by Terry Schott
Jerry’s smile widened. “You totally get it. Maybe we should hire you to be a new ambassador for Blades.”
“Where do I apply?”
Jerry pointed to his screen. “We’ve got your information on file.”
They both laughed.
“It’s likely better if I stay a civilian. Better opportunity to play Blades.”
“You’ve just brought up an important point, Nadine.”
“Oh yeah?”
He nodded. “As a beta tester, we at ARC Gaming now consider you to be part of our family. Your participation and feedback are what will allow us to make Blades VR the best that it can be, and for that we are in your debt.”
“Are you kidding? It was awesome to be part of this. I can’t get over how amazing this new platform is. Truly immersive virtual reality.” She shook her head. “I never thought it would happen in my lifetime. And to get the chance to test it out? I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity.” She smiled. “Don’t suppose our involvement in this round of testing gets us first invites to play the next wave, or anything cool like that?”
“There will be, but we aren’t able to tell you what those things will be. Yet.” He leaned forward and she did the same. “Unofficial word is,” he whispered, “that there will be special in-game items for Legacy players. That’s what you will be called. Legacy.”
“Nice.”
He leaned back. “Trust me. No one treats their family better than ARC.” Jerry stood, and Nadine followed suit. He extended his hand. “Great to meet you, Nadine, and thanks again for your help. I hope we can count on you to get all over the social media sites and spread the word about how awesome Blades VR is gonna be when it goes public.”
Nadine pumped his hand up and down as she smiled. “You can definitely count on me to do my part in that regard, Jerry.”
55
Mercy tilted her head and squinted at Aleron. “What do you mean, you have ‘no idea how to level anyone up’?”
“Geez,” Shale made a huffing sound. “It’s not a complicated sentence.” She shook her head. “He. Doesn’t. Know. How.”
Mercy snorted, and Shale’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth to say more, but Sebastian interrupted. “Let’s keep this civil, please.”
Shale crossed her arms and leaned back to gaze up at the ceiling. Mercy raised one eyebrow but said nothing.
“Thank you.” Sebastian turned to Aleron. “Is there a chance the task is easier than you think?”
“Maybe. I’ve seen it done a few times. They even levelled me—kind of—but I wouldn’t use that experience for proper reference.”
“Let’s get a bit of help from the others. Everyone here has been levelled by a Scout. What have you observed?”
“Not much,” Ezref said. “They ask us a bunch of questions. Offer us tea.”
“Is it a special tea?”
“I don’t think so.”
“The tea is not special,” Mercy said. “I’ve been to many ceremonies and tasted a number of different teas, even coffee.”
“Maybe they put something in the drink,” Fen said.
“If they did, then we’re out of luck.” Sebastian crossed his arms and sat down. “Let’s go on the assumption that there was nothing in the drinks.” Heads nodded. “What else does anyone remember?”
No one spoke for a few seconds. Finally, Mercy broke the silence. “The honest truth is that they pretty much just sit there with their eyes closed, holding the hand of the person to be levelled. They don’t sing, or mutter words of magic, or perform any complicated gestures or rites.” She shrugged. “First few times, I thought they did absolutely nothing. Then I realized I could access new spells and abilities. Feel the power that had grown inside of me.”
Sebastian stroked his beard. “Perhaps it is simple meditation and focus.”
“Like reiki?” Aleron said.
Sebastian smiled. “You know about reiki?”
“I’m a level-three practitioner.”
“Interesting.”
“I don’t know what Traveller word you used right now,” Ezref said, “but it looks as if you’re intrigued Sebastian.”
“It might be that he has training to help him get into the right mindset.”
“If there is a mindset,” Shale said.
“I think we try it and see what happens,” Aleron said.
“You up for it?” Sebastian asked.
Aleron nodded and laughed. It became a cough that forced him to lean forward, grimacing as pain wracked his frame. He stopped and wiped at his lips with the sleeve of one arm. “One thing’s for sure. If I don’t have the energy now, I definitely won’t have it later.”
Sebastian frowned. “How ’bout this then? Xander and Fen head out to find the next group of mobs. Consider whatever you find and come back to let us know if they con better than red. In the meantime, Aleron will try and level Shale. Sound good?”
“Let’s give it a try,” Aleron said.
***
When they returned to camp, Fen dropped his shield to the ground and sat. “You were right, Seb. The mobs all con red.”
“That’s a shame. Are they still undead?”
Fen grinned. “They are not.” He held his hand about three feet from the ground. “Cute little trees, walking around with arms and legs. Adorable looking li’l fellas.”
“Carrying spears,” Xander said. “And surrounded by clouds of green gas.”
“Those parts, not so cute,” Fen said. “And they con red, so there’s that. I’m pretty sure they are adorable saplings of pain and death.” He smiled. “How did it go with the levelling?”
Aleron shook his head. “Didn’t seem to work.”
“Hmm.” Fen picked up a pebble and tossed it at Sebastian. It struck the man’s robe and bounced off. “Did you come up with any brilliant tips or insight from watching him make the attempt?”
“No. It looks like we have a Scout but cannot take advantage of his true talent.”
“It was a great idea,” Aleron said. “Sorry that I let you down.”
“It’s not your fault, kid, but it still sucks.” Fen lay back and rested his head against his pack. “It’s like being in the middle of the ocean and having no water to drink.”
“Or crawling through a dungeon without a healer,” Shale murmured. “Thank goodness we at least have that.”
“For all the good it will do us moving forward,” Aleron said.
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “Oh my god.”
“Sebastian,” Mercy said.
“Sorry,” he shook his head and closed his eyes. “Everyone, quiet for a second please. I—” He raised one hand and held the pose. Then he opened his eyes and smiled. “I think you all just gave me another idea.”
“We did?” Fen asked.
Sebastian nodded.
“That’s great.”
“No. I don’t think anybody is going to like it. Not one little bit.”
56
Kieran squinted at Ansko. “You’re certain?”
The man nodded, a grin on his face. “Every Scout report says the same thing. No new Travellers are appearing.”
“Hmm.” Kieran stroked his chin. “It’s possible that they might be holding them back and will try sending them all through at the same time in order to give some a chance to make it past us.”
“That could be the case.”
“To be honest, the constant influx of new Travellers has made us lose count. I think it’s still safe to assume a rough number of about five thousand, but my guess is many are still here and safely hidden amongst the population.”
“They do give off subtle hints and tells to reveal themselves.”
“Less, as time goes on.”
“Still, this could be good news.”
“Think they’ve given up?”
“Let’s hope so.”
“Should we continue to hold the frozen ones from Dryad’s Heart where they are?”
Kieran nodded. “For t
he next little while, but eventually we will send them back to their homeland as well.”
“How long will we wait?”
Kieran drummed his fingers against the table. “If no new Travellers have appeared by the time Sebastian’s group wipes, then we can send them all back together.”
“And celebrate our victory?”
“Absolutely.”
***
Sebastian stood in the middle of the small chamber with eyes closed and hands folded in front of him. He continued to focus on his breathing as he silently repeated a single thought in his mind, chanting it in his head over and over. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but eventually he heard footsteps and opened his eyes.
Kieran strode into the room, saw Sebastian, and stopped. “Hello.”
“Greetings.”
The Scout’s eyes narrowed. “Did you—”
“I think so.”
“You summoned me?”
“Looks like.”
“Huh. What made you think something like that was possible?”
Sebastian waved a hand. “The idea popped into my brain and I figured it was worth a try.”
“Cute. Not sure that’s how I would spend my time while trapped in a dungeon that will eventually kill me, but I guess it’s your adventure.”
Sebastian laughed. “I did not summon you simply for the sake of doing so. I had an idea and wanted to run it by you.”
“I’m not likely to weigh in positively on any strategies you have. I think I’ve already mentioned how vexing it is to me that your little group has made it this far.”
“I don’t want your opinion. I want to make a deal. I think you’ll like it.”
Kieran folded his arms. “I’m listening.”
***
“Hey.” Fen nudged Xander in the ribs.
“What?”
“Seb’s back, and he brought company.”
Xander sprang to his feet and reached for his sword hilts. When he saw Kieran walking beside their leader, he lowered his hands to his sides. Fen stood as well, while the rest of the group remained seated.
Kieran came to stand beside Aleron. He looked down at the young Scout, his expression sympathetic. “Hello, lad. Looks like you’re in a bad way.”
Aleron’s breathing was slow and laboured. He looked up and smiled weakly. “Shale bet me I couldn’t survive being healed by a Death Stryker. I hate to lose a bet.”
Kieran smiled. “It looks as if the odds favour Shale on this wager.”
Shale put her arm around Aleron and hugged him close, tears in her eyes.
“Don’t worry, little elf,” Kieran said. “We’ll get that evil sludge out of him. He’ll be up and running laps around the rest of you in no time.”
Shale’s eyes brightened. “You came to heal him?”
“Not exactly.”
Sebastian moved to where his pack lay, and sat. “Kieran is here to level us up.”
“What?” Fen’s expression clearly conveyed his confusion. “Why, in all the seven circles of Darkness, would he agree to do that?”
Kieran smirked and looked at Mercy. “I see you’ve got them taking your Dark Lady’s name in vain. Well done.”
Mercy smiled.
“Take them over to the far wall, Kieran,” Sebastian said. “Xander first.”
“Come with me, young man.” Kieran waited for Mercy to stand, and the three walked toward the other side of the cavern.
“Seriously, Seb,” Fen watched the trio go. “How did you convince him to help?”
Sebastian withdrew a pipe from his pack and stuck it between his teeth. “I offered him a deal.”
“What sort of deal?”
Sebastian winked. “Not a very good one, but it was all I could think of.”
Shale said. “He’s going to level us, like we wanted.”
“What we wanted was to get out of the dungeon. I tried to get him to agree to that, but the price was too high.”
“That’s a shame,” Ezref said.
“So we level up and continue on.”
“What’s he get?” Fen asked.
“I’d rather not say quite yet.” Sebastian said. “Once you find out, I don’t think anyone will speak to me again.”
“I doubt that’s possible,” Aleron whispered.
Sebastian raised his eyebrows and chewed on his pipe. “Let me enjoy the camaraderie for a few more minutes.”
***
Fen was beaming when he rejoined the group. “You were right, Aleron. Five levels for me.”
The young Scout smiled.
Kieran nodded at Sebastian. “That’s it, then?”
“It is.”
“My part fulfilled.”
“Aye.”
“Now for your end of the bargain.”
Sebastian reached for a taper and lit it from the campfire. “Aleron.” He raised the burning twig to his pipe. “You’re going with Kieran now.”
“What?!” The members of the group began to shout all at once. Sebastian puffed on his pipe while they screamed and shouted questions.
“Why would you make such a deal?” Shale shouted.
“He’s not going anywhere,” Fen stood over Aleron, fists clenched at his side.
Sebastian remained silent, waiting until the others ran out of things to say. Then he took the pipe from his mouth and pointed at Aleron. “Without us levelling, his healing would have been useless.” He sniffed. “We can argue about it, but you know I’m right.”
Fen grumbled and nodded his head.
“Plus, he’s almost run out of time. Look at him. He can’t last until we get to the exit.”
“He does look pretty bad,” Shale touched her friend’s arm.
“I told Kieran that if he levelled us he could take Aleron out of here. We all know the odds of Aleron surviving this ordeal. It’s less than a one percent chance, even with a proper exorcism spell cast by a high-level cleric of the Light. The sooner he gets attention, the better his chances.”
“He has a better chance of survival than one percent,” Kieran said.
Sebastian shook his head. “How much better? Double?”
“Two percent?” Kieran scowled. “He’s a Scout.” He looked at Aleron. “I’m very optimistic about your odds of survival, lad.”
“That’s so good to hear.” Shale threw her arms around Aleron and sobbed. “You survive this, and we will, too.”
Kieran laughed as he bent down to help Aleron stand. “Up you go. Walk with me a little way and then you can rest in a nice comfortable bed.”
The two moved slowly to the closest wall. Kieran placed his palm on the stone and they stepped into the opening that formed.
“That went well.” Sebastian puffed his pipe. “We are high enough level to hurt the monsters going forward, and Aleron has a chance of surviving.”
“Both great points, and don’t get me wrong, I agree that we are looking better than we did a few minutes ago,” Fen shook his head. “But the fact remains that the group no longer has a healer. The odds are still against us.”
“One step at a time, old friend. There are more steps to my plan.”
Fen cocked his head and frowned. “Anything you want to share right now?”
“Soon.” Sebastian laughed. “Let’s learn our new spells and get moving.”
57
Kieran walked through the gates of the keep, carrying the unconscious form of Aleron in his arms. “A little help out here!” He shouted as he continued toward the medical building. The door opened and Tansa, the chief healer, rushed toward him, pulling back the cloak covering Aleron’s head as she reached them.
“How did you manage to get him away from his group?”
Kieran’s eyes remained locked on the door to the medical building, his pace as quick as he could make it after carrying the young man this far. “They gave him to me.”
“What?”
“We can chat about that later. Head in and get a bed ready. I’m about to drop him.”
Tansa ran to the door and disappeared. Kieran entered a few seconds later and moved to the bed where she waited. He bent at the knees and gently lowered Aleron onto the mattress. Then he collapsed hard onto the ground.
“Get some water over here for the boss,” Tansa shouted, a grim expression on her face as she pulled the cloak from Aleron and tore his shirt open. “Oh my god.” Her lips pursed as she saw the lines of writhing blackness dancing around the original cut marks from the thraze. “I don’t remember seeing anyone in this bad a shape still alive.”
“He’s a strong lad.” Kieran nodded his head in thanks as another Scout pressed a glass of water into his hand. He tipped it up and drank, not stopping until it was empty.
“He’s about to be a strong dark wight if we don’t get this out of him.”
“Can you do it?”
“Let’s see.” She took a step back and raised both hands above her head. She began to speak the words of a prayer to the Lord of Light. A thin layer of shimmering caramel-coloured light covered her skin, spreading over her body as her hands swept down and over her body. Tansa bent down to swipe over her legs and then stood, no longer a Scout but instead regally clothed in the robes of a high priestess of the Light. Her brown hair was now golden blonde, her brown eyes blue. She smoothed her robes with both hands at the waist.
“Whenever you’re ready, Reverend Mother,” Kieran said.
Tansa knelt beside Aleron and began to pray, her hands once more becoming outlined in honey-coloured light. Similar to Mercy’s casting, the liquid light pooled at her fingertips and then dropped, striking Aleron’s skin with a sound like musical chimes. The light quickly began to flow toward the infected wounds. As if sensing another presence, the oily black patches paused and then began to swirl, slowly shrinking backwards at the spots nearest to the advancing light.
As the first drops of gold touched the black, Aleron opened his eyes wide and sucked in a large gulp of air. His breathing stopped; his eyes filled with pain; his mouth curled back to expose his teeth. His mouth then began to open and close as if screaming, but soundlessly.
Kieran held his breath as he watched. This is the part where he either dies on the spot, he thought, or he survives to fight. Breathe, boy. Take that first lungful. Accept the light and let it help you.