by Rick Scott
“We can work on that once the storm clears,” Maxis says. “For now, let’s get this drill going.”
Chapter 32: Crazy
I travel down the tunnel with Maxis and Rembrandt, heading toward the exit of the worm hole. Gilly and Val Helena have strewn light spells along its length, lighting the tunnel as brightly as the cavern we just left. As we near the exit Maxis slaps me on the back.
“You go ahead and get your bath, man,” Maxis says. “You worked hard in there. We got this.”
“You sure?” It feels weird to hear my brother say something like that, but I appreciate it. He truly is treating me more like an equal now. “Thanks.”
“Oy, what about me?” Rembrandt says in mock protest.
Maxis grins. “Clones don’t count, dude.”
We all share a laugh at that.
Exiting the tunnel, a foul odor hits me even more powerful than the one I’m already wearing, a sharp acrid stench that makes my stomach turn—like ammonia and dead fish.
Maxis pinches his face. “Crap! What is that?”
“Sorry!” Becky calls from the kitchen. She then appears around the corner wearing a handkerchief wrapped around her nose and mouth. “This stuff is awful. Come see!”
We all hesitate for a moment, but our morbid curiosity gets the best of us and we follow the Halfling into the kitchen. The pungent scent gets worse and I nearly lose my lunch when I see the same cooking pot the soup was in now boiling away with huge chunks of gray worm meat.
“It’s the liver,” Becky says. “Best source of oil. Just like a shark.”
“Yuck,” I say, unable to contain my revulsion. “I don’t think getting a bath would even matter now. All you can smell is this stink.”
“Aiko couldn’t stand it either,” she says with a laugh.
“How much longer?” Maxis asks, pulling his scarf over his nose.
“There’s a batch already done,” Becky says, and points to a second cauldron of yellow liquid set in the corner of the kitchen. “This is the last one.”
Rembrandt activates his Contract ability and forms two more of his clones. “Let’s get this out of here then. I’d rather brave the bloody storm than be stuck smelling this. Worse than the bloody crap!”
“I hear that,” Maxis says and heads for the pile of wood set next to the iron stove that’s boiling down the worm liver.
“I’ll bring some more wood down after I get this other stink off,” I say.
“Roger that,” Maxis says.
I wait for Rembrandt and Maxis to leave before asking Becky one more question. “Where is Aiko anyway?”
“Probably in the common room,” she says, and then adds with an eye roll, “sleeping her head off or something.”
Guess that means it’s safe to take a bath. I give Becky a thumbs-up and grab a couple of pieces of wood before heading out of the kitchen. I avoid the common room and light a fire under the stones to get the bath going.
As I wait for it to heat, the storm pounds the wooden structure from the outside, causing the walls to creak and moan. The wind is still whipping but not quite so badly as before. In fact, it’s only every once in a while that it’s actually strong enough to even hear. It really is dying down, I suppose. And that means our cone of safety from Braxus’ pursuing army will soon be lifted as well. We need to get this plan underway.
And fast.
* * *
After my bath I grab some more wood to take back down to the tunnel. As I cross the entrance to the common room, I hesitate. Everyone else is downstairs with the drill and Becky is stuck in the kitchen. If there’s a time to get Aiko alone for a chat…it’s now. The thought makes my stomach queasy though, and not from the reek of the worm oil.
I don’t know what I’m so nervous about really. Maybe I’m more confused than I think. I guess I really do admire Aiko a lot and knowing she may have something against me now, for whatever reason, has me feeling anxious. I just hope she’s in a decent state of mind to talk. If she’s in her bad girl mode, a chat might not go so well—regardless of the circumstances.
Maybe I can wait till after I see the drill in action to go see her. Besides, I need to get them more wood, right? I take a step in the direction of the tunnel, but then my conversation with Rembrandt come rushing back to the forefront of my mind. Is this true strength? Doing what has to be done even if you don’t want to? Certainly not. I guess this kind of test can come in more ways than one. And this was definitely one.
Time to man up.
I rest the wood to the side and head into the common room. It’s still warm thanks to the fire, which is burning low with barely visible flames. The smell of the smoke helps mask the scent of the worm oil which is thankfully not as strong in here. I check the beds but I don’t see her sleeping like Becky said.
“Aiko?” I call out.
The room isn’t that big. She’s definitely not in here.
I head back to the kitchen.
“Hey, Becky, did you see Aiko come through here while I was in the bath? She’s not in the common room.”
Becky lowers her mask for a second. “Oh, she told me she was going outside to check on the weather.” She then grins mischievously. “Honestly though, I think the worm oil was probably making her sick. She might be out there puking.”
I chuckle. “How long ago?”
“Just a few minutes. I imagine she’ll be back soon.”
I smile. “Yeah. Probably. Thanks.”
I leave Becky to do her thing and wait by the fire in the common room. I mentally go over how I’m going to approach the conversation with her. Maybe direct is best. But Val Helena did say to let her down easily. Whatever that means. It’s still kind of hard for me to even imagine Aiko actually thinking about me in such a way. But then again, who knows how she really thinks? She’s a deeply layered person, I know that for sure.
Twenty minutes go by with no sign of her and I begin to get worried.
“Hey, Becky,” I call to the kitchen. “I’m going to go look for her.”
“Okay!” she yells back.
I head for the common room door and prepare myself for the cold as I pry it open. The wind rushes through the gap with a flurry of snowflakes, daylight coming with it. A wall of snow three feet high collapses into the common room and for a moment I wonder how Aiko got through the door at all without leaving a pile of mess on the floor like I just did.
Maybe she changed to Ninja and phased through it with Shadow Step.
I kick back some of the snow and step outside, shutting the heavy wooden door behind me. The whiteness of the snow blinds me and I have to shield my eyes until they adjust. I take a deep breath of the frigid cold air and it feels like heaven. After enduring the worm crap cave and the worm oil, I can honestly understand why Aiko might still be hanging out here in the cold rather than heading back inside. The whole place reeks.
Above, the sky is a thick blanket of white, but the snow isn’t falling nearly as much as I thought it would be. It seems the same as it was just a couple hours before the storm hit, gusting but not dumping heavily and getting lighter all the time. The visibility too is vastly improved and I can see the entire courtyard clearly and the tips of the pine trees in the distance, peeking over the top of the walls.
I look behind me at the wooden structure of the camp, frosted with at least two feet of snow. It served its purpose well. We would have all died out here if not for being able to build that thing. Again it makes me appreciate this weird, hybrid, nano-fantasy world we’re living in—a game but in the real world. For a second I wonder what my mom would think of all this. She’d probably love the heck out of it.
I cup my hands and shout.
“Aiko!”
My voice gets lost in the wind and I don’t hear a response. I notice a path cut through the packed snow leading towards the western wall, however. She definitely came this way, and not too long ago, by the amount of snow that has fallen back into the pathway cut across the courtyard. I trudg
e through it and reach the wall. There are no steps or parapet that I can see—which reminds me, that’s something else we’ll need to build when we have time.
I look up the wall and wonder if she had run up it using Wall Run. I take off with Sprint to test the theory and charge up the wall. I crest the top with a small flip and land on the foot-wide ledge as nimbly as a cat. The wind is strong up here and my scarf whips bitterly at my face. I get a gorgeous bird’s-eye view of our camp and the inner courtyard, plus the snow-crusted forest just beyond the walls. The only thing I don’t see, however, is Aiko.
A flutter of worry runs through my stomach.
Did she really run off like she said she would? I don’t even want to think that, but I’m putting two and two together and I’m not liking the math.
I try reaching her with a PM.
[That player is not within range.]
Oh crap.
She couldn’t have really done this, could she? Abandon us? Surely she was just blowing off steam or something. Maybe she just slipped back inside without Becky noticing and is somewhere down in the worm hole with everyone else. That could possibly be far away enough to be out of range too.
I send a PM to Val Helena as a test.
Me: Hey, can you hear me?
Oh crap, it went through.
Val Helena: Yeah, what’s up?
Me: Is Aiko down there with you?
Val Helena: No. Why?
My stomach does another flip-flop. I peer over the wall searching for her.
“AIKO!”
Your Awareness increases by 0.3.
In the snow a few feet below where I am, I spot an impact crater and a trail leading off into the forest towards Braxus.
Not good.
Me: I think we have a problem, Val. You’d better bring everyone up top. Quick.
* * *
Five minutes later we’re gathered in the common hall and I tell them everything I’ve found.
“She’s seriously gone?” Gilly says, her eyes wide and incredulous. “For real?”
“Looks like it,” I say.
Val Helena spins in a circle with her hands atop her head. “I can’t believe she’s gone and done this. That stupid selfish cowar—!”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Rembrandt says. “She may have disagreed with the course of action but she wouldn’t betray us like this, would she?”
I look to Becky. “Would she?”
Becky merely frowns. “My sister goes through strange phases at times. This could be one of them.”
“Perhaps she’s gotten herself into some kind of trouble?” Rembrandt says.
“Aiko the sneak?” Val Helena says. “Not likely.”
I grimace. I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse about the situation.
“You really think she’s going to try and make it past that army?” Maxis says, pointing towards the door. “By herself? In that? It’s still blowing like heck out there.”
“Not anymore,” I say, and wonder if Aiko really has tried to make a break for it on her own. “It’s actually settled down a lot.”
“Which means it’s not that bad for Braxus either,” Rembrandt says. “He could be on the move and headed this way.”
Gilly rests her hands on her hips. “So what are we going to do now?”
I feel somewhat responsible for all this. I should have just tried talking to Aiko through PMs or something earlier. Maybe she wouldn’t have left if we had talked. If that’s the reason she left at all.
“I’m going out to look for her,” I say. “Those tracks she left still look fresh. She couldn’t have gotten too far. And she might be in trouble like Rem says.”
“I’m coming with you,” Maxis says.
Val Helena nods. “Me too.”
“No wait,” I say holding my hands up to stop them. “I can honestly move faster alone. I can get up and over that wall without opening the main gate. Plus, I have stealth, remember?”
“She probably does too,” Becky says. “It might be hard to find her.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll just try PMing her from afar until I make contact. Like I said, she can’t be gone too far.”
“I don’t like the idea of you heading out there alone,” Gilly says, twisting her lips into a frown.
“Hey, better me than anyone else,” I say, and lift her chin with a smile. “Like I said. It’s a Ninja thing.”
Gilly rolls her eyes, even though I mean it for real this time.
“Time’s burning,” Rembrandt says. “If you’re going to catch up with her you need to move now.”
I nod and look to Val Helena. “The storm’s dying and Braxus could be on his way like Rem said. It’s best you guys get on with gathering the wood we need for the Ballista and everything else. We need to build a parapet for Rembrandt’s guys to use too.” I look to Gilly next. “And you need to get drilling.”
“He’s talking sense, mates,” Rembrandt says, adjusting his fedora. “Reece can find Aiko much quicker and safer than any of us can and we need materials if we’re going to build that second wall. We need to crack on. All of us.”
I smile. Rembrandt is always the voice of reason and wisdom. I’m doubly thankful for his council now.
Gilly gives me a hug. “You be careful, okay?”
“I will.”
She then smiles. “Go bring crazy lady back safe and sound.”
I chuckle. “If I can’t find her within an hour I’ll come back.”
“Fine,” Val Helena says. “We’ve got work to do till then.”
We head for the door and once outside I immediately sprint for the wall. As I scale it, I say a prayer and hope that Aiko isn’t as crazy as we all think she is.
Chapter 33: Snowblind
I fight against the bite of the cold and wind as I hustle through the snow-laden forest. My Shadow Cloak is firmly in place but I’m sure anyone looking in my direction for more than half a second would notice the snow being kicked up in my wake and the billowing frost of my rapid breath.
It’s been well over fifteen minutes now and the trail I’ve been following is growing fainter and fainter. At times I half wonder if I’m still following it at all, as it seems to completely disappear in spots. In those moments I stop to get my bearings and usually spot a new trough in the snow where I presume Aiko perhaps Wall Ran up a tree for some reason and then jumped back down again.
I send messages constantly through PM, trying to make contact with her.
[That player is not within range.]
[That player is not within range.]
[That player is not within range.]
Dang it! Where are you, Aiko?
A rising sense of dread takes hold the deeper I travel. I’m moving at a constant sprint and must have covered close to a couple miles by now. Why did she travel this far? It could mean only one thing. She really was trying to abandon us. The thought sours my stomach. How could she do this?
I sense something below me.
Your Awareness increases by 0.4.
Skill Up! Your Awareness is now 47!
Foot-long spikes of crystal erupt from the ground and pierce straight through me.
Crap!
Your shadow absorbs the attack!
I shift to the side away from the spikes. Thank God I had Shadow Copy up. I pause in the snow, eyeing the strange contraption that just attacked me. The spikes themselves are about two inches wide and set in a uniform pattern spaced maybe a half foot apart. The area they take up is about five feet square and again set with exact dimensions. When I focus on it, something pops onto my HUD.
Ice Spike Trap (Triggered)
HP: 100/100
It has hit points? Weird. And I guess it wasn’t made of crystal either, but still deadly I suppose, even made of ice. Not that I want to test how much damage that thing would have actually done to me without Shadow Copy. I think it answers my question as to why Aiko was jumping up a tree every now and then though.
I nee
d to be careful.
I trek onward more cautiously, refreshing Shadow Copy and keeping my eyes peeled for other Ice Traps in the snow. I travel another five minutes when my PM finally goes through.
Me: Aiko!
I found her!
Tense seconds pass as I wait for a response. Will she even respond?
Aiko: Reece? Where are you? Run up a tree quick!
Uh oh.
I don’t question her though and do exactly what she says. I scale up a pine tree using Wall Run and then crouch onto one of the thick lower branches, causing a blanket of snow to fall below me as it takes my weight.
Aiko: Stay there. I see you.
Me: What’s going on?
Aiko: I’m being stalked.
What the heck did that mean?
A few moments later the branch shakes again and I look to my left to see Aiko crouched besides me in her slick Thief gear. The sight of her fills me with both relief and agitation.
“What the heck are you doing out here?” I shout at her in a whisper. “Did you really try to ditch us?”
She doesn’t look at me as she responds, her eyes remaining fixed on the snow-covered ground below. “That’s not important right now. And keep your voice down. Actually…”
Aiko invites you to form a Party.
I accept the invite and then open up the Party Chat to continue our conversation.
“This is not cool, Aiko,” I say with irritation. “We got a serious threat coming our way and you decide to abandon us? After all we’ve been through? What the heck is wrong with you? How could you leave your family behind like that?”
She finally looks in my direction, studying me with her cool violet eyes. “I didn’t abandon you, okay. Sheesh.”