by Felix Craft
Five pairs faced off. The fight was chaotic, moving so seamlessly between the different people it was hard to tell who was on the same team, much less see if someone had an object we were supposed to go for. It only took me a moment more, though, to spot it — a glowing gold necklace, clinking on the breastplate of one determined looking guy around my age. He was fending off a spear-wielding, Amazonian-looking woman, though he didn’t look to be faring well, as the reach of his sword was much shorter and his buckler was small. Indeed, as I watched from my perch, she ran him through, and the young man slumped to his knees. A moment later, the necklace disappeared from his neck in a flash, and appeared promptly around the woman’s neck. I understood — you had to get the necklace to pass on, and to get it, you had to kill its current bearer.
“You have to get that necklace!” Leesha shouted from next to me, having come to the same conclusion.
I nodded. If I got it, I couldn’t lose it. I’d automatically pass us onto the next round.
But before I could go for the Amazon, a pair broke off from the others and headed straight over to engage us. Perhaps they thought we were easy pickings while they waited for their turn at the necklace.
“First things first!” I met their attack head on. The pair broke off to meet us, but to my surprise, the one who came for me just gave me a powerful kick in the chest. Taken off-guard, I barely recovered my footing in time. The plateau fell away under my heels, and I pitched myself forward, my heart beating fast.
But I didn't have time to wait around. I quickly realized why the pair had done what they had. They were just getting me out of the way so they could double-team Leesha. From the looks of it, my companion was putting up a good fight, but I knew it only a matter of time.
Silently I ran at our opponents, swinging my axe. At the last second, one of them turned and caught my blade in the curve of his. He twisted our interlocked weapons, and to my horror, my axe was wrenched my grasp.
The bastard grinned, but I had no intention of letting him smile for long. Charging, I grabbed hold of him in a bear hug and pushed him to the ground, then collapsed on top of him. We rolled about in the dust, hitting and grabbing at his axe. But I had a plan. Keeping him focused on the axe, we rolled one more time, and suddenly I let him take it back. The grin that appeared on his face didn’t last long, as he disappeared from sight over the side of the cliff. Not looking to see his fate, I raised myself up from the edge of the plateau and fetched my battle-axe, then looked to how Leesha was faring.
To my surprise, she was still fighting him — I’d expected her to have finished him already. But this player was older, and he fought determinedly now that his companion was gone, perhaps hoping to carry the contest. I had no intentions of letting that happen. I sprang behind him and brought my axe down like I’d intended the first time. This time, the blade lodged in his spine, and he went limp as something severed inside.
I pulled my axe from the twitching corpse. “You okay?” I shouted to Leesha as I looked for anyone else who might have run at us.
She was breathing raggedly. “Just a little wound.”
A lie. I didn't need to look over to tell it was major.
“Can you heal somehow? A potion or something?”
“On it,” came her muffled reply. A quick glance told me she had a stopper in her mouth.
“Make it quick!” Another pair had broken off from the knot and were running at us.
“Give me a minute!” she snapped.
Not letting it annoy me, I stepped between them and her, readying my stance. I couldn’t take two on one. I’d already discovered that earlier. There was only one way I was getting through this.
The pair was more than happy to both engage me as they ran up. But as their weapons flew at me, I hunched up into a particular position and hoped the Shell Trait wasn’t a bust. But a moment later, when their weapons rang off with barely a hit to my HP, I knew it had.
Knowing I had to keep their attention while Leesha healed, I came out of my hunch and swung in a wide arc at the pair, hoping to drive them back. They were too clever for that, though, and as my axe swung wide, one darted in with his sword and scored a cut in the gap at my shoulder. The wound burned, and my HP took a hit, but my arm was still usable. I drew my battle-axe back into a defensive posture, but as soon as I did, they launched a coordinated attack. For every blow I blocked, another clanged against my armor or cut into me. My HP dropped to 50, then 35, then low enough that I could barely read it anymore. My axe was heavy, my SP gone too. I didn't catch their swords anymore, but let them dart in and stab through the gaps securing my breastplate.
The pain made me want to die. As I fell to the ground, bleeding from a dozen wounds, my HP bottomed out. I wished I could have the release everyone else got. Or just feel twenty percent of the pain rather than all of it. But Danny’s cruel glitch hadn’t sorted itself out. Like clockwork, seconds after I should have died, a feeling like a horse kicking me pounded in my chest, and I sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. The players, already turned from me to prey on Leesha, spun back with shocked expressions.
Breath rattling in my lungs, I knocked that expression off one of their faces with a beleaguered swing. The blow didn’t have enough force behind it to finish him off, but the swordsman stepped back, clutching at his face and roaring in surprise and pain. Not stopping, I threw all my ragged strength into another swing, this time at his partner, who had been forced to turn and deal with Leesha. Too occupied by my companion to turn, the axe lodged into his spin, and he gasped and collapsed. Leesha was on him in moments, ending his turn at the first round.
His fellow was back at me, sword leading. Bone-deep weariness prevented me from stopping the blade from piercing my side, once again flatlining my HP. But though I slumped to the ground, mind numb, it was again but moments before the pain of life came flooding back into me. I staggered to my feet, meeting the swordsman’s amazed gaze.
“What are you?” he gasped.
I tried to answer with something witty, but only foam came out of my mouth. I was standing, but I wasn’t in great shape. Fortunately, Leesha was up to the task, for she leapt up at him and forced him back to the cliff’s edge, then somehow tripped him off it. I slumped back to my knees once I saw him fall.
Leesha rushed back to stand next to me. “You going to make it?”
I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded. With all the red-hot pain in my body, I wished I wouldn’t. But I had to win. I couldn’t let anything stop me.
She pressed a vial into my hands. “Drink it.”
I obliged, chugging the liquid as fast as I could, then gagging. It tasted like hot chili peppers laced with vinegar. Burned like it, too. But I immediately felt the healing properties of the potion setting in, my wounds already starting to close.
Through swimming vision, I saw there was just one pair left. The Amazonian woman with the spear still wore the golden necklace, and she had her weapon leveled warily at us from twenty feet away. Next to her stood a masked figure holding two wickedly curved knives. I decided the warrior was a woman based on the shape of her figure under the leathers.
“As soon as you’re ready, Z” Leesha said through gritted teeth. “Take your fucking time.”
I would have cursed her out if I could have, but all I could do was wearily rise to my feet again, leaning heavily on my axe. The reboot this time came with less of a spurt of energy than the first. I wondered if it was a downward trend, and each time I came back I’d be less strong than before. It didn’t bode well for fighting this pair.
“A Level 17 and a Level 18,” Leesha informed me. “No problem for you, right?”
“Cheaters,” the masked one said, her voice definitely a woman’s, and heavily accented. I thought she might be Japanese. “You cheat.”
I laughed raggedly. I tried out words, and they came this time. “Believe me, I feel cheated.”
“You will not win,” the Amazon said, her accent more European. Italian maybe. “You are ch
eats, but still weak.”
“How about you stop talking and come find out how weak we are?” Leesha began scraping her knives together, sending sparks flying from them. I would have rolled my eyes at the cheesiness of it had I not been still boiling with pain. At least my HP was back up to 60.
The pair stopped mincing words, suddenly darting forward and crossing the plateau in seconds. I lifted my battle-axe back into a ready position and met their charge. The Amazon went for me while the ninja went for Leesha, and she looked every bit ready to prod me off the cliff edge if she could. I knocked aside one thrust, then two, but her darting spear was quicker than me, and she scored two small hits. Small as they were, they punched hard, and I found I’d taken a 20-point loss. I couldn’t keep fighting this way and win.
Out of sheer desperation, I dropped my axe and seized onto her spear with both hands, then pulled. I’d hoped to send her off balance, but I found it was I who went stumbling as I pulled, for the Amazon had let go of her weapon and ran forward, a knife materializing in her hand. My options limited, I swept the spear shaft at her legs, but she nimbly jumped over it and crossed the distance, then swiped at me with her dagger. I blocked with an armor and reacted with Disarm on instinct, and was pleasantly surprised to see it work and the knife go flying from her hand. The Amazon scowled in annoyance, but she just proceeded to work with her fists, one then another catching me in the nose. My HP was in serious trouble now, and I was dangerously close to the edge. One or two more hits would do me in.
My assailant leaped, her foot lashing out and catching me in the chest. I knew I was going over, but I reached out for her, seeking to drag her down, too. One hand missed, but the other latched onto a piece of her pants. The Amazon’s eyes went wide, then the ground fell out from under us.
The last thing I remembered was the sky high above, blue and filled with fluffy white clouds. A good, clear day, perfect for playing a game of football. I wished I were doing that right now.
The impact came, then the pain, followed by darkness.
26
Loaded Dice?
I opened my eyes to a vaguely familiar slatted wooden ceiling. It settled in a moment after that — the inn where we were staying, Jonathan’s Place. I was back in my rented bed.
Disappointment came first. Some part of me had been hoping I’d appear in my own bed, back on Earth. But no. I was still stuck in MythRune.
Leesha must have heard me stirring, for she was by my side a moment later. “You’re awake!” she exclaimed, eyes bright as she looked down at me. “You remember what happened?”
I groaned and sat up. “Kind of.”
“We won! We’re one of sixteen teams into the second round!”
That was good news, but I was having trouble summoning any excitement. “How did it happen?”
“Well, you pulled that spear maiden off the plateau, and that was pretty much it from there. The necklace transferred from her as soon as she stopped writhing, to you, and no one was going to be able to get it from you, thanks to your wonderful glitch. Your armor didn’t come out as well, by the way — it’s in the shop with Mikam getting repaired.”
I looked down at my exposed chest, but of course I didn’t see any of the many wounds I’d received, even if I still felt them all very clearly. “Did anyone try?”
She looked away uncomfortably. “Well, yeah, actually. Her teammate. She kind of lost her head after her partner went over the edge, then jumped halfway down to get to her. She tried everything she could to get it off you until I got there.” Leesha grimaced. “I’m glad you don’t remember it.”
I shuddered, imagining how gruesome that had become. The ways that would you remove an unremovable necklace did not seem pleasant. Even though I didn’t remember it, knowing that it had happened to me still rattled my nerves. MythRune was all too real for me.
“So, we won. Now what?”
“Now we’re heroes, in case you couldn’t tell.” She struck a sardonic pose. “Every player under 15 is looking up to us with admiration at beating all those higher levels. Especially you. They’re already calling you “Deathless,” even though half of them probably don’t know the truth behind it.”
“Which means half of them do.”
“Well, yeah.” Leesha shrugged. “It was going to come out eventually.”
I groaned again. So much for not attracting attention. But then again, so long as it was Danny’s attention I attracted first, the rest maybe wouldn’t matter. “Is that going to be a problem?”
Leesha shook her head. “I don’t think so. Now that the tournament is underway, I don’t think they’ll want to pull us out. Maybe they’ll question us. Who knows?” She shrugged. “Your glitch does look an awful lot like cheating.”
“Believe me, they wouldn’t think that if they could feel everything.”
“Don’t be a baby. You’re not really hurt, are you? Besides, when we have the pile of cash —”
“When you have the pile of cash, you mean.”
“Whatever. It will all be worth it. You’ll get what you want, too, won't you? Talking to the big man himself, and all that.”
I didn’t argue. I’d do whatever it took to get in contact with Danny at this point.
I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck. Just like after a hard game, I was sore from head to toes. It wasn’t a bad feeling. In fact, it actually made me miss the glory days a bit. “What now, sidekick?”
Leesha rolled her eyes. “Now, we go soak in the glory. Though before you come down, you might check for notifications.”
Only then did I notice the waiting messages. Drawing them up, I was surprised at what they said.
Congratulations, adventurer! You have reached level 8! Boost your stats by 10 HP, 10 SP, or 10 MP and assign 2 AP (Tier 1) and 1 AP (Tier 2) within your ability trees.
Congratulations, adventurer! You have reached level 9! Boost your stats by 10 HP, 10 SP, or 10 MP and assign 2 AP (Tier 1) and 1 AP (Tier 2) within your ability trees.
Congratulations, adventurer! You have reached level 10! Boost your stats by 10 HP, 10 SP, or 10 MP and assign 2 AP (Tier 1), 2 AP (Tier 2), and 1 AP (Tier 3) within your ability trees.
“Three levels and a new tier?” I observed without terribly much enthusiasm. I knew it’d be useful having all those AP, but it just wasn’t as exciting as I thought it’d be.
“Not bad! I got two,” Leesha said. “That's probably the biggest bump we’ll get in the tournament, though. If all goes as they say it will, we’ll be facing single pairs at a time now. But who knows? Maybe there will be bonus XP for winning rounds.”
“I wouldn’t mind that.”
“I'll bet you wouldn’t, noob.” She leaned over and ruffled my hair, and I swatted her away. “I’ll be downstairs buying drinks when you want to join me. Dinner’s on me!”
I nodded, and my companion left. Figuring now was as good a time as ever to assign my new AP, I pulled up my stats.
Name: Zane_SD21
Level: 10
Profession: —
Faction: —
Runecoins: 1226
- HP: 140/140
- SP: 120/120
- MP: —/100
Affinities:
- Battle-axe: Level 7 - 8%
- Sneak: Level 3 - 62%
- Javelin: Level 1 - 32%
- Heavy Armor: Level 3 - 14%
- Tracking: Level 1 - 20%
Ability Trees:
- Combat
- Tier 1
Battle-axe: Damage +20% (4)
Battle-axe: Swing Speed +10% (2)
Battle-axe: Block +5% (1)
Heavy Armor: Defense +15% (3)
- Tier 2
Battle-axe: Hook & Hack +5% (1)
Heavy Armor: Shell +5% (1)
- Calisthenics
- Tier 1
Dodge +10% (2)
- Tier 2
Disarm +5% (1)
- Survival
- Industry
- Civil (available a
t level 20)
- Magic (available at level 20)
There were several things on my mind as I thought about placing the points. First, I was thinking through what had been useful in Round 1 of the tournament, as well as the areas where I’d been deficient. Speed was definitely one area where I was hurting. Nearly every one of my opponents had been faster than me. There were several ways I could address that — by increasing swing speed of my axe, increasing dodge and agility through calisthenics, or improving my heavy armor trait of making my weight penalties less severe.
On the plus side were all the Tier 2 skills I’d gathered. All of them had been useful at one point or another, and I wanted to increase that repertoire if I could. Making my choices even harder was that fact that a third tier had opened up for my skill trees, providing more complicated skills with increased results, but higher rates of failure.
Now to assign my points. I invested 20 points in HP and 10 in SP. For Tier 1 traits, I placed a point each in agility, dodge, and heavy armor weight to help with movement speed, as well as one AP in heavy armor defense and two in battle-axe swing speed. With my Tier 2 AP, I acquired four new skills. First was Flurry Blow, which allowed for a series of small swings to be 50% faster but deal half as much damage. Second, Lock & Twist, a blocking move in which I hooked the enemy weapon with my battle-axe and twisted it away. It would be a good addition to Disarm, as well as to Hook & Hack. I also picked up a javelin skill — Steady Shot, which was easily disrupted, but if I had 3 seconds concentration, I gained 75% accuracy to single throw. It had a pretty limited use, but I realized I had very few options against a ranged opponent at this point and had better plan ahead. Last, I picked up another general combat move called Counterattack, which was a reactive blow that dealt 150% of the damage I’d taken immediately before the attack.
For Tier 3 traits, I took one that I was very curious to see how it would turn out — Juggernaut, a heavy-armor move in which you ran at the enemy and dealt back double any damage you took while charging. Perfect for a meat shield like me, and it paired well with Counterattack, as they’d be relevant in different situations.