by A O Storm
Both men were grinning when the three finished the next run, neither of them wrecking once. He taught them both how to give a high five and they did so, smacking each other’s hands with enthusiasm. Kano enjoyed the moment. “Let’s go for one more run and then I’ll race you guys down to the road. From there we gotta get to the docks and hurry back to Three Rivers.”
“Why the sudden rush, Kano?” Luke asked, concerned.
“I’ll explain when we’re on the boat,” Kano said, trudging back up the hill to enjoy one last ride.
Twenty-Nine - Beauty is in the Eye
“I’m not keen on doing this trip at night, Kano,” Luke grumbled as he rowed.
“It’ll be fine,” Kano said, his oars in tandem with the other man. They were traveling up the Outlaw River with Randy holding the rudder peering into the darkness in front of them. Leaving the city on the Appleway was not an option, it would take too long. At the fork, they took the branch where the Outlaw merged with the Appleway. The rapids and terrain made the Outlaw river faster, but also more dangerous. A lantern at the tip of the bow gave them just enough light to see when they veered too close to the bank.
“I’m too young to be a cannibal’s breakfast,” Luke complained in whispers as they pulled the oars. “Or drown, I’m really too young to drown out here.”
“You’d be too tough for them to chew, old man,” Randy whispered back.
“Guys, let’s just get back home before the sun comes up. The goddess is behind this decision, not me,” Kano whispered back loudly and the two men went quiet for the rest of the trip. The hours went by with crickets chirping from the banks, a sound that made Kano feel more confident in their late night trip remaining uneventful.
The morning was still hours from seeing the sun crest over the horizon when the boat pulled up to dock in Three Rivers. Though swift, the passage had been stressful. The three men worked in silence as they tied up the boat and brought ashore some of the supplies they didn’t want to retrieve later. Exhaustion was obvious on the faces of Randy and Luke who both stretched wearily. They shuffled behind Kano as he stepped quickly up the dock and started to make a beeline for the inn.
Kano paused after jumping down the three steps from the dock to the shore and turned back to the men following him. “Guys, you go get some sleep and we’ll get everything sorted with Thomas around noon, okay?” They both nodded in agreement too tired to protest or pretend they could function.
As they peeled off toward their homes, Randy turned back to him. “It was a good trip, Kano. You’re going to be a great man in this town, I think. I’m glad I got to know you. We’ll drop by the inn first before we go see Thomas, you get some sleep, too,” he said, yawning. Kano said good night and Randy did the same, walking quickly to catch up to his brother. Luke punched him on the shoulder. He could hear them bickering and taunting one another as they left.
He would love to take Randy’s advice and head to the Inn and sleep until noon himself but the warning from Abnoba was haunting him. Heart racing, Kano tried to calm the adrenaline surging through his body as he told himself everything would be fine. If the good people of the town got killed because of him, Kano knew he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.
What kind of sick bastard would choose to be an evil character in this game? The NPCs are so real I keep forgetting they aren’t.
Kano hurried toward the inn carrying the sandboard under one arm and the pack he’d pretended to fill with what he picked up in the city. He learned his lesson in being prepared from the almost disastrous trip to fix the mine and despite not knowing what was coming he knew he’d be as ready as he could be to meet it.
He thought about the last item he’d picked up before he found the sandboards. Initially, he planned to use the item to augment another boat, increasing commerce, or customer flow for the White Rabbit. Now he was plotting on keeping it. Kano fished the small piece of metal out from the plain canvas bag and examined it again.
His sense magic ability told him the item was powerful in the shop, which was why he’d bought it, despite using so much of his own Mananite ore to do so.
According to the guild wizard, the enchanted metal was used to power ferried boats or dinghies behind larger boats. Rather than making oars easier to move, this device relied on momentum to guide it. As the towing craft pulled the trailing boat, the bow would dip down slightly, activating the empowered movement of the item. When the boat in front stopped, the trailing boat’s bow would rise up and the item would gently reverse until it was level again, avoiding collisions. While only good for an hour a day, the power in the item was potent while it lasted.
After the acquisition of the sandboard, Kano had a more creative idea in mind than using the magic item on a boat. The guy did warn me that it was tricky to get a boat out of the water and to keep it level on land, so it’s gotta work on land too, right? He grinned in anticipation as he stuffed the item back into his leather bag. Focusing on his destination, he looked up and saw he was less than fifty yards from the inn.
The stars were still bright and a crescent moon rested to the east. Kano was sure the sky was not the same as his world; the constellations were all different, for one. For another, the moon seemed to never change position, even though they’d been up all night. Normally, it would have rose or fell at least once, Kano thought, even though the shape looks right, it’s not the Earth moon at all. The only clouds in the sky hovered close to the moon, as if they were rendered together and bonded for life.
Maybe the goddess was wrong. Maybe I can stop them all here? I’ve grown. Surely, I’ve gained enough by now to hold my own, right? Kano pondered the thought, but couldn’t help wondering how the goddess had known so much about his own world. Other players login, so there is a way of getting information into the game, from outside. Makes me wonder if the in game AI, or goddess, can access the outside in similar fashion? Would explain a bit, he thought.
Kano leaned back against a fence post across from the inn and folded his arms. How strong am I now? He brought up his character screen and sighed a bit, he had grown enough for the next level, but he was still far from powerful.
Character name:
Kano
Profession:
Innkeeper
Class:
Druid
Level:
6
Experience Points:
11,600
Next Level:
14,000
Energy Points (Max)
40 (70)
Health Points (Max):
100 (110)
Mana points (Max):
130 (130)
Complications:
Lack of sleep
-10 energy points
Kano looked closer, my energy must be low from missing sleep, he reasoned. Now that I have another ten attribute points, I’m not sure how I should spend them. If I meet any new characters that aren’t trying to kill me, I’m definitely going to ask them what they know about the game.
“Or you could just ask me,” a soft voice brushed his ears and he recognized Abnoba right away. Are you still in Boon Peak, Kano thought at her. And you know that’s a bit creepy when you do that, right?
“You can speak, and you’re right,” she said, “I imagine if you could randomly peek into my head, it would scar both of us.” Abnoba’s voice said drily. “To answer your question, my avatar is still in the capital. Are you prepared?”
“I hope so,” Kano said quietly. “Is there anything you can tell me about what’s coming or how we can stop it?”
“Look to your left.” Her words trailed off, and Kano’s heart jumped.
He’d started pacing and turned the direction Abnoba indicated, back toward the docks where he’d come from. In the darkness he saw a small green light, then two, then three, then a dozen swarmed around like fireflies dancing in the distance.
The moonlight cast a shadow over the road and Kano watched the space in front of the building where the shadow ended a
nd the cool glow began. The green lights came closer to where Kano stood, and he could feel panic welling up his chest.
Shit, it’s here?
An eight-foot mass of flesh and tentacles hovered eerily quiet over the ground. The central eye was half the size of its body, mounted in the top half of the creature, squinting and peering above a large mouth lined with ivory spikes that looked to have no function other than to cause injury. The green lights came from the tips of a dozen tentacles, flailing about, atop the beast’s head. Kano had the distinct impression watching the movements the tentacles were searching for something.
It’s probably me, Kano thought. He briefly considered fleeing back to the inn. He wasn’t sure what the beast was called in this world, but he recognized the general resemblance to a beholder, a murderous death-ray blasting creature from early role playing games that made appearances in mmorpg’s he’d played in high school.
Kano thought he’d have more time before the threat arrived. The early appearance of the creature might not give him the opportunity to lure the monster out of town. Slowly, Kano ducked behind the corner fence post and then activated his heads up display. What in the fuck is that thing?
Name:
Xritzka: The God Killer
Level:
???
Class:
Boss
Energy Points (Max)
???
Health Points (Max):
???
Mana points (Max):
???
Skills:
Force Beam (50% chance to stun)
Kinetic Shield (Tentacles have a 90% chance of stopping projectiles)
Disintegrate (Instant death within 10 paces of blast)
Devour Flesh (Xritzka gains 20% health by consuming his victim)
???
Rather than a level, the beast questions marks, along with the same for health points, mana, energy and even one of its skills. Though the skills listed were already bad enough: Devour Flesh (Heal), Force Beam (Large Eye), Kinetic Shield (Tentacles), and Disintegrate (Tentacles). The creature’s name was Xritzka: The God Killer, and the class was listed as boss.
If I beat this, at least I’ll be able to see if the creature’s class means what I’m hoping it means, Kano thought, trying to steady his frayed nerves as he watched the thing.
The beast stopped in the road as it came fully into the light of the moon, it’s tentacles going from an erratic flail to a uniform sway circling, the fleshy limbs moving in tandem. He watched as it hovered and took a small step back to put even more space between them. As his foot came down behind him, the creature’s eye sprung wide open, a white veined surface centered by a pitch-black iris and pupil in the middle.
KANO! A guttural voice exploded in Kano’s head. COME TO ME OR I WILL SLAUGHTER EVERYONE. He winced at the intensity of the voice and the words felt like hammers pounding at the inside of his skull.
“How about you come at me and try! You flying meatball!” Kano yelled back. He didn’t feel any bravado; he was just hoping to maybe get the creature to follow him away from the village, where it couldn’t hurt anyone else.
ACCEPTABLE, the voice rang in his skull and the creature started moving toward him. The thing accelerated as Kano watched for a moment, surprised his gambit worked. As the floating meatball picked more speed than a man running at full sprint, Kano finally spun and ran in the opposite direction, toward the new village firebreak.
Kano only made it a few yards before he heard yelling behind him. Distant, but not too far behind where the creature had appeared. He glanced back and saw that the beast had stopped again and was facing behind him. Kano stopped as well and searched for what made the thing stop. There were at least two voices screaming, broken up by heavy steps charging down the road.
“For the goddess!” Kano heard a familiar voice scream as the owners of the heavy steps broke into the moonlight. Randy and Luke were wielding torches and swords, screaming at the creature, prepared to fight.
Kano knew they would die if he didn’t do something. “NO! RUN!!” He screamed at his friends then focused on the beast, “It’s ME you want, ugly! Come get me!”
YOU CARE FOR THESE? I WILL TEAR THEM APART JUST TO HEAR THEM SCREAM, the creature responded in his head.
As the two men got within striking distance of the beast, a violet aura pulsed around its large eye, knocking Larry and Randy off their feet before they could get close. Kano frantically knocked an arrow, taking aim at the creature, firing as quick as he could. The arrow flew and hit something solid an armspan away from the back of the flying fleshball. Bouncing away, the arrow changed course, flying toward the inn before dropping to the ground, inertia spent.
“Seems to have some kind of shield, shit,” Kano mumbled, frantically looking for another way to distract it.
Maybe that scroll I got as the Hero’s Bounty? Kano quickly stuck his hand into his magic bag, concentrating on the scroll. He’d forgotten to try to read it after learning the magic script from studying the oarlocks, and frantically tore the ribbon off the rolled up paper, anxious to see if he could use what it contained.
Fully unrolled, Kano studied the weird script for a moment and then the scroll started glowing in his hands. Rays of blue white light burst forth, flashing into his eyeballs, searing his brain as the lettering disappeared from the parchment. The light continued for only a second in reality but for Kano, it was as if the light shot into his mind for long minutes, etching knowledge of how to use a new spell into his brain.
Yes, he thought, I can use this.
He quickly opened his display and brought up the spell list to find what he just learned.
Spells and Magical Capabilities
Spell Name
Description
Casting Requirements
Mana Point Cost
Fix Injury II
Heals the target of some amount of health points, either caster or another humanoid, up to twenty health points per cast. Will not work on non-humanoid creatures.
Gestures and focus only, no spoken words or material components.
15
Animal Speak I
Enables caster to communicate with creatures at or below the level of intelligence of a Squirrel and give them commands.
Squirrels must be within 10 yards for beginner level spell, requires spoken words and gestures, no material components.
15
Air Elemental I
Summons an air elemental, a creature of pure wind, which can be directed and cause a breeze of up to ten miles per hour in the direction of the casters choosing. Wind created lasts up to three minutes, wind speed increase limited to ten miles per hour, or current wind speed plus ten miles per hour.
Gesture in the direction the wind will blow, focus, and speak a magic word.
40
After he read the description, he started racking his brain to figure out how to use it on the fleshy eye beast. The dirt! It’s everywhere. He pointed and focused at the ground around the God Killer and let the spell loose.
A heavy gust of wind nearly pushed Kano forward a step, blasting toward the dusty road and floating creature. The wind spun up a sand devil around the beast and the tentacled eye monster wobbled in the air before bellowing out a thunderous roar of pain.
YOU BURNED MY EYE! I WILL BURN YOUR FLESH! It screamed into Kano’s head as it turned to face him once again.
“Good boy, come and get me,” Kano said, backpedalling and ready to sprint once again toward the edge of the village. The heads up display was still in his vision and he glanced at the mana bar, seeing it was now almost one third empty after his last cast. Two more, I need a plan. He has too much of an advantage out here in the open.
However, Kano didn’t make it far when he tried to run.
The creature’s eye flashed violet in the moonlight and he felt his body sailing backward through the air before hard gravel broke his fall. He scraped along the rough road, shredding the skin along one arm and leg
, his pants tearing away at the knee.
The burning pain running up his body weren’t something he could spare any thought for despite the raw, flaming agony of his harsh landing. Head ringing, Kano pushed himself up to his knees and tried to stand, using his good arm for leverage. As he looked up at the beast following him, Xritzka’s fanged smile grew wider, dripping saliva into the dirt below. It’s tentacles were all turned toward Kano, the green glowing tips shifting to a dark crimson hue as it stopped ten paces shy of him.
THE ONE WHO SUMMONED ME WANTS YOUR HEAD. BEFORE I TAKE IT, I WILL TEAR OFF YOUR LEGS AND EAT THEM WHILE YOU WATCH. It taunted him, hovering slowly toward him now, as if it enjoyed seeing the terror on Kano’s face, confident he couldn’t escape.
Well, I guess this ends with me watching myself get eaten. Somehow that seems ironic after I complained about the food, Kano chuckled, despite the pain in his limbs. He watched as death floated its way over to him.