by J D Astra
The burning ache of oxygen deprivation forced my mouth open and a gasp to overtake my determination not to fall prey to the AOE. The poisonous pollen filled my mouth, tasting of rot and bitter acid. I hacked and bent over, then fell to my knees as the debilitating debuff stabbed at my innards. I grabbed a Health potion from my bandolier and slammed it back.
I looked to a gasping Otto and a red-faced Cutter. There was nothing I could do to help them, and while they were just code, I felt sudden and desperate regret. This was all my fault. Not only were we not going to figure out what was in that chest, but Jack and I were going to lose our NPCs in the process. I was such a fool to think the five of us could’ve taken on the boss.
Movement caught my attention as a batshit-crazy outline of a stealthed Jack flew from the ledge behind the boss. He landed with a heavy thud, sinking his hammer into the boss’ skull. The tree branches receded, and the cloud of death dispersed as the boss changed its attention to the serious stealth attack that dropped it to 35%.
No. We’d be all right. We could figure it out or fight our way out. We were going to get to the bottom of this Osmark mystery and put an end to his reign in Eldgard before it could begin.
“Get it, Jack!” I shouted, my confidence in our purpose renewed.
The Greater Corrupt Valdgeist bucked and twisted, trying to shake my friend from its back. Poor Jack slammed against the tree’s shoulders over and over, his eyes squinted shut with determination and agony.
Fire Inside was ready again, so I chugged down a Spirit potion and started a Fireball cast. Just before it was ready, I popped my passive spell bonus and laid into the tree creature. Its rampant rodeo bull display quieted, and Jack gained his footing as he climbed the tree’s mangled shoulders.
“Die, bastard!” I hurled fireball after fireball into the thing’s face. The half-rotted skin shriveled at the touch of my magic, and the boss cried out in fury.
Jack held fast to the Valdgeist boss’ head as he drove his hammer home like a baseball player swinging for the fences at a tiny, vile stub at the top of the boss’ head. The thing’s Health dropped by 5%. Then another 5%. Jack found the weak spot!
We could actually do this. Otto staggered to his feet, and Cutter stalked into the tree’s guard. Just 8% left. I lobbed one last fireball at the monster. It shuddered, lurched, and keeled forward as its Health bar hit 0. I staggered backward, taking in the sight of the boss flopping clumsily to the ground.
Cutter stepped in the path of the falling tree. “Don’t worry, friend, I’ve got you.”
Jack pinwheeled and leapt from the boss’ shoulders, just as Cutter stepped aside. Jack face-planted in the dirt, his Health taking a 10% dip from the fall.
Cutter stuck out his hand with a grin. “What I meant is, let me help you up.”
Jack slapped his palm against Cutter’s and grabbed hold. “Thanks, jerk.”
I looked at the boss as Cutter went on about catching damsels and stealing their jewels. We’d really done it. A sense of dread and excitement surged down my limbs and up into my brain stem. That chest was ours now, and whatever was inside it would unlock the key to taking Osmark down for good.
The red, pulsating [1] drew my eyes back to the corner of my HUD. Whatever was inside it could doom us to a life of unending suffering, too. I was torn in half. One side wanted desperately to be the hero who saved humanity from a dictatorship, the other, a friend who wanted desperately to ensure her friends were safe from harm.
A sharp elbow in my ribs brought me back to the moment. I shot a glare at Otto, the source of the offending elbow, and he nodded toward Jack. He was brushing dirt from his pants, clearly uninterested in whatever Cutter was blabbering about.
I rushed toward them and threw my arms open wide. “Wow, Jack!” I pulled him into a tight embrace. “That was incredible. Seriously. How did you ever think of that?”
He wriggled out of my grasp and shrugged. “Lucky guess?”
“Well,” I said with a bit over-the-top enthusiasm, “I don’t care how you did it, that was a brilliant move. Seriously epic. I knew I picked the right guy for this.”
His eyes sparkled with the shower of praise, and in that moment, I worried I might never see him happy again. I leaned in and pecked him on the cheek, the rough stubble of his five-o’clock shadow brushing against my lips. A stupid, silly grin spread over his face.
We were on the right path. Perhaps not a path that would leave us carefree, chasing quests and leveling gleefully, but one that would bring us a sense of duty. One that might get my mother killed repeatedly at the hand of my boss’ personal assistant. No, totally unlikely. We did the right thing, and my mom was not going to get murdered for it.
I took a deep breath and blocked out the anxious thoughts. “Now, let’s go see what’s worth twenty million dollars.”
Parting Ways
THOUGH THE DEATH CLOUD was gone and the battle over, I felt like I’d been run over by a thousand angry bulls. My muscles ached, and stomach burned with an acidic fury. I bent down and inspected the Greater Corrupt Valdgeist boss.
One single key.
That was all it had. Fine by me, because I knew what it went to. I wondered if the chest was also rigged to set off alarms with Sandra or whoever was on the lookout. I wondered a lot of things as I held the large, gold answer in my hand. This would not just unlock the dungeon chest, but the truth.
Jack looked on the key with a greedy gamer’s glee, one that I just didn’t have. I wanted to be excited, I wanted to be freakin’ stoked for whatever might be in the chest, but the dread of what came after was weighing me down.
I held the key out to Jack. “Why don’t you do the honors?”
“You sure?” His eyes widened with worry and excitement.
I wrinkled my nose as I thought of opening the boss chest. No, I’d already opened one of those, and this was Jack’s first. “I think it’s for the best. Besides, you deserve first crack at the goodies—you did save the day this time around.”
Jack shook his head in disbelief, then took the key gingerly into his grasp. He looked down on it with reverence, then turned 180 degrees and hurried to the chest, eyes still locked on the contents of his palms. We all followed, our movements jittery with the anticipation of a good heist. The chest popped open, and its inventory menu projected onto my vision.
Oh. Holy. Shit.
Why had I bought a new staff? Damn it, why had I bought a new staff for twenty gold! There, right in the chest, lay a [Staff of the Enchantress], definitely for me, and it was Ancient Artifact gear, just like Wildfire.
A round of whistles went by as I just cursed myself, looking at the chest contents. Alongside the new staff was also a new ring, [Ring of Insight]. Jack grabbed the two pieces of gear obviously intended for me and passed them into my hands.
The staff was smooth, old wood. Older than the realm of Eldgard, it seemed. When I touched it, ancient knowledge leaked down the shaft into my arm and tickled my brain. This thing was wicked. Just like Embergrave, this staff had a physical power to it.
The staff’s wood twisted, with little knots here and there that emanated a soft white glow, like the very core of the weapon was light itself. The chestnut grooves all led up to a gorgeous, shimmering opal nestled in the grasp of the staff. This also glowed gently, like a disco ball surrounded by heavy fog machines.
I equipped it and the new ring in an instant, shivering at the rush of strength as power surged through my limbs.
<<<>>>
Staff of the Enchantress
Weapon Type: Two-handed Staff
Class: Ancient Artifact
Base Damage: 50
Primary Effects:
● +20 Intelligence
● +20 Spirit
● +10 Vitality
● +5% Potency to Sorceress Spells
● +45 Spell Strength
● +50% Spell Critical Damage
● +10% Spell Critical Chance
All is right when the greatest S
orceress in Eldgard holds an equally great weapon.
<<<>>>
Ring of Insight
Armor Type: Jewelry, Metalware
Class: Ancient Artifact
Base Defense: 20
Primary Effects:
● +5 Intelligence
● +3% Spell Critical Chance
● +10 Spell Strength
● +5% additional chance to detect all Illusionist spells
● Immunity to low-level Charm and Suggestion spells
When unseen powers are at work, your vision is second to none.
<<<>>>
It was too tempting not to pan over to my stats for a quick look-see.
<<<>>>
<<<>>>
HELLS TO THE YEAH, I was looking mighty fine.
“There’s one more thing,” Jack called, and I closed out the menu. Indeed, there was one more thing at the bottom of the chest that was neither gear nor money. A gold, flat disc the size of my hand lay at the bottom of the chest. True, the gear had been nice, and the gold from the chest was no chump change, but this strange object had to be the true prize.
Jack held it up to the light and read aloud the text lining the top and bottom: Imperatorius Factio Signum and Domini est Terra.
Otto stepped closer to him for a better look. “The top reads ‘Imperial Faction Seal’ and the bottom ‘Lord of the Land.’”
“What does it mean?” Jack handed him the object, and Otto’s face scrunched into frustration.
Otto’s voice carried a tone of fear. “I don’t know.”
“Give it here.” I put out my hand, certain that once I touched it my quest would update.
Sure enough, as soon as the heavy plate brushed my fingertips, the quest update popped into view.
<<<>>>
Quest Update: On the Edge of a Blade Hangs Balance
You have traversed the secret dungeon and opened the fabled chest to discover an Imperial Faction Seal. You have earned 30,000 XP! The item will not reveal its purpose to you, and your local companions have never encountered such an item, so you will need to do some digging. But be wary in your dangerous travels, the Imperial Faction Seal can be stolen off your person both when you’re alive... or dead.
Quest Class: Unique, Personal
Quest Difficulty: Infernal
Success: Gather your resources and discover the purpose of the Imperial Faction Seal.
Failure: Fail to identify the Imperial Faction Seal’s purpose, or lose the item.
Reward: 50,000 XP, +20 to all base stats, not including Luck, and Sophia’s Favor.
<<<>>>
What the actual hell? Sophia’s favor? The Overmind was beginning to scare me with her behavior. It was her purpose to keep balance in Eldgard, but this was just beyond what I’d expected to encounter.
“Let me take a look.” Cutter put out his hand.
I shook myself from the trance, accepted the quest, and passed the medallion to him.
Jack shimmied up next to me. “Any ideas?”
“None.” I sighed, though I did have a new, infuriatingly vague step to the quest that led to nowhere.
“Welp, I’ve never seen this thing in my life, but it looks important.” Cutter passed it to Jack one more time.
My stomach roiled and tightened, the hot acid fury changing to something more like a tornado. Sweat beads formed at the sides of my neck, and my hands trembled with the feeling of low blood sugar. I checked the in-game time: 6 PM. Shit, I was coming up on seventy-two hours fast. I needed to get back to safety.
Jack bounded up the stairs to the hall he’d found at the back of the room, the hall I knew would magically lead us back to the surface. He grinned like a kid finding a secret passage behind the bookshelf in his grandfather’s study, and I smiled at him.
The trudge through the tunnel was more taxing than it ought to have been, and I noticed my Stamina bar refused to refill. I huffed and fell to the back of the line next to Otto.
“You okay?” he whispered as Cutter popped out of stealth and surprised Jack, who punched him in the shoulder.
I shook my head. “I... don’t feel great.”
Otto put a comforting hand between my shoulders. “I’ve heard of this, Travelers having trouble transitioning into the world, something about a dimensional shift. You’ll be alright, I’ll be right here.”
The gesture was a welcome comfort. If this transition was going to take me out, Otto would be there to watch over me as it happened. And if I came out the other end alive, he’d be there to get me back to health. Three days, that was all the time I’d spent with him. Yet in those hours I’d grown closer to Otto than most of my friends, maybe even my mother. Guess the Devs really did their homework with the companion pairing.
Evening light shimmered at the opening of the exit tunnel, and we all picked up the pace. It was good to feel the sunshine again, even if it was dying light. The orange and pinks cast across the sky like soft beach sand washed by rippling waves. I wanted to make it. I wanted Leon to make it, and Tristen.
Jack was basking in the sun, sucking a deep breath of fresh forest air. He looked so happy, so peaceful. I wished I hadn’t brought him into this shitstorm, but maybe I could keep him safe yet. I could keep the quest a secret, follow it with just Otto, and we’d get to the bottom of it while Jack got his damn class kit. What a slacker.
I walked toward him with my best smile on, despite the pain and clammy heat in my chest. “Well, I think it might be time for us to part ways for a bit.”
Jack’s face wrinkled from serene to confusion in an instant. “Wait. What? Why would we do that? We worked great together as a team. Jack and Abby all the way.” He chuckled and threw out a fist for a bump I didn’t return. “We rocked it down there.”
“I know. And this isn’t over.” I pushed a bit of sweaty hair behind my ear. “But right now, I think it’s best if we divide and conquer. Otto and I, we need to go see some people. Ask around about that weird disk we found. See if we can find out what its purpose is.”
I wasn’t sure if Jack had his bind spell, but fortunately, I’d asked Naitee to give me a few scrolls for that, too. I searched through my inventory and grabbed a scroll of return off the stack of five I had and held it out to Jack. “A portal scroll to get you home. This’ll take you to your bind point, wherever that happens to be.”
His lip pulled to the side in a classic-Jack uncertain grimace as he grabbed the parchment. He was so damn cute and kind. I wished I hadn’t dragged him into this crap. Jack pulled the Imperial Faction Seal from his inventory and held it out to me.
I remembered the part of the quest that said the seal could be stolen off my dead body by anyone and knew that any good thief could steal it right out of my inventory. Sandra was coming for me, but she didn’t know who Jack was. It was definitely safer with him. Hopefully the quest would recognize that Jack was in my party, and the seal being in his inventory wouldn’t mean it was “lost” to me. I shook my head and held my palm up to reject the item.
“Better not. I think it’s safer with you for the time being. I stumbled on this info by snooping around in company records that, strictly speaking, I wasn’t supposed to have access to. By which I totally mean I hacked them. So, when Aleixo Carrera shows up here and finds this place empty, he’s going to start asking questions over at Osmark Technologies, and those questions will likely point to me. It’ll take a while before they find out about you, though.” If ever, unless they captured me and Otto or Morgan.
Jack’s face squished even more, his dark cheeks getting round and frustrated. “I hear what you’re saying, Abby, and I believe you. I do. But there’s something you’re not telling me. Some piece of the puzzle you’re purposely leaving out.”
The sweat on my neck and the fire in my chest swelled at his mention of “something else.” Yes, there was more. There were three PMs from Sandra about how I shouldn’t be digging around or she’d tell Osmark. But there was also my seventy-two hours. Something simple,
easy. Something I could give him to put his mind at ease, not in panic mode.
“I’m coming up on my third day, Jack. Just a few hours away now. That’s why I needed you here so quickly. Statistically, one in six die during the transition, which means in another five or six hours, I could be dead. Gone.” I snapped my fingers, and he jumped. “Just like that.”
His eyes softened, and my heart melted. “I don’t want to put you through that, Jack. I know it probably doesn’t make much sense, but if it’s my time to go, I want to be alone.” Otto shifted at the word alone, and I gave him a kind glance.
“So,” I went on as Jack’s heart visibly sank, “I’m going to head back to Harrowick, get a good, hot meal, and go to sleep. If I wake up, then I guess I survived and I’ll PM you. If not...” I shrugged. “Well, know that I wish the absolute best for you.”
He licked his lips, brow scrunched and eyes fixed on the ground, then stuffed the Imperial Faction Seal back in his inventory. “What should I do now?” He shrugged helplessly.
I sucked in a breath. “You need to get a little rest, and then you need to acquire a class, Jack.” I scolded him like an old maid. “As is, if you weren’t reasonably smart and passably good-looking, you’d be entirely useless to the party. So, while I do the legwork and turn up leads about what that trinket does, you find out what kind of character you’re going to be and start maximizing your stats.”
He nodded along with me. Jack seemed to be in it for the long haul, seemed to be on board with what I pitched at him, saving all of humanity as it was. I was scared to depend on him, but it was time that the lone wolf died and a new Abby embraced the pack.
“I have a feeling things will get really intense around here before long.” I offered him a smile, some bit of kindness to warm his dreary disposition. His eyes glistened, and I saw past the dark skin, hair, and eyes, to the Jack I knew from school.
The Jack who held my hand or locked arms with me on the way to class. The Jack who moved from server to server with me until we found a good PvE spot and we formed Crimson Alliance. The Jack who was there for me, all the time.