Avatars Rising: SILOS I

by David R. Bernstein

  I glance at them and understand what they’re worried about. The avatars’ bodies and gear flicker and then disappear. Entering the arena has restarted the fight.

  The boss turns in our direction, but he doesn’t come at us. Instead, his entire body heaves with each breath. Fear surges up my spine. This thing is going to crush Myco.

  “What do we do?” I whisper to the guys.

  “There must be a proximity line players cross to start the boss fight,” Rohan says.

  “So as long as we stay on this side, then we—”

  Myco pulls her hand from mine and runs for the boss, crossing the battle line. My entire body goes rigid.

  Rohan charges after her. There’s no choice for any of us now. We have to fight to win.

  Myco launches herself at the boss, kicking her legs in the air. He shifts out of the way and then turns, locking his dark gaze on her. The beast huffs and growls.

  Rohan reaches up and grabs the boss’s arm, twisting it back. With one kick into Rohan’s stomach, Rohan loses his grasp. He lets out a groan and rolls on the ground, holding his middle.

  I move closer to the boss, looking for a weakness. The monster is still distracted by Rohan. It’s now or never. I charge forward and kick the beast’s large, bony kneecap. He staggers back a few steps and buckles, but maintains his balance. Slowly, he cranes his head to peer at me. His dark eyes flare red with fury. I step back, but it’s no use. The boss whips a backhand at my face. The impact spins me around and drops me to the ground.

  “No!” Lucas snarls.

  The boss lumbers toward me, his heavy steps beating the ground. Lucas dashes at the beast, weapon trained and blasting away. He gets in close enough to press the muzzle into the boss’ side and shoots. But the energy from the small pistol absorbs into the thick armor protecting every inch of the hulking beast’s body.

  Lucas fires several more shots with no effect. The beast doesn’t even spare him a glance. Groaning, Lucas throws the useless weapon to the ground.

  From the far side, Myco flies at the beast. He catches her with one giant hand and launches her across the arena. The minute she touches the ground, she’s up again.

  I come to my feet and rub the intense throbbing sting in my cheek. Rohan joins Lucas, and they surround the boss. With the beast now distracted, I dart to Myco and ensure she’s okay.

  I’m halfway to her before she runs off, eager for more. I grab onto her arm. She whirls around and launches a fist at me. I move out of the way just in time for her knuckles to graze my cheek.

  “Stop!” I shout at her.

  From behind, Lucas cries out, and I lose my hold on Myco. She takes off again.

  Myco kicks, but the boss kicks harder. She flies back again, agony flooding her face. Rohan and Lucas go for his legs, but the boss jumps higher than I expect him to, landing several feet away. The move isn’t natural, but neither is anything else in this place. If the game wants to win, it will.

  The boss lifts his large sword from the scabbard strapped to his back. Jagged ridges line the blade. I push Myco out of the path of the sharp metal weapon. When she gets up, her jaw is set, and then she darts forward again.

  Lucas and Rohan are the beast’s next targets. With each swing, the guys jump back out of reach just seconds before they’re struck. I’m unsure of what to do. This thing has no weaknesses. My heart pounds with each attack Myco throws at the boss. The monster spins around, holding his sword in front of his chest. All of us move out of the way, except for Myco.

  The boss laughs as if he’s already won, and the sound rattles my bones. Before I fully realize what’s happening, he brings down his sword and the blade penetrates Myco’s middle. She falls back, dust kicks up from the ground.

  I scream, and the burning sound claws at my throat.

  Myco looks down. A large piece of metal protrudes from her body. There’s no way she can recover from this. Her eyes finally meet mine, as if she’s seeing me for the first time since the start of the battle.

  The boss pulls the sword from his prey and whirls on the boys. Myco’s blood drips onto the ground from the hole in her stomach. I fall to the ground beside her as she sputters and coughs. Thick blood oozes from her mouth. My hands hover over her, unsure and trembling.

  “What do I do?”

  Her face blurs as my eyes fill with tears. She can’t die. She can’t.

  A deep bellow rips through the air, and I turn around to see Rohan pounce on the boss. He and Lucas struggle with the beast, forcing the monstrous body to the ground. For the first time in the fight, we might have the upper hand.

  Rohan punches the boss square in the jaw. His horned head snaps back and his clawed hands open, dropping the sword to the ground.

  Heat coils in my stomach and I leap up. Vengeance pools inside me. I lift the sword from the ground. It’s heavy in my hands.

  “Do it!” Rohan grits through his teeth.

  I twist the sword in my hand, balancing the weight as if the weapon was made for me—even though it’s nearly as long as my body. Between the back of his devilish head and his giant shoulders, there’s a sliver of exposed skin between the bones and armor. I must hit that weak spot.

  I roar with fury as I bring the blade down, slicing clean through his neck. The sword catches in his throat as I let go of the handle, the blade now protruding out of him. The beast tries to reach for the weapon, but Rohan and Lucas lock his trunked arms at muscled sides. Blood flows from his jugular. The boss convulses for a moment before the fight leaves his body.

  An explosion of light fills the arena. I clamp my eyes shut.

  Squinting, my eyes slowly peep back open to find nothing. The beast is gone. In his place are three glowing red orbs. They float in the air above where his body should be.

  I can’t relish in the victory while Myco dies on the ground behind me. Turning my back to the orbs, I run to her. Her breathing is shallow and her face has lost nearly all color.

  “Esa,” she whispers.

  “Myco,” I say, taking her cold hand in mine. It’s not right that this happened to her. Once again, the game is to blame for another innocent death. This time, the death is permanent. “It’s going to be okay. Just try to breathe.”

  I look over my shoulder at the guys. Rohan’s staring at the floating orbs. How can he think of leveling up at a time like this?

  “The orbs,” Rohan pleads, turning to me. “We could use the orbs.”

  “What?!” Desperation fills my voice.

  Rohan meets my eyes. “I . . . I think they can bring her back.”

  “Are you sure?” I know how much energy an orb gives, but I have no idea about healing properties.

  Myco’s eyes flutter closed, and they don’t reopen.

  “We should use them all on her,” Lucas says.

  Rohan swallows, but nods. I know he wants to level up, but Myco is more important—even to him, apparently.

  Rohan kneels next to Myco. Digging his arms under her body, he lifts her up, cradling her as if she’s a newborn baby.

  Lucas takes my hand and we follow Rohan. This has to work. My eyes well up as panic consumes my thoughts. He places Myco under the orbs and steps back. I take Rohan’s hand too and squeeze it.

  “Thank you,” I whisper.

  “Thank me if this works,” he says, narrowing his eyes at Myco’s lifeless body.

  The orbs lower, as if they’re on strings, and absorb into her body. A wash of golden light pours over every inch of her before fading into her skin.

  Tears snake down my face. Lucas drops my hand and pulls me closer to him. Rohan’s hand goes limp in mine.

  Myco is still dead.

  “This was supposed to work,” Rohan mutters. “I don’t understand.”

  “You tried,” Lucas says. His voice rumbles up from his chest, vibrating against my body. He’s about to say something more when Myco sits up from the ground, eyes popping open as she gasps for air.

  CHAPTER 19

  “MYCO!” I C
RY, reaching out to help keep her upright. My vision blurs with tears.

  She blinks several times, staring up and me while drawing in deep gulps of air. “What happened?” she asks. “I thought I . . . I died.”

  “You did.” Rohan sinks to the ground next to her.

  Myco whips her head around, looking at the empty arena. “What? How—?”

  “The orbs,” Rohan says. “Their energy brought you back. You got a nice little upgrade—three Levels.”

  Myco turns to me. Her shoulders relax. “So, we won?”

  “Yes. Yes, we did,” I say. “How do you feel now?”

  Myco grasps my hand, and I hold her weight until she’s standing. “I’m okay, I think.”

  “Do you have any pain?” Lucas asks, his eyes filled with concern.

  Myco touches the spot where the boss’s sword went through her. She lifts the fabric, but there’s no sign of any damage. “No pain. I’m a little weak, though.”

  “That’s expected,” Rohan says.

  I pull Myco into a hug and squeeze her. “I was so scared.”

  She wraps her arms around me. “Me too. I almost forgot what it was like to have the Grip take over.”

  “It’s the worst,” I say, letting her go.

  She smoothes her hands over her shirt, as if she can wipe away all evidence of how she nearly died for good. “I feel different, though . . . Stronger.”

  “Orbs will do that,” Rohan says with a smirk.

  A slow smile spreads across my lips. “they saved your life. It was Rohan’s idea.”

  Myco’s gaze bounces from me to Rohan. “You gave me all the orbs?”

  “Yes,” Lucas says. “It was the right call.”

  Myco touches her temple. “My head is a lot clearer than it’s ever been.”

  “That’s a bonus from the orbs,” I say, recalling the clarity I felt after taking down the avatars in the merchant village.

  Her eyes widen. “I can’t believe I put you all in danger. Stupid Grip!”

  “We’ve all been there,” Lucas says. “We live to fight on.”

  “I’m not going to be a burden for you guys anymore,” Myco says, turning to Lucas. “I’m ready to fight.”

  “About time,” Rohan says with a snide grin.

  “Hey!” I swat at Rohan’s arm.

  “Relax, I’m joking.”

  Myco sighs. “I need to pull my weight. I want to earn my way in our mission to ‘Salvation’. I never want my stupid Grip to gain control again.”

  “That’s the goal,” Rohan says.

  The ground trembles under our feet. I spin around in a circle, expecting another boss to appear. Instead, a large segment of the wall around the arena rumbles as it slides open, directly across from where the entrance had been.

  “Myco, do you feel well enough to leave?” Rohan asks.

  “Let’s not push her.” She did just die.

  “It’s fine, Esa.” She smoothes her hand over her stomach, a mental scar of her near-death experience. “My strength is already returning.”

  “Then we should go now,” Lucas says. “Who knows when the boss will reset. We don’t want to be here when that happens.”

  We all jog out of the arena. Once we’re through the exit, the door returns, sealing us in our new location.

  Scanning the area, my heart pounds at what I find before me. Three separate paths stretch out in front of us as far as I can see. Billowing smoke masks their destinations on the horizon. Trails of lava roll over the charred earth all around the ominous paths.

  I close my trembling hands into fists at my sides. “Which path do we take?”

  Rohan lumbers forward, cracking his knuckles. “This is a random battle choice.”

  “What does that mean?” Myco asks.

  Rohan swallows and turns to face her. “Each of these paths leads to a different level boss.”

  “So we could be fighting a Level 10?” I ask, my eyes going wide.

  “Or a Level 3,” Lucas says, ever the optimist.

  “It’s a good thing you’ve leveled up,” Rohan says to Myco. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  Lucas’ forehead wrinkles. “So we have no choice?”

  Rohan’s gaze fixes on the ground. “We won’t know our boss until we enter an arena. Then, it will be too late to turn back.”

  “Well, this is just great,” I mutter, digging the toe of my boot into the ground. “We barely make it out of a lower level boss.”

  “Lucas is right, we have no other choice,” Rohan says.

  I clench my jaw, glancing at Myco. We just got her back. I doubt we’ll have another chance to do that, especially if we’re fighting a higher-level game boss.

  “Which path should we take?” Myco asks in a determined, unfamiliar tone.

  “Let’s take the middle one,” Rohan suggests.

  “Why?” I ask.

  “Less lava.” His lips twitch as he starts for the middle path, lifting his shoulders.

  The path narrows and we walk single file. The smoke thickens the farther we go. In the distance, lava glows through the haze that surrounds us.

  “Can we prepare at all for this boss?” Lucas asks Rohan.

  “Unless there’s a cliff overlooking this boss as well, we won’t know anything,” Rohan replies, coughing from the floating ash. “Since it’s a random boss, I doubt we’ll be that lucky.”

  “Great,” I mutter.

  “It will be fine,” Myco says.

  I cut a side glance her way. That traumatized girl who fought us every inch of the way from the merchant island is now comforting me. I hope she’s right.

  There isn’t much time for me to wallow in my thoughts as the gray smoke thins and the path opens up to a new arena. Towering over us is a massive gate at least twenty-feet high. Stacks of thick, charred logs block any view of the boss behind it. My imagination runs wild as I crane my neck to make out the carved spikes at the top of the gate. I guess they don’t want anyone getting out.

  Black spots dot my vision and I drop my chin back down. The others are equally intimidated by the choice we’ve made.

  “Should we go back and see the other options?” Myco asks.

  “No,” Rohan says. “Once we made our choice, the other paths disappear.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us that before?” I ask.

  Rohan lifts his chin. “Someone had to make a decision.”

  “Is that a trading post?” Lucas asks, heading toward a small hut outside the gate made from the same black logs, and almost camouflaged against the gate.

  Inside the hut, a male avatar, similarly dressed as we are, stands still until we arrive. Then, the young man blinks, as if someone’s flipped a switch in his brain.

  “Weapons are strongly suggested for this battle. What have you to trade?”

  I hold up my gun, the one that was completely useless during the previous match.

  The avatar tilts his head to the side. “Those will not get you much.”

  “What about the device?” Rohan asks Lucas.

  “Are you nuts?” Myco says. “We need that to keep the Moderators off our backs.”

  “We won’t have any backs if we can’t defend ourselves in there,” Rohan says.

  Lucas turns to face us. “We need to make a decision here. Getting to Level 10 is our goal, but giving up this device will expose us.”

  “What choice do we have?” I ask.

  “We’ve got to do this, man,” Rohan says.

  Lucas pivots to face the merchant and sighs. He shows the avatar the masking device. “What can we get for this?”

  The avatar’s eyes widen. “Each of you may have your pick of weapons.”

  Rohan crosses his arms, waiting for Lucas to hand it over.

  “We all have to make the decision together,” Lucas says.

  “The device won’t matter much once we make it to Level 10,” Myco says. “If we can get better weapons to help us get there, I think we should be okay.”<
br />
  Lucas turns to me. His finger taps the top of the device a few times, as if he’s counting the seconds to our doom.

  I’m the final decision. Even though I don’t want to disappoint him, giving up the device is the logical choice. Our current weapons do nothing against a lower-level boss. If we have the opportunity to gain some advantage over future battles, then there isn’t another option in my mind.

  Without a word from me, Lucas senses my decision and hands over the device. His eyes don’t meet any of ours. I hope I made the right choice in going against him.

  I rest my hand on Lucas’ shoulder. “You made the right call. We’re with you.”

  Lucas takes a deep breath and nods. I remove my hand and turn back to the merchant table.

  Rohan rubs his hands together, excited to choose a new weapon. We huddle around the hut, looking through the selection. Rohan dives into a conversation with the avatar about a weapon that will cause the highest amount of damage. Thinking of the previous boss’ sword, I want to pick something that I can handle—lightweight, but deadly. And, without the device, I want something I’ll feel comfortable using against the Moderators if it ever comes down to it.

  The trading avatar hands Rohan a long sword. The blade is dingy, and the metal is spotted with what I hope are dirt stains and not blood. I wrinkle my nose, but Rohan shoots me a smirk. He swings the blade over his head and crashes the sharp end into the ground. The sword illuminates as a swirling light envelopes the blade.

  I blink once, and the light is gone.

  “Energy blade,” he says, as if that explains everything.

  “I’ll take the plasma rifle,” Lucas says. The avatar hands the weapon over. The barrel is made of a bulky piece of metal. I don’t question his choice, but I hope his choice doesn’t slow him down.

  While Myco goes for a crossbow—the bolt tips plugged with explosive charges—I’m still undecided.

  The last boss fight sported a lot of close combat. While I’d prefer staying far away from whatever is on the other side of the gate, my weakness was the close-range fighting. Having a smaller weapon with me may prove useful.

  I grab two matching daggers, somehow knowing there’s more to the weapons then it appears. Around the end of the handle, a circular band connects to chains.