by Aaron Oster
“Let’s just say that you came to the city at a bad time,” Sam said, peering around the wagon.
He saw Sirus nocking another arrow, but his sister was conspicuously absent.
“Emma,” Sam said, but she’d already noticed.
Both she and Gordon had crouched behind a nearby tree, when Sirus had begun firing at them and were now peering out as well.
“I saw her backing into the woods. She’s probably planning on trying a flanking maneuver, but Barry is still hanging around on that side. He’ll probably attack as soon as he spots her, we should probably hear something-”
Emma trailed off as a piercing shriek broke through the still night air, and Emma grinned.
“Right on cue,” she said, sliding out from behind the tree and diving behind the cover of another. “I’ll need you to keep Sirus’ attention so I can go help Barry.”
Sam nodded, and was about to break cover and fire back, when he felt a hand on his sleeve. Turning back, he saw the Princess watching him with wide eyes.
“You can’t leave me here all alone!” she exclaimed, now entering full-blown panic mode.
“Stay here,” Sam said, trying his best to sound convincing. “Sirus isn’t interested in you at all. Now, I’m going to draw his attention. If you stay here, then you have nothing to be afraid of.”
“No!” she yelled, tightening her grip on his shirt. “I am your Princess, and I order you to stay with me!”
“Sorry, but I don’t take orders from you,” Sam replied, yanking his sleeve from the girl’s grip. “Gordon, stay here and watch her. We can’t have her running out and getting in the middle of this.”
Sam hated taking Gordon out of the fight, especially since he still wasn’t sure what he was up against with Sirus, but he could smell a quest around the Princess. A big one, too. There was no way he was about to give that up, especially if it meant getting closer to the King of the West and finding out exactly who was working with Sirus.
Gordon padded up to them and gave Sam a questioning look.
“She’s scared and I need to focus on taking out Sirus. Can you please keep her company?” He hated begging, but now was not the time to be rude to the dog.
“Very well. I shall keep the Princess company while you handle the brigand.”
Gordon then turned his eyes on Willow, who was looking very confused.
“Why are you talking to your dog?” she asked, her panic ebbing in the wake of this strange behavior.
“He’s going to keep you company while I go,” Sam replied, glossing over the question. “He’ll keep you safe, so don’t you worry.”
Willow looked skeptical, but when Gordon stepped forward and pulled his favorite stick from his inventory, her eyes lit up and she leaned in to wrap her arms around his neck with an excited squeal.
Emma, who had been watching the entire thing, gave Sam an odd look.
“The stick gives him a bonus to Charisma ,” Sam mouthed, and she nodded.
The arrows had stopped coming after the first few, and Sam quickly peered around the corner of the wagon to see if Sirus was still standing in the middle of the road. He was, but now, instead of the massive longbow, he held a shorter recurve bow that was glowing with a sickly green light.
Well, shit. That can’t be good.
Then, the man began to talk.
“Come on out, you sniveling cowards! Think you can hide from me? Do you even know who I am?”
Typical.
Sam motioned to Emma, letting her know to make a break for it as soon as he moved. She nodded, and her muscles tensed as Sam held up three fingers, then lowered them one by one. As soon as his hand closed into a fist, he darted out from behind the wagon and Emma made a beeline for the opposite side of the road.
Sirus pulled back the arrow he’d nocked as soon as Sam became visible, but Sam had already been in the middle of casting a spell when he’d emerged from hiding. Sam’s Mana Shot blasted out of his Silver Orb, firing two beams of mana in quick succession.
Sirus cursed as he was forced to dodge to the side, making the arrow he’d loosed go wide of his mark. Sam felt the whistle of air, as the glowing green shaft flashed by his head and impacted with a tree behind him. As soon as it struck, the arrow exploded into green flames, and within seconds, had completely consumed the entire tree.
Holy shit! Am I ever glad that didn’t hit me, Sam thought, as he aimed a Mana Burn at the man and fired.
Sirus, who had regained his balance and was nocking another arrow, was forced to dodge to the side again, making Sam miss his mark for the second time. Gritting his teeth, Sam quickly used Inspect to see what he was up against.
DEMI-HUMAN
Name: Sirus Gold Gender: Male Class: Archer Level: 14 - HP: 262/280 - MP: 20/20 - STA: 231/300
Status: Aggressive Greatest Threat: Poison Fire (Ability) Demi-Humans are one of the least common races in Somerset and live mostly in the Four Kingdoms. Demi-Humans are almost never alike, and bonuses with each level vary wildly from one to another.
Sam grimaced when he saw that.
The man was 4 levels above his own and was an Archer to boot.
He noted that there was a bit more information available than before. Most notably, the addition of a surname, and what was likely his most dangerous ability.
It’s probably due to the skill upgrading, he thought, closing the window and firing off a few more Mana Shots.
Sirus nimbly dodged out of the way and returned with a shot of his own. Thankfully, this time it was just a regular arrow. Sam knew he couldn’t dodge, but his Mana Cloak absorbed the attack without a problem. He then ran forward, attempting to close the distance between himself and Sirus, but the man appeared to want to keep his distance.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Sam yelled, as Sirus nocked another arrow, and used his newest skill, Speed Boost.
Sirus was taken completely off guard, as Sam suddenly shot forward at double his original speed. Closing the gap in a matter of heartbeats, Sam used Mana Flare. A bright flash of blue light erupted from him in a sphere finally hitting the man and staggering him.
You Deal: -33 damage to Boss Sirus (Mana Flare).
Sam quickly deactivated the damage notification and fired off a Mana Shot, aiming for the man’s face. He must have gotten a lucky shot, because his HP dropped by a significant amount.
“Damn you!” Sirus roared, then his hand blurred in a motion so quick that Sam couldn’t follow it. A moment later, Sam felt something impact his shoulder that sent him reeling.
He cried out when he realized that a black shaft was protruding from his shoulder, and the pain finally hit him a moment later. It felt as though a shard of ice had been shoved into him, and was slowly freezing his very bones from the inside. Gritting his teeth, Sam tore the shaft from his shoulder, increasing the damage it had caused, then fired back with an attack of his own.
His Mage Bolt fired through the open area, branching outward and striking at anything that came into its proximity. Sirus staggered as the lightning struck, hitting him for another 10% of his HP. Sam was aggravated when his ability’s secondary effect didn’t kick in, but figured it was due to his low Luck.
He fired off another Mana Shot, but Sirus was beginning to catch on to his attack patterns and easily dodged it. Then his hand blurred again, dragging three arrows from his back and sending them at him in the blink of an eye. Sam, not having any other choice, activated his Speed Boost and managed to avoid all but one of the attacks.
Grimacing as the arrow sliced open his cheek, Sam fired back, only to have his attack dodged again. Another arrow flew at him, and Sam cursed, dropping to the ground. A moment later, a glowing red arrow slammed into his leg.
The bastard had tricked him!
He screamed as the red arrow punched straight through his leg and into the ground beneath, breaking the bone and causing a massive amount of damage. Sam screamed in pain, but even more than that, in rage, as a loud gong sounded in his head.
; DIVINE CURSE
You have broken a rule, and have been struck by a divine curse.
Effect: All damage received is doubled Duration: H 3 : M 59 : S 59
“Mother fucker!” he yelled, stretching out his hand and firing his Mana Burn at the man.
Sirus dodged to one side and nocked another arrow, but Sam’s follow up spell caught him square in the chest, sending him stumbling back.
Gritting his teeth, Sam wrapped his fingers around the bloody shaft and attempted to pull it from his leg, but it didn’t budge.
“Fuck!” he screamed, wrapping both hands around it this time, and yanking with all his might.
Aside from the excruciating agony that caused him, nothing else happened. An arrow punched into his other shoulder, causing a massive amount of damage and increased his pain tenfold. Sam watched through a haze of pain as his HP dropped below 30%. Then another arrow slammed into his stomach, dropping it once again.
He held up the Silver Orb, and attempted to use another spell, but an arrow pierced his wrist, forcing him to drop that as well.
“God dammit!” he yelled, watching his HP dip down to 10%, and slowly continue dropping.
He briefly wondered why that was, when he noticed the small message flashing in the corner of his vision.
You are bleeding. Effect: -1 HP Per Second. Duration: M 1 : S 42
Sam groaned, knowing that if he didn’t do something, and fast, he would die. He attempted to stand, but the arrow in his leg still refused to budge.
“This is the end of the line for you, Samuel!”
Sam looked up, as Sirus pulled another arrow back, with a smug grin on his face.
“Fuck you!” Sam yelled, holding up his middle finger.
Not exactly the best last words, but oh well.
Sirus’ Grin widened.
“Goodbye, you fucking pest!”
Then, he released the arrow.
40
Sam flinched and closed his eyes when he heard the twang of the bowstring, expecting at any moment to feel the agonizing pain of a shaft embedding itself in his body, followed the blank void of death. He held his breath, waiting, but when the expected pain didn’t come, he slowly cracked his eyes open.
Gordon was standing before him, arrow shaft caught in his jaws and growling at the green-skinned man.
“Gordon?” Sam asked, mind clouded with pain and not quite understanding what was going on. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Gordon half-turned to look at him, allowing the arrow shaft to drop from his jaws.
“Even on the brink of death, you cannot curb your bad habits. We will need to discuss this at length once this fight is over with.”
“I thought you were guarding the Princess,” Sam replied. His brain finally snapping back into gear.
“I was, but now Baron Von Tweet is keeping her company.”
This confused Sam even further, until he heard Sirus’ panicked voice.
“What are you doing with her? Let her go now!”
Turning his head, it took Sam a few moments to understand what was going on. Emma stood just a few yards from the crime boss. Her hand was tangled in Aoife’s hair and she held her sword to the woman’s throat.
“I’ll let her go, as soon as you lower your bow,” Emma replied.
Her voice was hard and she glared at the man, daring him to test her.
Sam was shocked when the man actually did as she said, dropping his bow and holding his hands up in the air. For some reason, he’d expected Sirus to do something villainous, like shooting his own sister through the heart to damage Emma or something like that. Apparently, Sirus cared about his family though, because he looked genuinely afraid.
“I’ve done as you said, now let her go,” Sirus said, taking a step forward.
“Stop right there! One more step and she gets it!” Emma yelled, pulling the dwarf’s hair until she whimpered in pain.
Sam was then distracted by the massive amount of pain caused by Gordon, as he tore the arrow shaft free of his leg.
“Mother fucker! That hurts! Warn me next time, dog!” he yelled, watching in alarm as his HP began bleeding away at a rapid pace.
Then a glowing green leaf landed on his lap, and Sam eagerly shoved it into his mouth. He watched in relief as his HP refilled, and the pain in his leg receded to a dull throbbing. Then the arrows from his shoulder and stomach were torn free, causing his HP to begin dropping again. This time, he didn’t even bother cursing the dog, merely picking up the Healing Herb that had appeared from thin air and chewing it to restore his health.
“Sam, are you okay?” He heard Emma’s worried voice as he staggered painfully to his feet.
“Aside from the crippling pain, I’m doing great!” Sam replied with a grimace.
He tried to put more weight on his bad leg, but pain flared up as soon as he did and he was forced to lean on Gordon for support. Oddly enough, the dog didn’t seem to mind, even going so far as to move a bit closer, so Sam could lean more heavily on him.
“At least he didn’t shoot you in the ass. That would have been a tragedy of epic proportions,” Emma said with a grin.
Sam’s eyes flicked to Sirus then, who had been attempting to inch closer to Emma while she’d been talking. He held up a hand and shot him in the face with his Mana Burn. It wasn’t enough to kill him, but it definitely stopped him from making any further attempts to make a move against Emma.
“Here’s how it’s going to go down,” Sam said, slowly limping forward.
“You, are going to leave this city and never come back. You’re going to take your little criminal organization with you, and you’re also going to return all of my stolen goods.”
“I can leave, but I can’t meet any of your other demands,” he replied, eyes flicking between him and his sister.
“What do you mean, you can’t?!” Sam exclaimed. “You’re the one in charge of this little gang! You’re the one who’s controlling the guild! You’re the piece of shit who used Milly to con me out of all my stuff. Not to mention all the times you tried to have me killed!”
By the time he was done venting, Sam was breathing hard. His eyes were blazing with anger, and his fists were clenching and unclenching as he tried to control his temper.
Sirus tried to take a step towards him, but Emma pulled her sword a little closer to Aoife’s throat and he stopped.
“I might have been the one who conned you out of that Legendary gear, but I swear that’s all I did. Yes, I run an organization in the city, but I’m not the one giving the orders.”
“Yeah. Like I’d believe that for even a second. Aren’t you the boss?” Sam asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Well, technically I am, but…”
“Then who else could have given the orders?”
“That honor would be mine.”
Sam felt his blood run cold when he heard that voice, and he turned slowly to see Milly emerging from the woods behind Emma. She was dressed the same way she had been the day before, in a tight-fitting server’s uniform with a plunging neckline and a short skirt. She looked just a beautiful as always, but the warm smile that he was used to seeing was cold and hard. Sam had known that she had been the one responsible for conning him out of his items, but deep down, he’d still been hoping he was wrong. Now though, with the woman standing right before him, he could no longer deny the truth.
“Why?” Sam asked, his eyes locking onto the woman, whose entrance had grabbed everyone’s attention.
Gordon eyed her with distrust, Emma with hatred, and Sirus, with fear.
Milly ignored the question and slowly walked forward, her hips swaying suggestively as she approached the small group. She stopped not five feet from Emma, who held her sword just a little tighter.
She ran her large eyes over both of them, taking note of Aoife’s barely conscious form before turning her attention to Sirus.
“You’ve failed me, Sirus. I warned you about what would happen if you did.”
Her voice was cold. So cold in fact, that it made a shiver run down Sam’s spine. Sirus’ face paled and Sam had to wonder just how dangerous the elf before him really was. Using his Inspect skill, he saw the same information he had last time, which baffled him.
If Milly was only level 6, why was Sirus so afraid of her?
“Please, Millicent! I didn’t say anything! Nobody knows anything! Your operation is still intact! All we have to do is kill these people and things can go back to the way they were!”
Milly stared at him for a long moment, not saying a thing. Then, in a blur of motion, she appeared before Emma, hand flashing out in a line of silver light. Emma staggered back with a muffled scream as Aoife’s body hit the ground in two pieces. First her body, then her head.
“No. I don’t think it can,” Milly said, turning her cold eyes on Sirus, whose green face had gone completely white. “You failed me, and I told you what would happen if you did. Unlike you, Sirus, I keep my promises.”
Sirus collapsed onto his knees as Milly licked the blood coating her fingers, then turned her cold eyes on Sam.
“Why the cold look Sam? I thought you liked me.”
Sam shivered. Her voice sounded the same as always, but her eyes were so cold and lifeless, that he just couldn’t help himself. Emma took a step forward, raising her sword. Then, a wave of red light exploded out from Milly’s body, and Emma dropped to the ground with a scream. A moment later, Sam understood why, as a wave of terror, the likes of which he’d never felt before, washed over him.
“I don’t understand!” he said again, trying to pull together a few coherent thoughts through the overwhelming fear.
Gordon seemed to be unaffected by the whole thing, and Sam could feel his fur bristling under his palm as Milly stepped over Emma’s prone form and slowly walked towards him.
“Why, you ask? Why did I do this to you? Why did I single you out? Why bring you here to rob you over and over? Why make you think I liked you, only to order you killed?”
She stopped before him, eyes blazing with hatred.
“The answer is quite simple really. You killed my sister,” she said, her voice hissing out in a low whisper.
