“When you run out of stamina completely,” he explained. “You collapse and can’t do anything until you regenerate. If that happens in a fight, you’ll die. So make sure you keep an eye on it.”
“I will from now on,” she told him. “I wasn’t sure what was going on.”
He thought back to what she said about the goblin village. He had only started fires on a few of the huts. Had that crazy player burned down the rest of the village and left? Had he been afraid of more retaliation? Did he think a group of players was coming for him? Jace remembered his talk of being killed over and over by players. Had he been afraid?
Jace shook his head. Who knows what the Big Cheese was thinking? He was obviously insane now and it was probably a mistake to assign rational decision making to him. The goblins were gone. That was all that mattered. At least they could leave Sinking Springs without worrying about it being wiped out.
“Speaking of the goblins,” Jace said. “Did you turn in your quests?”
“No, I came right here.”
“Let’s go turn in your quests and see how far away from level 3 you are,” he told her. “If we’re both level 3 when we leave, it will be a bit easier.”
Her eyes glazed over briefly and then she punched him playfully. “You’re level 3 already?!”
Jace related the events of the previous night in more detail than his earlier description. He told her about the pit trap, being taken to the Big Cheese and being killed. He went on to relate the ambushing of the goblins and the torching of their huts before stopping.
“Wow,” she said. “You did have a busy night.”
“Wish you would have been there,” he told her.
“Some of us have to sleep,” she told him but then her smile faltered. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t joke about that.”
He waved away her apology. “On the bright side, even caravans stop for the night. I can keep going all night.”
She smiled wickedly at him. “Good to know you can go all night.”
Blushing, Jace turned back towards the mayor's place. “Let’s go turn in your quest.”
She giggled behind him but followed him to the mayor’s apothecary. They turned in her quest but asked the mayor about the next closest town before they left.
“Next closest town,” repeated the mayor thoughtfully. He scratched his chin for a moment. “That would be Skystead, in the mountains to the west. It’s a good week’s journey from here. Why do you ask?”
“We were thinking about heading there,” Jace answered truthfully.
“Oh my,” the mayor looked startled. “Just the two of you?”
“Yes,” Charlena said warily. “Why? Is that a problem?”
“Well...uh,” stammered the mayor. “I mean… it’s just that… you know… it’s dangerous in the wild lands. Normally the adventurers that go between towns are...uh… much more… um… experienced.”
“Are there specific monsters between here and Skystead that you know about?” Jace asked.
“Well, no… I meant… nothing specific,” he said. “But the caravans always speak of beasts attacking, bandits and all sorts of other nasty things.”
“Are their stories specifically about the area between here and there?” Jace asked again.
“Well, um, no. Not specifically,” the mayor replied, now looking a bit embarrassed. “I mean, not that I remember.”
“Thank you,” Jace told him. “Char… Almedha will talk about it.”
They left the mayor and walked a short ways away before Charlena stopped him. “What do you think?”
“About the monsters?” Jace asked.
Charlena nodded and he saw worry on her face.
“I don’t think it will be as bad as he says,” Jace tried to reassure her. “For one, we will attract much less attention than a caravan. And for two, he couldn’t name any specific monsters between here and there. If there was really a problem, he would know.”
She considered that and then nodded. Then her face went from worried to serious. “Jace, you never told me why you need to get to the capital so bad. Is there something there that can help you.”
Jace hesitated. The Help Desk was supposed to be a secret. If he were alive and they found out he’d said something, would WorldCog try to enforce his NDA. Jace stopped and mentally kicked himself. Why did he care? If he wasn’t dead, his NDA was going to be the least of WorldCog’s problems. Once he exposed the bug, they were going to have a lot of explaining to do - not just to him, but to the gaming commission.
“Technically, we’re not supposed to talk about it,” he told her, leaning in conspiratorially. “But in the castle of each capital city is a hidden room that can shift around. Inside the room is a thing called a Help Desk.”
“A help desk? As in, customer service?” she broke in.
Jace smiled and nodded. “It’s left over from the first revision of the game where they tried to handle support in-game. It’s been discontinued but ripping out the actual Help Desk would have involved a ton of code change, so they just hid it where no one should be able to find it.”
“But you can?” she asked.
Jace frowned. “Hopefully. But first, we need to get to the capital. Once we’re there, I’ll figure out a way to get into the castle and search it.”
“Aren’t only royalty allowed in the castle,” asked Charlena dubiously.
“Yes,” Jace confirmed. “One step at a time.”
“Okay Jace,” she said. “I’ll trust you know what you’re getting into. What next?”
“Let’s go turn in your other quest and then go grab some rations at the store,” he told her. “If we can get you to level 3, we might as well start off tonight.”
Charlena stopped and looked at him, her eyes boring into his. “Are you sure about this Jace? I know your situation but we could wait.”
“Yes,” Jace said, holding her stare. “If I am in a medical pod, I may need to get this resolved as soon as possible. I have no log out option. No pod references at all. I could be stuck in here even if I come out of the coma.”
“Couldn’t they just turn the pod off?” Charlena asked, the concern showing on her face.
“No,” Jace shook his head. “Well… yes, but there are serious risks just turning off a pod - like frying your brain. It’s why they have battery backups. The sudden loss of input can lead to all sorts of problems. I’m sure they know that at the hospital, but I don’t want to take that chance.”
“I had no idea,” Charlena told him.
“Most people don’t. It’s in the manual but no one reads that. And since they have battery backups, there is almost never a problem. I only know about it because I worked at WorldCog.”
“So, we need to get to the capital and we need to find your body in real life,” she said adamantly.
“The sooner the better,” he told her.
Chapter 35
Even after turning in her goblin revenge quest to Aiden, Charlena was still a few hundred experience shy of level 3. They went around to the various farms and villagers until they had completed enough quests to get her to level 3.
After she hit third level, they bought some more rations and a few other supplies Jace thought they would need. After their shopping, they went into the tavern to plan their next step. Jace ordered fish and chips, as usual, and a cup of their mead. Although skeptical at first, Charlena tried the mead and the fish and chips and then ordered her own.
“This is so good,” she said, savoring a mouthful of fish and chips. “And the best thing is, it’s not fattening!”
“Zero calories,” Jace agreed. Luna was purring on his lap. He stroked her fur and changed the conversation back to their plans. “So, you’re okay with me leaving tonight once you log out?”
She smiled over at him. “I’m okay. I don’t have to do anything. You’re the one that gets to start walking.”
“True,” Jace admitted. “Hopefully, the next time you log in, we’ll be a day closer to Skystead.�
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“Just be careful. I don’t relish making a second attempt naked.”
“I don’t know, that could be interesting.” Jace smiled evilly.
Charlena rolled his eyes at him and took another drink of her mead. Her mood turned serious. “Do you really think we can make it?”
“I don’t know,” he told her honestly. “I never tried something like this when I was low level. But if we don’t try, we’re going to be stuck here.”
“What about me contacting support?” she asked. “Maybe if I told them about the situation, they could intervene.”
“I don’t know how much I trust them,” Jace told her. “And I don’t want you to get involved until we know.”
“I don’t mind...”
“No!” Jace said adamantly and saw her face go steely. He softened his face. “Listen, we don’t know if WorldCog is involved or if they’re just ignorant of the error. Until we do, we can’t let them know about you.”
“But…”
Jace reached across the table and put his hand over hers. “Look what happened to me. What if they are involved and they come after you? Right now, you’re my only link to the outside and finding my body - assuming I really am alive. You need to stay off their radar. At least for now.”
She stared into his eyes for a long moment and finally nodded. “Fine, for now.”
“Thanks,” he told her and she gave him a smile.
She looked around. “I think it’s late. I need to log out and you need to start your journey.”
Jace sighed. “You’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow evening?”
“Of course,” she said and she stood up from the table. She walked over to him and kissed him. The kiss lingered for a long moment before she backed away. “So, I just auto-follow and log out.”
“Yes,” he told her. “And then your body stays online and follows me.”
She shrugged. “Good luck!”
Jace watched as her eyes went glassy and this time they stayed glassy and Charlena’s body took a step towards him. Setting Luna on the floor, he stood up and took a step back. Charlena’s body took a step forward. The movement was stiff and looked a bit unnatural but she did follow him. It was actually a bit unnerving to see her body there but know that Charlena was not inside.
He walked outside and Charlena followed him a few steps behind. Once outside, he experimentally jogged and then ran to see how she would react. In each instance, she mirrored his movements and kept up with him.
“Well, at least we know it works,” he said to Luna.
“Yes.”
He looked down at the little cat. “It looks like you’re going to be my only companion for a while.”
Luna looked up at him and blinked. “Yes.”
He realized he was stalling. Jace felt a certain sense of trepidation and maybe even a little foreboding about the journey. He had a lot to lose - well, relatively speaking. If he died out in the wild lands, he’d never make it back to his body. He’d lose everything he had. If he didn’t go, he could lose even more if he were alive.
He needed to reach the capital and he needed to figure out how he could access the pod controls if he were actually alive. Only support could help him to that. He took a deep breath and held it. Letting it out, he took the first step towards Whitecliff.
Jace walked west out of Sinking Springs, past the farms and into the wild lands. In the distance, he could make out the mountains. That was his destination. Somewhere on the mountain was Skystead, his destination.
Once they entered the wild lands, Jace began to jog. He kept a watchful eye on his Stamina. Whenever it dropped to 50%, he would stop and walk again. It was important that he keep enough Stamina to fight if he ran into something hostile. If he ran himself too low and then met something that wanted to kill them, he would be at a severe disadvantage.
They kept walking through the night and into early morning. When they came upon a stone bridge with a small river, Jace took the time to fish for their breakfast. It only took him an hour to catch several fish and fry them up in his pan. He burned one but did manage to finally max out his Cooking skill.
After giving Luna one of the fish to eat, he ate his own fried fish. The fried ones were much tastier than the fish he had cooked over the improvised spit and he was glad he’d picked up the frying pan. It was somewhat disconcerting to have the glassy-eyed Charlena staring at him the entire time, but he was starting to get used to it.
After their breakfast, Luna and Jace continued on through the forest. Jace was just thinking to himself that this might not be as bad a trip as he thought when Luna stopped suddenly. Having learned to trust her instincts and sharper senses, Jace immediately skidded to a halt and heard Charlena do the same.
“What is it?” he whispered.
“Wolfers.”
Luna had barely finished answering when three large wolves burst out of the bushes and Luna hissed. Each one was as large as the alpha wolf he’d fought before, maybe even a little larger. One of them went for him, one went for Luna and the final one went for Charlena.
Jace hesitated for a moment, torn between defending himself, Luna or Charlena. He made his decision and hoped it would be the right one.
“Luna,” he told her. “Lead it away then lead it back.”
“Yes,” she snapped back, already bolting away.
Jace stepped next to Charlena. He only had 14 mana and there were three wolves. He thought about using Vanish, but opted to use his Feint ability instead. It used only 2 mana, instead of 4 so he could get more out of it. At his level, the two abilities were nearly the same and he’d get twice as many Feints than he would Vanishes.
As his wolf lunged for him, Jace used Feint. The wolf was off balance for a moment and Jace stabbed his knife and rapier it, praying it would go down.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 17 damage.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 10 damage.
It didn’t. The wolf was still up and snapped at his leg with its teeth.
Wild Wolf bites YOU for but you Dodge.
Your Dodge skill has increased by 1.
His Dodge skill saved him but he heard Charlena cry out as her wolf bit into her. He glanced at the logs.
Wild Wolf bites Almedha Pressalor for 5 damage.
That was a powerful bite. He needed to hurry and kill his wolf so he could help her out. Once again using Feint, he slammed both his weapons into the wolf.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 15 damage.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 9 damage.
Wild Wolf dies.
You gain 50 experience.
He didn’t even wait until he saw the result but immediately used Feint again, stepped forward and drove his weapons into the other wolf.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 18 damage.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 10 damage.
The wolf yelped but bit Charlena again. His damage hadn’t been enough to pull it off.
Wild Wolf bites Almedha Pressalor for 7 damage.
Jace heard Luna scream and saw that the wolf which had been chasing her had caught her. Anger searched through him and he Feinted and attacked the wolf in front of him just as it was about to bite Charlena and kill her.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 16 damage.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 6 damage.
Wild Wolf dies.
You gain 50 experience.
The wolf died and he immediately ran over to where Luna was, but as he did, the wolf bit down savagely on her and she disappeared.
Your familiar has been banished.
Rage surged through Jace and charged the wolf. The creature was still trying to figure out where it’s prey had gone when Jace used his Feint and stabbed it.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 17 damage.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 8 damage.
It yelped and snapped back at him, it’s teeth finding his leg. The teeth tore through muscle and he stifled a screa
m as the pain flooded his awareness.
Thinking of Luna, he once again used his Feint and drove his weapons down into the creatures exposed neck.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 18 damage.
You critically stab Wild Wolf for 7 damage.
Wild Wolf dies.
You gain 50 experience.
The wolf dropped to the ground and Jace stumbled back, his leg barely able to support his weight without pain shooting up to his head. He looked around, making sure there were no others and then moved back over to Charlena.
Like him, she was starting to regenerate and he could see her wounds closing. Slumping down next to her standing form, he looked up at her glassy eyes. “Well, we survived the first encounter.” He thought about how close she’d come to dying and of Luna. “Barely.”
That had been close. Too close. He had barely been able to get the wolf off of Charlena in time.
One more bite and she might have died and then she would have lost her body and he’d have to go all the way back to the village to get her.
He needed a tank to Taunt the enemies but of course, he didn’t have a tank. It was just the two of them and a cat familiar. Future fights could go even worse. What if two of the wolves had attacked Charlena or even all three? He needed to be able to pull them off her quickly.
There was only one way he could do that. He didn’t want to do it, but he knew it was the only way. He needed to switch classes to Fighter. Fighters were front line fighters. They could use nearly every weapon or armor. They could take blows that the other classes couldn’t.
At first level, Fighter had the Taunt ability, which would force creatures to target him. It was the only reliable way he could ensure that he could get future enemies to attack him instead of Charlena or Luna.
He laughed mirthlessly. He was just starting to make progress in Rogue and now he had to switch. Cursing the game mechanics and WorldCog, he brought up his class menu.
Available classes:
Veil Online - Book 1 (a LitRPG MMORPG Adventure Series) Page 23