“Do it.”
Gilda stepped away from everyone. She lifted her hood. Gasps echoed all around. Sores covered her face. They bubbled and boiled and oozed. Her skin hung in strips in several areas.
Frost refused to look away. She locked eyes with him and smiled. He could only imagine how much worse he looked. He met her smile with the warmest one he could manage.
Meritus brought the zhua up. The weapon glowed. Threads of white, blue, and yellow snaked up from the clawed fingers. They swirled together, spinning faster and faster, growing denser until they formed a golden ball the size of a man’s head.
The ball shot out and into Gilda. Golden energy raced across her body.
Frost gaped at the ensuing change. The sores disappeared. The gray fled. Her skin regained its cerulean luster. Her flesh became supple. In seconds, the Gilda he remembered was standing before him. Beautiful. Whole.
The group let out a whoop. They ran to hug Gilda, but her words stopped them in their tracks.
“After Frost.” Her smile and the twinkle in her eyes warmed his heart.
When the spell struck Frost, the burning diminished first, quickly followed by the loss of pain. Warmth suffused him. A soothing warmth like taking a shower in water that was the perfect temperature.
He glanced down at his hands. His skin had regained its magenta shade. And he definitely felt more powerful than he did prior to his ordeal. On a whim, he checked his stats.
Strength: 51
Agility: 57
Vitality: 71
Aether: 120
He tilted his head to one side. The aether was wrong. Very wrong. He double-checked and confirmed he was still level twenty. He had eighty aether when he leveled.
Stroking his ring, he tried to make sense of the change. Even with as much skills as he’d used during the Grenok fight, his aether should not have been that high. He was certain of it.
A barely discernible throb made him glance toward the Genesis Engine. He no longer felt the magnetic pull, but he sensed the great power within the machine.
“You two are the first to experience Sanctification,” Meritus declared, breaking Frost from his thoughts.
Grinning, Frost bowed to his best friend, his concerns forgotten. The group hugged, laughed, cried, and slapped high fives.
Until Grenok’s fearsome roar shattered their jubilation.
CHAPTER 35
“Grenok’s almost here!” Filled with renewed panic, Frost dashed over to the Genesis Engine even as Gearmaster Zod took a seat. Frost loaded the materials for another zhua. “Meritus, take over here. We need as many zhua and shards as we can get.”
“No worries. I got you, dawg.”
Leaving Meritus to it, Frost hustled over to where Gilda and the others faced the massive double doors. At best, Grenok was only a few floors down. All that was left was for the demon to defeat the draconid general. Frost hoped the demon would lose, but he wasn’t willing to bet his life on it.
“Saba, Dan, and Ryne, I’m gonna need y’all to hold the fort while Gilda and I take care o’ something.” Frost eyed the Void Gate. If there was any chance to talk to Pops, he needed to get on with it.
“Now?” Saba swished her tail. “You have to do something now?”
“Go ahead, bro.” Dante held his axe ready, gaze focused on the door. “We got this.”
“Like Dan said. Go ahead.” Ryne summoned several Defilers and a Nightmare. A Mimic of the group also appeared. “We got this.”
“Thanks.” Frost turned to Gilda. “Follow me.” He ran toward the Void Gate.
“I wondered about this.” Gilda stared up at the glowing symbols.
“I noticed it as soon as we got up here.” Frost’s aether ring vibrated. “Let’s go in.” He took a shuddering breath, grabbed her hand, and stepped into the portal. Light suffused him, and in moments, he had passed through to the other side.
“Pops!” Frost grinned at the sight of his father’s ethereal form hovering above the map of Mikander.
Tension fled Frost’s body. Tears welled up in his eyes. Both of sorrow and joy. He could stare at that face, the large nose, the bald head, the full beard sprinkled with silver, the smiling eyes, and never grow tired. Pop’s clothes of choice this time was a white ninja outfit.
“Son.” Pops returned the grin. “Hey, Blaze.” Pops waved at her.
“Hello, Mister Taylor.”
Frost wished he could run over and hug Pops. But he remembered too well the first time he’d tried to touch his father. The thought and the ghostly form sobered his emotions, but it also brought on a question.
“Pops, is there a way to transfer you back?”
“Transfer me back? As in WBE?” Pops was frowning.
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think Uncle Kim ever got that far. But you’d have to find him and ask to know for certain. If he’s still alive. You can start with finding that out. When last we spoke, he was on his way to meet Carlson, the leader of the Lifers. Blaze can contact them.”
Frost made up his mind to follow Pops’ suggestion. If there was the slightest chance of getting Pops back, he had to pursue it.
“There’s also the matter of my body and brain.” Pops was stroking his chin. “Not having them might present an entirely different set of complications. But let’s not get caught up in that just yet. One thing at a time. Baby steps. For right now, I’m ecstatic being able to see you here.”
“Me too.” The potential obstacles to return Pops from the game dulled Frost’s enthusiasm, but he had no intention of giving up. “It was tough getting here, but we managed it thanks to Gilda’s research and knack for riddles and puzzles. At some point you’re gonna have to give us the exact rundown on the others.”
“Wish I could.” Pops raised his hands in a helpless gesture. “But I only designed Imanok Sanctum. The other dungeons were created by different devs. Best I can do is to tell you that the puzzles and secrets they added were based on a list of games I gave them. Most of which you already know.
“I would make it easier for you if I could, but that’s a bit of the game I can’t meddle with. Not without Estela becoming aware. Which means I’d get caught and would most likely be deleted. The good news is that not every dungeon has something to solve.”
“Thank God for that,” Frost said.
“You’ll be fine if you continue playing the way you’ve been. Especially if you collect the other epic hierkas like Benediction to get you through early game. They’ll be good until you acquire normal legendaries or other genesiswork items from epic all the way to genesis.” Pops drifted over to a position beside the map. “Now, first things first, is Theresa okay? What about the twins and Kai?”
“Everyone’s fine for now. Mom is up and about. The twins are healthy and are gonna be here soon. Kai is back to her old self, enjoying Munsters and Minions.”
“Good. Good.” Pops stroked his chin. “What’s Sidrie been up to?”
The mention of the woman’s name set Frost’s blood to a boil. “She made me return to the game when I wasn’t ready. She went back on her word.
“She tried to make herself look good, saying she’s paying me two hundred grand a year to alpha test, even made certain we got our Green Cards renewed, but all that matters is that she didn’t let me spend more time with Mom.”
“Two hundred grand in credits a year?” Pops whistled. “She’ll stop at nothing, that woman. I’ll think of some ways you can put the credits to use to get from under her clutches. An escape plan. For now, just act normal.”
“Alright.”
“That alright doesn’t sound convincing. I can tell when you’ll be stubborn. But that’ll just cause more problems. Play along. Let her think she’s winning. There’s a bright side to these things. You just need to grow up and see it.
<
br /> “If there’s one thing you should’ve learned from this, it’s that you can’t give everyone the benefit of the doubt. You can’t think everyone will live by the morals you do. Especially not Sidrie.”
“You’re right.” Frost hung his head.
“I raised you to be honest. Some people feel that lying and cheating are the way to go. That the end justifies the means.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Frost tried to push the bad thoughts from his head.
“What about the first protocol?” Pops asked. “Was it delivered?”
“It wasn’t.” Gilda pursed her lips and shook her head. “When I went to make the delivery, something felt off, so I waited. Good thing I did. Equitane security showed up. I’m pretty sure they have people following me now, rather than just relying on the drones and cams.”
Frost slapped a hand to this forehead. “Damn it. Sorry, Gilda. In the rush to save you in-game, I forgot to warn you. Mom said she thinks they got everything bugged.”
“Of course, they do.” Gilda shrugged. “It’s why I told you the walls have ears before we left the room.”
“I wondered if that was what you meant.” Frost shook his head.
“Don’t beat yourself up.” Gilda touched his hand. “You’re new to this. We have to be as careful IRL as we are in-game.”
“Agreed.” Pops nodded. “Having said that… Gilda, our Gridrunner contacts in-game are still secure. As long as we control the protocols, Equitane won’t be able to crack the anomalies. Use the contacts to make arrangements for delivery IRL. And to pass a message to Carlson about Dr. Kim’s fate.”
“Gridrunners?” Frost frowned.
“Name of the Lifer group fighting against Sidrie.” Pops smiled. “Catchy, ain’t it?”
“Yeah.”
A frown settled on Pops’ face. He stared off at nothing. “You weren’t kidding when you said there wasn’t much time. Grenok is about to defeat General Iblis. Some players from a guild… WaR… are helping the devourer. I was wondering when someone would figure out that fight.” Pops floated over to them. “Quick, touch me to receive the second protocol.”
They reached out to Pops with the hands that held aether rings. As their hands passed through him, the particles that made-up his form swirled, formed threads, and trickled into the rings.
Frost felt new code added to the old in his head. The lines melded. In seconds, it was over.
“Hurry! Go! We’ll meet again at the next location.” Pops gestured toward the Void Gate. “You don’t want to be up here when Herzl and Grenok clash. See you soon. I love you, son.”
“I love you, too, Pops.” With a last look at his father, Frost smiled sadly. “See you soon.”
His Comm Orb dinged, the stentorian voice rising from it.
WORLD FIRST KILL
A group, led by Kazuto Morow of the WaR guild, defeated Ibliss the Stormraiser, a draconid general who had captured the Purian city of Apur and was using its people for experiments in the Forsaken Crypts. As a reward, the Coalition has bestowed the title of Crypt Conqueror unto Kazuto Morow and his group members, Meileen Elune, Saigo Thrall, Vash Quickdraw, and Aizen Shadowblade.
Frost and Gilda stepped back through the Void Gate. He made to yell to Meritus and Zod, informing them it was time to flee. But they were no longer near the Genesis Engine.
“They’re back,” shouted Meritus.
The group stood perhaps a hundred feet from the double doors. A blow landed on the door with a resounding boom. Another followed. And another. The doors shook. Stone and debris fell from the walls.
“Here I am, Herzl! Face me now!” Grenok’s bellow reverberated from the pyramid’s interior.
“Get to the portal.” Frost Strafed toward the sky-blue doorway. The others were ahead of him.
A roar echoed from above them. A panoply of lightning illuminated the gray murk. The black-scaled void dragon swept through the clouds, the beat of its wings buffeting Frost, billowing his cloak. This close, the dragon was the size of a building.
IM named it Ebonwing.
Upon Ebonwing’s back sat a man in green armor, his hair done in a top knot. A sword hilt jutted above one shoulder. Void energy crackled around both dragon and man. As the dragon spread its black wings, slowing its descent, the ‘man’ proved to be none other than the draconid herald, Herzl.
The dragon settled to the ground, the Genesis Engine between it and the door. It threw back its head and unleashed a roar. Herzl remained upon its back.
“Let’s go,” Gilda implored, tugging at Frost’s arm. “The others are gone already.”
Frost placed his hand atop hers without taking his eyes from the scene before him. “I have to see this. Just give me an Aether Barrier and join them.”
“As if I’d leave you alone. I promised not to let you die either, remember? We’ll watch together.” She cast an Aether Barrier around them and summoned her Aether Shields upon her forearms.
The double doors blasted outward. Grenok charged through, a mass of muscled demonic flesh, wings spread wide. Behind him, Frost made out Kazuto, Meileen, Saigo, the mask-wearing cannoneer, and one other WaR member at the shattered doorway.
Grenok slammed a foot into the ground, sending out a wave of darkness and stone. A moment later, he flung Shadow Globes and Nether Lances.
The void dragon spewed a bar of black energy. Herzl drew his sword.
The world seemed to slow, the spells creeping toward their targets and the Genesis Engine between them. They struck the Engine.
The world turned white. Searing heat washed over Frost. His ears rang. Something snatched him up and tossed him back through the portal.
Frost and Gilda materialized on rock-strewn ground. His armor, skin, and clothes were singed. Gilda’s were the same. Chunks of stone fell around them.
He thought a person was speaking to him. Many persons. If those slurred noises were voices. His ears were still ringing.
Hands fussed over him. They hustled him and Gilda away from the falling rocks.
Frost allowed his gaze to follow the arms up to faces. Meritus and the others were speaking to him. Yelling, he thought. Their mouths moved, but the words stretched. The disorientation lasted a few seconds more before the world adjusted.
Blue motes of Mikander’s Tears settled upon Frost’s skin. In moments, he felt refreshed. The ringing diminished to nothing.
“You should be good now, homie,” Meritus said.
“Thanks.” Frost looked to the group who were staring at him and Gilda.
They were standing at the bottom of the stairs just outside of Grenok’s area. The portal was gone. So was the orb. Stone and debris continued to fall, covering the ground where the priests had been. A gaping hole had replaced much of the roof.
“That, is what happens when attack spells strike a Genesis Engine,” Gearmaster Zod said. “The power is multiplied several times.”
“Does that mean Grenok and Herzl are dead?” Gilda took up a position next to Frost, staring up at the hole.
“I doubt it.” Zod shook his little brown head.
“And the WaR members?” Dante rested his axe’s haft on his shoulder.
“I saw them at the doorway to the roof.” Frost followed the path of a curtain or cloth as it swirled down. “If they’re as smart as I think, they avoided the explosion.”
“Then its past time we leave before either Herzl and Grenok return, or before WaR has time to regroup outside.” Saba was already halfway up the stairs. She raised her voice. “And I know one thing, you always accuse me of being too cautious, or scared, but think about our battle in Modra’s Keep. We’re lucky we didn’t blow ourselves up.”
“This is one time I agree with you.” With a chuckle, Frost followed the dresdor.
As they made their
way out, Frost looked to Meritus. “How’d we do on the crafts?”
Meritus sighed. “We only got two more Benedictions with a complete set of spells for each.”
“Damn.” Frost winced. “I was hoping for more, but they’ll have to do. Pass them to me, please.”
“What’s the plan for them?” Meritus handed the shards and zhua to Frost along with a few Bless vials.
“I promised one to Adesh Hamada. The other… well, we all have The Cure quest that needs completion.” Frost sprinkled the golden Bless fluid on the items.
“Too bad the Genesis Engine got destroyed,” Dante said.
“Yeah. But I just might have a solution to that.” Frost told them his plan.
CHAPTER 36
They departed the Crypts to a sky awash with evening’s rosy blush. Frost sent word to Adesh Hamada of their success and asked the man for one more favor. He thanked the Blue Sky leader for Gearmaster Zod’s services and gifted Adesh the other Benediction and a set of schemas. Gearmaster left to deliver. After retrieving their mounts, they rode to meet Vindicator Sadonia.
For Frost, the small amount of time spent with Pops was a tease. It made him hunger for more. There was a way for them to spend a day together. He just had to find it.
When they got to the front of the Crypts, there was no sign of Vindicator Sadonia. A Coalition captain was calling out orders and directing a full company of new troops. More were flying in atop various mounts in a sky empty of void beasts.
Frost rode over to the company’s leader. “Hi, captain, you happen to know where I might find Vindicator Sadonia?”
The captain jabbed his thumb behind him. “She’s back at the Temple of Jerad with the other corrupted.”
“Thanks.” Frost urged his drake forward.
“Is it me,” Gilda asked, “or did that just sound like he said Sadonia is corrupted?”
“That’s what I got from it. Let’s hurry.” Frost kicked his bolsters and sent his drake galloping toward the looming temple.
When they arrived, they navigated their way through the barricades. Mostly new players had taken up position on the stairs. But there were still several with the Herald of WaR.
The Forsaken Crypts Page 33