Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy

by S. L. Rowland

  “But what if it is?” he asks, leaving the word unsaid so that there is no record of it.

  “I don’t know. Do you know any other miners who have been out into the rest of Pangea?”

  “There’s only one other person.” I know the answer before he says it. “Grayson.”

  “Then that’s where we need to start.”

  Going to the mines seems almost pointless with the amount of gold I have, but I need to talk to Grayson. Plus, if I stop working in the mines, then that means I have to find another place to live and even though I have more money than I ever have before, I don’t have enough to live anywhere else for any extended period of time. So for now at least, it’s back to the mines.

  Buzz has the good sense to wear his starter rags to work, but once we are safely in our mine, he switches into his new threads. He looks out of place against the dark, sooty walls of the mine.

  Grayson is already at work as usual, but he comes to a halt when he sees Buzz. His eyes cut sharply at me.

  “What did I tell you, son?”

  “I know what you said, but it’s complicated.” Grayson runs his fingers through his beard. “Buzz’s mom is sick.”

  The hard lines of Grayson’s face soften a bit.

  “How bad is it?” he asks.

  “Bad,” says Buzz, looking at his shoes.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. That’s life in The Boxes for you. Shit always flows downhill. Best be getting to work.”

  The Boxes themselves are supposed to keep us safe. The metal walls and air purifiers keep the toxins at bay, but every so often, someone gets sick. I wonder if it is like this in the rest of the country. I wonder if Aleesia has ever had to worry about breathing tainted air. I’ve heard the developers all live together in a domed community somewhere in the Northeast.

  We work in silence for several hours. Green ones and zeros flutter past me on their way out of the tunnel. It’s dull, monotonous work and it only makes me long for the rest of Pangea. I don’t know how I’ll ever be content to spend a third of my day in the mines knowing that there is so much else out there.

  When it is time for lunch, Buzz cocks his head and jerks it slightly towards Grayson, telling me without words that it is time to talk.

  “Grayson, can I ask you something?”

  He looks up at me, his face set in stone.

  “I would tell you no, but I’m certain that wouldn’t stop you. What is it?”

  “Do you know of any other miners who have traveled to other worlds?”

  “I have known several in my time. None in quite a few years, though.”

  I didn’t expect that, but of the thousands of miners over the years, it only makes sense that some would have at least traveled to the cheaper worlds.

  “Do you know if they ever battled?” I ask.

  Grayson’s eyes widen the slightest bit at the question and I know the avatar is mimicking the face of the man behind it.

  “I can’t say I do.” His voice is flat. He’s hiding something. Buzz decides to jump in the questioning.

  “What about you? Have you ever fought monsters or anything while you were out adventuring?” he asks.

  Grayson sits in silence with his hands interlocked and pulled up to his chin. I would wait him out, but Buzz is not as patient.

  “Grayson, come on. Just tell us what you know. We both know you’re hiding something.”

  Suddenly, there is fire in Grayson’s eyes. For the briefest moment, I get the feeling he is about to show us something. But then the fire leaves his eyes and his face is expressionless once more.

  “You don’t know half as much as you think you do, boy. I’ll tell you the same thing I told Esil. Keep your secrets to yourself.”

  The bell rings and we all go back to work.

  No one speaks for the rest of our shift. The only sounds are the occasional grunt and the swing of the pickaxe. My mind drifts to what new world I might explore once I’ve powered up my room for the evening. When the bell rings, signaling that our shift is over, Grayson pulls Buzz and I aside.

  “I’m only going to say this once. Stop asking questions. It will only lead to trouble. We have a gift here in the mines and most people don’t know it because how bad we’ve got it. But if you’re smart, you can get out of this place.”

  “Why are you still here then?” I ask.

  “This is my purgatory.”

  Chapter Ten

  After we go home, eat, and power up our boxes, Buzz and I plan to meet at The Haunted Forest. I bite the bullet and buy him a basic Worldpass. It costs me two hundred and fifty gold. This is one of the worlds that it allows him to go to, along with a handful of others. The Haunted Forest is actually a pretty cool place. Ghouls, ghosts, and every other manner of creepy crawlies haunt the forest, making it a destination for those interested in the macabre and who celebrate Halloween. We never celebrated holidays in the orphanage, not even birthdays, but I learned all about them in school.

  The portal drops me in the heart of The Haunted Village. It is a raucous place with many people dressed in costumes and wearing masks. A large group of werewolves stand on the steps of an old church howling at the moon and drinking an amber liquid. It is always nighttime in The Haunted Forest, not that I would expect anything less. I pass by several shops on my way out of the town to where Buzz’s location is marked with a blue dot on my map. One particular shop, Devilish Spells, has a cauldron bubbling on its banner. It catches my eye and I make a note to check it out later. Everything looks like it is on the verge of death, even the houses seem sinister with their slanted roofs, crooked gutters, and chimneys that seem to go just a tad too high in the sky.

  While I walk, I sort my stat point from my quest with Aleesia. I add it to Agility. As soon as the point is added, I can feel my feet move a little faster. I figure the bonus to my dodge will also come in handy since I am still pretty squishy. If I can be strong and fast, that’s a pretty deadly combination.

  Buzz’s maniacal laugh greets me before I turn the corner. He’s locked in battle with a large vampire bat. He shoots fireballs from Firebreather, briefly igniting the night sky as the bat swoops down towards him. He dives to the side and the bat misses its attack, letting out a loud screech in frustration. Buzz lays on his back with a wild grin on his face. He sees me and gives a quick wave right before the bat attacks again. He stays exactly where he is with his weight pressed on his elbows and his weapon pointed upwards.

  I’m worried he is about to be attacked, but moments before the bat is certain to sink its sharp teeth into his flesh, Buzz shoots a fireball, engulfing the bat in flames. It falls to the ground, leaving behind a silver.

  “Works like a charm every time,” says Buzz. “I just lay down and blast them when they attack.”

  Buzz has already hit level five. He must have been out here for a while already. I’m ready to do a little level grinding myself.

  “How’s your mom?” I ask.

  “She was resting when I logged in. There’s not much we can really do for her at the moment. The bad spells come and go.”

  I wish there was more that I could do to help her. Or at least make her last months more enjoyable. Maybe I could send some fresh food to them one day.

  We follow a trail that leads into the heart of the forest. The branches of leafless trees interlock in a web above our heads and red eyes stare out from the darkness. I can still hear the faint howl of the werewolves back at the church, or perhaps these are new wolves in the forest. The moonlight cuts through the tree branches, giving us enough light to see the path. The wind whistles ominously as it cuts against the trees.

  I hear a crunching sound in the depths of the forest and equip my axe. Buzz turns to face the sound. Several pairs of milky white eyes move closer. A dull groan overtakes the whistling of the wind. When the monster is finally close enough, its gray-blue skin almost glows in the moonlight. Its head is hairless and gaunt. A long pink tongue hangs from its mouth, whipping back and forth. Long po
inty teeth salivate and the monster sniffs the air. Its claw-like fingers hang low beside its body with black nails that remind me of the harpy’s talons.

  Ghoul. Level 15. Undead and hungry, these ravenous monsters travel in packs and feed on human flesh.

  I can make out the bodies of three ghouls. All level fifteen. There is the possibility that with our hidden strength, we could take them. Really, though, what do we have to lose?

  “You take the one on the left. I’ll take the other two,” I say.

  “Hell yeah, let’s do this!” Buzz cocks Firebreather and steps up beside me.

  I have my axe in one hand and a rusty, old shield in the other. I should really work on upgrading my defense items.

  Buzz attacks first and hits his ghoul hard in the shoulder with a fireball blast. It stumbles back and lets out a high-pitched scream. It claws at the air and lunges for Buzz. The other two attempt to follow, but I attack them first. I hit the closest one with a Lunging Strike, momentarily stunning it. I follow up on its friend with a swing of my axe that takes out a chunk of its health. It counters with a claw swipe and grazes my stomach, causing my vision to go red around the edges. I’ve lost a third of my health from the attack.

  The first ghoul attacks and I block it with my shield. Its claws grate against the metal with a screech. I cast Resilience and a rush of energy flows through me. Immediately, I feel like I can attack faster. The axe weighs almost nothing in my hands as I attack fast and furious. A hard swing cleaves the ghoul’s arm from its body. Purple goo drains from the severed limb. My Vampiric Ring heals me slightly, but not enough to counter the damage I will take if this fight carries on much longer. I retreat from the two ghouls and wait for Lunging Strike to come off cooldown. As soon as it does, I stun the armless ghoul and attack the other. It lets out another screech and claws me before I can raise my shield. Red floods my vision. I am down to a third of my health. Another hit and I am done.

  I attack the one-armed ghoul just as it becomes unstunned and lop off its other arm. It won’t be much trouble for the time being. Quickly, I focus on my inventory for anything that might help me in this fight. I had completely forgot about the weapon I bought for steamball. I equip Grappler and fire off a few quick laser beams at the ghoul. Green streams of light zip through the night air. If I can’t fight them up close, I’ll stay far enough away and pick them off. I spend the next few minutes running away and shooting from a distance. When I have separated the two ghouls enough, I focus on the unarmed one. His health is almost gone and I think I can finish him off as long as he doesn’t bite me. I switch back to my axe and use Lunging Strike. While the ghoul is stunned, a final blow sends its head rolling to the ground.

  The second ghoul has closed the distance and is about to attack me. He’s mid-swipe when I switch to Grappler and activate Grapple. I point at the nearest tree and fire the grappling hook. It hooks around the branch and then pulls me hard across the forest, leaving the ghoul swiping at air. After a few more shots and a Lunging Strike that empties my mana, both ghouls are dead.

  I find Buzz leaning against a tree, covered in blood.

  “Hell of a fight,” he says, showing me his bloody ribs. “But I got the bastard in the end.”

  “Nice job! I need to heal for a bit. Those ghouls really got me good.” The red still hasn’t gone away from the edges of my vision. My health is just a little over a third. I’ll have to be careful not to engage any monsters until I heal.

  I sort through the loot the two ghouls left behind. There are several silvers and an old book lying on the ground. The book is vaguely similar to the one the princess took after our quest. I pick it up to have a look.

  Item: Spellbook. Requirements: Level 10. Activate? Y/N

  Awesome! It looks like I’ve got a new spell. I can’t wait to see what it does.

  Buzz and I both turn at the sound of galloping hooves up the trail. A skeleton horse barrels through the forest. His rider wears heavy black armor that clinks with each step. The armor is ominous with skull pauldrons and a breastplate engraved with two skulls facing each other. The rider’s face is covered by a helm with two horns that curl around the side. Two orange eyes glow brightly beneath the helm. Skeletal fingers hold the reins in one hand and the other holds a broadsword that nearly touches the ground.

  I focus on the man to find out who or what he is.

  User: Ryken. Death Knight. Level 76.

  I hope this guy isn’t looking for trouble. He continues riding fast with no indication of stopping. It isn’t until he passes between myself and Buzz that I notice he is being chased. A pack of wolves chomp mercilessly at the horse’s heels as it runs past. Buzz and I both dive to the side. The pack of wolves chase the death knight as he rides away. All except one.

  Worg. Level 57. These large magical wolves have a thirst for killing.

  These aren’t just normal wolves. They are highly intelligent and extremely strong. We are screwed.

  The worg pounces on me before I know what happens. I can feel the weight of the creature pinning me against the hard earth. It’s hard to breathe underneath its weight. The worg’s teeth are bared and saliva drips across my face. Its growl vibrates in my chest as it presses me harder into the dirt.

  The worg lunges at me and I prepare to die, but it is knocked to the side by a large fireball.

  Buzz pulls me to my feet.

  “Run!” he screams and we both take off after the death knight. Seconds later, the worg is on us. If it could chase a horse, what chance to we stand?

  “We have to fight,” I tell Buzz. “It’s our only chance.”

  I turn to face the worg and prepare to use Lunging Strike, but my mana is only at twenty percent. Not enough. I plant my feet and cover my body with my shield. When the worg pounces on me, it sends me on my back with a thud and my vision goes red again. This time, the beast doesn’t wait to attack. It lunges at my throat and my vision goes black.

  Chapter Eleven

  Buzz and I respawn in the village square. Buzz curses the bastard who got us killed.

  “What a turd nugget. I’ve seen Ryken on a few streams here and there. He’s really good, but come on. I mean really, what kind of a dick does that? I lost Firebreather and what few items I’ve looted. Now I’ve got to walk out there and get them back, all the while hoping those damn bats don’t remember what I did to them. Ryken, wherever you are, you’re a dick!”

  I can’t help but laugh at the situation. I lost quite a few items as well, but I still have my axe. We have an hour to reclaim our belongings and the spot where we died is about twenty minutes away. I take a moment to look through my inventory.

  I had completely forgotten about the spellbook I looted from the ghoul. It’s still in my inventory.

  Item: Spellbook. Requirements: Level 10. Activate? Y/N

  I focus on yes and a weird sensation flows through my body. It’s not like when I learned Lunging Strike. When that happened, I just carried on, feeling like I had mastered the ability. No, this is different. It feels like there are a million tiny vibrations happening simultaneously throughout my body. My vision goes white for a half a second before a notification pops up.

  Congratulations! You have learned Mud Pits. Cost 100 mana. Creates a field of mud pits, slowing your enemies attack and movement speed by 50% for 20 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds.

  Not bad at all. That would have been super useful for the worg that was chasing us. It’s time to test out my new spell.

  We’re out of the town when I cast Mud Pits in front of Buzz. His gait slows and I pass him by. I find it hard to hold in my laughter as he looks around in confusion, oblivious to what just happened. He lifts his feet and a long trail of mud holds him in place before releasing his foot. This happens with every step until he is free of the pits.

  “You asshole!” he yells once he realizes I cast the spell. He shoves me in the side a little harder than necessary. “That’s a pretty cool spell, though. I can’t wait until I find some. Do you ever t
hink about specializing in a certain skill set?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. I’m pretty happy to learn anything at this point. I kind of like the idea of being more well-rounded. If I would have known that one day I’d be traveling from world to world, I never would have put all my points in Strength.”

  “Yeah, it’s kind of pointless anyways, considering…” He doesn’t say the rest, but I get the point. I’d probably be just as strong if I hadn’t put a single point in Strength.

  We continue our walk to the woods, talking of how we want to build our characters going forward.

  “For me,” says Buzz, “it’s always been about the items. “I want to have powerful items that hit hard. I don’t care how slow they are. Spells are the way to go. Firebreather is kind of special, its attack is based both on my physical attack and magical powers. All those points in Intellect give me a small damage boost. It’s kind of funny that you can’t use magic in Steamworld, but the rayguns are powered by mana, don’t you think?”

  I’m distracted from Buzz’s question by the sound of a horse galloping. Far in the distance, I see Ryken, the death knight, coming our way. I recognize his helm and his skull armor. This time he moves slower, and the pack of worgs that had been chasing him are replaced by zombie-like wolves. He slows down when he sees us. His orange eyes glow brightly from behind his helm. His black armor almost blends in with the night, but the bones of his horse catch the light of the moon.

  He looks like such a badass on his skeletal horse. What I would give for a mount, not just for the practicality of it, but they just look awesome. I can see myself riding a large bear or a dragon, soaring through the sky.