Dodge Tank: A LitRPG Novel (Crystal Shards Online Book 1)

by Rick Scott

  I get a PM.

  Blindix: Hey I’m right next to your tombstone. How much time do you have left on your timer?

  YES! Thank you! Thank you! I quickly message Blindix back.

  Me: Less than 5 minutes. Can you help me!!? D:

  Blindix: 5 minutes? Sweet!

  I wait for another reply but don’t get one. I start to get worried.

  Me: So can you help me get my corpse??

  Blindix: Nope. But I’m going to enjoy getting all of your stuff in 5 minutes. Hhhahaah! XD

  What the heck!?

  Me: Please!!! Don’t touch my stuff! I need it!!

  I send the message but it doesn’t go through.

  Player Blindix has added you to their ignore list and can no longer receive private messages from you.

  Noo!! I feel like tearing my hair out and screaming.

  What the heck am I going to do?

  Gilly! She’d still have some sneak potions on her probably. I check to see if she, by some miracle, has come back online. She hasn’t. I can’t even afford to buy more potions now with less than 200 credits in my account. Plus I wouldn’t have time to run to town and get them anyway.

  My heart is pounding. I rack my brains. I need help. But who? I don’t know anyone else in this game!

  I do a player search for the only other name that comes to mind.

  Your search has found (1) players online:

  Val Helena 85 PLD Plains of Duality

  She’s on! But in an area called the Plains of Duality? I have no idea where that even is! I send her a PM and pray that she responds.

  Me: Hi! Val Helena! Are you there???? D:

  Tense seconds pass.

  Val Helena: Yes?

  Thank heavens!

  Me: Can you help me please?? My corpse is stuck in Silvertooth mines, and I can’t get to it. I have less than four minutes before the timer runs out and there is some guy about to loot it! D:

  More seconds pass.

  Val Helena: Sorry, do I know you?

  She doesn’t remember me?? I can’t believe this!

  Me: Yes. I’m the miner guy from earlier today.

  And then I add for clarity.

  Me: The one with the scroll of Shadow Copy.

  She comes back much quicker this time.

  Val Helena: And you’re about to lose it now?

  I didn’t even think about that, but she was right. It was an untradeable item. If I lost my tombstone then it would disappear as well! Not that I was even planning to use it now, but the thought of losing it permanently has me somehow fretting its loss more than the ores.

  Me: Yes!!!! D:

  Val Helena: brt

  Her ‘be right there’ message comes only a few seconds before Val Helena herself materializes next to me, dwarfing me with her paladin armor and eight foot tall frame.

  She shoots me a party invitation and I hastily accept.

  “Thank you so much for helping!” I say through the party chat. “I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

  “How much time?” she says, no-nonsense. “Exactly.”

  I check. “3 minutes 48 seconds!”

  She then whips out her sword and starts casting spells and activating powers.

  Val Helena casts Minor Favor of the Goddess!

  Your max HP/STAM and TP are slightly increased.

  Val Helena casts Boundless Spring

  Your stamina regeneration has increased.

  Val Helena uses Cover!

  Val Helena is covering you.

  Attacks against you will now be directed toward Val Helena.

  “Run and don’t stop!” she says and takes off with a speed that seems impossible for a woman her size. I sprint after her and we enter the mines. The trolls ignore her as she runs past, but as soon as they get a whiff of me, they aggro and give chase.

  As we run, I see Val Helena’s stats on my HUD next to my own in the party line up.

  Val Helena Level 85 Paladin

  HP 6012/6012

  STAM: 430/430

  TP: 390/390

  Dang! Over 6k hit points!?

  I’m so taken aback by the numbers that I don’t even notice when one of the trolls takes a swing at me. I cringe and miraculously Val Helena swings her sword behind her and smacks the troll’s club away with the massive blade.

  Val Helena covers you!

  Val Helena parries the Mountain Troll’s attack!

  I almost laugh. I suddenly feel like I’m untouchable. And I probably am with Val Helena protecting me. I follow her as she thunders down the ramps and switch backs to the lower levels. She takes a different route than what Gilly and I did earlier, which I assume is shorter. I check the timer.

  “One minute,” I shout!

  “We’ll make it.”

  But then I check my stamina bar. It’s greatly increased from normal and draining much slower due to that regen spell. But it’s still draining. And it’s about to run out!

  No! So close!

  If I stop sprinting now there’s no way we’ll make it. I watch my bar slowly deplete.

  30/237 STAM

  23/237 STAM

  16/237 STAM

  “Val Helena, I’m about to—”

  “I got you.” She waves her sword and a green light engulfs me.

  Val Helena casts second wind!

  You recover +150 stamina.

  Hot damn! This woman is amazing!

  We power down a few more tunnels and empty into the cavern where Gruzug spawned. I see my tombstone with that player Blindix hovering over it like a vulture.

  Name: Blindix

  Sex: Male

  Race: Elven

  Class: Archer

  Level: 42

  Guild: Scooby Snacks

  I hate this guy immediately, especially his stupid guild name. When he sees Val Helena bearing down on him, followed by me and half the trolls in the mine, however, he books it, looking like he’s just crapped his pants.

  Good riddance, scumbag.

  “Get your tombstone, quick!” Val Helena cries and then turns to face the oncoming herd of trolls. As I run past her, she gives a battle cry.

  Val Helena uses Mass Challenge.

  A Mountain Troll attacks Val Helena.

  A Mountain Troll attacks Val Helena.

  A Mountain Troll attacks Val Helena.

  A Mountain Troll attacks Val Helena.

  A Mountain Troll attacks Val Helena.

  A Mountain Troll attacks Val Helena.

  A Mountain Troll attacks Val Helena.

  A Mountain Troll attacks Val Helena.

  A Mountain Troll attacks Val Helena.

  I stumble as I pause for a moment, mesmerized as all the trolls chasing me, suddenly turn their focus on Val Helena. She’s swarmed completely and I lose sight of her in the din. For a moment I fear they might overwhelm her, and I check her HP.

  5917/6012 HP

  5862/6012 HP

  5804/6012 HP

  Val Helena casts Heal II

  6012/6012 HP

  What was I worried about? I keep forgetting she’s a level 85 paladin and these are all just level 40 mobs. I reach my tombstone with seconds to spare. I collect my corpse and literally shout for joy when I see the spam of my inventory scroll up my HUD.

  “Yes!! Thank you!”

  Before I even put my miner’s gear back on, I check for it.

  Not the ores I need to pay my family’s rent.

  But that dumb scroll I can’t even use.

  A Scroll of Shadow Copy

  I’m relieved to see it, despite myself. But then sigh as I consider how little it can do for me now. I decide to try and forget about it and put my miner clothes on instead.

  It takes Val Helena a minute or two to kill off all the trolls and I join her when she’s done. “Thank you so much for this. I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

  She sheathes her sword. “No worries. Would have been a sin for you to lose that scroll like that.” />
  I laugh sardonically. “Wouldn’t have mattered if I did or not really.”

  She gives me a questioning and almost angry stare and I quickly realized how what I said came across.

  “N-no don’t get me wrong!” I say quickly. “I really appreciate what you just did for me. REALLY! And I do need the ores I had on me, but when it comes to that scroll…”

  I trail off then and wonder if I should even tell her.

  “What?” she says.

  I let out a sigh. “I’d need to level ninja for it and that’s something I just can’t do.”

  Her face goes deadpan for a second and then she bursts out laughing in her great big goddess voice. “Are you kidding me? That’s what’s stopping you? You could get yourself to 85 ninja in a week if you pushed hard enough. And then you’d be down here stealing Gruzug from me with that damn Aiko.”

  I chuckled. “What’s the story with her anyway? Seems like you two know each other.”

  “We do. And it’s a long story. And one I’d rather not get into. But seriously. Leveling up ninja isn’t too hard. It’s difficult at first but gets easier the more experience and skills you get. Even unlocking it is not so bad.”

  “Unlocking it?”

  “It’s an advanced class. You need to have Warrior and Thief to level 15 and Elemental Mage to level 5 to get the quest for it.”

  “All that too?” I laugh defeated. “I’d better totally forget it then. I couldn’t level any of those classes.”

  “What? Why not?”

  Maybe it’s the sincerity in her voice, or the way she’s looking at me with that goddess face and killer grey eyes, or maybe it’s the fact that’s she’s gone out of her way to help me, a total stranger with something so important. But I feel like I need to tell Val Helena the truth.

  I feel I owe her that much.

  “I got this medical condition,” I say. “Like a neurological disorder. It affects my legs in real life. In game, I’m basically stuck at -10 agility no matter how many points I spend on it. Anything combat related I just can’t do.”

  “Wow… sorry to hear that.”

  “Today I went down to the Hub to see if I could get it corrected.”

  “And can you?”

  “For 575k credits, yeah…” I shake my head. “The messed up part is; that’s more than I need for my mom’s operation. And that’s the main reason I’m even in Crystal Shards. To try and earn enough and save up for it.”

  “What’s wrong with your mom, if I may ask?”

  “She’s got cancer and needs a lung transplant.” I feel tears start to well up and my throat goes dry. “She’s got six months to live.”

  A hollowness enters me as I say the words out loud and it’s almost like I’m hearing them for the first time. In six months I’m going to lose my mother. I hear Val Helena gasp but I’m too embarrassed to look up at her and see the pity in her face. “The quickest option is an artificial lung that costs 525k,” I continue. “But even then it’s still only got a 50/50 chance if it will be rejected or not. The best option is nano treatment but that costs over 3 million.”

  It’s the first time I’ve told that to anyone. And I can’t believe it’s to a person I barely even know. I feel a stupid for doing it; for telling Val Helena all this. Like a total loser. But I’ve gone too far now, so what the heck.

  I’m never coming back here anyway.

  “When you told me what that scroll was, and I saw Aiko tanking Gruzug, I thought, this is it!” I wipe my eyes and sniff back a tear. “Like I’ve finally done it, you know? I’ve found a way to save my mom. I could join Aiko and go up against the world boss and win enough to afford the lung. Maybe even the nano treatment.”

  Val Helena just continues to stare at me. “And would you?”

  “Would I what?”

  “Take on a world boss. To save your mom.”

  I squint at her, wondering what she’s getting at. “Of course I would. Wouldn’t you?”

  Her eyes shift to the side like she’s contemplating something and then she looks back at me. “I’d like to make you an offer, Reece. But before I do there are some things you need to know first.”

  An offer? My heart rate goes up a bit. Is she actually offering to help me?

  “Like what?” I say.

  “Fighting a world boss and especially tanking it, is not something you can do by just hitting level 85. Shadow Copy or not. There’s a lot you need to learn and understand if you’re going to defeat it.”

  I nod to show her that I’m paying attention without interrupting.

  “And it won’t be easy. Hell, it may not even be possible. But if you want even a chance at doing it, you’ll have to eat, sleep and breathe this game. Do you understand?”

  I nod again.

  “Second. Once you defeat a world boss the game changes. It won’t be the same for you. Ever again.”

  A chill runs up my spine when she says that. “How do you mean?”

  She pauses, looking away from me for a moment. “I can’t really say. Or explain really. It’s something you’ll have to experience for yourself. But just know that when the time comes, you’ll have a choice to make. And what you choose will affect everything, both in game and out.”

  Now she really has my hairs standing on end.

  “Knowing that, is this still something you want to do?”

  “I didn’t even know that was a factor. But what choice do I have, right?”

  “You’ve always got a choice.”

  It didn’t really feel like it at the moment. “So I’m guessing you’ve beaten a world boss before?”

  “A long time ago, yes. And I need to do it again.”

  I raise my brow at that one.

  “Which brings me to my offer.” She then gets down on one knee to look me in the eye like I’m a little kid. “I’ll help you get to 85 ninja and become a Dodge Tank. But in return, you join me instead of Aiko. And when we defeat the world boss, I’ll need one more favor from you.”

  “What?”

  “I’m only offering this once. Will you join me?”

  “But how will you help—”

  A trade request pops up.

  Val Helena wishes to trade with you:

  Val Helena offers you 600,000 Cr

  Do you accept the trade? (Y/N)

  My eyes nearly pop out of my head. I’ve never seen so much money before in my life!

  “You’re giving this to me?”

  “Consider it a loan. But if you take it, I expect you to honor what I want from you in return.”

  I still wasn’t fully clear on what that was yet, but here was 600k sitting right in front of me.

  I could fix myself.

  Be able to level.

  Be able to use this scroll and tank a world boss!

  Earn enough not just for the lung, but maybe even the real fix!

  “What will it be, Reece?”

  I hesitate a moment more. Did I really want to do this?

  Once I hit that button, I wouldn’t just ‘be able’ to become a Dodge Tank.

  I would have to become one.

  For her.

  And who knew what that really meant in the end.

  “I’m not going to kid you,” Val Helena says, her tone suddenly serious. “As much as I would like to give you the opportunity to save your mom, it’s not my real reason for doing this. But I know it’s yours so….”

  And then she trails off, her eyes adrift in thought.

  “Tell you what,” she says focusing on me again. And I fear she’s about to cancel the trade and take the deal off the table. “It’s a lot for you to consider. And I need to be sure you got the stones for this. So take the money.”

  “What?! Are you serious?”

  “Go ahead. I mean it. Hit trade.”

  I pause a moment more and then I hit the button, like I’m in a dream.

  You receive 600,000 credits.

  I still don’t even believe it.

  “You’re f
acing a tough situation right now,” Val Helena says. “Knowing that your mom is that sick, I wouldn’t feel right forcing you to make the deal under that kind of duress. Take the money. And if you really want to use it for your mom’s transplant. Go ahead.”

  What? “I don’t understand… Why are you doing this?”

  “Because I can’t stop you if that’s what you really want to do anyway. And if it is, I don’t want you making the decision to join me for that reason alone. Because when the time comes, you’ll feel like I was holding a hatchet over your head. And I don’t want that on my conscience. You’ve always got a choice, Reece, but the time for you to make yours, is now.”

  I’m still not understanding any of this.

  “Honestly, with that scroll, you’ll be able to make millions. Easily. Same as Aiko. Even pay for that 3 mil nano treatment your mom needs. In my opinion, it’s the much better option for her in the long run. And you may be able to afford it much sooner than you think. But it’ll mean taking on the world boss. And that’s what I really need you for. And it won’t be a picnic. I need to be sure you’ll be down for it no matter how hard it gets or whatever we have to face. Understand?”

  I swallow a bit, still unsure.

  “But if all you want to do is help your mom, I understand that too. So use the money and buy that lung if you want. I can’t stop you. A 50/50 shot is better than nothing, I suppose. But if you really want to help me, and her in the long run, use it to fix yourself and meet me tomorrow morning in the starting city of Timberdale at 9am.”

  I’m dumbfounded and don’t know what to say.

  “Whether you show up or not, will let me know which decision you’ve made.” And then she stands. “Either way I’ll understand. But if you decide to join me, I’d appreciate it, because I just gave you nearly every credit I got. But if you don’t have the stomach for it, I’d rather you not show up. Because I couldn’t place my life in the hands of a person like that.”