Who would let someone else torture them? Eli thought, a grimace forming on his face.
“You’d be surprised.” The guide responded.
Everything was flying over Eli’s head as if Don was speaking in code or a different language. “Uh, okay,” Eli said. Realizing that he was wasting time, he wouldn’t be able to understand any of this unless he could first get a grasp on what the system and his new situation was.
So, I’m still confused, he thought to his AI helper.
“Yeah, that’s a lot of information in a short time. Don’t worry; I’ll let you know about important information and when you’re missing out on vital game functions. I will not hold your hand, so try to figure some stuff out on your own.”
Thanks, I guess.
After sorting out what he could from Don’s haphazard introduction to his HUD, Eli’s thoughts went to his family, and how much he just wanted to rest. A grim realization settled on him before dread set in, “Shit!” he yelled, causing Don to jump, raising a fist. Kata could still be out there, and she could be in danger. I have to go! he thought as the images from before his death washed over him.
“Calm down.” The unisex voice called out to him, “You still have a lot to learn.”
Eli sprang past Don into the open air, not listening to the AI’s words. He passed through two sets of large, gilded double doors as he ran.
“Yo, man. Wait up!” The strange Turta called after him as Eli sprinted, Don following on his heels.
Eli didn’t stop. It would take at least a day, maybe two, to reach his cabin from Dawnport, and he didn’t have a minute to spare. His body moved on instinct and memory alone as he shoved his way through crowds of people. Some were players, their names posted above their heads in blue lettering as he got closer. Others were citizens, their names displayed in grey, or gold, with some turning red after he ran through them. Several notifications came and went in rapid succession at the bottom of his field of view. He didn’t pay any attention to them.
“You’ve just aggro'd several NPCs. You’re also losing reputation at an alarming rate.” Eli heard the monotone voice but paid little attention.
He was making his way through the city towards the westernmost entry, towards his home. He didn’t have time to notice the multitude of small reputation loss triggers that flooded into his notification window. The guards stationed at the gate, Carl and Derek, were his friends, they would take care of it. He had traded and gambled with them for years. Eli and Derek had served together in the Three Factions War. There was little they would not do for each other.
Stalls with foodstuffs, weapons, armor, and other wares flashed by as Eli weaved in and out of traffic, bumping people into stalls and goods. More than once, Eli’s shoulder clipped someone and caused them to drop what they were holding. Notifications followed. He didn’t care. He didn’t have time to worry about anything but getting home.
“Dude, slow down!” Don’s voice rang out, getting close. “You’ll get yourself -”
Eli shut out the distractions of the world, as the green-skinned fool hurried after him, his voice trailing off as the gap between them widened. Focusing on the task ahead of him, he pumped as much of his newfound strength into the earth below him. His legs burned as he forced them to pick up speed. Energy sparked through his changed form like currents of lightning, filling him with newfound energy. Another new notification. It vanished as soon as it appeared. He had to keep moving.
“Calm down; you’re acting irrationally. I told you. Your family is not alive.”
That can’t be true. I have to see it for myself. I have to see her for myself.
The large city walls of intermingled wood and stone came into view, their sturdy bases provided for an excellent defense against a siege. Two guard towers stood on either side of a towering metal clad entry gate, their wooden walls filled with murder holes and a multitude of small windows. Eli knew that each had a small station with several bunks at the bottom. He had played cards there with Carl, just two weeks prior to his death. The gate itself stood over twenty feet in height, yet the towers were taller still. Nearly there, he sprinted faster, before his world turned upside down.
Air rushed to escape Eli’s lungs as a solidly built, metal-clad arm shot across his chest. The study limb caused his torso to come to an immediate stop, while his legs flew out from underneath him. One moment he was racing forward and the next he saw only sky. His back slammed to the cobblestone street forcibly evacuating his remaining breath. Eli’s world became nothing but a lack of oxygen, and pain as new notifications popped up. This time he paid attention to the much larger notifications that screamed with nearly unavoidable importance.
Gate Guard Derek - LVL 45 hits you with Takedown.
25 damage taken.
Effect: Movement reduced to zero for 3 seconds
Three human men surrounded him, all clad in mail armor, blades drawn. “Damn it, Eli, I tried to tell you!” Don’s voice came from a quickly gathering crowd.
“He did.” His AI guide added.
Not helping. Eli thought, clutching his chest as he looked up at the faces of the men surrounding him.
They were city guards judging by the armor they wore and the symbol on their chest. A large blazing sun with a ship at its center sat embroidered in the middle of their blue and silver tabards.
“We said halt, ya filthy beast.” The one who had slammed him to the ground shouted in a cockney accent, “What the hell ya think yer doin', smashin' up the place.”
The guard took a step forward, grabbing both of Eli’s wrists with such speed and strength that Eli had no time to respond. In a single breath, Eli found himself clasped in manacles, as his weapons had vanished.
“You’re restrained. I’ll show the notification.”
*Effect: Restrained, until freed from restraints, or you escape your bonds*
Don stepped in to view as Eli resisted against his restraints, earning himself a swift blow to the back of his head. The pommel of the guard’s sword nearly caused Eli to blackout.
Gate Guard Derek (Level 45) hits you with Stunning Strike.
22 damage taken.
Effect: Dazed - movement speed and coordination reduced by 75% for 3 seconds. Chance for an opponent to land a critical hit increases by 25%
The notification caused Eli to look up at his health bar, which was now flickering. The few hits he took, reduced his health by a third. He knew that if that health bar dropped to zero, he would die again. Eli’s muscles burned, and pain ripped through his wrists as he struggled against the heavy metal handcuffs.
Health: 93/140
Noticing the name on the second alert made Eli look back up at the guard, who was dragging him to his feet by the wrists. The familiar face of Derek stared back at him. His messy brown hair and crooked, broken looking nose, poked through the T-shaped visor of his helmet.
“Derek!” Eli pleaded, staring into the deep brown eyes of his old friend, “Please.”
There was no friendliness found there, only anger and disgust.
“It’s me, Eli Miller. Let me out of here, Kata’s in trouble,” he stammered, hoping for a sign of recognition.
“Oh, that fuckin does it,” The burly guard shouted at him, “First, you run around town crashin' through nice folks, busting up the place.”
Gate Guard Derek (Level 45) hits you with an unarmed strike.
10 damage taken.
“Then, yah, tell me yer ma old friend Eli. Hell, ya even got his bow.”
Another blow rained down, this time with more force, causing vessels in Eli’s right eye to burst, his vision dimming slightly. Staggering pain radiated through Eli’s entire body, causing the world to spin around him.
Gate Guard Derek (Level 45) hits you with an unarmed strike. * Critical hit!
32 damage taken.
Effects: Dazed - Movement speed and coordination reduced by 75% for 3 seconds. Chance for an opponent to land a critical hit increases by 25%.
Temporary Blindness - You are partially blind. Vision reduced by 50% for 10 seconds.
“How do I know you didn’t kill Eli and his sweet wife? You fuckin' adventurers treat this world like it’s a game.”
Eli’s chest collapsed, as blood sprayed from his mouth. The kick was swift and backed by enough force to crack a rib. Warm crimson liquid sprayed to the cobblestone as more air rushed from his already deprived lungs.
Gate Guard Derek (Level 45) hits you with an unarmed strike. *Critical Hit
35 damage taken.
Effects: Broken rib - movement speed reduced by 50% for 30 seconds*
*You have internal bleeding! You lose 1hp per second for 5 seconds*
Derek peered into Eli’s destroyed face. “Then what. Ya kill Lil' Eric and Savannah, too.” Spit landed directly into his ravaged eye, causing it to sting and lengthening the countdown on his blindness. “All so you could get a new bow, maybe some food and armor. Looks like yah even took his axe.” Strong hands clasped Eli by the collar of his tunic. “Yer lucky I don’t kill yah right here, fuckin beast.” Derek bellowed inches from Eli’s face.
More spittle landed on Eli’s eyes and nose before Derek stood him on his feet. Eli sagged, realizing that the man before him, his friend, no longer saw the old battle buddy Eli Miller. He saw a Half-Wolffen imposter, who had stolen his friend’s bow and possibly killed an innocent man’s family. The gravity of his situation broke him as he started weeping.
“Derek, I beg of you, you don’t understand. Please let me go. They are in trouble.” Heavy blood-stained tears flowed forth like a river, breaking apart an aging dam. “At least take me to my cabin. There might still be time. Savannah, Kata, Eric, they might still be alive,” The words came disjointed as Eli’s fractured rib put pressure on his lungs.
“Don’t kill em’, Derek. He’ll just come back all sparkly and new.” Another voice came from the crowd of guards. Then Eli’s world went black with a series of notifications flashing by before he fell limp.
Gate Guard Derek (Level 45) hits you with an unarmed strike.
20 nonlethal damage taken.
*You are unconscious*
Chapter 6
Eli could still see his health, stamina, and mana bars, but nothing else. If it weren’t for that little glimmer of hope, he would have sworn he was dead, because the math didn’t add up. He had taken more damage than he had health. Then he saw it, the words nonlethal on the final blow. Derek was keeping him alive.
Health: 1 / 140
Eli’s vision slowly returned as his world spun. His eyes were cloudy, obscured by a dense gray haze. AS he squinted through his pain, an opaque countdown timer filled his vision.
Unconscious: 5
The world blurred into focus ever so slightly as sensation returned, the countdown timer shrinking and becoming more translucent.
Unconscious: 4
Eli’s head scraped against something hard, bouncing against tiny sharp objects.
He mumbled through a small pool of blood in his throat. “Am I being dragged by my feet?”
Unconscious: 3
The now bright red notification symbol blinked rapidly, a small chime pinging in the back of his mind.
Unconscious: 2
What happened? His thoughts were groggy and slow.
“An angry guard, who has no recollection of you, because you are no longer an NPC, knocked you unconscious. You are no longer that character and do not belong to any in-game continuity. No NPC you have ever met will remember you.” The guide’s voice came through harsh and very clear. “I tried to warn you. So did that, Turta.”
Eli’s heart sank at her words as he stared at his nearly empty health bar. It sat flashing; the numbers hovering at its center, filling him with fear. Even as his health regenerated, he knew that he was just one accident away from death.
I’m going to die again. He thought, unable to move.
Unconscious: 1
As Eli’s vision stabilized, sensation crept back into the rest of his limbs. The restraints on his arms and legs moved slightly, as he twitched. Then the countdown faded from view as reality snapped back into focus, and his motor functions returned to normal.
Unconscious: 0
Now fully aware of every aspect of his situation, Eli panicked. Pressing with all of his bestial might, he bent the manacles at his wrists. Blood seeped from fresh wounds, as the cold metal formed fresh lacerations.
“Derek, let me go!” he pleaded, looking up at the man dragging him through the cobblestone streets.
“Can’t do that, bud. You gotta learn a lesson.” The man growled, “You fuckin adventurers gotta learn that we aren’t to be messed with, and it’s my job to teach ya'.”
Noticing for the first time that he was all but naked, Eli’s face turned red. His nearly sheer linen underwear was the only thing protecting him from the elements and the staring eyes of a growing number of onlookers. A moment later, they passed the gate of the main city towards the western slums. Filled with fury, at the thought of losing his bow, Eli redoubled his efforts to break free of his shackles. The manacles tightened as he struggled.
Are these things enchanted, Eli thought, as his ability to fight the cold iron clasps lessened with every attempt to free himself.
The rings wound so tight that they bit into his flesh, as each ounce of struggle caused the bindings to tighten further.
“Oh, and don’t worry about lettin’ you go. I will,” Derek said in a cold, grim tone. “I’ll let ya’ go real soon.”
Eli felt, more than saw, the change in the quality of paving. Cool stone, smoothed by years of wear, turned to rough unkempt dirt filled with gravel. The rocks bit into his flesh, leaving gouges and scrapes along his back and head. He was on the wagon road through the slums, and the only thing keeping him from death was his high constitution. As he continued to fight the restraints, the sturdy finely crafted buildings of stone and wood turned to ramshackle hovels, crafted from timber scraps, cloth, and hide. Many were simple tents made from sticks and discarded draperies. A foul stench filled the air, as the mixture of refuse and burning garbage ravaged Eli’s nose, causing him to cough.
As Derek dragged him through the streets, Eli bucked wildly, attempting to free himself. The binding around his ankles grew tighter, but he could not feel any resistance from his captor. That’s when he realized that Derek was no longer holding him. Eli watched in horror as Derek looped a rope through a small anchor atop a wooden frame. The rope led directly to a smaller hole in the manacles binding his legs.
“You asked me to let you go,” Derek said with a smile, as Eli felt the world fall out from beneath him.
The world inverted as Eli swung back and forth. Now hanging upside down, directly above a pit filled with massive piles of feces, garbage, and other waste, his stomach churned. A low controlled burn filled the air with putrid smoke. The hellish pile of smoldering decay smelled of sulfur, feces, and rotting flesh. Dense clouds of toxic gasses washed over the area, causing Eli to vomit. Being strung upside down forced the burning stomach acid from his mouth, directly into his nose and eyes. The sting of the bile caused him to flail as it burned at his eyes and stifled his breathing.
“Now, I can’t kill ya'. Our prisons are quite full at the moment, so I can’t take ya' there.” Derek looked past Eli, as if through him “But, seein' how I saw yer’ crime,” Derek pointed up at his eyes then at Eli. “And yer' punishable by our laws.” he continued while spreading his arms wide. “I think I’ll just have you hang out here for a wee bit before we can decide what ta' do with ya’,'' he chuckled. Taking one last glance at Eli, before turning to leave, he said, “Oh, an’ if that rope should fail and you’re set free. Remember to keep yer’ beasty ass out of my city.”
With that, his longtime friend turned captor, walked off without a care in the world. Picking his teeth with Eli’s boot knife, he laughed while strolling out of view. Anger and frustration boiled over deep inside Eli’s body. He attempted to pull himself up,
reaching his hands towards the rope holding him aloft. His still broken ribs burned and stabbed as his attempt to reach his bindings failed. Out of breath and in immense pain, he took a break.
Come on, Eli, think. You don’t have time for this shit. He thought as he mentally selected his logs.
* Your health is below 10% find healing immediately. *
You have been critically wounded:
Fractured ribs x 2
Effect / s: Health regeneration x 0.5 - Stamina regeneration x 0.5 - Movement speed x 0.5
You have been restrained - feet. Lasts until released or item failure.
Shit, Derek really did a number on me. Eli thought.
The notifications shed new light on just how capable his former friend was and what he could do in a fight. While looking over his notifications, a barely visible green tinge enveloped his vision, as if a cloud of gas had exploded around him, before it settled on his health bar.
Health: 5 / 140
Effect/s: Poisoned.
A notification popped up following the green mist.
Ascension Page 8