A variety of weapons lay scattered on the ground. Swords, axes, spears, bows, and much more. Behind them, rows of vials filled with colored liquids hover several inches off the ground.
I pick up a blue vial that’s cool to the touch.
Ice potion. Drink to be instilled with elemental ice magic.
I uncork the vial and drink the blue liquid. A chill runs through my core, and ice crystals form along my left hand.
You have activated ice magic. Available spells:
Freeze: Fire a beam of ice that slows upon impact. Cost: 10 mana
Ice Dagger: Fire a piercing ice projectile that deals double damage. Cost: 20 mana
Ice Path (passive): Freeze the ground for ten meters, allowing for faster travel. No cost.
I test out the abilities, shooting snowballs and ice projectiles at one of the pillars. The magic flows out effortlessly, responding to my thoughts in perfect sync. When I use Ice Path, it freezes the ground, allowing me to skate along it.
Dean picks up a red vial and chugs it. “Ooh.” He opens his mouth and breathes rapidly. “That’s spicy!”
The next thing I know, he conjures a fireball and holds it in his palm like a miniature sun. He tosses it to the ground, leaving scorch marks on the ancient stone.
I take a moment to look over the user interface. It’s changed a great deal since my first days in full-immersion. In the top right of my vision, there’s a map. It displays a large square section. Within that is a circle that forms the boundary of the battle royale. Once the actual tournament starts, that circle will shrink between each round. As it shrinks, players stuck outside the circle will take damage until they get back inside. This forces players to fight one another as the circle gets smaller until there is only one team left.
If this is an accurate depiction of where the battle royal will take place, it keeps the NPCs from getting involved. All the towns are several miles from our current location. Not that anyone else would care, but it will be one less distraction for me.
To the left of my vision, beneath my name, there’s a health bar, a mana bar, and a shield bar. The health and mana bars are both one hundred, but the shield is empty. Maybe that is for the different colored bracers lying on the ground behind the vials.
White, blue, and red bracers sit in neat lines. I equip the white one and my shield changes to fifty. Blue grants seventy-five, and red grants one hundred.
An envelope pulses in the corner of my vision next to the map. I focus on it and a sheet of translucent parchment unfolds in front of me.
Welcome to the training grounds for the Broken Lands Battle Royale. This is where you will find information to help you prepare for your upcoming battle.
The premise is simple. In the bowels of a long-forgotten underground dungeon, an ancient script has been activated, forming an ethereal dome in the countryside that is powered by the underground ley lines. To the citizens of the Broken Lands, you are mighty adventurers from distant worlds sent to test your skills. Once a sufficient number of competitors are inside, the dome will begin shrinking in various stages, until only the victor remains. The area outside of the circle is known as the storm. Those caught outside of the dome’s boundaries will take constant damage until they return inside.
Each challenger will have the same amount of health and mana. All challengers start with no weapons, shields, or magical abilities. Vials contain liquids that grant magical abilities once ingested. Only one type of magic may be active at a time. Drinking a second vial will remove the effects of the first. Each branch of magic has three spells, two active and one passive. Active spells require a mana cost and include cooldowns. When attacks are combined, special reactions may be activated. Along with vials, weapons and shield bracers will be scattered at random around the map. Weapons deal flat damage, and shield bracers may be replaced or looted from eliminated challengers.
Players are eliminated when their health bars reach zero. Eliminated players will leave behind bags of loot consisting of any items they had equipped. If one player from a team is eliminated, the other may continue. When there is only one team remaining, the battle royale will end.
Pain sensitivity in the battle royale will be set to twenty-five percent.
It all seems simple enough. Gather weapons, shields, and abilities, then kick ass. All the items will be randomly generated, so luck plays a major part, but so does adaptability.
Dean tries out different vials as I go over everything I’m reading with him. He downs a light blue vial and then turns to me. “Check this out.”
He runs to the nearby stream and steps in, except his boots don’t sink. He stands on the water like it is dry land.
For a moment, I wonder if it is a glitch. I carefully lower my foot to the water, but when it touches the surface, my boot sinks.
“How?”
He smirks. “Passive ability from the water vial. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Very cool. Time to test them all out. Let’s see what we’re working with, and then we can pair back up.”
I return to the courtyard and grab one of each vial. After we take one, another spawns a few seconds later.
First, I drink the fire vial and it burns like cinnamon.
You have activated fire magic. Available spells:
Fireball: Summon a fireball that deals burn damage. Cost: 10 mana.
Firewall: Summon a wall of flame that deals burn damage. Cost: 20 mana.
Burn (passive): Fire attacks deal an additional 1 burn damage per second for five seconds, stacking up to five times.
Not bad. An additional five bonus damage per second can really rip through one hundred health. Fire magic will be great for an aggressive playstyle.
I test out each ability and then down a silvery liquid for wind magic.
You have activated wind magic. Available spells:
Gale: Fire a blast of air. Can also be used to move objects or deflect other elemental attacks. Cost: 10 mana.
Updraft: Summon a gust of wind, lifting you high into the sky for increased range. Cost 10 mana.
Fleetfoot (Passive): Increased movement speed and take no damage when falling.
There are a lot of benefits to wind magic. As I move around, I feel lighter. Like I can run faster and jump higher. The increased movement speed allows for quicker retreat, and Updraft can be used to attack or scout. This one is great for mobility.
Out of curiosity, I pick up a dagger from the weapon pile and cast Updraft. There’s a sudden surge of pressure as wind lifts me off the ground and carries me twenty feet into the air. The constant pressure of wind makes it surprisingly stable to stand on. I toss the dagger into the sky and aim Gale at it. The burst of wind catches the dagger and launches it fifty feet until it thunks against a tree trunk.
Wow. Now, that is deadly.
Updraft ends and I fall to the ground. Thanks to Fleetfoot, I land softly.
Next, I down the light blue water vial. I can’t explain the feeling that accompanies it, but it’s almost like I feel healthier and more refreshed, like my body and mind have been purified.
You have activated water magic. Available spells:
Stream: Fire a steady burst of water. Cost: 10 mana.
Cleanse: Cleanses the body of any negative effects. Can be used while stunned or otherwise affected. Cost: 50 mana.
Blessed (Passive): Ability to walk on water.
While water magic doesn’t have the same firepower of some of the others, it still blasts like a firehose, and Cleanse is invaluable. The ability to clear burns, stuns, or other debuffs is a great advantage even if it uses half of the mana bar each time.
A bright yellow vial looks reminiscent of urine, but the taste is sweet like an energy drink. As soon as I down the vial, my arm hair stands on in, and a thin layer of static coats my body.
You have activated electrical magic. Available spells:
Bolt: Fires a bolt of electricity. Cost: 10 mana.
Chain Reaction: Fires three bolts simultaneou
sly, or double the damage of a single bolt, allowing it to jump up to three times. Cost: 20 mana.
Stun (passive): 3 consecutive attacks within 2 seconds of one another stuns a target for 5 seconds.
Electric magic has the benefit of crowd control. The ability to hit more than one target with a single attack is a great bonus as well.
I cast Bolt, and it zigs and zags before hitting the boulder with thunderous violence. While I can aim at the final target, the path the lightning takes to get there will always vary.
The vial for earth magic is a deep brown, almost like chocolate milk. When I drink it, it tastes exactly what I imagine dirt to taste like. My muscles tense as I down the vial, and my skin takes on an increased firmness.
You have activated earth magic. Available spells:
Boulder: Launches a boulder. Cost: 10 mana.
Rockslide: A barrage of earth and rocks fall from the sky, covering a wide area.
Thick Skin (passive): 10% damage reduction.
Definitely the tankiest of all the options. Ten percent damage reduction on full health and a red shield pretty much grants an extra twenty health. In a fight to the death, it could make all the difference.
The final vial is neon green. The contents are so sour that I pucker my mouth after each sip.
You have activated poison magic. Available spells:
Acid: Shoots a spray of acid in a cone that does 1 damage per second for 5 seconds. Cost: 10 mana.
Gas Cloud: Covers an area in toxic gas that deals 5 damage per second. Enemies trapped in the gas lose visibility. Cost: 20 mana.
Immunity (passive): Poison mages take no damage from enemy gas clouds and only take flat damage from acid.
I like the ability to bombard an area with gas and then hide inside. This could be both offensive and defensive if done correctly.
All in all, each class has its perks, not to mention how they all might interact with one another. The elements are similar to what we used in Raceworld, and I’m sure it’s no coincidence. If I had to guess, I bet some of them synergize in a similar way, too.
With the vials and bracers tested, I move onto the weapons. There are plenty to choose from, each with advantages and disadvantages. Spears, swords, daggers, battle-axes, warhammers, halberds, maces, bows, arrows, crossbows, and flails lay scattered on the stone.
With so many options, it’s hard to choose which one to start with. The battle-axe is a natural fit. I equip it and take a few swings when a boulder crashes against the stone in front of me. Shards explode in all directions, damaging the shield from my bracers.
I duck and turn around. “What the hell was that?” I ask, more shocked than anything.
Dean wears a mischievous grin as he walks over. “Check this out.”
He downs a vial of earth magic and fires a boulder into the air. It goes about ten feet up before gravity takes hold. Dean then chugs a vial of air magic and shoots a gale at the boulder. The gust of wind carries the boulder another twenty feet before it sinks into the stream.
“Nice!” I didn’t even think about using it in that way.
He shrugs. “It’s not the most economical use of our items. We’re pretty much wasting a full vial of the first magic, and it goes through mana twice as fast, but it does open up some interesting possibilities depending on how common the loot pool is.”
“True, but if we had a good stockpile, we could get some really good synergy going. Any of them you’re particularly fond of?”
His eyes light up. “Fire. I know it’s pretty basic, but it’s all attack-focused and the burn damage is too good to pass up. What about you?”
“I’m not sure yet. I see a lot of possibility with poison, but if other people are using it too then it won’t be as effective. The mobility of wind is great, but it doesn’t really have the firepower on its own. I like ice and electrical because of their crowd control abilities.”
“So, everything.” He laughs. “You really are a jack of all trades.”
I shrug. “And master of none. Have you looked at the weapons yet?”
He narrows his eyes. “Who needs weapons when you can cast magic?”
“Considering how small our mana pool is, you might want to rethink that strategy.”
He smirks. “I’m kidding. I like the bow and arrow for range, but I’m also digging the spear. The halberd is cool, but I don’t think it has as many uses.”
I nod. “Those are good choices. I was thinking along the same lines. Pick a weapon that can be useful in the most situations. I’m going to try and keep it simple and use a sword whenever I can. Not knowing what awaits, I want to have some practice with everything, though.”
Over the next couple of hours, we scout the landscape, locating ruins and areas where we can make our best stand. Not knowing which way the map will shrink means we need to have multiple options available so that we can find them quickly.
Once we have a handful of places marked, it’s time to test out combat.
I down an ice potion and let the cold course through my body. “Ready to get your first taste of full-immersion?”
Dean cocks his head. “What do you mean? We’re already in—”
I shoot him with Freeze and then Ice Dagger. The combo is enough damage to crack his shield. I follow it up with Freeze, and he loses a chunk of health from the attack. He yelps when the ice blast hits him.
“Ouch! Okay, I get it!” He lifts his hands up. “It hurts.”
I fight to hold back my amusement. “Better you experience it now for the first time instead of when we’re in the actual match. Now do me.”
“You’re insane, you know that?” He pulls out several vials attached around his waist. “Which one do you want me to hit you with?”
I turn my back to him. This is going to suck, but I might as well embrace it. “Surprise me.”
After a moment of silence, a massive object hits me in the back, knocking my breath out and sending me sprawling to the ground. Half of my shield vanishes as I suck for air. The pain is manageable at twenty-five percent, but it still feels like someone punched me in the kidneys.
Dean rushes over and kneels next to me. “Are you okay? I didn’t think it would hit that hard.”
“What…did…you use?” I manage to get out between breaths.
“Boulder.” He grimaces. “At least we know it hits like a truck.”
Dean extends a hand and helps me to my feet.
I dust myself off and my breathing finally returns to normal. “Alright, on to the next one.”
Dean groans. “Do we really have to test them all out?”
I grab him by the shoulder and look him in the eye. “If we want a chance at winning, then we need to be prepared for everything. We need to know how every ability feels and affects us so that we can plan how to react to it. Understanding how much ice slows us or poison obscures our vision will mean we know how to respond when they hit us. Offensive tactics are important, but defense is what will keep us alive. We can only attack a small number of people at a time, but there will be ninety-nine other teams who have marked us as the enemy.”
“Ninety-eight.” Dean shakes his head. “Talia and Chadwick are on our side.”
“They are our friends, yes, but they want to win just as much as we do. When it comes down to it, nobody else is on our side because there can only be one winner.” I pull out another vial. “Now get ready.”
Dean nods. I think he might finally understand that for this stage, we’re all we’ve got.
I down a poison potion, and my mouth puckers from how sour it is. Dean looks at me like a puppy dog as I prepare to attack him. This is going to be a long day.
Chapter Twenty-Four
By the end of the day, Dean and I have probably killed one another at least a hundred times. Thank goodness for only experiencing pain at twenty-five percent, otherwise we might both be permanently scarred.
One thing we’ve learned is that even though weapons and abilities deal flat damage, this do
esn’t affect critical strikes. The bracer shields function as a thin energy barrier that surrounds the entire body. Decapitation and other fatal blows can kill instantly once the bracer shields have been broken. So getting an early jump on someone who hasn’t yet picked up shield bracers could prove beneficial.
My vision flashes red and a notification pops up for the second time today.
Warning! You are approaching the time limit for full-immersion play. Log out within the next thirty minutes or the machine will automatically shut down.
Every six hours, users must log out for at least one hour. That’s the biggest difference between these helmets and the pods originally used. While the nanites in the full-immersion tanks and pods are capable of keeping the body in stasis and preventing users from experiencing muscle and brain fatigue, the helmets have no such effect.
Dean and I use the mandatory breaks to eat and walk around the headquarters.
For our evening walk, we stop by Buzz’s apartment.
He opens the door with a grin. “Well, if it isn’t the gruesome twosome. How’s training going?”
“I think Esil is getting some kind of twisted enjoyment from all the pain he is inflicting on me.” Dean points at me.
“I wouldn’t put it past him.” Buzz winks.
We step inside. Grayson and Maria are playing cards at the dinner table.
“I’m surprised you aren’t glued to a tablet.” I squeeze Grayson on the shoulder and take a seat next to him.
He lays a card into the center pile before turning his gaze to me. “My work here is done. I helped you as much as I could in the first two stages, but you’re on your own for this one. Besides, no one can stream their full-immersion training so there’s not much for me to look at. Pangea has it all blocked out.”
“We believe in you.” Maria offers us a warm smile. “I have leftovers if you boys are hungry.”
“Thanks, but we already ate. Dean and I are on our mandatory logout time, so we thought we would see a few friendly faces.” I turn to Buzz. “I can’t believe you were able to keep your mouth shut about the battle royale.”
Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy Page 70