by Shawn Wyatt
"But what if they didn't use it to log out? What if someone can find a way to hack out of the game and gain access to the web? After all, for us to be playing, we have to be connected."
"The CHIP is part of a global network," I said. "It's possible. But I have no idea how to do that."
"It's an idea," Evey said. "One I think we should hold onto. But let's keep it between us until we know more. I don't want to foster any false hope."
The next morning, Evey called Boris to us. She explained his new abilities to Bastion, and we decided on a riding order. "Kneel down, big guy. We need to climb up."
Boris did as he asked. Bastion would take the front so he could keep an eye on the soldiers. Evey would sit in the middle and face forward, and I would bring up the rear and face back. Between the two of us, we would have mounted, ranged attacks and, with luck, kill any enemies before they got too close.
The soldiers looked surprised to see the three of us astride Boris. His long, exaggerated lope proved to be comfortable. Once the three of us settled into our seats, he looked back over his shoulder with his tongue lolling from his mouth. I shook my head. The bear rarely acted like a bear should, I thought. More like a giant, shaggy dog.
Many of the soldiers were in far better condition this morning than they had been the day before, but their wounds were far from healed. Bastion's healing magic had a dampened effect when used on NPCs than it would if used on another player.
We would accompany the soldiers back to Grenay to ensure their safety, since we were going the same way. We had been on the road for an hour and a half when the first howls rose around us.
No creatures showed themselves, but I caught sight of motion in the shadowy underbrush on either side of the road. The soldiers looked nervous. They had already had their fill of battle over the past few days.
What gave away our silent stalkers were the horses. They shied away from the tree line and into the center of the road. A pack of wolves emerged from the trees behind us, led by a pair of dire wolves. Evey and I still lacked ammunition, and Bastion's mana was low from trying to heal the soldiers. We had a chance of winning, but with the odds stacked against us.
"Run!" I shouted to the soldiers. "I"ll slow them down." I loaded a Caster Shell into a pistol and fired Freezing Shot on the road. One of the wolves hit the patch of ice and stumbled, and his fall brought down three of the others with him. The rest of the pack slowed their advance to investigate their fallen friends.
The entire pack stood clustered together. I had an idea. I pulled the seedpod from my pouch and loaded it into my pistol. A system prompt appeared on the screen in front of me.
Ability Unlocked: Vine Bomb
Launches a thick tangle of vines that restrain and bind the target for ten seconds.
Perfect, I thought. That's exactly what I hoped it would do. And the revelation that some abilities were locked behind certain items made me curious about what else the game had to discover that I had not yet found.
I took aim and squeezed the trigger. The seedpod flew forward, the sound of its crack audible as it approached the wolves. It exploded. A thick mat of vines slammed into the creatures and tangled them together, the growth so thick that even the jaws of the wolves did not break through.
An HP bar appeared around the tangle of vines. The wolves wore it down, but by the time they broke free, we had put enough distance between us that the threat was gone.
"Where exactly did you get that ability?" Evey asked.
I laughed. "From one of the items I found. I didn't know it would give me an ability until I tried to use it as a bullet, though. We should experiment more. Find out what we can use."
The group maintained its momentum until we decided the immediate threat was gone and we could slow down and rest. A few hours later, the tall, reassuring walls of Grenay rose on the horizon.
The moment the soldiers crossed the threshold, a system prompt appeared.
Quest Complete: Save the Soldiers
You have escorted the lost contingent of soldiers to safety and earned their undying gratitude. Vendors of military goods across Toris know your name and will give you a discount, and you will receive a warmer reception when greeting guardsmen.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: WALDGEIST
The Master of Transportation heard word of our arrival and waited in his office. "Welcome back," he said. "It seems you ran into some trouble."
Did the man have a talent for understatement, or did he think himself funny? "The monsters have organized. The troops there tried to hold them back, but were overwhelmed. We barely escaped. More concerning was the apparent leader of the monsters--some sort of demon."
"A demon?" Senior scratched his chin. "What did it look like?"
We conveyed the description the soldiers had given us, since the creature had not revealed itself during our battle. The soldier said it had a deer skull for a head and floated on a dark cloud, flanked by two massive wolves. The monster sounded like every bedtime Boogeyman story I'd ever heard, but Senior's face paled when he heard.
"That sounds like the Waldgeist," he said. "And I pray to all the powers that be that you're wrong."
"What is this Waldgeist?"
"A demon of nature. The incarnation of an angry forest. The beast only appears at times of extreme turmoil. According to legend, it fights to avenge the forest--usually by laying waste to whatever caused it harm."
"Why not just kill it?" Bastion asked.
"Boy, are you a fool?" Senior shook his head. "You can't defeat the Waldgeist. It draws its power from nature itself. You could burn down every tree on Toris and it would still be too strong, even for you lot."
"There has to be some way to stop it," Evey said. "No creature is too powerful to be defeated."
Senior stared at the three of us like we had lost our minds. "You adventurers only think with your swords, don't you?" He sighed. "If there is anyone that knows how to defeat the monster, it would be the Terrawalkers."
I remembered the class choice from the character select screen. "Where can we find them?"
"They have a sacred grove deep in the forest. A place they call Nyfed. But I'll warn you, they aren't exactly welcoming to people that show up and stomp all over their flowers."
"Noted," I said. "How do we reach them? Is there a caravan?"
Senior let out a big, hearty laugh that emerged from somewhere in the center of his sizable gut. "You really don't know much about this area, do you?" he asked. "No, there's no road to the Sacred Grove. You'll have to slog straight through the forest to find it. There are trails, but they are not well marked."
"Can you point us in the general direction, then? Or direct us to someone that would have a map?"
"Aye, that I can do. But there is something else you should be aware of. The journey there is dangerous under the best of circumstances. Given what you've told me about the change in the monsters, you should be wary of any creatures you encounter along the way. There's no telling what sort of change has been wrought on the wildlife."
"Thank you. We'll keep an eye out. Is there anything else we should know about the Grove?"
"They may be wary of outsiders, but they are not unkind. Once you show your intentions, they will likely welcome you. At least that's how they have traditionally done business. The Terrawalkers are so in tune with the forest that it's possible this change has somehow affected them as well."
"I hope not," I said. "Not if they're the only hope we have to weakening the Waldgeist enough to defeat it."
Senior sent out errand boys to bring the map. It was not the most detailed bit of cartography I had ever seen, but a it would do. A rough line had been drawn from Grenay to a spot in the forest. It wasn't much to go on.
Two system prompts appeared in the air in front of me.
Quest Complete: Investigate the Airship Landing
The situation is more dire than you imagined. A monster more powerful than any you have encountered thus far guards the airship landing, and
to move beyond it will require monumental effort. For your work, you have earned the respect of the smallfolk of Grenay.
New Quest: Seek Out Nature's Guardians
The residents of the Sacred Grove are the only ones that know the secret to weakening the Waldgeist. Seek them out and discover what information they can provide.
Quests appeared more often than they had before. I had no idea whether the quests were part of an over-arching story or if they were generated at random based on our actions. I hoped other adventurers could yield a clue.
Before we departed Grenay, I wanted to find a trainer to teach a crafting skill, and maybe find some other players. I held on to hope that others besides ourselves had made progress with leveling up.
With the map in hand, we departed Junior's austere office and headed into the city. The central marketplace appeared more lively than it had before. More players milled about from stall to stall, and the atmosphere seemed lighter, at least on the surface.
I examined the players that stood nearby. Several of them were close to our level, but I saw no one higher level than the three of us. The initial head start we had on other players had paid off, especially if we were the three highest-level adventurers in this realm.
A passing player cast a look at us and flashed a thumbs up. "Nice level!" he said. "I don't know how on earth you got that high already. Must have found a secret area away from the grinding groups!"
"Grinding groups?" I asked.
"Yeah, there are several groups of players that head out every day and kill as many monsters as they can. That what you did?"
"Try questing," I said. "That's what's worked for us so far. But grinding has to have better loot drops."
"A lot of common items, mostly," the player said. "But plenty of bits and bobs that can be crafted into ammunition. You know what? A lot of those players hang out at a bar called the Gilded Boar. You ought to swing by and see if you can trade some information for some of the loot they've found. There are a lot of people asking questions about what lies further away from the city."
I nodded. "Thanks, I'll make sure to do that."
"Before you go, let me add you to my friends list!" A prompt appeared on my screen.
Rune has sent you a friend request. Would you accept?"
I thought the word "yes," and the prompt vanished. Rune flashed a smile. "Let's go adventuring together sometime," he said. He waved farewell and vanished into the crowd.
I hadn't realized the friends list still worked. With Evey and Bastion in the party, I hadn't bothered to check. There'd been no need.
"Sounds like things are improving here," Evey said.
"Yeah, it means that people haven't given up. The players out there grinding every day want to win and go home. We should swing by that bar later and see if they've found out anything we haven't."
"Agreed," Bastion said.
He had been quiet throughout most of our interactions in the day. I knew the gravity of the situation prevented Bastion from fully embracing this new life of ours.
I suspected something else bothered him, too. His healing did not work as well as it should have on the soldiers. No doubt that brought up painful memories of his failure to save his girlfriend.
We continued onward to the market. I looked for one type of vendor in particular: a Marauder weaponsmith. I still used the same newbie guns I started the game with. I wanted an upgrade, and to find someone that could teach me to craft Caster Shells on my own. Maybe I could finally put some of the items I found to use.
Evey stopped us. "Hey, I'm going to try to find some gear for my class. I'll catch up with you two later. Say seven o'clock at the Gilded Boar?"
"Sounds good," I said. "See you then." She waved her goodbyes and walked away. "Anything you need, Bastion?"
He shook his head. "Not that I can think of. My gear is fine, and this sword gives great stat boosts even I can't swing it properly."
We continued deeper into the market place. Innumerable aromas tempted us both. The cuisine of every Earth culture was represented under the guise of cultural food from each realm. I smelled everything from the ambrosial scent of baked sweet potatoes to the fetid smell of kimchi.
After a few minutes of the sensory torture, I turned to Bastion. "I can't take it anymore. I have to get food."
"Sweet potatoes. Let's find the sweet potatoes."
It took only a few minutes of following our noses to find the vendor. I went straight to the man and slapped a gold coin down on the counter. The vendor smiled and placed two foil-wrapped sweet potatoes in front of us. The smell was almost too much to take.
I tore into the foil. Beside me, Bastion bit down into his sweet potato and gave a whimper of pleasure. "They even put cinnamon on it," he said. The outright joy in his voice made me laugh.
I bit down into the sweet potato, skin and all, and relished the flavor under my teeth. The potato was fresh baked. The skin burned my lips, but I had no regrets. Both Bastion and I scarfed the food down in record time, the satisfaction thick on our faces.
My HP bar had taken three points of damage from the heat. The HP returned by natural regeneration the moment I stopped eating. "Worth it," I said. "So worth it."
With energies renewed and appetites quenched, we found a Marauder vendor in short order. A pair of crossed pistols had been emblazoned on the flaps of the tent. I pushed away the heavy cloth and stepped inside. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light, but when they did, I almost drooled.
Weapons hung from hooks along the walls. More varieties of pistols than I could count, and much longer hunting rifles for those that had chosen the Sharpshooter subclass. A woman behind the counter glanced up. "Welcome to Dead Eye's Drop Spot," she said. "What can I help you with today?"
I gave myself a mental shake. "I'm looking for someone to teach me how to craft Caster Shells," I said. "And maybe purchase some weapons."
"You've come to the right place," the woman said. "Since there's no one else in the store at the moment, I can teach you right now. Your friend is welcome to watch, but I'm afraid this is a skill only Marauders can learn."
"Why is that?" I asked.
"Your mana changes form as it is used. A Marauder uses mana not only to activate the magic contained within a Caster Shell, but also to manipulate airflow around a bullet to guarantee better accuracy. Crafting a Caster Shell requires a Marauder's unique mana signature."
Another skill I didn't know exist. I filed away the information for later. "I'm ready to learn now," I said. "I appreciate you taking the time to teach me."
"My pleasure," said the woman. "The craft itself is simple to learn. Mastering it is another story. The base level shells you can make are clumsy and do not contain much power, but over time you can learn to craft Caster Shells that contain multiple types of magic, not just one. And there's the added benefit of the money you make by selling the shells."
The thought had crossed my mind, but I doubted its validity. I hadn't seen many Marauders. Players tended not to like classes that had to track physical ammo. "How would I get started?" I asked.
"Come watch." She reached under the counter and placed three smell, grey balls in front of her and cracked them open. "The basic principle is simple," she said. "You insert condensed magic into the center of the shell. This magic can be bought from oracles or taken from monsters after they die."
She reached into a small bag and dropped what looked like blue powder into one of the shells. When both halves of the shell had been filled, she lifted them and pressed them together. A small flash lit the darkness when she did so. She set the shell back down, and I saw that it now contained a blue ring around its center.
"That's a Freezing Shot shell," she said. "After you have filled the shell with powder, press it together and use your own mana to seal it. Because Marauders have an innate control of fire magic, you are able to imbue the metal with enough of your own magic to seal it. Be careful not to use too much mana, though, or you risk detonatin
g the shell in our hand."
"And what happens if I do that?"
A hint of mischief flashed in her eyes. "You pray to the powers that be the explosion doesn't take off your trigger finger," she said.
My face must have reflected the surprise at her comment, because I heard Bastion laugh.
The woman crafted a Molten Shot shell and a Lightning Shot shell. Each time, the corresponding color appeared as a ring around the center of the bullet.
"What causes the coloration?"
"We don't know," she said. "Oracles have studied this method of crafting for ages, but whatever underlying principle that causes bullets to take on that hue isn't known. But enough about that. That's a question for those that spend their days isolated in towers, crushing their noses in dusty tomes. Here, you try."
She set an empty shell down and pushed the bags of magical powder across the counter. I reached into the lightning magic bag and distributed powder into the two halves of the bullet. I figured if I screwed up, a bad shock was a better alternative to melting my finger or freezing it to the bone.
I hoped no one noticed how my hands shook as I pressed the two halves of the shell together and closed my eyes.
The use of abilities revolved around instinct rather than selecting an icon from a menu. It was like willing something into existence. I focused on the feeling of the hard, cold shell between my fingers and willed it to become a Caster Shell imbued with lightning. I felt a shift, a departure of mana from my fingertips to the shell, and opened my eyes.
In my hand lay a bullet with a yellow stripe around the center. The vendor leaned down to inspect it. "Wow, nice job," she said. "Looks like you've got a bit of a natural talent for this."
"Thank you," I said. "How much for the materials?"
"I'll give you five shells and the magic powder to craft them for free. After that, a crafting kit costs 100 gold."
