After an hour of moving quietly through the maze, Frank cried out as his shin struck a large stone embedded in the floor. The halls were poorly lit and his Night Vision wasn’t sufficient to make out all of the loose rubble. Frank toppled forward, dropping his sword in the process. The sound of the metal sword striking the stone floor sent a loud echo reverberating down the hallway. The werewolves’ noses immediately perked up, and they let out a yipping sound. Their eyes turned to the tunnel behind the group as they shrank back against the wall.
“There’s something coming,” Jason warned, his voice echoing slightly in the tunnel.
Damn it, Frank.
Jason didn’t have time to berate his friend. He grabbed Frank’s hand and quickly helped him to his feet. He ordered the undead to form lines facing the tunnel they had just walked down. His melee troops manned the front line, and his mages and archers stood behind them. Nearly forty undead stood in his formation.
Jason didn’t have a clever plan for dealing with whatever was coming. He wasn’t certain what type of creature they would face, and they were stuck in this hallway. Retreating further down the hallway was a risk since it was unexplored. Jason didn’t want to accidentally draw the attention of more enemies or trigger a trap.
Frank brushed himself off with an embarrassed expression and took his place on the front lines. He pulled a massive tower shield and a longsword from his bag. “Time for me to earn my keep,” he said with a grin.
Despite his cocky attitude, Jason noticed that his friend’s hands were trembling. This was probably the first significant battle Frank had been involved in. Jason could only hope that he wouldn’t crack under pressure. Battles in AO were much different than in traditional point-and-click games.
I suppose it’s better for Frank to face a real fight now rather than on a dungeon boss.
A loud thumping sound came from the end of the tunnel, causing the floor to tremble beneath their feet. A roar erupted from the end of the tunnel as whatever creatures were stalking them raced down the hallway. The thumping began to increase in both frequency and intensity. Jason’s heart beat frantically in time with the rhythmic vibration, and he summoned his dark mana, abandoning himself to the numbing chill.
Three creatures finally appeared from the encroaching darkness. They stood nearly ten feet tall. They had the head of a bull but walked on two hooved feet. Their bodies were covered in a thick, matted brown fur. Spiraling horns jutted from their foreheads, framing their red, rage-filled eyes and they each carried enormous two-handed battleaxes.
Jason inspected them quickly.
Level 141. Oh, crap.
“Fuck me,” Frank muttered as he took a hesitant step back. “They’re freaking minotaurs!” He glanced at his tower shield skeptically and quickly swapped it out for his two-handed sword. He apparently didn’t trust the shield to hold up against the massive axes the minotaurs were holding.
It took several long moments before the creatures’ eyes focused on the enemy force. However, once they noticed the group, the beasts let out a rage-filled roar and sped up further. The hallway was slightly too narrow for all three beasts to move side-by-side and they jostled each other as they charged forward. The bulls occasionally slammed hard into the walls on either side of the hallway, enraging them even more.
As they neared, the first two minotaurs swung their axes back, using their momentum to increase the force of their initial charge. Jason frantically cast Curse of Weakness as quickly as he could, trying vainly to slow the creatures. He glanced to his side and saw Riley calmly firing arrow after arrow in the onrushing beasts.
Then the beasts struck the front lines.
Their axe blades cut a huge swath in Jason’s troops, slicing several zombies in half. The minotaurs fought with wild abandon, ignoring blows from the undead as they swung their axes in enormous arcs. Although they didn’t wear armor, their thick fur made it difficult to land a solid strike. Swords easily became tangled in the matted hair. They let out bellowing roars as they trampled the zombies under their hooves.
Jason ordered his melee troops to aim for the beasts’ legs. Maybe he could cripple them and get them on the ground. This would at least take their axes out of commission. That was his only option since there wasn’t room to use Corpse Explosion effectively without hitting his own teammates.
Fireballs, bolts of ice, and rays of darkness shot over the heads of Jason’s minions as his mages entered the fray. Riley’s bow hummed as she released a continuous stream of arrows from where she stood beside Jason. One of her shots struck true, impaling one of the beast’s eyes. The minotaur let out a roar of agony. A thief took advantage of its momentary weakness, severing the tendons in the creature’s legs. The minotaur toppled and was quickly slain in a flurry of blades and blood.
The fight with the other two minotaurs wasn’t going as well. One of the beasts had squared off against Frank, who struggled to parry or dodge the beast’s blows. Even after designing his character as a warrior, Frank could barely block the minotaur’s titanic strikes - forcing him to merely deflect the beast’s blows. Each strike of the enemy’s axe let out a ringing metallic crash. It was clear that Frank was quickly losing the battle as the axe blade nicked him several times.
Meanwhile, the other minotaur was laying waste to Jason’s zombies. Most of the melee troops had already been destroyed, leaving the casters and archers largely unprotected. Jason hesitated as he watched the fight unfold, not certain what to do. If he focused on the minotaur attacking his troops, he could protect his more fragile ranged minions, and he would likely have sufficient remaining minions to take on the other minotaur. However, Frank would probably die in the process.
Riley glanced at Jason who stood unmoving beside her, following his gaze as it bounced between his minions and Frank. She screamed at him over the din of the battle, “Make a decision! Now!”
Shaking himself, Jason ordered his troops to focus on the minotaur attacking the ranged troops. Then Jason raised the minotaur they had managed to slay and ordered it to protect his remaining minions. Even immersed in the anesthetic sensation of his dark mana, he could feel guilt flood his mind. He could only hope that Frank would last long enough to take down the second minotaur.
Jason turned back to the duel between Frank and the other minotaur, his hands starting to move through the process of casting Curse of Weakness. Maybe he could buy Frank a little more time while his minions grappled with the second beast.
Sweat poured down Frank’s face, and his breath came in ragged gasps. His armor was torn in several places, the steel rings of his mail hanging loosely from his bulky form. Blood seeped from the gashes and stained the dark gray metal red. Frank dodged to the left, but his heavy armor impeded his movements. The creature’s axe glanced off Frank’s shoulder, sending a shower of blood and metal rings in all directions.
The minotaur roared in rage, one hand releasing the hilt of his axe. The creature stepped forward and grabbed Frank by the neck as he was still reeling from the glancing blow he had suffered. The beast lifted him into the air as Frank’s sword tumbled from his grasp. He tried vainly to peel the creature’s hands from his neck. The minotaur then slammed Frank’s body against the wall, and he crumpled to the floor.
Jason could see his friend’s eyes staring at him, filled with fear and desperation. As though in slow motion, he watched as Frank’s mouth moved, forming silent words that were consumed in the fury of the battle. A shadow fell over Frank’s face, and Jason glanced up in time to see the minotaur’s blade cleaving through the air. Jason reached a feeble hand forward, shouting desperately - but he was too late.
Frank’s head was neatly separated from his shoulders and rolled forward to rest a few feet away from Jason. Frank’s lifeless eyes seemed to stare at him accusingly. “You let me die,” they said.
Chapter 14 - Recovered
Alex walked through the streets of Grey Keep. The sun beat down on the heavy cloak he wore to obscure his face and clothing.
Over the last few days, word of his sermon and his healing abilities had spread like wildfire. He had started traveling with his face covered since he was continuously accosted by townsfolk begging for his help. They were riddled with all manner of illnesses and injuries that he had neither the patience nor the time to deal with. As a representative of the Lady, he couldn’t just brush them aside - he had an image to maintain.
Today he was on a mission. Two days had passed in-game since his sermon in the temple. He was interested in observing the effect of his words on the residents of the city. He had hoped to spread dissent against the nobles and Strouse. He could then use that discord to grow his power and influence within the city.
As he walked through the market, Alex listened carefully to the conversations of the NPCs. After a few minutes, he overheard several people talking in front of a tanner’s stall. “This Alexion speaks the word of the Lady,” one woman said fervently. “He’s not a charlatan. I saw him open the golden book with my own eyes!”
The gruff man beside her snorted. “A little bit of magic to fool the masses. That doesn’t mean he’s the champion of a goddess.”
The woman looked at him incredulously. “At least he offers hope and the Lady’s protection. What is Strouse doing for our city? The undead plague our lands from the east and kill our troops, and he merely sits and waits. Meanwhile, Alexion heals the people of the city and encourages us to defend ourselves. Through him, the Lady offers us a way to fight back against the darkness!”
The couple’s argument had drawn a small crowd, and Alexion withdrew before he was spotted. Behind him, he could hear shouting as the argument swiftly escalated. His plans were proceeding smoothly. The dissent hadn’t yet grown to a fever pitch. He needed something to tip it over the edge.
As he mulled over this problem, his feet automatically took him back to the temple district. He soon found himself standing outside the Lady’s temple. Despite the growing popularity of the Lady, the stone was still covered in dirt and muck. The copper statues that dotted the temple walls were tarnished, their faces obscured behind a film of corrosion.
On a whim, Alex entered the structure. He didn’t expect much foot traffic during the middle of the day. His feet padded softly over the cold marble of the temple floor as he meandered among the columns. Suddenly, voices echoed through the hall. Not wanting to be seen, Alex swiftly stepped behind a pillar. He was no longer on pleasant terms with the head priest and wasn’t certain what would happen if the fat fool confronted him.
Two lower priests dressed in plain white robes walked through the temple. They carried buckets of water and mops. “I hate this job,” one muttered angrily. “I doubt that the head priest has ever cleaned the crypts himself.”
The other priest chuckled dryly. “Are you kidding? Those soft hands have never known a day’s labor. The priest has his family to thank for his appointment - it certainly isn’t his conviction of spirit.”
The two grumbling men quickly moved to a door on the wall behind the altar. They opened the portal and slipped through. One of the men banged his bucket against the doorframe, causing water to splash on the floor. With a decidedly unpriestly series of curses, the two disappeared through the door. From his vantage point, Alex could make out a narrow stairwell.
He hadn’t realized that the temple had its own crypt. A glimmer of a plan was starting to form in his mind. Perhaps there was a way he could quickly bring the dissent to a boil. Yet the insidious whisper was mysteriously silent, which gave him pause. An unknown sensation swept over him. It felt like a hole in his chest that he couldn’t quite fill. He thought about what his plan might mean if it was successful - the destruction of a city and the death of many of the city’s NPCs. For a moment, he considered forsaking his strategy; perhaps abandoning Grey Keep altogether.
He leaned heavily against the column behind him, closing his eyes and fleeing to the hollowness that lingered in the back of his mind. The void immediately snuffed out the alien sensation. Alex couldn’t afford to be weak now. He had a mission. The sinister whisper soon returned, thrumming in approval as he contemplated his next steps.
***
After Frank died, Jason and Riley barely managed to kill the remaining two minotaurs. The losses had been severe. The beasts had slain all of Jason’s soldier zombies and half of his werewolves. The remains of the minotaur Jason had hastily summoned during the battle also lay on the floor of the maze, its limbs crushed and broken from repeated blows. To make matters worse, his zombies’ bodies had been destroyed, making it impossible to re-summon them as skeletons.
The only saving grace from the fight was that Jason was able to raise the remaining two minotaurs. The behemoths were both level 141 after taking into account the level cap on Jason’s zombies. That would at least make the future battles a bit easier.
After nearly an hour, Jason and Riley had almost made their way back to the entrance to the dungeon. They moved as quietly as possible, not wanting to confront another group of minotaurs unprepared. Jason kept his remaining werewolves on high alert. At least during their first attempt, Jason had managed to carefully map the hallways they explored so they weren’t forced to wander aimlessly.
When they arrived back at the entrance, they saw Frank sitting with his back against one of the maze walls. They approached slowly. His head was bowed, and his eyes were closed. They weren’t certain what to expect after his rather violent death. That fight had certainly been enough to traumatize most people.
Once they were a few feet away, Jason cleared his throat hesitantly. “Hey, Frank. You okay?”
Frank didn’t respond for a long moment, and then he slowly looked up at the pair. Surprisingly, Frank’s eyes didn’t look as haunted as Jason had anticipated. He simply looked thoughtful. Alfred padded up to Frank quietly and rubbed himself against his leg. Frank lifted a hand and idly stroked the cat. Jason watched the scene, feeling a bit conflicted. He knew that Alfred technically controlled all of the NPCs, but it was odd to watch Frank pet the cat nonetheless.
“It’s strange,” Frank said softly. “That was the first time I’ve died.” He looked at Jason and Riley. “Have you died in-game before?”
They both shook their heads. “Then you don’t know. The game forces you to stand there and watch your death. It looks so real. You can actually walk around the area and examine the scene from different angles.”
Jason and Riley stared at him in shock. This was the first that they had heard of a “death replay.” They weren’t certain what to say. What would it be like to experience your death over and over for nearly an hour?
Frank continued in a subdued voice, “I was pissed at you, man.” He glanced at Jason, but his eyes didn’t hold any anger. “I know you deliberately chose not to help me. I watched you do it over and over again.”
He lapsed into a momentary silence, shaking his head slightly. “However, by the twentieth replay, my anger had started to fade. I could see where you were coming from. You made a choice. If you had saved me, you would likely have lost all of your minions, and both you and Riley would have probably died too.”
He looked up at Jason, his face unusually somber. “I could even see the moment you realized that you couldn’t save me and also win the fight. You hesitated. Then you chose the path that led to victory. You’re one cold bastard, but I can’t see a better decision.”
Frank rose slowly to his feet. Jason and Riley were still staring at him, not certain how to respond. Frank looked at Jason and then sighed. “After forty-five minutes of watching myself die, it’s clear to me that I’m the weak link here. I don’t have my class yet, and I’m only level 76. I was expendable.” He shook his head, his eyes drifting to the floor. Despite his claims that he had gotten over the battle, a faint trace of fear lingered in his eyes as they hovered over the zombie minotaurs behind Jason.
Jason finally interjected, “I’m sorry about the choice I made. Like you said, it was the option that won the fight and left us with sufficient
troops to keep going.” Jason hesitated for a moment before adding, “That didn’t make it any easier.”
He cleared his throat and continued, “However, you aren’t the weak link. This game doesn’t reward players for raw strength or levels. The bottom line was that we didn’t know what we were fighting or how to prepare for the battle. We do now. We just need a plan.”
Riley walked up to Frank, patting his shoulder gently. “That was a rough fight for everybody. Like Jason said, we just need to come up with a strategy. Knowing him, it will probably involve him hiding in a corner while we do the real work.” She grinned at this and Frank chuckled softly in response.
She then turned to Jason. “Well, what do you suggest we do, O’ Lord of Darkness? Those minotaurs were tough.”
Jason nodded as he rubbed his chin with one hand. “Yeah, they were. But I noticed something interesting after examining the skills of the minotaurs I summoned after the battle.” He motioned to the zombies that stood nearby. “They have high skill levels in both Listening and Tracking. I think the sound of Frank tripping is what alerted them to our presence.”
Frank grimaced at being reminded of how he had screwed up. Then a thoughtful look crossed his face. “I also think they’re nearly blind,” Frank said. “After watching the battle a few times, I noticed that they didn’t actually focus on us until they were pretty close.”
“Hmm, that’s interesting,” Jason replied. “If that’s the case, then what’s the deal with the traps…” he trailed off, lost in thought as he paced around the entrance to the maze. Frank and Riley stared at Jason with confused expressions.
Awaken Online: Precipice Page 21