by TJ Reynolds
I tried to speak, but my voice cracked. I took a moment and wiped away a tear that had betrayed me. “If he comes back, for any reason, please contact me. I am staying at the Eternal Online facility just down the street. My name is Dahlia Otou. If he comes back, please just call me there.”
The woman nodded, her mouth pursed tightly. Her own eyes were filling with tears as well, so I did the only thing I could do. I turned and left the store.
And as I walked back toward the only life I had left, a scene of my mother’s pale, slender hand touching the side of my father’s face, with a platinum and jade ring glinting on her finger, played through my mind on a tight and unyielding loop.
7: “Nothing will make you feel stronger than holding an axe… except maybe two axes, of course.”
— Madrigal Serrano Mendoza
MADI
For the millionth time, with my scream finally subsiding and the weights clanging back in their resting position above me, I was grateful for the insulated walls of my apartment.
“That’s right, cabrón. Who is your mommy?” I panted out, my arms completely numb and shaking. Ever since the accident, I had found that losing part of myself physically could be compensated, at least emotionally, by making the rest stronger. And though I was shorter than my in-game avatar, and realistically not strong enough to wield a massive battle axe, I was proud to say that I was ripped.
I lifted myself up, balancing my weight with one arm while I mopped my brow with my free hand.
“Gita, a little help, please,” I called out, and the assistant bot wheeled over. I had placed his controls on silent, which made me feel a lot better. There was something upsetting about being helped out by a kind and polite butler bot.
Gita deposited me in my wheelchair, and I spun myself over to my workstation. Losing the function of your legs is not a fun thing to experience, but if you are going to do it, I suggest you get rich in the process.
A few years ago, as I’d been crossing the street, traffic light in my favor, minding my own business, a delivery truck smashed into me. The AI inside had malfunctioned, causing it to register neither my presence nor the signal, and yet the company had known about that flaw. I’d made out like a four-armed bandit in a jewelry store.
One of my first purchases had been a computer station. I had one-hundred-eighty degrees of interactive, ultra high-def screens, a holographic projector, and a quantum computer to boot. Was it all necessary? No way. But hell, I’d wanted it.
The second thing I’d done was move out of my parents’ house. They were worried about me, and since I was only fourteen when the accident happened, they had to sign off on it. When I’d suggested buying Gita, the Assyst Bot 4.0, they finally gave in.
It also helped that I wanted to live in one of EO’s luxury gamer apartments. I had my own pod and enough space for my weights, which had come afterwards as a desperate attempt to fight depression. There was also the AI I’d come to grudgingly appreciate, Elendil himself.
In a funny way, the AI reminded me of Alysand, though far more hardcore. Something about the way he was easily ruffled and his vaguely British accent. What was it with white people and UK accents anyhow?
“Elendil, bring up the Interworld Exchange, please. It is time to do some shopping!”
“Of course, Madi. What is it you are looking for today?”
“I want to buy something for Hana, but I don’t want it to seem cheesy or… or too forward, y’know? Something she’d like but that will help out the group as well.” I felt nervous for some annoying reason.
“Well, her weapons are of good quality, and she has decent beginning clothing and armor. What is she lacking that also fits her personality?” Elendil asked helpfully.
I thought for a moment but was stumped. I scrolled through a bunch of quivers and found one that was insane.
Quick Finger Quiver
Quality: Epic
Durability 80/80
+10 Dexterity, +5 Stamina
5% increase to Rate of Fire
Capacity: 50 arrows
The item certainly would help out the party, and I could afford it, but the price was so high that Hana would probably crap a brick. No, something a bit more reasonable.
Our cloaks were already top notch, and she had nice boots. And the pauldron she’d fixed up for herself paired up with those bracers! The girl had certainly increased her hotness.
Then an idea came to mind, and as I searched through the list of items currently for sale, the perfect gift popped up. And it wasn’t cheap, but considering the landfall we’d just been given, and the gloves that Hana had bought me so early on, despite her lack of funds, I thought it was worth it.
I made the purchase, wheeled over to my pod, and transferred myself inside. “Log me in, Elendil,” I said as the cover lowered down over my body.
When I materialized on top of the world, the morning sun already warming the mountain, Hana was there waiting. Even better, she’d started a small fire, and had a pot of soup bubbling.
“I got back a bit early,” she said. “Kinda had a funky morning, so I figured I could scrounge us up a meal to increase our travel time. Check out this soup.” Though she put on a bold front, I could tell something was off.
I took the pot from her hand and smelled it. “This the bear meat again?” I asked, not relishing the idea of the jerky we’d had so often of late. The buff was helpful, but dear God, it was rough day in and day out.
“Yes, but check out the buff now,” Hana said. “I added some herbs and salt. Not so chewy now that I’ve boiled it.”
I blew on it to cool it down then tried some. It was much improved, and I nearly burnt myself finishing the rest. A notification popped up and I grinned.
Smokey Bear Soup: This improvised soup carries the blessing of the gods. +20% movement speed while traveling, +5 Stamina, +10% Health Regeneration, +10% Stamina Recovery, +20% XP gained. Duration: 4 hours.
“Even better,” I admitted, and noticed that my words seemed to perk Hana up a bit. “Yeah, with today’s hike, the extra stamina recovery will be helpful.” Originally, I’d planned on putting the gift off for awhile, waiting for the right moment, but this girl needed a pick-me-up. “And here is something for you.” I pulled the gift from my inventory and grinned like a kid on Christmas. “Before you try them on, no damn complaining, okay? You saved my life a couple times already, and the gloves, and… and just ‘cause, okay?”
She nodded and stared in shock at what I was holding.
Greaves of Greater Stealth
Quality: Epic: Armor 50
Durability 100/100
+5 Dexterity, +5% movement speed
All noise generated by movement is dampened by 25%.
As I’d hoped, Hana properly freaked out. There was some arm flailing, then a few clumsy jumps.
“Thank you so much! Wow, these are awesome!” She babbled on for a time, but immediately fell to trying them on. The greaves covered the tops of her catskin boots and all of her shins. Only her lovely thighs remained unarmored now.
“They look great,” I said, enjoying the spectacle. “How do you feel?”
“I feel great. Faster than ever. Can’t wait to see how much the sound dampening actually affects my stealth.”
“Well let’s get going, yeah? Alice will be upset if we’re late.”
Hana flashed me a grin, and then, to my delight, threw her arms around me. When she pulled away, her stupid smile was still stuck to her face. “Yeah, let’s get going.”
The trail down the mountain was a breeze compared to coming up, but after an hour of descent, my knees were feeling like rubber. And when we finally made it to the base, we could barely walk straight. Only after a quick break, some water, and stretching, did we continue on.
As Alysand had said, a signpost was just a few dozen feet away from the base of the trail. It pointed in one direction labeled Bridgerun, and in the opposite, Benham. A third post pointed toward the mountain pass and was unsurprisingly
labeled Carnen’s Rock.
Pachi had snuck away during the descent and came back just as we were preparing to leave, a buck dangling from her mouth. Her growth had been explosive lately as well, and the deer looked tiny in comparison. Still, it seemed to be enough as she and Tejón managed to pull it apart and split the meal. Hana and I pretended to not feel sick at the sight and sound of the mess, and soon we were traveling again.
The new road was much wider, enough to accommodate a wagon or a few horses side by side. The steep trail we’d used when coming from the herbalist was simply too narrow for real trade. This must be how supplies came and went between the two towns, I thought.
A sparse forest ran along both sides of the road, and birdsongs filled the air. I almost rolled my eyes at how scenic and beautiful it all was, like a movie where the actors break out in singing.
We passed a brook that could only be described as babbling. There, we rubbed the dust from our arms and faces, then refilled our waterskins. As usual, the water this high was frigid, but was also pristine and tasted better than anything in the real world.
I looked up and saw Hana sipping water with cupped hands, and I couldn’t help it. I splashed her in the face. She gasped then returned the favor. We were on our asses and laughing like nerds before I knew it.
Then her face changed, a note of fear knitting her brow together as she glanced over at Pachi. “Pachi says she hears something. A clanking sound. Like armor.”
Her words held an ominous tone, and we wasted no time preparing for a skirmish.
“Let’s hide,” I said, suggesting the obvious. “Worse case, we keep quiet and hope we aren’t noticed. If you think you can, though, let fly with those arrows, Katana Girl, and Tejón and I will hit them in the flank.”
Hana nodded and took cover with Pachi.
Luckily, the stream offered a degree of cover. Along the far side were several boulders with water cutting around their bulky forms. Hana ran over and hid behind them with Pachi. Tejón and I hid in a thicket on the opposite side of the stream.
No sooner had we found our positions than the sound of clomping boots caught my ear. Another minute or so, and movement could finally be seen down the road.
I watched as a column of soldiers came into view, all equipped with what looked like chainmail armor, gleaming steel helmets, and tall spears. They were marching loosely, as if relaxed and complacent after hours of travel, but I was impressed with the line’s straightness.
A leader that wore the same armor but had a breastplate and a two-handed sword walked beside the column, and his visor was up. They were ratkin.
Ratkin Infantry
Level 22
HP: 6814/6814
Abilities: Formation, Tail Whip, Charge
It wouldn’t be too much for us to handle.
They began to pass our position, and I counted their numbers. Two, four, six… The end of the group came in sight soon after. There were only twelve of them. Though they would outnumber us, I was hoping that Hana would be bold enough to attack. If I jumped out with Tejón, the ambush would be far less effective. But Hana, with her bow…
A twang cut through the air, and the leader’s head snapped to the side. He clattered to the ground.
“Ambush!” one of the soldiers screamed, and the group stopped their march.
Another arrow took a ratkin in the neck, cleverly finding the gap between armor. It fell to its knees, clutching at the shaft.
“Archer, over there behind those rocks,” called another voice, this one louder and more confident. It came from a figure I hadn’t seen originally, another troop leader who had caught up to the group and drawn its huge sword. “Charge!”
That was our cue. I nudged Tejón and ran out from my hiding place, axe in hand.
One of the ratkin turned towards us, no doubt having heard us explode from the brush. His sword shone in the sunlight, and he opened his mouth for a battle cry. I sunk my axe into the side of his head, caving in his helmet.
Tejón barreled over a ratkin and tore out another’s throat with a devastating slash of his claws.
I heard a third arrow land, followed by screams that sent a few birds exploding from a nearby tree. Then Pachi used her flashing ability, dashing past the first of the ratkin who were charging and pushing down another.
I had to brace my boot on the leader’s breastplate to pull my axe free, and I did so just in time. Four of the ratkin soldiers turned on me and Tejón, and advanced as a group.
My Rampage ability shot fire through my veins, and I bellowed my own cry. I had to use Dodge twice to avoid getting stabbed with their long spears but managed to bat one aside so hard I slipped into his guard. My axe came up below the ratkin’s chin and split his face in two.
Tejón took a spear thrust, but luckily, the point glanced off of his bone plating, and he pounced on the man. His now massive body caved in the breastplate and crushed the beast’s chest.
Then Hana dropped one of the final two that faced me, her katana cleaving through the chainmail gorget and nearly decapitating the ratkin.
The final soldier stared in dismay at his fallen comrade, giving me the perfect opportunity to end him. I flipped my axe and used the spike at the back to pound through his mail, directly into his heart.
And then it was over.
Dust hung in the air, and Tejón groaned, nursing a shoulder wound I hadn’t seen. I was surprised to see I hadn’t gotten a single scratch. Pachi looked likewise unharmed, and as I looked up at Hana, I noticed something fascinating: She was covered in plated bone armor from head to foot.
Even as I noticed it, the armor collapsed and disappeared into thin air. Smiling self-consciously, she offered, “That new ability I told you about. Figured we needed to kill them fast, so I took a few hits and went all offense. I got five myself. We did good, yeah?”
I laughed, my stomach cramping a bit with the unexpected exertion. “Hell yes we did. That was awesome. Great job, Pachi. You too, Tejón. Man, you just smashed that dude’s chest in.” I pushed at the bear before inspecting his wound closer. “You’ll be fine. This isn’t deep enough to complain about. Got any herbs or poultice?” I asked Hana.
We patched up Tejón, and after a few minutes, he seemed good enough to travel. But there was an issue with all the gear we now had, and after looting the bodies, we found ourselves with a pile of armor that weighed five or six hundred pounds.
“Let’s take the weapons and the helmets,” Hana suggested pragmatically. “We can leave the rest of the armor behind those rocks and tell someone from Benham to come and fetch them. It’s all good steel, so it would be best not to waste it.”
I didn’t argue, and we set about our task.
A few minutes later, Tejón was grumbling again, a large pile of gear strapped to his back.
“Hey, don’t make a fuss,” I said, rubbing the bear on his forehead. There was a soft patch of fur just above his nose and below the bone plate that was perfect for such affections. “I’ll make sure you will get two whole deer to eat when we get to town. I’m sure they will thank you for your tireless service.”
Tejón chuffed happily. Could I have been luckier? Who else besides an even-tempered bear could put up with my crap?
I checked on the progress of the skill that had popped up when Tejón had first bonded with me.
Pet Bond Level 1: You have convinced a companion pet to trust you enough to travel and fight at your side. The struggles and trials you face together will continue to build trust.
Damn! Still not Level 2. Hana told me that was when her and Pachi could Mind Speak. I was looking forward to being able to do so. What was I missing? I stared at Tejón’s slowly shifting backside as he trudged ahead of me and thought with my mind, What do you need from me? Why don’t you trust me?
To my surprise, the bear stopped in its tracks and turned to face me. Had that actually worked? We stared at each other for a while, until Hana noticed we had stopped and turned to ask what was up.
&n
bsp; “Nothing. I’m good,” I said. “Come on, Tejón, let’s keep going.” Just to be sure, I sent another mental message. You can trust me. I promise. Not yet and no rush. But you can trust me.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. Hana made us stop a few times as she ran to the side of the road and collected some herbs she saw. Our progress was marked by a consistent and irritating clanking made by the equipment on Tejón’s back. He didn’t seem to mind, though, and thankfully, the journey was not long.
It was late afternoon when we walked into town and headed up towards Garren’s house. A few of the villagers flagged us down, wanting their kids to see us, and a few even gave us fresh apples. It paid to kill deranged gods.
Alysand was on Garren’s front porch when we met him there, and he stood beside a massive stack of wyvern scales. He had apparently emptied his satchel of holding, and following suit, we unloaded all of our loot as well. There were well over a hundred of the large wyvern scales when we took them out of our own packs and combined them with his. They smelled faintly of rot, but it was mostly a smell of sulfur that clung to them.
The ratkin gear made an equally imposing pile, and as we let the last of the breastplates fall onto the mound, Alyson laughed and asked the obvious. “Did you happen to kill a few enemies on the way here?”
“We did, and sorry, none left for you, Alice,” I replied, giving the gunsinger a pat on the back.
An arched eyebrow told me what he thought of my misuse of his name. But instead of complaining, he simply turned to Garren. “My friend, it seems we have a second commission for you. We need these clean and registered with the town armory.” He gestured to the weapons and armor. “And the rest, please send them on the next wagon to Bridgerun. The scales must go to an armorer there by the name of Wardahl. Here, this should cover the expenses.” He gave the man a handful of coins.
