by Dave Austin
Everyone looked at Joannie. Their apprehensive faces meant something, but I wasn’t sure if it was fear or mistrust. I’d have to wait to see how things turned out. There was respect between them but there was also a fuse that could be set on fire and would blow all over the team. No one wanted that. We had too much at stake to waste time with childish discussions. Brie nodded her head, and they moved to the center of the ship.
There was preponderance in the way each one moved, hands in their arms, their hair dancing along with the gentle breeze, and their boobs swinging. I asked myself if I was the only one focused on them, and maybe I was but it was hard not to look at them. The dismal silence replaced the cheerful and contagious atmosphere.
For a moment, there was only silence and peacefulness. Suddenly, I heard metal clashing, and they were already in front of each other, although I didn’t even saw them moving. They were too fast for my eyes to follow. Everyone was getting too excited and pushing me to the back. It was as if something in their brains had turned on, and as soon as the battle started, they all forgot that it could lead to something serious and grave.
“We should stop this…” I said.
“Don’t worry. This is normal. They’re just blowing off some steam, it’s their way of solving problems. They’ll go back to being friends when they finish. Probably.” Loras said.
“It’s good for all of you. Not for me. I’ll have to waste all my magic to heal them, as usual.” Mumbled the healer.
“Isn’t that your thing?” asked the archer, with his fist under his chin, which gave him a serious, thoughtful look.
She mumbled something inaudible but didn’t answer, leaving in the air the slight sensation that she regretted her decision to be a healer. The fight was slower than I expected, as they both threaded carefully, and thought about their next move before they even went sideways.
They knew exactly what the other one was about to do. They swatted at each other, even using their fists and elbows, but there was still a lack of serious damage. I thought they were just going to keep trying until they settled for a draw, but I couldn’t be further away from the truth.
Brie slid her hand from the silver base of her swords to the sharp metal tip that shone whenever the sun fell on her, and a red light came out of nowhere spreading furiously through her swords, burning and scorching them, turning them into a living hell. It was the realistic expression of hot lava flowing down the lands of a newly erupting volcano.
She waved her swords, and the flames spread even wider. The soft breeze evaporated, and the clothes clung to our bodies as sweat trickled down our foreheads. Brie’s own body had been surrounded by a reddish aura, and her eyes gained an orange hue, similar to the flames on her sword. However, Joannie didn’t give a single step backward. She wasn’t afraid. Instead, her face lit up.
“Are we really going to do this?” She asked.
“Didn’t you want to show them how a real fight looks? What are you waiting for?” Brie replied, taunting her.
Joannie repeated Brie’s movements, but the effect was different. Instead of the sword being surrounded by a warm color, a lightning bolt broke out from the sky at high-speed. It hit the sword’s acuminate tip, spreading outwards from her, including Joannie’s hand, electrifying it and leaving it a deadly danger to whoever touched her.
They both easily manipulated magic despite being warriors. I assumed that Brie’s fire was linked to her passion, while Joannie’s electricity was due to her familiarity with storms that made the sea a possible one-way trip.
The battle took on epic proportions. The white clouds drifted away, giving space for the dark ones filled with torment. Our clothes got soaked in seconds, but the real battle was only just beginning. My heart was about to leap out of my chest as my anxiety spread throughout my body, making my knees buckle.
They maneuvered their swords, just moments before their soles pressed the wooden floor, giving them enough balance to swung against each other ferociously and viciously. I didn’t understand what had happened.
There was an explosion, but there was no damage, except for a few barbs that came loose. A wave of grey dust spread through the ship, preventing us from seeing what had happened, and what the outcome of the battle was. The healer was coughing non-stop, and so was I. Luckily, the awful storm ended up being useful, as it dissipated the dust.
There were three shadows in the middle of the boat. It was hard to see who was who. We had to wait until the view got clearer. Brie and Joannie had their arms in hand, and the sorcerer amid them, surrounded by a transparent barrier, visible only because Brie’s fire was around it, trying to find a way through. Although he was one level below her, and two below Joannie, he stopped both attacks. His defense seemed impenetrable, and he took advantage of the solemn moment to tell them to calm down.
“This was fun,” Joannie said and burst out laughing.
“Only for you,” Brie replied, before storming out to her room and logging out.
“You know she can be temperamental. Give her time.” The archer said, “Jones, let’s go. It’s our turn.” He added, gazing at the magician.
Jones returned the look with a ferocity that sent shivers through my body. The archer apologized for being careless and saying his real name, but Jones kept his deadly gaze on us. His raven-like eyes seemed to have only a small white dot in the middle as if they were a mirror of his soul. He was more into dark magic than earth, as I thought.
His past was unknown and yet I could feel something was terrifying about him as if at any moment he could snap and guide our brains into madness and make us commit horrors that would take us down a rabbit hole we could never escape from.
The archer was brave and fearless enough to walk up to him and position himself for battle, despite Jones's lack of enthusiasm to fight.
“Start,” Loras shouted.
Three ice-tip arrows flew toward the sorcerer who destroyed them just by moving his hand in front of them. Small black energy bubbles surfaced and grew in the palm of his hands. He laughed like a maniac as he stared into their darkness. The rain had calmed down, and now only tiny droplets slid down our faces and onto our soaked clothes.
“Are you sure he is on our team?” I asked.
“Yes, he’s good. He’s just too overdramatic. At least I don’t have to heal him all the time.” The healer said.
Jones pointed the energy balls to the sky, shooting them and looking up as they made their way through the clouds, and just when we thought he had decided to not use them, they appeared again, but this time descending at a vertiginous speed heading to the ship, aimed precisely at the archer was. He moved from one side to the other, and in zigzags but the bubbles kept following him.
“Jones, calm down,” Loras said, and now he seemed serious.
Jones didn’t even listen to him, or at least he acted like he didn’t. The archer fired dozens of arrows, including a special attack consisting of a single diamond-based arrow. Nothing worked. Even the diamond arrow was swallowed by the bubbles’ darkness and vanished into the void.
Instead of the bubbles hitting their target, they surrounded him and stood still, glowing and waiting for an order. The archer had nowhere to go as they whirled around him silently at high-speed. The archer’s grinding teeth was the only noise that could be heard all over the boat.
“It was a nice fight, Rashida,” Jones said, and clapped his fingers, making the bubbles dissipate.
Hearing his name reminded me that I didn’t know a single thing about them. Rashida was clearly an oriental name. I hadn’t even thought they could be from anywhere in the world. We had the same goals, but we came from different places and the lives each one had weren’t even close to similar.
The battle ended there. Rashida cursed Jones before leaving the ship. He seemed to have a huge distaste for losing or maybe he wasn’t used to it. He was acting like a sour loser. I told the others I would also take a short break and that I needed to stretch my arms and legs before my
cramps became an obstacle.
As I walked toward my room, I noticed that Joannie was winking at me. She wanted a second round, perhaps to ease the stress of her battle, but it would be difficult with so many people wandering around the ship. I’d lose my only chance with Brie if she ever found out. I was playing both sides, and it could prove to be a messy problem, one I wouldn’t know how to fix. However, it was a problem I could deal with later. I logged out.
The clock ticking was consistent, continuous, and irritating. It was already 7:00 pm. I’d forgotten that time passed faster when I was in the game. I took care of my basic needs before stretching my arms, and legs, and even my neck. The bones crackled, relieving my scrawny body.
I put an extra cheese pizza in the oven and sat in the kitchen as I waited and thought how Reverdant could look. Maybe a ghost town, or maybe a Las Vegas kind of city, full of places where players could bet their weapons for virtual money, or even a real one.
My world had fallen off when I was fired, but it had earned a new meaning. I had two months left, and I was going to spend one of them investing in Only Fantasy Harem, trying to find a way to make money through it while helping the team saving it.
I had a purpose and I would fight for it.
All my life I had given up on my dreams and desires for fear of failing, for dreading that my foot would slip on the edge of a cliff, but no more. This time I would reach my goal and push myself past my limits. The motivation spread through my body as if it were an energy drink; its components bundling in my bones and mingling with my blood.
The pizza was ready.
I decided to watch a bit of TV as I ate it. News about the company that created Online Fantasy Harem were on all popular channels; a fire had spread through two floors of their building, which had served as a distraction for the theft of extremely valuable technology. The company didn’t disclose the true nature of what had been stolen, nor the impact it could have on the game.
A man in his fifties, with a white beard and tired crystal-blue eyes, was talking about the potential risks of using technology without knowledge of its purpose. I was so intent on his harsh voice that it took me a while to realize I was watching a record of a video from two weeks ago and that they were repeating it because there were new developments in the case. It seemed like the recent information was that the robbery had been carried out by a single former employee. The police were already looking for him. Something shady was going on inside the company and considering what was happening in the game the two things had to be connected.
I had five unread messages, and two missed calls. I hadn’t spoken to my friends since I had gotten fired. They would ask me a lot of questions about my dismissal and that was the last thing I wanted to talk about.
The supplies left in the house were dwindling, there was almost no food or drinks, and I barely had toilet paper. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt the sun hugging my face, the birds chirping loudly, the frantic sounds of the children running in the park, or the dogs jumping incessantly from a place to another. The game had become my life even though I knew it wasn’t real.
Jamal’s death may have been just an unfortunate coincidence and had nothing to do with the game. I answered all the messages and calls, apologizing and saying that I was seriously ill and that as soon as I got better, I’d give them a call. I was hoping it would be enough to have no one bothering me or knocking at my door. As I walked toward the living room, I realized that I smelled horrible, and my number one priority should be a long bath.
However, before that, I went to the small balcony in the living room. People walked as if their day had just begun despite the late hours. They looked like ants. There were still traces of sunlight, shyly hidden behind a few grey clouds.
I took a long deep breath before turning around and heading to the bathroom. have always liked the tranquillity and lightness that comes from feeling the hot water pouring down on my face. I cleaned myself, left the bath, dressed in comfortable pajamas, and got ready to get back into the game. Unfortunately, weariness fell on me, like an invisible force pinning me down to the bed, and I ended up closing my eyes.
Chapter III
I woke up 10 hours later, still sleepy, with my eyes constantly slipping shut. It was a huge help to know I wouldn’t need to work, and I could do anything I desired. Well, I chose to return to the game. It was late and the ship should be empty, but at least I could train alone.
I logged in.
The world around me was different from what it was just hours ago. It wasn’t raining, but my bones trembled due to the cold gale. Hills of ice mountains, that stretched for miles, and made our ship look like a child’s toy replaced the endless sea. Except for a mysterious fog that could lead us to death, there seemed to be nothing at the end of the hills.
In one of the highest mountains, there was a huge metallic object that resembled a skull and caused a lasting dreadful impression. Its yellow eyes were gleaming and fiery while his metal shone as if it had been cleaned not long ago. It was a sign that the place where we were headed wouldn’t be easy and replete with the kindest people. My teeth chattered, and I couldn’t even close my hand. Someone came up behind me, touched my shoulder, and covered me with a fur coat.
“You’ll feel warmer.” She said.
“Brie? What are you doing here?”
“Well, somebody had to take care of the ship while everyone slept. There are pirates around these areas. They hide behind the mountains, and when you’re too far that you can't turn back, they’ll surround you. We can’t afford delays or losing our transport, don’t you think?” She asked with a smile. She had perfect white teeth, and her snowflake-covered hair danced swiftly along the breeze.
“Can I ask you something? It has nothing to do with this, but I’m curious.”
“You want to know why I dislike Joannie, don’t you?” She asked and sighed.
“Yes…” I replied shyly as we sat on the wooden floor, looking at the starry sky.
“I don’t hate her. We just don’t get along. We were amazing friends until one day she almost let me die just to catch a powerful item that was about to fall off a cliff. She cared more about saving the item than me, and I was her friend. Luckily, Jones used his magic to save me. We were never the same after that. I know her past, and I think she isn’t very different from those whom she swore to kill. The worst part is that I believe she knows, and that’s the biggest reason why she isolated herself from others. Not that she would ever admit it, you know? We should talk about something else.” She said, her eyes focused on a shiny star.
“I understand… Just one more question, why does Jones seem to hate me? And how strong is he? He was able to stop your attacks quite easily.”
“Don’t take it personally. Sometimes I think he just hates everyone, especially when he doesn’t trust them. He’s probably the strongest of us. He learned and crafted the art of using two types of magic at the same time, and I have yet to see anyone else do it. I told him that I hated that one of those types was darkness and that I feared for him, but he swore he wouldn’t ever let the darkness swallow him.” She made a brief pause, “anything else you’d like to know?”
“I’m good, but, look, wasn’t this trip supposed to take three days?”
“It should, but the sea was calmer than usual so we weren’t forced to stop. We’ll get there today. I’m not exactly sure when though, that’s Joannie’s job.” She replied as she interlaced her fingers on her fluttering hair.
We stayed still, contemplating the sky as an aurora borealis appeared on the horizon; sea-green and a slightly toasted yellow. I had only seen something similar in pictures, but I never thought anything so beautiful and realistic could exist in this world. The lights became stronger, and the colors brighter.
Brie was smiling. I assumed that it had been a while since she saw something so lovely and cozy. Her leg brushed against mine, and I reacted by putting my arm around her. She looked at me but said nothing. I s
ighed with relief, and we ended up sitting there, together, enjoying the beauty of that ephemeral moment. I had no idea how much time had passed when we finally heard steps and voices. She pushed me away, and we acted as nothing had happened between us.
The healer and Rashida were talking to each other, and they walked toward us. The aurora was almost gone. We waited for the sun to set but it never happened. The storm had calmed down, but the cold was still crushing our bones.
“Don’t wait for the sun. He doesn’t exist in these types of places, where death has a home and happiness is a nightmare. The only thing that exists around here is a desire for blood trickling down their enemies’ throats. It’s a lonely life but I don’t think they spend much time thinking about it.” Someone behind us said. I recognized the voice.
We all looked at the same time. It was Joannie. Her clothes were completely different, and we could see she was used to this weather. She was wearing a jacket, gloves, scarfs, and even a hat to cover her ears.
“I should have warned you that Riverdant’s weather in this time of the year isn’t as good as Viribus.”
“You definitely should have.” The healer replied.
We ended up sitting next to each other, letting human warmth flow through our bodies as we watched the view. A mountain range blocked our way, and we had nowhere to go. There were mountains on the left, and right. Turning around was also going to be difficult, seeing as there wasn’t much space for it. However, no one commented. Their faces become serious, and they stood up.
I followed their footsteps even though I had no idea what was happening. It seemed like a big deal. Joannie moored the boat on high-sea, and we stood still for a moment until we heard a deafening noise that made us look back. Three other ships, all with chimneys blowing coal into the air, were now behind us. Only Joannie didn’t turn around. Two of the ships were the same size as ours, and the other was bigger. They had surrounded us and were now tightening the siege.
As they got closer, I started to notice dozens of players on the deck, all armed with shiny, sharp swords. My first thought was that they were about to attack us, but none took the initiative. Loras appeared 5 minutes later while Jones took five more minutes. As soon as we were all there, Joannie turned around, looked at the three ships, and whistled loudly.