1-Up

by Dean Smith

  ‘Oi! Mordoom! Your cloak’s on fire!’ Valiant called out and almost laughed as he watched Mordoom do a little jig to wiggle out of his cloak.

  ‘Oh, I loved that cloak!’ Mordoom roared as he cast aside the ruined cloak and turned to face Ferdinand. Valiant was worried for him, Mordoom had little power but it seemed like he had forgotten that, no weapons, no magic, no hope. Ferdinand would reduce him to ashes.

  ‘Mordoom! Run! You can’t beat him!’

  ‘I LOVE how much faith you have in me!’ Mordoom responded, his eyes never leaving Ferdinand whose hands were glowing once more with the threat of fire.

  Mordoom had no magic or weapons, he had no way to defend himself and Valiant was stuck in his own battle while Nina was helping the NPCs, Mordoom was on his own.

  ‘So YOU’RE the famous Mordoom?’ Ferdinand smiled at him in derision as his eyes seemed to pop in insanity. ‘I’m disappointed, I expected someone less pathetic.’

  ‘You look tired, why don’t you have a REST!’ Valiant didn’t know when Nina had given him it but Mordoom threw one of her sleeping bombs at Ferdinand but it erupted into flames before it could explode into a cloud.

  ‘You think that’ll work on me? My god, you’re an actual idiot, how are you supposed to be the greatest evil in all of Venturis?’ He laughed again and Mordoom’s fists clenched.

  ‘Try throwing another fireball, go on, I’ll show you what I’m capable of.’ Mordoom said threateningly, it was almost convincing. Valiant didn’t know what Mordoom was planning to do when Ferdinand’s fire came his way.

  ‘As you wish.’ Ferdinand’s hands glowed as a large fireball grew in his hands but Mordoom stood against him unmoving in the face of imminent immolation. Ferdinand unleashed the cataclysmic ball of burning death but Mordoom wasn’t moving from his spot, he put up his hands up in defence and as the fireball drew near, the markings on his hands and face glowed purple. He grabbed the ball of fire and its flames turned from orange to violet in his grasp, it shrank at a fast pace as Mordoom reduced it to sparks. Valiant didn’t understand, Rita had taken Mordoom’s magic, or so he had claimed, had it been a lie? Was Mordoom playing him for a fool?

  Mordoom’s markings grew brighter to the point of being blinding as he whipped his hand towards Ferdinand and unleashed a wave of energy that blasted him against the wall, leaving him motionless on the ground. With Ferdinand defeated, the glow that enshrouded Mordoom faded and that oppressive feeling of strong magic in the air vanished. Mordoom was panting, and he held on to the wall for balance as he laughed a breathless laugh.

  ‘Did you see that? I don’t know what happened, but it was something!’ He laughed again, not noticing Valiant’s stony expression. Mordoom’s reaction told him that this sudden reawakening of his magic was as unexpected to him as it was to Valiant but Valiant wasn’t sure if he could buy it. With Ferdinand defeated, the battle with the guards had concluded and they remained asleep on the ground. Valiant was free to move again and the first thing he did was run to check Ferdinand, who was still alive but very much unconscious. After ensuring the magician wasn’t dead, Valiant turned to Mordoom who was waving his hands in various formations.

  ‘What was that?’ Asked Valiant. ‘You told me your magic was gone!’

  ‘I thought it was! It still might be...’ Mordoom’s face was overcome with worry as he continued his hand motions. ‘Nothing, I used magic just moments ago but now it’s gone again.’ He sighed. ‘I thought I could finally be useful.’

  ‘You were.’ Nina stepped out of the shadows. ‘We’d have all been toast were it not for you, you saved the day. Both of you.’ Mordoom smiled weakly but Valiant’s thoughts were still on the magic he had just seen. He couldn’t help but doubt Mordoom after seeing it. ‘Come on heroes, let’s escort ol’ Ferdy here to the castle, the NPCs are safe and blissfully unaware they were ever in danger.’

  Their rescue mission had been a success but now that the imminent threat was dealt with, Valiant ruminated on Ferdinand’s words and their implications. Was Rita truly behind Ferdinand’s insane actions?

  ***

  It turned out that Ferdinand was acting of his own accord but someone fitting Rita’s description had inspired his actions. Upon delivering Ferdinand to the authorities, he confessed to his crimes and admitted that he was approached by a woman whose words echoed his own fears about the world he now inhabited. Ferdinand was driven to insanity by her words and the fear brought on by the awakening. Queen Bea of Goldharbour issued a swift judgement to Ferdinand, sentencing him to imprisonment and rehabilitation in hopes of Ferdinand regaining his lost sanity. The NPCs had been returned to their previous positions and the shadow of Ferdinand’s actions was lifted from Goldharbour. Peace had returned to the kingdom but the same couldn’t be said for Valiant’s peace of mind. Rita had interfered with a kingdom and had inspired a plot that could have hurt every innocent NPC that got caught up in it. Valiant couldn’t deny that her actions were villainous, and he felt his conviction waver, could he bring her back to her senses? Could he end this nightmare before it got worse? Valiant couldn’t say for sure but, as always, he put his fears to the side and focused on what was ahead.

  With the NPCs safe and the truth brought to light, it was time for Valiant and Mordoom to carry on with their journey to Vilemire. Mordoom seemed unaware of Valiant’s worries and distrust which made Valiant feel bad for doubting him. Rita’s power was mysterious and unknown in its potency and effects and it wasn’t like it was losing his powers that had changed Mordoom, it was the awakening itself but Valiant couldn’t shake his doubts.

  Valiant felt uneasy as they stood on the edge of the town with the Obsidian Fortress looming in the distance. It was their next destination and who knew what was waiting them there? He was so tired of being unsure, of doubt. Valiant wanted the simplicity of his previous life, the unwavering determination he felt in everything he did. How could he be the hero he was meant to be if he was so torn up? It was a vicious circle of thoughts and doubts that Valiant had become to all too used to since this journey began. He didn’t know what lay ahead; he didn’t know what he would say or do once they reached Rita but all he could do, as ever, was move forward.

  ‘Come on, Mordoom. We’ve lingered enough. Let’s get going.’

  ‘WAIT!’ A familiar voice called out from the town as Nina ran towards them. They hadn’t seen her much since handing Ferdinand over to the queen, they had assumed she was seeing to the NPCs.

  ‘Nina, what are you doing here? Are the NPCs okay?’

  ‘Yeah, they’re fine. Listen, let me come with you. I want to help you guys.’

  A third person would help defuse the tension that Valiant harboured towards Mordoom but he had doubts.

  ‘I’d appreciate the help but why? Don’t you want to stay here with your crew?’ Asked Valiant.

  ‘I overheard you before I robbed you, sorry about that by the way. This Rita is all powerful and unpredictable right? She could potentially change the world however she wanted for better or worse, correct? If that’s the case then she could take away our freedom and I’ll do anything to prevent that from happening. I can’t help my people wake up if I’m dreaming alongside them. Let me help, please.’

  ‘I’ll never turn away new friends!’ Mordoom beamed as he looked towards Valiant with hope in his eyes.

  ‘It’s dangerous, Nina, we’ve got to go through three terrible places and THEN we’ll go through Vilemire. Are you prepared for the journey? Are you prepared to risk getting hurt or killed?’

  Nina paused and then nodded with conviction.

  ‘I’ll do what needs to be done and trust me, I’ll pull my weight. I‘ve got skills that will help you out. I won’t slow you down.’

  If Nina was certain and aware of the risks, Valiant couldn’t think of a reason to turn her away.

  ‘Welcome aboard, Nina. I’m glad to have you with us.’

  Level 5

  Valiant and company departed Goldharbour soon after accepting
Nina’s help on their quest. Beyond the city gates was yet another loading screen, something which had become old hat to Valiant and Mordoom but was very new to Nina who had never experienced one before.

  ‘That was weird and slightly terrifying. I thought I was dying.’ She uttered as she made it to the other side, Mordoom offered her a shoulder to lean on and she took it gratefully. On the other side of the loading screen they were greeted with the sight of two mountains and between them was the large black structure that was the Obsidian Fortress. It was a jagged building that looked as though it grew out of the mountains themselves like a mutated blackened tumour.

  ‘Well, that looks suitably imposing. I’m hoping that the exterior doesn’t match the interior and inside it’s just a spa resort.’ Mordoom quipped.

  ‘That would be lovely but unlikely, I predict it’ll be filled with monstrosities hoping to tear our flesh to shreds.’ Nina said as she held her hand to her mouth as though she was going to vomit, she looked back at the loading screen behind them with contempt.

  ‘Sounds like that one time I tried speed dating.’ Nobody laughed at Mordoom’s joke.

  ‘Either way, it’s the only way to Vilemire, which is stupid but that’s the world we live in. We won’t reach Vilemire any faster by just waiting around.’ Valiant stepped out and waved at Mordoom and Nina to follow him.

  They walked down the path towards the fortress and everything was deadly silent. There was no background music, no sounds of nature, not even a breeze to ruffle the leaves on the trees. Just silence.

  ‘Yeesh, not even Vilemire’s this creepy, wasn’t I supposed to be the big bad of this game? You’d think I’d call a place like this home but apparently not! pfft.’ Mordoom spoke incredulously

  ‘Would you want to live here though?’ Asked Nina.

  ‘Well, no. Not unless I had a few vats of industrial strength cleaning potion to bring it up to scratch but that’s not the point! This place screams ‘World ending villain lives here!’ It would be a lot more convenient for us now if it was.’

  ‘True but I’ve learned there are no shortcuts in this world.’ Valiant stated. ‘We have to face each obstacle as it comes.’

  As they approached the ridiculously large doors of the fortress, a dialogue box popped up. It was yet another thing that Valiant and Mordoom had grown accustomed to but was something new to Nina. She gasped and backed away slowly, only returning when Valiant explained what the dialogue box was.

  ‘Welcome Hero! The Obsidian Fortress is a Raid Dungeon which is a new gameplay experience released in Patch 1.3. Inside you’ll find a series of three difficult opponents but you won’t be fighting them using the traditional turn based battle system! Instead the battles will use the ‘Raid Battle’ system. You will be able to move and attack freely but so will your enemies! Your enemies will use powerful attacks and abilities that will not always be straightforward or easy to deal with. It’s up to you, the hero, to figure out the mechanics of each fight and overcome your enemies! Are you ready for the challenge?’

  It was a lot of information to process but Valiant was pleased to hear that, within the fortress at least, he wouldn’t have to play by the rules of the turn based battle system. He would be free to act as he saw fit. Neither Nina nor Mordoom seemed to share his enthusiasm. Mordoom was flexing his fingers, probably hoping for a spark of magic but it remained beyond his reach.

  ‘What good am I in a place like that if I can’t even fight?’ He sighed. ‘I’m useless again, I wish I could use SOME magic, a meagre fireball would make me happy.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it Mordy, maybe you can only use your magic when you’re in danger? If that’s the case then you’ll be lighting up this tower in no time!’ Nina slapped his back encouragingly.

  ‘I kind of feel that was a backhanded compliment?’

  ‘Just take the encouragement, okay?’ Nina turned away from ‘Mordy’ and looked towards the tower. ‘Besides, I don’t think strength will win the day here. That box thingy made it sound like these battles will be more like puzzles. It doesn’t matter if you can bring the sky down on these enemies if we have to use a certain trick to beat ‘em.’

  Nina spoke sense and that sense deflated Valiant's excitement like a balloon. If she was right, which she probably was, then this would be tougher than he thought. Even so, they had no choice but to carry on and so he raised his shield and prodded open the door with his sword.

  'Let's go see what fresh hell awaits us in here, then.'

  ***

  Within the stronghold they were greeted with an impregnable darkness. They could see light pouring in from outside but it didn’t travel further than the door. With no other choice but to keep on moving forward, they proceeded ahead. As they moved forward, the temperature dropped, if Valiant could see in front of his face, he expected he would see the mist rise from his breath. With every step, the temperature dropped further still until Valiant couldn’t help but shiver; he felt his grip on the floor weaken as he would occasionally slip and lose his footing but thankfully he remained upright. He wished he could check on the others but they were lost in the darkness to him, he could hear their footsteps but he didn’t dare to call out to them. Valiant considered that the raid battle may have already begun, that they would fight a foe in complete darkness and if that was the case then sound would be vital in keeping track of their enemy and for their enemy to keep track of them. He hoped that Mordoom and Nina were on the same wavelength.

  ‘AIIIIIEEEEEE!’ A piercing scream stopped Valiant’s heart for a second.

  ‘Nina! Are you hurt!?’ He called out, forgetting his earlier fears about creatures in the dark. Perhaps it wasn’t Nina, perhaps it was the cry of a vile banshee descending upon them.

  ‘I’m fine.’ Nina responded with a sigh and layers of exasperation.

  ‘Sorry about that.’ Mordoom responded meekly. ‘I put my hand on a wall and it was colder than expected. Heh heh.’ His voice trailed off with an audible embarrassment.

  ‘That was the highest pitched screaming I’ve ever heard and I save damsels in distress for a living.’ Valiant said, unable to hide his laughter.

  ‘Well, I live in atop a volcanic mountain! I’m not used to the cold!’

  ‘Right, I’m sure that’s the case.’ Valiant tried to stifle his laughter for Mordoom’s benefit and he stopped as he looked ahead and saw a small light in the distance.

  He pointed ahead and then realised that neither Nina nor Mordoom could see what he was doing, feeling foolish he called out to them quietly just in case although it felt a little pointless to do so. If there was enemies in this dark place, they would have tracked Mordoom’s scream to their current location. Valiant surmised that their first raid battle would take place at wherever the light in the distance led to.

  ‘Let’s go, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can get out of here.’

  ‘Or more likely die screaming in writhing agony.’ Said Nina under her breath.

  After a few minutes, they stepped into the light and found themselves in a large icy cavern where the walls were covered in thick ice and from the ceiling hung long sharp icicles that glistened in the light in an almost threatening manner but the most threatening thing lay sleeping in the middle of the room. It was a large blue creature encased in ice much like the walls of the cavern and it had large frost covered rings that covered most of its body which was bigger than a house. Only it’s long narrow head poked out of its wing span, its tongue lolled across the floor as its snores shook the cavern. Each time it snored, sheets of ice blew forth from its snout.

  ‘It’s a dragon, an ice dragon!’ Valiant had fought dragons before he was awakened but this was the first time he had ever seen an ice dragon.

  ‘It’s sleeping, think we can sneak past it?’ Nina wondered but Valiant doubted they could resolve this situation so easily. Behind the dragon, he could see a large door covered with ice and he would bet money on the fact that only by defeating the dragon would the ice on the
door melt. There was no getting around it, if they wanted to move forward, they would have to fight.

  ‘We’ve got to do this.’ Valiant told the others as he drew his sword and shield, Nina followed his lead by drawing two daggers from her belt while Mordoom frantically flicked his fingers, hoping for some magic to return to him.

  ‘Keep your eyes peeled, there’s gonna be some sort of trick or ‘mechanic’ to this and be careful, I don’t think this will be easy.‘

  With everyone ready, Valiant approached the dragon and raised his sword, hoping for his expectations to be crushed by a deadly first blow. He brought down the sword on the dragon’s head and watched in horror as it harmlessly bounced off its head. Its eyes shot open and the dragon’s silver slitted eyes narrowed at its would be attacker. Valiant backed away as the dragon stood up and unfurled its wings. A life bar appeared above its head and above the bar was a name ‘Rimeroar, the Winter’s Wrath.’

  Valiant and his allies had to crane their necks to take in the full sight of the beast. It was taller than a small tower and its wing span covered the entire cavern. The creature roared at them and the cavern shook from the force. Red spots appeared on the floor and a few seconds later, sharp icicles fell where the spots were. More spots appeared, this time they were all focused around Valiant and his allies.

  ‘Move!’ He cried as he forced them out of the way not a second too soon as icicles crashed right where they were standing.

  ‘Keep an eye out for red markings! I think they show where attacks and dangers will come from.’ Valiant shouted as a thick red line spread out from the dragon and towards them. They leapt to the side as the dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of frost breath at them. This confirmed Valiant’s theory.

  ‘Listen, I’m the only one that can fight that thing but I don’t think I can hurt it yet. It’s covered in ice and my sword just bounces off it. I need you guys to figure out what the trick is to beating it while I keep it busy.’