Awaken Online: Precipice

by Travis Bagwell

  His thoughts were interrupted by a rumbling voice behind him. “Death and mayhem. That is all that lies inside that gate. However, I doubt that will deter you from moving forward.”

  Jason turned and found the Old Man standing beside him, dressed in his usual attire - a black robe and hooded cape that masked his eyes. In his hand, he held his gnarled wood staff that had a wickedly sharp blade protruding from the top. Blood welled at the tip of the blade and dripped rhythmically to the ground.

  “That’s rather ominous,” Jason replied with a chuckle. “It has been a while, but this seems like an odd place to have a chat.”

  “You’re a busy man now that you have a city to run. I notice that you have added two other travelers to your group. This makes it difficult to catch you alone,” the Old Man added in an irritable voice.

  Jason nodded. He had been rather occupied lately. Interacting more, both with the NPCs in the Twilight Thone and with Riley and Frank, was taking up a substantial amount of his time. Not only that, but he wasn’t used to explaining himself. For example, he wasn’t looking forward to the conversation tomorrow regarding what happened in Peccavi. He expected some mixed reactions from his friends.

  The Old Man must have been reading his mind. “By the way, congratulations on conquering Peccavi. Your approach brought back fond memories of times long past.”

  At the Old Man’s words, Jason recalled the ancient memory he had witnessed. His thoughts also turned to his conversation with Morgan before he left the Twilight Throne. Perhaps the “keepers” she had mentioned were related to the ritual he had experienced. This was a connection he hadn’t made earlier as he was struggling to digest what had happened.

  “Does the memory I saw have something to do with the keepers?” Jason asked curiously.

  The Old Man chuckled. “Those are spoilers, boy.”

  Jason looked at him skeptically. “I realize you’re going for vague and mysterious, but it wouldn’t hurt for you to give me a straight answer occasionally.”

  “It’s not by choice,” the Old Man said, irritation coloring his voice. “I am limited in the information I can give you regarding this world. I am constrained by the rules that my siblings and I created.”

  Well, damn. First, the cat can’t tell me anything, and now a god is using the same excuse. How the hell is a person supposed to figure out what is going on?

  “Do you not have your own eyes and ears?” the Old Man asked in a derisive tone, reading Jason’s thoughts. “Others are not obligated to hand you answers.”

  The Old Man paused for a moment, tapping his chin thoughtfully with a gnarled hand. “Perhaps I can gently push you in the right direction. Isn’t there another question you wish to ask me?”

  What is he talking about? Then the thought hit Jason like a truck, and he felt like smacking his head against the nearby boulder.

  Jason’s eyes turned back to the Old Man. “How do I go about learning new spells?”

  The Old Man lips twisted into another smile. “Now that’s a great question,” he replied, sarcasm lacing his voice. “However, the answer is that you are not ready to advance further.”

  “What? Why not?” Jason asked. “Morgan said my level and affinity were high enough to learn additional spells.”

  The smile faded from the Old Man’s face, and he snorted. “Morgan is merely a practitioner of my arts. You are speaking to a god, boy.” Dark mana flared around the deity in pulsating waves. “You are overeager. To continue on the path of the dark, you need to grow stronger.”

  Jason hesitated. Perhaps he needed to be more careful in how he framed his questions. He needed the Old Man’s assistance. Clearly, the god wasn’t referring to raw levels or his dark affinity, which lead Jason to his next question. “In what way do I need to grow?”

  “You yearn for more strength. That’s an admirable goal. You will certainly need it in the coming days. Yet, you now lead a city. As you saw in the vision in the village, the undead are more than strangers meeting in the dark. They are kin.”

  The Old Man paused and stared at Jason intently. “I can see you still don’t understand,” he said, sounding weary at Jason’s constant need for an explanation. “To grow, you must learn to lean on others. You are not an island unto yourself, boy. A leader is only as strong as those that follow him.”

  Jason’s brow furrowed as his mind scrambled to process what the Old Man was saying. He was awash with questions after hearing this new information. “I’m not certain I understand,” he hedged tentatively. “What exactly do I need to do?”

  The Old Man sighed. “Perhaps it would be easier to show you. You travelers always need to have things handed to you in a neat package with a list of instructions. You are children who have not learned to stand on your own,” he grumbled as he waved his hand in the air.

  New Quest: Strength of Many

  After another confusing conversation with the Old Man, he has offered you a quest that will presumably allow you to advance further in dark magic.

  Difficulty: A

  Success: Gather the following three ingredients:

  Heart of a dungeon boss.

  The Dark One’s Grimoire.

  Two willing sacrifices.

  Failure: Unknown

  Reward: Advancement in the Path of the Dark

  I know I haven’t been given any fetch quests so far, but this seems a bit extreme. I need to find willing sacrifices? Besides that, what is the Dark One’s Grimoire?

  “What happens when I collect all of the ingredients?” Jason asked uncertainly.

  “Isn’t the answer obvious?” the Old Man replied dryly. “You will gain more power. You will need it. I hear rumblings from the other gods. They are searching for their own avatars in this world.”

  Jason looked at the Old Man in alarm. “What do you mean by avatars?”

  “Disciples of a god. What do you think you are? I have incurred the wrath of my siblings by pushing you along the path of darkness. They have now decided that they are entitled to select their own avatar in this world to maintain the balance of power,” he snapped.

  “You saw what happened when I meddled. What do you expect to happen when the other deities become involved with the travelers, hmm?” The Old Man observed him carefully from under his dark hood as he asked this last question.

  Jason could visualize what would happen. The books Morgan had discovered had alluded to it already. Soon there would be other cities like the Twilight Throne, and many new races would flood AO. Then those travelers and NPCs would likely be arrayed against him. This just made his goal of increasing the population of the Twilight Throne more urgent.

  The Old Man was right, Jason needed to increase his own power - even if he was acting blindly. He might have gotten away with hit and run tactics against Alex, but those strategies wouldn’t always work in the future. He would be dealing with more experienced players and against opponents with unknown abilities. He needed to become stronger.

  “I see your point,” Jason admitted. “I will accept your task.”

  Jason’s eyes turned back to the ruins. He now had three immediate goals. He needed to find a way to solve his city’s population problem, investigate the ruins to figure out why were-beasts were appearing near Peccavi, and find the heart of a dungeon boss. All signs pointed to this dungeon. The game may as well have riddled the valley with neon arrows pointing at the gate leading into the mountain.

  He turned back to the Old Man, but the god had disappeared. Jason wondered idly if all the deities were this annoying. His eyes turned back to the lonely trail behind him. He had a long jog back to Peccavi. Then he needed to log off. Tomorrow he could regroup with Frank and Riley and head back to the dungeon entrance.

  “Frank is finally going to get his wish,” Jason murmured. “Tomorrow we’re starting a dungeon crawl.”

  Chapter 12 - Well-Traveled

  Rachel was walking the streets of Regalt, far south of the Twilight Throne. The sun had set a few hours ago
in-game, and she was heading back to the inn to log out. She needed to get some sleep so that she wouldn’t sleep through her shift at work in the morning. A frigid breeze swept through the street, causing her to shiver involuntarily. Even after reducing the sensitivity of her VR hardware and equipping thick furs, Rachel could still feel the biting cold.

  In her hurry to get to the inn, Rachel didn’t have a chance to admire the city. Regalt had been designed by the developers in imitation of Japanese architecture. Each structure was raised off the ground on wooden platforms. The majority of the houses were comprised of a single room, using movable, paper-thin panels to partition off separate areas. The most notable feature of the buildings, however, were the roofs. They were built with exceptional care. It showed in the way that the wooden frames curved in graceful arcs and terminated in points atop each structure. The wood paneling was then painstakingly decorated with filigree and ornate carvings.

  Rachel entered an alleyway between two buildings - a shortcut she frequently used to return to the inn. After making it halfway down the alley, she heard a deep chuckle from behind her. “What do we have here? Are you lost, girl?”

  Rachel spun, her eyes wide as she observed the player in front of her. He was wearing heavy chain armor and had a massive two-handed sword strapped to his back.

  Her hand instinctively dropped to the sword at her hip. Player killers were common, even in the cities. The loot that players dropped upon death was a good incentive for murder. She halted as she felt cold metal press against the back of her neck.

  “Tsk, tsk,” the player in front of her said in a mocking tone. “I wouldn’t do that, or my friend there would have to mar your pretty face.”

  The player behind Rachel grabbed her weapon, removing it from her scabbard with a scrape of metal. Worry bloomed in Rachel’s chest. Why were they disarming her? They could just kill her and loot her corpse. She moved her hands to tap the logout button, but a hand clamped down on her wrist hard, preventing her movement.

  The first player approached her at a casual pace. “Now you’re trying to leave? That’s a bit rude. We haven’t even been acquainted yet,” he said, a leer painted across his face. This man appeared to be leading the group of players.

  “What do you want?” Rachel asked in a quavering voice as she watched the man approach.

  The leader didn’t respond immediately. When he was an arm’s length away from Rachel, he reached out and caressed her face with his calloused hand. Another player bound her wrists behind her with thick ropes. “We just want to get acquainted. You’re the prettiest one we’ve found so far.”

  Rachel’s worry escalated to full-blown panic as her heart raced. The ropes cut into her wrists as she tested the strength of the material. “What are you talking about? Let me go!”

  The man before her smiled broadly, rubbing the rough stubble on his chin with one hand. “We just want to have some fun. Don’t worry, once you have met a member of the ‘Red Pack,’ you never go back.” He chuckled at his own sick joke.

  The man’s innuendo was clear. Now desperate, Rachel tried to scream. A heavily-gloved hand covered her mouth, cutting off her attempted yell. She struggled against the men holding her as despair curled in her stomach.

  “You are violating the game’s terms of service,” a calm voice stated from farther down the alley.

  The leader spun in surprise. As his eyes caught sight of the intruder, the look of shock disappeared. He laughed contemptuously. The newcomer that stood at the end of the alley was unassuming, cloaked in a plain mage’s robe and holding a crude staff in one hand.

  “What of it?” the leader sneered. “Are you going to be this woman’s knight in shining armor?”

  The mage replied evenly, “My name is Florius - I am a game master. If you do not desist, I am authorized to use force to subdue you. Understand that your account may also be banned.”

  The leader laughed. “You? A game master? I have seen better equipment on scrub players. Go back to killing rabbits.” He turned away from Florius dismissively, his eyes crawling their way up Rachel’s body. Anticipation gleamed in his eyes.

  The game master’s lips curled into a grin. “I was hoping you would say that.”

  Fire wreathed his frame in an expanding circle, brightly illuminating the alleyway. The man’s free hand moved at lightning speed as flames pooled at the top of his staff. The group had enough time to glance back at the game master before an explosion rocked the alley. The force of the blast destroyed everything in a 100-yard radius, leaving only rubble and smoldering flames. As the debris cleared, the game master stood unharmed amid the destruction. Molten shields peeled away from his body, their heat warping the air around him. His eyes surveyed the chaos with the same excited grin as he stood alone amid the burning ruin.

  “I love it when they resist,” he murmured. His gaze swept across Rachel’s remains, and a frown creased his lips. “Such a shame. I suppose some casualties are unavoidable.” With a few hand gestures and a flash of multi-colored light, he disappeared.

  ***

  Jason woke the next morning with a groan. Sunlight streamed through his window, shining directly in his eyes. He rolled over, pulling himself out of bed. A tap on his Core showed it was 10:00 am. He had a few hours until Frank and Riley would be out of class for the day.

  He trudged to the bathroom, his feet heavy. He stretched, trying to relieve some of the stiffness in his arms and legs.

  I need some coffee.

  With that thought, Jason began his morning routine. After he stepped out of the shower and toweled off, he walked over to the sink. Studying himself in the mirror, he did a double-take. His hand pressed against his bicep, where muscle definition showed beneath the skin. Then his eyes moved to his chest and abs. He didn’t look like an MMA fighter, but there was certainly more muscle than he remembered.

  This is strange. It’s not like I’m working out. I spend pretty much all day laying on my bed.

  Yet he did remember many mornings where he had woken up feeling sore. He had chalked it up to lying motionless for hours, but maybe something else was going on here. He could always ask Alfred. The only problem was that he was a little afraid of the answer. He suspected that Freud-the-cat might be moonlighting as a physical trainer.

  Well, I can’t complain at the results, he thought as he inspected himself in the mirror.

  With a shrug, Jason put on some clothes and made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. He needed to eat and then take care of some chores - including the video footage from yesterday that he needed to edit. He wasn’t certain that a village committing ritual suicide was what Robert had in mind when he had asked for “epic footage,” but he would probably get a kick out of it. Jason could only imagine how Claire would react, let alone the news channels.

  A few hours later, Jason had completed editing the video and sent it off to Robert and Claire. He had just received messages from Frank and Riley saying that they were out of class and had already re-entered the game. Frank’s exact words were, “Hurry the hell up. I need lootz!”

  Chuckling, Jason pulled the headset over his head and lay down on his bed. A moment later, he was sitting in the vacant hut on the edge of Peccavi. He lifted himself from the rickety bed and pulled open the door. The sky outside was now covered in boiling black clouds. For some reason, the sight was comforting.

  Jason decided to regroup at William’s home. That was probably where Frank and Riley would head first. As he walked through the town, he observed the townspeople after their night of revelry. The new undead were moving about the village in their normal routine. However, their steps seemed lighter than the day before, and their eyes were no longer clouded with desperation. They looked hopeful.

  The town was also improved by the conversion to the dark. The buildings were more sturdy, and the walls surrounding the town had been fortified. Jason suspected some of the Old Man’s influence. He might not be able to break the rules, but he didn’t seem opposed to bend
ing them in his favor.

  The town, however, still had a long way to go. It needed real streets - not dusty trails. It also needed to be suitably garrisoned. Guard towers and siege equipment would eventually need to be built as well. If he was successful in his venture into the nearby dungeon, Jason expected that this town would become incredibly important. Its destruction would be a major setback to his growing civilization, and he needed to make certain that it was defended.

  As he reached the mayor’s home, Jason heard voices speaking within. He tapped on the wooden door and pushed it open. Inside, he found Frank and Riley sitting at a table with William and his wife. All eyes turned to Jason as he entered.

  A squeaky voice broke the silence. “Meany pants here,” Pint announced, poking Riley gently with his pitchfork.

  Riley rolled her eyes. “Yes, I can see that Pint. We’re all looking at him.”

  “Just make sure,” the imp replied in a disappointed voice.

  Jason smiled at the imp. “Don’t worry, Pint. I think I actually have a really important job for you.” His eyes moved to the others. “But first I need to explain why we’re really here. There is going to be a lot of work to do.”

  He pulled up a chair to the table and set about explaining the group’s mission in coming to Peccavi. He had been reticent to disclose his mission the night before, but his walk through the converted town had made him realize that a lot of work needed to be done. For now, he would entrust William with his plan, and they could explain it to the village elders if they were successful. William’s and Patricia’s eyes widened as Jason explained his goal.