Load Custom Character

by Tyler R Lee

  "Huh." Glitch stood up straight, a look of distrust and confusion on her face.

  "If I die here...you will live. And it will have been for nothing." Both just stared at each other, the wind from the cliff being the most audible sound. "You know, ever since we all became trapped in this game, I've thought my one and only mission was to get back to my family, to my wife, to my daughter." The samurai stood up, legs shaking from the toll the poison had already taken. "However, perhaps my true purpose, one that my family can be proud of, is to make sure so many others make it back to their families."

  When the last word left his mouth, he darted forward. "Not so fast," Glitch cried as she also stepped forward and slid both blades into Amaterasu's stomach. When she did, she felt a stabbing sensation in her own gut.

  The rogue attempted to look down to the source of the pain, but found that she could not move her head. She found she could not move much of her body at all as shocks of pain coursed through her. She felt the sharp pain again as Amaterasu pulled free whatever he had stabbed her with. He raised it into her line of sight so she could clearly see the small knife, glowing with yellow electricity. It was then she found that she could still widen her eyes and gasp.

  "Look familiar?" Amaterasu said through labored breaths, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "I made sure to pick this one up. It was one of the ones you threw when you first revealed yourself near the walkway. You really should be more mindful of your toys."

  Amaterasu then slid Glitch's blades out of his stomach, letting out a groan of pain as he did so. "See...if we both die, then it won't have been for nothing. So, let's both end this, so you can't cause any more pain and misery than you already have."

  Before the words had fully left the samurai's mouth, he moved around behind Glitch and wrapped his arms around her waist. He then used all the strength he had left to leap backwards with her. The two left the ledge and, upside down, plummeted off the cliff, the feeling of terror behind Glitch's eyes and the frozen look of surprise on her face, a serine smile of peace on Amaterasu's.

  * * *

  His body ached. As his head throbbed, he took solace in the fact that the fall wasn’t quite as bad as he had thought it would be. He had only lost about half of his total life, and the ArchFiend, his name plate and HP now clear as day, had lost almost as much. Now that he had regained some of what equilibrium he had lost, Lysander stood up, gripped his staff, and turned to face his foe.

  “Dammit,” he said as he felt his bald head. “I lost my hat.”

  The ArchFiend growled low as it pushed its way up to stand at its full fifteen feet. Its muscles rippled and cracked as it stretched, its wings beat as it flapped them for good measure. Eyeing Lysander, the wizard swore it shot an evil grin his way. Then, he lumbered towards him.

  “It won’t be that easy!” Lysander cried as he took his staff and swung it horizontally at the beast. As he did, a blue blade of electricity sprang from it and cut a nasty gash in the beast that caused it to recoil. “Come on!”

  Taking the invitation, the ArchFiend came on again, leading with massive claw that gave off an uncomfortable heat, but the wizard batted it to the side with his lightning spear the staff had produced. The beast came in again with the other claw, but Lysander knocked that one away.

  Several more times the wizard knocked away the monster’s incoming attacks, then took the perceived opportunity to launch an assault of his own. When he swung, the ArchFiend caught the blade. It sizzled in its hand and it let it go as it roared in pain, giving Lysander the opportunity to nail the beast with a powerful thrust. The demonic creature fell back, then let out a roar as a wave of heat erupted from its body, slamming into Lysander and pushing him back against the wall.

  Before he could recover, the ArchFiend slammed a claw into Lysander, driving him into the wall. The wizard barely got up his shield in time, but still lost a chunk of health. The shield burned the beast’s hand, causing it to fall back again, and the wizard took this opportunity to sprint past the monster to the other side, giving himself enough room to maneuver.

  “Battle mage is cool, but I really do need my space!” Lysander pointed his staff at the creature and began chanting while also drawing a sigil in the air with his free hand. He then gripped the staff with both hands. “How ‘bout a Witchbolt!” he cried as a massive line of blue energy rocketed from his staff and struck the beast, pushing it up against the wall with enough force to crack it and cause the beast to roar in pain. Lysander held the attack, concentrating on the beam.

  For several moments, the beast was unable to move against the spell. However, the creature eventually turned and began to push forward. First, one step, then another, then it began to move faster. “What!? No way!” Lysander growled as he tried to give the beam more power. Discarding stubbornness for self-preservation, the wizard used a spell to blink across the room as a massive fist slammed down where he was, destroying the stone floor in the process.

  “Lord, grant me strength.” Lysander whispered a quick prayer as he held his staff to the sky. Then, dozens of small, purple bolts of energy flew from it and honed in on the monster. They peppered the ArchFiend, sending it reeling, but it quickly turned and leapt towards Lysander. Again, the wizard blinked away before the floor exploded exactly where he had been as the fiend landed.

  Lysander then sent more bolts of energy his foe’s way, and, again, the monster turned. However, this time, it roared as bright flames escaped its mouth and shot at the wizard. He wasn’t fast enough this time to dodge it completely, and Lysander let out a cry of pain as the flames bit at him, burning his robes and his skin as he fell to the ground, smouldering. Before he turned, he felt the earth shaking foot falls of his foe behind him.

  The wizard turned, intending to send a bolt of electricity at the ArchFiend, but a fiery claw slammed into him and sent him skipping across the room. He skidded to a stop and spit up blood as he turned onto his back. Straining to sit up, he watched the fiend come his way. “He hits...way too hard,” he groaned. “I can’t...last much longer.”

  The fiend approached slowly, as if sensing its prey couldn’t flee. Like a nocturnal predator silently stalking its next meal, the ArchFiend moved forward. “Well...I don’t think the bastard will be catching up with the others. So...I did what I set out to do.” He closed his eyes and said a small prayer as his foe approached. Then, he heard it cry out in pain.

  Lysander looked up, completely taken off guard by what he saw. “An...arrow?” He looked at the top of the fiend’s head and saw the shaft of an arrow protruding. He shielded his eyes when it exploded, sending the beast reeling. Then, he saw a gray garbed ninja fall from the darkness and plunge her sword into the spine of the monster. This sent the beast to the ground.

  “No...NoScope?” Lysander moaned as he looked to the ninja, eyes wide, half a smile on his face.

  “Don’t forget about me,” Artemis called as she rode a grappling arrow to the stone floor. Her limp was still prominent from the previous battle and her burned leg looked painful.

  Lysander looked to his friends, then to the sky. “Cutting it a bit close, but thanks,” he whispered.

  NoScope and Artemis helped Lysander to his feet, but then the ArchFiend growled, pushing itself up to a standing position. It looked to all of its foes, new and old, and roared as a gout of flame burst from its mouth. Artemis dove out of the way in one direction while NoScope grabbed Lysander and dove the other. All three avoided the flames, but took up positions. Reinforcements may had arrived, but the ArchFiend was still very much alive.

  ***

  Peter and Yoshitsune locked gazes for some time before either one spoke again. Peter wore an expression of disgust, while Yoshitsune wore a genuine smile, which made Peter even angrier. Finally, Yoshitsune broke the silence. “I thought you might be the first to make it here, Peter. You have grown so much.”

  “I didn’t have a choice.” Peter’s voice was thick with disdain. “It was that or die.”

&n
bsp; “Exactly.” That response caught Peter off guard. “That was part of the point, of course.”

  “To kill countless innocent people?!”

  “No, Peter. Not at all.” The creator did not expand on that explanation. He just continued to smile.

  Peter sighed. “It’s cliche, but I have to ask. Why?”

  “Why did I trap players within Our World?”

  “Why to the whole damn thing?!

  Yoshitsune adjusted his glasses and stepped forward. Peter took a fighting stance, not knowing what to expect. “Tell me, Peter. What did you think of the world? The real world. Before you played this game.”

  Peter went to speak, but stopped short. If he really thought about it; if he was really honest... “I wasn’t a fan.”

  “Why not?”

  “Why the hell do you care?”

  “I care a great deal. But, humor me. It will help you understand why I did all of this.”

  “I doubt that, but...I don’t know. Lots of reasons. My parents weren’t exactly crazy about me. Kids at school were assholes. I never fit in no matter how hard I tried. And that’s just at school.”

  “Precisely.” Yoshitsune continued to move forward. “The world itself was a living nightmare, was it not? Racism on the rise. Sexism, assault, violence in general. Poverty, starvation, need I go on? And those in power did nothing to help those in need, only made sure they stayed in power.”

  Peter looked off to the side. He couldn’t exactly argue with any of the points Yoshitsune was making. But, still… “So...what, that’s why you created Our World?”

  “Of course. A beautiful fantasy realm where you can be anything you want. You can be a strong warrior, a powerful spellcaster, an adventurer, and so much more.” As Yoshitsune described the game, he spoke with a proud reverence that Peter thought bordered on obsession. “With Our World, you could escape the horrors of real life and live as you wanted.”

  “But that wasn’t enough?” Peter’s tone was more accusatory than anything.

  “Of course it wasn’t. You see, people were still trapped in the real world. They always had to leave the paradise I created and return to the hell of reality. And, Peter, it just kept getting worse. So, I decided that I would give everyone a chance to live in paradise forever.”

  “You didn’t give anyone a choice.”

  “Those who play Our World make the choice to live here rather than out there everyday.” Yoshitsune’s tone became a bit more defensive. He calmed, quickly. “So, I gifted all of them the chance to be happy in here.”

  “But, then...why make death a permanent thing? A real thing? Why rig the headsets to kill the player if they died?!”

  “So that this chance at true paradise was earned, Peter. Those who truly loved the game, they would be strong enough to survive, and they would flourish.” He then looked directly at Peter and smiled, having made it all the way across the arena. “And they have. You have, Peter.”

  That set Peter off. Faster than even he thought possible, he planted a fist into Yoshitsune’s face. The creator’s glasses shattered and he flew headlong all the way to the other side of the arena. “Flourish?” Peter growled, barely above a whisper. “You trapped everyone in this game, in this death trap, just so they could earn a chance at your paradise?!” He practically spat the last word.

  Yoshitsune groaned as he got to his feet. Peter heard him laughing. “Yes. As I thought, you have gotten so strong, Peter. I am very proud of you.”

  “You’re proud of me?!” Peter was outright yelling at this point. His eyes were wide with rage as he screamed his frustrations at the one he had worked so hard to find. “You gave me something I had always wanted. You gave me a place to call home. You gave me a place where I finally made friends, people who I came to love more than anything!”

  “Exactly, Peter. That was the whole point of this,” Yoshitsune said, a look of happiness on his face at Peter seemingly understanding.

  “And then,” Peter started towards Yoshitsune, adjusting his gloves as he prepared for battle, “you took everything from me! I had to watch my friends DIE!” He was running full speed, now. “BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU BASTARD!” Peter leapt into the air as he prepared to bring a powerful fist down onto Yoshitsune.

  “Not so fast,” Yoshitsune casually said as he held out a hand. A faint purple shadow leapt from his hand and stopped Peter in midair.

  “What the…” Peter choked as the shadow gripped him by the throat. Then, Yoshitsune casually swung his arm to the side. Obeying, the shadow flung Peter across the arena. The boy skidded across the ground and slammed into one of the rock formations surrounding the area.

  “Now now, Peter.” Yoshitsune adjusted his tie and started walking towards where Peter had landed. “Surely you didn’t think it was going to be that easy.” He came upon the rubble that Peter lay beneath. As he knelt to reach down, a large beam of energy sprang forth, obliterating the rubble, engulfing Yoshitsune, and blasting him into the air, carrying him all the way to a rock formation across the arena. When the beam dissipated, the creator was embedded in the rock. He then slipped out and fell to the ground with a thud.

  “Oh my,” Yoshitsune said with a grin as he wiped blood from his mouth and nose. He looked up to see Peter standing where he had fallen, hands cupped, still holding the stance from firing the energy beam.

  Peter dropped his stance and started forward. “No. It won’t be that easy. Not for either of us. However, Yoshitsune, one way or another, know this. For taking away so many things that were precious to me, that were precious to so many people, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!”

  Chapter 24

  Yoshitsune had only just made it back to his feet when Peter charged him. In response, the creator sent out another purple shadow, barely visible in the light, but Peter sidestepped it. Yoshitsune sent out another, but Peter dodged that one as well. When his opponent threw out another one, the boy leapt into the air, taking his foe completely off guard. When the martial artist landed behind him, he unleashed a savage flurry of blows.

  Quicker than most opponents Peter had faced in the game, Yoshitsune spun and swiped at him with one of his shadows. Luckily, Peter was quick as well and ducked. When he came up, he brought his foot first, landing it in his opponent’s chest, forcing the breath out of him. He then landed several more blows to elevate Yoshitsune higher. However, the creator threw a shadow before Peter could complete the combo, catching him in mid attack. The next shadow he sent was far bigger, and it slammed the boy into the ground.

  “Nice, but not quite good enough,” Yoshitsune smiled. But it faded when Peter activated his shield, blowing away the dust and rubble and shredding the shadow in the process. He came up quickly, fists pumping. This time, Yoshitsune couldn’t defend and caught several blows, including a double fist to the back of the head, sending him crashing this time into the stone ground.

  “Get up!” Peter yelled as he stood back, watching the small crater smoulder.

  Yoshitsune stood, rubble falling off of his now disheveled and torn clothes. “Gladly,” he smiled.

  Like a mass of translucent tentacles, the creator let loose more shadows from his body. Peter, not expecting so many, retreated a bit as they closed in. He ran around the arena as the shadows dove and smashed the ground in his wake. As he circled, he attempted to make his way back towards his opponent.

  “No, no. Have to try better than that,” Yoshitsune said as he pulled his shadows back to unleash more directly at his oncoming foe.

  “Dammit, he’s fast,” Peter muttered as he retreated again, knowing he had to keep his distance from the onslaught being sent his way.

  “You can’t run forever, Peter.” And he was right. Peter’s constant retreating was causing him to take hits from the oncoming shadows, but did not allow him to deal any damage to his opponent.

  “Fine!” The next assault of shadows came in, but Peter took a different approach. As they locked on, he turned and headed directly for his opponent.

  �
��This again,” Yoshitsune shook his head. Again, he pulled back the shadows to send them straight on to his opponent.

  “Nope!” Before they made it back to Yoshitsune, Peter let loose a powerful energy wave at the creator.

  Yoshitsune’s eyes went wide as he realized he wouldn’t be able to stop Peter. He sent out his shadows directly at the wave of energy, but Peter put more power into it. The wave of white energy ate through the shadows and impacted Yoshitsune. For the second time, the creator was blown into the rock, and this time the entirety of it collapsed from the power of Peter’s attack.

  “Ya had enough, yet?” Peter called out, breathing a bit heavy from the stamina used in the attack. For several heartbeats there was no sound.

  Suddenly, the rubble erupted as shadows burst forth like some eldritch horror rising from the earth. These larger shadows writhed and made serpentine motions. There in the center stood Yoshitsune, no longer wearing a stoic, smile. Now he wore a grin of excitement. “Are you kidding? I haven’t had this much fun in ages. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint, Peter.”