Login Accepted: Incipere Online Book One
Page 22
Trina nodded. “Just watch our backs.”
The dwarfish man let out a bellow of a laugh at her comment. “You only want me watching when there’s trouble. Never when we’re just sitting around.”
She sighed and punched his arm, taking a small piece of his integrity with it. “Shut up.”
With little more discussion, the group was off. The sun had already finished its long set by the time they reached the bridges that marked the beginning of the market district, and the fighting had already begun. The sounds of dying dryads, burning beasts, and the scent of singed fur started to overpower the battle shy alchemist before too much time could pass. The sounds of combat were still ringing despite the amount of fragmented code he saw flashing into the air. Cries echoed from one solider to the next as the line held.
“Are they okay?” Athos asked watching as a renewed wave crashed against the lines.
Trina shrugged. “Everyone on those lines is at least a rank fifteen knight, defender, or guardian. If anyone can hold their own against a horde of mid-level Wild Ones, it’s those guys.”
Another burst of data reassured him as Allen pulled out his silver spear and pointed it at the group in front of them.
“Hold on, can’t leave em needing healing, can I?” and spoke what Athos assumed was a skill trigger. “Sanando Minimun.”
A burst of green light surrounded the nearest five soldiers holding the line. One turned back and waved before quickly raising his shield to block a fresh attack.
Again and again as they patrolled behind the lines, Allen repeated his phrase, threw his green light, and garnered respect and thanks from the guild members that noticed his efforts.
Each time, Allen only shrugged to them, but Athos could see him smile all the same as he stroked his impressive facial hair. “Just keep your eyes on the defense, boys.”
Each time he repeated it, he knew that they didn’t really need to be told.
As the attacks seemed to lull, Allen and the rest of the group continued to move around the perimeter of the battle, and Athos felt a growing combination of awe and boredom. Not that he complained about it. The fact that he could observe more than anything and simply watch the others fight was a comfort to him. Athos just watched hour after hour and couldn’t help but think how strange it was watching the hordes come, get fragmented by sword, bow, gun or spell, then have an identical wave of them return to the fight minutes later as if nothing had happened. He watched it happen again, and again, and again like a video stuck in a loop.
For three hours, Athos and the group observed the soldiers. Midnight had come and gone, and the novelty was starting to wear thin. This is what he was risking Avalon’s wrath for? With a sigh, he slumped against a wall.
“Not enough action?” Diz questioned seeing the disappointed look on his face.
Looking her over, he shrugged. “I’m not sure what I expected really.”
Behind her goggled eyes, Athos imagined a fire sparking as her words forged into rather excited sentences. “I can change that.”
The way the light jumped off her goggles as she fiddled with her belt. Without much though, the words leapt from his mouth unsure of what she was going to do next. “No, I think it’s okay. Things are fine right now.”
Shaking her head, Diz looking back at Trina as two spikes from her belt planted themselves into the ground with loud thunks. “Trina! Athos is bored!”
Looking from the battlefield to the goggled girl, she shook her head. Moving her eyes from the girl to the stakes buried in the ground, Trina yelled back a response of, “I don’t care if he is. Tell him he has to deal with it.”
Two more stakes dug into the ground from her belt as Diz smiled at Athos then to Trina, then looked up into the sky. “Can I do the thing?”
Fear seemed to creep into Trina’s eyes as she walked over and loomed over the spired girl. “No, you can’t! We’re just fine, and you cannot handle those abilities yet! Do you understand me?”
Her enthusiasm shrunk as the spikes from her belt pulled back into where they came from. As if she had been a scolded puppy, she slunk herself down by Athos and nodded. Once the woman was out of earshot, she whispered to Athos. “She never lets me have any fun.”
Something told Athos that it was much better that way. Whether it was the way the air smelled ionized around her or the way she had said ‘the thing,’ he felt he was better off knowing as little about her ability as possible.
The rest of the night passed rather pleasantly after Trina’s talk with Diz, well, as far as sitting behind friendly lines in combat goes. Checking the screen again, he realized just how much time had passed.
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Four AM, boys and girls. Time to clean up and head back.
(Guild) Diz Reagen: We didn’t even get to fight!
(Guild) Athos Aramis: You say that like it’s a bad thing.
(Guild) Torrent Lase: I’m with the new guy. Any time we don’t have to fight is a good time.
(Guild) Allen Lee: Speak for yourselves, lazy asses. I’m the only one that had to do anything.
(Guild) Diz Reagen: But you’re so good at doing anything!
(Guild) Allen Lee: Shut up, Diz.
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Play nice, or I won’t bring you next time, Diz.
Diz almost jumped to attention next to Athos at that.
(Guild) Diz Reagen: Sorry, boss!
Following her example, he got up and fell in line with the others. The night wasn’t so bad after all. Nothing to write to Sally about, but it was an experience all the same to him.
“Incoming!”
The yell came from behind the group as the ground shook. The sounds of combat ceased for a moment and confusion flooded Athos’s mind. Morbid curiosity forced him to turn and look back at where the voice had come from. Whether by providence or by some other darker form of fate, Oenus was about to have its hands full. As if the screams of Wild Ones weren’t enough, a single phrase flashed red across his screen in a font he had never seen before.
Warning: World Boss Approaching!
Transfixed, Athos watched as the already dark sky darkened to pitch. The stars died one by one as victims of the world boss’s approach. At first, the aura of darkness the creature had and the distance blinded Athos to what the world boss looked like. As it approached and the other Wild Ones retreated, only then did he realize what was in store.
“Ioh.”
World Boss
“Guardians! Assemble! Alert Avalon to the change!”
There was little Athos could do to make himself move as the towering dryad approached the city cloaked in shadows and smoke. At the size of a large building, the dark dryad was more imposing than when Athos had first met her. Gone was the lush nature that surrounded her, gone was the light from her eyes, and gone was any shred of who she used to be. Her hair had grown thorns, her hooves burned where they stepped, and more smoke rose unnaturally in her wake. Just like the rest of her kind, Ioh had literally become a raging shadow of what she once was.
“Athos! We need to move!”
Despite Trina’s warning, his body refused to listen. He could only stare in a feared awe, watching as she walked confidently towards the city. The closer she got, the more her new form was rendered. She was so close now that Athos could see in vivid detail as smoke bled like tears from her eyes.
A hand jerked him back breaking his trance. “Athos, we need to leave, now!”
Pitifully, he looked to Trina as the sounds of chaos began to rise behind him. “Can’t we do anything?”
She looked at him almost dumbfounded as she pulled him back further. “Athos! That’s a world boss! Without more support, we can’t do anything. We have to retreat.”
Torrent soon caught up with the pair as Diz continued to look on at the fighting. “What about the Guardians?”
Grabbing him by the collar of his coat, Trina gave him a good shake. “They can hold out. Even as a party, our rank is too low. We wouldn’t last a round.”
“You heard the man, we need to go!” She continued to stare seeming to ignore him as her eyes watched the chaos ensue as the smaller dryads were absorbed in part during the world boss’s approach. “Diz, come on!”
Across the chat in green letters came a similar message:
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Athos, Diz, you need to get going! Move!
After reading the message, Diz simply shook her head. “They won’t make it.”
“Diz?” Athos asked as the party continued to leave the pair further and further behind.
“They won’t make it without me.”
Diz Irona has left the party.
As soon as the message flashed across the screen, Diz had already begun her run towards the chaos as the Guardians began to regroup after the first assault of the newly enraged dryads. The groups were fewer, but Athos didn’t have time to focus on that for more than a moment.
“Diz!” but his voice had fallen on deaf ears. She had already run towards the chaos before Athos could get a word in edgewise. Pulled between running away and running after her, Athos was at an impasse. Unsure of what he could do, he hesitated. He was only a rank five. There wasn’t much he could do on his own.
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Athos, where is Diz? She’s not answering me.
(Guild) Athos Aramis: I don’t know! She just ran off towards Ioh.
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Who?
(Guild) Athos Aramis: The world boss. She said they wouldn’t make it without her.
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Shit, you have to stop her Athos. She’s going to use her Exceed.
(Guild) Athos Aramis: What?
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Just go stop her! That’s an order! I’ll be there as soon as I can.
Another in a long line of things he didn't understand cemented his choice for him as he turned back towards the danger and made a mad dash for the last direction he had seen Diz run. The area was pretty much a disaster area, but there were always constants. The sounds of battle being the first, and the cries of direction for that combat being the second. The soldiers from Avalon’s guild were top notch. Even in the face of the world boss, the group didn’t budge. Their combined ranks must still have been more than a match for what was attacking even without their boss on the front lines. Still, he noticed quickly that things were not quite what they seemed. On his left and right, he noticed more and more of the creatures getting through the lines. One by one, the group had gathered and, in doing so, abandoned their posts to prepare for the approaching boss.
If he were behind honest with himself, Athos couldn’t imagine what their combined rank would have to be to take on the world boss. He didn’t even want to know he realized as he took aim and killed an approaching sumac beast. Even as it disintegrated into data, it bothered him. Sure, they were mindless, but they had been alive at some point. As he began to close in, he realized just how difficult getting her back was going to be.
“Diz!” Again, his words fell on deaf ears. She was talking rather quickly with one of Avalon’s people who nodded his head quickly. Athos could see his window open, and Diz’s face smile wide. It wasn’t long before the pair began to rush the front lines leaving the alchemical arm to fight his way back through the increasingly dense number of wild ones. Soon they had blocked his vision and forced his hand. “Scattershot,” came the trigger to clear a large group with a rain of burning iron. The timer for the skill’s cool-down now ticking away at the left of his vision. “Diz!”
With the clearing made, Athos dashed closer towards the front lines to where his leader had sent him on his mission. Each step bringing him closer to a place he never imagined to be. On all sides, the wild ones that were left were moving in on the Guardians. His heart went out to them, but he was on a mission. A scream from the break off from the group took his attention and his ammo switched. “Incoming! Critical Shot!”
The Guardians only had a moment to process the warning before his trigger pulled and a critical shot loading with Pluvias Noxia flew towards them. A few managed to dive out of the way and a few suffered within the lingering cloud for only a moment before running out. The dryads were less fortunate as their screeches pierced his ears in a suffered wail.
Damage received: 96% integrity remaining
The Guardians rose again despite themselves, spoke something outside of his earshot, and threw their weapons into the cloud of poison to finish the job he had started. With the group downed, a profanity was thrown his way before they moved on leaving him to his thoughts and a second ticking timer to his skill refresh.
“Ungrateful bastards,” Athos said to himself before remembering what he came here to do. “Diz!”
(Guild) Athos Aramis: Where are you, Trina?
(Guild) Trina Rorna: We’ve been cut off. The beasts are trying to force their way past the bridge. We can’t let them through!
(Guild) Athos Aramis: Is there any way to stop them?
(Guild) Trina Rorna: The only way is to stop the world boss. Athos, we’re swamped. Get to her!
Athos’s feet had been carrying him all the while and with another group in view, he realized he had just about reached his destination. Diz was finally in view!
“Diz!”
Her goggled eyes turned back to see him as her whole body seemed to shrug. With her escort sticking by her side, Diz stopped and waited as the alchemical arm caught up to her. “Why’d you follow, Athos?”
Old habits die hard, and Athos felt like taking a moment to get his breath even though he didn’t need it. “Trina told me to bring you back.”
Unable to see beyond the goggled eyes, he couldn’t quite tell what sort of face she was making with that frown, but her right foot stomped in the ground as she put both fists are her side and almost whined. “She doesn’t believe I can do it.”
Athos picked himself up and looked her over. The way she held herself, the way she looked at him, even the way her fists were clenched while her foot drug in the dirt, Diz was acting like a spoiled child. To Athos, the real question was why. “Trina’s your guild leader. Of course, she believes in you, but she knows you can’t do this on your own.”
“I can to do it! She can’t stop me.” Her words were passionate as her head looked behind her hands motioned to the Guardian at her side. “They need my help. I’m going to go help them!” Her voice cracked with emotion as she tried to plead her case.
With a sigh, Athos tried again. “You need to listen to her.”
Her head shook wildly back and forth. “No! I need to help them!”
Her escort stepped a bit closer to her and looked at Athos. “She can make her own choices, Alchemist. She is coming up to the legion and will we be assisting her until the rest of the guild arrives.”
(Guild) Athos Aramis: She’s dead set on staying. The Guardian is taking her to the front lines.
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Damn her! We’re trying to rally, but we’re pinned down still. We have to get her back.
(Guild) Athos Aramis: She’s made her choice. I don’t think we can do anything.
Mid conversation, Athos watched as Diz was taken by the hand, and the two moved closer to the front lines. The world boss was less than a mile away now, and it was only a matter of time before the time he had to act on ran out.
(Guild) Athos Aramis: They’re on the move again.
And he took up the chase again only to be tripped up by Trina’s last message.
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Slow them down any way you can, Athos! I’ll be damned if I let a daughter be taken from me again!
The Ties that Bind
In a moment of revelation, everything clicked into place. The way she acted, her nature, even the way she held herself, everything added up. Diz was only a child. He wanted to stop and ask Trina more, but he already knew enough. Trina had lost her child
ren, so she adopted another that had no mother. Faces, bodies, and everything else here was a reflection of what the user wanted. Trina wasn’t there when Diz selected her appearance, how could she be? Athos would bet his money on Diz not even being her real name back on Earth. He was at more of a loss than he had been before. In his state, how could he say anything else? His actions decided to speak for him as his feet started to move before he had even fully processed what he was about to do.
(Guild) Athos Aramis: I’ll find a way.
And the mission was set.
(Guild) Trina Rorna: Just keep her distracted, Athos. She’s easy to distract.
Nodding to himself, his feet kept pressing forward through the sounds of battle. His gun took full advantage of his trigger-happy perk as shot after shot flew from the barrel of Magus to keep his path clear. Though with so many of his allies around, Scattershot wasn’t an option. Not that he had the time to focus on triggering it. He settled for the basic shot and kept firing until his finger began to burn with the phantom memories of weariness and pain.
Damage Received - 92% integrity remaining
A potshot from his left reminded him of what real pain felt like as a sumac beast tendril lashed at his side. A group had gathered around him and were prepping to continue what the first had started. He had been sloppy, but a pair of shots in quick succession were enough to remedy part of that mistake. The group had narrowed, but three still moved in around him. The lashes began to fall on him like rain a moment later.
Damage Received - 89% integrity remaining
Damage Received - 86% integrity remaining
Damage Received - 83% integrity remaining
However strong they were, he had to reach Diz. His thoughts narrowed, his aim held as they rallied to one side for another attack.
The familiar shift of the ammo wheel in his vision and the glowing yellow aura was enough for him despite the closing distance. “Critical Shot.”