by M J Conlon
Derick felt flames beginning to form in front of him, but they were quickly waved aside by Derick who directed the flames and their heat away from the escape portal. A bird’s cry of pain chirped out loudly from behind Derick and his two flying escorts but no one turned back. All or nothing.
As they neared the portal, Derick let his legs fly backwards in a pose that reminded Derick of being Superman. As expected, Derick felt one set of claws, then another set of claws grab one leg, then another. Before a third and final set of claws touched down on his back. Then there was a burst of bright pain, as a torrent of dark energy washed over and around Derick and more than likely the other birds, griffins that were carrying Derick towards the escape exit that was quickly disappearing.
Derick fighting through a torrent of pain, picked up the five griffins with his psychic telekinesis and mentally forced them to cary him forward to the exit. Derick’s body hit the exit, and then a second wave of pain washed over Derick as he felt one, then two of the griffins get pulled from his back and legs. Instantly deep gashes from where their claws had once been now gushed blood. Derick could feel portions of his sage portalist robe flapping wildly in the wind, as they were now little more than strips of cloth. The flapping of the cloth reminded Derick of when he was a kid flying a kite that had two extra long tails for stability.
The memory of the kite flying high in the summer’s heat was all that filled his mind as a last wave of pain washed over Derick, before he was carried through the escape portal. In a second the two sets of claws that had been holding up his arms let him go, before he felt himself flying forward into a sea of white light. He had no clue if Anath or any of her other griffins managed to make it through the escape doorway that had appeared.
Derick knew from his conversations with HAIL that the doorway was designed for groups of travelers to go through once certain milestones were met, but he didn’t know if NPCs that were indigenous to the zone would also be able to leave through the escape door way that was designed for him. Heck, I don’t even know if I made it through myself? Derick thought to himself, as his mind was a floating haze. He had focused his attention through a lot, from the mental battle he had with the red haired elfin spider queen, to the mentally holding up the five birds and helping them move the 10 feet through the portal, were we being pulled back with telekinesis? Maybe some other force? Derick’s mind whirred as his senses were overwhelmed with what had happened. Finally, Derick’s undominatable mind gave way to sleep, and his senses were covered with a warm white blanket of nothingness.
Epilogue
Derick awoke to the gentle sound of water splashing against shore. He could hear the call of birds, echoing the distinct way they do, when their voices are carried by and modulated against a constantly shifting ocean current. Triton? Derick thought to himself.
“That is correct, you are once again back on Triton.” The annoyingly chipper voice of HAIL filled Derick’s mind.
Wait, you are back?
“Yes, you managed to make it through the dungeon unassisted, even though it was set up to kill you, I can see that it was my words of caution that let you survive, this time.” HAIL began.
Wait, but how are you back?
“Your case that was brought before the AIT overlord, reviewed your case. Sent all your extra gear and cash to the aggrieved party, then cancelled the case, at which point I was able to join you, but only once you made it past an impossible dungeon.” HAIL said, “it seems as though they planned to let the dungeon kill you once and for all. Congratulations on your success by the way. Also, congratulations on the griffins.” Derick, still feeling woozy, had his eyes burst open, as he began desperately searching for the griffins.
Griffins, as in more than one? Did all five make it?
“Slow down there, yes three griffins managed to make it through the portal with you.” HAIL said in Derick’s mind. His thoughts instantly causing Derick to perk up and begin to look around, no sooner had he started to look around then he felt the undenyable pain of countless cuts and burns across his body. Derick still looking around, began to cast psychic healing on himself. In an instant the unfathomable amount of pain he was in subsided, until it was down to just a roaring unbearable amount of pain, which then slowly melted away until he was able to sit up, and from there stand up. Then finally he was able to leave the area he was in. How long have I been out?
“About twelve hours.”
Where are the griffins?
“They are performing death rolls, two of the griffins lost their bonded partners.” As Derick looked up to the sky, he saw the silhouttes of three giant bird like creatures that each had four legs swooping around, letting out fierce shreeks of pain and anger that filled the sky. In a second, Derick felt his own heart fill with sorrow as he no longer actively tried to hide the bond that attached him to his Anath.
“Welcome back.” Anath’s mental thoughts flooded into Derick, as it was so much more than a simple greeting could express, but those were the words that Derick’s mind assigned to the flood of emotions that were now coursing through Derick.
“I have some bad news.” HAIL responded.
How bad is it?
“It is pretty bad, but we will survive.” Anath replied, her words almost echoing over HAIL’s mental words.
“You also will be stripped of your psychic vampirism. On a positive note, you will be allowed to reallocate the 21 power points that you had assigned to it. Also, you apparently made some purchases while in the ‘underworld’?” HAIL asked.
Yes, I purchased a tier six power that allowed me to not only be immune to, but redirect any celestial retribution powers that were cast against me.
“Oh, that’s nice? Was that while you were passed out?” Anath asked, her mental voice sounding confused.
“Yes, that seems to be why they forcefully removed the psychic vampirism ability. Also it was apparently never supposed to be in the actual ANKH game, but rather a sample that they tested in the open beta.” HAIL thought, his thoughts overlapping with Anath’s.
Wait, stop, both of you.
“What?”
“What? Both of us?”
Yes, I am bonded with Anath. But before Anath, I was bonded to a celestial support being named HAIL. Derick thought, trying to keep the echoing voices from overlapping in his mind again. It also appears as though both of you cannot hear the thoughts of the other, Derick thought to both sets of conscious thoughts in his mind.
“Well yes, I only bond to one sentient being for life.” Anath said, her tone seemingly hostile as Derick’s mind began being flooded with thoughts of infidelity and castration?
Help me out here HAIL, how do I explain this?
“I wish I could buddy, it seems that you will have to be careful with your thoughts. You probably should have started this practice of being cautious earlier, but now is as good of a time as any.” HAIL thought somewhat admonishingly.
Anath, when I met you, I thought I had lost HAIL forever. HAIL is only a source of knowledge, a being to bounce Ideas off of, and a general source of world knowledge that I would need. You, on the other hand, are so much more. Since I found you and your flock, I have had a purpose, a reason to succeed. Before I met and saved you all from that thought fiend. Derick felt a flood of fear and waves of anxiety flood through his and Anath’s mental connection at the thought of the thought fiend. Yet Derick continued on his thought process.
From that moment, I felt as though every selfish act I had made up until that point had been justified, as they had all led me to you. Without every selfish act I made up until that point I would not have been able to save you and your flock. I am so happy to have met you. I am was especially happy when you chose me as your mental mate. When we met, it was at a time when I was not able to communicate with HAIL and thought he would be forever missing from me. If you feel that I have led you on in any way, or that you wish to break our agreement then I fully understand. Though know that regardless of your choice, I wish you
the best of luck and hope that we can at least remain friends. It was somewhat hard for Derick to realize it, but he actually did like having Anath and her flock around, it reminded him of his days as a squad leader, and then a platoon sergeant where he had hundreds of people depending on him for support.
In a way he missed that feeling of being needed. He didn’t miss his time in the Army, but rather, he now realized he missed the people he met while in the Army. He missed the countless lives that all bonded together, despite their different walks of life and origins.
Derick now felt himself missing Parker, and her husband Dennis. Whatever happened to them? I wonder if they were forced into this ‘game’ as well. Derick felt his thoughts and emotions pour out into the bond that now bound him to Anath. Maybe it is that my connection to Anath is more of an emotional bond than a mental one that is forcing me to feel these emotions?
“That is most likely the case.” HAIL responded.
“If we were to stay together, what would be ‘our’ next course of action?” Anath thought to Derick.
I have a number of deities that are likely to start getting ticked off with me, if I do not train a disciple of theirs. Added to that I need to check and see if the elfin leader of Jalindan’s three princess daughters survived my disastrous portal, as well as finding the human who will be the sage of being an artificier. I also have a thieves guild to run, in addition to making it to the top one million for the resurrection board. Speaking of which, Derick thought the last part and mentally gave the commands to see where his invisible spot would be on the ressurrection board. Derick was shocked to see that his empty slot, thanks to the blessings of the seven dieties of Triton was at slot number 79,509,125. I went down on the board? Wasn’t I at 18 million before I got sent to the underworld?
“Oh yes,” HAIL began, “about that, you were also deducted all resurrection points during the Ankh Interdisciplinary Tribunal.”
Is that what AIT stood for? Derick thought, trying to focus his thoughts only toward HAIL. Derick was relieved to find that with a bith of forced thought, he could direct his thoughts to either HAIL or Anath.
“Yes, truth be told you got off rather lightly, you only lost all your remaining funds, one of your two tier six abilities, and all your resurrection points.” HAIL thought.
That was light?
“Yes, they could have had you respawn from level 0, and let you go through the dungeon again. Or worse yet, they could have made it so you would have to travel the universe alone…without me…” HAIL thought.
I am not alone anymore, I have Anath now as well. Derick thought, letting the thought go to both Anath and HAIL. Instantly Anath sent mentally content thoughts flooding toward Derick.
“You know you would be lost without me.” HAIL reponded with a somewhat indignant tone.
That I would. That I would. Derick thought to HAIL.
“Should we try to go back?” Derick asked Anath verbally.
“No, it is too dangerous, and the others were likely killed in the mayhem that ensued.” Anath thought, then added “where should we go now?”
Derick mentally scanned the planet for their location and then for the nearest city. In an event that could almost feel like fate, if Derick believed in such an event, he realized he and the other griffins were only a few miles outside of Jalindan. This is almost the exact spot I first appeared, when I first came to this planet. Derick thought nostalgically. How long ago was that? Derick thought to himself as he began walking without a stick or any support. As he walked, Anath kept stride with Derick, her shoulders now reached almost as high as his head.
“That was five days, four hours, and twenty-seven minutes ago.” HAIL responded mentally.
“Thank you.” Derick said out loud, both HAIL and Anath gave contented mental sighs back to Derick as he walked closer to Jalindan. As he watched the bright red sun begin to set behind the towering city of Jalindan a feeling of dread washed over him, yet he continued walking forward determined to make the best of whatever would come. He was penniless, itemless, and at the very bottom of the resurrection board, but he was determined to survive. Just as Derick was beginning to feel better about his way forward, he noticed a faint trickle of light coming from the ocean side of the city. Are those fireworks? No, they can’t be, they are too close to the city walls. Derick thought to himself, as he realized Jalindan was under attack.
Final Character View
Name
OhmN (ΩN)
Race
Celstial Gnome
Class
Psychic-Leech
Profession:
Sage Celestial Portalist
Status
Resurrected
Age
27
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Current Level
12
Experience
264,675
Experience to Next Level
144,925
Respawns
0
Titles
Name
Bonus
History
Brother Slayer
+5% Bonus damage to fellow Travelers.
You have slain more than 20 Travelers.
Monster Slayer
25% bonus damage to all monsters
You killed a monster more than 20 levels higher than your own.
Psychic Dragon Slayer
+10% All class related Powers and Abilities
You have slain and absorbed the essence of a dragon associated with your affinity or class type.
Precocious
+10% experience for all future actions.
+10% skill growth.
You gained 10 levels in a single day.
Professional
All professions, even rare ones are now unlocked and available to learn.
+10% experience to profession skill progession.
You are the first player to Master a hidden profession.
Resurrected
All Merits associated with your previous undead status will remain even if respawned.
You took the Undead status, then purchased away all negative effects associated with the status.
Divine Attention
You can now add unallocated Stat points to your Luck Attribute
You have gained the attention of the Gods.
Negotiator
+10% bonus to all experience, money, and Stat/Spell Power Points rewarded from quest givers.
You have negotiated with some of the toughest individuals and lived to tell the tale.
Attributes
Attribute
Score
Strength
24
Dexterity
27
Constitution
32
Charisma
25
Willpower
71
Intelligence
37
Wisdom
37
Perception
37
Luck
38
Vitals
Health
420 / 420
(Constitution X 10)
Stamina
260 / 260
(Constitution X 5)
Mental Power
810 / 810
(Willpower X 10)
Mana
470 / 470
(Intelligence X10)
Blessings:
Protected by the Pantheon of Triton
Effect, protected from any divine powers that would either effect the Player directly, or indirectly.
Hidden Ressurection:
Every detail of your character that could appear on the Resurrection status board is hidden from other Players.
Skills
Name
Level
Skill Rank
Awareness
75
Journeyman
Stealth
72
Journeyman
Dual Cast
ing
75
Journeyman
Channeling
75
Journeyman
Meditation
75
Journeyman
Casting Fight Form
50
Journeyman
Individual Attack Form
50
Journeyman
Eavesdrop
22
Journeyman
Concentration
28
Journeyman
Mental Fortitude
32
Journeyman
Professional Skills and Sub-Skills
Profession Skill
Overall
Breakdown
Celestial Portals
154
-Celestial Vision
154
(100 +15 +39)
-Celestial Correspondence
154
(100 +15 +39)
-Celestial Travel
154
(100 +15 +39)
Artificer
75
Analyze Object
75
Disassemble Object
75
Reshape Object
75
Remaining 24 (0 of 24 spent)
Spell Power / Abilities:
Name
Power Level
Description
Psychic-Viewing
42 (42)