Total Immersion: Dark World: A LitRPG Adventure

by S. J. Larsson

  “I’m going to head that way,” I tell them. “See you soon.”

  ~

  I bring out Varengan for the walk through Dragonbane Territory’s valley of black, heading northwest. I’m about ten minutes from the cave Djinn waits for me in, and then he gets me.

  Seeker casts Crystal Ball. Sid’s next move is blocked.

  Dammit, what the fuck now? Immediately, I whack my staff on the ground.

  Sid’s attack is stopped.

  “Hello there,” says a voice behind me.

  I spin around, and Varengan is pecking at Seeker’s shoulder and back. Varengan isn’t much of a fighter except for Swift Arrow. The huge, gorgeous bird takes about 3% of Seeker’s HP with each peck. The freak doesn’t even flinch when Varengan hits him.

  “Mind putting your canary away?” he says.

  I don’t want to, but I know to be cautious. That worked in the forest.

  Sid dismisses Varengan.

  “Hi.” I try to sound neutral, but I can’t pretend friendly right now. I have somewhere to be, people waiting for me. A summon to claim.

  “I got you something,” he says. “Here, trade.”

  Seeker offers to trade with Sid.

  I accept warily. There’s an anklet in the trade box in my interface.

  “Go ahead. I think you’ll like it.”

  I take it and look at what it is. Rose Gold Anklet, +3 CON. Doubles Mystic’s buff effects when using Meditation.

  “Wow,” I murmur. “How did you get this?”

  “You know how,” he says with a shrug. His gleaming White Elf self doesn’t fit in Dragonbane Territory.

  I want to throw it on the ground and stomp on it. He looted it from some poor Mystic who must’ve turned Dark World upside-down looking for it. Instead, I equip it in one of my anklet slots. “Thanks, man.”

  “You’re welcome. Want to help out. Like your friends from your guild.” He smiles.

  “Yeah, that’s cool.”

  “I knew you’d like it. I also figure you don’t like how I acquired it, but I hope you can see past that. Your Meditation will be amazing with that equipped.”

  I stick my sandaled foot out and look at the rosy chain around my ankle. I look like a girl. Good thing my robes are so long, or Days would tease me forever. “I’ll get over it.” If I ever find the Mystic he took it from, I’ll return it. I don’t say that. “I don’t have Meditation yet.”

  “Really? I thought that’s why you finally came to this side of the world. That the quest is here. You have it, right?”

  “No. Going to find it. I plan on it, but on my way to a summon fight, so I really gotta go. Good to see you, and thanks again.” I turn around, and walk away.

  “Wait,” he calls out, even though I’m ten feet away from him. The urgency, God.

  “What?” I say, looking over my shoulder.

  He walks up to me, closing the little distance I’d put between us. “Have you thought about it more? Found out the things you were looking for to make your decision?”

  “No, still figuring. See ya.” I walk away.

  “Will you stop running off? Jesus.” He sounds like he’s losing his temper, and I know that’s a bad thing. My instinct is to summon Varengan for heals, because I don’t know any Psychic spells other than those he’s used on me.

  I stop and turn around. “Look, don’t take this the wrong way. I have to be somewhere. People are waiting on me.”

  “I know.”

  Seeker casts Reiki on himself. Seeker gains full HP.

  He had been at about 75% from Varengan’s pecking, but now completely fine.

  This isn’t good. Why did he heal himself?

  Sid casts Contemplation. Sid gains Protection.

  “Why did you do that?” he asks, white eyes narrowing.

  “You made me nervous when you healed like that.”

  “Why? My HP was low from your bird. Was I supposed to walk around at 75% HP?” His face sets hard like a cryptic bust.

  I don’t mean to, and I’ve been doing good playing it cool, but I slip up. “Because you killed and looted me in Elora. Forgive me if I’m hesitant still.”

  “Is that the real reason you haven’t made up your mind?”

  “No—well, part of it. I just need more time. Okay?”

  He takes a step closer to me. “I can get you through all your summon fights and get you gear that enhances everything. Just you and me. Doesn’t the Rose Gold Anklet prove that a little bit?”

  “Yeah, I know, but I like to do things my way.” Sarcasm drips.

  He crosses his arms, his black, gnarled staff wedged between his fist and chest. He’s so much taller than me. I’m losing my ability to play nice. “I do, too. I understand. I get exactly what you’re saying,” he mutters.

  My tone said it all. Not my words. I’d basically said my way is better than your way to a psychopath. Shit.

  Seeker uses Telekinesis on Volcanic Boulder.

  I have to think fast.

  Sid summons Varengan.

  I command my bird to go after him, but it’s too late. A nearby black volcanic boulder is flying through the air right at me. It’s the same size as me. This is gonna hurt.

  One hit from that boulder is all it takes. I feel like I fell off a forty-story building, and then there’s a sensation like I’m about to throw up my own innards, all of them, as my character collapses, dead.

  Varengan disappears upon my death.

  I want to curse him and really let him have a piece of my mind. Of course, I can’t. All I have is the option in my interface to return to my graveyard. I can’t even access guild chat until I’m a ghost. I can see everything in all directions around me, just like Elora, and feel as though I have been squished by a giant boulder as any Nuudle in mage robes for armor would. I can hear as well as see, though, not having agreed to the pop-up in my interface asking me if I am ready to go to my graveyard.

  He stands over me, moving the boulder off my body with that damn Telekinesis spell. “You aren’t better than me. We are alike. We are meant to fight together, not against each other.” He shakes his head. “Such a shame. It’ll take a while to walk back here as a ghost, even if you are ten times faster than usual. Nobody likes waiting. Your Faithgamblers friends will be long gone by the time you get there.”

  I’m not going back to the graveyard. I have to see him loot that anklet back. I know he’s going to do it. Fury burns through me with the frustration of not being able to say or do anything.

  He looks away. “Well, don’t worry, Sid. I won’t ever loot you again. I really am on your side. You need to learn certain things about me, that’s all.”

  He walks away slowly, and I watch until I can’t see him anymore.

  I accept to return to the graveyard, wondering if he’ll go back and loot me after all.

  ~

  “I’m sorry,” I say on guild chat as soon as I’m a ghost next to my tombstone. I don’t want the guild to know about Seeker and his offer or anything at all about him here in Dark World, but now I have explaining to do. They’re all waiting. The first time I met Days and Simple in the watering hole in Kleeple, I’d told them the story, but I’ve told no one what he’s doing to me in this confounding reality.

  Maybe it’s time. Maybe simply the feeling of being a ghost in Dark World—this floaty, transparent-body feeling, no weight, no nerve sensations—makes me feel more open. I know I can trust some of these people because they’ve proven over and over that I can.

  As I fly through the forest and White Elf Territory, I tell the guild about Seeker. How he just killed me, wants me in on some odd plan of his. Days asks about the plan, all of them shocked and pissed for me. I tell them he’s crazy and his plan doesn’t make any sense. I also admit to them I think he’s the reason I’m in Dark World somehow. They are quiet at that. What do they know? It’s that thing nobody talks about.

  “Was he named just Seeker in Elora?” Days asks.

  “No, The Seeker. Now he�
��s just Seeker.”

  “Hmm.” Days says nothing else, and the quiet stretches on.

  I am almost compelled to tell him about the tombstones being next to each other, but I hold my tongue. I don’t want to say that aloud yet, and its implications.

  “So, that’s why it’s taking me so long,” I say as I ride the hot air balloon again. “I’m so sorry to make you wait, and if you have to be somewhere, I understand if you can’t wait anymore.”

  “Are you kidding? After what you just went through?” says Simple.

  Days adds, “You have a stalker Psychic. Who just killed you. I think we can wait, and I think we can form a plan of our own for next time this Seeker comes after you. Maybe we can even track him down.”

  The guild discusses ideas for what they all want to do to Seeker, and Shell speaks up again as I get near my body. “Oh yeah, I did get in touch with that Psychic. I’ll see if I can get ahold of him again in a letter and ask him to send me a list in the mail of Psychic spells he knows. I really don’t know him well enough to message him.”

  “Really, Shell? That would be amazing, thanks,” I say as I resurrect. Being a ghost, I felt no physical sensations, but now in my body, I feel the heat of Dragonbane Territory and the sweat beading up under my robe. I still feel aches of being hit by the boulder once I’m in my Nuudle body, and pain literally for a Heal or Cure.

  Sid summons Varengan.

  Sid commands Gentle Flight. Sid heals to full HP.

  I look at my ankle. Rose Gold glitters in the sunlight.

  “We all need to know that,” says Sorry.

  I can’t believe how cool all these people are to me. They sincerely want to help me with not just my Mystic quest line, but with Seeker’s mad obsession with me. I don’t know why they’ve taken me on as a trusted comrade so quickly as to want to do some of the things Sorry is suggesting. I know the way she thinks. Even if all this time we’d been fighting together and never spoken, I’d be able to tell by her playing style. She’s made to be this Voodoo Lady class. She suggests—without anywhere near coming close to saying—a sneaky, bloody and successful plan.

  I like the way she thinks as I burn up and rub my muscles, grateful for my bird summon as I thank him, and then dismiss him.

  I get to the cave, and Days, Sorry, Simple and Doolittle are waiting for me.

  “Was that the first time you died?” Simple asks. It’s nice to be eye-level with someone.

  “Yeah. Sucks bad.”

  “It sure does,” she says with a laugh.

  Doolittle casts Deep Heal.

  I feel a surge of relaxation in those aching muscles Varengan didn’t quite get all the way, and it’s as though I feel horrid arthritis fade like water out of a spigot, the boulder having made my newly resurrected body feel like it was still regrowing bones until this wonderful gift from Doolittle.

  “Oh, thank you so, so much.” I close my eyes for a minute, then open them. They’re all looking at me, trying not to laugh.

  “Stop.”

  “You poor, poor thi—” Sorry can’t finish the sentence and cracks up into a fit of cackling. “Sorry, the look on someone’s face after the first time they die in Dark World never gets old. Sorry, sorry, I know it sucked so bad.”

  I relax, especially because I don’t hurt one speck anymore. “It’s kind of like popping your death cherry?” I ask with a grin.

  “Yes,” says Simple, grinning back. “As you’re here more, if you ever meet a new player, new to Dark World I mean, and get to know them… or not… but seeing their faces after they feel dying, it’s pretty funny.”

  “It’s the way we have to look at it or we’ll lose our fucking minds,” mutters Doolittle.

  “Ready to do this?” asks Days, physically and dramatically wiping a big, shit-eating smile off his face while holding his massive sword.

  “Yeah,” I say. We enter the dark cave after I summon Varengan. His blue glow lights the way and he takes hate from any aggro mobs the deeper we explore the abandoned mine. Mostly, we’re quiet, but they’ve put me in a much better mood about the death. Plus, the feeling of being a ghost is kinda cool.

  We get to a dead end, looking yet again much like the last two summon fights’ locales in caves, and I put my hand on the cave wall… my hand glows and the mark of the genie on my hand stays on the wall and grows.

  Everything goes dark for a few seconds, and then we are in the battle arena.

  We are inside a black volcano lit by the lava running in a circle around us. I don’t even want to think about what it would feel like to get knocked in that.

  In the middle of the black sand is a white marble pedestal, and on it is a golden lamp. A genie lamp. Ah-ha.

  “I guess you rub it,” says Doolittle.

  “That’s what I was thinking. Want to buff up?” I say.

  “Let the buffing commence,” says Simple.

  We buff for over a minute, and I use Varengan after summoning him.

  Sid commands Feathers. Days gains Protection.

  “Not the Counts?” Days asks.

  “Well, I’ve been thinking. The way the quests are laid out, it seems like I should use the last summon I claimed to get the next. Make sense?”

  “No, but you seem pretty in tune with Mystic, so I trust ya even if Varengan isn’t much of a fighter,” he answers. “Let’s go see what happens when you rub that lamp before the buffs start wearing off.”

  We go to the lamp and stand around it in a circle. I pick it up, examine it. “Ready?”

  “Ready,” says Days.

  “Yep,” adds Sorry.

  The other two nod.

  I tighten the sleeve of my robe and rub the lamp with it, making it shine. My hood falls back off my head as a gush of dust spits out of it as hard as a blow-dryer in my face.

  Green smoke comes out of the lamp hole next in a rush, and high above us, Djinn takes shape, stretching his arms out like he’s been in that lamp for a million years.

  He is bright grass-green, with gaudy gold adornments around his neck, wrists, elbows and waist. He has a red hat with a golden tassel. His chest is massive, and so are his arms. Below his waist, he narrows down and fades into the green mist. He’s overly muscular, and every finger has at least one or two heavily bejeweled yellow gold rings on it. They look like they’re all for magical intent.

  “Who has woken me?” he asks, yawning.

  Varengan isn’t attacking him. Good. I admit I’m more nervous about this one than the last two.

  “I have,” I say.

  He floats down, putting his face in mine. “You’re a small master. No matter, I offer my wishes to those of any size. But it takes more than rubbing my lamp for me to be convinced to serve you. I have been given the ability to choose whether or not I will assist a master, you see. I am the very first of the Djinn, coming into existence when time began.”

  “What do I need to do?” I ask him. Days gets his Deathdigger Sword ready.

  “We have a friendly duel. Masters want power, and I want masters who are strong and will not abuse me. When I see how you fight, I’ll know your morals. And then I can decide.” He drifts away from me, hovering in between all of us just above his lamp, which I had set back down on the pedestal. The green smoke trail below his huge golden and ruby-encrusted belt drifts between us.

  “Shall we begin?” he asks. “I’ll even let you and your friends make the first move.”

  Our buffs are almost all worn off, except Protection from Varengan on Days, and the ones that are cumulative until the end of battle only have that effect once you’re engaged in a battle.

  I whack the ground with my Shaman Stick, sparks flying off the volcano floor.

  Sid commands Feathers on Days. Days gains Protection.

  Maybe it’ll be or stay cumulative even out of battle if it’s from Varengan. I’ve had odd status effects and stat boosts from using that command on me, but extra buffing, accumulation being wonky, out-of-nowhere stat boosts when using the command
Feathers seems to be based on what Varengan feels like at the time. I’m hoping he knows and likes Days by now.

  Yeah, Mystic is making me a little nuts with my reasonings. I don’t talk about it to anyone.

  Sorry casts Regain on the party. Party gains HP over time.

  “When did you get that?” Days asks.

  “None of your business,” she says with a sly grin at him, which he returns.

  Doolittle casts Blessing of Inner Peace on Varengan. Varengan will dodge all Special Ability attacks in battle.

  Simple casts Lightning Armor on the party. Party members give lightning damage when hit.

  Sid casts Contemplation. Days gains Protection.

  Sid casts Spontaneity on Days. Days gains +45 CRG.

  “Alright,” says Days. The courage boost makes him sound like he was injected with an Epi Pen for an allergic reaction to the boost. He’s pumped.

  Days uses Invoke Inner Demon.

  “Hey!” Djinn says.

  Djinn uses First Wish. Days is warped to Home Point.

  Days vanishes in a green puff of smoke.

  Crap.

  Varengan starts pecking at Djinn, who slaps at him across his golden beak with a huge green hand as though the blue bird were an annoying fly.

  Sid commands Confusion. Djinn is confused for 20 seconds.

  “Oh, thank god,” says Sorry.

  Sorry casts Tribal Curse on Djinn. Djinn is cursed.

  “Do it, Sid, cast Mantra on me!” squeals Simple.

  Sid casts Mantra.

  Nothing happens.

  Oh yeah. “Silvia,” I mutter.

  Simple gains +220 ATT.

  Simple casts Death Lightning on Djinn.

  Djinn’s HP drops to 30%. That is insane. His HP bar had indicated stats higher than 600, all of them.

  It’s now or never. The timer on Confusion is at 3 seconds.

  Sid uses Seizure.

  Sid commands Swift Arrow.