by Matt Moss
“Davius!” the commander cries out to his friend, but it’s too late. The Daemon has killed Davius. With shimmering sword, Strider delivers the final blow and the beast falls dead, its skin turning gray like stone as it lies on the floor of the cave. The leader bends low near his friend’s corpse. “I’m sorry, Davius.” He takes a moment, shaken from losing one of his best men.
“That was his best friend,” Patrick says in a solemn tone. “Davius said if he ever died, he’d quit playing because he would lose so much.”
“He doesn’t even want to be resurrected? He’d only lose half.”
“To some, that’s everything. It’s everyone’s choice, Ace. He chose not to come back.”
I watch as Strider loots his corpse. “I’ll save this for when you come back, my friend,” he says. “Because one day you’ll come back. I just know it.” He stands and turns to the guild. “Grab all the loot you can carry,” he says, pointing to the fallen Daemon. “And be sure to take its head.”
Everyone rushes over to reap the spoils.
A thundering growl echoes through the cave, and a new heat wave washes over the room.
A new fear grips hold and we wait for whatever it is to show itself.
Stillness.
Silence.
Fire. Two Daemons come roaring from behind opposite pillars, flames surrounding them, these beasts three-times the size of the one we just killed.
And here comes mommy and daddy. I knew the last one was too easy.
“Back. Back!” Strider commands. In a panic, everyone scrambles back up the narrow path for the door. The commander unleashes the Nightmare, and the horse attacks the beasts, kicking and biting. To my surprise, it damages them, but its health drops fast as both Daemons focus their fury on the mount. Still, the sacrifice buys some time and gives us a chance to escape. As I flee with the others, I see the horse finally fall, and the leader stops at the sound of the beast’s cry, as if he’s just lost another dear friend. An orb blasts from his hand, but only deals minimal damage to the Daemons as they stalk towards us.
Another of Strider’s best men, a Master Mage, casts a spell, and a brightly burning light fills the cave, blinding and stunning the beasts momentarily.
We make it to the door.
The commander is the last through and commands the Master Mage. “Seal the door! Bring it down.”
The Mage’s arms twist about, conjuring the spell.
Hurry up.
The first Daemon steps through the door.
“Close the door!” Strider shouts.
A blast of green energy flows from the Mage’s hands and strikes the stone above the door, breaking it to pieces. The first Daemon narrowly makes it through; the passage now a pile of stone and rubble that seals off the door.
“Attack!” Strider commands and engages the Daemon. He doesn’t realize that half the guild is already on the way out.
The Daemon tears through all who stand in its way, leaving corpses in its wake. I stay back, not knowing what to do. I’m not experienced like the rest of them.
The Amulet grows hot against my chest.
Well, what good are these items if I don’t use them? I just have to wait on the right moment.
Arrows and spells hurl at the beast, but its health has barely dropped. Strider delivers a ferocious attack, his sword beaming with light as he unleashes a flurry of strikes. The onslaught causes the beast to waver, its hit points dropping noticeably.
The Daemon shakes off the blow and returns an attack of its own, hot flames emerging from its mouth and engulfing the commander, draining nearly all of Strider’s health. With stamina and health gone, the brave commander still fights and begins to conjure a spell.
Everyone stops attacking, seeing that it’s futile against this powerful enemy.
Strider turns to us. “Run. Save yourselves.” Before he can fully conjure the spell, the Daemon picks him up and finishes him off, slamming his body on the ground.
Panicked, the Black Knights scramble up the thousand stairs and for the exit.
I run behind a pillar and equip the cloak, knowing that it’s my only hope of surviving this.
And the only way to save these people.
I’ve had some dumb ideas in the past, but this one might take the cake.
The Daemon chases after the group, and I run behind it, following it up the stairs and outside the temple. Able to run much faster than a character on foot, the beast picks people off as it ascends, and catches the majority of the guild at the sacrificial altar.
As I exit the temple, bodies are strewn and flying about as the guild makes its last stand. Within moments, I know there won’t be anyone left.
I equip Thal’s Sword of Eternity.
Here goes nothing.
The Amulet glows bright against my chest, the light flashing up into my eyes as I prepare to attack.
I remove the cloak.
As I prepare to strike, the jewel seemingly binds itself to the sword and I can feel the power surging in my hands. A war cry comes from deep within me as I jump and drive the sword deep into the Daemon’s back.
The beast gives an ear-piercing shriek and smoke trails from its wound, flames rising from the cut and snuffing out in an instant.
I jump back so not to be thrown by the thrashing beast.
As it draws one last breath, the Daemon turns gray and collapses on top of the bloody pentagram. Victorious, I stand over the beast.
I look up and find everyone staring at me in awe as I hold the glimmering sword of legend. Maybe fifty survivors.
One of Strider’s best men approaches me, a Grandmaster Warrior. “Where did you get that sword?” he demands.
The young Mage who brought down the wall joins us. “It doesn’t matter where he got it. He just saved all of our lives.” He kneels before me. “Thank you. What is your name?”
Patrick the Brave runs up beside me. “That’s Ace. He’s with me.”
“You new to the guild?” the Warrior asks.
An authority wanna-be type. You get nothing but short answers from me. “Yeah.”
Another man joins us. A Master Tamer. “My name is Ben. I am second in command... was second in command to Strider.” He introduces the Mage. “And this is Shunzo.”
Ben, like my son’s name. Should be easy to remember.
Shunzo stands from kneeling. “At your service.”
“He’s not the commander,” Ben tells him.
“I know that, but he just saved all of our lives. It’s the least I can do to show my respect and gratitude.”
I put a hand up. “Really, that’s kind of you, but not necessary. I just did what had to be done.”
Greedily, the rest of the guild goes to loot the famed beast, eager to see what loot it holds. Ben points his sword at them. “You all know the rules. Ace killed the Daemon, so he gets first loot.”
I look at all their faces and see the shock in their eyes. And the jealousy. It’s a weird feeling—being the one that people envy. Then I realize that it’s not me that they envy; it’s my sword, my cloak, my Amulet, the latter two they still don’t know about.
It’s just a game. I’m into it like everyone else, but, man, people take this Alterlife way too seriously.
I take first loot and fill my inventory with anything that looks of value, along with the most gold I can carry.
Fifty thousand. Not bad for a day’s work.
Then it hits me.
I just collected fifty thousand gold. Which is equivalent to fifty thousand dollars in the real world. Emotions similar to a kid on Christmas morning hit me, and I can barely contain my excitement.
I can’t believe this. This game is incredible!
And the Daemon still holds more gold and treasure. After I’m through, the rest of the guild picks at the beast like vultures. They even loot their fallen guild members. And why shouldn’t they? The belongings will just go to waste when the server refreshes in the next couple of hours.
Ben carr
ies the Daemon’s head—a trophy to be displayed for the glory of the Black Knights. He walks beside me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “The Guildmaster will want to know what happened here and why our commander, along with the majority of our party, isn’t coming home. If I were you, I would tell the truth about how you killed the Daemon. He has a knack for fishing lies out of people.”
We should get along well, then.
We leave the temple and make the long journey back to the guild, thankful to be alive.
Commiserating the fallen.
It’s Friday night. Game night. My family gathers on the floor after I scoot the coffee table out of the way, and my son brings back his favorite board game.
“How’s work been going, dad?” he asks, opening the box.
“It’s been well, son. Nice to be getting some overtime, even if it does involve working this weekend.” I pause and look to my wife, wanting to break the good news to them all at one time. “Actually, work is going extremely well.”
“Oh, really?” my wife says with a grin and starts dispersing the Monopoly money as the kids choose what playing piece they want.
“Here’s your hat, dad,” Carla says and places it on ‘Start’. “Why’s that your favorite piece anyway?” she asks, her nose wrinkling as she looks up at me through her strawberry blonde locks of hair.
I smile at her. “Sweetheart, I don’t know. I just like the way it feels and looks, I guess. Why’s the horse your favorite?”
“Because it goes fast,” she states, sitting up tall.
“Not faster than the car,” my son tells her, choosing his piece.
I smile fondly at my kids and then at my wife. She looks at me, waiting on me to continue, wanting to know more. I can’t tell her everything, yet. Soon.
“Things are about to look up for us, babe. You remember that life I promised you? The one we’ve always wanted? It’s about to happen.”
She raises her eyebrows and, with a chuckle, goes back to dealing the money. “Well now, wouldn’t that be something?”
She doesn’t believe it, and that’s okay. I wouldn’t believe it either. It sounds too good to be true.
“You sure are excited, though. Haven’t seen you that way since you got that last raise out of the blue. Mr. Lee give you a promotion at work or something?”
I touch her hand. “Oh, it’s much more than that. Let me work this weekend, then give me until next week sometime, and I’ll tell you everything. For now, it’s a surprise.” I give her a wink and turn back to the kids. “Alright, gang. Roll to see who goes first.”
8
TITLES AND DEBTS
I enter the Guildmaster’s chamber.
Not knowing what to expect, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous about meeting the man.
The room is dimly lit, full of relics and priceless items—maps, gems, and trinkets—but mostly alchemy potions, bottles and ingredients. The walls are lined with various regents, vines and roots, vegetation and minerals. Even pieces of animals are among the collection of ingredients. A vast number of mortar and pestle are scattered about the room, seeming more like collector’s items than being put to their intended use.
The Guildmaster stands behind his large, wooden desk and looks at me over his glasses. A tall, thin man in his early fifties by my guess, dark hair fading to gray around the edges. He’s wearing brown pants and a standard white tunic, much like the attire new players start the game with. “There he is. Welcome, Ace. Please, have a seat.”
“Hello, sir. Pardon, but I don’t remember your name. Cervial may have told me once, but I can’t recall.” I pull the chair back at the front of the desk, the metal legs making a screeching sound as they drag across the stone.
He sits down, straight-backed, and places both hands on the desk. “I’ve never told my avatar’s name in Alterlife. I only ask that people refer to me as Professor D.”
I’ve never liked it when people press their title upon you. For example, if you don’t use their title—Dr. for instance—in an email, and they reply with emphasis that you address them accordingly and use their title before their name. Man that pisses me off.
I grin. “Fair enough, D.”
He cocks his head at the slight comment, but doesn’t correct me. “So, tell me. How did your first raid go?”
Like you don’t already know. It went to shit pretty fast. But you don’t care about that, do you? You’re after something else.
“Good. We killed the first Daemon in Alterlife.”
“I heard otherwise. I heard it was you that killed the first Daemon in Alterlife. Is this true?”
“It was a group effort, sir.”
He looks down and removes the letter in which he was writing upon before my entry, places it inside one of the desk drawers, then locks the drawer with a key. “Many lives were lost; my commander, Strider, being one of them. He has yet to return to Alterlife.”
“He fought bravely, sir. Everyone did. Hopefully he returns.”
“Some men don’t take dying lightly.” He sets his glasses on the desk and looks me in the eye. “The might of the guild was not enough, yet it was you—one man—that killed the beast. How?”
I gaze into his eyes, analyzing what game he’s playing. Surely he’s already heard about my weapon, but he wants to hear the truth from me. No point in beating around the bush. “I used Thal’s Sword of Eternity to slay the beast, sir.”
He breathes deep through his nose and reclines back in his chair. He rubs at his clean-shaven chin and gives me a curious look. “Thal’s Sword of Eternity. I’ve been searching for that weapon for quite some time, Ace. Please, tell me. How did you come by locating it?”
“I followed a treasure map. It led me to the sword’s resting place.”
“And how did you come by this map?”
He’s fishing for a lie. “Traded a traveler for some hides. He said the treasure probably wouldn’t contain much and that he wasn’t going after it anyway. Good deal for me, I’d say.”
“Indeed.” He leans forward and folds his arms on the desk. “Was there anything else with the sword? Or was it just the one weapon that you found?”
“Just the weapon,” I reply without missing a beat, keeping my eyes locked on his. He searches me but won’t find anything. He’s good at spotting lies, but I’m better.
It takes one to know one.
He nods slowly and his eyes go distant. I take the moment to change the subject. “I see that you like alchemy,” referring to the items in the room. “Are you a Grandmaster?”
His eyes snap back into focus and they wander over his wares. “No. Sadly, I’ve never even ventured into that field.”
I nod slowly, not believing him.
A grin creeps across his face. “That was a lie,” he states. “Though, not entirely. I’m not a Grandmaster, yet. But it shouldn’t be long before I achieve that level.”
If it’s anything like the Tailor who repaired my cloak, there’s probably only a handful of Grandmaster Alchemists in Alterlife. “It’s quite the collection you have. I’m sure you’ve been all over the world collecting this stuff.”
“Thank you. And yes, I have. I may be a little obsessive about the whole thing, really,” he says, his face flushing ever so slightly. He looks around the room for a moment, then focuses his attention back on me. “If you would, please tell how you came to join the guild.”
“My cousin is a member and invited me to join. How else would I have came to join the Black Knights? Cervial knows all of this and orientated me with Faldron’s Reach. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.”
He nods slowly and rubs his chin in thought, but doesn’t reply.
I’m ready to get out of here. Never have been good being around authority, and the small talk gets old fast. And the less he knows, the better.
Before he can prod any further, I take my leave. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have something pressing that I must do. That is, if you don’t have anything else for me?�
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He waves a hand. “Of course. No, you’re fine. Please, go on about your day. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”
We stand and I offer my hand. He shakes, his grip firm, but not overly.
“It was nice to meet you, Ace. We’ll speak again soon,” he says as a promise.
“Looking forward to it.” I go to leave.
He calls before I go. “How would you feel about being commander of the Black Knights?”
I stop and turn to him. “Are you serious? You want me to be the guild’s commander?”
He walks to stand beside me. “Yes. That is, if you want the job. The commander reports directly to me and oversees all raids. It would be your responsibility to coordinate all missions, oversee distribution of wealth obtained from those missions, and protect the wellbeing of the men involved.”
I don’t even think twice. “I’ll do it.” We shake on it.
“Fantastic,” he says, pleased by my answer.
“What makes you think I’m qualified for the job? You know I’ve only been online for a week.”
His gaze lingers on mine for a moment. “Call it a hunch.”
As I walk down the steps of Faldron’s Reach and into the city of Condren, I wonder if I made the right choice.
So much for keeping it low-key like Deana suggested.
This is a good thing. The beginning to something truly great.
Maybe. I guess time will tell.
I log off outside of the city so I can spawn back at the fountain in Eden.
It’s not an easy thing to tell someone you stole from them. But if you do steal and plan on paying it back, make the interest worth their wait.
I drop the twenty thousand that I owe Eldra on the desk inside her shop, and an extra ten thousand to boot. “I’m sorry.”
She glances at the money, then snaps her icy gaze back to me. “Do you know how much can happen in a week? Let me tell you, then. I got an eviction notice on my house. Couldn’t go to work because my car needs repairs and is in the shop. Didn’t have the money to pay those repairs, so I used the remains of my vacation time at work so not to get fired. And the kids missed school for a week because I couldn’t take them and the bus doesn’t come close enough to pick them up.” She folds her arms and gives me a scornful look. “How was your week, Ace?”
