Awaken Online: Precipice

by Travis Bagwell

  A newly minted fire mage zombie repeatedly cast fireballs into the balcony on the left side of the road, setting both itself and the wood ablaze. Players tried vainly to leap from the burning structure. Many landed awkwardly, striking the cobblestones with sickening thuds. If the drop didn’t kill them, the hail of arrows did. Riley showed no remorse as she gunned down the players. With impassive, cold eyes she watched the players with disdain as her bow hummed in approval at the carnage.

  Jason heard a roar and glanced back at the northern end of the street. Through the swirling steam and smoke, a player rushed toward him. He must have made it past the soldier zombies, or perhaps they were all dead now. Jason had lost sight of them in the chaos and didn’t have time to check his Summon Information. The man let out a roar of rage, swinging a two-handed battle axe. Jason was prone, unable to move, and none of his minions were available. A sense of despair curled in his stomach.

  I guess this is it.

  A lithe form flashed past him. Riley sprinted forward, swinging her bow over her shoulder. Then her daggers appeared in her hands in a blur of motion. The man took a swing at her with his axe as she approached. Yet Riley anticipated the blow and dropped to her knees. The axe sailed over her head as she slid the last few feet toward the man. Her blades sliced through the tendons in his calves and the player let out a roar of pain. Blood ran down his legs, mixing with the dirt of the street.

  The player toppled to his knees, his legs unable to support his weight. Riley sprang up from her slide, grabbing the player’s mail armor. She used her remaining momentum to sling herself around behind the man, driving her dagger into the back of his neck at the base of his skull. Blood gushed from the wound and drenched the cobblestones of the street as the player’s body slumped forward.

  Jason watched Riley in shock. She had seemed to glide through the fight with relative ease, using her own momentum to aid each movement. She stood over the dead player, her chest heaving slightly. Steam and smoke swirled around her form, and her eyes glowed a dark obsidian. Flecks of blood stained her cheek, and she held a long dagger in each hand, crimson liquid dripping from both blades.

  I think I’m starting to like this girl.

  Riley turned toward Jason. “I think they’re all dead,” she said in an eerily calm voice as her eyes scanned the street. She approached Jason and handed him a health potion.

  He yanked the arrow from his leg with a grimace, blood pooling around the wound. Tugging the cork from the small glass bottle, he chugged its contents. The wound in his thigh soon began to close as his health bar refilled. Jason turned to Riley, looking at her with a new appreciation. “Thanks. Where did you learn to fight like that?”

  As the dark mana slowly receded from Riley’s eyes, her shoulders slumped slightly, and she glanced aside in embarrassment. She answered Jason in a quiet voice, “After you introduced me to Jerry, I explained I was friends with the ‘Dark Lord.’ He insisted on giving me some free training. After the first session, he said I needed his ‘advanced course.’ I’ve always been athletic, but Jerry is… he’s inhuman.”

  “Advanced course?” Jason asked in confusion. He could only imagine what special kind of hell that must have been. He had barely survived the basic training. Jerry had mentioned diminishing returns associated with non-combat training, but Jason doubted he had hit the ceiling with one session. Clearly, Riley had gone much further than he had.

  She nodded and looked a bit embarrassed. “I’ve trained with him six or seven times over the last few real-world days. Jerry always beats me. I’ve only hit him once. Sometimes I want to take his floppy hat and burn it - that or just fill his stupid face full of arrows,” she said with a dark expression.

  She hit him? I didn’t even think that was possible. I’m not going to admit that I didn’t even come close to touching him.

  Trying to hide his embarrassment, Jason let out a forced chuckle. “I can relate to that. In any case, that was pretty awesome. You’re officially a badass.”

  Riley looked uncomfortable with his complement, and her hand rubbed at the hilt of one of her daggers. “I’m not certain how I feel about being congratulated for killing people, but thanks, I guess.”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” he replied with a grin.

  As the air cleared, Jason surveyed the road. All of his soldier zombies were dead, as well as one of his dark mages. Still, he was impressed that they had managed to make it through the battle at all. If the players had been higher levels or had attacked them outright instead of giving Jason time to prepare, things might have gone differently.

  Nearly two dozen bodies littered the ground, some dismembered by the corpse explosion. Blood and water from the melted ice ran in small rivers along the gutters beside the street. One of the balconies was still smoldering, and a partially burnt corpse hung from the broken railing. Many of the bodies were riddled with arrows like human pincushions.

  Riley was also looking around at the destruction. She hesitated before speaking, her eyes clouded with anxiety and a hint of fear at what she had done. “You weren’t lying when you said that people are out to get you.”

  Jason chuckled dryly. “The ambush did prove my point for me, didn’t it? It just means we need to be careful from this point forward. Everyone is a potential enemy unless you know them well.” He glanced at her. “You might also consider wearing the hood on your cloak. Your hair is a dead giveaway.”

  She looked back at him with raised eyebrows, regaining her spirits. “So you’re assuming I’m going to keep following you around, huh? I thought I was a badass now. I think that means I need suitably awesome companions. Didn’t you just hide behind some boxes the whole fight?”

  Jason chuckled and put a hand to his chest. “Ugh, that hurts. I was providing invaluable leadership. Besides, you know you’re talking to the regent of a dark city, right? I’m as badass as they get.”

  Except that she has a point. I nearly bit the dust during that battle. If she hadn’t been here to help, I would likely have died.

  Jason was beginning to realize he couldn’t keep playing solo forever. He needed teammates that could watch his back. His eyes drifted to Riley as she observed the alleyway. She was probably responsible for luring the players to him, but she would learn. It was clear that she was good in a fight. He coughed, clearing his throat before addressing Riley, “Joking aside, do you want to form a group? I haven’t tried to do that yet.”

  She considered his question for a second. Then a small smirk crept across her face before she replied, “I suppose so. Hanging around you seems interesting at least.”

  Jason tapped the “social” icon on his UI. A menu immediately appeared in his field of view. Riley was already on his friends list, and he saw an option to invite her to a group. He tapped “invite.” Riley made a motion in the air, and suddenly a new window appeared on the left-hand side of Jason’s vision. The small menu screen contained a miniature version of the health, mana, and stamina gauges and Riley’s name was transcribed beside it.

  After inviting Riley to his group, Jason also received a number of prompts. He glanced over at the girl and saw that she was waving her hands in the air. She must have received quite a few notifications as well.

  x2 Level Up!

  You have (10) undistributed stat points.

  x2 Skill Rank Up: Perception

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 6

  Effect: 8% increased chance to discover traps and unnoticed details.

  x1 Skill Rank Up: Leadership

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 9

  Effect: Minions and subjects will receive a 5% increase learning speed for skills.

  x1 Skill Rank Up: Dodge

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 4

  Effect: 2.5% increased speed when avoiding attacks.

  x1 Spell Rank Up: Specialized Zombie

  Skill Level: Intermediate Level 1

  Effect: Increased skill proficiency retained by zombies. Skill cap Intermediate Lev
el 1.

  Effect 2: Zombies may now retain trade skills. Skill cap Beginner Level 1.

  x2 Spell Rank Up: Curse of Silence

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 5

  Effect: You silence your target for 5.4 seconds, preventing speech and spell casting.

  Not much experience. It must have been the level difference and sharing the kills with Riley. At least my zombies gaining the ability to use trade skills is a cool perk - although I have no idea how to use that right now. I also feel like the rank up in Dodge is just the game being sarcastic again.

  He glanced at Alfred, who stood nearby. The cat’s attention was focused intently on the roof of one of the buildings.

  Damn cat. Or better yet, damn AI. For a second, Jason though he heard Alfred snort softly. Maybe he does have a sense of humor!

  Jason hesitated to spend the extra stat points. His hand rubbed his thigh where the arrow had struck him. Perhaps he needed to invest in some defensive skills or other stats. Even with the player corpses, he wouldn’t hit his Control Limit, and so Willpower was becoming less useful. The arrow in his thigh had also driven home the point that he couldn’t avoid getting hit forever. He just wasn’t certain that more health would make a substantial difference. The bottom line was that he would probably die if an enemy focused on him, even with the small bonus those stats could provide.

  I guess I’ll just leave the points for now. Maybe I’ll have an epiphany later. This wasn’t an unusual practice for him anyway. In most of the games he played, he usually waited to invest his points if he wasn’t certain how he planned to develop his character.

  Riley shook her head, her hands still moving in the air as she reviewed her notifications. “Now I understand how you leveled so fast. All of your enemies come to you in groups.”

  He smiled. “It’s one of the perks of being part of my evil team.” His eyes turned to the fresh bodies, and he rubbed his hands together. “It also has the added benefit of giving me plenty of corpses for new zombies.”

  Riley glanced away from her notifications, surveying the bodies that littered the alleyway again. Disgust flickered across her face before giving way to an expression of horror. She had now fully released her dark mana, and Jason suspected the adrenaline of battle had also begun to wear off. What she had done must finally be hitting her.

  Noting Riley’s expression, Jason decided that he should try to change the subject. She hadn’t had a chance to become accustomed to the violence in AO yet, and Jason suspected that her attempt at humor earlier might be her way of coping with the stress of battle.

  Jason spoke up quickly, “Well, we still have a dark keep to explore, don’t we? It’s not like anything bad could happen there.”

  Riley simply stared at him. She didn’t seem convinced.

  Chapter 4 - Administrative

  Alex was wandering the streets of Grey Keep, his feet kicking up small clouds of dust on the dirt road. The city’s buildings had a strong Roman theme. Many of the homes were constructed as enclosed villas that housed several families. The roofs were covered in wooden slats, and ornate columns flanked the entrances to several of the structures.

  This section of the city was the temple district. The buildings here were constructed from enormous stone blocks, and thick columns supported heavy, tiled roofs. Some of the temples towered two or more stories over the street, casting long shadows onto the dirt of the road.

  Alex’s thoughts were bleak. True to his word, Strouse had stripped him of all his items and gold. He knew he could buy some of the equipment back using real world funds, but certain pieces were not easy to come by or required the completion of certain quests and dungeons. Furthermore, the townsfolk and NPCs were downright hostile when he spoke with them. He wondered idly why he even bothered to continue playing.

  To make matters worse, videos of Jason and his victory at the Twilight Throne were being showcased on every gaming network. His father had offered Alex a streaming contract with his company in a thinly-veiled effort to distract him. However, the only airtime that Alex had seen so far was a clip of his head being blown from his shoulders by Riley.

  He hadn’t even been able to fully retaliate against the blond-haired bitch. The video of Riley had somehow been removed from his phone, and he was forced to resort to spreading rumors about their breakup and Riley’s infidelity. Alex suspected his father’s involvement. He also wasn’t able to retaliate against Jason in the real world since he hadn’t seen his face anywhere.

  Alex had reveled in the attention he received in-game during the first few weeks of playing AO. In those brief moments in the spotlight, he could feel the tantalizing sensation surge through him. He almost felt normal. Now the hollowness inside Alex seemed to expand until it filled the four corners of his mind.

  “This is all Jason’s fault,” he said under his breath. He clenched his fist reflexively, striking a stone column as he passed. Even without the bonuses provided by his armor, Alexion’s strength was incredible, and the blow caused stone chips to fly from the impact site. He could feel a muted ache in his knuckles as the system registered minor feedback damage.

  “I wish there was some way that I could make him pay for this.”

  “Perhaps there is, my dear disgraced knight,” an elegant, feminine voice sounded from behind him. The woman placed particular emphasis on the word “disgraced.”

  Alex turned with a frown. He spotted a slender woman leaning against the stone column of a nearby temple. The street was deserted, and the pair stood alone. She seemed to be examining her surroundings with mild disdain. The temple’s stones were worn with age and covered in dirt and grime. The priests had been inattentive in maintaining the structure. Alex examined the woman with a puzzled expression. She was out-of-place in her pristine white toga, unmarred by the dust of the road or the filth that covered the stones of the temple.

  “You’re staring, dear,” the woman said with a faint note of revulsion. Her voice and posture conveyed aristocratic poise. As Alex watched her, she flicked her long golden hair over her shoulder and casually adjusted her toga so that it sat more comfortably on her lithe, voluptuous frame.

  “Who are you?” Alex asked in confusion. There was something about the woman that was achingly familiar, and yet he couldn’t quite place it. Perhaps it was the way she carried herself.

  “I’m one of the six incarnations that represent the affinities in this world,” the woman explained while examining her nails carefully. “I believe you travelers call us gods. It’s a helplessly pedantic title, but I suppose it’s accurate.”

  Alex pondered her words carefully. He only had one affinity. The game had given him 0% in the other five. In contrast, his light affinity was nearly 40%. The woman could represent only one magical school if she were approaching Alex.

  “You are the god for the light affinity, aren’t you?” Alex asked.

  The woman gave him a condescending smile - as though he were a dog that correctly performed a trick. “I am indeed. At least you’re a knight with some wits about you. It’s refreshing compared to the noble dolts that I’m accustomed to dealing with. Perhaps you will be perfect for my purposes.”

  “What purposes?” Alex asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

  The woman eyed him with an arched eyebrow. “That, my dear, brings us to the reason I’m here. I’d like to make you an offer.”

  “What do you mean?” Alex asked, confused.

  The Lady let out a long-suffering sigh. “I understand we have a mutual goal. I would like to see the Twilight Throne destroyed. I also understand you bear its new regent no small amount of ill will.”

  Most people would be excited at this opportunity, but Alex frowned slightly in response. The familiar void filled his mind, erasing any doubt or excitement that might cloud his thinking. He simply felt nothing. He calmly thought through how to respond to the woman.

  Her motives weren’t clear. However, Alex knew that he would agree to her terms if it meant striking b
ack at Jason and possibly putting himself in the spotlight again. Those were the few moments where he could feel the tantalizing sensation creep through his mind. He decided he should feign reluctance to go along with her scheme and gather more information.

  “It sounds like we might have something in common. How do I know I can trust you?” Alex asked, an anxious expression on his face. Hours of practice in front of the mirror had made him adept at mimicking emotion.

  The woman laughed derisively. “Do you think I cannot see through your flimsy façade? You have already decided to help me. If you follow me, I will give you both Jason’s head and a legion of adoring fans.”

  Alex was taken aback by her response. How had she known what he had been thinking? If she could see through his attempts at emulating emotion, then perhaps there was no point in pretending. He took a risk and let his mask drop. The muscles in his face relaxed as he let the hollowness fill him. His face settled into a neutral, almost bored expression, and he stared at the woman with dead eyes.

  He was expecting her to shy away from him. Instead, she let out a dark chuckle and met his eyes without flinching. “Ahh, you simply blaze with confidence. There is not a flicker of doubt or hesitation in your mind. You will make an excellent soldier for the light.”

  Alex was intrigued. Few people were able to meet his gaze when he gave up his pretense at normalcy. He found that his eyes made most people uncomfortable. “What exactly are you proposing?” Alex asked.

  “I would like for you to become my disciple. People need to know of the light. If you grow my power and influence sufficiently, we can claim this city as our own.” As she said these last words, the woman’s eyes flared with holy power. “What do you say, sir knight?”