by Rick Scott
Ahhh!
It doesn’t hurt, but it feels totally weird, and my health drops to 30%.
I can’t take another hit like that! And it’s still at half!
I start to panic.
Aiko must notice, because she says, “Don’t worry about your health. Just keep moving. That’s your defense, not your hit points. Even at higher levels, you’ll be one-shotted by almost everything you fight against. So whether you have 100% or 1%, it doesn’t really matter. The only thing that matters is to not lose focus and keep evading. Remember! Don’t get hit!”
Easy for her to say!
Her words do little to comfort me as I dance with the gull. I dare not break eye contact with it, watching as I try to anticipate its every move and avoid its attacks. Finally, I get in the last few stabs and the bird croaks.
You defeated the Seagull!
You gain 300 experience points.
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
You are now Level 2.
You have gained 1 attribute point.
“Not bad, pretty boy,” Aiko says as she sidles up next to me. I feel almost uncomfortable with how close she presses into me from behind. “You might yet have the moves. Put everything into Agility from now on.”
“All into Agility?” I ask. “What about Dex?”
“You can worry about that later. Your top priority should be getting to 50 Agility as soon as possible.”
“Why 50?”
“At 50, your attack speed doubles, and you’ll have enough Agility to evade attacks from the king’s guards.”
I want to ask what those are, but I don’t want to keep sounding like a complete noob in front of 1 million viewers. Even though I am. So I just nod like I know what she’s talking about and drop my new attribute point into Agility.
“A few more of those should get you to Level 5.”
It takes me three seagulls in total. I come close to death a couple of times, but with each level, they get easier to kill. At Level 3, I gain a new ability called Sneak. And at Level 5, I get something that looks really interesting.
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
You are now Level 5.
You have gained 1 attribute point.
You have learned the ability: Backstab.
Backstab
Attack an enemy from a hidden position to perform a debilitating critical attack.
Activation: Instantaneous
Cool-down: 45 seconds
Cost: 10 TP
Now, we’re talking.
“You should have three abilities now,” Aiko says. “Hide, Sneak, and Backstab.”
I don’t remember seeing Hide, but I pull up all my abilities to check.
Level 1: Hide Blend into darkened surroundings by remaining still.
Level 3: Sneak Move stealthily without being seen or heard.
Level 5: Backstab Attack an enemy from a hidden position to perform a debilitating critical attack.
“That’s all you’ll really need to hit Level 15,” Aiko says with a grin. “Well, that . . . and a bit of guts.”
I’m not sure if I like the sound of that.
“Come with me,” she says.
I follow Aiko off the pier, somewhat mesmerized by the sultry walk she has in her high-heeled boots. The boots are both impossible and impractical in real life, but in the game, fashion doesn’t have to play second fiddle to function. In fact, Aiko could easily pass for a fashion model herself; strutting down some catwalk, instead of a rickety old pier.
We enter a large warehouse stacked with crates and boxes. Moving about it are more dockworkers dressed in overalls similar to my mining gear. Aiko leads me further into the back, away from the main entrance. It’s darker here, and my eyes take a moment to adjust from the bright sunlight beaming outside.
“This is your hunting ground,” Aiko says, and then points to a couple of dockworkers in the area. “That’s your prey.”
I take a look.
A Strong Dockworker
Level: 30
Lugging crates and cargo all day makes this worker as tough as they get! Probably best not to mess with him.
Affinity: Water
“What?” I say. “He’s Level 30!”
“Right. So don’t let him hit you. Allow me to demonstrate.”
Aiko doesn’t even draw a weapon. Instead, she readies her fist as she slowly approaches the dockworker and circles behind him. He cries out and falls to his knees as Aiko punches him in the kidney. The worker’s HP is down to a sliver, but he recovers quickly and stands to give chase to Aiko as she darts away in the opposite direction.
“I’ll get you for that!” he screams.
Aiko crouches behind a crate and disappears. The worker immediately stops and looks about, confused. He reminds me of that mountain troll when it stopped on its set pathway, and then turned around to go back the way it had come. The worker turns to do the same thing. Aiko emerges silently from behind the crate and, with a swiftness I don’t expect, dashes forward in a crouch, moving right behind the worker again. She gives him another punch to the back, and he falls to the floor, dead.
“See?” she says, standing to her full height once more. “Nothing to it. Sneak, Backstab, run, Hide, repeat. Got it?”
I nod, but wonder if I can pull it off.
“If you fail at sneaking, just run away as fast as you can.”
“Okay.”
I draw my dagger and feel like a real villain as I engage Sneak and creep my way toward another dockworker. They’re NPCs, but they still look like a player would. Being human, and a civilian, it feels a bit odd to attack them. But hey, it’s just a game. This is a bunch of code, not a real person.
I get behind him and thrust my dagger into his lower back.
You backstab the Strong Dockworker!
-57 HP
He cries out and collapses. I waste no time sprinting away toward some crates. My heart is racing as I hear him curse behind me and clamber to his feet. I duck around the edge of the crate and try to hide. Tense seconds pass until finally, I see a buff appear on my HUD.
You Hide in the shadows.
Your Hide skill increases by 0.5.
Dang. I’m going to have to level this skill up.
The dockworker stops just a few feet from me, looks around for a second, then continues back like he’s forgotten why he came. My hit only took 5% off his health, though. Not bad, considering he’s a Level 30 mob and I’m Level 5, but still, this is going to take a while. I steel myself and rise to tip-toe behind him. I get within a couple feet, and then the floor creaks.
We both stop.
He looks over his shoulder and sees me. “Hey!”
The Strong Dockworker notices you!
Your Sneak skill increases by 0.3!
He throws a punch at me, but I duck just in time.
The Strong Dockworker misses you.
Your Evasion increases by 0.8.
Skill up! Your Evasion skill is now 5.
“Run!” Aiko shouts.
I do so, and feel another whiff of air above my head.
The Strong Dockworker misses you.
Your Evasion increases by 0.8.
“Getting massive skill ups!” I say as I duck behind another crate. I make myself as small as possible and get the Hide buff right before the worker rounds the corner. My heart hammers in my chest. Who knew you could play the game like this? “This is intense!”
Aiko does her cackle laugh. “I know, right? This is way better than trading blows like a robot, huh? Try again. But don’t wait so long before you Backstab this time. Move faster.”
I wait until the worker walks off again, and then creep back out. I get just behind him and nail him with a jab to the spine that sends him to his knees in pain. Then I dash away to hide again.
“Nice one!” Aiko says. “Keep it going.”
The nerve-racking game of hit-and-run continues for about 10 minutes. A couple of times, I come close to getting
hit again and nearly piss my pants. But each time, I’m able to get away and hide. Eventually, I get the dockworker down to just a sliver of health and land the final backstab.
You defeated the Strong Dockworker!
You gain 8700 experience points.
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
You are now Level 12.
You have gained 11 attribute points.
You have learned a new passive ability: Awareness.
Awareness
You are acutely aware of your surroundings and can more easily detect hidden objects and beings.
“Holy cow!” I say, out of breath. “I did it!”
Aiko starts clapping. “Nice going, Reece.”
I get a ton of congratulations through private messages from the people watching Aiko’s stream.
Lexi7even: Way to go, man!
Cormack: You had me terrified a few times there! Lol.
Sellie: Wow! How many levels did you just get?
Benjimo: Sweet, dude!
I’m still shaking from all the adrenaline. “That was major. I can’t believe I just downed a Level 30 mob. I had no idea Thief was this overpowered!”
Aiko laughs. “It’s not, really. It’s the area. The dim lighting and tight spaces in here give huge bonuses to Hide and Sneak. And Backstab ignores all armor value, so you can do decent damage even at your level. So long as you’re fast enough to get away, you can take them down. That’s why I said this place is a secret. Not too many people know about it.” She then pauses. “Well, I guess a few more do now, thanks to my stream. You’re welcome, guys.”
I almost wish I could see her subscribers’ reactions when she says that.
“The point is, don’t go thinking you can do this with any old mob. Only these ones. I think one more will do it.”
One more. I can’t believe I’m about to do in less than an hour what it took Gilly and I, plus that guy Fredric, half the night. I wonder how many more secret leveling spots Aiko has. If I stuck with her, I could probably hit 85 Ninja in a couple of days!
The thought suddenly awakens me to what I’m actually doing here. I’m conspiring with the enemy! That’s how Val Helena would probably see it, anyway. And I’m probably misleading Aiko, as well. She’s probably doing this with the assumption that I’ll be joining her at Level 85. I wonder how long I can keep dragging this out. But no, I need to be honest here. I need to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand. “Hey, Aiko. I need to tell you something.”
Maybe it’s the sullen tone in my voice, or something in my stance, but her face goes stiff as she raises a brow. “Tell me what?”
Here it goes. “I’m . . . I’ve already decided to team up with Val Helena,” I say without looking at her. “I’ve joined her guild to take down the world boss.”
I try to ignore all the private messages that come at me from her viewers.
Alice: You what!?!
Benjimo: You piece of crap!
Simone: You chose wrong, dude.
LuluHeart: You suck! :P
Jixer: Hope you fail, asshat!
She doesn’t say anything for a moment, just stares at me like I’m something she wants to sink her katana into. But then her expression changes. Her face brightens with a smile. “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t have been so quick to give you a free lesson then. What did she promise you, Reece? Money? A hot date, maybe?”
I swallow. I don’t really want to answer.
“Well, whatever it was, I hope it wasn’t an easy kill, because it won’t be if you’re going in with her.”
“Actually, she did specifically make a point to tell me that it would not be easy.”
She smirks at my attempt to lighten the mood. “I probably shouldn’t blame you for being an opportunist. She’s taught you well.”
I’m not sure what to make of that statement. Clearly, Aiko and Val Helena have some kind of feud going on, and unfortunately, it looks like I’m about to get stuck right in the middle of it!
“Look, I’m sorry,” I say. “Val Helena, she . . . she went out on a limb for me, and I owe it to her. I know there’s some bad blood between you two or something. I didn’t mean to stir it up. ”
“There’s nothing to stir up,” Aiko snaps. “Helena keeps reliving a false version of the past that I have nothing to do with.” Her gaze wanders for a moment, lost perhaps in those same memories. She refocuses on me. “Besides, that old cow is deluded if she thinks a noob like you will have any chance against Vulnar.”
Her words stab me like a dagger to the chest.
“Think yourself lucky for what you’ve learned here today, Reece.” Her tone has become like ice. “From this moment onward, we are enemies, understand? So long as you’re with Val Helena, you can be no friend of mine.”
Yikes . . .
She gives me a nasty scowl. “The next time we meet, you’d better hope it’s not in a player kill area.”
Double yikes!
“I’d wish you good luck, but unlike Helena, I don’t believe in feeding fools lies.” She turns then, and steps away in her runway-model walk. “See you around, pretty boy.”
Chapter 18: Ninja
Congratulations!
You have gained a new nemesis: Aiko!
At least, that’s what I imagine the game should be telling me right about now. I sigh as I sink my dagger into the back of another dockworker. I’m getting better at backstabbing, in more ways than one. As I run and hide, I contemplate if I could have handled things better. Maybe, but at least I ended it with Aiko before things went too far. I just didn’t think she’d have gotten that ticked off about it.
I Sneak back for another Backstab and am almost in place when I get a private message.
Gilly: Hey, I’m back! What are you up to? (:
I complete my evil deed, taking the dockworker down to 5% health, before I return to the safety of the shadows to respond to her.
Me: Working on Thief. Level 12 right now.
Gilly: Wow, already? I was just joking about being a Ninja by the time I got back, you know?! @_@
Me: Well . . . I had a little help.
Gilly: You did?
I wonder if I should share with her what happened. But I need to tell somebody.
Me: Yeah. Aiko. She showed me a nice leveling spot. But she wasn’t too happy when I told her I was with Val Helena.
Gilly: What do you mean?
Me: She basically threatened to kill me. Plus, her viewers all hate me now, too.
Gilly: Are you serious? O_o
Me: Yeah, but it’s all good, I guess. I didn’t want it to go too far. Didn’t want to feel like I was betraying Val Helena.
Gilly: oh, right . . . wouldn’t want to do that . . . -_-
I chuckle at her response.
Me: So, you got a vendetta against Val Helena now, too? ;)
Gilly: I just don’t like how you’re always sucking up to her. q:
I sneak back out and land my last Backstab on the dockworker.
You defeated the Strong Dockworker!
You gain 8700 experience points.
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
Congratulations! You have gained a Level!
You are now Level 15.
You have gained 5 attribute points.
You have learned a new passive ability: Dual Wield.
Dual Wield
You can now use a melee weapon in each hand.
My eyes bulge when I see the new ability. No way! Dual wield? How cool is that! I can’t contain my grin as I equip both my daggers and do a quick double swipe in the air. I think I’m
liking Thief. And if Thief is this cool, I can’t wait for Ninja.
Me: Sorry, Gilly! (: You’re going to have to bear with me sucking up to Val Helena a little bit longer, because she said to contact her when I was ready to unlock Ninja! ^_^
Gilly: What??? O_O!! Already??
Me: Yup! I just hit 15!
* * *
I show off my new dual attack move to Gilly, who’s sitting on a wooden bollard attached to the pier. She’s upgraded her gear some. Gone is the dumpy robe, replaced by a far more elegant one that’s a dark blue. She’s also wearing a really cute witch’s hat of the same color. I think they’re a Level 12 set.
She claps and cheers for me. “Way cool! I can’t wait to see you in action.”
I can’t either, to be honest. “I need to upgrade my gear, I think.”
“Yeah,” Gilly agrees. “You still look like a total noob. A total badass noob, mind you, but still a noob.”
I laugh at that.
“Let’s go shopping while we wait for your boss to show up.”
“Val’s not my boss, Gilly,” I say sardonically.
“Oh, it’s Val now, is it?” She rolls her eyes, but I think it’s meant to be playful.
I chuckle again. “I can’t win with you. Let’s go. She said to meet her near the central spawn point, anyway.”
We head deeper into Swifttide, away from the docks and toward the central market. The stone that forms the streets and walls of the city is a brilliant white that reflects the noonday sun and gives the crowded market an even more vibrant atmosphere. There are a lot more high-level players here than there are in Timberdale. A lot more NPC vendors, as well. I find an auction board and put both my daggers up for sale, as well as my armor, before I set about looking for new gear.
