my head. My vision blurred as I lined up my shot. The ape charged, head bent down. Its legs propelled it forward. I noticed its hand was missing. In its place, the ulna and radius bones had been filed to sharpened points. The monster intended to run me through. I took a breath, steadied myself, and tried to line up the shot once more. If I didn't make this shot, there would not be a second chance.
Moments before the ape reached me, a wild, angry roar caught its attention. Boris stood, legs braced on the ground, a dozen rabbits hanging from him. He unleashed another roar, a taunt that demanded the ape pay attention to hi. The ape stood still.
This was my chance. I pulled both triggers at once, not bothering to fight the recoil as fire erupted from the barrels of the guns and bathed the creature in flame.
The ape slumped to the ground, its skin burned away by the attack, the bones underneath blackened and charred. I let out a sigh of relief. Light surrounded me and my wounds closed as my HP jumped by 20%. "You okay?" Bastion asked.
"Yeah. Thank you," I said.
"You can thank me by getting out of here before more show up."
I looked around. The monsters had broken formation and spread out, their normal instincts winning out when not directly commanded by one of the stronger monsters. Most had given chase to the soldiers, although many of the rabbits still tried to bring Boris down. The bear thrashed and tumbled the smaller creatures away from him. He slashed at those that clung on. Any that fell from his body and tried to stand, Evey shot with arrows.
The horses had retreated to a safe distance when the fight began, but stood and waited for us to return. Bastion healed Boris and the three of us leapt onto our mounts and galloped after the enemies that chased the soldiers. With the horses' speed, we overtook them with ease. The group consisted of only one ape and several rabbits; the others must have scattered into the forest. We dispatched the remaining monsters.
The soldiers had not escaped unscathed. Several slumped on the ground, their HP near zero. "Bastion, heal them again," I said.
He nodded, held out his hands, and closed his eyes. Light bloomed around the soldiers, but their HP bars increased by only the barest amount. Still, it was enough--the men would not die, though they hadn't regained consciousness. "Let's put the unconscious men on the horses," Bastion said.
I nodded. We slid off our mounts and laid the injured men across the horses with as gently as possible. The other troops, those that could still stand, walked on either side to prevent their comrades from falling off. One of the men turned to us. "Thank you. I thought I would die back there."
"Thank your comrades," I said. "They asked us to come and find you."
He nodded. "I will. But still, thank you. You three"--he glanced at Boris--"you four are the ones that saved us."
"In exchange, can you give us some information?" I asked
"I'll help however I can."
"Have you ever seen monsters do this before? Behave like this?"
"No," the man said. "There are many creatures of various size and shape around Toris, and in my time as a solider I've seen most all of them. The forest creatures--the apes, the rabbits, and the boars--they're not normal. I've never seen them look like this before. Something has changed them. And the monsters have never been this organized before, except for some of the goblin tribes."
I nodded and mulled over the information he had given. "When did this change happen?"
"The first of the creatures appeared, oh, two weeks ago or so."
That coincided with the launch of Perla Online. Maybe the necromancer had been to put his plan into motion at that time.
"Thank you," I said. "That helps."
"If you find the source of the change," the soldier said, "do me a favor. Kill it."
I dropped a hand to my pistol. "That's my plan."
The journey back to the city would take the better part of the day if we traveled at normal speed. Given the condition some of the soldiers were in, we decided to make camp for the night. Evey found a clearing that would make a perfect campsite--a hollow depression in the center for a fire, thick trees on all sides to limit entry, and a narrow opening as a chokepoint. Defensible.
None of the soldiers carried the wood needed to start a magical campfire, so a watch schedule had to be organized. I volunteered to take the first watch. As we settled down for the night, Bastion tried to heal the soldiers again. Over the next hour, he poured more and more of his mana into the healing spells. Boris sat and licked his injuries, his fur marred by numerous bite marks. "Is he okay?" I asked Evey.
She nodded. "His HP is fine. If I had to guess, his pride is wounded more than anything."
"He handled the rabbits well, but there were a lot of them."
"Handled them well? He wore them like jewelry." She laughed.
The men bedded down for the night. I tossed another log into the fire and pulled up my inventory. The past few days had been so hectic that I hadn't taken the time to catalog the items I had received.
After battles ended, I would collect monster parts that had fallen to the ground. I didn't slow down to remove them with the knife or try to get higher quality components; it had never seemed like there was enough time. By now, I had gathered quite an eclectic group of items.
Aside from a variety of different claws and nails, I had skins, multiple varieties of bone, and numerous items the monsters themselves had carried. One of these items was a seedpod.
I turned it around and around in my hand, but nothing out of the ordinary stood out about the pod--until I held it closer to the fire for a better look. A crack ran along one edge of the pod, and then it shattered. Vines burst from the pod and wrapped around my hand and arm.
I recoiled from the plant, but then I realized it didn't do any damage. The vines restrained my arm. So the pod reacted to heat? I made a note of this and put the seeds in the pocket with my shells. There might be a use for them as bullets.
I set aside the rest of the items. Without a crafting skill, I couldn't do much with them. I would have to find a trainer when we got back to Grenay to teach me how to use them. Footsteps from behind roused me from my thoughts.
"What are you up to?" Evey asked.
"Just going through these items. I haven't had much time to do that so far."
She laughed and sat down. "No, there really hasn't. Feels like we haven't done anything except run from place to place. In fact, I haven't distributed the skill points I've earned since leveling up. Boris has a few skill points I need to allocate, too."
I raised an eyebrow. "You can choose abilities for Boris?"
"Not as many as for myself, but he does get individual abilities as he levels."
"Anything good?" I asked.
Her eyes glazed over as she courted the menus, but then she jumped, smiled, and muttered under her breath.
"What is it?"
"He can become a mount," she said. "How did I not know this?"
"A mount? How many people can he carry?"
She dropped the menu and her smile grew wider. "Three. He can carry three people."
Even without the horses, that would significantly speed our progress through any areas we had to travel. "What other abilities can he learn?" I asked.
She dove back into the menu once more. "I can't see abilities he will be able to learn in the future, but he can also learn a charge ability. It stuns the target for three seconds and increases the damage of his next attack by 25%."
"That will make him better as a tank," I said. "Although if our group continues to grow, we should find someone who can tank properly. I don't know how effective Boris would be in a raid group."
Evey nodded. "
You're right. So, did you find anything good?"
"Not too many items that are much use to me, but they may work for you." I set the items on the ground between us and sorted through them. She pushed a few of the claws and nails to the side.
"I think I can attach these to the tips of arrows to increase their damage, but I won't know until I try it." She put the items away in her inventory.
Bastion staggered over and sat down heavily on the ground beside us. "I'm exhausted," he said. "Using all my mana saps my physical strength."
Evey and I glanced at each other. "I don't use much mana," I said. "I don't know what the effects of running out feel like. Might be another side effect of being stuck here."
"I have noticed the two of you rarely use magical attacks," Bastion said. "Why is that?"
"We rely on physical ammunition as well as mana. If I run out of arrows, or Ren runs out of bullets, we don't really have attacks left available to us," Evey said.
"And I have to use Caster Shells, a special type of bullet. They don't come cheap," I said.
"Why don't the two of you just craft the items yourself?"
"I plan to, once we get back to the city. Marauders have the ability to craft Caster Shells of their own, and I heard rumors in the Beta that players found a way to craft Caster Shells not available for purchase."
"Part of me wishes I had played in the Beta," Bastion said. "At least than I might be better prepared for this game and all it holds."
"What do you think is happening to us in the real world?" Evey asked.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The fire crackled, and a log snapped in the flames. Sparks danced into the night sky. "I don't know," I said. "Chances are, we are all on life support somewhere. No way our physical bodies would have lasted this long without food and water."
"I wish there was some way to know," Bastion said.
"This may be a crazy thought," Evey began. "Isn't there a console command in the game for emergency log outs?"
"Yeah, but people have tried that already. It doesn't work."
