Of course, she would ask him that. From her perspective, he was literally killing himself to meet Rex’s goal. Riley’s training had been quite a bit more relaxed. It was grueling and tough, but she was also starting much further ahead than Jason – which meant she got much more out of her training sessions and had quite a bit more stamina to work with. As a result, she had time to do things like check on the rest of the Shadow Council.
Jason was tired. Actually, he was well past “tired.” He wasn’t sure there was a word for what he felt right now. Four in-game days was roughly 24 hours in the real world. The truth was that his real body hadn’t slept at all during that period and his waking mind, even in game, felt like it had experienced four whole days without rest. This was on top of the mental exhaustion of literally training himself to death countless times. He had done some marathon gaming sessions in the past, but nothing like this.
So, he was also honest with Riley – deception requiring at least some energy. “No. No, I’m not okay,” he grunted.
“What’s going on?” Riley asked hesitantly. “You don’t have to tell me, of course, but you’re pushing yourself way beyond even what Rex asked you to do.”
Jason shook his head. He hadn’t told her about the CPSC yet. Why would he? They were barely talking, and Riley seemed to be going out of her way to avoid him over the last few days in-game. Yet another problem that he had somehow created and didn’t know how to fix. She was still his friend – whatever issues they might have right now. And he could really just use someone to talk to.
“The CPSC hearing starts tomorrow,” he said quietly. “They’re more than likely going to call me as a witness – not tomorrow, but eventually. They’re probably going to paint me as some sort of psychopath.” He closed his eyes, trying to will away the image of his parents’ judging looks when he had seen them last. He could only hope they wouldn’t be at the hearing. That might be too painful to bear.
“Shit,” Riley muttered.
“Yeah,” Jason replied. What else could you say to that?
“Maybe…” she began tentatively. “Maybe, I could come to the hearing?”
Jason glanced at her in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting that – not with the way their relationship had been going lately. Although I suppose it’s easy to pity me, he thought bitterly. Despite the anger he felt at that thought, he found he still wanted her there. George and his group weren’t really on his side, and they had their own agenda. Angie had to work. Who else would be going just for him?
He noticed he had gone too long without responding and Riley’s hands were fidgeting in her lap. “I-I would actually like that,” Jason finally answered. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
Riley opened her mouth to say something else, but a dinging sound suddenly echoed through the room, interrupting her. That was Rex’s way of summoning them. Jason tapped at the system UI and pulled up the in-game clock. It seemed they had reached the undead general’s deadline. He must have lost track of time. A mixture of relief and worry washed over him as he realized that this was the moment of truth. He might not have to train anymore, but had he really worked hard enough to reach their goal?
“I guess we should get this over with,” Jason said tiredly, forcing himself to rise to his feet.
The pair made their way into the challenge room. Blue torches ignited around them, and, as they moved, the light cast shadows across the piles of bones that littered the room. They made a beeline for the pillar in the center of the room, and, as they neared it, Jason placed his palm on its surface.
Rex soon appeared beside the column, his wispy body wavering and rippling erratically. His dark eyes focused on the pair, his gaze lingering on Jason’s haggard form for just a moment. “Alright, it’s been four days! Let’s not tiptoe around the ominous question on everyone’s mind. It’s time to check your progress. Pull up your Character Status sheets.”
Riley quickly pulled up her own sheet as Jason hesitated. He had turned off all of his skill and statistic notifications while training – since he found them distracting and disheartening. In the beginning, it seemed like he had been moving far too slowly to possibly accomplish Rex’s goal. Now he would need to turn everything back on. He found it difficult to force himself to bring up his Character Status. Maybe he could fake a stroke or something instead. It didn’t seem that unlikely given his current physical and mental state.
“Good, good,” Rex said as he inspected the air in front of Riley, presumably looking at her Character Status. “You’ve made excellent headway. Good job.”
Then the skeletal man turned his dark gaze toward Jason. “Well, let’s see how you did, boy.”
With a sigh, Jason forced himself to pull up the system menus, quickly tapping through the icons. There was no help for it. He would have to see how well – or poorly – he had done. A barrage of notifications greeted him.
x10 Spell Rank Up: Bone Armor
Skill Level: Intermediate Level 1
Cost: 50 units.
Effect 1: Create intermediate bone armor. Each piece of armor has 350 health.
Effect 2: Increased coverage by 10%.
x11 Spell Rank Up: Bone Absorption
Skill Level: Intermediate Level 3
Effect 1: Your storage limit is currently 113 units.
Effect 2: Can now absorb up to 3 units at once.
x12 Skill Rank Up: Toughness
Skill Level: Intermediate Level 3
Effect 1: -7% damage and pain.
Effect 2: Reduced fatigue duration by 12%.
New Passive Skill: Staff Combat
You have learned the basics of staff combat, lending greater accuracy and defense while wielding a staff weapon. High-level staff users are known to be almost impenetrable walls, capable of even deflecting spells and projectiles. You can see this goal in the distant, distant horizon.
Effect: 5% Increased damage and accuracy.
x8 Skill Rank Up: Staff Combat
Skill Level: Beginner Level 9
Effect: 9% Increased damage and accuracy.
x4 Skill Rank Up: Dodge
Skill Level: Beginner Level 9
Effect: 4.5% increase speed and reaction time.
Stat Increases:
+49 Strength
+47 Dexterity
+42 Endurance
“Jesus,” Jason muttered as he reviewed the notifications. That had been a lot more progress than he had been expecting. Although, he supposed it was reasonable after what he had endured – most players probably wouldn’t willingly work themselves to death.
Still, his stomach sank as he saw the notice showing his statistic increases. Despite everything he had put himself through, he had still failed to meet Rex’s goal. With a sinking feeling, he pulled up his Character Status screen.
Character Status
Name:
Jason
Gender:
Male
Level:
165
Class:
Necromancer
Race:
Shade
Alignment:
Chaotic-Evil
Fame:
0
Infamy:
16,200
Health:
0
H-Regen/Sec:
1.60
Mana:
13,675
M-Regen/Sec:
55.95
Stamina
1,790
S-Regen/Sec:
9.70
Strength:
61
Dexterity:
67
Vitality:
36
Endurance:
82
Intelligence:
80
Willpower:
899
Affinities
Dark:
61%
Light:
9%
Fire:
6%
Water:
4%
Air:
4%<
br />
Earth:
6%
Rex eyed the screen, his expression neutral. Jason was expecting some sort of tirade or recrimination. He had failed. There was no getting around that. He should have pushed himself harder.
“Not too shabby,” Rex commented, interrupting Jason’s thoughts. “You were a bit short of fifty points in each category, but you made it a lot further than I expected.”
Jason stared at the skeleton in shock. “Wait, what?”
Rex shrugged. “I didn’t really think you’d succeed. The task I gave you was impossible – especially for a resident of this world. The only way you managed to get close was by literally training yourself to death. That isn’t a luxury most of my trainees used to have. Even so, there’s just a limit to what a person can accomplish in such a short amount of time.”
Jason could feel anger blooming in his chest. “So, you lied to me?”
Rex met his gaze evenly. “I get that you’re upset. I tricked you, sort of. But I also knew that if I set you a task – especially an unachievable one – you would push yourself harder. We can’t afford to waste time here. Yes, I lied. And you made it further in four days than most soldiers make it in months. So you’re welcome!”
He was finding it difficult to argue with Rex’s reasoning, although that might have been due in part to the way the world around him kept stuttering and dancing slightly. Damn it, he was tired.
“Anyway, this was a good first effort,” Rex continued, glancing between Riley and Jason. “I think the two of you might actually be able to succeed before Thorn’s deadline.”
“First effort?” It was Riley’s turn to look skeptical. Her training might have been easier than Jason’s – more stamina and higher natural stats made the tasks infinitely less painful – but it had still been a grueling effort for both of them.
Rex sighed. “Of course. Did you think this was the end? No, you two are going to keep training every day, at least until you hit the fatigue debuff. I’m not letting you run the challenge until you do.”
Jason closed his eyes as Rex and Riley spoke, trying to make the world stop spinning. This had never happened to him before. A few moments later, he felt a little more stable, and he was able to concentrate again. As he looked up, he found both Rex and Riley staring at him expectantly.
“What? I missed that,” he said. “Are we going to run the challenge now?”
Riley just shook her head, glaring accusingly at Rex. Even the skeleton looked a little nervous. “No, no you’re not,” Rex replied. “You’re going to go get some rest.”
“We need to keep moving,” Jason protested. “You said it yourself. We don’t have much time left.”
Rex stared him down. “Knowing your limits is just as important as growing stronger, and you are well past your limit. You can barely stand, and your eyes aren’t focusing on me any longer.” Rex snapped his fingers in Jason’s face to prove his point, and Jason jumped belatedly. “Attempting the challenge would be a waste of time. You can try again tomorrow.”
Jason opened his mouth to protest, but the skeletal man justy shook his head, disappearing in a trail of smoke that streamed back inside the nearby orb. Apparently, Rex had decided it was easier to bail on the conversation than to continue arguing. For a moment, Jason considered dipping his hand into the mana well and dragging the former general’s irritating, bony ass back. After everything he had put them through, he was just going to walk off?
“He’s right,” Riley interjected quietly. “You need some rest. Besides, tomorrow is the hearing. You should probably be alert for that.”
Jason whirled, his mouth open to snap at her. But then he paused. She was right. So was Rex. He knew it. He just didn’t want to hear it, and the truth was that he didn’t want to go to sleep. He knew the dreams would come back to haunt him, and, the faster he fell asleep, the sooner it would be tomorrow. He turned away from Riley so that she couldn’t see his face, or the moisture accumulating at the corners of his eyes.
“Fine,” he replied in a resigned voice. Then he tapped at his system UI and disappeared in a flash of multi-colored light.
Riley stood staring at the spot he had occupied only a moment before. “Good night, Jason,” she murmured, her expression downcast. Then she too disappeared.
Chapter 13 - Evolved
“Hold,” Vera said quietly, raising a mailed fist as she hugged the trunk of a ruined tree, its jagged branches spearing into the dark sky.
Frank took up a spot beside Vera as the other undead in their scouting parties assumed positions around them. At a gesture from the undead general, several archers clambered up the dead trees, finding secure spots with a good vantage point of the area in front of them.
“What is it?” Frank whispered.
“The trail for those Wraithlings ends here,” Vera murmured in response. “I suspect their nest is just ahead.”
Frank peered around the tree, noticing a clearing ahead of them. However, the area seemed darker than usual, an almost palpable fog obscuring his vision. That was odd. He hadn’t spent quite as much time in the Twilight Throne as Jason, but his Night Vision should have given him an unimpeded view of the clearing.
“Why can’t I see?” he asked Vera, noticing that the woman was checking her equipment and pulling her sword gently from its scabbard to the muffled sound of scraping metal.
“That will be clear in a moment,” the woman replied, meeting his gaze with her pale eyes. “Ready yourself. You and I are going to be the bait.”
Shit, Frank thought to himself. Why am I always the bait? At least he was going to have some company this time. With a sigh, he followed Vera’s instructions, pulling his axes from the loops at his waist and his legs transforming with a faint popping sound.
Vera held up a hand, three fingers raised. Then she began counting down. At one, she darted forward, Frank just behind her as the pair raced toward the clearing. Their legs pounded the dry, cracked dirt as the cloud of darkness hovered in the air in front of them. Frank spared a surprised glance at Vera – noticing that she was easily keeping up with him even with his mutated legs. At that moment, Frank realized he had never really seen the zombie woman in combat – real combat anyway. She had spent most of their last encounter directing the troops instead of engaging directly.
As they neared the clearing, a chittering sound filled the air – the sound conjuring recent memories of the raptor-like creatures and forcing Frank to focus. Even at this distance, his Night Vision refused to penetrate the black fog that seemed to hover over the clearing, making it difficult to pinpoint the enemy’s numbers. The only consolation was that the grating sound was fainter than it had been on the road. Hopefully, that meant they were facing fewer opponents.
Vera glanced at Frank from where she ran beside him. Despite their breakneck pace, she didn’t seem out of breath. “Get ready to sprint back to the tree line,” she shouted. “We’ll move as soon as the first of the undead break through the cloud.”
Frank just nodded, saving his stamina. He didn’t have to wait long. The first of the Wraithlings came racing out of the fog, their bony mandibles clicking and grinding furiously as their malevolent black eyes trained on Vera and Frank. Vera didn’t hesitate. She slid to a stop, creating a cloud of dust, before rotating quickly on her heel and racing back the way they had come. Frank followed her lead, stumbling slightly at the abrupt halt. He made up for his lost ground by using his mutated legs to leap forward – quickly catching back up with Vera.
The raptor-like creatures raced behind them, gaining ground slowly despite the pair’s swift pace. Then the air filled with the sound of a different type of buzzing, dark streaks racing past Frank and Vera from the other direction. The missiles slammed into the Wraithlings, burying themselves in joints and weak points before exploding violently. A miasma of darkness ripped apart the monsters and sent their dismembered bodies tumbling to the ground.
Vera glanced over at Frank, and they shared a look. She didn’t ne
ed to communicate the next order. As the second round of missiles streaked past, she turned again – followed only a moment later by Frank. The pair squared off against the dozen or so remaining Wraithlings that had made it through the barrage of Void Arrows.
The undead general seemed to disappear from beside Frank, leaving behind a silhouette of dark energy. She re-appeared beside the Wraithlings, her blade striking with pinpoint precision – cleanly severing limbs and heads. Frank stood frozen in shock for a moment as he watched her work. As she cut a swath of destruction through the undead creatures, he couldn’t help but wonder if the woman even needed his help.
His moment of hesitation allowed the remaining Wraithlings to catch up and he barely raised an axe in time to ward off an incoming sweep of one creature’s claws, the bones throwing off sparks as they scraped against the blade of his weapon. Frank rotated with the blow, using his newfound momentum to launch a counterattack, his axes soon biting into bone. He swung his weapons in huge arcs, forgoing any defense as he slammed his blades into the bony creatures.
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