Dodge Tank Page 12

  Gilly spams heals as Fredric chain fires arrows. I try to use block and Rush as much as I can and my HP bar go up and down like a yo-yo. I keep a steady eye on Gilly’s TP and start to panic when I see it steadily decreasing, but every second I see it tick with a small increment as the ring kicks in.

  We down the first orc and then focus on the second.

  “The boss is spawning!” Gilly shouts. “Hurry!”

  Out of the corner of my vision, I see Sarah rising up off the altar, surround by swirling red and black energy.

  Possessed Sarah

  Level: 22

  A vengeful chaos spirit has inhabited this young girl’s body. Kill both her and the Orc witch to rid these lands of its dark influence for good.

  Affinity: Dark

  “Yikes!” Fredric says. “We gotta fight that!?”

  “Apparently!” I chop away at the last orc and get him to 20% before Fredric kills it with a volley of arrows. I’m down to 30% HP and 20% STAM and Gilly’s TP bar is nearly empty. I think that maybe we can rest before taking on the witch and Sarah, but both monsters are approaching us.

  Sarah hovers over the dark water at amazing speed, surrounded by an eerie red glow that matches her pulsating eyes. The witch stomps after her, plowing through the marsh a short distance behind.

  It’s do or die time now!

  “Fight me!” I use the last of my TP on Sarah, pulling her with a Warcry.

  I then run past her and focus on the witch.

  Dark words being mumbled from behind cause me to pause. As I turn back toward Sarah a room wide message appears.

  Possessed Sarah readies Chaos Storm.

  Oh crap. Was that an AOE attack? We’re probably all done for if that thing goes off. I turn back to use Rush on Sarah but I’m too far away. Dark energy swirls around her and gives form to a huge shadow that appears to be controlling Sarah’s body like a puppet.

  An arrow hits Sarah in the back, taking away about 5% health.

  Fredric uses Paralyzing Shot

  Possessed Sarah is paralyzed.

  “Got a sliver of TP back!” Fredric shouts. “But that’s my last one!”

  I need to kill the witch quick, so that I can stun Sarah in case she uses that AOE attack again. I see the witch about to cast a spell of some kind on Gilly. I check my rage meter and see it’s now at 287%. I leap at the Orc Witch and release my power attack, sending a bright arc of light flashing from my blade as I cleave into her side. The monster’s HP bar drops to 30%!

  “Whoa!” Fredric shouts. “Nice hit dude!”

  Fredric then follows up with an arrow shot while I take a rake from the witch’s nasty claws.

  “Out of stamina!” Fredric shouts.

  I’m down to 15%. I give the witch a last hit taking it down to 5% when my stamina runs out as well. No not now!

  Sarah glides over the dark water toward me, the shadow encompassing her bearing huge dark hands with red tipped claws. I see Gilly’s TP go up a tick and then drop back down to zero as she sends a heal to wash over me like heaven. But then both the witch and Sarah turn to face Gilly and both start casting spells!

  Come on! I urge my stamina up another tick, my sword feeling like an anvil in my hand. I’m finally able to take a swing and plunge my short sword into the witch’s back.

  You defeated the Orc Witch!

  You gain 1000 experience points!

  Kill chain X3: You gain 500 experience points!

  You find a Witches Broach on the Orc Witch.

  You find a gold beast coin on the Orc Witch.

  Gilly gains a Level!

  Fredric gains a Level!

  Congratulations! You have gained a Level!

  You are now Level 11.

  You have 2 attribute points to spend.

  Yes!

  All three of us are topped up to full health, stamina and TP as we gain our levels. I charge into Sarah with a Rush, interrupting her spell and then follow up with a Warcry for good measure. Her attention is clearly on me now but then she does a double claw swipe, taking me down to 20% health. Holy cow!

  Gilly boosts me back up with 3 heals and I chop Sarah for 5% health. Fredric gives a volley of arrows that take her down another 10%. She claws me again and I’m back down to 20%. And then she starts casting.

  Possessed Sarah readies Chaos Storm.

  Oh no! “Fred my stun is down, hit it with your paralyze again.”

  “Got it!” he shouts back and lands a clear shot.

  I take advantage of Sarah’s paralyzed state to get in three good hits before she unfreeze and swipes at me again. Gilly heals me just before the claws hit and my HP bar bounces dangerously close to zero but balances out at 15%.

  The boss is still at 65%.

  Possessed Sarah readies Chaos Storm.

  “I’m still on cooldown!” Fredric shouts.

  “I got it!” I say and hit Sarah with Rush, canceling the spell.

  I get a free hit in as Gilly tops me up. “Out of TP soon!”

  Man, I’m taking way too much damage! Wish I could dodge this stuff.

  I try so on the next set of attacks. I fail on both times, but get a couple of skill ups in Dodge in the process. But then I hear my rage meter ding full at 105%. Whoa. I guess the big hits I was taking was filling the meter quickly as well. I get another slash in as Gilly uses her last TP to heal me up.

  “I’m out!” she shouts.

  Fredric sends another powerful volley of arrows and Sarah’s health drops below 35%.

  I raise my shield for the next set of attacks. I take a pounding down to 10%, but I get a block and retaliation strike trigger. I unleash it with a power attack charged to 145%. The white arc of my blade cuts through the boss, my damage modified by the retaliation bonus.

  Sarah releases a horrid death cry as her HP bar disappears and she falls into the swamp. The dark shadow surrounding her, cries out in rage as it dissipates and finally disappears.

  You defeated Possessed Sarah!

  You gain 2000 experience points!

  You find a rusted key.

  Congratulations! You have completed the Bonus Quest for Swamping for Sarah!

  Congratulations! You have earned the title Banisher of Chaos!

  You have received 500 bonus experience points.

  You have received 500 credits.

  Gilly gains a Level!

  Fredric gains a Level!

  Congratulations! You have gained a Level.

  You are now Level 12.

  You have gained 1 attribute point.

  “Damn that was crazy awesome!” Fredric shouts in victory. “Crazy hard too! But man, was it worth it!”

  I laugh in relief and can’t believe how hard my heart is pounding. “No kidding!”

  I come down from my high when I see poor Sarah face down in the swamp. “Too bad we had to kill the girl, though. Does that mean we failed the main quest?”

  “Follow me,” Gilly says and she runs up onto the banks of the small island. Fredric and I follow her to where she points to a small chest inside the hut. “Use the key we just got on that.”

  I grab the key out of the shared treasure pool and it drops into my inventory. I then unlock the chest and wait for it to open.

  You open a treasure box!

  You find: 2 Gold Beast coins.

  You find: a Scroll of Raise I

  “Wow!” I say.

  “That’s how you win both quests,” Gilly says with a smile. “We can raise Sarah. This is also how you obtain the raise spell by the way. It’s actually worth a lot of credits.”

  “So are those beast coins,” Fredric says. “Like 1000 credits each!”

  Dang! I had no idea adventuring could make so much money. I really was wasting my time in the mines. I give the scroll to Gilly. “Go for it, Gilly!”

  She opens the scroll but then curses. “Ah shoot! It’s level 12! I’m 2 levels away.”

  “Does that mean we lose?” Fredric says.

  “How long will
Sarah stay there?” I ask.

  Gilly shrugs. “It’s an NPC so I’m not sure.”

  I grin at both of them. “How fast do you think we can get Gilly 2 more levels?”

  They both grin in return.

  We take a victory lap of the swamps, mopping up stray Orcs that go down as quick as the young black bears now. We get a kill chain going and within ten minutes Gilly is level 12, Fredric is 11 and I’m knocking on 14. Gilly uses the scroll and we head back to where Sarah was face down in the swamp.

  Thankfully she’s still there when we arrive.

  Familiar white light with feathers swirl around Sarah as Gilly casts Raise on her. Sarah rises out of the swamp to stand once more.

  “Thank you so much,” Sarah says. “That was a terrible ordeal, but I’m free from that dark spirit now. Can you please guide me back home?”

  This triggers a mini escort quest and we spend another twenty minutes coaxing Sarah out of the swamp while cleaning a path for her through the orcs. I’m halfway to 15 by the time we exit the swamp and see her safely into the arms of her NPC grandparents.

  “You saved our Granddaughter! Thank you so much!”

  Congratulations! You have completed the Quest: Swamping for Sarah!

  Congratulations! You have earned the title: Swamp Savior!

  You have received 1000 bonus experience points.

  You have received 1000 credits.

  Congratulations! You have gained a Level.

  You are now Level 15.

  You have 1 attribute points to spend.

  You learn the passive ability “Double Attack”

  Double Attack

  Your natural fighting prowess sometimes allows you to attack twice.

  “You did it Reece!” Gilly shouts and hugs me. “You’re level 15!”

  I almost can’t believe it myself. “I didn’t think I could do it in one day. And I definitely couldn’t have without your help!” I hug her back deeply. “Thanks so much, Gilly!”

  “What?” Fredric says. “15 levels in one day? What are you? A pro gamer?”

  “He’s going to be,” Gilly says with a laugh.

  “Hey you guys want to do some more dungeons together?”

  “Sorry man,” I say. “I’m actually spent.”

  And I am, both mentally and physically it feels like.

  “That’s cool, you want to swap friend requests and team up tomorrow?”

  I look to Gilly but she only shrugs. I think about what Val Helena said. Would he slow me down? But then, no way we could have cleared that dungeon just now and got the bonus quest and boss without him. “Sounds good I say, but I’m on a bit of a weird career path. I’ll be leveling Elemental Mage to 5 next and then Thief to 15 after that.”

  “Oh…?” Fredric looks puzzled.

  “He’s going for ninja,” Gilly says.

  Fredric’s eyes then light up with understand. “Ah! Right! Okay cool. Well hit me up if you need me then. That was the most fun I’ve had in awhile.”

  “Me too!” I say, although to be honest, it’s the most fun I’ve had period.

  We exchange friend requests and divvy up the beast coins between us before Fredric is off on his way. I save the Witch’s Broach for Gilly.

  Witches Broach

  Mind +3 Int +3 +30 TP

  This mysterious broach depicts a beetle with ruby wings. A faint aura can be felt exuding from it.

  I trade it to her and her eyes light up. “Wow! That’s a really good item!”

  “For when you level up,” I say.

  She grins. “Oh wait. I got this for you too.”

  She trades back Val Helena’s ring.

  “Hopefully you can give me one I can actually keep next time,” she says with a playful wink.

  I only chuckle. “I guess that means we’re not official then, huh?”

  “Nope,” she says. “But this does.”

  And then she leans into me and plants a kiss right on the lips. I’m so taken aback I barely respond enough to kiss her back. She pulls away with a huge smile. “I’ve been waiting to do that for ages.”

  I’m staring at her dumbfounded. “Really?”

  She only laughs. “Thanks for the date, Reece. Best one I’ve ever been on. Well, it’s the only one I’ve ever been on, but still. Was mega fun!”

  I’m totally blushing now.

  “I’m gonna log for the night, Reece. See you tomorrow for part two!”

  “Okay goodnight!” I wave bye to her like a duffus as she logs out.

  I’m left there grinning from ear to ear.

  I think I’ve just had the best day of my life.

  * * *

  I log off, still giddy and collapse onto my mattress, reflecting on the time I’ve just had in game. It’s all so new and wonderful. The progression of my character, the new developments with Gilly; all of it has a smile permanently plastered on my face.

  It’s only when my mom coughs from outside in the living room, do my spirits dampen and I’m pulled back into reality again. I feel a pang of guilt in my stomach. Was it even right that I’m having this much fun? I almost don’t want the answer. No matter what, I’ve got to keep focused. I have to remember why I’m doing all of this in the end. I take a deep breath to clear my head and then get up to go check on my mom.

  Chapter 16 Uneasy

  I log in early the next morning to do some quick admin before breakfast. I pay for a couple months’ rent in advance and restock on meds for Mom. I then head to the kitchen where Mom is waiting and order us up a semi-extravagant breakfast of cinnamon rolls with butter and hot coffee, just like she likes. The meal sets us back 100 Credits a pop, but that’s easily affordable now, even with just the earnings I got from leveling last night.

  Mom’s eyes go wide as I set the plate down in front of her. “Is it my birthday or something?”

  I grin as I fake hobble to the other end of table with Mutt and Jeff. “I kind of got a new job.”

  “Oh? Doing what?”

  Darn. I was kind of hoping she wouldn’t probe, so that I wouldn’t have to lie too much. I stall for time by digging into the cinnamon roll. It tastes amazing! Even for a cheap nano-processor like we have, it’s like a slice of heaven to me. “Well, I was listening to, Mike,” I say in between bites. “About getting a real job that can pay more, you know? And I kind of found one.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “It’s a small company…” I try to be as honest as possible with her. Val Helena’s guild is kind of small, isn’t it? “But the opportunity to move up the ranks is pretty good. I got a bit of a signing bonus too…as you can taste.”

  That gets a laugh out of her.

  “In a few weeks I might be able to earn some really decent money though.” Enough to afford you the best surgery possible, I want to say. But that will have to wait until I can actually afford it.

  “So you won’t be playing Crystal Shards anymore? I thought you really loved it there.”

  Good old mom, she really knows me best. Man, it sucks to have to lie to her, but it’s for the best. “Well, I’ll still be on Crystal Shards from time to time, but the work will have to come first now.”

  She nods. “I see.”

  “Which reminds me, could you let Mike know? I really can’t have him yanking me out of my rig when I’m at work.”

  My mom’s eyes then drift off to someplace else. “I actually haven’t seen him come home yet. Have you heard from him?”

  The thought immediately irks me. Here mom is, dying, and she’s worried to death about him? And all that selfish jerk can do is think about himself. I almost lie to cover for him. Just for mom’s sake, but my anger gets the best of me. “No, I haven’t heard from him.”

  “Oh,” she says a bit sadly. “I hope he’s okay…”

  “What is it you think he does out there?” I ask bluntly. “I don’t think he works.”

  Mom only sighs. “I’m sure it’s very important… whatever it is.”

  I really
feel like punching Mike now. He has mom believing some fantasy about what he’s doing, because the truth would probably kill her. What the heck is he really doing down there in the hub? And why does he act like such a jerk all the time?

  “He loves you very much, you know,” Mom says out of the blue. “He really wants what’s best for you.”

  He has a funny way of showing it, I almost let slip out. But I remember mom knowing that Mike and I are at peace will also bring her a peace of mind. Even if it brings me none.

  “Yeah I’m sure he does,” I say.

  But still my words come out bitter…and false.

  * * *

  After breakfast and getting my mom set up for the day, I log in to see a message from Gilly. It immediately changes my mood and I’m a bit excited as I open it, but then equally disappointed when I read it.

  From: Gilly

  Hey Reece! Bad news. D: I’m not going to be able to log in until very late today. My family and I need to head down to the hub to buy some stuff. But don’t wait up for me to level! Get to work! I expect you to be a ninja by the time I get back! :D

  *hugs and kisses*

  -Gilly

  Her message gives me a smile. Gilly really is the best. It’s not the first time she’s mentioned her family, but she’s never really gone into much detail about who they are or what they do. It makes me feel a bit guilty that she knows so much about me, but I’ve never really taken the time to ask her much about herself. About who she is, beyond the game.

  I make a mental note to do so the next time we meet.

  I log into Nasgar and then spend the next couple of hours leveling Elemental Mage from 1 to 5. It’s by far the most boring thing I’ve done to date in game. After unlocking the class at the Mages guild in North Timberdale, I learn the one spell they give you for free: Earth Crush.

  It’s a ranged attack that does moderate damage and cost about 10 TP to cast. I spend the morning distancing myself from the mobs and chain casting Earth Crush until I kill them. Super boring. To me anyway. At level three I get Earth Bind, which is a root that holds monsters in place for a few seconds. This helps me take on bigger things, like the young black bears. I actually manage to kill one, but it takes me ages and I come close to dying when the bear hits me for nearly all my HP.