by Brian Simons
“Ze is powerful, and has resisted Sivona for some time now, but she is weakening. Once Sivona succeeds in absorbing the goddess’s life force she will join Travail’s pantheon.”
“So she really is becoming Zevona,” Sal said.
Lora nodded.
“So what’s this task?” Sybil asked. “We’re on a bit of a schedule here.”
“Our efforts started small,” Lora said. “We gradually found other elves who opposed Sivona’s rule in private and inducted them into our small army. Our primary goal was to protect a powerful agent of magic power so that Sivona could not drain her life away. Little did we know she would find an alternate source in Ze. Just as I cloak our meeting place here, I cloak an ancient from Sivona’s sight. We can only hide for so long though. When Ze fails, Sivona will turn her attention toward eradicating any who stand against her.”
“There’s an ancient here?” Coral asked.
“A phoenix named Xane,” Lora said. “She’s a glorious, golden bird. You can imagine how keen the hunters of this world were to catch her kind. She sought refuge here when ancients like her were on the verge of extinction. When we discovered her, a small corps of us offered to protect her. That corps is now hundreds large. However, our newest members have not grown strong. In a fight against Sivona, they would all perish without an able leader.”
“A golden bird,” Coral said. “Earlier today Regent Harold mentioned that a golden bird was hidden in the forest. How could he know that?”
Lora’s brow wrinkled. “I wish I knew. Maybe we can determine that after we address the task at hand. I need you to lead a charge against Sivona and save the goddess. I’m too old and stiff for the job, but Quinnick has spent the last few weeks observing you and offering you opportunities to improve your skills. You’re the best hope we have.
“I expect you’ll find her here, in the heart of the forest.” Lora leaned over the table and landed a finger in the middle of a very detailed map of Diardenna. Onik leaned in, studying the parchment and running his hooves over every line.
“I issue this quest to each of you,” Lora said, “and I will reward all of you after its completion. That is how desperate we are for help.”
New Quest: Purge the Forest (III)
Defeat Sivona. Save Ze. It’s that simple.
Reward: 10 skill points.
“They must have recruited all the new players that joined as elves lately,” Coral said, trying to make sense of the volume of the elf resistance.
“While just as many joined as drow,” Sybil said. “They’re marching on the forest. Why not let Sage Tawn handle Sivona? I want to kill her as much as anyone, but it will be dangerous. Why ask us to do it?”
“Sage Tawn’s designs are unclear,” Lora said. “He claimed long ago that he led a rebellion against Sivona for her bellicose nature. She never leaned toward war until she took Tawn as an advisor. He was the one always quick to anger, always the first to suggest meeting disagreement with bloodshed. If he were to slay Sivona, he would become a hero to the drow, and to many of the elves who have suffered under the queen. He would rule Diardenna.”
“So you want us to kill Sivona,” Daniel said, “save Ze, and stop Tawn? And what do you want us to do about the Aracqueen? It’s all a bit much, don’t you think?”
Lora rested her arms on the conference table and hung her head. “This forest was a place of hope and light. Do what you must to restore that, please. Else that light will go dark forever.”
“Let’s accept quickly and get a move on,” Coral said. “Tawn arrives in fifteen minutes.”
40
“A dwarven Paladin?” Sivona mused, caressing Farah’s jaw with the back of her long, elven index finger. “What to do with you?”
Farah stared into Sivona’s jet black eyes. She wanted to tell the elf queen to do her worst, that she was strong enough to handle whatever came next. She was paralyzed though, unable to move or speak unless the arackid controlling her willed it.
It hurt, those long spider legs stabbing through her shoulder blades. What hurt more was feeling powerless, again. How did she get to this place? Sybil demanded that Farah stay away from Travail. She meant well, but she was always too attentive, pouring over Farah’s homework, interrogating her school friends, checking in on her whenever Sybil logged out. And why? To make sure she didn’t log on to the same game that Sybil played day in and day out? To make sure she hadn’t run away?
Then there was Jack. What he did to Sybil cast a long shadow on their family. Even in his absence his abuse haunted her. He was the reason Sybil was so protective. Yet, her long-absent father returned, only to boss her around and use in-game gear to coax some kind of real world relationship out of her. And now he was threatening to take her out of Philadelphia and away from Sybil.
When do I get to live my own life?, Farah wondered.
Farah’s attention snapped back to the terrifying scene before her as Sivona caressed her face again. An army of reddish brown spiders as tall as she was skittered from side to side waiting for their next meal. She had already watched them feed on one dwarf that Sivona had taken prisoner. She didn’t want to watch that again. What she wanted was to bite Sivona’s finger off.
“Heal your sister,” Sivona said. Sybil?, Farah wondered. Where? How could Sivona know? Then Farah’s arm moved involuntarily toward a female arackid taller than the males surrounding her. She pressed her hand into a gash on the monster’s underside. Warm, dark blood ran down her hand and stained her white platemail as Healing Grasp appeared over her head. The spider shivered as the wound closed.
“Good girl,” Sivona said. “Now go, bring me another dwarf. An experienced, well-seasoned one.” Farah’s legs walked her away from the queen.
“Perhaps the elf bard, dear Aracqueen,” Sivona said, turning her attention away.
Now she does mean Sybil, Farah thought. She strained to stop her feet and turn her head, but her spider master wouldn’t allow it.
“My pet ruined souls would merge you together nicely,” Sivona continued. “It would bring my elf back into the fold, and gift you with a dulcet voice instead of this harsh grating sound you always make.”
No, Farah thought. You will not do this to Sybil. Farah was through being controlled. She felt her willpower battle with the forces acting on her body. She wanted it back. The arackid strained to keep her under wraps, but she pushed back. It was mind against mind, and she had the advantage. Hers was real. Hers had known love and absence, struggle and peace. Hers knew what was at stake if this game ruined Sybil the way it tried to ruin her.
No spider would impose its will on her. No queen, no overprotective sibling, no cruel parent. Not today.
As her determination reached a crescendo in her mind, her leg stopped mid-stride. It hovered over the ground for a moment as she fought to overpower her blighted puppeteer. Then she felt her body slip back under its control, continuing its stride toward the captive dwarves Sivona and the spiders fed on.
It’s okay, Farah thought. I’ll try again if I have to. And again. And again. And again.
41
In the dim light, Coral saw Sal reach up and wipe more black sweat from his forehead. “Sal,” she said, “are you sure you’re up for this?”
“I can’t let you guys have all the fun!” he said. “I’m freezing, and my bones kinda hurt, but I’ll be okay. Besides, I have to sweat out the blight eventually, right? This can’t last forever.”
“Do we even know where we’re going?” Sybil asked.
“Of course,” Onik said. “I had a nice long look at Lora’s map. Minotaurs have cartographic memory. It is impossible for me to get lost. Sivona’s throne should be a mile ahead, through the elven city.”
“Is that smart?” Coral asked. “Won’t walking through the city just attract attention?”
“With Tawn on the way,” Sybil said, “Sivona issued a mandate for all elves to join her on the battlefield. I ignored it, of course, but I’m sure most of the elves have
left the city. Those that stayed will have no interest in this fight.”
The group walked through the trees until they hit a dirt path lined with stones. The path led to an ornate wooden arch that welcomed them into the elven city. Lampposts filled with candles shed a faint, warm glow on the road and the buildings that lined it.
The city was filled with houses and shops built from large stones with steep shingled roofs. They were built between the trees, as if the elves would rather build a smaller house than knock down a tree to create a larger plot. The main road split off into side roads that wound through the forest, sometimes snaking strange paths around trees whose trunks were six feet wide.
“Wait,” Coral said. “Where’s Blat?”
“We have what, ten minutes?” Sybil said. “We’ll find Blat when we’re done.”
“We can spare a few seconds, right?” Sal asked. Coral jogged back the way they came. Blat had stepped away from the main road and was on his knees, digging in the dirt.
“Blat,” Coral said, “we have to go.”
Blat waved her off and kept digging. She saw the dull gray of something metal under the dirt’s surface. A few seconds later Blat yanked a small iron helmet from the ground and thrust it on his head. A proud smile crossed his face.
“Good job,” Coral said, “but now we have to go.” He followed behind for a moment, but then darted away again. Coral sighed as the goblin pushed against a large rock, struggling to tip it over.
“Get your goblin under control,” Sybil said, “or we have to leave him here.”
“He’s not listening to me,” Coral said.
“That’s because he’s not really your follower yet,” Sal explained. “You need to give him time to get more attached to you.”
“Is there a way to speed that up?” Coral asked.
“I guess you could do something extreme that increases how much he likes you a lot all at once,” Sal said.
“Like saving his life?” Coral asked. “That’s what got his attention in the first place.”
“I’ll try my best to kill him,” Sybil said, “and you can save his life again. And if you don’t, we all go on our way anyway. Deal?”
“No deal,” Coral said. Blat stared at the ground, hunting down another spot that might have buried treasure. If he got better at it, this skill could be useful one day. She wondered if letting him get killed in battle would reduce his affinity toward her. She knew it would reduce her affinity for herself. She needed to find a way to protect him.
“Maybe a little bribe would do the trick,” she said, pulling her Ring of Force from her inventory bag by pinching its green gem between her fingers.
“That was rare loot when you found it,” Sal said. “You would give that up?”
“I can’t just leave Blat behind,” she said. “He may have some skills that will pay off later. Besides, I think I’m getting attached to him too. I don’t want to risk him getting killed out there. I need him to listen to me so he doesn’t wander off and get hurt.”
She crouched beside the goblin and held the ring out. He reached his hands out immediately, but Coral didn’t let go just yet. “Blat, I want you to hold onto this for me, ok?” Blat nodded vigorously. “Can I trust you to keep this safe?” He continued nodding. Coral wasn’t sure he was even listening. “If I give you this ring, I hope you’ll come with me on my adventures and be a good teammate.” Blat looked Coral in the eyes and smiled. If a player ever proposed to a goblin before, this is exactly what it would have looked like.
She let go of the ring and held her breath. A few seconds later, she let it out, relieved.
>> Your relationship with Blat has improved from Friendly to Loyal.
“Okay,” she said. “He’s loyal now. We can go.”
“That’s not enough,” Sal said. “Loyal is the step before Follower.”
Blat continued to push against the large stone. “So now what?” Coral asked.
“Now nothing,” Sybil said. “We walk away and see if Blat comes along. If he’d rather stay in the city, let him. Come on.”
Coral turned from Blat and followed her friends through the city. When she glanced back, Blat was still focused on moving that large rock. The distance between them grew with each step.
She faced forward. No sense in getting upset now. The city could be safer for him… unless one of the elves that stayed behind wanted an easy kill — and a free Ring of Force. She bit her lip and kept walking. There simply wasn’t time to grow her connection with Blat.
Then Coral felt a tug at her side. Blat held up a broken arrow shaft and grinned, offering her the treasure he had discovered under that big rock. Coral put the useless item in her bag and smiled as Blat fell in line next to her. It was hardly an even trade for the ring she gave him, but she was glad to have him along.
The group continued through the elven city. It was eerily quiet. None of the buildings on the main road were lit.
The faint sound of spiders chirping in the trees gave Coral the feeling that they were walking into a trap, but they had no choice. Blat must have sensed it too. He sank his fingers into her skin as he hitched a ride on her calf.
>> Feed Ravager’s Rags? Y / N
Coral sighed. It hadn’t even been long since the rags’ last meal. She elected to feed her armor, letting out a short gasp as 24 more points of Defense disappeared from her stats. The three pieces of ravager’s rags that she wore boosted her Spirit significantly, but she was more vulnerable now to physical damage than even a new player at Level 1.
Name: Coral_Daring Gender: Female
Race: Human Class: Garmenter
Level: 43 Diplomacy: 10
Constitution: 50 Dexterity: 90
Defense: 0 Intelligence: 60
Strength: 32 Spirit: 144
HP: 1000 Stamina: 220
MP 288 Skill Points Available: 0
XP: 589,979 XP to Next Level Level: 20,021
“It’s official,” she said. “I have no defense left.”
“Defense is practically all I have now,” Daniel said. “My Steelskin is tough but it seems to conduct magic. I’m like a lightning rod for magic damage.”
“At least you have one buffed trait you can rely on,” Sybil said. “The normal buffs I get from being in the forest are offset by the rotten magic Sivona keeps pumping out. With the debuffs that adds, it’s all a wash.”
“Okay,” Coral said, “someone give me some good news instead.”
“I’m only one level away from unlocking Nuclear Option,” Daniel said. “Something tells me even Sivona won’t survive that.”
Sybil clenched her fists. “If you kill her before I do, I swear—”
She stopped short when the gate on the other end of the city came into view. Through it lay a massive clearing. It was ringed with tall wooden columns that led to a wooden platform. There sat Sivona on her throne.
“Everybody ready?” Sal asked.
“No one is ever ready for war,” Daniel said, “but it’s time. If we stick together we can do this. Here goes.”
42
From inside the city, Sivona appeared to sit idly on her throne across the glade. That changed when they passed through the archway out of the city and into the clearing ahead.
Sivona leaned forward on her throne with an army of elves in green tunics and wooden plate armor in front of her. In the wan light of the near-full moon and stars, her skin was smooth and golden again. Behind her stood a crowd of dark shapes, their features hidden by the trees behind the throne.
“You survived a dozen arackids?” Sivona said. “Clearly I underestimated you.”
A large spindly beast with a fat round center scuttled forward and issued a stringent cry. The Aracqueen.
“That is the curse of a queen, my dear,” Sivona said, placing a hand on the spider’s hind leg. “We must watch some of our children die so that the others may live.” She raised a hand and a series of shadows moved behind her, coming to the fore. Coral squinted but couldn’
t make out their faces for lack of Nightvision.
She brought up her in-game camera again to make sure it was still recording, on the off chance she could record something happy for Domin.
The second those shapes stepped forward Sybil gasped and ran toward the queen with her polearm in hand. “Farah! Farah, are you in there?”
Sal chased after her, with the others shortly behind. Coral ran too, pulling up her bow and reaching back for an arrow.
The queen stood from her throne and the dull chittering sound in the trees kicked into a frenzy. Coral’s heart thumped in her chest.
As quickly as it had leapt into full motion, their attack was halted by an invisible force. First Sybil, then the others struggled against unseen hands that grabbed their arms and held their weapons at bay. It was confusing, not knowing what they were fighting against.
Sybil tilted her head back and sang Shadowshatter.
“Silence her!” Sivona yelled. Pellets of magic light erupted from the glade, seemingly out of nowhere. They converged on Sybil and sank into her skin, inflicting a Silence debuff. It was too late though. Sybil’s song was short and brutal. Her notes rose up the scale, each shorter than the last, until she hit an ear-piercing crescendo that pulverized the darkness and revealed the truth, plain as day, moments before the elves could stop her.
The glade was wide and round, with dense wooden columns forming a smaller circle inside its perimeter. Between the columns draped purple cloth with silver trim. Sivona’s throne sat on a wooden dais on the other side of those columns. With the darkness banished, it was clear what her throne was made of. Bones. If her armor was any indication, she preferred dwarven bones for their sturdiness.