“Nice!” Aleesia runs toward the burning truck.
“Wait!” I shout, but it’s too late.
Even though we took out the two thugs, the driver is still alive. He floors the gas and hits Aleesia square on. She loses half her health from the hit.
“Go back and heal,” I order. “Dean, let’s finish this.”
He shoots pellet after pellet, slowly dropping the truck’s health. The next time it comes barreling by, I get in a good hit with my bat. Without the two thugs in the back, we have no problem avoiding being hit. After healing, Aleesia is back in the fight, hitting the truck with double yo-yos as it passes by.
Without the two passengers, there is little the driver can do other than attempting to run us over. We’re nimble enough to avoid him as we constantly attack any chance we get.
When the health bar reaches zero, the truck bursts into flame and the next level opens up.
“Check this out!” Dean points at three hearts that hover where the truck once stood. “An extra life.”
We each take an extra life, and a small heart appears in the top of my vision next to my gold coins.
The next level is easy enough. There are more thugs, and the back line has ranged attackers throwing Molotov cocktails, but our newly-upgraded weapons and a little strategy have us turning down a new street in no time.
The town hall where the mayor is being held hostage is only a few blocks away. The top of the dome shines brightly over the surrounding buildings.
We pass a street filled with chain-whipping thugs on motorcycles. I almost die due to being in the center of the road as two pass by on each side, but Aleesia and Dean take them out before they make another loop. We also have difficulty on another level where ranged attackers hide behind barricades. Some artful dodging allows us to flank them and pass through. Finally, we arrive at the town hall.
Women line the steps, each one holding a rock. More women than we have faced at any level. They easily outnumber us four to one.
The door to the town hall opens and two men step out, one is bound with rope. The other wears all black and has slicked black hair.
“Good job making it all the way to town hall, but you’ll never make it up the stairs.” The comically-evil villain holds the mayor by the arm. “Finish them, ladies.”
I almost laugh at how absurd this situation is but when I glance at Dean, he’s all smiles as he aims his slingshot.
The ladies stand four wide and three deep, blocking the stairs. In unison, they each toss their rocks at us. We hit the first wave of rocks, minus one that catches me in the shoulder. But then two more waves pummel us before we have time to react.
“This isn’t good.” Aleesia looks at me with wide eyes. “Any idea how we are getting past this?”
I don’t have a clue. There has to be a strategy, but there’s so much to dodge and not nearly enough space. Before I have time to answer, they are already throwing more rocks.
The rocks are hurling toward us when an idea pops into my head. “Get behind me.”
Aleesia and Dean do as I say. I hit the first rock, Aleesia hits the second, and Dean finishes off the third. The other projectiles go soaring by on both sides of us where they once stood.
“Nice!” Dean shouts, but there’s already another wave on the way.
I don’t know if it’s me, or if they are throwing faster and faster. This time, all the rocks are aimed at the center, funneling toward us in a cone. The women are tossing the rocks at wherever we are standing when they release them. We split to two sides, and they all go sailing by.
The next round comes even faster, targeting both sides of the street. Before these rocks have even hit, they’re already throwing the next round. We hit what we can, but there are just too many.
We try to form a line again, but the rocks are coming too fast. We block one rock each, but two more hit us before we can block another. Dean runs and several rocks that should have hit go sailing by. While he’s facing the sides of the level, his avatar is paper thin. It gives me an idea, but my vision flashes red as I’m hit again. I’m hit several more times before I hear a loud “wonk-wonk” as my health drops to zero and my arms dissipate into pixels.
The heart in the top of my vision disappears, and I find myself at the entrance to town hall once again. Aleesia joins me a few seconds later, followed by Dean. He takes a step forward, eager to get back to the action, but I stop him.
“This is our last life. We need a plan if we’re going to win this.”
“What do you have in mind?” Dean asks.
“I noticed something right before we died. When you turned sideways, most of the rocks missed you.”
“Yeah, well, they still got me in the end, didn’t they?” He frowns.
Aleesia’s eyes light up. “But if we used that tactic from the start, then maybe we could get to the stairs before they are throwing so fast.”
I tap the side of my head. “Exactly. Here’s what I’m thinking.” I tell them my plan, and then we step into the final stage once again.
The terrorist and mayor appear at the top of the steps. He gives his stupid speech, and then we square off.
“Ready?” I ask, hopeful that this works, because we don’t have any more lives.
“Ready,” they say in unison.
The first rocks soar toward us. We step aside and turn sideways at the last moment, and they all go flying past. We quickly face toward the stairs again and run as far as we can before the women toss their next wave. We make it halfway to the stairs before turning sideways and dodging the next wave.
The women ready their rocks faster, but we’re already on the stairs. We each take out one of ladies on the first row. Two rocks hit me, turning my vision red, but I stick to the plan. We move up the stairs, eliminating the next row, and I take another rock to the face. Each of our health bars drop again, but we take out three more enemies.
Only three remain, making it much easier to dodge their final attempt before sending them to the pixel underworld.
A helicopter roars to life behind the building, and as it takes to the air, the terrorist waves his fist in our direction. “This isn’t the last you’ve seen of me. You may have won the day, but Greendale will be mine.”
Phase 1- Complete
The alert flashes across my vision just as the mayor stumbles out of the building with his hands still bound.
“Thank you for your service to the great city of Greendale. I fear that the terrorists will return, but for today, the city is safe. Now, I must free the others.” The mayor disappears back inside the building.
A second prompt flashes across my vision.
Phase 2- Begin?
“As much fun as that sounds, we need to get Dean home in time for dinner.” I turn toward my apprentice. “New world tomorrow?”
He grins from ear to ear. “I can’t wait.”
Dean logs out, leaving Aleesia and I standing alone on the stairs.
“That was fun.” She smiles.
Even her two-dimensional smile disarms me.
I take her hand in mine. In spite of the physics of this world, I can still feel the pressure of her hand against mine.
“I’m nervous,” I confess.
“Why?”
“It’s not life or death like it was with Buzz’s mom, but I don’t want to let Dean down. The last thing he needs is more disappointment.” Not to mention the people I could help with the charity donation.
She squeezes my hand. “You can’t put that kind of pressure on yourself, Esil. Enjoy the experience. Let Dean enjoy it. Everything else will fall into place.”
“I hope you’re right. Will you join us tomorrow?”
She shakes her head. “I wish I could, but we’re about to be incredibly busy in the lab. Besides, it’ll be good for you to do this on your own. Learn to work together. You’ll be all you have when the tournament starts.”
She’s right. Pretty soon, it’ll be me and Dean versus the world.
&
nbsp; Chapter Twelve
“What’s your goal?” I ask Dean.
He pulls down the black cowl covering his face. “What do you mean?”
The moonlight gives his face a silver glow as we rest on the bank of a tranquil pond. We’re both ninjas, deadly assassins who just completed a mission taking out a powerful businessman responsible for the deaths of a member of our clan’s family.
“With the tournament. What are you hoping to get out of it?”
He looks at me with a confused expression. “A scholarship. A chance at a better life.”
I decide to push him a little harder. If he’s going to give this his all, especially when things get difficult, then he needs to know why he’s doing it.
“Why though? What do you want to do with the scholarship?”
He sits in silence for a moment before answering. A frog leaps into the pond with a splash.
“I want to create games. To do that, I need to get my foot in the door.”
Now we’re getting somewhere. For the past few weeks, we’ve traveled from world to world in an attempt to experience as many different game worlds and play styles as possible. We’ve mostly avoided talk of the tournament, though, because it’s all speculation at this point. I know it will incorporate full-immersion, but aside from that, we don’t have much to go on.
“Why do you want to create games, Dean?”
He frowns and turns away. “Why do you want to know so much?”
I can tell I’ve struck a nerve. It’s not easy for someone like him, like me, to open up about their dreams. He’s probably never even said them aloud out of fear that they might disappear into the ether.
I decide to let it go. “I’m sorry. You want to create games. That’s enough of a reason.”
“I just—” He sighs. “I just want something that is mine. Something that I have control over.”
I know exactly what he means. Growing up in an orphanage, nothing is truly our own. Only the thoughts inside our heads.
I put my arm around his shoulder. “Tell me about this world you want to create.”
His lips curl at the edges. “Well, it’ll be set in ancient—”
He lets out a grunt as a shuriken hits his shoulder. There are whispers in the shadows just before a gleam of silver flashes in our direction.
Dammit! I knew we shouldn’t have rested so soon. I pull Dean aside, and the second ninja star skips across the pond.
“They’ve tracked us down. We need to move.”
Dean pulls up his cowl, and I pry free the weapon buried in his back. We both activate Shadow Step and moved in a shadowy blur into the bushes.
We’re concealed for the moment. I listen for signs of movement, but all I hear are rustling branches.
“How many are there?” Dean whispers.
“I don’t know. One, maybe two. If there were more, I’m pretty sure we’d be dead.”
“Kaze!” someone shouts from the darkness.
I know what’s coming next, so I channel my ki into my forearm. I say the Japanese word “shīrudo,” and a translucent shield forms in front of my arm. A gale of wind blasts through the bushes with enough force to rip the leaves from the branches. My shield holds, blocking the damage, but we’re sitting in plain view of our assailants, surrounded by skeletal bushes.
Dean curses under his breath. We need to move, and quick. Right now, we’re sitting ducks.
Two shuriken cut through the darkness toward Dean and I. I activate Smokescreen and then Shadow Step again, bringing my ki reserves down to half as I search for an advantage. The smoke conceals us for a moment as Dean and I split up. While still in shadow form, I scale the wall of a nearby building and attempt to flank our attackers.
I spot one standing on his tiptoes, balanced on an outstretched tree branch as they throw another shuriken. Dean comes out of his shadow form in a nearby tree, but our attackers anticipate his move. The shuriken are already thrown before Dean reveals himself. One buries itself in Dean’s neck and he falls to the ground.
“Dammit,” I mumble under my breath.
Both ninjas turn their heads in my direction. If I’m going to go out, I should at least go out in style. I burn through the last of my ki activating Shadow Step and then Doppelgänger. I have enough ki that three separate shadow versions of me spread through the night.
While my attackers follow the moving shadows, I stand still. Once I know their attention is gone. I launch myself at the nearest one. Mid-jump, I pull out my katana and bury it in the back of the ninja. His final words gurgle out of his mouth.
Without any ki, I can only rely on my own skill for what comes next. Unfortunately, it’s not enough with the remaining ninja using his own Shadow Step, appearing behind me, and burying a dagger in my throat.
Blood stains my vision and a moment later, I find myself in the empty room where our quest first began. Moonlight glows from outside the sliding door, and a branch sways in the night breeze gently scratching the window.
I search for Dean and find him in a corner with his eyes glazed over.
“They got me too,” I say.
A moment later, his eyes return to normal. “Check your messages! There’s a tournament update!”
Greeting Esil!
We are happy to announce that you and your apprentice Dean Wilmington have been approved for the final five hundred contestants in the Pangea Online Pro-Am Tournament. With two-hundred and fifty champions and an equal number of wards competing for the top prize, this is truly the best Pangea has to offer.
We will be announcing the first stage of the tournament tomorrow morning, along with introductions to the competitors of past and future. Please be in your home portal with your apprentice at 10:00am for a brief interview. Highlights of your win in the tournament have already been gathered.
We look forward to your contribution to the tournament, and as always, never stop leveling!
-Pangea Online Developers
Wow! Five hundred people competing in the tournament. I honestly don’t know what to expect. The second stage of the Developer’s Tournament had one hundred people and it was insane. This sounds like it could be a bloodbath.
My pulse suddenly thunders in my ears. This is getting more real by the day.
“We’re in!” Dean shouts, harboring none of my anxiety. He runs toward me, hand raised, and we high-five.
“We’re in.” I echo. I don’t want to put a damper on his enthusiasm, but our chances of beating out four-hundred-and-ninety-eight other competitors are slim to none. “I hope you’re ready for a wild ride.”
“I can’t wait!” He grins. “Just wait until the others see.”
I take a deep breath. The whole world is about to be watching.
Chapter Thirteen
I have dinner with Buzz, Grayson, and Maria the night before the big reveal. I try one last time to pump them for information, but to no avail.
Buzz shoves a heaping mound of mashed potatoes in his mouth. “Bro, it’s going to be awesome,” he says between bites. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Grayson? Any last words from you?”
The fragile old man smiles. He has the same fiery eyes as his avatar, but his body is a lifetime away from the brawny pirate of Pangea. “We have been sworn to secrecy. But let’s just say you’ll have a fighting chance.”
“Enough talk about the tournament,” scolds Maria. “It’ll be here before you know it. I suggest you get a good night’s sleep, Esil. You don’t want to have bags under your eyes for your big interview.”
Despite my best intentions, I toss and turn for most of the night. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It’s not like anyone’s life is on the line, but I’m still riddled with anxiety. I finally decide to put my time to use and pull out my tablet. I go to the site for the tournament, hoping to learn a little bit about my fellow competitors. Just my luck, though, the contestant list hasn’t been posted. I guess they’re planning to make a huge event of tomorrow. I could go throug
h the list of previous tournament winners, but over the past few years, there have been hundreds of tournaments across Pangea. None as popular as the Developer’s Tournament, not until now.
Eventually, sleep wins out. It feels like I’m only out for a minute before a gentle ring wakes me as my alarm goes off.
I make sure to eat a hearty breakfast, not knowing how long the introductions will take. By the time I log into my home portal, Dean is already waiting outside.
I buzz him in, and Fenrir immediately pounces on him, licking his face and disheveling his already-messy black hair.
“How long have you been waiting?” I ask.
Dean crawls to his feet and attempts to slick his hair down. “I didn’t want to be late.”
I can’t help but laugh. I still remember the excitement of the Developer’s Tournament. Even though I was doing it for Buzz and his mom, it was still a dream come true. I’m sure Dean feels the same way.
“Have a seat. We still have a few minutes before things kick off.”
I tap a button on the wall and a giant screen descends from the ceiling, taking up nearly half the wall in front of the sofa. I tune into the official Pangea Online stream, where two reporters discuss the upcoming tournament.
A man in a blue suit with neatly-parted hair stares into the camera. “We’re only a few minutes away from the start of the first ever Pro-Am Tournament. No one knows what awaits the challengers, but it’s sure to be exciting.”
“Exciting is an understatement,” his co-anchor chimes in, a woman with a towering afro wearing a high-necked red dress. “This will be the best of the best competing alongside the newest of the new. I can’t wait to see how this all unfolds.”
A timer at the top of the screen counts down, currently at three minutes and twenty-one seconds. Three minutes until playtime is over and we live and breathe this tournament for the next few weeks.
When the timer hits zero, the screen goes black. A tiny pinprick of white forms in the center of the screen. It slowly expands, filling with greens and blues until it forms a planet with one giant landmass surrounded by deep blue oceans.
Pangea Online 3: Vials and Tribulations Page 11
