by Shawn Wyatt
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that sounds like grudging respect,” I said.
“Not a chance. She’s still scum. But she’s scum that’s going to throw herself at our enemy like cannon fodder, so I’m not complaining.” Quinn took the helm. “Let’s go.”
I nodded. “You know where The Sunken Labyrinth is?” I had a map to the location, but cartography had never been my strong suit.
“I do. Everyone on Shella does. It’s the one part of this realm that hasn’t been explored and mapped yet.” Quinn looked out over the waves. “It will take a few hours, but we have a good tailwind. Take this time to get ready.”
A heavy silence fell over the ship as we pulled out of Kiribati. Scarlet’s fleet fell in behind us, a group of five different ships flying a variety of colors. It seemed like the moment when a swelling crescendo should have played to herald the start of an epic adventure, but the atmosphere was somber.
I stared out over the waves. This was it. We had been on Shella for over a month. I’d been in the game for almost three. Had it really been that long? One-quarter of a year, lost to a virtual world. Perla Online had a way of warping my perception of time.
Those three months had felt like the blink of an eye, but they also felt like immeasurable. Years instead of months. I had grown stronger and was capable of more than ever. Meeting Kiribati had gained the party another level. I hoped to hit 30 before we left Shella.
Once again, I thought back to the night I discovered the beta. Nothing more than a file on an internet forum, tucked away on some obscure website. My passion for virtual reality had driven me to open it, and now I’d experienced more of virtual reality than I bargained for.
If I ever escaped from this world, I had to find a new hobby.
I shook my head. Now wasn't the time for thoughts like that. Evey had been right—the stress of the previous month had started to get to me, but last night had been refreshing. A couple of pints of ale and a soft bed had done wonders for my mood.
I could mope any time. Right now, I needed to focus on the task at hand. If not for me, then for my team. I laid both revolvers on the deck and checked their condition. Six rounds in each chamber. Two Desert Bullets, two Freezing Shots, two Lightning Shots.
Clint and Eastwood scampered onto my shoulders from the folds of my jacket. I had grown so accustomed to their presence that I often forgot they were there. I had made no more progress on the quest that had given them to me, Alternative Weapons, but I hoped the next realm would shed some light on the matter.
I had repaired my gear and loaded my guns. I brought up my character screen and scanned over my stats and abilities one more time. Kiribati had given no information on the final battle, but I still held onto the stat points. I might need them later.
I holstered my guns and stood up. The breeze brushed a soft hand across my face, and I closed my eyes. This world might not have been real in the normal sense, but it held many of the small pleasures that made life worth living.
When I escaped from here, I would have quite the story to tell to my sister. I turned back to the party. Everyone sat on the deck, each lost in their own thoughts. Some of my team readied their weapons.
Others sat in silence with their eyes locked onto the distant horizon.
The calm before the storm, or the quiet before a battle. Whatever way you chose to describe it, I had a feeling the same scene played out on the deck of Scarlet’s ships. Their bawdry laughter could normally be heard over the waves, but no sound emanated from the decks.
We all readied ourselves in our own way.
I made my way over to Bastion. He polished his flaming sword—his way of keeping the memory of his girlfriend alive. I watched as the flames parted for the cloth, their warmth soothing but not harmful. “Penny for your thoughts,” I said.
He looked up and grinned. “This is just like before, isn’t it? All of us preparing for the raid?”
“Except this time, you aren’t getting rich by curing hangovers.”
“That’s only because you lot didn’t drink as much as last time. Don’t think you’d escape the fee because you’re my friend, although I could be persuaded to give you a discount."
I laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “I appreciate that. Is your sword ready?”
“As ready as she will be,” Bastion said. “And despite all the fighting, there isn’t a scratch or a dent anywhere along the length of the blade. The durability is unbelievable.”
“If we’re fighting anything water based, use that blade to evaporate it.”
“You got it,” Bastion said.
I walked to where Rune leaned back against the taffrail. He hid his face behind his helm—but the lack of any reaction to my approach told me he might be asleep. “Hey, Rune. You awake?”
He grunted. “Awake enough. What’s up?”
“Checking to see if you needed anything before we arrived.”
“I’m good,” he said. “My equipment is ready and polished. We’ll see if this enchantment ends up coming in handy for this fight.”
“Does all that armor actually feel lighter?” I asked.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s there at all,” he answered, laughing. “You might laugh at me for spending the money, but it was well worth it.”
“I just like to give you a hard time,” I said. “But if it helps you fight an maneuver through this muck, then I won't complain.”
Rune gave me a thumbs up. “You’ve got that right. Now stop worrying about me. Why not go check on Evey? If you don’t make a move on her soon, I will.”
“Shut up,” I said. Rune’s laughter followed me as I walked away. He had been insistent for weeks now that romance blossomed between Evey and I, despite the number of times I had told him he was out of his mind.
Wish came next. She had her Soulstones arrayed in front of her. One of her Spirit Wolves sniffed at the stone, then cocked a curious head toward her. “Hey, Wish.”
She raised her head and pinned me with a gaze. “Stop stressing.”
“What?”
“You think we don’t see through what you’re doing?” The Invoker shook her head. “Seriously, Ren. We’ve been a team for long time now. Long enough, at least, to know each other’s nervous ticks. You’re worried about the battle, and you’re worried about us. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m fine.”
I held up my hands. “You’re right,” I said. “It’s just hard to shake the anxiety.”
“Your mind is playing out the worst possible scenario over and over again, but you know that isn’t the most likely outcome. Right?”
I nodded.
“Exactly. Besides, we’ll be fine. Take a look at this.” She pointed at the Soulstones. “These were empty when I got them—by the way, thank you. I never said that before—but after a visit to a vendor on Kiribati, I had them filled.” Her eyes sparked with mischief. “I now have even more minions I can summon.”
“Besides the wolves?” I asked.
Wish nodded. “This one is a Spectral Shark,” she said, pointing at the first stone. “Not the strongest creature, but it gives me something to use in a water battle. This one is a Bone Wyvern. And the others, I’m not sure of. I just know they’re filled with a variety of different potential summons.”
“Are these all one use only?” I picked up one of the stones and turned it over in my hands. It thrummed with energy, and a cold blue light pulsed beneath the surface.
“Technically, yes,” she said. “But I can recapture the soul once I summon it and put it back in the stone.”
I paused. “Wish, you realize you’re basically a necromancer, right? Do all Invokers have that ability?”
She laughed. “None that I’ve met—which means I’m either one of a kind, or I’m the strongest Invoker out there. Either way, be glad I’m on your side.”
“Believe me, I am,” I said.
Wish dismissed me with a wave of her hand. “Go, check on the others. We’re good here.”
She reached up and scratched her wolf, and I left her there on the deck.
Quinn called out to me as I walked back the way I came. “Ren, a word?"
“What is it?”
The Swashbuckler turned the ship’s wheel and guided the vessel through the waters. “I wanted to thank you before we arrived, in case there wasn’t an opportunity to do so later.”
“Thank me for what?”
He rubbed the back of his head. “For giving me a second chance. We didn’t exactly get off to the best start, but you were willing to look past that.”
“You’re giving me a bit too much credit,” I said. “I needed your ship. I was ready to throw you overboard at first.”
“And I wouldn’t have blamed you for that,” he said. “But you didn’t, and that counts for a lot in my book. So thank you. No matter what happens next, I’m glad I’ve gotten the chance to travel with you all this far.”
“Hey, enough. Evey hears you talking like that and she’ll knock you senseless.”
“Aye, mate. I know. And I have no intention of going down with the ship, so to speak. It’d be a crime for me to die out here.”
“A crime?”
Quinn grinned. “Yeah, against women. They aren’t ready for the world to be without me yet.”
I rolled my eyes. “Keep up that attitude and you’ll be fine.”
Boris lay on his back on the deck. Evey had crawled on top of his stomach and had started to tickle the bear. He twisted and whined in protest, but could not dislodge. I stood and watched for a few seconds. “Aren’t you supposed to let sleeping bears lie?”
“That’s dogs,” Evey said. “Let sleeping dogs lie.”
“Seems like a good policy either way. Not many people I know would tickle a bear for the fun of it.” I stepped back as a massive paw flopped onto the deck.
“He won’t hurt me. He’s a good boy, aren’t you?” She scratched under Boris’ chin, and he huffed. The bear turned one massive eye on me, as if to say, “See what I put up with?”
I laughed. Evey slid off Boris’ stomach and stood up, brushing the stray bear hair from her pants and shirt. “This part of our journey is almost over, huh?”
I nodded. “Almost. One last boss fight to go. I think.” I hoped it wouldn’t be a string of boss fights like before.
“Remember, this world follow rules, even if we haven’t figured out what they are yet. If we only have three hours to clear this zone, then it isn’t likely that we’ll run into a huge number of bosses to fight. It shouldn’t be an all-day slog like the last raid.”
“You’re right. I’m concerned, but a part of me is curious. I want to know what the final boss of this world looks like.”
“I think we’ll find out soon.” Evey pointed in the distance.
On the horizon shimmered a violet egg. Light pulsed in circles from the shape. That had to be it—the final barrier.
We had arrived at the Sunken Labyrinth.
Chapter Thirty Five: The Drowned
I could make out the blurred outlines of another structure through the barrier, but concrete details escaped me. I suspected the Great Turtles designed the barrier that way on purpose. Anyone foolhardy enough to come here in search of treasure would be tempted by what lay beyond if they could see it.
Scarlet’s flagship slowed to a halt alongside Betsy. “Is this it?” she called.
I nodded. “The barrier will fall when we make contact, and then our countdown timer will begin. Here’s the last chance to turn back.”
“Not a chance!” the pirate called. “No one has ever seen the Sunken Labyrinth before. My crew will be the first, and the treasure it holds will make my men rich."
“Then be ready to move fast once we hit that wall,” I said. “We’ll take point." I turned back to the party. "Is everyone ready?”
One by one, everyone nodded.
“Alright then. Quinn, take us forward.”
The ship glided forward. The figurehead breached the scintillating barrier first. Cracks spread from the point of impact and raced along the wall of violet light. Moments later it crumbled into nothing.
A prompt appeared.
<<<>>>
Quest Updated: "The Walls That Bind"
You have reached the final barrier that surrounds the Sunken Labyrinth and proved your worth to the Great Turtles. Kiribati has upheld her end of the agreement and lowered the barrier. Your race against time begins now.
Barriers Remaining: 0/5
Time Remaining: 3 hours
<<<>>>
“Forward!” I shouted. The barrier had contained the corruption that lay beyond. The sea shifted from a beautiful azure to black as night, the waves thick like tar. A sense of evil filled the air inside. I understood then why we had such a short time limit. I sensed the intensity of the corruption. We could not allow it to spread.
“This is horrifying,” Evey whispered. The air around us felt thicker, heavier. I struggled to take a full breath. A golden glow bloomed behind me, and I turned to see Bastion casting a healing spell. The light flared out, and for a moment, the air was easier to breathe.
“There’s some sort of miasma here,” he muttered. “That’s what’s making it so difficult to breathe the air. Probably concentrated within the barrier."
“Man overboard!”
The cry came from one of Scarlet’s ships, and I rushed to the side and stared out at the waves. How had someone fallen in? But there, sure enough, I saw it—someone’s hand, thrust up above the waves, the last gasping signal of a drowning man.
Scarlet’s crew scrambled to get a rope down to the poor soul, but the hand slipped beneath the waves. Another pirate wrapped a rope around their waist and dove overboard. I admired their courage; I would not want to touch the water, but the pirate cut through the water with long, practiced strokes.
The hand reappeared for a moment, but then the wave shifted. I blinked.
My eyes had to be playing tricks on me. The hand connected to an arm far too long to belong to any real person. A sick feeling crept into my gut, but before I could act, the rescue pirate screamed.
Blood bloomed under the water, and the man shot a panicked look back toward his crew before he vanished under the waves.
Klaxons rang out across the pirate ships. Scarlet barked orders to her men, and I turned to the party. “Get ready,” I said. “I think we just found the first monster in this place.”
I drew my pistols and scanned the waves. Within moments, more hands breached the surface of the water—all reaching to the sky, beckoning for someone to help them. All bleached by the sun. All, on closer inspection, little more than bone held together by gelatinous flesh. A trap.
I took aim at the one closest and fired. The Lightning Shot arced through the air and slammed into the murky black water. A scream of fury sounded from underneath, and the creature surfaced.
I fought the urge to vomit. The creature was a sea worm, at least twenty feet long, with a mouth ringed by rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its skin was the same sickly white color as the hand. Utterly unnatural. The monster had no eyes—only two empty sockets where eyes should be—and two small arms that ended in scythe-like claws. Above its head, a name appeared.
[Withered Drowned One, Level 29]
Dozens of Drowned Ones hid in the waves. Their hand signaled their location, each one a trap for the unwary sailor that came upon them. These monsters preyed on the goodness of others, relied on it for their meals.
“Kill them all,” I barked. “I don’t think they can damage the ship. These things are evil.”
“You got it,” Evey said. She fired volley after volley of arrows. Her Tempest Bow dished out massive amounts of damage. Rain of Arrows let her launch a medieval artillery strike on the monsters, but we lost any element of surprise.
Her attack sounded like a war zone. Thunder cracked with each arrow that struck the waves.
Though the Drowned Ones did not die in a single strike, Evey’s arrows ate through their HP with v
icious speed. Her hands moved in a blur, launching arrow after feathered arrow at the monsters.
I followed up with my own attacks. The rest of the party made sure none of the creatures climbed aboard the ship. Wish launched a volley of Spiritshards at the monsters, but her magic could not penetrate the waves.
Her time to shine came a few moments later, when Bastion shouted from the other side of the ship. “More of them on this side, Ren!”
“Hey, Wish. Still got that shark you mentioned?” I asked.
The Invoker grinned. “You know it. Let’s see what it can do against these monsters.” She reached into her pouch and threw the stone out into the waves. A huge shark, as long as any one of the monsters, appeared above the water for a moment before it splashed down.
The Spectral Shark snapped one of the faux-hands from the Drowned Ones before it bit down into the creature’s head and the water filled with a disgusting white slime. The Drowned One’s HP took a massive hit.
“Wish, you focus on that side. Help out your shark. Evey and I will cover this side. I don’t want to hit a friendly with all the lightning damage that’s going out.”
“Got it,” she said. Her attention had already shifted, and she filled the air between the ship and the water with crackling green Spiritshards.
Scarlet’s crew launched arrows and bullets into the water. They held their own against the monsters, driven by a sense of quiet fury at the loss of their shipmate
“I think they’re almost finished,” Evey said. She panted, her initial burst of energy fading away after the exertion of so many arrows. “Look.”
Only three hands breached the surface of the waves. “I’m surprised three of them survived that,” I said. Her attacks had been a carpet bomb of damage. She hadn’t even needed to aim. The arrows themselves did little damage compared to the compounded damage of the electricity in the water.
"Wait," Evey warned. "Something is different."
The three hands moved in unison with one another. The limbs breached the water as a column of grey-white goo rose from the waves. They belonged to a single monster, not multiple creatures. The creature rose above the deck of the ship, its scythe-arms dripping with the black water.