I pat him on the shoulder. “Now that is a plan I can get behind.”
We dismount from Fenrir, and the hissing intensifies. One of the small dinosaurs pokes its head out from the burrow. A round skull covered in black feathers with a short, blunt snout and round red eyes snarls in our direction. Black feathers cover its entire body, except for patches of tan around its hands and feet. Each appendage is tipped with three sharp claws. Despite its long tail, the creature is no bigger than a small dog.
Dean uses the axe to cut off several pieces of rope to tie around Fenrir’s midsection. Then he takes the bag of treats and secures it beneath the rope.
He looks at me. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
“As soon as I cut the bag, Fenrir needs to run.”
Dean slices the bag, spilling treats onto the ground. The jungle descends into madness as I send Fenrir bolting away. The hissing stops immediately and dozens of feet patter against the ground as the pack of tiny wolf-dinosaurs sets off in pursuit. They run like chickens of darkness, hell-bent on a mission, darting in the direction of Fenrir.
“Not bad. Let’s get to digging.”
Dean lifts his axe in one hand and his handcrafted spear in the other. “Uh, which one should I use?”
“I don’t think either one of those will help you too much. I’ve got just the tool, though.”
I pull up my inventory and find my oldest item hidden at the bottom.
Item: Basic Pickaxe. +2 attack. A pickaxe is a miner’s best friend.
The wooden pickaxe is the first item I ever received in Pangea. Along with my miner’s clothing and hat, this was all I had for most of my first year in the game. It still feels familiar in my hand, like I could swing it and watch a stream of data sprout from the earth.
“Whoa!” Dean’s eyes are wide. “I’m surprised you still have that.”
I take my first swing and the tip of the axe breaks through the top of the tunnel. “Let’s talk while we work. I’m going to break the soil. Shovel it out behind me with your hands.” I swing again, breaking up another chunk of earth. “Why are you surprised?”
Dean follows me, shoveling dirt through his legs like a dog at the beach. “I don’t know. It seems like a pretty useless item. And one that would remind you of your time in the mines.”
“Maybe that’s why I’ve kept it. I don’t hate my time in the mines. It was boring work, yes, but I made some of my closest friends in those mines. I wouldn’t be who I am without them. And so far as it being a useless item, I think it’s coming in pretty handy right about now.”
We continue digging, occasionally having to reroute as the burrow underneath takes a sharp turn. We have a bit of time. Fenrir can run for hours without needing to rest, especially without someone riding him.
On my next swing, I hit something hard and hear a slight crunch. “I think I found something.”
Dean crawls in front of me and starts rummaging through the soil. He pulls up a shard of black shell covered in dirt and slime.
“Dang it! It’s cracked.” He digs in deeper until both arms are buried past the elbow and his face is nearly pressed to the ground. “Maybe…I just…ugh…just a little…there!”
He struggles against the earth, trying to free himself. His body wiggles like a snake as he heaves and fights to pull something out. After a struggle, the soil breaks around him, freeing his arms, and he falls on his back holding a dark black egg speckled with gold.
“Got it!” He cradles the egg against his chest.
I reach out a hand to help him to his feet. As our hands embrace, a loud howl sounds from behind us.
Fenrir.
I turn just in time to see him pouncing through the jungle, no signs of the rope or dino treats hanging from his side.
I jerk Dean up swiftly. “The treats must have fallen off. We need to get out of here quick!”
The patter of feet announces the arrival of the dino pack returning home. We quickly climb onto Fenrir. Dean rummages through his pack and pulls out another pack of treats. He rips the bag open and tosses it behind us.
“Run!” he shouts.
The Daemonosauri burst into the clearing, and their eyes are on us. They hiss loudly before noticing the treats on the ground and swarming to them.
We’re already blazing through the jungle before they’re done.
Chapter Seven
Fenrir’s powerful legs propel us through the jungle, far away from the Daemonosauri. Dean clutches the egg to his chest with one hand and clings to my side for dear life with the other. Once we are safely away, I bring Fenrir to a halt.
“This is awesome!” Dean beams, admiring his new egg.
I check the clock in the top of my vision. We’ve already been in this world for several hours, and I don’t want to keep Dean out too late. “It’s getting late, but we can make a go for one more trophy if you want. You said there was a challenge for a special mount?”
He nods. “It’s not special like Fenrir. It doesn’t have any perks or special abilities, but it does look incredibly cool.”
I stroke Fenrir behind the ear, and he leans into me. “A mount is a mount. The important thing is that it gets you from point A to point B. Lead the way.”
Dean points into the distance. “They usually appear in the northern coast more than anywhere else, so that’s where we should head.”
A destination marker appears on my map. “Before we get going, you might want to put that egg away. Your inventory will keep it safer than you can.”
Dean stuffs the egg in the small satchel around his waist. The basic bag only has eight slots for items, unlike my own which is almost limitless.
As we travel through the jungle, Dean taps me on the shoulder in quick succession, telling me to stop.
“What is it?” I grip Fenrir’s fur as he slides to a halt.
“Over there” He points in the distance where a large dinosaur hunches over a massive boulder. “It’s a Liliensternus, and it’s feeding.”
I squint and notice that the giant boulder is actually the corpse of an even bigger dinosaur. The Liliensternus rips off chunks of red flesh with its powerful jaws. The predator has bright green skin with stripes of faded blue running down its side. A brilliant red crest runs down the center of its head like a mohawk.
Liliensternus. Length: 5.2 meters. Weight: 200kg. One of the largest predators of the Triassic Period, the Liliensternus is a fast and active hunter.
“You want to mount one of those?” I don’t want to ruin his excitement but it seems a bit dangerous for a low-level character.
“The version you unlock is a lot smaller. It’s more like riding a horse. We just need to find a way to subdue it.”
“I guess it’s a good thing we have all this rope, because we’re gonna—”
A familiar roar cuts me off as a second dinosaur emerges from the jungle. It lowers its head, and a deafening scream pours out as it challenges the Liliensternus for its meal.
I’ve seen this dinosaur before. The Gojirasaurus, the Godzilla lizard, rivals the Liliensternus in size. If not for the crest running down the Liliensternus’s head, it would be hard to tell them apart.
The Liliensternus turns from its meal and answers with a roar of its own.
“This is gonna be awesome!” Dean’s eyes light up with excitement. “I’ve heard about these battles, but I’ve never seen one live.”
I urge Fenrir forward so that we can get a better view.
The two dinosaurs square off, their tails whipping back and forth in agitation. The Gojirasaurus lunges at the Liliensternus, but the latter is much quicker and moves out of the way, leaving the Gojirasaurus snapping at air.
The Liliensternus uses the opening to launch an attack of its own. With a rapid strike, it sinks its teeth into the Gojirasaurus’s neck. The Gojirasaurus pulls away, but not before losing a huge chunk of flesh.
The two dinosaurs descend on one another in a display of primal dominance. No battle plan, no tactics, ju
st pure instinct. They bite and claw, painting one another with streaks of red.
“Can we get closer?” asks Dean.
I move Fenrir even closer. With the chaos unfolding before us, we are the least of their concerns. “Depending on how this all shakes out, we may have a much easier time getting you that mount.”
“As long as the goji doesn’t kill it.”
The battle is a fairly even match so far. Though the Liliensternus is quicker and slightly bigger, it’s not enough to give it a major advantage. Both dinosaurs are covered in blood. I wish this was an MMO so that we could see their health bars, because right now, it’s impossible to tell who has the upper hand.
The Liliensternus lets out a roar of pain as the goji wraps its mouth around its neck. It falls to the ground, legs kicking as it tries to break free.
“We need to help it!” Dean yells as he jumps off Fenrir and sprints toward the battling dinosaurs. “If it dies, I don’t get my mount.”
This kid is going to get himself killed. I climb down from Fenrir and follow Dean. With this being a non-magical world, I don’t have access to Fenrir’s ability to fight for me, so it’s best to leave him out of it.
Dean rushes in with his spear raised and stabs the Gojirasaurus in the leg. It roars in pain, releasing its death grip on the downed Liliensternus.
I equip my own spear and take position beside Dean. “Keep it at a distance or we are screwed.”
The Godzilla lizard towers above us, blood and flesh dripping from its many sharp teeth. While it is focused on us, the Liliensternus crawls free. It moves much slower than before as it pounces on the Gojirasaurus, raking its claws down its opponent’s side while simultaneously biting the goji on the neck.
The Gojirasaurus rolls over and the Liliensternus loses its grip. The two blood-soaked dinosaurs crawl to their feet and roar at one another.
Dean moves forward, taking charge. “We need to help kill the goji. Then we can tie up the other one.”
He strafes to the left, attempting to gain positioning on the Gojirasaurus, but the dinosaur sees him and unleashes a warning roar in Dean’s direction. It lunges for the Liliensternus again but misses.
Dean stabs the goji in the leg, and it snaps its head around with lightning speed, chomping his spear in half.
I rush to his aid, but I’m tackled to the ground. A massive weight shoves my face into the earth. I roll over, and my vision is red at the edges. The Liliensternus has its mouth wrapped around my leg. Sharp teeth tear into my flesh. With a heave, it rips my appendage clean off. The effect is so real that my stomach goes queasy. I’m thankful now that this isn’t full-immersion.
“Oh no,” Dean gasps from behind me.
He rushes to my side, but just as he reaches me, the Gojirasaurus grabs him by the leg. It shakes its neck violently, slamming Dean’s body into a tree. His body goes limp at the same time as my vision fades to black.
Chapter Eight
I respawn at the base of the portal we entered the world through. Dean grunts, rubbing his hands through his hair next to me.
“Are you okay?” I ask. That was probably his first in-game death, and it was a pretty brutal way to go.
“Yeah, are you? The way it ripped your leg off, I know I’m going to have nightmares about that one.” He shakes his head. “It didn’t hurt, but my haptic suit tightened around my leg hard enough for my brain to fill in the rest.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “Sorry we weren’t able to get you your mount.”
I expect disappointment, but Dean just grins at me. “Are you kidding me? That was the most fun I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to get home and tell the others.”
“I’m glad you had a good time. This is just the beginning of your adventures in Pangea. As long as you keep your grades up,” I add.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep this up. Thanks again, Esil. You’re a life-changer.”
I don’t know about that. I’m just trying to pay it forward where I can. “You’re welcome.”
I whistle for Fenrir and a few moments later, he comes prancing through the trees. That fight would have gone a lot differently had he been able to help.
Dean steps up to the portal and then turns back. “I hope we can do this again sometime.”
I nod. “Before you go, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve reached out about finding you a sponsor for the Pro-Am Tournament. I can’t make any promises, but I’m doing my best to find you a mentor.”
His smile spreads even wider. “That would be awesome. Catch you later, Esil.”
He steps to the portal to go back to the orphanage. A moment later, me and Fenrir are in my home portal.
Over the next few days, Dean and I explore some of the various worlds of Pangea. We battle orcs in the Mortican Mountains, ghouls in The Haunted Forest, and play a few games of steamball in Steamworld. Buzz is busy preparing for his tournament, but eventually, Grayson agrees to team up with us.
He and I wait for Dean in Wild Old West, more commonly known as WOW, a world based on the American frontier, playing cards in a saloon.
The saloon is elegant, yet rustic. Everything is either solid wood or leather. A long bar stretches along the back wall with dozens of bottles of spirits lining the shelves. Kerosene lanterns ignite the room in a rusty glow. A polished banister runs along the stairs and mezzanine to the rooms available upstairs. In one corner, a woman in a ruffled dress sings about heartache. There are various tables for poker and other games. Dartboards hang along the far wall. Men sit in the lounge area drinking or smoking. The heads of massive buffalo and caribou adorn the walls. The bulletin board underneath one lists all the open quests for the town.
Grayson and I sit around a wooden semi-circle table playing blackjack.
“No one wants to sponsor the kid?” Grayson looks up from the ace and three he has just been dealt.
He plays the role of the cowboy well, though it’s not all that different from his normal pirate garb. With his long gray beard and mustache twirled at the ends, it fits well with his new outfit. He wears a white shirt with ornamental blue vines over each breast pocket. The topmost buttons hang free, revealing the bear tattoo underneath. A large belt buckle depicting a mermaid takes up the majority of his midsection, and a wide-brimmed tan cowboy hat hangs low over his eyes.
I went simple with my own clothing, donning a black bandana, black cowboy hat, and a red plaid shirt. My buckle is the same wolf buckle I purchased in the Mortician Mountains. It felt right to keep some of my old style.
I shake my head in response to his question. “Aleesia has asked everyone she has connections with. Either they already have someone, or they’re not interested.”
The dealer flips me a five and a four and then deals himself an eight face up and another card face down.
“Hit me.” Grayson taps his fingers on the table and is dealt another three, bringing his total to seven or seventeen, depending on how he wants to play the ace. He returns his gaze to me. “It doesn’t surprise me. You know how people feel about us.”
He doesn’t get into specifics, but I know exactly what he means. A recommendation from someone as well-liked as Aleesia isn’t enough to quell the disdain most people have for those from The Boxes.
“Hit me.” I tap my fingers, and the dealer flips me a nine, bringing my total card value to eighteen. Not a bad hand to have, but it could be better. The goal is to have a higher hand than the dealer without going over twenty-one. The dealer builds their hand until they hit at least seventeen or bust. At eighteen, I’d need an ace, two, or three to improve my hand, so I’ll stand next round.
The dealer nods toward Grayson.
“Hit me.” He gets a king, bringing his total to seventeen and forcing his ace to be used as a one. He cocks an eyebrow at me. “You sure you don’t want to sponsor the kid?”
I bring my hand over my cards in a slashing motion, telling the dealer I’ll sit on my current hand. “No way. The last thing I need is the stress of anoth
er big tournament. I’m only agreeing to help out Buzz as a show of support for everything he has built. Besides, I’m excited to get back to the Broken Lands. Benjamin says they almost have the new units ready.”
Grayson sits in silence as he ponders his next move. “What the hell, hit me.”
The dealer flips a five, bringing Grayson’s total to twenty-two and causing him to bust. He reaches across the table and adds Grayson’s poker chips to his own.
Now it’s just me versus the dealer. He flips his facedown card, a two, bringing his total to ten. He flips another card, a six. At sixteen, things are looking in my favor. He flips another card. A five. Blackjack. I lose.
He grabs my chips and clears the cards from the table.
Grayson stands up, tucking the rest of his chips into his pocket. “No surprise, the house always wins. I’ll take rolling dice with pirates any day.”
I’m about to make a witty comment about the mermaids he loves so much when the saloon doors open and sunlight spills into the room. A dark figure stands in the doorway, their face hidden in shadow. The room goes quiet for a moment, all eyes on the interloper. The mystery person steps forward, and the doors swing back and forth on a hinge.
Light from the lanterns illuminates Dean’s face, and the room returns to normal. His eyes dart around as he takes it all in. A busty waitress approaches, offering him a drink, and his mouth falls open.
I rush over to save him from his baser instincts. “Give him a minute to get settled in.” I pat Dean on the back and step between him and the waitress.
He reminds me of Buzz the way he ogles at the waitress as she walks away. I usher him to the lounge area where Grayson sits with one leg crossed over his knee. His rattlesnake boots gleam in the dull light.
Grayson stands and extends a hand to Dean. “Nice to meet you, kid.”
“Nice to meet you.” He takes Grayson’s hand in his own. “Esil tells me you helped him a lot during the tournament.”
“I gave him a nudge here and there, but Esil has good instincts. I hear you have grand ambitions of your own.”
Pangea Online 3: Vials and Tribulations Page 6
