We walk down the empty street towards the house. It’s eerie how there are no people. Everything is so…empty. The house we stand in front of is white, just like the others. Flowers hang from a small porch with white railing. A tire swing dangles from an oak tree that towers over the house in the front yard. Blue shutters and yellow curtains adorn the windows. Everything about the house is quaint and beautiful.
I turn the doorknob and unsurprisingly, it’s locked. I equip the key card my father gave me and swipe it through the key reader. The light glows green and we are allowed to enter.
Inside, the house is welcoming. Bright colors and family photos adorn the walls. There are photos of my mother and father…and me. I have a school uniform on in one.
I glance down at the left-hand map. It has changed to a floorplan of the house. I can see each room in detail. Squares and circles denote where chairs, tables, and appliances go. The red dot beacons in a room marked ‘Esil’s bedroom.’
Neither Grayson nor Buzz speak as we walk through the house, which adds to the fact that I’m walking through a crypt of my family history. It’s a history I don’t remember. A history I both long for and know nothing about. I want to be sad, to miss this place, but it doesn’t come.
The bedroom at the top of the stairs has my name engraved on the door. A poster of a wizard casting a spell hangs slightly askew. I twist the doorknob and step into the childhood I never had.
I’m floored by the extravagance of it all. Half a dozen stuffed animals are neatly placed on the small bed with blue blankets. A wolf, lion, elephant and many others stare at me with dead eyes. A mobile of the planets twirls overhead. There are more toys than the entire orphanage had. A computer. A holographic video projector. Gaming systems.
It almost makes me sick to look at the gluttony of it all. I see Buzz’s wide eyes in my peripheral.
“Look around and see if you see a chest,” I say.
We look around the room, opening drawers and emptying shelves. Searching for any clue to where the spell might be located. We find nothing.
I remember the notes on the physical copy of the map and take it from my inventory. Near the bottom, it says, ‘turn on the projector.’
The projector hangs from the ceiling over the bed. I press the power button and after a few beeps, it comes to life. A blue light shines out and slowly begins to form the outlines of a man. My father.
“Hello Esil. Happy birthday!” he says with a smile. “I can’t even begin to describe the excitement I feel about the prospect of you turning nineteen. You’re practically a man! I hope the lack of people in Greenwich Gardens didn’t freak you out. Not many people go there. It’s one of several online storage areas for developers and their families. I thought it was pretty smart that I hide your present there, where only I could leave it. I’m not sure if we’ll still be living there once you’re grown. Hopefully, being back home brings back a few memories for you. Anyways, I’m sure you’re wondering what I created for you at this point. It might not be the most powerful spell ever, but it’s one of a kind. Go look in the fridge and you’ll find it. And after you’re done, lock the door and come see me and your mom. Love you, Esil.”
Grayson puts his hand on my shoulder, a gesture I’ve grown accustomed to over the past few weeks. I have no doubt that the man on the hologram loved me. I’m sure I had a great life when I was younger, but when it mattered, when it really mattered, Grayson was the one I counted on.
“Thanks,” I say.
He nods. Words aren’t needed.
“I get that you two are having a moment, but are we going to open the fridge or what?” asks Buzz.
“Alright, let’s check it out,” I chuckle.
I stare at the gleaming silver fridge. The reflection of me and the two people closest to me look back at us. I still remember the first time I looked in the mirror after I had bought my green tunic. I see the little black axe that adorns the collar that just happened to spur me into buying my own axe. The silver wolf belt buckle that reminds me so much of my first day in the Mortican Mountains. Next to me is Buzz. No longer the debonair steampunker, but still the class clown. His black tunic and dented battle helm better represent the man he has become, a man of character. Behind us stands Grayson, the hardest worker I’ve ever known. A hard man, but also a caring one. His pirate garb reminds him of a life he once lived, and everything he lost.
I pull open the door and our figures distort.
Buzz laughs when he sees what is inside.
A tiny chest sits inside a green gelatinous blob.
“Oh man,” says Buzz. “I like your dad. He put your chest in Jell-o.” He bends over, clutching his stomach from laughing so hard.
“What is it?” I ask.
“It’s…a…dessert.” Buzz gasps for air. “He put your birthday present in a dessert.”
I notice a twitch of a smile as Grayson fakes a cough.
I pull out the plate of Jell-o and sit it on the table. The gelatinous food sways back and forth like a wave that refuses to crash. It’s cold and sticky as I dig my hands through and grab the chest. It’s small. A fraction of the size of the developer’s chest I found.
Congratulations, Esil! You have found a hidden chest. You know how this goes by now so just go ahead and open it.
-Dad
I open the chest and a piece of parchment hovers in the air before me.
Item: Spellbook. Requirements: N/A. Activate? Y/N
I focus on yes and the parchment disappears. My body vibrates all over and my vision flashes white.
Congratulations! You have learned the ability Firestorm. Ultimate Ability: Summons a tornado of fire that deals immense damage. Cost: 200 mana per second. Cooldown: 2 seconds.
Chapter Thirty
The long-lost son of Howard and Isabelle Allen finally resurfaces, playing a game his father helped create, in an attempt to win the prize and save his best friend’s dying mother.
I want to punch something. I don’t know how they found out about my story, but I have been badgered by reporters for the past few hours. Somehow, they are able to sneak by my spam filter and send me messages asking for interviews. They are bothering me on the eve of the biggest day of my life.
It had to be someone at the police station who let it leak that I was the son of Howard Allen. This must have led to someone else figuring out my promise to Buzz.
And it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Earlier in the day, the developers sent out a message telling us that the final stage of the tournament would be held tomorrow. I need a good night’s rest to make sure I’m firing on all cylinders, so that leaves me with only a couple of hours to do anything.
I elect to spend the time doing nothing.
There’s not much I can do to help my cause. I can spend the last few hours desperately trying to gain another level and one more stat point, or I can decompress and take stock of my situation. One more stat point isn’t going to win me the tournament. The only chance I have is if I follow my instincts, and they say sit tight.
By the time the quest starts tomorrow, I might be the most famous person in it. I’m also the least likely to win. According to the odds-makers, I’m ranked sixth because of my finishes in the first two challenges, but they don’t know that I lost my strength.
My story is plastered across every website I visit. It seems everyone loves an underdog.
I’m currently level twenty-four, half the level of all but one of the other thirty-one contestants.
From my home portal, I pull up my character sheet, taking stock of all the abilities I have learned since opening the developer’s chest.
Level 24:
Strength -14
Agility -4
Vitality -5
Intellect -6
Dexterity -5
Stamina -0
Lunging Strike. Effect: stuns opponent for .5 seconds. Cost: 50 mana. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Resilience. Resilience increases the attack speed of you or an al
ly for 20 seconds. Cost: 50 mana. 20 second cooldown.
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.
Inspire Resistance. NPCs in your party will fight with increased fervor.
Haunted Earth. Cost: 100 mana. Roots spring forth from the earth, rooting your opponent in place for two seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Waterfall. Cost: 200 mana. After a 2 second wait, water pours down from the sky, dealing immense damage to a singular location. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Firestorm. Ultimate Ability: Summons a tornado of fire that deals immense damage. Cost: 200 mana per second. Cooldown: 2 seconds.
Not too bad, I only wish I had a larger mana pool. I have enough mana to cast roughly ten spells per battle. Or use Firestorm for five seconds. With that kind of price to use the ability, I won’t be using it unless it’s a life or death moment.
Next, I sort through my inventory. Making sure I have all of my best items readily available. With my strength gone, some of them aren’t as useful as they once were.
Item: Meteoric Iron Axe, +10 strength. 10% armor penetration. This double-edged axe was forged from the heart of a meteorite.
Item: Elvish Battle Spear. +12 attack. +15% armor penetration. It’s long and strong and down to get the killing on.
Item: Vampiric Ring. Grants 2% lifesteal per attack. To hurt thy enemy is to heal thy self.
Item: The Grappler. +7 strength. Ability: Grapple, fires a grappling hook and attaches to the first object it hits. 30 second cooldown. “You’ll not get away that easy, Bucko.”
Item: Forgotten Chainmail. +12 armor. The relics of a ship lost at sea.
Item: Staff of the Water Ancients. +20% magic damage on elemental attacks.
Item: Benevolent Shield of Healing. +10% health. Unique ability: Double-edged shield. The next attack will be blocked and heal both attacker and defender for 5% health. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Item: Ring of Power. +15 attack. Unique ability: Double Ring of Power’s attack bonus for 30 seconds. After the bonus is up, Ring of Power offers no bonus for 60 seconds.
Most of my items are on the physical damage side of things. The truth is, for a normal level twenty-four player, I would be pretty strong. I have great items and most of my stat points are in Strength. The problem is I’m not a normal level twenty-four player. I’m out of my league. So far out of my league that I’m playing with people who do this for a living.
I check the Market, a screen visible from my home portal where I can purchase consumable items without having to go into a game world.
I fill my inventory with as many potions and buffs as I can fit. By the time I’m done, I can outfit a small army with what I’ve bought. Let’s just hope I stay alive long enough to use them.
For the rest of the evening, I lie in bed browsing through old articles about my father on the digital pad that VR Haptix sent me. He was very well respected for his age. Some of the ideas he created were responsible for Pangea’s success among gamers. He won numerous awards and was said to be pioneering a breakthrough in game design at the time of his death.
I wake up to a steadily increasing ding, telling me it’s time to get up. The pad is still in my hand, open on an article about my father.
After showering, I eat a modest breakfast and log into Pangea.
Today is the day.
A new portal waits for me inside of my home portal. Merlin hops on my shoulder and I mount Fenrir, then we jump through.
You are now entering The Maze. Please wait for further instructions.
I stand in a small enclosure with stone walls on three sides. My map is disabled. A black circle with a dot showing my position is all that shows so I focus and it disappears. An invisible barrier blocks the entryway, preventing me from leaving. Fenrir has disappeared. I feel his presence in my inventory, but am unable to call him to my side. Mounts must be disabled here. Merlin tries to fly out, but an invisible force keeps him from escaping. It’s a cloudy day wherever we are. Thunder rolls in the distance, casting an ominous tone over everything. I can see glimpses of the alley in front of my enclosure. High walls run along each side, making it impossible for anyone to climb or jump over. Torches hang from the walls. My guess, it’s going to get dark soon.
If I know the developers, this is more than just a simple maze. There will be monsters and challenges and worst of all, other players.
A loud voice booms from the sky overhead. The voice is surprisingly chipper.
“Welcome, challengers! It’s me, Nancy, again. I can’t wait to get this show started. First off, let me tell you a little about The Maze. It was designed specifically for this tournament. There are thirty-two entry points along the outer wall of the maze. At its center, a portal awaits to take you to the crowning ceremony. There will be no mounts allowed within the maze. Contestants will be staggered entry, based upon the results of the last stage. Many challenges await you, depending on the path you take. This is a PvP stage, so be aware of your fellow competitors. In five minutes’ time, the first person will be allowed to enter the maze. Subsequent contestants will be permitted entry every ten seconds afterward. Your streams have been disabled and everyone across the world will be watching on the official Pangea Online stream. They can watch a montage or individual players as they choose. Good luck, challengers!”
I now see the importance of finishing high in the race. I’ll be over a minute behind the first entrant, and poor Ordin, he’ll be close to five minutes behind.
The timer in the top middle of my vision counts down from five minutes. I try to look out into the alley and see if there is any indication which way I should go. It all looks the same from my vantage point.
I pace back and forth across the small enclosure, waiting for my time to come.
A loud gong initiates the start of the final round.
Ten seconds later, another gong.
And another.
And another.
Feet scuffle down the alley and I catch a glimpse of the princess as she runs by to the right. Looks like that’s the way I’ll be going. If the princess sees me, will she take me out?
Before I know it, it’s my turn. I step out into the maze. It’s empty on both sides. The corridor goes in both directions for several hundred feet. A half-dozen entrances disappear further into the maze on each side of me. There is no way to know which way the princess went.
I go to the right and take a left into the first entrance.
When I turn the corner, my vision goes red and I can’t move.
A tiny blue lizard hisses at me from several feet away, an electric current running along its body.
Shocker Lizard. Level 35. These electric lizards are annoying alone, but when two or more group together, they can cause havoc.
Luckily for me, there is only one.
Merlin swoops down at the lizard and grabs it between his talons. The lizard sparks and forces Merlin to drop it.
The stun wears off and Merlin lands on my shoulder, hooting angrily, his feathers ruffled.
I equip my spear. The little bugger is small, he can’t put up that much of a fight. I use Lunging Strike and stun him in place. I pull back my spear, readying it for attack, when my vision goes red again and I freeze in place.
A second lizard appears from around the corner.
Just my luck.
Another gong makes me realize that several other people have entered the maze since this fight began.
I’m hit with a bolt of lightning and lose another chunk of health. These two reptilian rodents have brought me down to eighty percent health. I take a potion and a Fire Whiskey and force the attack. The two lizards stand side by side, taunting me. I use Haunted Earth and root them in place, immediately following it up with Waterfall. The combo takes out half their life.
The two lizards attack at the same time, their electric bolts hitting me in the chest. It doesn’t stun me, but I lose another twenty perc
ent health.
Enough of this! I’m not going to die to the first mob I run into. They’re small with no armor and probably squishy as hell. I run at the first lizard, use Lunging Strike, and attack. I might have been able to kill him with one hit a few days ago, but I’m not much of a slouch against something near my level. The first one falls over dead. The second lizard turns to run, but I throw my spear like a javelin and make lizard kabobs.
I take a mana and health potion and continue. I also use a few buffs that increase my health and defense. Half of us are in the maze now and if I don’t get a move on, I stand a good chance of getting attacked from behind. Ryken won’t hesitate to put his sword in my back.
A pit awaits me around the next corner. It’s filled with spikes designed to impale anyone unlucky enough to fall into its trap. The pit is roughly thirty feet across to the next side, making it impossible to cross for all but the most agile of players. Lucky for me, I have just the tool for the job.
I equip Grappler and aim for the sconce holding the torch on the other side of the pit. The grappling hook catches and I hear movement around the corner behind me. There’s no time to waste. I run and jump out into the pit. As soon as I am in the air, I use Grappler’s retractable feature and it pulls me across. I land on the other side and slide to a stop.
On the other side, an elf mage looks back at me. His blood red cloak conceals a black staff. I give him a wave and disappear around the next corner. The maze splits again and I decide to go right.
I’ve been in the maze long enough that all the competitors have entered by now. Thunder roars and the patter of rain mimics the sound of a thousand footsteps. I need to watch my back. Anyone can be stealthy in this ruckus.
Rain puddles along the stone floor and I’m thankful to be away from the Shocker Lizards.
Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy Page 22