And before Val could say anything, they were interrupted by the cheers and jubilation of the villagers, a handful of families gazing at Val and his friends with grateful eyes. One tattered man who seemed to be the town mayor quickly led them to the residential part of town, all of them hustling as fast as they could, wanting to be under cover as fast as possible. Yet Val caught sight of not a single foe as they made their way through the industrial section, and soon enough they were surrounded by a quaint town hall and picket fenced houses once more. Picturesque and peaceful. If only Val didn't recall the horrors rotting within so many of them.
Congratulations! You have completed the quest: Save The Villagers I. Experience earned! You now have a +1 reputation among Dominion friendly citizens within the continent as news of your feat will quickly spread, and a +6 permanent reaction bonus from the surviving villagers themselves!
Save The Villagers II! The mayor has just asked Dirk to brave the depths once more and rescue the remaining villagers before they are sacrificed by Highmage Christos in his dark bid to uncover the lost secrets of the dwarves! Will you join Dirk in braving the depths again?
Julia's eyes widened and she gasped, her hand somehow falling into Val's own. "Holy shit, I leveled up!" An almost beatific smile lit her features. Val had to fight the urge to kiss her, flushed and embarrassed by the sudden impulse, and he had the strangest sense that Julia wanted him to do just that.
He turned away when Dirk nodded to the elder who was indeed the town mayor. "We would be honored to accept your quest, sir. But first we must rest."
The old man bowed his head. "Of course, Captain Dirk. I completely understand. You have our permission to use whatever town resources might be available to you. As for ourselves?" He gazed sadly at his fellow citizens, beaten, tattered, exhausted. "It's time for us to bid farewell to this village and all its memories. So many children of our tribe were forged here to embrace lives precious and beautiful. But after all we've lost, after all we've endured..." He wiped away a bitter tear. "Most of us are loath even to enter homes that have become scenes of such horror."
Val hated the sense of delay, but he knew all too well how easy it was to ambush unsuspecting targets. "Sir, will you need escort?"
Here the man smiled even as Dirk frowned at Val's interjection. "No need, lad. I sense the Nian Druids even now approaching. They dare not raise arms against the covens by ancient treaty, but we have long nurtured friendships with those people. Now that we are free, they will escort us via paths no mortal will find." He flashed an odd smile, eyes twinkling with a fey light. Val frowned, taking a closer look at the former captives. Somehow he had known green, violet, even gold-hued eyes were common for Dominion citizenry, but these villagers' eyes glittered like jewels in truth. Why had he not noticed that before?
"Our tribes have intermingled for a very long time. It is why we are uniquely suited to mine this ore, purifying it in ways no Dominion technology can replicate," the mayor explained. "But our heritage is that of druids and craftsmen, not warriors, and here in this town we keenly feel the bitter price we paid to embrace lives that come so easily to you. Just knowing that you five are willing to brave the mines a second time for the sake of our loved ones is a balm to our hearts. Should you manage to succeed, we will be eternally in your debt."
Val nodded his head. "Of course," he said without even thinking to refuse, knowing that Dirk felt the same. "We will do our best to save your people."
Congratulations! You have accepted the quest: Save the Villagers II. Over a hundred faeries playing at being mortal are trapped by the machinations of a mad arch wizard in his quest to crack open ancient secrets and accrue hideous power for himself alone. Can you rescue them before they all perish to a madman's wiles? Only time will tell!
The mayor gave a relieved smile. "We are grateful, noble spirits, and will remember you all in our prayers." With that, the now armed villagers left the town hall, their steps oddly in sync, eyes of men, women, and children all lit with a fey longing. As fragile and vulnerable as they had looked trapped by steel and stone, they appeared somehow revitalized with their proximity to the forest nearby. Val frowned at the lush foliage gently rustling in the breeze. Hadn't it been scrubland before? Val shook the uncertainty away as the villagers called out in a strange language Val could almost taste the understanding of as they poured into the nearby woodlands, none of them sparing the town they had left a second glance.
Brothers, we return to the Great Mother once more.
Val blinked as Chris whistled, chilled to see how effortlessly the villagers had flowed through the trees, none of them moving like exhausted captives, but with the fleet grace of eldritch beings as much faerie as mortal, all without disturbing a single leaf or branch with their abrupt departure.
"How the hell did they do that?" Yin whispered, shaking her head. "Where did they get those silver swords, and how come I didn't noticed the pointed ears until just now?"
Val blinked. Damn. She was right. Each and every one of them had gracefully upswept ears, and not once had Val thought it odd. And those silver swords looked more ethereal than real. Why had they not fought off the invaders? Val felt a strange chill as he gazed at the eldritch forest, suddenly looking far more grim and imposing than it had only moments ago. Somehow, he had no doubt that if any mad wizards dared to chase them under the canopy of those rustling trees, they would get far more than they bargained for.
Dirk smirked. "I think if they had been in the woods with weapons in hand, and not caught off guard playing at being miners, this wizard's assault might have gone a lot differently."
Julia glared at the cave entrance, still littered with shattered bodies and stone. "Or that damned mage had cursed them, somehow, locking them in their mortal shapes." She gave a frustrated shake of her head, turning to Dirk. "So, are we agreed? All of us touch the obelisk, but we don't port out. Safest possible way to level up, since we're not sleeping and vulnerable, even for twenty minutes, but are out of the game."
Yin frowned. "We won't level up when we leave the game?"
Julia shook her head. "Remember, Yin, leveling up here can actually affect reality out there. It is almost as if..."
"Shit. It's almost as if Earth is the game. That's what you're thinking, isn't it?" Yin's wide eyes gazed into Julia's.
Julia grimaced and nodded. "You could be right. I don't know. All I know for sure is that this is how I always level up after I started adventuring with Dirk."
Dirk gave a hard smile and a nod. "Yin, Julia, you guys go ahead. Chris and I will be right behind you."
Julia frowned, locking gazes with Dirk. "Keep your promise," she said ominously. Dirk said nothing, just nodding as Julia and Yin both touched the obelisk that only players could see before abruptly disappearing from sight.
Dirk turned to Val, sighing and shaking his head. He sat down on one of the benches in the town hall, patting for Val to join him, Chris gazing neutrally on. When he held out a flask, Val took it, eyes widening at the taste of fermented apples, surprisingly sweet.
"It's good," he said, handing the flask back, now comfortably seated.
Dirk grinned. "That it is, kid. There are certainly some perks to being here, what with access to all these toys, some of the best food and drink I've ever had while on duty, and the chance to explore an entire world."
Chris nodded. "And leveling up. Getting stronger, faster, deadlier on two worlds at once is a rush like nothing else in the world."
Dirk chuckled. "It is indeed, my friend. The greatest perk of all."
Val nodded. "I agree. Though I haven't leveled yet."
Dirk tilted his head. "Which is odd, isn't it? The rest of us are ready to level, Yin I expect to twice, and you alone are not. Why do you think that might be, corporal?"
Val locked eyes with the captain, allowing the silence to linger. "I think we both know what the reason has to be," he acknowledged at last.
Dirk slowly nodded. "I think we do." He turned, gazing back a
t where the villagers had fled. "I don't think you're a bad person, Val. You've proven that, covering for us so well in the heat of combat, doing all you could to save both girls under our care. And you cut down that sacrificing bastard, helping to save scores of captives." His friendly smile hardened. "But we both know you're a hell of a lot more than a novice stumbling into a game he barely understands. You have a sense of this world, you have mana reserves off the charts, you fight too damned well."
Chris nodded. "It's like you were made for this stuff."
Val frowned. "I served under Colonel Yancey. You already know what sort of messes we were assigned to clean up."
Dirk flashed a cold smile. "Yes, Val. Yancey's boys are trained to be masters of camouflage, infiltration, and ambushes, damned effective with guns and explosives and in a pinch, knives. But they were never taught combat suited to a fantasy world, perfect mastery of sword and shield formations, or blitzkrieg strikes with arcane shields and whips of flame or spears of ice. Not to mention the fact that the universe itself, if Yin is to be believed, or perhaps just a fragment of a program left over from when the Dominion's servers were up, has taken an interest in you. Program or divine power, something finds you worthy of keeping track of. If nothing else, that tells me you're a serious player on the board."
Val blinked, suddenly understanding. "You knew. All of this. Exultius... Endless... that was the name of the game Julia got trapped in." He shivered with sudden clarity. "It's all the same. All of it! Solena, all of us she tried to entice, just brain food and fodder for her damned wars." Then he frowned and shook his head, odd flashes of memory fading like a dream.
"Val?" Dirk's voice grew intent. "Val, what the hell are you talking about?"
Val shook his head. "I'm not really sure. They hit me, sometimes, flashes of insight and horror, gone as soon as they come, and occasionally memories linger." Val turned his gaze to the structures of bronze gold alloy making up some of the massively complex factories used to process Elementium, glimmering without a speck of dirt as the morning sun began to crest overhead. "It's how I knew about Dauda assassins. Somehow, I taste the memory of them. Or at least the fear of a dangerous man who once thought I was one." He shrugged. "I just embraced that dark role with Ebonair, and he fell for it, just like that... what was he? That inquisitor had before." Val rubbed his suddenly throbbing head. "Just like I know those factories are based on dwarven blueprints. I know, but I don't know how I know."
Dirk's eyes were oddly intent. "Alright, kid, let's say I believe you." He gazed around, flashing a mirthless smile. "And the universe or program didn't just congratulate you for fooling me. Again." Intent brown eyes gazed into Val's own. "Was it you, kid? Are you the reason we found those two hundred children in that abandoned warehouse? You, the only one not inflicted with cyber ports and withdrawal? Are you the reason why all the Dominion servers went down in our world?"
Val blinked and swallowed, his heart racing as he fell into those piercing brown eyes. Damn. The captain was better at this game than he had given him credit for.
Val forced himself to speak, knowing a lie would be sensed all too well, and their fragile trust broken. And Dirk did not seem mad, just incredibly... intent.
"I don't know," Val said at last. "I just... I really don't know. So much of this feels... familiar, somehow. But at the same time, utterly new." He frowned. "And it feels like half of my mind is asleep. Like, if I had played this before, I was, well, somehow more awake than I am now."
Chris frowned. "What the hell does that even mean?"
Val shook his head. "I really don't know. I just think I was more in tune with my environment. More real, if that makes any sense. Here? Now? even though I could almost swear I feel myself growing stronger for overcoming all these challenges, it's also like I'm looking out, like I'm a projection or, as the villagers put it, just a well-intentioned spirit."
Chris smirked. "The villagers who are actually wood sprites or something, and how did they get caught so easily, anyway?"
Dirk frowned. "Questions for another time. So you're saying you somehow had a deeper connection to this place at one time?"
Val swallowed. "Honestly, this whole conversation is hitting me pretty hard. The fact that everyone now seems utterly certain that this game is real, a world mirroring our own, and the idea that I've been here before? Yeah, that all feels right to me, somehow. I'm not going to lie to myself and say otherwise, but there are a hell of a lot of pieces to this puzzle, and right now I don't have any better idea as to how it all fits together than you do."
Dirk slowly nodded. "That's the most honest thing you've said to me all day, Val." He turned to Chris. "Let's head out and level up. The girls should be back soon, and we got a necromancer to take down, faerie villagers to save, and hell, maybe they'll give us the secret to making magic ore or something."
Chris nodded. "Sounds good, Captain." He turned to Val. "You're not planning on ambushing us and taking us out one by when we come back, are you, buddy?"
Val's eyes widened and he glared. "Don't be any more of an ass than you already are, Chris."
Dirk chuckled softly, clapping Val's shoulder. "I believe him. Come on, Chris, let's head out."
18
Val sat down and was content to wait, breathing deep, doing his best to become one with his environment as came so easily to him in real life, but to no avail. He closed his eyes, envisioning the conceit of a blue experience bar, seeing himself pass the halfway mark, knowing the bar had been near empty, just a few days ago.
And then the obelisk crackled to life, Val's high perception alone preventing him from being caught off guard by an exuberant Yin. "Oh my god, Val, I did it! I mastered two spells! And one of them is level 25! Come on, let me show you!"
Val nodded in approval as Yin raised her fingers and a glistening javelin of ice tore through the air, tearing into the front door of a nearby house. "Glacie Pilum!" She shouted triumphantly, jumping up and down with glee. "Did you see how fast I did that? And it only cost me six mana!"
Val whistled. "Wow. And that's proven to be a damn effective spell for me too. I know Dirk is all against burning points we could be using to boost our personal stats in both worlds, but as far as I'm concerned, a specialized spell or two just might save our lives. Without those, the rest is kind of pointless."
Yin's smile blossomed and she gave Val an impulsive hug, cheeks flushed with joy. "I know! I mean, after what felt like an endless pair of cram sessions, Julia linking to me for hours that first night and the following morning, and I was dizzy with fatigue when I was done but what a sense of triumph! I gained rank 1 in Air magic and basic lightning bolt in a couple days where it might take a Jordian wizard a year to get to where I was at rank 2!" Her gaze grew intense. "But Val, the rush of completely mastering a spell, deciding as you evolve into your new, better self that this is a skill you'd learn utterly, and in a heartbeat you recall, you feel, a thousand hours of practice roaring through you..." she shivered with near ecstasy. "Incredible!"
She flashed an impish smile, equipping her shield. "And that's not all, watch!"
And using the same martial techniques Val had practiced not so long ago, Yin unleashed another half dozen Ice Spears using just the tip of her hand jutting beyond the safety of her shield. She was panting with exhaustion but grinning from ear to ear. "I can cast six of them, seven with even a few seconds recharge in between the burst. Of course it takes a couple of minutes for my magic to recharge..."
Val felt a sudden surge of warmth as soft clapping could be heard by the obelisk. Julia, returned once more. With a curious thrill, Val could all but sense how she had grown in so short a time. He could feel her increased potency. Never had she looked quite so focused, alert, calm, and just so beautiful.
Julia's gaze widened with his thoughts and she winked. Val flushed and looked down at his feet, Yin's voice trailing off as she blinked and gazed at the pair of them. "You're going to have your hands full with her," she whispered into his e
ar before laughing lightly and bouncing to her friend, gushing with her excitement and sweet enough to compliment Julia on her obvious self-improvement.
Val swallowed and looked away, smiling, understanding in a heartbeat the secret Julia had wanted to convey. But knew just as well that it was best to say nothing aloud.
Val clenched his fist with a certain satisfaction. It felt good to be connected with Julia once more, sensing what the other's moves would be and knowing just how to respond, just like when they had been adventuring online together, what now felt like a lifetime ago.
Val nodded at Dirk and Chris both when they came back through, Dirk with a certain satisfaction in his demeanor, moving with a coordinated grace even more exquisite than it had been moments before, like the most gifted of dancers or an Olympic athlete. And Chris looked even more powerful than he had 30 minutes ago, a blindingly fast recovery as he almost slipped on a loose patch of rubble making it clear that his finesse and perception might not have improved, but his speed certainly had. And he was graceful and surefooted enough with the blade radiating dire magics from his backsheath even now, or there was no way in hell Val would be caught fighting beside him.
Dirk gave Val a slow nod, Chris's grin almost one of apology.
"Looking good, guys. Pro football won't know what hit them!" Val commended.
"I know, right? MMA hasn't seen nothing yet!" Chris said. "Hey, sorry we got on your case a bit there, Val."
Val grinned. "No problem. You had to feel me out. Preserving feelings is fine, but when it comes crunch time, you need to know your man's not going to roll over and leave you hanging, or worse, stab you in the back."
"You got it," Chris said. "Glad to see you're one of the good ones." He turned to his CO. "So we gonna waste this dark wizard or what?"
Dirk raised his fist, touching his ear. Chris swallowed and nodded. Dirk gazed hard at Val, but Val already knew the importance of giving nothing away when your enemies might be listening.
Endless Online: Oblivion's Price: A LitRPG Adventure - Book 3 Page 31
