by Adam Drake
Finally free of the thing, I raced out of the airlock and out into the hallway.
“Your suit is in the airlock, Vivian. Can you please return it to its rack?”
“Later!” I said, walking up the stairs. The sudden change to full gravity was agonizing. I felt like I weighed five hundred pounds. Each footstep took more effort than I though I could handle.
“Please do not over-exert yourself. Although you were not outside for too long, you still must give your body time to adjust to the station's gravity.”
Plodding up the stairs and trying not to get angry at the universe in general, I asked, “Abe, do you have a mute option?”
“Of course.”
“Then please mute yourself until I say otherwise. I need to focus, here.”
“Very well,” Abe said without a hint of reproach.
Finally reaching the top floor, I shuffled down the hallway and into my workstation area. The simulation-suit hung from its cords as if waiting for me.
But before I could even think of slipping into the suit, there was one all powerful duty I had to perform.
I used the bathroom. It had been many hours since I'd done so last and it couldn't be avoided.
Finished, I slipped into the simulation suit, and felt my body readjusting to the gravity a little more. Once I was fully hooked up, I logged back in, my heart pounding in my ears.
You have logged back into Unlimited Fantasy Worlds Online.
Enjoy the adventure!
My vision was dark, but my icons appeared at the edges of the visor. Realizing I was still in the trunk, I pushed open the lid. The view of the creaky airship's hold was a welcome sight.
As I jumped out and raced up to the deck, I checked the chronometer.
-00:42.
On the deck I found the ship in motion, traveling high over a forested landscape. Where was I? I checked my map and found the airship was heading back to Crow's Fall and was already a third of the way there. I realized my log out location in the trunk had been bouncing back and forth between Helto Port and the city over and over again. And I'd logged back during another return trip.
I was heading in the wrong direction.
An audio chat request appeared. It was from Shwenn.
Oh, boy, I thought as I accepted it.
Before I could even get a word out, Shwenn was shouting.
“Where are you? Do you know how long we've been waiting!” Her pleasant businesslike demeanor from earlier had vanished.
“Sorry!” I said. “I had a big RL issue that kept me offline. But I'm on my way now!” I looked around for a means to get off the ship. But my only option was to jump off and hope the fall didn't kill me.
“There is a very small window of opportunity here, Vivian,” Shwenn said, her voice stern as a schoolmarm's. “And the time you're wasting is eating into it!”
“Yup, I know. Sorry. I'll be there as fast as I can.” Suddenly, I noticed an airship approaching from the other direction. It was part of the same route and was going toward Helto Port. Watching it get closer, I realized the two ships would pass each other.
“When?” Shwenn said. She wasn't screaming, which I was a little grateful for, but incredibly annoyed. And I couldn't blame her. My situation was going to cost her, and everyone else involved, a whole year's wait. Unless I could get there quick.
“I'm on the airship now, and it's about to arrive.”
Shwenn sighed, obviously trying to maintain her composer. “Okay, just get here quick. The others are really ticked off with you right now.”
“I understand. And, again, I'm sorry-.”
She cut the connection.
I didn't have time to feel any worse than I already did. The other airship was seconds from passing by, but looked like it would be a distance away.
Well, here goes nothing. With no other choice I backed up to the other side of the deck to get enough running room. Other players were milling about, some watching out of boredom.
I waited until the other airship was in position and then ran across the deck as fast as I could. It was a small distance, but I had to use every inch of it. Just as I started my run, a dwarven ranger walked across my path.
“Look out!” I shouted barreling right at him.
Surprised, the dwarf narrowly dodged out of the way, cursing at me.
I zoomed past and with my last step I used my Leap ability and jumped. Vaulting through the air, I sailed over the forest far below. My eyes were on the airship as it crossed my descent. It was going to be close.
I crashed onto the deck at full speed and tumbled into a roll. My momentum shot me across like a bowling ball and I smashed through the railing on the opposite side. Slipping over the side of the ship, I desperately grabbed at the edge of the deck while sticking my feet to the hull with my Sure Foot ability. Miraculously, I had stopped from falling.
Acrobatics skill increased! Level 3, 57%.
Careful not to lose my grip, I pulled myself up and onto the ship. I made it.
A handful of players who had witnessed my suicidal leap broke into applause. I bowed and brushed myself off.
I moved to the bow of the ship and looked toward Helto Port. It was still a fair distance away, but there was nothing else I can do about it. Other than this ship there was no way to get there faster. I even contemplated dropping to the forest below and then using Smoke to ride in, but the distance was far too great. Even with a health boost and my Freefall ability it would have meant a reroll.
Chagrined, I could only perch on the bow and stair at the small city as it grew a little bigger every passing moment.
I had forgone checking the chronometer and had to take solace in the fact that Shwenn knew I was coming. But that didn't stop me from feeling like a complete tool. There was nothing I could have done about the Icestation. It was an event well beyond my control which kept me from the game. But explaining that to her probably wouldn't go too far. All I could hope for is to get to her with enough time for the instance to be activated.
Within a few minutes the airship platform got closer. By now, my Leap had reset from its cooldown of three minutes and could be used again. And I did.
Even before we docked I did another run, this time along the length of the bow. At the edge, I used Leap and again I was airborne. This time, instead of crashing, I arced toward a grassy field in front of the platform. Just as I was about to land, I summoned Smoke.
The magnificent black steed appeared already in mid-gallop and I thudded onto his saddle. With a surprised laugh, I angled Smoke toward Helto's main dock where the group was to board a ship.
Cutting across the city, and charging through its streets like the Gods of Deletion were on my tail, I passed several vendor stalls. My original plan was to stock up before leaving, but that wouldn't be happening now. I was stuck with what little I had.
Finally, I rode off a street and onto the docks. There was a few fishing boats lined up along the water's edge, but only one large ship was present. That had to be the one.
As I rode Smoke toward it, I saw a tall dark-robed elf lean over the rail and wave. She then made motions for the captain to throw the lines.
In seconds I was racing up the side of the ship, but instead of stopping I had Smoke ride close to the dock's edge. I jumped from his saddle and collided with the ship's hull, grabbing onto a tangle of rigging as I bounced off.
You have suffered 60 hit points of crushing damage.
Seeing stars, I hung on for dear life, but I dismissed Smoke just as his momentum carried him over the end of the dock. He vanished in midair.
“Are you okay?” Someone called.
I looked up to see Shwenn looking down at me, her flaming collar fluttering against the buffeting wind. The ship had already pulled away from the dock and was making speed toward the deep ocean. I suspected the captain was using high level sailing abilities to take advantage of the wind. Within moments we were moving at an incredible clip.
I climbed up the riggin
g, my avatar still seeing little stars. Reaching the top, I pulled myself over the rail and hopped onto the deck.
Before me stood Shwenn along with four other players, an ogre, a human, a dwarf and a minotaur. All of whom were scowling.
After I'd had a second to recover, Shwenn said, “What happened? Do you realize how late you've made us? Do you understand how important this is?”
The dwarf said, “Can you get her grouped, first. At least we can get this locked into place.” He was dressed in the billowing gray robes of a Cleric class.
“Yeah,” said the big ogre, “Then you can berate her.” His bare chest was zigzagged with the tattoos and body piercings of the Slayer sub-class. On his back was strapped a huge double-bladed axe.
Shwenn rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. “Very well, here.”
You have been invited to group with Shwenn Brookblade. Join Accept/Decline?
Feeling welcome, I accepted.
Appearing down the side of my view was a list of names of everyone in the group, each with a pair of bars, health and mana. Now I could see how each player was fairing without having to look directly at them.
Before anyone else could speak I raised my hands. “Look, sorry guys. I had a serious RL issue that was completely and totally out of my control. I had to log out on the airship to Helto and couldn't come back until now.” I looked to Shwenn, “So, yes, I know how late I've made us and yes, I know how important this is.” More so to me than them.
“See, that all sounds reasonable,” the human named Witt said. He was a level 53 warrior, wearing a nifty set of ebony chainmail armor with twin longswords on his back.
Shwenn glared at me for a few more seconds then her expression softened. “Okay. You had us all tied up in knots thinking this was going to fail before it even started.”
The dwarven cleric, named Grumm, level 50, stepped forward and shook my hand. “Great job getting the statue, by the way. I can't even imagine what it took to do it. Maybe you can tell me about it over an ale once this is over.” I could see all his fingers and thumbs were studded with Attribute boosting rings.
“Yeah,” I said taken a little aback by how everyone's demeanor had changed. “And I know just the tavern to go to.”
“Done,” Grumm said with a smile. His long black beard was well groomed and braided together with a half dozen talismans.
“I'm Bozar,” the ogre slayer said, thumping his barrel chest with a meaty fist. He was level 52. “You royally ticked off Try And Catch Us, so for that you have my gratitude. Oh, and for the statue too.”
“Don't like 'em?” I said.
“Bunch of stuck up FILTEREDs,” he said. “Anyone who can take them down a peg or two is good in my book.”
“Welcome aboard,” Witt said. “Both the group and the ship.”
Everyone turned to look at the minotaur, who still glared at me. He wore a matching set of brown leather armor with an array of daggers on his belt. After a few uncomfortable seconds, he broke his stare and looked at the others. “I hate to have to point this out again, but why do we need two thieves?”
Confused for a moment, I noticed his player information and nearly gasped. He was a level 50 thief! A Minotaur!
“Now we discussed this before, Holpa,” Shwenn said. “We needed her to get the statue and a spot in the group was the price. Fair is fair.”
Holpa shook his head. “Our group dynamic is gimped now, you realize that? Why couldn't she be something more useful, like another DPS casting class or even a proper ranger?”
This sounded like an old argument they'd been through before. For my part, I was still stunned at this guy's class choice for his race. He was huge, almost as big as Bozar. I couldn't imagine the size penalty he took trying to sneak around or use his Hide In Plain Sight ability. Maybe he did it as a joke at the start and never bothered to reroll. He was level 50, after all, so at least he made it that far.
“The group dynamic isn't gimped,” Witt said, facing off with the minotaur who was nearly twice his size. “She's a shadow, not just a thief. And she's got a bow, too, if you hadn't noticed.”
“Kill a lot with that?” Grumm asked me with a smile.
“More than my fair share,” I said.
Holpa kept shaking his head, his long horns nearly reaching the sail rigging above him. “I think it's a waste.”
Shwenn held up her hands. “Okay, enough of that. The group is what it is, and that's not going to change.”
But Witt wouldn't let it go. “Why don't you say what's really bothering you, Holpa? Why you're really so upset.”
Holpa scoffed and folded his arms, but he didn't respond.
Witt said, “You're upset because you didn't think you had what it took to go down into that dungeon and get the statue. That's what this is really about. We asked you over and over, and you wouldn't do it.” He pointed a finger at me. “She had what it took, and now we're standing on this deck heading to the Emerald Caldera because of her. Not you. So if you want to talk about waste...”
Holpa bristled and took a step toward the warrior, and Witt responded by drawing his twin swords.
Shwenn jumped between them, looking tiny in comparison to them both. “Red light, boys! Red light! Now's not the time to FILTER in each other's faces. We have an instance to initiate so let's concentrate on that.”
The two players glared at each other, and for several moments I was certain things were going to get ugly. But to my surprise, Holpa backed down, turned away and stormed off in a huff, his hooves clomping loudly on the deck.
The tension broke and everyone dispersed. I found myself sighing in relief.
Witt came over. “Quite the welcome, huh?”
“I've had better,” I said. My brain was still recovering from the last hour, both in real life and in the game. “But I'm just glad to be here.”
Witt's smile widened and for a moment I thought it bordered on lecherous.
As I was about to politely excuse myself from his hovering presence, a sailor called out from the crow's nest high above.
“Ship on our wake!”
We rushed to the rails and looked.
Sure enough, another ship was nearby and looked to be following us. Behind them was the thin line of the coast, and Helto Port. Our ship was making good speed, but the other was just as fast.
“Pirates?” I asked. I didn't think they would operate within view of a major port.
“Nope, not pirates,” Witt said, frowning. “That ship is being operated by Try And Catch Us.”
CHAPTER SIX
Crew men scrambled over the deck and along the rigging around the sails. The captain stood on the aft deck at the wheel, shouting orders. A quick glance told me he'd been hired because of the speed bonuses he could imbue onto the ship. I hoped it would be enough.
My new group crowded the rails of the aft deck to watch the Try And Catch Us ship get closer and closer.
“Man, they are almost flying in that thing,” Bozar said. “Guess they hired a faster captain.”
Witt shook his head, “Doubt it, we grabbed the best one we could find on the entire coast. My guess is they're using an item, or a relic of some kind.”
Whatever it was, the other ship was gaining on ours.
I looked to Shwenn, who was staring at the ship with worry. “How long until we're where we need to be?” The instance had to be initiated at a place called Viper Rock within a certain time frame.
Tearing her eyes away, she pulled out a map which showed our ship's position relative to the coastline. Ahead was a small dot marked Viper Rock. “We're making great progress, all considered, so we should almost be there within the time window.” She looked over the bow and at the distant blue horizon.
I looked, too, but could only see waves and clouds. Then as the ship rode down the crest of a large swell, a tall, rocky outcropping could be seen in the distance, jutting out the sea.
“There it is!” Shwenn said. But it was too far. The other ship would overtak
e ours long before we got there.
“Will we still have time?” I asked.
“For the instance to be initiated? We better, or this will be a really short trip.” To the captain she shouted, “Are you at full speed, sir? Can you push her any faster?”
“Neigh, m'lady!” The captain said, his eye on a little telescope, looking to the outcropping. “I've given her all she's got! It's up to the Gods now!”
Never mind the gods, I thought. This all came down to player ability. I looked back at the other ship which was just at the edge of my bow range, for what good that would do. At best I may be able to pick off some its sailors, and maybe hurt some of the guild players, but nothing I could launch at it could stop its progress.