Reternity Online : Rescue Quest : DIRECTOR'S CUT : a LitRPG Epic

by Baron Sord

  Walter_Simon_Byrne_1978:> Is that Emily?

  “Yeah!” I shouted over the clamor of battle. “It’s her!”

  Slowly, Emily calmed and her skin glowed from within. Gold washed away her white pallor and she regained her natural color.

  A few moments later, Layna withdrew her hand.

  Emily laid there, asleep.

  The black blood that had poured from her mouth was now a natural red.

  “Is she… is she dead?” I asked.

  Layna lifted Emily’s head gently and put the necklace around Emily’s neck, then touched her fingers to Emily’s throat. “No. I feel a pulse. It’s weak, but it’s there.”

  “Thanks goodness,” I sighed.

  Layna smiled gently, “Thank the Light.”

  “Yeah, that too.”

  Dad morphed back into himself and dropped into the black mud, kneeling next to Layna. “Is she okay? Is my baby girl alive?” His eyes were wide with uncertainty and hope.

  “She should be okay,” Layna said. “Whatever curse infected her should be completely gone.”

  Dad said, “When she wakes up, she can log out and tell us where she is in the real world.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. We were so close to getting Emily back. So close.

  “When will she wake up?” Dad asked.

  Layna pursed her lips, “I don’t know. I’m sorry. But she will wake up. As long as she still has a NeuraLink on her head, she will wake up here in Reternity.”

  Shit. A horrid thought suddenly occurred to me. If her kidnappers decided now was a good time to log her out of RO, we might never find her. A debilitating wave of stress washed over me at the exact same time another wave of demonic dizziness hit me.

  I flopped into the mud, exhausted.

  My Stamina was down to 5% and still blinking purple.

  I didn’t have much time left. If Emily didn’t wake soon, she didn’t either.

  —: Chapter 28 :—

  “I’m so cold,” I shivered. I hadn’t moved from where I’d fallen in the mud next to Emily’s body 5 minutes ago. I was too tired. Despite the Takatcha Elixir Layna had given me, my Stamina was only around 12% and falling by the minute. My Health was higher, so I wasn’t going to die right away, but I couldn’t move.

  Layna pulled out a cloak and wrapped it around me. She rubbed her hands vigorously on my arms, trying to warm me.

  “Hey, Layna. What happens when my Stamina hits zero?”

  “You’ll pass out.”

  “That’s right,” I nodded, thinking back to my very first battle with the Koboglins. That seemed like a year ago.

  “Don’t worry,” Dad said. “I’ll be here when Emily wakes. No matter what happens to you, I can ask her where she is in the real world, then I’ll log out and tell you.”

  “Only if you don’t get killed by the Mind Wraith before she wakes up,” I muttered.

  “Then Jason’ll do it,” Dad said with a hint of uncertainty. “Or one of his soldiers.”

  I wasn’t going to point out the obvious. Jason was taking a beating and he had only one soldier left.

  The battle was not going well.

  Ka-CLACK! Ka-CLACK! Ka-CLACK!

  The Mountainaut was busy pummeling the last of the Tyrannoaks into the ground. Most of them were dead, but the Mountainaut had taken a beating. Despite its 100,000 armor, many of its white and black stones were chipped and cracked and gouged from the heavy combat. The stone that had been its left fist was completely gone, now sinking somewhere in the mud. Its right foot was also gone, leaving it with a peg right leg, but it could still move with a limp.

  Jason and his one remaining Soldier of the Law were trading sword blows and mana strikes with the Mind Wraith and Wyrm Wraith in a dazzling display of high level fire power.

  KingFarthurT:> That you, Craig?

  JusticeSoldierCraig:> Yeah, bud. Not doing too good. Lost 14 levels and I’m running out of Health. Mana’s almost all gone.

  KingFarthurT:> Hang in there, man. You got this.

  JusticeSoldierCraig:> Thanks. If I don’t make it, catch you back at Skyland after I re-spawn?

  KingFarthurT:> Yeah, buddy. I owe you that beer.

  JusticeSoldierCraig:> You owe me a case, Kill Stealer. You still haven’t made up for—

  GRA-GOOOOOOOONG!!!!

  A black shockwave from the Mind Wraith rippled across the distance and slammed into Craig, knocking him sailing back at least 50 feet. He splatted in the mud and slid another 50 before he stopped.

  KingFarthurT:> Craig? You still okay? Craig?

  His corpse glittered white and black and billowed away into nothingness.

  This fucking place.

  I took a look at Jason’s stats.

  Justice of the Law

  Level: 31

  Health | Stamina: 4,292 | 860

  Mana | Mind: 6,277 | 3,118

  Size: Medium++

  Armor: 1288

  ===============

  Fame | Infamy: 777 | -

  Good | Evil: 1111 | -

  Law | Chaos: 1111 | -

  ===============

  Damn.

  He’d dropped over 60 levels since I’d last checked.

  The Mind Wraith was going to kill him.

  “We have to help,” I said, gritting my teeth, trying to stand up. I felt too damn weak. “We have to—” A hard spike of pain stabbed my head. “Something’s happening,” I said in a panic. “What’s happening?”

  “The Force of Law is wearing off,” Layna said. “It’s been an hour.”

  “Oh no! That means my Intelligence is about to take a—”

  “Take a what?” Dad asked.

  “Huh?” I said, blinking.

  “You said your Intelligence is about to take a…”

  “Intelli-what?”

  Layna frowned and said, “His Intelligence just dropped to 4. Oh, no, It just dropped to 3.”

  Dad looked at her, “That far?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  I said, “What dropped to 3?”

  Dad smiled at me, “Don’t worry about it, son.”

  “Worry about what? What are you guys talking about?”

  Layna and Dad looked at me.

  “Why are you guys staring at me? Did I fart?”

  “No,” Dad chuckled. “You didn’t fart.”

  “Did you fart, Layna?”

  She crinkled her nose and shook her head.

  “Your pretty,” I said.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Will you marry me?”

  She giggled, “Maybe later?”

  “I want to have sex with you. Real bad.”

  Layna blushed.

  Dad chuckled uncomfortably.

  “Dad? Can you leave? I want to fuck Layna.”

  Layna groaned, “Uhhhhhhh…”

  “Language, son.”

  I turned to watch the battle. “Who’s that fighting over there?”

  “That’s your brother.”

  “Which brother?” I asked.

  “You only have one, son.”

  “Oh. What’s that block man?”

  “You mean the Mountainaut?” Dad said.

  “Mountain what?”

  Dad smiled, “I meant the block man.”

  I said, “Ha ha ha! Yeah that. It’s cool. Can you buy me one?”

  “Maybe later,” Dad chuckled.

  “Okay.”

  GRA-GOOOOOOOONG!!!!

  I laughed, “Ha ha ha ha! My brother fell over when that black guy farted on him! He has black farts! And he farts from the front! Ha ha ha ha! Plfffft! Fart, fart, fart!”

  Dad patted my shoulder.

  “Why is my brother running to his car? Hey, what’s my brother’s name?”

  “Jason,” Dad said.

  “Oh yeah. What’s he doing?”

  “He’s running to his chariot.”

  “His chair?”

  “Yes,” Dad smiled.

  “But its all muddy. Is he goin
g to play in the mud?”

  “Yes,” Dad said.

  “Can I go too? I wanna play in the mud with Jason!”

  “GREEE-AAAAAAAAAAAAGGG!!”

  “Why is that flying dinosaur picking up the chair?”

  Dad was scared. “Jason needs the chariot to amplify his mana. It’ll make him stronger, so he can fight harder.”

  “Huh? Oh my gosh! Jason’s hanging from the chair! The dinosaur is flying him away! Hold on, Jason! Don’t fall! You get hurt if you fall!”

  Ka-CLACK!!!!

  “Ha ha ha! The big block man killed the dinosaur! He punched him down! Right on the ground! Yaaaaaay! Oh no! Jason fell real far and his chair fell on him! His chair is broke! Oh no! Now the man with the black coat is killing Jason! Stop him, Dad! My brother is dying! Dad! Do something! Please, Dad! Pleeeeease!!!”

  “I can’t, son. I have to be here for your sister when she wakes up.”

  “What sister? Her? She looks dead. Oh no! Now Jason’s dead too.” I cried. “You didn’t do anything, Dad! Why didn’t you help Jason?”

  Ka-CLACK!!!! Ka-CLACK!!!!

  KRA-BOOOOM!

  “Oh! The big block man killed the man in the black coat! He squished him in the ground! Wait! Jason’s not dead! He’s pointing his stick at the black jacket man and shooting him! Ha ha ha! The black jacket man died! Ha ha ha! Jason won, Dad! Jason won!”

  Ka-Ka-Ka-CLACK!!!!

  “The block man broke! There’s blocks everywhere! Where’s Jason? Is he under one of those blocks? Did a block broke him? There he is! Jason! He’s waving!” I waved. “Jason! Jason! Here we are! Right here!”

  Dad cried.

  Layna cried.

  “He fell over, Dad. Jason fell over. Is he died too?”

  “No, son. He’s just sleeping.”

  “Can we go wake him up?”

  “Maybe later. Back at home.”

  “Okay. Hey, look! He turned into fireflies! And they all flied away!”

  “Yeah,” Dad cried.

  “Where’d they go?”

  “I don’t know, son.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “We wait for your sister to wake up.”

  “Okay.”

  Dad cried.

  Layna cried.

  “I’m bored. Can we go now?”

  “No, son. Be patient. It won’t take long. Emily will wake up soon. Then we can all go home.”

  —: Chapter 29 :—

  Monday, March 23th, 2037

  10:55pm

  The Real World

  Bangkok, Thailand

  Emily lay on her side, spooned in the front and back by two women prisoners. They too were spooned by the 65 other women crammed into a too small prison cell. The Bangkok heat was unbearable, amplified by the closeness of the other women. Overhead, rows of naked fluorescent lights burned through Emily’s eyelids, no matter how hard she squeezed them shut. At least the chains on her ankles were gone.

  It was Emily’s first night in Klong Prem, the Central Prison in Bangkok.

  Lying there, she tried to burrow inside herself and go someplace else. She imagined being back in Cambodia, sleeping on her comfortable cot in the Giving Hands Worldwide building, next to an always-open window. She wished for a real breeze to blow across her now and cool the sweat on her forehead.

  The woman behind Emily started snoring, blowing her hot breath against the back of Emily’s neck.

  Emily tried to inch forward, but her forearms, which were up to her chest, were only an inch away from the woman in front of her. She could feel the woman’s body heat. So she remained where she was.

  After a minute of continuous snoring, another woman behind the snorer complained loudly in Thai, spitting a string of irate curses Emily couldn’t understand.

  She pushed the sounds away and dove back into memory.

  Going to Siem Reap with Susan Mirsky to see the ancient temple ruins at Angkor Wat. Going for a ride on a smelly elephant because, how could they not? After, wandering the streets of Psar Chas, the old outdoor market. The two of them sitting together on the sidewalk in the shade, eating amok from banana leaf bowls. Emily savored the memory of the creamy fish curry with its notes of lemon grass and lime that blended with the palm sugar and the pungent but delicious fish sauce. She and Susan watching the kids ride by packed two and three to a scooter, wearing no helmets, the girls sitting side saddle with their feet dangling inches from the street like they’d never fall off, laughing like life would forever be this carefree.

  Susan asking, “Who would you rather? Dylan or Mason?”

  Emily snorting, “Who would I rather do?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Both of them. Duh.”

  “At the same time?” Susan grinned mischievously.

  “Mmmmmm…”

  They both broke into loud laughter.

  They’d giggled over this topic for months, but neither had done anything about it. GHW frowned on staff members having relationships with other staff.

  “I heard Dylan likes you,” Susan had said.

  “Who told you that?”

  “Dylan,” Susan had teased.

  “Liar,” Emily had insisted. But there had been that one time when they’d been on location in the outskirts of Paoy Smach, building a new wing for an old school and Dylan had stood behind her and showed her how to properly hammer a nail. She already knew how, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. All four of their hands had been symbolically wrapped around the shaft of the hammer while both of them pounded nail after nail after nail, hips thrusting in unison, Emily’s breasts jiggling every time they’d swung the shaft. She knew their little exercise had nothing to do with hammering nails and everything to do with—

  Emily was abruptly yanked out of her daydream when a stream of angry Thai erupted from the woman lying behind the snorer. The angry woman shoved the snorer, who then bumped into Emily’s back.

  Fortunately the snoring stopped.

  So did Emily’s reverie.

  The heat pressed in around her.

  She started to cry.

  She held it in as best she could, but the tears dribbled down anyway.

  Sudden shouting startled her.

  Uniformed guards hollering in Thai ran down the hallway outside the bars of the cell door, their batons at the ready, their boot thuds echoing off the concrete.

  The cell door swung inward.

  Inmates near it sat up, looking confused, muttering to each other in Thai. More and more heads came up, wondering what was going on.

  More guards ran down the hallway, shouting loudly.

  Then a prisoner ran by.

  Inside the cell, more women stood up. Those near the open cell door leaned out and peered down the hallway. Soon, everyone was standing. They crowded around the doorway in a clump, buzzing with excitement.

  Emily stood behind the crowd, her curiosity getting the better of her. Anything to take her mind off the stark reality of her situation.

  More prisoners ran by outside.

  “What’s going on?” Emily muttered.

  Many of her cellmates were already chattering away in Thai, Burmese, and other languages Emily couldn’t understand or identify. But their excitement was obvious and infectious.

  It didn’t take long before two of the Thai women stepped out of the cell and crept down the hallway in the opposite direction the guards had run. Within minutes, half of Emily’s cellmates had joined them.

  “Does anybody know what’s going on?” Emily asked.

  A Thai woman standing near her said, “Don’ know.”

  Emily wanted to go investigate, but she was afraid. Would she get in trouble? Be punished worse than she already was? It was possible. She’d already heard about the horrors of solitary from a Russian woman who lived in another cell. It was worse than death, the woman had said. Emily wasn’t willing to risk it for a few minutes of excitement. This place was bad enough already.

  BRI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-NG!!!!

&nb
sp; An incredibly loud fire alarm bell started a continuous ring.

  Emily covered her ears with the palms of her hands and shouted, “Is there a fire?”

  The other women were all hollering now. Most of them walked into the hallway and went randomly in either direction.

  Five minutes later, Emily was one of the last stragglers left in the cell. She and three other women hovered near the open cell door. No one had run past in some time.

  Emily stuck her head out, looking both ways.

  The alarm bell still rang. It was even louder in the empty hallway.

  Boots clattered from around a corner.

  Emily gasped and pulled herself back into the cell.

  Guards ran past, their clubs out.

  Emily exchanged glances with the three stragglers still in the cell with her.

  All of them were mousy, gray-haired, and afraid.

  Something seized Emily. She didn’t want to be like them.

  She stuck her foot out the door.

  By the time her bare toes touched the cool cement, she was already running.

  She went the opposite direction of the guards.

  She was going to escape this place.

  Somehow.

  It was insane, but she had to try.

  This was her only chance, she just knew it.

  She pounded along the hallway on the balls of her bare feet, running as fast as she could manage.

  When she turned a corner, someone slammed into her.

  Emily gasped, fearing the worst.

  It was another prisoner.

  They danced for a moment until the woman pushed her aside and bolted up the hallway.

  Emily considered following her.

  Decided against it.

  She ran.

  After only one day in prison, Emily didn’t know her way around. She could only hope she didn’t end up in the clutches of a sadistic guard or trapped in a dead end.

  She turned down several more corridors. Every prison door she passed was wide open, the ones to the cells and the ones between the connecting buildings.

  Was there a chance she could run right out of the prison and onto the city streets of Bangkok that waited just outside the walls of Klong Prem?

  Could she be that lucky?

  Maybe.