“Welcome,” a voice boomed overhead, and Calista turned to see Kevork in the stands, suddenly filled to the brim with maliciously grinning Demons. “It appears we have new contenders for our games.”
“Games?” Jimmy’s eyes widened. “I don’t like this, guys.”
“You may have defeated me in Samar, but here I have the power, the only power that matters,” Kevork continued. “You will play the games. We’ll see how long you last without your allies, heroes.”
“Why don’t we just kill you first instead?” Bishop yelled and Calista could’ve smacked him. Couldn’t he see the Demon Lord’s HP was insanely high compared to what they had dealt with before? Plus, he had buffs she had never encountered yet. “You know that’s what we’re going to wind up doing anyway. Save some of your Demons from the slaughter.”
Kevork laughed and the sound sent a chill down Calista’s back. They were going to die. She knew it without even having to see what he was about to unleash. They were all going to die.
“Who said anything about you fighting my Demons?”
He clapped his hands and the sharp crack struck their ears before silence fell over the arena. The chunk of stone hummed with an eerie melody and Calista watched as a doorway appeared in the side facing her. She sank into her defensive stance, holding her breath, but what came out of that black hole was not what she expected to see. Tentacles lashed out, attaching to the sides and a massive body was dragged across the ground. When the body filled the doorway, the tentacles detached from the walls. Before she had a chance to dodge, they flew straight at her, wrapping her up in their strong grips and trying to take her back to the gaping mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.
“Calista!” Bishop cried, and she saw him draw back on his bow.
Her weapons fell from her hands, useless, and she resorted to tugging and beating at the monstrosity. However, there was no HP bar she could see. “Why can’t we kill it?” she yelled in between cursing.
“Just hold on!” Bishop attacked with everything he had, as did the others, but Kevork clapped his hands and she heard the grating of another doorway opening. “Damn!”
More tentacles flew out from the other side and Bishop barely managed to dodge them, using his dagger to attack. Calista meanwhile was still being taken closer and closer to that mouth wanting to swallow her whole. This couldn’t be right. Why would Dennis put a dungeon in the game like this? Were they meant to lose? Because that was exactly what was about to happen.
Kevork clapped two more times and the final two sides of the cube opened up, revealing more hideous beasts with no clear way on how to kill them. Calista screamed in frustration as the monster’s mouth was only a few yards away. Bishop yelled for her, but she couldn’t see him anymore and the screams of the rest of the guild filled her ears. This wasn’t a game anymore; this was a damned nightmare.
She kicked and flailed, trying anything to break free, watching helplessly as the tentacles dragged more players back with her, wrapping them up tighter and tighter.
If they got out of this, she was going to punch Bishop in the face, and not just in game. The tentacle cut off her air and she gasped, her eyes bulging and her mind drifting. The knowledge that this was a game faded from her mind and panic took over. She was going to be eaten alive by a monster, in some Demon Lord’s arena, die to the sound of his cackling. The mouth drew closer, the fangs stained with blood of past victims. Calista waited for the end to come—
She gasped for air, thrashing against the table, as Tiffany, the tech who ran her station in the lab, held her down and quickly removed the gear.
“Deep breaths, Callie,” she said, trying to soothe her. “Deep breaths. In and out…good, that’s good. Just rest. You’re out of the game, you’re safe now. Can you hear me?”
She nodded as she squirmed, checking to be sure there were no tentacles still clinging to her body. It was so real and she still felt them on her, squeezing her tighter and tighter. A loud beeping made Tiffany frown and Callie felt her heart race in her chest. All around her, she heard others cursing and gasping as they were yanked out of the game. Her guild. They pulled them all out manually.
“What…what happened?”
“There was a major glitch in the game, if you didn’t notice,” she said. “Calm down, your heart rate is way too high. You feel sick? Dizzy?”
“All of the above,” she managed to grate out before she leaned over to puke. Tiffany called for help and Callie heard the other techs doing the same. Everyone was being pulled from the game it seemed, but she didn’t care. Her head throbbed and those damn tentacles left a lasting impression that would stay with her for many days to come.
Tiffany eased her into a wheel chair that was brought around and she was taken to the infirmary along with the rest of the guild.
“Callie?” Alana. That was Alana, but Callie couldn’t focus well enough to see where she was.
“You alright?” she asked, hoping she faced the general direction.
“Feel like crap, but I’m good. They pulled us right in time I think.”
“Yeah, before we got eaten,” Jimmy grumbled close-by. “What the hell was that? I can’t believe they let that happen!”
“Calm down,” Alana muttered, but her voice was weak. “I don’t think they realized there was a glitch that bad. How could they know? Everything was fine the first time they all played through it.”
Callie held her head as they pushed her towards a bed and helped her sink onto it. She felt like shit, worse than shit. The worst hangover she ever had, times ten.
One by one, the members of their group were wheeled in, with Harrison bringing up the rear. She sat up confused to see him not looking half as bad as the rest of them. Something was wrong and she hated to where her thoughts wandered. If she asked him outright, he’d probably lie, but she could catch him in a lie.
“Everyone, if I could please have your attention,” Dennis announced as he rushed to join them in the infirmary. “First of all, I want to apologize for what happened. I never imagined a situation like that occurring.”
“Obviously,” Jimmy mumbled, and Alana shushed him.
“As I’m sure you’ve figured out, that is not how the dungeon is supposed to wind up.”
“So we’re not supposed to get sucked into some stone box by monsters and eaten alive?”
“Jimmy, will you just let the man talk,” Alana said and smacked his arm.
“No, no, he has a right to be upset,” Dennis said with a sigh. “I have never seen such a glitch before. You aren’t supposed to travel like that to the dungeon, not until you complete another quest with the Red Witch and travel to the actual entrance within the mountain. How it sucked you all in three levels early, I’m uncertain. You shouldn’t have been able to open the doors, either.”
Callie frowned. “I’m assuming you’re going to fix it before anyone else hits that region, right?”
Dennis nodded. “There are only two other groups following right behind you, but we pulled them out before they hit the village of Freison. Hopefully, we can fix the issue before they enter Chesterville.”
He explained they shouldn’t have to redo the instance for Chesterville and he would be able to drop them into the town after the battle. Callie tried to listen, but her focus was too much on Harrison to really pay attention. He said something about giving their characters all a boost for ending up in such a horrible situation and assured them it would not happen again. Callie doubted that. Things in the game seemed to always go wrong when Harrison was involved.
“Now I suggest you all take your time, rest for the remainder of the day, and tomorrow I’ll make an announcement if you’re able to get back into the game or not,” Dennis finished. “I will check in with you all soon.” He nodded as if reassuring himself that all would be well instead of them. Once he was gone, they migrated around a group of beds and went over what happened in the dungeon.
“Well, at least we know what’s going to happen, sort of,
” Harrison said.
“Yeah, and now I’m going to have nightmares for months,” Callie whispered. He draped his arm around her shoulders and, despite her worry about him, she leaned into his side and let him comfort her. “It better work next time, that’s all I’m saying. I do not want to face that again. Ever.”
“You won’t have to. Sorry I couldn’t save you,” he added in a whisper.
“It’s alright. I forgive you.” She almost asked him then, but stopped herself short. She had a slim chance of him admitting the truth just to her. She doubted he would say anything with everyone else around.
Soon, she’d get up the nerve to call him out and see if he was back to drinking, or worse.
Chapter 12
Callie was not the only one to suffer from nightmares about the tentacled beasts with the gaping mouths full of razor sharp teeth. Harrison woke up nearly every hour that first night in the infirmary, clutching at his body as he tried to disentangle himself from the sheets, thinking they were tentacles pulling him in towards the darkness and death. The rest of them experienced the same feelings and, all through the night, he heard different people waking up gasping, a few screaming.
It might not have been so terrible if he had managed to get back to his room and have a sip of the whiskey from his hidden flask. He needed it to soothe his raging nerves, but the following day, they were told the glitch still wasn’t fixed and Dennis was forcing the players to remain out of game all day. They wandered the rec area, playing table tennis and chatting with the other players to see how they enjoyed the game and where they were. Harrison’s mind wandered and he merely nodded or gave one-word answers. He dreamt of the whiskey in his room and finding a few minutes to disappear so he could have more.
The longer he went without it, the more the fear crept in that he would hear Valen, see her standing amongst the crowd, or Tavin even. He didn’t want to fall back into that pattern of paranoia and fear.
By the end of the day, Dennis entered the cafeteria to inform them all they would be returning to the game in the morning and that everything was fixed. The players cheered and clapped, but Harrison was more excited to turn in for the night and have his room to himself.
“Hey,” Callie said after dinner when they headed out to the gardens for their usual evening stroll. The others were out of earshot and she pulled him to the side of the path. “Can we talk for a second?”
“Course, what’s up?” His palms itched and he shoved them in his pockets.
“You’ve been weird these past few days. Anything you want to tell me?”
“What do you mean? I’ve just been enjoying the game.”
“I know, but it’s the way you’re enjoying the game.” She ran her hand through her hair and shrugged. “I just want to make sure you’re not resorting to doing something you’re going to regret later. Something that will only hurt you in the end.”
He gulped even as he forced a smile to stay on his face. “I haven’t heard or seen Valen in days. That’s all this is. This is me when I don’t have to worry about a game torturing me.”
She squinted at him. “You’re sure that’s all it is?”
“Promise,” he lied, and he hugged her. “I’m not doing anything bad. I can’t even get to anything bad, even if I wanted to and I don’t. I have you and the guild. I’m good.”
The lies rolled so easily off his tongue, he surprised himself with how smooth they sounded and how confident it made him feel that he could get away with his dark secret right under their noses. Callie hugged him back and, hand in hand, they joined the others in the garden. He admitted to himself the other day he had a bit too much and shouldn’t have been so ready to enter a level 40 dungeon when they were three levels under. He would have to pay attention to how much booze he got during the day next time so she wouldn’t get any more suspicious of him.
When he returned to his room that night, after walking Callie back to hers, he made sure the door was secure and pulled the flask from beneath his mattress. His flask was half empty. Fighting the urge, he didn’t drink any whiskey and contented himself with sniffing it instead, so he could save it. As he drifted off to sleep, he swore he heard Valen’s laughter filling his room, and he buried his head under the pillow to drown her out. Nothing worked though and, when he woke the following morning, there were bags under his eyes and he scrambled to find the flask and chase the voice away.
The second the alcohol touched his tongue, his shoulders sagged and he sank to the floor, clutching the flask to his chest and shutting his eyes so hard it hurt. The voice waned and he was alone again in his room.
He ignored the strong temptation to drain the flask because he needed it for later, and then he headed off to play the game. But Callie would know. She knew him better than he would admit to, and if he wanted to keep the flask a secret, he couldn’t overdo it again, or he risked losing everything.
***
Bishop drew back his bow one final time as Kevork screamed in agony and his body imploded, covering them in the ashy residue of his remains. The arena surrounding them trembled and collapsed in on itself, leaving them standing in a pile of rubble and dead Demons.
“That’s better,” Calista said with a smug grin, kicking the body of one of the tentacled beasts they’d been able to kill this time. “Bastard.”
When they had re-entered the game, they were placed back in Chesterville, after the fight, and were able to continue questing to reach level 40. Bishop had chosen his next Talent, Fiery Explosive Arrow, and it made a big difference. His Fiery Arrow damage was now twice as intense and did in fact blow up his targets if they were below fifteen percent health.
“Alright, Demon Lord number five dead and gone,” Trajan announced, slinging his hammer onto his back. “Everyone good on the quest items for here so we can head out?”
A chorus of yes went up and Arthur went to trigger the portal so they could leave. Bishop saw more Demon Shards go into his bags and had plenty now to advance another one of his skills to the next Tier.
After finishing this dungeon, they would be moving onto the next territory for levels 40 to 50. The map didn’t give anything away and Bishop was anxious to keep pushing on, but they had to hit Hillside once they finished up the dungeon turn in with the Red Witch.
The portal dumped them right at the edge of her camp, but she wasn’t alone.
Winston was there, speaking to her, when they stepped out of the trees, and he bowed his head to them in greeting. “I hear you have destroyed the Demon Lord Kevork and sent his armies from their host bodies. Well done, my friends, well done indeed.”
“Winston, I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Bishop said as the man offered a hand. He took it and a quest prompt appeared before him.
Accept Quest: Finding Bronson.
“Wait, Bronson’s missing?” he asked in alarm. “When, what happened?”
“I know not,” Winston replied as Bishop accepted the quest. “But we must find him. We will have no chance of standing against the war to come if we do not have him beside us. I fear he has been taken by Jinx.”
“Jinx?” Jimmy smirked. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
Winston’s eyes narrowed. “Jinx is a trickster of the worst kind. He plagues the human mind, twists it and turns it in on itself. He is a Demon Lord who has earned the fear of humankind and should not be taken lightly, and he will not be easily reached.”
“What do you mean? He’s in Vorgan?”
“Yes, but that’s not all. He is far from here, in the Illusion Mountains far to the north.”
Bishop brought up his map to find the mountains and found them. “That’s two territories away.”
“So not our next dungeon,” Calista pointed out. “We have to wait that long to get Bronson back?”
“Looks like it.”
“You will need to strengthen your skills before you can take on Jinx and his horde of imps,” Winston warned. “But when you reach him, the entirety of the Order will be wit
h you.” He held out his hand to reveal a whistle. “Take this and, when you are ready to face Jinx, we will come to your aid.”
You have received: Whistle of the Order.
Bishop tucked it in his bags. “We’ll get him back, Winston.” He stepped to the side and let the others speak with him as well, picking up the quest to find Bronson and collecting a whistle of their own. Meanwhile, he moved to the Red Witch so he could turn in the dungeon quests a few of the others already had.
“You have returned,” she said, and she held out her hand.
Bishop accepted it and watched his XP jump up tremendously.
Quest Completed: Death in the Arena.
You have received: Mark of the Red Witch. Buff: Boosts Morale when standing against the darkness of Valenastrious. Can be used for an entire group. Increases Attack by 10% for 30 seconds.
“That’s nice,” he whispered as he equipped the item to be used easily.
“As you head farther east, I will make my journey towards Weston and Godfrey,” she said. “I fear my words will fall on deaf ears, but if nothing else, I’ll be another set of eyes you can trust within the palace walls.”
“You sure you’ll be safe there?”
She smiled and he saw her power flicker in her eyes. “My son is not as powerful as he truly believes, and he is not in his right mind. Valenastrious has her claws in him, but it is not her. I will be fine, Bishop. Thank you for saving these people. They and I will be forever in your debt.”
The quest over, she settled back to wait for the next hero to speak to her. Bishop backed away, thankful no cryptic warnings fell from her lips, or strange glances he would spend all day long contemplating if they were part of the game or not. Willy sat by his side, his bushy tail batting the ground as he waited for Bishop and the rest to be ready to go.
The Dead Fortress: A LitRPG Epic (World of Samar Book 3) Page 16