I dashed in alongside the others. A faint glow appeared around the beast through my eyes alone, indicating that my foe was marked. I stabbed into the boss as the tanks continued to absorb its assault. -16 HP. The others began their attacks, taking small chunks of HP from the butcher with each passing second. Its health bar dwindled, falling below 10% as we pressed on.
Suddenly, the creature’s black beady eyes turned a bright shade of red. It began flailing about, ignoring the tanks and swinging its blade with reckless abandon. Above its head a new skill flashed:
Berserker’s rage
-Damage +50%
Damnit all!
I watched as the butcher charged the group of casters. They tried to dodge it, but one unlucky young woman stumbled and quickly fell victim to the beast’s blade. I charged at the butcher’s flank, but it’s movements were too erratic. In its rage, it turned and slashed out with its blade. I slid to the ground trying desperately to dodge the blow, but the tip slashed across my chest, shearing my tunic and spraying my blood across the stone. -68 Hp.
I cried out in pain as my HP bar drained. A glancing blow had brought me so close to death….and for that matter who the hell knew what would happen if I died in game. I inched my body away from the butcher as it changed its focus back to the tanks, knocking them around with its fevered strikes. I rose to a knee and watched as another player fell to the butcher of the wilds. Damnit all, it couldn’t end like this.
Suddenly, the boss changed its focus. Its fiery red eyes locked on a warrior cowering in the corner…. Vic!
Now this was karmic justice. I watched as the butcher began its charge, all the while Vic remained frozen in fear. In seconds he would be slain, a fitting payback for the years of adolescent torment he’d subjected me to…
My stomach started to churn. Vic was an asshole, but was I really prepared to sit back and watch him die?
Instinctively my legs began to move, even before I had told them to. I dashed towards the butcher from an angle, looking to cut off its charge. My HP bar blinked red, but I blocked it out, solely focused on the target ahead.
I lunged my sword forward! The butcher swung its mighty blade at my neck. I closed my eyes as I felt my blade penetrate its armor and plunged into its gut. Several seconds passed before I finally opened my eyes. The beast stood in front of me, my sword protruding from its crimson hide. The butcher’s blade wavered just inches from my face, though it never followed through with the strike. Instead, the creature burst into hundreds of glimmering particles that showered the platform. I couldn’t believe it… we won!
I let gravity take over as I fell to my back. The red sky faded as it returned to a familiar shade of blue. I could hear the other players cries of joy as they celebrated our victory.
Another notification popped up in the air above me.
Congratulations
Boss defeated- Butcher of the Wilds
350 Exp. Rewarded
I waved it off and another notification followed shortly after.
You have reached level 2
-You have 2 attribute points to allocate
-You have 1 skill point to allocate
And again.
You have reached level 3
-You have 2 attribute points to allocate (4 total)
-You have 1 skill point to allocate (2 total)
I smile crept across my face. I’d never felt like I held any power over my life… but this, this felt right. I pulled up my interface. I thought about allocating my skill points, then quickly waved it off. There would be time for that in a bit. I gave my blinking HP bar another look. Right now, I needed a bit of rest.
5
Everyone on the platform remained quiet for a little while, a stark contrast to the mayhem that had just ensued. The fight had been exhilarating, unlike anything I'd ever felt before… but that was over with. Now, all I was left with was a nearly empty HP bar blinking in my face and pain coursing through my body. It was quite sobering.
Slowly, I sat up and took a quick look around. There had to have been dozens of us at the onset of battle, but now only me and seven others remained… three mages, the pair of guardians, a rogue and of course Vic. All of the others had fallen in the butcher’s frenzy.
As I rose to my feet, I noticed something… peculiar. Most of the other players sat at level 2, all with varying amounts of experience points. Well, except for Vic. He remained at base level. Had the game rewarded experience points based on participation… if that was the case, then perhaps I got more for delivering the killing blow!
Either way, I didn’t have much time to dwell on it. At the center of the platform a soft, white light began to glow, grabbing everyone’s attention. The light brightened for a second, then quickly dissipated. In its place was a large wooden chest. The other players stared curiously as the chest wriggled in place, as if it were taunting us with whatever prize it had hidden inside. As I approached, the words “CONGRATULATIONS” glimmered in the sky above. The lid popped open seconds later, revealing its treasures.
Studded Leather Armor Obtained
X10 Throwing Knives Obtained
3 Silver Obtained
76 Copper Obtained
I shrugged. Not a bad haul at all. The other players stepped forward, each of them receiving different items from the chest until finally it faded from view. Behind me, Vic let out an exaggerated sigh. “I didn’t get anything…”
“That’s because you didn’t do anything, coward.” The female guardian chimed in, drawing a laugh from the other players. I focused on the icon above her head.
Name: Hilda
Guardian
Lvl: 2
She noticed me inspecting her and approached with a big grin on her face. “Hell of a show you put on, hero.”
I was always one of the shy ones in the real world, but that had never been a problem in VR… until now. Hilda was tall and bold and beautiful, with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes that made it hard for my brain to form words. “Th-thanks.” I managed to choke out.
“I should be thanking you.” She replied as she slung her buckler across her back. “If you didn’t rally us back there, we might’ve all been deleted.”
“I suppose I just wanted to win.” Damnit! I probably sounded like an idiot. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind.
“Well, I like winning. Maybe when we get this shit sorted we can group up.”
“Hell yeah!” I responded, drawing a laugh out of her. At least I had that going for me. Suddenly, a notification appeared in the corner of my vision.
Hilda would like to add you as a friend
Accept!
The air began to shift around us, bringing our conversation to a sudden halt.
“Up there!” I heard one of the others yell. Above us, the hum of propellers echoed as the airship from earlier made another pass. I watched as it slowly shifted in the sky, before finally coming to a stop directly above the platform.
I jumped back as a rope ladder fell from the transport. It dangled freely, swaying back and forth in the wind.
“Sh-should we climb it?” Vic asked, creeping just a bit closer.
“Sure.” I replied. “You head up first. If you don’t come back, then we know it’s not safe.”
He frowned, clearly unamused. Suddenly, a figure appeared on the edge of the transport, though the angle of the sun made it hard to discern its form.
The figure latched on to the ladder and began its descent towards the ground.
“Weapons ready!” I yelled, though I prayed we wouldn’t need to use them. The only one of us with any semblance of a health bar was Vic, and he was next to useless!
As the figure descended, I began to get a better picture. It was definitely a male, easily identified by the thick beard dangling from his chin. He was quite a bit shorter than I was, and quite a bit wider as well.
“Is that a dwarf?” Hilda asked, cupping her hands over her eyes to get a better look.
“I think so.”
The stout and sturdy man leapt from the rope ladder, skipping the last several rungs and landing on the platform with a hard ‘thud’. He was well dressed… well, better than any of us, at least. His leather boots were shined, his pants free of holes, and his lavender tunic was finely crafted with gold trim. Even his beard was well-kept, braided with a thin golden cord.
“Well met!” he hollered in a tone that could only be described as dwarvish. “And congratulations! Ye’ve braved the butcher and survived the wilds! Now, climb aboard, we’ve got a ways to go!”
“Where the hell are going?" I said. I couldn’t help but be skeptical. After all, the last NPC I encountered had sent me into an unescapable death trap.
“Well friend, ye have an audience with Vazryn… Lord of Aetheria!”
><><
The wind whipped through my hair as we soared above the clouds, leaving the tall oaks and the wildflowers behind. We had deliberated as a group before boarding the flying vessel, but the game really didn’t leave us with any other choices. With hardly any HP and minimal gear, boarding the airship seemed like an easy enough choice.
And so, we boarded ‘The Winged Tavern’, a name that I learned was given to the airship due to all the ale the ship’s crew typically smuggled on. The fine dwarf that had greeted us was Grimley Ironwing, self-proclaimed greatest pilot in Aetheria.
I also learned a bit about those strange bird-creatures that rode on the ship’s tailwinds. Apparently, they were another form of a creature I had spotted before… a sprite. This particular breed was different then the nature sprite. These fed off the fumes coming from the airship’s Aether-infused engines. They also danced in the skies, providing a bit of entertainment for the ship’s dwarvish crew.
While the dwarves tended to the ship, I leaned against the mast and focused on my interface, bringing up a series of menus. First, I pulled up my inventory. Other than my newly acquired items, I spotted my short sword as well as common traveler’s clothes. I focused on my new studded leather armor. A faint glow appeared around my body as the armor formed atop it. It was thin, yet durable, offering a bit more protection while still allowing freedom of movement. Nice! I then selected my x10 throwing knives and equipped them. A bandolier formed across my chest with the knives settled in for easy access.
Next, I pulled up my character sheet.
You have 4 attribute points to allocate
You have 2 skill points to allocate
I pondered on my attribute points for a moment, thinking about my encounter with the butcher. My two greatest assets in that fight were my speed and strength. It only made sense to bolster them.
+2 Strength
+2 Dexterity
Finally, I pulled up my skill tree, which offered 3 different paths…
Weapon MasteryCombat ExpertiseDark Magic (locked)
Hmmm. Improving my skills in combat was a priority, so combat expertise seemed like the obvious choice. Nonetheless, I took a look at the weapon mastery tree. My eyes went wide as I read over the primary skill available.
Blade of the Slayer (passive)
-Create a bond with the weapon of your choice. You may summon your bonded weapon at will. Slay your enemies with increased damage
I was oh so tempted to take it, but the measly short sword I was carrying hardly seemed worthy, so I decided to move on for now. Dark magic was locked out until I could reach level 5, so back to combat skills I went.
Skill unlocked
Lunging strike
-Quickly close the distance between you and your opponent, dealing a vicious blow
Skill unlocked
Doublestrike
-Strike twice in quick succession, dealing extra damage on the second strike
Satisfied, I closed out my menus and walked to the edge of the airship. My eyes went wide… what a view.
Vast valleys and dense forests seemed to stretch on for miles, split by a pair of massive rushing rivers that winded through the landscape. To the north, the horizon was filled with a seemingly never-ending line of snowy peaks, and beyond that… a darkness that sent shivers down my spine. I studied the landscape, trying to pick up on as many details as I could remember… the large tower by the lake to the east, the floating castle far to the west… it was all so overwhelming!
“She’s a beaut’, isn’t she lad?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin, surprised by the silent approach of our captain, Grimley. I gave him a puzzling stare, not quite certain what he meant.
“Aetheria. She’s a beautiful place… beautiful and dangerous.”
I had already found that second part out firsthand. “It is quite a sight to see.” I replied. “You say we’re heading to see the Lord of this land… where is that exactly? And why does he want to see us?”
The dwarf grinned wide, showing his pearly white teeth. “Why, we’re going to Karrihdan, the city that rose from the ashes. As for Lord Vazryn’s intentions… well, that’s something only he can tell ye.” The dwarf gave me a wink. “Me and my band don’t ask a lot of questions. As long as Lord Vazryn keeps giving us coin, we’ll keep on makin his runs.”
“So, what your telling me is that you’re an uber?”
Grimley gave me a confused look that quickly turn sour. “Watch your mouth, lad.”
I couldn’t help but let out a laugh, drawing strange looks from another pair of dwarven deckhands as they hurried past. They quickly turned away, focusing their attention on the main sails as the wind current took a swift change of direction.
It wasn’t much longer until our destination came into view. Karrihdan, the city that rose from ash. It was a sprawling cityscape littered with buildings of varying shape and size. Even from this distance I could see the cobblestone streets bustling with activity, though whether they were NPCs or other players waited to be seen.
“Look!” Vic yelled as he approached the front of the ship, pointing to the far side of the city.
There they were… dozens of other airships, likely carrying the others that had survived their first horrific trial. That reminded me, I pulled up my friends list and scrolled down to Maximus.
Maximus Lvl 2 Guardian
Area Unknown
Well, at least he’d survived, though he clearly wasn’t in the area. I’d have to search for him later, after I got my bearings and found someone to babysit Vic. As we began our descent, Grimley made his way to the bow, waving his short arms in the air to grab everyone’s attention. “Gather your things and prepare to depart! For now, we arrive at the city that burned, and the city that rose again! We arrive in the land of opportunity, and the home of the best ale in Aetheria… we arrive in Karrihdan, the city blessed by dragonfire!”
With his nice little display of showmanship complete, Grimley lifted a foamy mug to his mouth and drank deeply, leaning so far back that I was certain he would fall overboard.
.
6
I was sure of one thing as the airship began to make its final descent into the city… this place was huge! Dozens of other ships hovered in the area as we lowered onto a giant stone clearing on the city’s north side… almost like a primitive airfield of sorts.
At eye level were four massive flags that surrounded the area, proudly on display for us newcomers. Each of the flags was striking in its own way. The first was bright red, with the head of a fearsome gold dragon at its center. The second was blacker than midnight, containing a silvery metallic wolf’s head that howled towards the heavens. The third flag was a majestic violet, its center holding a black-winged raven. And finally, the fourth flag, tattered and blue, displayed a long, coiled tentacle.
“Those be the banners of the four great guilds of Aetheria.” One of the deckhands said, noticing my gaze lingering on the giant displays.
“The great guilds? I replied, my interest piqued.
“Aye. You see, Karrihdan wasn’t always the great city you see ‘afore you. It used to be a city corrupt to its ugly core... That’s ‘afore the great red cam
e and burned this place down with its dragonfire… left thousands dead and thousands more without homes. All was lost, but the four guilds rallied and fought the ancient drake off. They rebuilt the city bigger and better then it ever was ‘afore. Now, even though the guilds are at odds with each other, they’re still honored equally on the streets of Karrihdan.”
I nodded. “They must be quite powerful then.”
“Oh, they are.” The dwarf said with a quick nod of his head. “The first banner you see there is The Drakenguard. Courage and ferocity is what they live by… if I had to bet I’d say they’re the strongest of the four guilds. Then there’s The Iron Wolves. Iron and blood are the only two things that the wolves deal in. They’re experts on the battlefield, and often first to turn the gears of war. That third banner belongs to Ravenflight. Of all the guilds, little is known about Ravenflight, though its members rely on cunning, wit, and a well-placed blade to get the job done. And finally, there’s The Tidecallers.” The deckhand paused as his face twisted. “The Tidecallers are a strange lot… more like a cult if you ask me. In order to join, they dunk ya in water and make you complete some strange ritual. They think they’re all connected… just ‘tentacles of the Kraken’.”
“Kraken?” I asked, prodding the deckhand for more info.
“Giant god-like sea-beast. Though I think they’re talkin metaphorically.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as he struggled to make sense of it.
“Well, where do I sign up?” Hilda said as she squeezed in between us, clearly eavesdropping on the conversation.
“There isn’t a sign-up sheet, lass. The guilds have their ears and eyes out in the streets, lookin for those they deem worthy to wear their mantles. If you’re lucky enough, then you might get an invitation.”
The Slayer Page 3