by Dawn Chapman
Abel moved to my side and drew his weapon. “What is it?”
I shook my head, shivering. I could feel something watching me, something I really didn’t want to be there.
And no, it wasn’t Andy.
Ping! “You have discovered the Advantage Sixth Sense!”
I hadn’t picked up any weapon, so this was frightening for me, as there was no way to defend anyone around me.
Abel motioned to Myleen and the others, and they all formed up before me, and then started to move towards the side of the camp. I ran in the opposite direction hoping to find something, the dagger—but I was instantly drawn to the bow. I might not be able to use it, but how hard could it be? Point and shoot, right?
Oh, boy, how wrong I was. By the time I’d run back to the campfire and could see the others, they motioned for me to stay back.
Abel was the first to return to my side. “There are Creviok out there, but they’re not moving on the camp. It looks like they’ve been tracking something else.”
I wanted to ask what, but when Myleen and the others joined us, my questions were squashed. “We don’t want to antagonise them no matter what they’re going after,” she said.
But I saw the disappointment in Abel’s face. “Myleen, that creature is sacred no matter which side of this country we live on. We can’t let them get it.”
Myleen sighed out a really long breath and turned to the girl on her right. “Go wake the others. We can’t take on all four of them with just us, and Abel’s right. There aren’t enough of them left to leave it to its natural fate.”
I wasn’t following this very well, so I asked, “What creature?”
Abel smiled at me. “They’re called Ebolos. They are almost like a horse, but they’ve much stronger hind legs and a tail. They’re sacred because of their intelligence. They once roamed these parts in the thousands. And before horses came to Puatera, they were what helped to build the cities.”
“They’re becoming extinct because the monsters are no longer sticking to their sides of the forests. As the protected areas wear down, they’re being hunted.” Myleene’s face dropped. “It’s only a baby, no idea where its mother is.”
Abel put a hand on her arm. “I think the mother is probably dead.”
“Then all the more reasons as to why we should save it,” I added.
Abel shook his head. “Sorry, Akillia, you’re still injured. There will be a need for someone to stay safe and with the camp.”
“You’re going to take everyone but me.”
“You’ve finished the troli, right?”
I nodded thinking back to the empty mug I’d been sipping at earlier. So he added for me, but I already knew the answer there. “Then you’d be no good either way. Your reactions will be pared down, even if you’re not asleep.”
I admit the drug effect was lovely, no pain, no focus. I really would have been useless in a fight, but what else kind of fight would I get to start with? I wanted to watch and learn. Guess not. It was time for doing.
The group rallied in such a short time that I was amazed. Like a finely tuned machine, but they’d not known about any of this or practised together before, so this was inspiring. Ferris walked over to me. “The shields are primed and will last all night. You should go to bed. There’s nothing you can do out here.”
I watched as he turned away and then they all left. I glanced around the camp, feeling and hearing everything around me. I can’t believe they actually left me. Alone in a camp with the animals... and drugged up to my eyeballs on pain and sleep meds!
Chapter 13
I moved closer to the fire and got myself another drink from the pot. I’d no idea if this had any more sleeping meds in it, but neither did I care. If the only actual way for me to drop off was to overdose myself, then maybe it wasn’t a bad idea.
The sounds moving around me of the horses as they settled back in for the night, settled me. Their steady breathing and neighing lifted my thoughts. If they were comfortable because the monsters had moved away, then I would be too. I just had to convince myself the darkness and lights flickering around me weren’t scary. The truth was I’d started to shiver... and it wasn’t cold.
Everything around me seemed wrong. Eerie.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and hoped the others would be back soon. It wasn’t going to be soon though. I heard a scream from in the forest, and then something ran out of the bushes and straight at the camp shields. It was small, about the size of a Labrador. It almost looked like a small horse.
The creature saw me and stopped dead in its tracks. I wanted it to be safe, to come inside the barrier. I didn’t know if it would be allowed, but the thought crossed my mind. Maybe I had to turn the barrier off. I knew Ferris had left me the remote device, but would I be quick enough.
Slowly, I edged forward, fumbling in my pocket to pull the device out. The buttons were simple enough. Red and green. I presumed that red deactivated it... I wasn’t going to try it right now. The mini horse had to be closer. A lot closer.
I kept moving forward, there wasn’t going to be much time if the others were following it and they were all heading towards camp. Maybe a flick of the button and it would be safe?
The creature moved forward.
“Come on,” I started to coo at him, getting down on my knees to edge in close. “Come on, you can do it. Just a little bit closer.”
I watched as its furry nose sniffed the air. Maybe it could smell the horses or the fire? I wasn’t sure, but it would definitely smell me. Its nose was big enough.
“That’s it. I know you can do it.”
One step closer. Maybe I’d have to turn off the barrier and make a grab for it, like chasing chickens when I was younger down at the local farm. I laughed remembering how that went down. There was no way I would be able to grab some mini horse creature and still get back inside the barrier before any monsters came hurtling out of the woods.
So I kept up with the cooing, and it took one more step forward. A crack and whistle sounded behind it, and then two sets of eyes, one red and one green. They dipped at me, and then looked at the horse creature.
It would be eaten if I didn’t do something about it now. I guess a chicken grab it was going to have to be.
I sucked in a breath readying myself for a run with the device in my hand. The barrier had a yellowing shimmer on it, and I was almost there before the creature in the trees started its own run towards us.
Oh crap... what the hell was I thinking.
The horse creature had frozen on the spot, seeing two creatures pinning it in. I was positive it was going to run in some other random direction, but as I reached the barrier and flicked the switch, it did the weirdest thing ever and ran at me. I was in shock, but I scooped up the baby animal, my arm cracked in my shoulder once more, pain shooting through me. I didn’t care. I held onto it and ran. Skittering inside the barrier’s reach as I punched the green button.
The shield flickered and didn’t re-ignite.
What the hell!
I punched the green button, as I still ran, trying my best to look back at the following monster. I almost peed myself. It was bigger than anything I’d ever seen before, and it was gaining on the shield.
“Come on!” I shouted at the fencing. It had to come up. It just had to.
I stopped close to the first wagon and threw the little creature inside before I grabbed the nearest weapon I could find. A spare sword.
I punched the red button once more, trying to shock it back into full capacity. The shield flickered off, and then, as I was readying to hit the green one again, the monster roared and made a jump for it. I was too late. The shielding sparked and lit, but the monster was now inside the camp.
It was it or me. Most likely it was going to be me that bit the dust.
I faced off with it, gripping the sword and not knowing a damned thing about swordplay. I was not happy. This wasn’t how things should have been, and I didn’t want them to end li
ke this either.
This creature was hideous. I could smell it from where I stood, its rotting breath, probably bits of animals stuck all in its mouth. And that was where it was emanating from, blowing breath in my direction.
It was the worst thing ever.
I tried to lift the sword and swing it towards the monster, but its eyes followed my every move, it really wasn’t interested in me—it actually wanted the mini horse.
Ugh, I whispered. “No. way. You’re not getting him.” And on that note, I lunged towards it, taking a swipe as I did. My arm protested at any movement, and I hastened to give a slight bow and slice as I drew near it.
I was very surprised when I managed to hit flesh, and a gaping wound appeared along its shoulder. It let out a bellow at me, and I cringed.
I’d made it angrier now, and it lunged towards me, swiping with scaly and diseased looking claws. I dodged to the left and dropped the sword doing so. Man, I was rubbish with this kind of thing. So I ran for it, making a huge sliding effort towards the fire. I managed to get there before the creature, though I took damage from hitting the floor and bruising every bone in my knees and shins against rocks.
I cringed as it lunged towards me, totally not caring that I was so close to the fire, with a split-second thought to grab a stick and hit upwards with it. As the creature made a chomping sound, the fire burst forward, igniting its partly furred face. I grinned inwardly as it reeled backwards, falling on its back. Quickly, I managed to scramble for the sword where I’d dropped it. I picked it up, and as I moved forward to strike at the monster, I stopped.
Standing watching it scream in agony as the fire ravaged over its fur, and then petered out with nothing left to burn, I saw something in its eyes I’d not expected.
Sadness.
Was it sad that I was going to kill it?
In fact, was I actually going to kill it?
I hadn’t a clue. I had never killed anything before in my life. Sure, I’d been there when the other creature was decapitated, and my dagger had saved it from sliding onto me, but I hadn’t been the one to end its life. That was someone else.
I noticed the monster’s thought of sadness was changing in just those few seconds. As we stared into each other’s eyes, I saw anger flicker and then determination. It wasn’t going to give up. In as much pain as I was sure it was in, it was going to kill me and then go for the baby.
There was no way it was getting that baby horse from me. I stepped forward and plunged the sword forward and into its chest.
It tried to pull backwards, to tug itself off the sword, but it couldn’t. I struggled to keep it at bay, but because it wasn’t dying quickly, I forced the sword in further. I had no idea where my strength came from—sheer determination to survive, I think. The sword must have penetrated the ground as it stopped dead. That was it, it hit whatever spot it needed to hit, and the creature gurgled blood and then slumped.
Ping! First Kill. Saving the Ebolos — Reward — 1 Karma
A gold star and music. I felt the same enlightening from before. But the extra flashy scenery and the drugs made me feel sick.
I heard some commotion behind me, and then Ferris was gripping my arm pulling me away from the creature.
I kind of saw his face as he loomed before me, talking, but I heard no words.
Then someone handed me a drink, and I gulped it down. As I started to feel better, their words then made sense.
“Looks like she overdosed. Lucky, she couldn’t think or feel anything. She’s dislocated her arm again.”
I heard the slight whinnying from inside the wagon. No one had discovered the baby yet.
“I saved it,” I said. “It’s in your wagon.”
Ferris looked to the wagon and rushed off while Myleen managed to manoeuvre my arm once more and yanked down so that it clicked back into place. There was no pain, but the sickening click would never leave my ears. Ferris returned a moment later with the baby animal cradled in his chest. It was bigger than I thought. Not Labrador size, but more like a baby Great Dane. What was I thinking, lifting it off the floor? Pain. No wonder my arm was hanging again by my side.
“Is this world full of this weird hurtful stuff?”
Ferris dropped to one knee and placed the baby horse before me, its face so cute I wanted to pull it close and hug it. So I did. Its tail wagged, just like a happy dog would have, and I grinned. “These drugs are amazing,” I said. “But I feel so out of it.” I started to laugh.
Ferris motioned to Myleen. “Check the camp’s security, and we’ll get the baby fed and she and Akillia in my bunk for some real rest. The two of them will be safe there for the rest of the night.”
Myleen nodded, and she and Abel moved away. Ferris helped the baby and me back to his wagon and settled me on the bed. The room spun around me, but I wasn’t worried. I wanted it to spin more.
I settled down in his bed, smelling the soft scents of a man I’d not known long enough, but there was comfort from that. I watched as he flittered about his wagon and then returned with a made baby bottle. “She’ll want to feed a lot. She’s severely underweight. I’m going to order two of the guards to take her back to the village. We’ve a small holding with a few mothers and babies. We can’t take her on this journey with us.”
I stroked the horse’s fur as it sucked on the bottle, its eyes closed over with the ecstasy of finally getting something it needed.
When she’d finished, Ferris wiped over the dribble on her face and then motioned for us both to settle in for the night. “There won’t be any more mishaps tonight. Please, sleep well.”
And he was gone. The horse was already gently snoring beside me. I couldn’t believe how quick she’d actually gone to sleep. And the warmth of her body helped to soothe me. I wrapped myself around her and let go—let go of the day and the pain that egged on my shoulder.
This time there were no dreams, and I felt like nothing would wake me. Just darkness. Nothing but darkness.
Then in the darkness, I saw the flickering log off button.
I didn’t want to push it, but I moved and mentally clicked the tag.
I was floating back in the main room in the Philippines then, and Jane’s voice whispered to me, “It’s all okay, Emma. Welcome back. We’ll get you out in just one moment. I have some food ready for you and some news.”
The thought she had news was interesting. I wanted to get up and walk away from the unit, but I was held in place for a moment while it all disconnected.
When the main door to my room slid open, and I saw Jane in slacks and a T-shirt, she was grinning and holding out a hand for me. My legs wobbled, and I moved to take her hand so she could help me out of the room.
“Well done,” she said. “Let’s get you in your room. Then you can have some real food while I talk about what you’ve just been through.”
I smiled, the overhead lights hurting my eyes. Had I been under that long already? It felt like I had gone from morning to night.
I hadn’t thought I’d been in the VR long enough to actually want food, but even with the drip feed they were giving me, I still woke with a grumbling belly.
Jane allowed a server into the room and helped me to get over to it and sit. I could see why even after a few days, you’d need muscle rehabilitation.
“We’re actually working on making the units more real so you get the exercise the body needs inside the room. For now, it’s a little stiff, no?”
I could only agree with her, everything of mine ached as if I’d been sitting or lying down too long. I stretched out and picked up a glass of juice, slugging it back.
“It’s high energy,” she said. “So might taste a little funny.”
Oh, it did taste funny. It was very sweet and thick, but it went down rather quickly.
“We don’t usually have medical or feedback sessions so close to being in the game,” she said, “but you’re the exception.”
“I’m finding it all a little weird,” I said while picking
up some of my dinner. Mash potatoes, gravy, and beef by the looks of it, with veggies.
Jane smiled. “I’m sure you are, but you’re already off on a big quest, how do you feel about that?”
“I am worried we’re not going to complete it, but I’m enjoying every minute of it.”
“Even the monsters?”
I shuddered. “I guess. They’re a part of the world and what goes on inside it, so yeah. The monsters make it up too.”
Jane made a few notes and then turned her tablet over to me. I saw the headline. “Bidding starts on newcomer Akillia’s failure to complete the quest.”
I sighed. Was Jane showing me this all the time to spur me on? Or was there something else she wanted?
I wasn’t sure, and so I asked. “What do you want me to do?” I said. “I’m not a gamer. I can’t be someone I’m not in there.”
Jane put the tablet down. “It’s Beth that’s done exactly as you wanted, she’s raised the bet so if you win this, you’ll be set for life. You’ll be able to retire and live on the interest alone.”
She tapped the screen, and a figure came up. That’s what the bet is worth now if you do this, and it’s growing on a daily basis.”
I swallowed. That figure was more than anything I’d ever dreamed of in my life. “I’m learning, Jane. That’s all I can do is try my best and learn as I go along.”
“People love the underdog. So play your character and think of your in-game life for them as what it is—entertainment.”
I think I finally understood what she meant. “You want me to really become something else, don’t you?”
“Here, watch this point.”
Jane moved the tablet into my view once more. Then she clicked a few buttons, and a 3D screen came up on the wall to our left. I watched as I saw my character’s body. It was me by the campfire when I was calling out to the baby horse. Then I watched as the monster made it past the barrier and attacked me.