War Games

by Nikita Thorn

  At the last second, Mairin Dashed to help him with the throw, and she went flying across the sea of black tar.

  The Obora reached him, pressing into him with its mass of black slime. Seiki shivered as his back went numb under the thick coat of poison. The Ward had nearly expired, and he did not have long. But now, there was nothing to do but wait.

  Ahead of him, Mairin finally landed on the poison with a thick splash. A hidden trap snapped shut around her, but she Dashed once again, as well as healed herself. The light ability exploded the poison, propelling her further forward toward the gold tano-shrine.

  Ippei was yelling something behind him, and a flash of light flew through the air. The samurai had tossed out his Hikari at the Obora’s side, and the explosion knocked the creature a few feet away from Seiki.

  It distracted the creature for a few seconds and stopped some more of the incoming damage. Still, there was simply too much poison on the ground, and Seiki was already drowning in a pool of ice. His legs gave way, and he dropped into the icky substance. His arms immediately deadened as he used them to stop his fall.

  He peered up, just in time to see Mairin turn back into human form in mid-air. For a moment, it was as if she was flying, her loose green obi sash flowing behind her like celestial wings, before his arms lost all feeling and he completely collapsed.

  Card in play: Polished Shell Card of the White Pearl

  The ancient white pearl sparkles with purifying light. Light-forged weapons and light-infused abilities no longer set off Obora poison but instead cleanse it.

  With the last of his strength, Seiki drew his Hikari and swept it out in a wide, desperate swing around him. Suddenly, the muddy pool around him no longer burned. A white mist rose as the shining blade touched it, evaporating it into harmless smoke, wet to the touch, warm, like vapor from a pot after the lid was lifted.

  Seiki turned toward the towering Obora behind him. Its glowing red eyes were fixed downward, on its prey.

  Now with the poison neutralized, Kentaro was safe to use his heals, and Seiki felt his health filling in one large full bout. Drawing a deep breath, he stood up to face the giant triton.

  He raised his Hikari… but not to cut. Rather, he gently pressed its flat side on the creature’s skin. Poison dispersed into smoke as soon as it touched the white-glowing blade, revealing, surprisingly, hard skin underneath the slime, before more poison flowed over it.

  The Obora was still a wall of black ooze, and it pushed against him, almost knocking him off his feet. Keeping a firm grip on the Hikari, Seiki continued to move the flat side of his light sword across more of its skin.

  His hunch that the cave was all about this creature turned out to be correct.

  The first two rooms had been the demons experimenting with what they could do with the poison harvested from the creature. The third one, with the Spearmaster, had been where they had corrupted it. Judging from its size, it must have filled the whole cage, which meant with every movement the barbed wires must have pierced into its body.

  The Obora thrashed and lunged forward, spilling more poison over him.

  “I know they hurt you,” said Seiki. “Where?”

  Poison fell on his arm, eating some of his health, and Seiki continued to move the light sword to disperse it. Underneath, once again, he caught a glimpse of the surprisingly hard texture, scales perhaps, a shade of blue-green.

  His blade finally snagged on hard spikes on the creature’s side, and Seiki finally saw what he was looking for: the Shadow Shard, bigger than his arm, with crude spikes keeping the nasty wound open.

  Seiki looked up at the red glowing eyes. Perhaps it was malice behind them, but perhaps behind all malice was actually fear.

  “Trust me on this,” said Seiki. “It might hurt once, but then it won’t hurt anymore.”

  He then lifted his Hikari and struck the black crystal.

  The shard shattered, and the creature screamed. It was soundless, but Seiki could hear very clearly in his mind its cry of agony. Then, it started writhing; its heavy body—still covered with wet black slime—collided with his and threw him off his feet.

  Seiki swiped his Hikari along the ground to clear out a safe spot for him to land on, before turning back to watch.

  The triton thrashed again, as if trying to shake off the poisonous ooze. It twisted, rolled, and the spiked conch shell on its back slammed at different angles on the ground.

  The Obora is ascending!

  Then it burst upward, spinning, poison flying off its skin and showering down all around in tiny, acidic drops. Seiki winced as the creature crashed back down and continued to twist, its soundless wail filling his mind like a million screeching voices that had ever felt pain.

  The Obora is ascending!

  And then it was free.

  With a last spin, it let out a cry, a roar perhaps, majestic and thundering, before landing back down on the ground. A great vibration shook through the cavern. In response, the remaining metal traps that had not been sprung seemed to snap shut at the same time in rapid bright claps, and the lingering black ooze went up in thick smoke all at once.

  The quick veil of mist cleared, and Seiki gaped at the sight in front of him. Where the Obora had been, a blue-green serpent now stood, with its two front clawed feet planted firmly on the ground, while the latter half of its body was hidden in a sand-white conch shell. Its skin was covered entirely in rows of neat triangular scales, gleaming in the color of the ocean in sunlight. Seiki’s gaze drifted from its robust body up to its arched neck, which ended in a graceful snout. Two round golden eyes were staring back at him. At the back of its head, white spikes rose above its back-pointing ears, like a crown of pearl.

  The Obora has ascended from its worldly state. A Shussebora emerges!

  Shivering at the sight, Seiki could only stare. And it stared back, its bright golden eyes studying him, calm, clear, their depth unimaginable.

  After what felt like an eternity of silence, the serpent spoke in his mind, in a voice that was not a voice but the lapsing of ancient waves.

  I am of a serpentine race called Shussebora. We live thrice, for very long periods of time; three thousand years in each state. First deep in the soft embrace of the earth, then in the incessant flow of valley rivers, before we finally ascend into a higher plane of existence. The demons had caught me at a vulnerable time as I was attempting to ascend. They used their evil instrument to imprison me in anger and hate, binding me to serve them.

  Seiki was too stunned for speech. The Shussebora bore no resemblance to the poisonous creature it once was, and Seiki had never seen something so majestic and alive. Fifteen feet tall, it towered high, and now tilted down its graceful neck to look at him.

  You have freed me. Reach out, human. For this, I shall reward you. Nothing escapes me that transpires within my earthen abode, and more than once you have chosen to protect.

  Fascinated, spell-bound, somehow feeling very humble and tiny, Seiki held out his hand. A hard thick object materialized in the middle of his palm, smooth to the point of being glossy, flat and slightly curved, bright blue-green.

  You have received: Shussebora Scale of the Protector

  The scale was much heavier than it looked. Seiki looked back up at the serpent, and it continued to speak.

  My gift is weighty, for the choice to protect is such. It comes with its own sacrifice and reward, for only those who understand the cost can fully wield such power. Thrice you have made your choice to protect, and therefore thrice you may seek to better it.

  Slowly, even without having to read, comprehension trickled into his mind.

  Shussebora Scale of the Protector: grants the user the Protection of the Sea ability, which places a protective shield over a single target within 60 feet for 6 seconds, absorbing damage equal to up to 200% of the target’s maximum health but not exceeding 200% of the user’s current health. Damage exceeding the absorbed amount transfers back onto th
e user after a 3-second delay if the user is within 60 feet of the target. Lockout: 3 minutes. Requires an open Free Slot.

  Seiki opened his mouth to utter a word of gratitude, even when he had not fully understood the value of his gift. But he found that he was still unable to speak.

  His intention was clear to the serpent, however, and it tossed its head once, proudly, gracefully, free.

  My ascension is now complete, and I shall seek my rightful place in the depth of the ocean among my kin.

  Springing from its powerful front legs, Shussebora leapt upward and disappeared in a flash of blue light, sending a cold spray of water bursting out in every direction. It smelled like the ocean, and tasted like it. And for a moment, the place lightly rained droplets of seawater, as if to cleanse the last of the mud and poison from the cavern.

  Surprisingly, the water was gone almost as soon as it reached the ground, and, with it, the remaining filth. Seiki was surprised to find that the cavern floor was now covered with fine white sand. A mysterious source of light shone from above, comfortably warm, as if it was midday, even when there was no opening in the cavern roof.

  Seiki finally allowed himself a deep breath, not believing what he had just witnessed. Yet, the gleaming blue-green scale in his hand was solid proof that it had not been his imagination. He firmly closed his hand around it. It had the texture of polished wood and felt like nothing he had ever held before.

  He closed his eyes and let the realization sink in that it was truly over. The ordeal, the struggle, the test. In all this, perhaps there had only been one person he really had to convince, and that was himself. Now, with a safe, firm shore under his feet, he had found an answer, a lightness of spirit that had been missing and which was revealed once again as the last of the poison evaporated. And at that instant, he was overwhelmed with unspeakable joy that nearly inspired both tears and laughter.

  When he opened his eyes again, where the Shussebora had been was a large white conch shell, half-buried in the sand. Its elegant spikes evenly spaced in perfect spirals.

  Conch Shell Container. Break to open!

  Seiki took a moment to gather himself, before glancing toward his friends. Mairin was on the far side of the room, near the tano-shrine, slightly wet from the light rain, looking dumbfounded by what she had witnessed, but at full health.

  That was when Seiki noticed that both his own health and energy had also filled, and even the penalty on too many successive Blood Rush uses had cleared. The rest of his friends were clustered behind him, where they had been before the transformation. The conversation with the Shussebora seemed to have taken a long time for him, but for his friends it must have been only a few moments.

  They all stood in awed silence for a while, before Yamura finally spoke.

  “That…” The ryoushi, sounding slightly dazed, pointed to the conch shell on the ground. “…is our loot chest.”

  Koharu gaped, before throwing him a disapproving look. “Seriously, we just saw a dragon, and all you can think about is loot?”

  Yamura shrugged. “It’s not like I’ve never seen a VR dragon before,” he said. “At a tech show. A fire one, bigger than this. With wings, too.”

  Ippei shook his head in amusement as he slowly walked over toward Seiki, who guessed his intention and handed him the Shussebora Scale to check out.

  Surprisingly, the samurai could not see the description on the blue-green scale beyond its simple label, and Seiki had to read it out loud to him.

  “I think it’s like a permanent Free Slot scroll.” Ippei looked thoughtful as he flipped the item around in his hand in utter fascination. “And probably a personal one, too, so it’s most likely not transferrable, and I won’t be surprised if it’s also safe from looting and Pickpocketing.” He then handed it back, let out a long deep breath, said a simple “Wow”, before sitting down on the floor as if struggling under the weight of this discovery.

  Seiki sat down beside him. There was no need to ask if his friend had seen something like this before, as the answer was clearly no. After some more questions, Seiki managed to get more explanation out of the samurai regarding Free Slot abilities.

  “So I’m getting my first Free Slot at Level 16?” said Seiki. He already knew, but still could not help asking.

  “And you can put this ability into the slot when it opens up, and switch out and put it back in whenever you want,” Ippei said. “Normal ability scrolls are single-use, so you can’t switch them out too often if you don’t want to spend a lot of gold. This one seems to be permanently yours.”

  Seiki tried to temper his excitement and forced himself to think. He could not help wondering why whenever he got something potentially very good, the game always made him wait, like a child getting a birthday present early and being told he could not open it yet.

  “Well, I expected no less than something like this from an unlabeled quest,” said the samurai after pondering for a bit. “But this is either new, or I know a lot less about the game than I thought. If this was in Beta at all, something would have leaked. I mean, this whole secret unlabeled quest thing.” He shook his head. “Now we can be sure those quests are definitely intentional, and lead to awesome loot. You know, this ocean shield of yours could very well be a one-of-a-kind ability.”

  At those words, Seiki felt light-headed. “Unique?”

  “At least very rare,” said Ippei. “It will be great for tanking. The question is if you can use it on yourself as well.”

  “It doesn’t specify either way… and it’s… free?” Seiki quickly reread the description to make sure. As far as the text went, the ability did not require energy to use. He let out a soft curse as he started to realize how good it could be when used correctly.

  Ippei made up his mind. “All right, I’m going to need you to list everything that has happened since Mani Shrine, since we need to document all this.” He paused for a moment, checked his watch, before letting out a short laugh. “But probably not tonight.”

  “Not tonight,” Seiki agreed. He was suddenly glad he was still not Level 16, which meant he could not test out his new ability yet, or he would most likely get no sleep at all, or ever again.

  The rest of the group was milling excitedly around the conch shell on the ground. Yamura turned toward him. “Hey, Seiki, I’m smashing this open.”

  “Go ahead,” he said.

  Mairin gleefully Dashed through the container, and it shattered with the satisfying sound of an expensive vase breaking, triggering an unexpected flood of experience points that affected everyone at once.

  Quest completed: The Path of the Protector [Level Unknown]. 49,810 XP gained.

  Ippei shivered as he leveled to 15. Yamura let out a relieved sigh as if having taken a swig of his favorite drink. “There it is. Now this is worth it.”

  “This is a bit uncanny,” said Ippei, before grinning. “No complaints from me, though. Maybe you’ve found the fast track.”

  Again, the rest of the group received the same fixed amount of experience, although their quest was instead titled Mark of Sacrifice [Level Unknown]. Having just reached Level 15 earlier that night, the chunk was not enough to propel Seiki to the next level yet, but it had helped a great deal.

  “If we can keep finding unlabeled quests, we can speed-level, and the Rogami won’t bother us again.” Yamura rubbed his hands as he prepared to dig into the loot pile.

  In the conch shell, they found several crafting materials, which greatly excited Kentaro if not anyone else. “Most of this is going toward fixing all your gear, by the way.” The houshi pretended to be annoyed. There was also a small bottle that gave double XP for the next ten minutes in any Trade Skill of the imbiber’s choice, which everyone was happy to let the houshi keep.

  Apart from that were several high-quality Enhancement Scrolls for each class and military Seals they could use on their units, plus a total of six-hundred and fifty-three gold, which Yamura was not particularly impresse
d with. There were also two mid-grade daggers, one high-quality short staff for casting classes, and a pair of speed-boosting sandals. The most valuable of the lot was perhaps the Sun-tinted Coral Pearl, a +8 unit energy pearl, which they all decided to let Ippei have, while the rest of the loot they agreed to negotiate at a later date once everyone had gotten some rest.

  “Tomorrow afternoon,” said Ippei, who now seemed very satisfied. “Now let’s go log out from the City.”

  “I might have an appointment,” said Kentaro. As the person with most inventory slots from his multiple 30-slot bags, he was in charge of holding the night’s haul.

  “Cancel it,” said Ippei. “Loot division is serious business.”

  The houshi laughed and shook his head.

  “My new place?” Seiki offered. He had not seen much use of his new West City territory near Mani Shrine, having been occupied with pushing through War Games, and he had not even had the chance to invite his friends to check it.

  “If you buy kakigouri,” said Mairin.

  “Deal,” said Seiki. Despite the loot they were all getting, his friends had willingly worked hard for what was essentially his personal instance, and shaved ice was the very least he could do.

  Kiku smiled. “Can I bring hime-sama?” Again, she had a thoughtful look on her face as she studied the group.

  “We’ll think about it,” Ippei quickly said, perhaps afraid Seiki was going to say yes. “And, no, we won’t change our minds, and we still don’t do clans.”

  “What’s wrong with clans?” said Koharu.

  Mairin laughed. “He got burned bad once, in Beta.” She seemed fully confident in her unfounded speculation. “Robbed, betrayed, left for dead, that kind of bad.”

  She threw a quick glance at Ippei, perhaps to see if any of it hit close to home, but the samurai simply chuckled.

  “Oh, that’s bad!” Koharu cried in horror. “Who did that to you?”