Dodge Tank Page 9

  I can’t remember the last time I was here. But I still remember the layout. From the square, several streets lead outward, between stone walled buildings, toward the edge of the city and the great forests which surround it. The square is the hub where the merchants are located, but there is the warrior’s guild to the West, the mages guild to the North and the Archer’s guild to the South. To the East are the sawmills, where all the various crafting guilds can be found. Carpenters, smiths and leatherworkers, plus guilds for logging and mining.

  In the center of the square is a large fountain where most of the high levels players seem to be congregating. It doesn’t take me long to spot Val Helena among them, thanks to her enormous height. I check the time and see I’m 20 minutes late!

  I rush toward her and hope she isn’t pissed.

  She’s got her arms folded in her full plate armor and not really speaking to anyone, but I do see a couple of elf girl groupies who seem to be live streaming and taking pics of themselves with Val Helena in the background.

  She sees me first and thankfully smiles, although it’s sort of a wry one. “I was beginning to get worried I’d lost 600k.”

  I chuckled. “Sorry. My treatment took a little while.”

  “So you’re all good now?”

  I nod. “I haven’t tried fighting anything yet, but I think so. No more -10 agility.”

  “Good. Let’s see you in action then.”

  We head off out of the square, through one of the side streets, heading West past the warrior’s guild. As we travel through the city, lots of people glance up at Val Helena, which is probably normal for a female half giant. Half giants are not a very popular race amongst players in Nasgar and females even more so. But then I notice people are staring at me as well.

  Then some random guy claps me on the back as he walks by. “Yo! Awesome find man! Good luck!”

  Val Helena gives me an eye. “What was that about?”

  I shrug and look up at her sheepishly. “Aiko put me on her livestream. Now half the shard knows I have this scroll.”

  She smirks. “Just like her. Try not to let any of it distract you.”

  I nod and almost ask her about how she knows Aiko again, but I remember she didn’t seem to want to discuss Aiko that much. Maybe it’s a question I can save for later, when I get to know her a little better. We reach the edge of the city, where the forest starts just beyond a small stone bridge spanning a creek. As we cross the bridge I notice huge fish swimming in the slow flowing water below and just downstream, a couple of players trying to catch them.

  The words Westwood Forest appear in my vision as we exit the limits of the city.

  “Try that,” Val Helena says and points to a large gray rabbit.

  Forest Hare

  Level: 1

  You wouldn’t kill this cute little bunny, would you?

  Affinity: Earth

  I laugh at the description. You bet I would!

  I run over to the rabbit and swing. My virtual muscles react as intended and I smack the hare easily with my practice sword.

  -3 HP

  Woohoo! It worked! I hit it!

  The hare responds by jumping in the air and kicking me with both feet. Oof!

  -2 HP

  I hit it again -2HP, but miss a third swing as it scoots out of the way. My arm feels a bit sluggish as I recover from my attack, like I’m pushing through water and I wonder if it’s normal. A small part of me fears that maybe the treatment didn’t work all the way.

  The hare jump kicks again, and I try to move to the side, but I’m not fast enough and I take another couple points of damage. I get my revenge with another swing that hits.

  -3 HP

  Your sword skill increased by 0.3

  And then one last hit lands.

  -2 HP

  You defeated the Forest Hare!

  You gain 25 experience points!

  You find a slice of hare meat.

  You find a rabbit pelt.

  “I did it!” I cry triumphantly. I grin and look back to Val Helena. “I guess I’m fixed.”

  “Guess so. How did it feel?”

  “Like a dream.” I swing my sword again. “You won’t believe how frustrating it was not to be able to do that before.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Although I did feel a bit sluggish. Is that normal?”

  “What’s your agility?”

  “Four,” I say.

  “Yes, that’s normal. You won’t be able to hit at a decent speed till about 10 Agility. Then it just gets better from there.”

  “Sweet.”

  I check my exp bar. 25/100 till next level. I need to kill more stuff. “Hey, you want to hit a dungeon or something so I can level up fast?”

  Val Helena looks back at me oddly. “What?”

  “Aren’t we leveling together?”

  “Me? Level with you?” She lets out a goddess laugh. “You’re level 1. You wouldn’t get any exp if I was to party with you. Sorry, no power leveling here.”

  “Oh.” I feel kind of stupid now.

  “Look, go do what noobs do. Get experience. And the real kind, not just points. Besides I got my own stuff to do to prepare for the world boss.”

  “Stuff like what?”

  “Like getting the rest of my guild up to scratch so we can clear one of the three beast Kings before Vulnar spawns. It’s a prerequisite for entering the world boss lair. Which means you need to be ready for that fight as well. Most of my guys are aiming to hit 75 by next week to clear it. So you got a lot of catching up to do.”

  “But those guys are level 40 already!”

  “What about ‘a lot’ do you not understand?”

  I laugh but she doesn’t really. Dang! How in the world am I going to hit 75 by next week?

  Gilly: Hey! Are you there?

  “Speaking of which,” Val Helena holds her hand toward me and a message appears.

  Val Helena has invited you to join a guild: Ragnarok

  Do you accept? (Y/N)

  I hit yes.

  You have now joined Ragnarok!

  You can now communicate through Ragnarok chat.

  (RNG)Val Helena: Everyone say hi to Reece. Our new Dodge Tank in training. He has a lot to catch up on, so help him where you can.

  I’m then hit with a wall of chat spam from people welcoming me. I few of them I even recognize.

  (RNG)Zeke: Hey, welcome miner dude. ; )

  (RNG)Silvi: Hi Welcome! ^_^

  (RNG) Thanus: Yo. Just remember not to screw up! lol

  Gilly: Are you mad at me or something? :’(

  I’m distracted by the rest of the guild welcoming me, but what did Gilly’s message say? Was I mad at her? What is she talking about? Perhaps it’s that message I left. I respond back.

  Me: Just a sec. Right in the middle of something at the moment!!!

  I’ve got to talk to her, let her know what’s going on, but I need to say Hi to everyone in the guild first.

  (RNG)Me: Hi guys! Thanks for having me. I’ll need a lot of help. I’m a complete noob as you know. ; D

  That gets a bunch of lols. I can’t remember all the other names I see pop up, but there are about a dozen people in Val Helena’s guild. I’ve never been in a guild where the people actually communicated before. The experience is both new and exciting. So many people to meet and get to know. I can’t wait.

  “Okay one last thing,” Val Helena says and then in a sudden burst of light her character transforms before my eyes.

  Gone is her bulky white platemail, replaced by a tight red leather breastplate that looks more like an oversized sports bra. About her waist is a short skirt make of red leather strips and dangling chains. On her feet is a pair of thick leather boots topped with black fur which match her gloves. The rest of her body is bare, showing off her muscular thighs and biceps, as well as her huge shoulders and chiseled abs. I think she’s more buff than I am! Atop her head is a black iron circlet that fits her neck-length platinum hai
r like a crown.

  I do a double take.

  Name: Val Helena

  Sex: Female

  Race: Half Giant

  Class: Warrior

  Level: 85

  Guild: Ragnarok

  A warrior? “You got warrior max leveled too?”

  “It’s actually my main,” she says and flexes a massive double headed battle ax, before affixing it to her back where it stays put as if by magic. “I only started leveling paladin recently.”

  “Holy crap, I can’t believe Paladin is not your main.”

  “Well… it was going to be. I was leveling it to tank Vulnar. But then I met you.” She gives me a grin. “So now you get to be the tank.”

  She laughs and I feel even more nervous. “Don’t worry. I’ll be your backup tank. But hey, if you get good enough, who knows? Maybe I could cut loose as a damage dealer again. Too bad you can’t change jobs when you’re in combat.”

  “No kidding!” I think I’m even more mesmerized by this new version of Val Helena than before.

  “I made this for you,” she says and a message appears in my inbox. “It’s a sort of road map for where you need to go and how to get there.”

  “Cool thanks.”

  “Also some advice. Level up Warrior and Elemental Mage before thief and dump all your points into agility and some dex. They won’t help much with either of those classes, and you’ll feel underpowered, but trust me, you’ll appreciate it once you start leveling thief and eventually Ninja. Until you unlock ninja, level up using mainly dungeons. It’s quicker, but you’ll need to party up for them.”

  “Got it.”

  “Once you hit ninja though, kill more monsters for XP. It’s slower, but it’s what you need to build up your weapon skill. And you only can do that by hitting stuff.”

  “Yeah. I think I got a 0.3 skill up just now on sword.”

  “Exactly. It takes a while. You’ll need to hit skill cap for accuracy for the world boss at 85. I think that’s around 400 or so skill.”

  Holy crap! “That a lot!”

  “Another thing. Although some of us have lower level classes, most of the guild is going to be busy leveling their mains to 75 for the beast king battle. So no one from the guild will be able to level with you. That means you’ll have to meet new people to run dungeons and make your way through ninja. And that will present a different kind of challenge for you.”

  “What kind of different?”

  She lets out a sigh. “Most people play this game for fun, or escapism. But you’re playing it for a much different reason. With a much more difficult goal than most. You’re going to get to know a lot of people but take care who you actually make friends with. Some people are looking for endless help. Others are just hopeless in general. Those kinds of people will only slow you down. And that’s not something you can afford to do.”

  A swallow a little as she says this. “Sounds a bit mercenary.”

  “Call it what you will, but trust me. It’s the attitude you’re going to need if you want to make this happen. My advice is don’t make friends with anyone. If you need advice on stuff just ask in guild chat. Or if you need someone to talk to, I’m always here.”

  I smile at that. “Thanks Val Helena. For everything.”

  She smiles back and I have a huge urge to hug her. Aw, what the hell. She’s done so much for me. I step toward her and wrap my arms around her tree trunk of a torso and squeeze tight. “I really mean it. Thank you so much!”

  I feel her warm body reverberate against mine as she chuckles and lightly pats me on the back. “Okay, okay… I get it. You’re welcome.”

  I pull away feeling slightly embarrassed. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Oh, one last thing,” she says, and then she removes a ring from her left index finger and offers it to me. “This is for you. But if I ever get to go warrior again. I’ll want it back. So don’t lose it!”

  I laugh. “Okay!”

  Val Helena wishes to trade with you:

  Val Helena offers you a Black Onyx Ring

  Black Onyx Ring

  +2% TP regeneration every second.

  Do you accept the trade? (Y/N)

  Wow! Pretty decent looking ring. I hit yes and receive it from her.

  “Nice…” Someone says. “Are you going to put it on his finger too?”

  We both turn to see Gilly standing at the foot of the stone bridge, her arms crossed watching us. How long she’s been standing there, I have no idea. But by the look on her face she seems really pissed off. “Gilly…?”

  “You know that I was worried sick about you all night last night?”

  That darn message. “Right! I know. I’m sorry! Look let me finish up here and I’ll expl—”

  “You don’t need to explain anything to me, Reece. What I saw just now, explains it all.”

  “What you saw?”

  “Don’t take me for an idiot, okay? If you wanted to ditch me for her and her guild you could have just manned up and said so. There was no need for you to send me that cruel message about you quitting the game and then ignoring all my replies and voice chat requests. Then you try to blow me off when I message you in game? And low and behold, when I come looking for you. This, is what I find.”

  What the heck? “Gilly, what are you talking about?”

  “Have a fun life, Reece. I hope she’s as awesome as you think she is.”

  And then she fast travels away.

  I’m left feeling numb and speechless. I didn’t even get a chance to explain myself!

  I hear Val Helena let out a huff from above me. “Whoa. Lot of fire in that one. You’d better be careful there, buckaroo.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that,” I say scratching my head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. I did leave her a message earlier, before I ran into you, when I was feeling depressed about the game and was going to quit. But I didn’t think she’d get this bent out of shape over it. Usually we’re pretty good friends.”

  “Friends, you say?”

  “Yeah.”

  Val Helena leans her head back and lets out one of her huge goddess laughs. “This is too much!”

  “What?!”

  She finally stops laughing and says, “The girl is obviously in love with you, you idiot.”

  “What!?” In love with me? “No way!”

  “I get the attraction though.” And then Val Helena gives me a sultry smile that has my hormones jumping with confusion. “You are rather cute in clueless sort of way. I just hope you’re not this clueless on the battlefield.”

  “Huh?”

  “But anyway, this is kind of stuff I was talking about. I can’t tell you what to do, but if you go after her, make sure she’s not dead weight. Else you’re probably better off letting her go.”

  What the heck did that mean?

  Val Helena then changes back to Paladin again. “Let me know when you’re ready to unlock ninja. I’ll get something for you that might help you with the quest. Good luck, lover boy.”

  * * *

  I try distracting myself from my churning thoughts by trying to level some more. I take out a few more bunnies with my practice sword and get a couple of skill ups. Then a burst of light surrounds me.

  Congratulations! You gained a level!

  You are now level 2.

  You have gained 1 attribute point.

  You learn the ability “Rush”

  Rush

  You rush your enemy, stunning them for 1 second.

  Activation: 0.2 Seconds

  Cooldown: 30 seconds

  Cost: 5 TP

  I should feel excited to gain a level and a new ability. But instead I feel sort of hollow. I try fighting a few more bunnies but my heart just isn’t into it. I try to send another message to Gilly instead.

  Player Gilly has added you to their ignore list and can no longer receive private messages from you.

  Still ignoring me.

 
I check my messages to see if maybe she has sent me a message instead.

  I see a bunch more from people courtesy of Aiko’s live stream. And then I see a couple from Gilly and my heart beats faster. Until I see they were from over 5 hours ago.

  From: Gilly

  Reece! What happened? Are you really going to leave the game? DDDDD:

  Please don’t do that! Message me ASAP! I don’t want you to go! ;_;

  -Gilly

  From: Gilly

  Are you back yet? OMG, did something happen with your mom? D: I’m really worried about you!! ;_; Please message me as soon as you get on this morning. Remember I’m always here for you. You can talk to me about anything. In game or out.

  *hugs*

  -Love Gilly

  I sigh and feel my stomach sink. “Love Gilly”. Maybe Val Helena is right. Maybe Gilly is in love with me. Although the idea sounds stupid and crazy to me. But then again, Val Helena has been right about a lot of stuff recently. I read the messages again and feel like a complete tool. Gilly was really worried about me and I never gave her a second thought.

  The idea of thinking of Gilly as anything more than a friend is completely new to me. Sure I think her avatar is kind of hot, but that’s just something in game. It’s not like we could actually hook up in real life. I mean, I’m a gimp, what would she see in…

  I stop in my thoughts.

  I’m no longer a gimp.

  The possibility of a real life relationship is both thrilling and terrifying to me. But maybe it wasn’t for Gilly. Could she really like me in that way? The idea has my heart beating a bit faster. But then I shake it from my head. Because she doesn’t even want to talk to me anymore. I sigh with depression. Maybe Val Helena is right again. Maybe I should just leave things be as they are. Move on without her.