After making his way to the cart, dragging it into the light of the fire, Eli searched under the fallen log. After a few minutes of searching in a small pit of rocks, he pulled out an ornate golden lockbox, the size, and shape of a stack of books. Somehow, the rather large box weighed next to nothing. At first, Eli suspected it was empty, but when he tapped on its side, there was no echo, and shaking it produced a rustling noise. On its face, there was an intricate carving of an open tomb with strange writing, similar to Elven. Eli spoke a little Elvish, having learned from Kata’s father, but could not make out any of the exotic text.
“Whatever you’re looking for, it’s still there.” The Gladekin said as Eli ran his hands over the elegant engraving and fine tooled edges of the expensive-looking box. “We couldn’t get it open, but figured that the box itself was worth something.”
For a second, Eli thought of keeping the cart and walking off with the strange box, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. William had done nothing to deserve dishonesty, and the thought of some unknown faction placing a bounty on his head worried him. Whatever was in that box belonged to someone. Whoever it was would not be happy about it being stolen again. Dismissing the idea of making a quick buck, Eli went to the cart and searched it for anything of immediate use. As he and his partner were injured and in need of supplies, he thought William wouldn’t mind if they helped themselves. He had hoped to find a healing potion or salve but was quickly disappointed, uncovering nothing more than standard trade goods and supplies. There were fine clothes, ropes, cloth, a few herbs, spices, and a litany of scrolls with varying symbols. The item of most interest was a small wooden container filled with strange powders, crystals, and glass vials. Focusing on it brought up a notification.
*Congratulations, you have found a rare item!
Item: Arcane Alchemists Tools | Type: Tool-kit | Class: Rare (Magical)
This item contains the basic materials needed to perform arcane rituals and craft potions with magical properties.
Each of the objects radiated hints of magical energy that set Eli on edge. After closing the small box, he walked over to the Gladekin, who had moved to sit on the log. A few moments later, Eli had secured Kyle with ropes, while Don rested in a strange meditative pose. The Healers breathing was rhythmic and soothing, fading into the background as white noise. For a moment, Eli sat and watched as tendrils of energy flowed into Don’s body with each breath. He had heard of the benefits of meditation, but this was something different entirely. Visible changes were happening. It was as if Don was absorbing ambient mana from the world around him, using it to heal his wounds and speed up his mana regeneration.
Eli looked to the man’s status, which he had positioned right beneath his own. Somehow Don’s health had risen to nearly fifty percent while his mana and stamina bars refilled with every deep inhalation. The rate at which the Turta was recovering was mind-boggling.
What’s going on? This is impossible, Eli thought.
“No, it’s not. It is entirely possible. He is using the skill meditation. It allows a player to increase their natural health, mana, and stamina regeneration. However, as you can see, it leaves you vulnerable, reducing your perception skills and awareness.” Aida said, speaking for the first time since the battle had begun. Her voice was direct but soothing. “You should try it sometime.”
Eli continued watching as Don sat cross-legged with his hands on his knees and eyes closed. The sweat that had covered the man’s brow had vanished. His expression had changed from one of anxiety and panic to an intense calm, almost an absence of emotion. The change was nearly as amazing as the fact that he had regained another ten percent in all of his status bars over the course of thirty seconds.
“He’s been like this for about a minute or two now; it’s kind of calming to watch.” Kyle said, his voice back to that of a normal child-like Gladekin, “I mean, I don’t know what the heck he’s doing, but if it helps him heal my hand, I’m all for it.” Eli sat on the log next to the small man, as he continued, “Oh, and are you guys going to let me go soon? I have to log out. I have a party to head to, and I still need to shower. Me and my friends are going to some Esports bar. These cheaper pods don’t exactly keep you smelling, fresh, and I’ve been in-game for about three days now. I only have about an hour left before it kicks me out.”
Not wanting to make a fool out of himself or let on to his situation, Eli consulted Aida before responding, Uh, what is he talking about?
“He needs to log out of the game, as in exit, or go back to his world. Apparently, he has things to do.”
Eli knew about the adventurer’s other world. He also knew that they could come and go between planes of existence, but he had never seen it. People said that they simply vanished as if being disassembled into countless pieces. The thought of getting to witness it first-hand both excited and disturbed him and knowing that there was another world beyond his own terrified him. While he wanted to teach the player a lesson, he knew he had to let this man go. No matter what he had done. If he killed him, he would come back somewhere else, good as new. It would be unnecessary bloodshed, and the idea disgusted Eli.
After thinking on the subject for a minute, Eli responded, “We will let you go, unharmed, and with everything that is yours. That is if you let me search you for any more stolen goods and promise to stop attacking innocent NPCs.”
To this kid, he was in a game. None of this was real. There were no consequences to his actions. His hands would come back. Hell, if he died, he would come back. If things got too real, he could log off and go about his day in whatever world he came from, leaving this all behind. The thought brought flashes of broken memories to Eli’s mind, causing his vision to waver.
Images of a large egg-shaped object with different colored tubes leading from each end wavered in his mind as if they were being suppressed. Emotions of longing and loss washed over him. He thought of Kata and the twins. Where is this coming from? Eli thought, closing his eyes and focusing on the emotions and images. As soon as his thoughts focused, the memories vanished, replaced by a void-like emptiness. It was as if some part of him was being erased.
“Whatever. It’s not like I can really stop you from searching me,” Kyle replied, wigging in his restraints. “And I don’t really plan on robbing people anymore. At least, not unless it’s a part of a quest or something. To be honest, I never really wanted to,” the man’s head sagged, and he let out a deep sigh before continuing, “Your friend there is right, I think those two were just going to run off with the money and pin all this on me. I hate those guys. People like them have been doing this to me my whole life, because of how I am.” Defeat echoed through the child's voice, nearly tangible. “I already dropped myself from their group and blocked em. If I do keep playing, I’m going to do what I want to do. I might even reroll my character. Make a monk, like your friend there.” Kyle’s head lifted, focusing on the still meditating Don. “He’s pretty bad-ass, and I just want to have fun. Maybe I can meet up with you guys later?”
Waving Kyle's question away, Eli moved the conversation to other topics. He didn’t trust the kid, and dealing with Don was about all he could handle. For some time, the two talked about the different classes and races, keeping themselves busy until Don opened his eyes and stretched. It had taken several minutes for the Turta to regenerate, but it was a far shorter wait than if he had recovered naturally. Eli stood to greet his friend, his own injuries still bothering him.
In silence, Don walked over to Kyle. His blue glow spread throughout his body, with each step. A moment later, the man’s hand was reattached, and Don had set him free. Kyle stood, twisting his hands, and smiling.
“Hey, I was going to search him,” Eli shouted, with annoyance in his voice.
Don waved his hand, quieting Eli before he spoke, “Look, man, don’t do this shit again. The system gave us a quest to come after you. A PK quest.” After giving the Gladekin a quick pat-down, Don continued, “Your actions have conseque
nces. What if it had been a full team of bad-asses?” He said, giving the kid a quick wink, “You’d be lying here dead. All of your gear would be gone, along with all of that loot you took. It’s just not worth it.” With a quick pat on the shoulder, he released the last of Kyle’s bonds, “So, hand over what you stole and get out of here. Play the game, explore, and have fun. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?”
Kyle stood motionless, his head sagging as he listened to the Turta speak. A moment later, a few rings and a necklace dropped from his pockets. As the trinkets sparkled and fell to the ground, Kyle whispered, “Zach’s got a few more on him. We had already split up most of the small stuff. I think he’s got some rings and a bracelet or something. Charlie took this weird crown, and a strange metal finger guard, said it would help his build. I don’t know what they did.”
Eli had already begun moving to the warrior’s corpse, taking everything he could find. Several rings, a bracelet, and a few necklaces appeared in his inventory. His haul was considerably more than what Kyle had dropped. The warrior’s armor was mostly low-quality iron. It was heavy armor, most of which were low on durability. It could be useful, and it might fetch some coin from the Wolffen vendors. Eli was never fond of solid metal armor, so to him, it was better used for trade. His sword was a simple iron gladius, but its damage was better than Eli’s rusted boot knife. The last thing he found was a small pouch containing some healing salve, a few rolls of bandages, travel rations, and some coins. In total, Zach had fifty silver and twenty copper on him.
“Leave the armor and weapons.” Don’s shouted towards Eli. “Let Kyle do whatever he wants with it; just take his coin and what he stole.”
“Fuck that. He tried to kill Kelly and William. He tried to kill you. He deserves this, let the man run all the way out here to find his shit missing.” Eli responded.
“Trust me, man. It’s not worth much, and Kyle here deserves something for his troubles. It’s not his fault he got suckered into helping those assholes.”
Needing no further explanation, Kyle ran over to Zach’s corpse. Without so much as lifting a hand, the small man had stripped the warrior of every remaining item. Standing in shock, Eli stared at the nearly nude body. Without hesitation, the kid had taken everything, except for a set of underwear. A moment later, it dissolved into tiny particles, seeping into the ground.
“It’s just like the wolves,” Eli muttered under his breath, expecting something different.
“Yeah, it’s how the system disposes of the body. But, adventurers go into the ground rather than the air when looted. If they don’t get looted, they just disappear an hour later.” Don’s words came between bouts of laughter. “It would be kind of weird if the corpse just stayed there while a freshly spawned body was up gallivanting all over Entarra.”
The childlike voice of Kyle followed, “Who is this guy, and where did you find him? I mean, he acts like he’s never played an MMO before. I mean, this is pretty standard.”
Eli’s face turned bright red. He didn’t know what to expect, but he had to stop being surprised by the oddities that were now his life. He had to remind himself that death was no longer permanent, that he was now immortal. While he stared at the space where Zach had just been, mixed emotions ran through his brain. How would he live for an eternity without his family? They were his reason for living, not adventure, or some game. He had no other world to run to if things became too hard, or he didn’t want to play anymore. All he could think about was how lonely his new existence would be without them, but the ideas of immortality and a world of endless possibilities intrigued him. Before he could spiral, a force from outside of himself pushed the feelings out of his mind. He felt as if something was willing him to stay focused as if the system was trying to save him from crippling depression.
With his thoughts now under control, and the thought of how he would continue behind him, he signaled that it was time to leave. “Right, we’ve found what we came here for. We need to head back to William now.”
“You two do whatever you want. I’m out of here; life’s waiting,” Kyle said with a wink before his body vanished. The transition was like Zach’s, but with two major differences. All of his gear dissolved with him, and his body turned to a fine mist that floated into the starlit night, rather than ash sinking into the earth.
Chapter 15
Eli expected the disappearance of a player to be more of a spectacle. Instead, Kyle just vanished. A small pop filled the air as if the space he had been occupying rushed to fill itself. One moment he was standing there, looking over his menus. The next, he sucked into himself like a whirlpool, leaving a small cloud of smoke as the only proof of his transition between worlds. The whole process happened so fast that if Eli had blinked, he would have missed it.
“So, where will he come back?” Eli asked while gathering his weapons.
Don looked at him, confused, scratching a non-existent beard, “Uh. He should have the same choices as everyone else. Either his bind-point or where he exited the game. So, here or Dawnport, I would assume.” He pointed to the now empty spot where Zach’s corpse had been, “That other dude, should pop up at his bind point, or the closest town where he’s not kill on sight, right about now. Whatever’s closer, I guess.” While speaking, the Turta’s eyes narrowed, causing his face to wrinkle. “Why? You’re not planning to go after them, are you?”
“Oh, no reason. I’ve just never logged out before.” Eli said, not wanting to give the Turta too much information. “I’m still new to all of this. I don’t know how it all works.”
“Yeah, man, don’t worry about it. I getcha.” Don said with a wink, “I can’t log out either.”
Eli’s heart jumped, and his face paled, as thoughts of Don being in a similar situation to his own crept into his mind. If only for a moment. He couldn’t be. He’s an adventurer.
Before Eli could open his mouth, Don started asking questions, “So, what got you stuck here? Wait, let me guess, it’s something medical. Or maybe you’re just some rich guy trying to get away from his partner.” The Turta said, his voice taking on a mocking, serious tone. “No, you don’t seem like some boring suit or the type to cheat. Besides, you know too much about tracking and real-world survival type shit.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eli responded as the two made their way back to the clearing where they had first encountered William.
“How did you get stuck here? You know, in one of the long-term pods?” The turta paused, as Eli sped passed him. “It’s okay man, a lot of us are stuck here, in similar situations. I’m part of a clinical trial for PTSD, anxiety, and depression. I’m stuck in the game for the next three to six months. Or, until the pod’s done adjusting my head.” Eli turned to see the man’s head sag, as he whispered, “There’s a lot of work to do, so it may be a while.”
“I’m not sure what you mean. I don’t remember any pod, and I’m not exactly sure how I got stuck here. Maybe you can help me remember.” Eli said, in an attempt to gather more information.
“It’s okay, man, like I said, there’s a bunch of cases like us. There’s a guy in my ward that’s in here for a month. He’s doing some type of physical therapy.” Don said. As the two continued down the overgrown cart path, he slowed, staring off into the distance. “He got blown up fighting the rebels. He’s partially paralyzed, lost the use of his legs.” When he started again, his voice carried a hint of hope, “But the pod will fix him, and while he heals, he needs to learn how to use his legs again. So, they put him into the game. Before I went in, I saw this lady on the news. She was in a coma. The pod is supposed to kick start her brain or something like hitting the reset button. The cool thing is that, while she’s out, she can play the game with her friends and family. They get to visit her here whenever they want.” His pace picked up, along with his mood, as he jumped over a fallen log. “I’ve just never met another sleeper in-game before. That’s what they are calling us, sleepers like we are
some sort of secret agents or something. I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Realizing that Don was talking more for himself than any real interest in his situation, Eli spoke up, “I don’t know how to explain it, but I don’t think I’m supposed to be here. And I don’t know how I ended up this way.”
He understood what the player was getting at. Don was stuck in the game and wanted companionship. He wanted to know why Eli was on Entarra. Not to know the reason, but to not feel alone. Normal people logged out regularly, but there were those able to stay for months or maybe even years. Don was one of those cases, and he was latching on to Eli for comfort.
“Okay, man, I get it. Your business is your business. But I’m here for you if you need anything. Us sleepers gotta stick together. We’re going to be here for a while.” The Turta finally said, a tone of disappointment apparent in his voice.
Eli wanted to talk about what happened, about his life before but didn’t know how the man would react. He was an NPC. He had never been to earth. How could Don ever understand his pain or situation? Knowing that Don would stick on the topic, he had to tell the man something, if only a half-truth.
“I died.” Seeing a small glowing fire in the distance, he slowed, allowing Don to catch up. “Then, I woke up here. That’s all I can remember. Everything from before you found me is a little hazy. I remember my wife, my kids, a small cabin in the woods. I remember them getting attacked here in Entarra. It’s as if everything is mixed together as if Earth never existed. I just woke up, like it was all some weird dream.”
“I’m sorry, man. I don’t even know.” Don said, going silent, thinking over Eli’s words. “I mean, I’ve heard of pods being used to treat patients with traumatic brain injuries. Maybe your brain is just jumbled up, and the system is un-jumbling it like that lady in a coma. I’ve never heard of people losing memories in pods, so I wouldn’t worry about that. It must have happened before you got here. It also explains why you don’t know shit about the game.” The Turta placed a hand on Eli’s shoulder, matching his stride as he spoke. “We’ll figure it out and find out what happened to your wife and kids.”
Ascension Page 20