World-Tree Online

by EA Hooper

  With Vincent’s level of Perception, he could see a speck of blood drip down Quinn’s shoulder where the ice blade had struck her.

  A high-risk, high-reward kind of shield. It won’t absorb an attack completely, but it will absorb some of the damage from multiple attacks. Between that shield and her Rogue-Fighter class combo, I guess she goes for the kill or dies trying.

  Quinn dodged another fire barrage, which melted away half the ice. Just when Jon almost cornered her, she Vanished to the nearest dry spot. She reequipped her combat boots, and magical blue sparks raced across them.

  That’s the Breaker ability that Fighters start with, Vincent noted, Scanning the ability to see if she’d upgraded it.

  Breaker (Fighter Only | Upgraded)– Mana Usage: Low | Charging a weapon or limb with this ability increases the chance that it will break an enemy’s shield, weapon, or armor. | Upgrades – Bonebreaker: This ability increases the chance of breaking bones. | Organcrusher: This ability increases the chance of damaging internal organs. | Stonebreaker: This ability increases the chance of damaging strong materials other than weapons and armor.

  Vincent skimmed the text just before Quinn Vanished to another dry area just outside Jon’s point of view. She crouched low to the ground, and several people in the crowd screamed as if expecting something. Quinn launched herself through the air toward Jon with a spin kick.

  Jon turned and tried to cast a barrier, but Quinn caught him in the head with her boot. The first kick shattered his Mana Shield, and the follow-up smashed open his unarmored skull, killing him instantly.

  Most the crowd jumped to their feet, roaring with enthusiasm—although, many of Jon’s fans cursed and shouted.

  “If that gamble hadn’t worked, she’d have been a goner,” one of Jon’s supporters grumbled.

  “Nah, she only does that spin multi-kick move when she’s ready to finish someone,” a Quinn fan replied.

  “That’s so boring, finishing him in one swoop,” the Jon fan argued. “She can’t fight him head to head.”

  “It’s called strategy,” the Quinn fan said. “Maybe Jon should try it sometime instead of spamming attacks.”

  “Is there a reason Quinn doesn’t use Breaker on a weapon like most players?” Vincent asked the woman’s fan.

  “Breaker has a short charge-up time as you coat your weapon in the destructive energy,” the fan replied. “So, the smaller the weapon, the faster the charge-up. It’s pretty much instant to put it on your fists. However, putting the basic Breaker on your fists won’t do much.”

  “But she upgraded hers,” Vincent noted. “I saw that with Scan. So, she goes in for quick jabs and lets her Breaker do all the damage?”

  “Except when she puts it on her boots and tries that spin kick,” the fan said. “I love that move so much. Wish I could come up with a cool attack like that.”

  Vincent stood and walked away without another word. He made his way to the backrooms of the coliseum. Two guards checked his identity before allowing him to enter. He eyed the warriors getting ready for combat, and then found a member of the Coliseum Guild at an information desk.

  “Can I request a fight with Quinn the Breaker?” Vincent asked.

  The guildsman examined him with a rune. “Says here you have no prior experience in the coliseum,” he replied. “You sure you want to do that?”

  “Yeah, I have a lot of practice fighting monsters outside the city.”

  “You know, I can see your levels here. Maybe you should start small. There’s no way you’re as skilled as Quinn, and she has a lot of levels on you.”

  “Oh, come on, let me try. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  The guildsman sighed. “Are you serious? Is this one of those things where you developed a cheap strategy to kill monsters, and you think it’ll work on the Arena Champion? We used to get people like you all the time before the update. Always thought they were so smart, before they got decapitated by a player with ten years more fighting experience and twenty more levels. You really want to go through that pain?”

  Vincent smiled. “I love a good challenge.”

  The guildsman shook his head. “Look, we can’t match you against Quinn when you’re unranked. I mean, unless you want to pay a Special Combatant’s fee—a hundred gild. You don’t want to waste that much gild just to get yourself killed, do you?”

  Vincent glanced at the two thousand gild in his inventory that Jim had given him. “I’ll pay that.” He took a hundred gild from his inventory and handed it to the guildsman.

  “Whatever, your loss. I think I have an empty time slot in an hour. Not many people want to stick around after the big fight of the day.”

  “That’s fine. Call me over the intercom, and I’ll be ready.”

  “Oh, it’s preferred you have a real title too. Vincent is kind of boring, especially when you’re going up against Quinn the Breaker.”

  Vincent went into his HUD to the option to change his name. The game allowed a name change once every in-game year, but you still had to keep your primary name in the title. He entered a title off the top of his head. I can always change it later.

  Name Change: Noble Vincent

  “Noble Vincent?” the guildsman said. “Not bad. So, you know all the rules? Unlimited ethers are allowed. Elixirs are forbidden. Runes must be pre-inspected, but enchantments on weapons and equipment are all allowed. Unless it’s something really out of the norm.”

  “What about spells? Are unusual spells allowed?”

  “Look, we don’t care what cheap spells you’ve developed. I’m telling you, it won’t work against Quinn.”

  Vincent nodded and headed back through the hall, then went toward the entrance and found the betting tables. He waited for the title card Quinn the Breaker VS Noble Vincent to appear on the holographic rune display over the tables. Once it appeared, he waited in line until he reached the guildsman behind the counter.

  “I hope you know you’re not allowed to bet against yourself,” the guildsman said, glancing at the time card.

  “I’m betting on myself,” Vincent replied. “That’s allowed, right?”

  The guildsman snickered. “Yeah, that’s no problem. If you win, you’ll get double whatever you bet.”

  “Only double?”

  “What, you think this was some get-rich-quick scheme? We’re a business, we can’t throw away all our money because some new blood got in a lucky shot. It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened. Sometimes our best players get taken down by randos. We have to account for that kind of stuff.”

  “Well, here’s my bet.” Vincent handed over the rest of his gild.

  The guildsman raised an eyebrow and tried not to laugh. “If it were any other player than Quinn, I’d report this to my superiors for possible fight-fixing, but I know that woman would never throw a match. She’s too proud for it.” He took the gild from Vincent and checked him with a rune. “Alright, your bet’s saved in our system.”

  “Thanks,” Vincent said, walking away from the table.

  He returned to the backrooms, sat on a bench, and waited for his fight. After several minutes, Quinn came around, talked to the guildsman at the counter, and then sat on the bench across from him. Vincent eyed the almond-skinned woman, noticing the sleek-looking bandages on her arms, legs, and under her shirt. Even the headband under her shaggy, dark-brown hair appeared made of the same material. He took the chance to Scan one bandage.

  Orofabric Bandage – Material Rating: 100 | A bandage made from magically crafted orofabric. | Magically crafted material cannot be hardened or enhanced with a Magic Rating.

  Orofabric is as strong as oiron, he noted. Meaning, it might stop a basic Mana Gun to her body or forehead, but the blast will leave an opening for a follow-up attack.

  “Scanning me before we hit the arena?” Quinn asked. “Not very sportsmanlike. I could easily change out my build, you know.”

  “Oh, sorry,” Vincent said, somewhat embarrassed. “This is my first
time in the arena. I don’t know the arena etiquette.”

  Quinn smirked. “Don’t worry about it. Take one of these, though.” She tossed him a pill.

  Numbing Tablet – A tablet made from concentrated Iral Flower. Numbs your body for thirty minutes.

  “It won’t completely numb you,” Quinn told him. “Maybe it used to before the update, but now it only cuts the pain in half.”

  “I know,” Vincent replied, chewing and swallowing the tablet. “Some City Watch members take these at the start of goblin invasions. They’re a little too costly for me, personally. I just keep a Lotus Capsule ready.”

  “So, what’s your gimmick?”

  Vincent blinked at her. “Huh?”

  “Your gimmick—you must have one if you think you can challenge the Arena Champion with zero experience in the coliseum. It’s been a while since someone tried to pull something like this. Most of them got cold feet after pain reduction was disabled.”

  “I don’t have a gimmick. I just want a challenge, is all.”

  “Yeah, sure. I don’t have Scan, but your player profile says your main stat is forty-five. That’s a little low to have defeated a World-Boss by yourself. So, you must’ve used a gimmick to kill an easy World-Boss, and now you think you can try the same thing against an experienced player. Am I right?”

  Vincent shrugged.

  Quinn shook her head. “I have to admit, at least you have guts. Your profile says you’re seventy, so you must be some old war veteran—you’ve got balls.”

  “Actually, I’ve lived a rather easy life. I’m an old-school gamer. Never had much trouble in life except for keeping a steady job. I never fought a war or got into any fights in the real world.”

  Quinn snorted. “Okay, I had you all wrong. You’re just some crazy old guy.”

  Vincent smiled. “Yeah, pretty much.”

  A green light flashed on the rune above the counter. “You two are up,” the guildsman said. “Quinn take the left entrance. Noble Vincent, the right.”

  Vincent nodded at the guildsman and headed down the right hall.

  “Good luck,” Quinn called.

  “Thanks,” Vincent replied. “You too.”

  He turned the corner and found the passage into the arena. A Ranger guildsman Scanned him at the gate to make sure he was the right player before allowing him inside. Vincent stepped into the arena and stared at the crowd. Almost half the people from earlier had left, and he felt a little disappointed that he wouldn’t have as big a crowd to impress.

  His heart pounded harder as he neared the barrier between the two halves of the arena. Quinn stared him down from the other side. Her relaxed demeanor from the backroom had been replaced with a serious one that made Vincent a little nervous.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have bet all my money. That wasn’t a smart move.

  He barely heard the announcer over his own thundering heart. He equipped branzium armor and his True Huntsman’s Cloak. He summoned Gazalblade1 to his right hand and held two fingers steady with his left.

  At least if I die, they keep my items for me. I’d hate to lose this gear.

  Vincent had been so caught in his thoughts, he hadn’t heard the first bell. The second bell rang, and the barrier between him and Quinn dissipated in an instant. Vincent’s entire body tensed, and he raised his fingers. He saw a small flicker over Quinn’s body, and he recognized right away that she’d Vanished, leaving behind a doppelganger of herself. However, her Vanish must’ve been upgraded, because she didn’t reappear within the normal five meters.

  He spotted her ten meters right of her doppelganger as she kicked off the ground toward him. Despite Quinn’s high Agility, Vincent’s Perception let him follow her movements. He aimed his fingers, but Quinn Vanished again.

  A shape appeared in the corner of Vincent’s view. He leapt backward as Quinn rushed toward him with Breaker crackling around her fists. Vincent angled his fingers and fired Void Gun.

  Quinn slid underneath the black bolt and then leapt toward him. She punched at him with two lightning-fast jabs, and then jumped back as he swung Gazalblade1. Vincent felt his Mana Shield flicker and vanish, and his branzium helm split in half and fell off his head.

  “Next time, I’m going for a kill shot,” Quinn warned, playfully bouncing on her feet and air-boxing with swift jabs.

  They heard shouts from the crowd, and both players turned their heads. Vincent’s Void Gun had cut through the barrier between the arena and the crowd and killed a bystander.

  He started chugging an ether while Quinn looked away.

  “What was that?” the Fighter asked, looking back at him with wide eyes. “I’ve never seen an attack break the coliseum barrier.”

  Vincent finished his ether before answering. “That’s my gimmick.”

  Quinn flashed a nervous smile. “You really are a crazy old man. Unfortunately, I have to take this serious now.”

  The woman took off at full-speed, circling around Vincent. He tried to aim at her, but even with his level of Perception, he found it difficult to line up his shot. He glimpsed an ether in the woman’s hands and saw the bottle fall away and shatter on the ground.

  A Mana Gun flew from the speeding woman, and Vincent sidestepped just in time. However, Quinn slid into a crouched position.

  Her spin kick move!

  Vincent aimed his fingers, but a second copy of Quinn appeared ten meters away. He aimed at the second, but spotted a minor shimmer. Another doppelganger? The upgraded Vanish could only take players ten meters away, and he couldn’t see a third Quinn in his field of view, so he instinctively took aim at the first one just as she launched herself spinning through the air.

  In the time Vincent’s muscles tensed, the woman had already flown halfway to him, the crowd roaring. The black bolt flew from his fingertips, and he couldn’t tell if it struck.

  The woman collided with Vincent, sending them both rolling across the dirt. His body tensed, expecting to receive a killing blow, but the confused chatter of the crowd made him raise his eyes to Quinn.

  The woman lay on the ground, trying to stop the bleeding from the gaping hole in her shoulder. She shouted, cursed, and gnashed her teeth. Even though she’d taken a numbing tablet, Vincent knew it must’ve hurt.

  Clerics rushed from the gates of the coliseum to Quinn’s aid. They used their light spells on her and gave her an elixir to speed the process. She gulped down the potion, and then smirked at Vincent. “You got me good, old man. Well played.”

  “Good match,” he replied, his body still shaking with adrenaline.

  “We have a winner,” the announcer called. “In his first ever arena match, Noble Vincent defeated our champion!”

  Viewers that had been disappointed with Quinn’s earlier victory over Jon cheered, however most people still seemed confused by what had happened. Even the announcer muttered in disbelief. “I don’t know what kind of spell he was using, but that’s the kind of unique thing we love here in the coliseum. Hopefully, Noble Vincent will show off that move in future fights.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be expecting a rematch,” Quinn told him.

  “Sorry, but I’m not sticking around Teramor any longer,” Vincent replied.

  “You’re climbing the World-Tree?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, you’ve heard the rumor going around?”

  “What rumor?”

  “I heard from a friend of a friend of a dev. Some people think you might be able to log out if you reach the top of the World-Tree and get to the skybox.”

  “I hadn’t heard that. I just wanted to challenge myself by moving up.” Vincent thought for a few seconds. “However, getting out of here would be nice too. I hadn’t planned on staying in the game for this long.”

  With her wound almost completely healed, Quinn stood and moved away from the Clerics. “I didn’t either. I have a husband and son outside this game. You don’t know how bad I want to see them again. After I heard that rumor, I started fighting in the are
na a lot more. I’m trying to level up before I climb the World-Tree. You have a party?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Well, I’d love to join you. That crazy spell of yours could get us past a lot of dangerous monsters. If it can break the coliseum barrier, it might one-shot most low-level bosses.”

  “That’s how I killed Gazal—shot him through the head. His shield didn’t even slow it down.”

  “What the heck is that spell anyways? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “It’s made from negative energy.”

  Quinn gaped at him. “You serious? How’s that possible?”

  “Took me fifteen years to develop, and even then, I kind of got lucky. Getting the frequency right, or rather lack of frequency, all clicked when I tried to use the incomplete version on Gazal. If you join my party, I’ll show you how I did it.”

  “When are you leaving? I’m tired of Teramor.”

  “We either need a couple more party members or to find a caravan that will take us. I’d prefer a party.”

  “Party works for me. We really just need a Cleric.” She glanced at the two guild Clerics. “Either of you want to travel up the World-Tree?”

  They both shook their heads, and one laughed. “You kidding? I’m not getting torn to pieces by monsters.”

  Quinn huffed and turned back to Vincent. “You know what? I’m popular around these parts. I’ll send a message to the guilds I’m in and my friend list. Let them know we’re looking for party members, preferably a Cleric. We can set up interviews and weed out the weaklings and cowards. I’ll only accept teammates with guts like you, old man.”

  She gave Vincent a playful jab to the shoulder, and it knocked out his Mana Shield. “Okay, you need to work on your other spells too. Your shield is garbage.”

  “I spent most of my time in this game obsessing over this negative energy spell,” Vincent explained. “Now, I might use what I know to develop a new kind of shield. Something no one’s seen before.”