Shari grabbed her own bow and began firing as more of the frogs appeared from within the rushes. The elves were quickly organizing, responding to the surprise attack. More than a dozen frogs lay dead along the side of the road already. Shari fired at one who was attempting to leap up onto the wagon where the injured driver sat. The arrow penetrated its side and passed clean through it mid-jump, pinning it to the side of the wagon. The driver looked up, then gave her a wave of thanks.
She told Snuffles to lay low inside the wagon, then hopped down and ran toward the injured driver. She cast Life of the Forest on him as soon as she was within range. Then she climbed onto his wagon and resumed firing at the abominations that she was sure were going to leave her with nightmares.
When the last of the spider frogs took an arrow to its face and fell dead, there was a roar from among the reeds. The forest went silent, and the elves looked at each other nervously. Shari shouted “Where the hell did these come from?” The driver shook his head “I’ve been down this road a thousand times, and never seen anything like them.”
The source of the roar revealed itself when a massive frog the size of a buffalo leapt from the cover of the rushes. Before it even landed, its tongue shot forward and seized a ranger, the teeth clamping down on the elf’s head. There was a liquid tearing sound, then a pop. The tongue withdrew into the frog’s mouth along with the ranger’s head.
Taj, King of the Spider Frogs
Level 45
Health 20,000/20,000
The remaining rangers raised their bows and began firing at the frog boss. Its tongue darted out time and again, attempting to latch onto the dodging elves. Shari hit it with Nature’s Wrath, then began to fire arrows into it. The thing was beginning to look like a pincushion already. Elves were legendary archers, and the frog king had already lost two of its four eyes to arrows. When it reached 50% health, it quit trying to trap the elves with its tongue and simply leapt toward where three of them had gathered together. The thing shook its head as it landed, and brown-green slime flew everywhere.
The elves who were struck by the slime immediately began to writhe in pain as they retreated from Taj, who had resumed trying to eat them. Boils appeared on their skin where the slime had struck them. They quickly burst and began to bleed. Shari cast Life of the Forest on each of the infected elves, then cast another Nature’s Wrath on the frog boss. Layne the bard had barely managed to avoid the attack and was casting debuffs on Taj, slowing him down and sapping his strength with her music.
The injured elves recovered enough to resume their attacks, and the frog king’s health dwindled. At 25% he tried his slime attack again, but this time the elves were prepared. Everyone had spread out, and all but one elf had managed to avoid damage. Shari threw a heal on that one, then fired another arrow.
She was awarded a critical hit to Taj’s eye, which took him down to 10% and sent him into a frenzy. He leapt at Shari, who rolled to her left to avoid the strike. The roll took her right off the side of the wagon. The motion unsettled Mion, who flapped her wings to arrest her fall and took to the air as Shari rolled to her feet, another arrow ready. Seeing the bite-sized dragon take flight, Taj whipped out his tongue at her. Mion was able to dodge, and Taj’s tongue passed by her to latch onto Shari’s leg. The giant frog pulled with its tongue, sending Shari off her feet again. She could feel the teeth grinding into her leg. When a few of them dug into the joint at her knee, she screamed and nearly passed out. She frantically cast a heal on herself before driving an arrow into the tongue and pinning it to the ground.
It didn’t release its hold on her, and she could feel the teeth grinding into her thigh and knee. But at least she wasn’t being dragged toward its mouth any longer. With the last of her mana, she cast another Nature’s Wrath on Taj the frog king. The elves continued to pepper it with arrows while the tongue thrashed about trying to free itself. Every movement was agony for Shari. The teeth sawed at her flesh and bone mercilessly. She sobbed in pain, unable to heal herself magically. She pulled a health potion from her bag and gulped it down. Her health bar improved some, but was already dropping again as the tongue’s teeth sawed through tendon and muscle.
Level Up! You have reached level 21!
You have earned 1 free attribute point.
Level Up! You have reached level 22!
You have earned 1 free attribute point.
Level Up! You have reached level 23!
You have earned 1 free attribute point.
Finally, the frog king died. But it wasn’t through fighting. The jaws of the tongue had locked down on Shari’s leg, and she was beginning to feel woozy. She suspected they contained some kind of poison. She was still in her cooldown period for health or mana potions, so she couldn’t drink another one. And it would be a bit before she had enough mana to heal herself. So she compromised. She pulled a green potion from her bag, and drank half of it. The rest she poured carefully on her leg around the jaws. It was a Cure Poison potion, and she hoped it would at least slow the damage she was taking, long enough to be able to heal again.
Two of the drivers came to help. They used her bow to pry open the jaws, causing more tears and bleeding in the process. Not to mention the excruciating pain as the jagged teeth worked their way back out of her flesh. Shari suffered mostly in silence, a groan escaping her as they removed the jaws. Layne played a lilting tune that promoted healing as Shari lay back limply on the road, not wanting to move at all until her mana was restored. She still had fifteen seconds left on her health potion cooldown when her mana recharged enough for a heal. She cast it without hesitation, and breathed deeply as she felt her flesh and muscle repairing. She looked disgustedly at the boss frog, not wanted to touch him to loot the corpse. But he was a level 45 boss, and no true gamer could resist finding out what he would drop.
Deciding the tongue was the least slimy bit of the frog king’s body, she reached out and touched it. Her UI burst into loot notifications. She was about to read through them when the tingle of a heal spell ran through her. Surprised, she looked around. But all the elves were busy tending to wounded or preparing to bury the dead. A small chirp from Mion caught her attention. The tiny green dragon landed on Shari’s shoulder and said “I healed you.”
Shari’s eyes widened and her mouth moved of its own accord “You healed me? But… how?”
“You study. I study. I learn to heal like pet elf.” Shari had to grin at Mion’s term for her.
“Mion! That’s amazing! I didn’t know you could… I mean, can you do other spells too?”
Mion shook her tiny head. Then she cast another heal on Shari, which brought her up to 100%. As Shari watched, Mion flew around and cast heals on the other wounded elves. Within just a few minutes she returned. Shari tried to Inspect her dragon.
Mion the Dragon
Level: 10
Spirit Companion
Health: 300/300
Exp 300/800
Mana 5,400/7,000
Abilities:
Life of the Forest (2)
Telepathy
This was new! Shari had never heard of a player’s pet having an accessible stat sheet. And Mion was level ten already! I guess the xp from high level frog king was significant, even if it was spread around among a dozen elves, most of whom were higher level than Shari.
The elves were gathering wood to build a funeral pyre for the ranger who’d been kill by Taj. Shari looted several of the frog corpses as she made her way off the road to help. In ten minutes they’d created a workable pyre and set their comrade atop. The pyre was lit, and Layne played a long, slow song of loss and sadness as they watched it burn.
When it was done, they quietly loaded themselves back in the wagons and moved on, Layne once again playing traveling music.
Chapter 19
The Home Stretch
Mace and Shari spent the night in their own rooms, both of them tired after nearly a full day in-game. Mace made sure Shari’s door was locked before he did the same.
Whatever was living in the building across the park remained on his mind.
The next morning they rose before sunrise and shared oatmeal and powdered eggs as they talked about their progress. Shari needed to get back into the game early so that the wagons didn’t leave without her. “The caravan should reach the lake this afternoon late. If it’s not dark, we’ll signal for the boat. Apparently they won’t cross the lake after dark?”
Mace shrugged “I don’t know. I hadn’t heard that, but I’ve not talked about the boats much with anyone. Maybe there are rocks or dead trees or something they need light to avoid.”
Shari asked “Will you be on the boat?” Mace did some quick math in his head. “As soon as I log in, I’m going to hit the slavers. But it’s nearly a full day’s run back to the settlement. So probably not. Unless the boat doesn’t go until morning. If I’m not on the boat, I’ll meet you when you land at the settlement.”
Shari gave him a long hug followed by a soft kiss as they parted outside their quarters. “I’ll see you tonight. One way or the other.” she said as she closed and locked her door. Mace took a few minutes to check the monitors in the security office. He knew that Peabody would have alerted them to any movements, but he still didn’t fully trust the AI. It just made him feel better to check.
Locking himself in his own quarters, he climbed into his pod and closed his eyes.
*****
Mace opened his eyes and took a moment to adjust to his surroundings. He’d found a hollow tree to leave his avatar body in overnight. When a player logged out of the game outside of a town or other safe zone, their avatar body remained. Inert and vulnerable. Mace was happy to see nothing had bothered his drow overnight.
He climbed out of the tree and looked toward the mountain. The sun would rise in about twenty minutes, but right now there was plenty of shadow to work with. Pulling his hood over his head to cover his white hair, he merged with the shadows and stepped out of the tree line. There was maybe a quarter mile of empty grassland between the forest and the mine entrance. The grass was littered with boulders and smaller rocks that had tumbled down the mountain. Mace ran from boulder to boulder, sprinting across the open spaces in case lookouts were posted. Anyone observing him would only see a flickering shadow, gone before they could blink and look again.
He paused behind a pile of spoils about fifty yards from the entrance. So far, he’d detected no guards. This hour of the morning even the most dutiful of sentries tended to be half-awake at best. Peering around the pile, he scanned again for sentries. A cough off to his right told him there was at least one. He quickly moved in that direction, silent as only a drow with his training could be. He felt Minx tighten her tail for balance, and she whispered. “Two. Human and orc.” into his mind. Mace had stopped wondering how his little thief knew such things. He assumed her sense of smell was developed as a defense mechanism.
Slowing to a walk, he crept around a stone outcropping maybe ten yards from the mine entrance. The two guards were sitting with their backs against the rock. The orc was asleep, curled in a ratty looking blanket. The human, only half awake, was cleaning his nails with a dagger point. Mace wasted no time. He leapt across the eight feet between him and the human, driving his enchanted dagger into the man’s mouth as it opened to shout. The dagger drank deeply, and pulsed. Mace felt something that wasn’t quite a thought. More like a sense of approval.
The orc hadn’t heard his partner die. Mace woke him with a kick to the face. The confused orc gasped at the sudden pain and spluttered as he reflexively reached for a sword at his side. Mace stepped on the sword, immobilizing it. He leaned down and put the point of his dagger to the orc’s forehead, grinning as the orc went cross-eyed looking at the dagger.
“I am a Darkblade. Do you know what that is?” Mace asked quietly. “Do not speak, just nod or shake your head.” The orc focused on him and nodded slightly, not wanted to drive the dagger into its skull. Mace continued. “Then you know you’re a dead orc unless you give me what I want.”
The orc growled in frustration and said nothing. Mace took it as an affirmative answer. He said “I’m not here for you. I’m here for Justin. Tell me where I can find him inside, and you can run away. Fail to tell me, and I’ll slit your throat, steal your soul, and move on to the next guard. And the next. Until I get what I want.”
His prisoner practically vibrated with rage. Orcs were warriors. An honorable death in battle was the only acceptable death to them. To run from an enemy brings great shame. To betray an employer… not so much. Orcs were a little like drow when it came to that. Unless there was an oath or a familial bond involved, turning on an employer for a better deal was commonplace.
“Justin sleeps in the mine. Second level down. Left. End of the corridor past the guard barracks.” The orc practically spat the words at him.
“How many guards between here and there?” Mace asked.
“Four. Two inside entrance. Two at second level. Also, Justin’s dog inside his quarters.” The orc was smiling when he mentioned the dog. Mace was already picturing a ten-foot tall hellhound guarding its master’s door.
Mace withdrew his dagger and stepped back from the orc. “You can go. Go quietly. If you alert the other guards, I will kill them, then hunt you down.” The orc grunted as he rolled to his knees. Grabbing his sword, he began to rise to his feet. Mace didn’t give him the chance. He stabbed his dagger up and under the orc’s sword arm. The arm went limp and the sword dropped to the stone, making a considerable clanging noise as it bounced, then settled on the stone. He finished the orc, sliding his dagger between ribs and neatly into the orc’s heart. His dagger practically sang to him with pleasure. Minx must have been able to feel some of it, because she purred quietly.
Mace activated his stealth ability once again. Moving over the rock, he dropped down just to the left of the mine entrance. The orc had told him there were two guards inside. Mace hugged the wall, becoming one with the shadows. He quickly stepped through the door, not making a sound, daggers at the ready.
The two guards were sound asleep. Each sitting with his back to the wall on either side of the door. Mace decided to ignore them and keep going. He moved down the main shaft until it reached a fork. The orc hadn’t told him about this. Looking left and right, Mace saw that the left-hand shaft seemed to slope downward while the right remained level as it ran off into the mountain. So he chose the left. Following it down, he came to a hole in the floor that looked like a cave-in.
The hole was about ten feet wide, and several ladders stuck up from below. Looking down Mace could see the floor of another tunnel about twelve feet below. Not bothering with the ladders, he whispered “Hold on Minxy” and leapt down. He landed without a sound, crouching as he did so. He looked both directions down the tunnel. To his left, the tunnel stretched out maybe a hundred yards, then ended. To his right, he could see two openings, one on either side. He whispered to Minx “Those must be the guard barracks”.
Still in stealth mode, he walked slowly past the two doors. Each led to a room with twenty or more bunks, most occupied by sleeping guards. Mace was tempted to slit each of their throats for the xp, but didn’t want to risk waking them and missing his target. So he continued on to the door at the end. He paused here, one ear against the door. The orc had mentioned a dog guarding Justin. He could hear the human snoring inside, but nothing else.
The door had a simple lock that took Mace less than ten seconds to open. He put away his lock pick and drew his daggers before pushing the door open slowly. A creak of the hinge made him pause while he listened for a reaction. The snoring continued, and no other alarm was raised. As soon as the door was open wide enough for him to slip through, he did so. He closed the door behind him.
There was a single candle burning on a desk directly in front of him. Justin was asleep on a bed in one corner. There was a nightstand with an unlit lamp next to him. Beside the lamp lay a wicked looking pair of daggers. Mace paused to admire them. After he killed
Justin he’d take them. Looking around the room, Mace noted a statue in the opposite corner, and a large chest at the foot of Justin’s bed.
Mace couldn’t help himself. He was itching to see what was in the chest. The boss of a slaver’s camp likely had a decent amount of gold, and maybe some cool gear. But first he had to deal with Justin. He approached the side of the bed, dagger poised to strike, and froze. An eye looked at him from under the sheet next to Justin. A wide, terrified eye. Mace held up his finger in a shushing motion and took a step forward. The owner of the eye pulled the sheet down, and Mace could see her face. Rage rose up from his gut. The bruised and swollen face was that of a little girl. At least, that’s what he’d thought until she sat up.
Not a little girl. A halfling woman. So tiny. Easy mistake to make.
Mace could see that the bruising on her face continued down around her throat. Her wrists and arms were bruised just as badly. His gaze returned to her face, and he found her staring at him with a determined look. This was a survivor.
Mace pointed toward the still sleeping Justin, then made a slicing motion across his own throat with his finger. The halfling woman nodded, then reached out an empty hand. After a moment, he handed her the dagger from his left hand. The moment she had it, she used it. In a manner that made Mace turn away.
Justin awoke with a scream as a dagger plunged into his crotch three times in rapid succession. The scream was short-lived, as she pushed a pillow into his face. Straddling his hips, she stabbed the dagger into his chest. When he continued to struggle, she did it again. Then she quickly removed the pillow and drove the blade into an eye socket.
Justin was very, very dead. The halfling hadn’t made a sound the entire time. Now she rolled off the bed, wrapping the blood-stained sheet around herself. She stood holding Mace’s dagger in one hand as she stared at him. He made a show of putting away his own dagger and holding up his hands. “I mean you no harm. I was here for him.” he said in his most soothing tone.
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