“What the hell did you do to me?” he muttered.
“That is Weakness,” Zora said, standing before him, looking a little too pleased with herself.
“What is this?”
“A condition,” Mari replied.
“Don’t worry, Hyde, it’ll wear off soon,” Mila assured him.
But before that happened, he took a knee, sitting there waiting for the blinking effect icon under his stamina bar to timeout.
“What the hell was that?” he complained.
“Mari said it, a Condition.” Zora answered.
“Why didn’t you warn me!”
“I did. I said: just relax.”
“That’s not a warning!”
“Tomato. Tamato.” she shrugged. “Anyway, now for the next one, Insight.”
Without another word being said, Remi stepped forward. Hyde looked to the different faces, trying to make out what was going on. Mila and Mari said nothing. Abe and Nitro resumed their impishness. And Zora. She whispered, “Never Surrender.”
A heartwarming feeling followed and Hyde, after taking a deep breath looked up to Remi. His eyes were glowing. Not just the simple reflection of light, but they were producing their own light.
“Why are your eyes glowing?” he asked.
“Because of Insight,” Remi replied.
“Right, so what now?” Hyde asked.
“We fight. No weapons. Ready?” Remi said.
“Oh. Uh. Yeah.” Hyde nodded and put up his fists. However, the moment he did so, Remi had already stormed the fort. He jabbed once, twice, thrice and once more after that. And that was the end of the match. His punches were immaculate hitting all the right places at all the right times.
After being sent to the ground, Hyde slowly rose. “I see, so Insight helps you hit Critical Areas?”
“Exactly,” Zora smiled. “You’re catching on.”
“What’s the Condition version?”
“Blindness,” Remi whispered and snapped his fingers.
In that moment, a flash came and his eyes saw nothing but white light.
“What’s going on?” he said, and in the very next second, it cleared up and he could see. “Hey, it’s gone.”
“Blindness is one of the shorter, more dynamic Conditions,” Zora explained.
With that, they went through the list of Boons. From Barrier, that appeared in the form of a glowing blue shield around the left hand that would block the next incoming attack automatically, to its Condition counterpart. Burning. It speaks for itself, but Hyde really suffered through a special kind of heat that Nitro was happy to provide.
Following that was Regeneration, the one that came from his Healing Skill, Healing Seal. It was like his heart had kicked into overdrive and with each beat he felt lighter and his health bar reflected just that. The counterpart was Bleeding which Mila was kind enough to apply using a skill called Buckshot.
Each Boon had a special glow associated with it, when one was under its effects. Fortitude, nullified all Condition effects, and had a remarkable glow that ran along Hyde’s nerves while the Condition complement was Chilled. That one reared its head along with steamy breaths and shivers.
Vigour, helped replenish Stamina. Under its effect, Hyde enjoyed the mouth glow that came with it. Poisoned was the Condition opposite and that was like a bubbling pool of nausea and a stomach ache, the same wonderful experience that kept plaguing him whenever he teleported.
Soon they reached the final two Boons. The first one was Weightless.
“So what does this one do?” Hyde said. “Let me guess, I can move faster?”
“Ding ding!” Zora nodded. “Your skill Rush actually applies the effect.”
“Really?” he asked and quickly activated the skill. His legs began to glow and his body was like paper. Completely Weightless. Before he was given an order, he jumped off the platform and went for a lap.
“This is amazing!” he screamed, grinning as if he’d never run before in his life. After his thrill ride he returned and was quickly punished by the Condition, Crippled. His shoulders sank and all he could muster up was a limping walk, well not even that… it was more like a crawl.
“So what’s the last one?” he asked, after Crippled expired.
“That one is a bit special,” Zora said.
“How so?”
“It’s different.” Mari replied.
“You’re going to have to say more than that,” Hyde muttered.
“It’s not like the other ones,” Mari explained.
“Really…”
“The Boon is called Resolve and it protects against CC,” Zora explained.
“Okay, what the hell is CC?”
CHAPTER 8
“Crowd Control, CC, also known as disables, stuns or Control effects.” Zora said. “Think Remi’s Jab or Kick.”
“Those are… uh, CC?” Hyde asked.
“Exactly, they are attacks that temporarily prevent movement and actions, beyond normal flinching,” she added.
“Do I have something like that?”
“Your Bash skill, which comes in all shapes and sizes depending on your weapon.”
“Okay, what’s this Resolve thing?”
“Oh that, it’s probably one of the strongest boons in the game,” she said, as she did, Mari invoked a book, similar to the one Abe used to cast Hundred Blades, but this was larger and floated in front of her. The blue glow quickly painted everything with its colour.
“Hallowed Ground,” whispered Mari. With those words, the platform under their feet began to shine with a pure, pale icy colour. Small flames curled around their feet and in one go, they flourished, fluttering their clothes and hair. In that very same second their clothes took on a refined sort of glow.
Even without anyone saying anything, Hyde knew they were immovable. Their spirits, their resolve, their very bones and muscles wouldn’t bend to even the toughest of burdens.
“This is amazing!” he smiled, looking up at their grinning faces. However, Abe, still remained as sheepish as ever.
“The counterpart to this Boon… is Fear,” Zora whispered and after a few seconds of silence, the Spell faded and so did the Boon. However, what came after was a sensation all too familiar to him.
Zora activated a Skill to produce the wanted Condition. Dragoon’s Temper.
The effect was riveting. Hyde backed away, shaking in his boots. His steeled nerves were no more, now they were like jelly and his resolve the same. There wasn’t a rigid bone in his body. Retreat! Was all he could think of. Zora’s awesome presence was more than just something to be wary of, she induced fear itself.
The air seemed thick and unwieldy. Cold sweat broke out on his neck as he swallowed cautiously. Even if he wanted to, it was impossible to move forward. His legs just kept carrying him backwards, away from the girl that seemed like a thirty-storey building, with eyes like massive plates glaring down at him.
I need to run!
Before he raced off, the effect expired and the dark vision cleared. His fear was absolved and Zora didn’t seem so frightening anymore. His heart slowed and his tense muscles relaxed.
“What the hell was that!” he complained.
“That was Fear,” Zora smirked. “It’s more of a Crowd Control effect rather than a Condition, because it prevents you from using any skills.”
That was Fear? He thought, looking down at his hands that hadn’t stopped shaking.
“Anyway, you still need to experience the other CC effects,” she said.
“There are more?”
“I did mention the kick and the jab, right?” she explained. “Anyway, they aren’t as scary as the one you just experienced,” she smirked.
With that, Hyde was subject to Daze, Immobilise, Knockback and Knockdown. Zora mentioned that there could be more, but they had no way of knowing without exposure to the other classes or having more Skills.
“So is that it?” Hyde asked.
“Yeah, now we just have one l
ast thing,” Zora smiled. “Kiting.”
“Ki—what?” he said.
“Kiting… you really must have lived under a rock before this,” she shook her head gently. “Mobility, Hyde, we’re going to practise mobility.”
“Oh, why didn’t you just say that!”
“I did—whatever, we’ll have an obstacle race and anyone who completes the race will get a prize.”
“Really?”
“What kind of prize?” Abe asked.
“She’s probably going to push you off the platform,” Remi muttered.
“How exciting,” Mila smiled.
“I’ll prepare some tea,” Mari added.
Later, they lined up at the obstacle course, but for some reason there weren’t any obstacles around them. And as Hyde quickly noticed, there were two people missing. Mari wasn’t participating, so that was already accounted for, but someone else was gone.
“Hey, where’s Nitro?” he asked.
“Listen up,” Zora said, completely ignoring him. “The rules are simple, reach the finish, whether you’re first or last doesn’t matter. Getting there or not does.
“Fighting each other on the course is done at your own risk, dying obviously disqualifies you, any questions?” she asked.
“Where’s Nitro?” Hyde asked again.
But no one said anything. He looked from face to face and saw, smirks from Zora, Abe and Remi and a sweet reassuring smile from Mila.
“Am I missing something?” he asked.
“You’ll see,” Abe grinned. “Anyone up for a bet?”
“Sure,” Zora said.
“Let’s bet on if Hyde will make it to the end or not.”
“Why the hell are you betting about that!” Hyde exclaimed.
“Because its fun,” Remi said.
One by one they casted their bets, most were for Hyde’s failure, but one was in his favour.
“When do we start by the way?” Hyde said.
“NOW!” Nitro’s voice came like a thunderclap.
Everyone, but Hyde, rushed into action. He, however, turned back to the source of the loud cry.
“Bow before me mortals! You’re in the presence of a demon!” she cried, tightening her grip around her staff.
What the hell? He giggled, thinking that this was probably some kind of joke. He looked over his shoulder, ready to ask the others what’s going on, but they were already gone into the distance. Why are they—he turned back and now Nitro’s eyes were glowing.
“You dare stand before a demon of my caliber,” Nitro said, rushing into a sprint. “Hah! Darkness from the void, I beseech thee, allow me to harness this great power. I seek only the most dangerous flakes those that silence even volcanoes,” she began chanting. For some reason, she didn’t seem funny anymore. Maybe it was the Insight in her eyes or maybe it was the fact that somehow she seemed like a true demon with darkness cloaking her and the streams of marine blue and black trailing after her.
Why is she—he thought, staring at the approaching demon. That’s when he finally put two and two together and everything became clear.
Nitro was the obstacle that they had to get away from.
Run! He scrambled into action, quickly adding to the distance between himself and Nitro. However, her chanting soon ended.
“Bestow upon me the power of this maelstrom without equal! From the void it shall return all to frozen crystals, Freeze!”
A blizzard came rushing from his rear and with it came a bitter chill that ran down his spine, reaping all of the strength in his muscles. On top of all that, it was so cold that he couldn’t even think.
Chilled. The Condition hit him like a truck.
Dammit… he looked over his shoulder and the cloaked raven was gaining on him. Her lips parted and with a wide smirk, she began chanting anew.
“Flames flourishing from embers, embers from sparks. I seek thee, come, the most destructive of forces. That without equal. Come, with crackling whispers and return all things to cinders.”
Oh no! Hyde mustered up all the strength he could, desperately trying to achieve a sprint. But all he could gather was enough power to crawl through the blizzard.
He looked up at his HUD and the icon for Chilled started blinking. It was about to expire. He cracked a smile, thinking he could wait it out, but in the very next second, he realised just how mistaken he truly was.
“This unrivalled power, which is feared even among Sages, the ultimate spell, Meteor Shower!” Nitro cried and with the swirling dark streams circling around her, she called down huge fiery comets from the sky like rain. One after another they came, randomly crashing down, setting everything ablaze.
Just mere inches from Hyde, the pools of fire rose, melting away the blizzard.
Finally! He thought, the moment the frost cleared from his body and his breath stopped giving off steam. The brain freeze expired and he was finally back to tiptop condition, though that mattered very little when a huge meteorite was on the way.
His eyes widened at the falling boulder with his name written all over it. Shit. There was no escape, no out-running the thing. Already out of options, he was ready to give up, until a thought came to mind. An idea. One that had worked before. So why not now?
He drew his sword and in the very last second, he slashed at the burning rock. The blade sliced through cleanly, splitting it in half. The stray pieces landed a bit too close for comfort.
I did it! He smiled, but that quickly changed as he was soon engulfed by the flames. “Shit, Shit, Shit!” he screamed as he jumped out of the circle of fire. He pat his arms putting out the little that was left on him.
He continued on the track dodging the smoldering hail. However, when he looked back at Nitro, he saw a crack of lightning come down and in a flash she was gone without a single mark left behind, aside from the expanding electrical current rushing across the ground like greyhounds.
Where the hell did she go? He thought, frantically looking around, but she was nowhere to be found. Soon the skyward mayhem came to an end and silence followed. There was no chanting, no falling meteors, no blizzards, just the sound of his footsteps against the ground beat in his ears.
Somehow it was far more peaceful than he imagined. Although, there still was something eerie and ominous in the air, there was only one thing to do—Run.
CHAPTER 9
Soon the other participating members of the race became visible. Abe was the first he laid eyes on, then Mila and then Remi. Zora wasn’t even in sight.
Hyde kept his breaths steady and his pace the same. The silence was soon broken as Nitro reappeared with a crack of lightning. This time she was closer. She stood at the sidelines, watching them scramble like mice. With a smirk on her face she called down another meteor shower, plaguing every single one of them.
“Damn,” Hyde looked up at the burning rain. He steeled himself and after a deep breath he raced ahead.
Abe on the other hand, the runner closest to him, looked out of breath, or at least it seemed that way since he was walking.
It didn’t take long for Hyde to reach and pass him, but what stuck out wasn’t the fact that he was walking, it was the fact that he still had that creepy smug expression he always had. He was planning something, but what?
Hyde stayed on his toes, dancing along the course dodging the meteors, paying little attention to his surroundings, until it happened.
“Hi.” He heard a familiar voice whisper in his ears. And when he turned to face it, Abe’s face was far too close for comfort. He yelped, staggering away from him. Before he could complain, he realised he’d been set on fire. He frantically patted his arms, and soon the feeling of being burned alive disappeared. When he turned back to see Abe, he was gone.
Now he was far ahead, teleporting across the battlefield using the other runners like waypoints.
Where did he—he paused, when he saw Nitro cast a spell he wasn’t familiar with.
“From the darkest of thunderclouds heed my words, be
stow upon me the strength to strike down my foes, immobilizing them where they stand and returning them to ashes. Come, Static!” Her voice was the only sound that could be heard, until the blitz of lightning came down like a hammer on an anvil.
It only took a second but the effect was truly worth their awe. The ground itself was infused with electricity, rumbling and crackling with the sparks like a living mat.
How do we… Hyde looked ahead and before he could finish the question, it was answered.
Mila, just before stepping on the lightning field, had her rifle materialised in her hands. She aimed at the ground and unloaded an explosive round, sending her flying through the air. The Skill: Rocket Jump.
Wow. For a second Hyde held his breath. Right, Zora said everything is permitted.
He tightened his grip around the forte of his blade and activated a Skill of his own. Rush. He was quickly overcome by the feeling of being extremely light as if he was running with zero gravity. Under the effects of Weightless, he jumped higher than he’d ever before and further than he himself expected.
He cracked a smile as he watched the lightning field pass by under his feet. However, that grin was quickly wiped from his face as he realised that he hadn’t thought through his landing the same way Mila had.
She caught herself on the sponge of her feet and fell into a roll, slowing down only for a moment until she continued with the same momentum.
Hyde, on the other hand, had no idea how to perform such an intricate maneuver. As a result all he could do was make a bad imitation.
He landed on his feet, but failed to brake gently. So instead, he came to a stop using his face as a mud anchor.
Damn… no one saw that. He looked up and around, knowing full well that he was dead last. He picked himself up and returned to the race.
Those ahead avoided everything that Nitro threw at them, from lightning surges to meteors to frosty spears, with all kinds of Skills. Remi Shadowstepped and Abe Blinked after him. Mila, however, employed Skills less instantaneous. She didn’t make any fancy teleportations like the other two, but she was far more agile using her Rocket Boots.
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