by Charles Dean
“Come on, guys! You can do this!” Thomas urged. He pulled out a bow and aimed it straight at Bonnie, but his arrow barely took to the air before Viola countered it by erecting a Force Shield. Then, together, she and Bonnie closed in on the Shadow Mage.
The Shadow Mage used a movement spell, turning himself into a translucent shade, and then tried to back away; but, like a psychic, Viola predicted the direction he was going to move and cast another Force Shield behind him. Instead of escaping, the mage ran face-first into another Force Shield. He cried out loudly and clutched at his head as he began stumbling backward, but Viola cast yet another Force Shield. This barrier was placed parallel to the ground so that his shin slammed into the edge of it just as he turned around.
Bonnie involuntary grimaced as she saw him slam into the barely visible barrier. She knew all too well how much it stung to slam into a coffee table, and she could only imagine how much ramming into that magical barrier would hurt. Bonnie reached the caster in the next second, propelled herself up and over the barrier and slammed into him as hard as she could.
“He has too much health still, and I lack offense,” Viola noted. Even though they’d kept him spinning in circles, their efforts were little more than annoying tricks meant to keep him off balance and prevent him from casting. In truth, they really weren’t doing very much in the way of wearing him down. Sooner or later, either he or his team was going to recover and catch them out. When that happened, they would be upon the girls in no time. The two players that Lucas’s group had fought after first arriving in Kent had been the same. They were nearly impossible to kill, and Lucas had used the environment to kill them instead, taking advantage of quick ways to let Mother Nature end someone’s life.
“How do we drown him?” Bonnie asked aloud. She sprang forward and vaulted off the barrier, landing squarely on the mage’s back. Her legs wrapped around his waist as her body weight carried him back to the ground, and she plunged her dagger down toward his back. Just before it made contact, however, his arms snapped up and around behind his head, effectively absorbing the damage and preventing her from doing any critical harm.
“We’re about to get hit!” Viola cried. “Jump back!”
Bonnie followed her instructions without thinking, and a flaming spear shot past the spot Bonnie had been. The blast was so hot that she felt the heat on her skin as it ripped through the air in front of her, right above the man who was now lying face down in the mud. Before the Shadow Mage could recover and push himself up again, Viola cast yet another Force Shield, this time directly above him, and stopped him from standing up. The Shadow Mage was just able to get his head and torso an inch off the ground, but not any farther.
It’s pretty easy to break through a Force Shield, but if all of his spells are like that reaper scythe and those Shadow Pillars, then he won’t be able to break the shield at all, Bonnie realized. He doesn’t have any weapons on him, and he’s not a physical combat class. He needs that Fire Mage to break it.
As if Viola were reading her mind, one Force Shield after another was erected around the downed mage. By the time Viola was finished, there was only a small crack between the shield touching his hair and the shield pinning him in place. Bonnie was amazed that Viola was still able to focus and erect such precise barriers so quickly despite the spells flying around her. “I’ll finish him off,” she said. “Focus on keeping that other mage and that brat away.”
“That will be child’s play for a bride of Lucas!” Viola declared, turning and spinning her staff as she faced off against Thomas and the unknown Fire Mage.
“Thomas,” the mage called over. “Can you do something about that?! Save Jones! The rest of them will show up soon!”
Bonnie wasn’t going to wait around long enough for that to happen. She dropped her backpack onto the ground and began frantically fishing through it. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she found what she was looking for: two waterskins. She then snaked her hand down between two of the Force Shields and began stabbing right into the guy’s head. Each stab was a critical hit, but since she could only barely fit her arm through the crack, she couldn’t get enough strength or momentum behind her attacks to really do any damage.
While they didn’t do much to whittle down his health, the stab wounds did pour blood. Lots and lots of blood. The bright-red liquid streamed down the guy’s neck and puddled in the mud around his face. Bonnie stabbed the guy’s skull a few more times and then watched as he began struggling to breathe. There was very little room for him to breathe based on how tightly the box was pressed down on him. This amount of blood would be impossible to bleed out of someone who wasn’t practically dead in real life, but here in the game . . . He’s definitely going to drown before he dies from a stab wound or bleeds out. She had dug her blade all the way to the hilt into the player’s back near the bridge, yet now she could barely get an inch of her blade into this guy’s head. This is the type of death Lucas would give his enemies, she thought, feeling proud of herself for her creativity.
She opened up the two wineskins from her bag with her free hand and slowly poured them in to speed up the process. Once that was done, she stuffed the hides she had taken from her bag into the few remaining gaps between the Force Shields. With how quickly he was bleeding out, it was only a matter of time before he drowned in a combination of blood and booze. She had bought the wine for the group to celebrate with once they finally finished establishing a new base, but this was a much more fitting use.
“More flare,” Viola muttered under her breath. “We have to sell the part for Lucas.”
Bonnie frowned. She didn’t like the idea of acting like Viola, and she disliked the fact that it made sense even more. We are supposed to be making a quest for the boss. If he needs showmanship, then let’s give him showmanship! She placed a foot on top of the drowning man’s Force Shield prison, threw a hand onto her hip and boasted. “Ha! You see this? This here is the type of fate that awaits all who try to kill the Were-Fox bride of Lucas!”
“Remember that you’re struggling against Lucas’s control,” Viola whispered, throwing in another stage cue.
Fine. If I’m getting paid for this, then I have to play my part. Bonnie grabbed her head just as Viola had before and then doubled over as if in pain. “Ah . . . but . . . why am I . . .” She twisted back and forth for a moment before straightening back up. “Why am I so amazing that I got to be one of the brides of Lucas, the great and undefeatable sorcerer?”
As Bonnie finished, she noticed Viola give her “great job” look and a wink before turning back to the enemies. “Your backup better show soon, or else they will only be greeted by corpses!” Viola said loudly, holding her staff tightly in her hand.
You have killed Jones. You have been awarded 2732 EXP. A talisman of the night, a pair of fine silk breeches, and 20 gold have dropped upon death.
That didn’t take as long as I had imagined, Bonnie thought, cracking her neck and smiling broadly. “Let’s do this!” she declared, activating Swimming Grass once again.
The Fire Mage looked over at Thomas angrily. “Will you just do something already? I know you paid us to help, but chip in, dangit!”
“I can’t! I can’t hit a woman whom I know is being mind-controlled, and all my attacks might be lethal!” Thomas complained.
What? You can’t hit me because I’m a girl? You sexist bastard. Bonnie completely ignored the part about being mind-controlled as she finished her skill and unleashed the twelve grass blades on the Fire Mage just as his spell began building up in front of him. A spherical mass of molten lava began pooling in the air directly in front of him, and Bonnie instantly decided she wanted nothing to do with it. Every one of her grass blades zipped in the lava and disappeared in a small puff of smoke.
“I have just enough Holy left to counter that,” Viola said. “Let’s go for him again. Get close and personal.”
You little OP Sage, don’t miss, or we’re dead, Bonnie thought as she charged for
ward. The man sent the giant ball rolling toward them when they were about halfway to him, and sure enough, Viola’s blue flash sent it flying back toward him. It was far brighter than before, likely indicating that it had a good bit more Holy magic behind it, but the Fire Mage seemed to have anticipated this. He dodged to the left, but Bonnie was on him.
I’ve got you now, you bastard! Bonnie prepared her first attack, but before she reached him, a hand shot up from the ground and grasped onto her feet, rooting her in place.
“What?!” Bonnie cried, not understanding how she was caught. He shouldn’t be able to see me easily. I’m wearing Web of Deceit. What did he get me with? I didn’t see him cast! She looked down to see several ethereal, shadow-like hands clutching her ankle. She dropped down onto one knee and slashed at them with her dagger, but they kept spawning one after the other.
A voice called out from behind her. “It’s no use. You’ve been caught,” he said. A moment later, the scythe she had seen earlier ascended into the sky, swinging down and cutting at her.
“NO!!!” Bonnie screamed out in shock and fear, but there was nothing that she could do to dodge it this time. The blade ripped through her abdomen, and she felt like her soul was being torn in half. The weapon wasn’t tangible--it was just a shade--but it hurt like hell and dropped her health to less than a fifth of its maximum value.
Bonnie looked over at Viola, only to see her calmly standing in the middle of the same spell, her feet also held firmly by the shadowy hands that were grabbing at both of them.
“I’m sorry,” Viola whispered. “But I won’t let them touch you. Just play along. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.” Her words were so soft that a breeze would have covered them up, and Bonnie wasn’t certain that she had understood correctly.
Huh? Bonnie was confused for a moment, but then her mind snapped back to the conversation they had before the fight.
“STOP!” Viola yelled, grabbing her head and falling down. “It’s . . . It’s too much. I can’t. I can’t take it. I . . . His control . . . can only be broken . . . if you kill him. But it can be limited if . . .” She collapsed on the ground, clutching her head and acting like Lucas’s magic was working some sort of power on her.
Knowing they were done for, Bonnie took a hint from Viola and began acting the part as well. She grabbed her head and screamed, “Let me go free! Lucas! Get out of my head! I . . . I need . . .”
Thomas, seeing them in horrible distress, asked quickly, “What do you need? What is it? What can suppress his control?”
“He’s . . . He’s a demon. Only wine blessed by a priest can free us temporari-- Ahh!! At least . . . At least one glass an . . . AHH!!!” Viola shrieked. Bonnie was certain that they were going to be discovered because of her overacting, but a quick peek at Thomas and the Fire Mage’s faces proved her fears were baseless. This guy is an idiot, isn’t he?
“An hour. One glass an hour. It’s too . . . Ahh . . . It’s too much to bur-bur-burden you with. Just . . . Just kill us,” Bonnie said.
Thomas, the newly arrived Shadow Mage, and the Fire Mage all looked horrified. “There is a priest in town. Can we bind them so they can’t rebel? I can rush to the priest right away,” Thomas offered.
“Dude, really? Are you this rich or this sad?” the Fire Mage asked. “Just put them out of their misery.
“I’ll chip in too,” the new mage said as he walked next to Thomas. “I have wine on me already, and I’ll be more than happy to pay for the blessing. If we can free these fair maidens, then we must. They’ve suffered too much at the hands of this animal. Don’t you see how they’re in pain?”
“They’re not real; they’re NPCs . . . Ugh. Fine. I’m not heartless. I’ll chip in as well,” the Fire Mage grumbled. “But keep them bound. If they free themselves before his control is broken . . .” He glanced over at his drowned buddy. “Well, that’s on you.”
“Bind them with what? It’s not like I carry around rope.”
“My . . . My bag,” Bonnie said. “I have . . . in my bag.” She stammered through each word as if it were a hard-fought struggle to simply put together a coherent thought. Is this what Viola feels like all the time? she wondered, thinking about how the woman usually talked in fancy Shakespearean verse.
“Here.” Thomas grabbed the bag and tossed it to Bonnie.
Thanks to the game’s unique inventory system, he couldn’t go through it without her permission, so Bonnie reached in and began dragging out everything that would work next to her: ropes, steel handcuffs, pre-done knots for wrist bindings, heavy chains, giant arm locks with leather linings so they wouldn’t chafe the arm, and more. And here we go. Bonnie did her best not to smile as she grabbed what she was looking for: fur-wrapped handcuffs. Handcuffs weren’t the most comfortable on the wrist, so she had specially made ones with fur linings so that they’d do well.
“Let . . . me . . .” Bonnie looked over at Viola.
“Kay. Fine,” Thomas said indifferently. “Just hurry before that mad demon Lucas gains control again.”
Bonnie didn’t respond, but she made a show of pulling Viola’s hands behind her back and securing the cuffs.
“I’ll get yours,” Thomas said, and he seemed incredibly nervous as he went to fasten Bonnie’s cuffs. Finally, after a moment, he managed to summon up the nerve to touch her enough to lock the bindings in place. As he did, Bonnie saw the pained look in Viola’s eyes.
It’s just a moment. It’ll be over soon, Viola seemed to be saying.
You dumb woman, Bonnie wanted to snap back. I’m playing a game where physical violence and even death are all commonplace. Why are you trying to be overprotective now? Still, at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to be too annoyed. This was the first time someone had been this concerned about her without it manifesting in emotionally distant micromanagement, and it actually made her feel a little warm inside.
“There. Now, they’re secure. I’ll watch over them. One of you go get the wine,” the new Shadow Mage said.
“It should be Thomas. He’s freaking useless in a fight against anything with the +2 Charisma chest add-ons,” the Fire Mage said.
“Right,” Thomas agreed without argument and then darted toward the town at full speed.
With her charade over for the moment, Bonnie turned her attention to how she was going to reach Lucas. How long will it take before he notices we’re gone? Maybe Nick will notice first, or will they just think I ditched them? Bonnie sat down on the grass where the fight had ended and leaned back. Her hands were bound behind her, so it was hard to do anything, but as she looked up at the sky, she noticed that Viola apparently already had a plan. There, in the middle of a clear sky, were a dozen Force Shields spelling out S.O.S.
Wait. Did she . . . While we were . . . Did she use those as a smoke flair for Lucas?
“Hey . . .” Bonnie looked down at the bag in front of her. “Can . . . I’m hurt. Can I . . . Can I heal myself?”
“Huh?” the Shadow Mage responded dumbly, but his eyes instantly darted to the torn midriff and wound he had caused with his Shadow Reaper spell.
“Oh, yeah. A healing scepter shouldn’t hurt,” he said. “Go on, but don’t try to pull anything clever out of there. I’m watching.” Then, as if for emphasis, he hefted his own magic weapon.
“I won’t. Don’t worry. I just . . . It still hurts a little,” Bonnie said.
Viola shot her a small encouraging smile.
The Force Shields wouldn’t last forever, but if she was holding onto a healing scepter, it wouldn’t be an issue at all to keep recasting them.
“I’m going to sit,” Viola said, grimacing. “The pain . . . ah . . . of trying to resist . . . It hurts too much.”
“Shh . . . It’s . . . It’s okay,” Bonnie said, sharing a sympathetic sniffle with her. Tearing up on command wasn’t a thing she had ever attempted before--her mother had made sure she didn’t cry as a child--but it turned out to be surprisingly easy. All she had to do was direct he
r mind back to her conversation with Viola earlier, and it turned out that thinking about how frustrating her situation in life was, how annoying and awful it was that this woman, this annoying, lying, fake woman, was the first person she had felt such real affection from--that was enough to help her cry. They’re just fake tears, right? She squirmed over until she was able to rest her head in Viola’s lap and silently let the tears stream down her face.
“Damn,” the Shadow Mage swore. “First, they go on spouting about being his brides, and then they’re in this much pain? I really want to mess that dude’s face up. I don’t care what the case is. There is no excuse for this crap.”
I never thought I’d end up being the damsel in distress. It’s your turn now, Prince Charming.
Chapter 6
Character Name: Lucas
Level: 30Hit Points: 4995
Arcane Energy: 2600
Stamina: 100
Holy Energy: Class Locked
Current Class: Enchanter
Stats:
Arcanum [increases Arcane Energy by 10 per point]: 250
Holy [No Effect/Class Locked]: 0
Athletics [increases Stamina by 10 per point]: 0
Fortitude [increases Hit Points by 1% per point]: 350
Charisma: 350
Luck: 60
Unspent: 0
Current Elemental Attunement:
Lightning Affinity: 1.5%
Effects: +3% Lightning Element Damage
+6% Lightning Element Channeling Speed
-3% Non-Lightning Element Channeling Speed
+0.75% Lightning Element Damage Resistance
Arcane Resistance: 2%
Combat Proficiencies:
None
Racial Quest Chain Progress:
Vampire: 3 out of 5 requirements met to start chain.
Next up on his list was physical combat, which was held in an outdoor clearing designed much like an ancient Greek theater. The stage was set at the center of a small bowl and covered in sand, and then the stands rose around it on a gentle incline that sprawled outward. Small logs had been placed for people to sit on and positioned so that no one would have an issue seeing the center of the amphitheater.