by Kyle Vauss
I stared down through the hole in its shell. Its insides were soft and green, and I knew I needed to destroy them somehow. I could have dropped in through the shell and started hacking away, but it was likely that its flesh would burn me. I’d died a few times in my time in Infarna, but I’d never burned alive inside the shell of a giant snail. I didn’t plan on this being a first.
I needed a spell of some sort. Maybe a fireball to fire inside it, burning its vulnerable flesh. The problem was we didn’t have anything like that, and the man in our party who called himself a wizard was a fraud. Dagnor might as well have worn a clown costume, for all the good he was here.
I had an idea. I didn’t know if it would work, but anything was worth trying.
The snail opened its mouth. Any minute now, it would fire a puddle of burning slime in the direction of the trees. Gabber didn’t have much HP left, so I had to act.
I cast Glowing Lights. As three orbs formed in my hand, my mana bar slid to almost empty. I gathered the three lights above me, and I made them meet so that they were as one. Together, they not only gave off glowing light, but heat as well.
I focused on the hole in the snail’s shell, and I sent my orb of light deep inside, making it travel down to meet the snail’s flesh. As the lights landed inside, the snail screamed. It thrashed around, trying to shake me off, but I held on. I focused on the light and made it burrow down deeper and deeper. The lights started to burn the creature’s flesh, sending a putrid odour my way. It was like a poison gas, and I had to cover my mouth with my sleeve to stop myself coughing.
The shell began to crack. Tremor lines ran down it. Smoke rose from inside, and the snail’s shrieks turned from deep sounds to something high-pitched.
As I held on and focused the light, its shell cracked apart. I lost my grip and tumbled to the ground, losing some of my HP in the process. On the ground, I rolled back, got to my feet, then moved out of range.
The snail was on fire now. It thrashed around for a few seconds, trying desperately to shake off the burning lights. Finally, the creature stopped moving, stopped screaming, and then was still.
A chiming sound told me that I’d been rewarded with EXP. It wasn’t enough to get me to level 10, but that was good. I had to be careful. If I hit level 10, I’d have reached the point where I’d promised to sell my shadow walker.
The snail lay dead on the ground. I walked over to it. I pulled two empty vials out of my bag, and then carefully scooped some of the snail slime into them. I didn’t know what I’d use it for, but it was bound to come in handy.
I got my breath, and then went to the thatch of trees. I found Gabber slumped against a trunk, his green face gone pale.
“Impressive,” he said.
I shrugged. “Everything has a weakness,” I answered. “Let’s go find Dagnor.”
We left the tree area, skirted around the giant snail’s corpse, and then walked over the rocky plains. We must have gone further away from Dagnor than we thought, because it took five minutes at a slow pace before we saw him.
When I finally spotted his outline in the distance, I stopped.
“He’s not alone,” said Gabber.
Dagnor had moved away from where we left him. And Gabber was right; the wizard wasn’t alone anymore.
I looked on in dismay as I saw that the wizard was surrounded by Crawford, four neeves, and two NPC warriors.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Before Crawford had a chance to see us, Gabber and I turned and walked away. I wondered how he could afford to spend all this time chasing us, but the answer was obvious. While I’d had to book a week of vacation time, Crawford’s father owned the company. He could walk in and out whenever he pleased. Half the time, I doubted his father even noticed when he was there.
We went by the dead snail, through the thatch of trees, and then covered half a mile of rocky terrain. Some of the rocks were almost as tall as me, and they were covered in strange symbols which resembled Egyptian hieroglyphics.
I’d seen them before. Years ago, I had levelled a shaman for a man in England who wanted to spend more time with his son. In the menu system, the shaman’s abilities were represented by symbols. That possibly meant that the area around us was some kind of shaman holy ground, and it would draw shaman players to it. We needed to keep a look out.
Finally, we found a jagged rock that rose fifteen feet off the ground. “Steady on,” I said. “Let’s see if this one moves first. I don’t fancy fighting another of those things.”
When nothing happened, Gabber and I climbed the rock. There was enough room at the top for us both to sit, while a sheet of rock afforded us protection against anyone trying to see. With our vantage point, I was able to look across the rocky plains.
We needed to be careful. We both stayed still. Neither of us spoke, and we watched as Crawford and his neeves combed the area looking for us. After an hour of searching, they gave up.
The night was settling over the land now, lending a black tint to a place that was dark enough already. Crawford set up camp near where we’d left Dagnor. He had ordered his neeves to surround the wizard. We were still in non-player-killing territory, so the hunter wouldn’t be able to kill Dagnor. That limitation didn’t extend to his neeves though. It seemed that Crawford would order them to attack Dagnor if he tried to escape.
“He’s using him as bait,” I said. “He wants us to try and save him.”
“Which we’re going to do, right? I mean, I don’t want to walk into a trap, but we can’t leave him. He’s part of the Gabber Posse.”
“That’s not our name. I wonder where he got the warriors,” I said. “They must be mercs.”
Any player with money could wander into a town and hire NPC warriors, mages and thieves to travel with them. Most people didn’t bother, since mercs charged by the day, and it wasn’t worth the cost. For Crawford, though, money was no object. Combined with his knowledge of the game and his good choice of hunter skills, it made him deadly.
“We’re going to have to leave him, Gabber. You look like crap; a few blows are all it’ll take to kill you. And Crawford doesn’t even have to get close. If he sees you, he can just use his crossbow or send a neeve after you.”
Gabber crossed his legs on the rock. “We can’t leave him, Tamos. He helped us back in the cavern.”
“It would be stupid to try and free him.”
“All the same,” said Gabber. “We’ve got to give it a go. What kind of people would we be if we left him just because it was dangerous?”
I nodded. “It’s fine by me. But I’m just thinking of you here. I’ll be alright, but if they hurt you…”
I stopped. I didn’t want to tell Gabber that if he died, he wouldn’t come back. I didn’t know how aware NPCs were of their own mortality, but I didn’t want to deliver the news to my friend.
Damn. My friend? Had I really just thought of him that way?
“Okay,” I said. “I’ve got a plan, but we need to wait a couple of hours. Let them get their guard down. Besides, I need to rest and recharge a little. I’m drained after using my cantrips.”
“I’ll keep watch,” said Gabber.
The sky was completely black now. Over in the distance and far away, I saw the glowing outlines of some kind of nocturnal creatures. I leaned back against the rock and rested. My mana regeneration was slower than I liked, but eventually, my bar was full again.
After that, we crept over the plains. Darkness covered us. Both Gabber and I had good sneak skills, which meant that I felt sure Crawford wouldn’t see us as we moved toward his camp. I heard the creak of insects around us. Thankfully those were just regular sized crickets, rather than giant snails.
“Are you sure about this?” said Gabber.
“Just stick to the plan and we’ll be fine.”
“But how are you going to get close enough to the neeves to free them?”
“Don’t worry about that. Just make sure that you use Whisper the minute I unlock their cages
. Turn them against Crawford, and we’ll have enough time to free Dagnor and escape.”
The truth was, it was a risky plan from the outside. When you analysed it, it wasn’t so bad. It relied on two variables inside our control – my Shadow Form, and Gabber’s Whisper. As long as I my mana held out and Gabber did his thing, we’d be okay. Still, I was having to take more risks these days than I’d liked.
Crawford’s camp was just thirty yards away now. The flames of his camp fire rose into the air like orange fingers, poking at the darkness and warding it away. Crawford sat on a rock, while his two mercs sat on the ground. His mercs were regular NPC warriors. They looked alike, and they each had a longsword in a sheath on the ground next to them.
Crawford’s neeves were locked into a cage, huddled together as a pack while they slept. Across from Crawford, in full view, was Dagnor. Crawford had made him get into a cage, and the wizard was slumped on the ground looking sorry for himself.
As we got closer, I stopped. I could hear Crawford talking. I couldn’t tell if his words were directed at the mercs or at Dagnor. Maybe it was none of them. Perhaps he just liked hearing himself speak.
“So, there I was, face to face with this monstrous creature. I had my neeves circle round the basilisk,” he said. “They hemmed it in, while I stayed back. I loaded my arrows with venoma, which as I’m sure you know, basilisks aren’t fond of. They say it’s a hard creature to fight, but I didn’t sweat it. If you use your noggin, you’re alright. Only took me ten minutes to finish it off.”
He reached to his belt and unclasped a tooth from it. It was the size of his hand.
“Here’s the trophy. Of course, I showed it to father, and he didn’t care.”
Neither the mercs nor Dagnor looked interested in Crawford’s story. I watched the hunter. As soon as he mentioned his father, I saw a change in his face. His natural look of arrogance left him, and he seemed miserable.
“But I only need the goblin now,” he carried on. “After that, I get the achievement. Millions of people have played Infarna, and only two have gotten it so far. That’s how hard a fruit it is to pick. If Father isn’t bowled over by that, I don’t know what I’d need to do.”
Such a bragger. It was as though the only way Crawford could justify his existence was by listing everything he’d done. It didn’t work back in the office, because people rarely got excited when you boasted about a sweet presentation that you’d delivered. Here, in Infarna, people listened to him.
I looked at Gabber. Although he was still hurt, our few hours of rest had refreshed him a little. It was still risky bringing him so close to Crawford, but there was no other way. If we were to free Dagnor, I needed him.
“It’s time,” I said. “Remember the plan. The minute I approach the crate, you need to start whispering.”
“I’ll have to get a little closer.”
I nodded. “Just be careful. Don’t make a sound. If Crawford rumbles us, we’re done.”
“Doesn’t that guy ever quit?”
“No,” I said. “He sure as hell doesn’t. I might not like him, but I can’t say that laziness if one of his faults. He’ll follow us to the edge of Infarna to get his hands on you.”
“I’m not so sure about this now,” said Gabber.
“Just say the word and we turn back. I don’t want to compromise your safety over Dagnor’s.”
Gabber took a breath. “No. I need to do this.”
“Okay. Good luck.”
With that, I accessed my abilities. It was finally time for me to use Shadow Form. It was such a powerful ability that it would drain my mana in minutes, but I wouldn’t need long. I concentrated, and cast Shadow Form.
My body began to shimmer. I stretched my arms out in front of me and watched as they became less solid, turning to smoke-like outlines. The world around me grew dark and dull, as if I was walking under a giant shadow.
Crawford wouldn’t be able to see me now. I didn’t have long before my mana drained, so I needed to move.
I crept closer to the campfire, my natural caution telling me not to rush in case he saw me. I stayed crouched down as I crept, but my going was slow. As I got closer, Crawford turned his head. He seemed to be looking right at me. Then he turned away, and launched into another story.
That boosted my confidence. I stood up, sure now that I was invisible to the hunter. I walked straight over to the campfire until I was so close that I could smell the ash. Neither Crawford nor his mercs turned toward me as I went by them and walked over to the neeves’ cage.
I glanced behind me and saw that Gabber had crept forward, close enough to use his whisper.
This was it. Now or never. As soon as I freed the neeves, Gabber was going to use animal whisper to send them into a state of confusion. Some of them would attack each other, and maybe they’d even go for Crawford. In the ensuing chaos, I’d free Dagnor and we’d get out of there.
I stood in front of the cage. The neeves purred as they slept. They were so close to each other that they seemed like one creature stuck together. Some kind of mutated beast with four heads and sixteen limbs. This was how pack animals slept. It would almost have been cute, if I didn’t know that they’d tear me limb from limb if Crawford ordered them to.
I checked my mana. I’d lost a quarter of it already. It was draining faster than I thought, so I needed to get on with it.
I looked back across the plains in Gabber’s direction. He gave me the thumbs up. With that, I gripped the bar of the cage. The metal was cold on my fingers. I knew I needed to be careful Crawford couldn’t see me, but if I made a noise opening the cage, he’d hear it.
Holding my breath, I slowly slid the bar out of the lock. My pulse started to race, and I was sure that I’d move it too quickly and make it screech, or that I’d accidently knock the bars.
With my heart rate reaching full capacity, I finally pulled the bar free. With that, I prayed that Gabber’s whisper had worked, and I opened the cage.
The neeves instantly leapt to their feet. One of them looked around, nose twitching. Could they smell me?
No. Shadows didn’t have a smell. They had no idea I was there, they just knew that their cage had opened. One of them took a tentative step toward the door. I moved back and then to the side.
As one of the neeves took a step onto the rocky ground, Crawford turned around. He leapt to his feet.
“How’d you get out?” he said. “I swear these things are getting cleverer by the day. Who’s a clever boy?”
I waited for the signs of confusion in the neeves faces, but it didn’t come. What was happening?
My mana fell below half way now. I couldn’t hang around. Gabber needed to use his whisper quickly. I looked over at him, and I saw that he had a look of intense concentration, and his lips moved as he used his skill.
Crawford grabbed one neeve by the scruff of the neck and dragged it back to the cage.
This wasn’t working. My mana dropped further. Gabber was still whispering, but there was no sign of it having an effect on Crawford’s neeves.
Then the realization hit me like a brick to the face. Crawford wasn’t stupid; after losing a few of his neeves in Ulrip Caverns, he would have had to get more of them. If a hunter’s neeve died, he could summon a new one. He’d have to wait 24 hours and pay 250GD, but that wasn’t a problem for Crawford.
Back in the cavern, he must have known that Gabber had tamed one of his neeves. Then, when he summoned new ones, he would have had the option to change their stats. It was obvious now; he’d bred his new neeves with a resistance to animal taming.
This wasn’t going to work. I looked at my mana and saw that it was sickeningly low. If Shadow Form failed and I suddenly speared in front of his eyes, he’d know that Gabber was here too.
I had to act. I glanced at Dagnor in his cage. He stared at Crawford as he pushed his neeves back into their own cage and then slid the bolt.
I looked at the bonfire. Using it was going to be my only chance. I re
ached into my inventory and pulled out my vial of snail slime. Praying to the gods that this wasn’t the stupidest idea ever, I unscrewed the lid and threw the liquid on the fire.
It was like adding gas to a barbeque. The flames rushed up with a roaring sound, becoming an inferno that reached ten feet into the air. I had to stand back so that it didn’t burn my hair.
“What the hell?” said Crawford, turning around.
I ran across the camp, avoided the mercs, and stood in front of Dagnor’s cage.
[Warning – 10% Mana left]
I gripped the bolt and drew it back, this time not caring about the sound. One of the mercs stood up, but he didn’t look my way.