The beast was down to 20 percent health when it finally broke free. It jerked its head at Malkyr, catching him unprepared and managed to impale him on its neck spike.
“Shadow-crap,” I mouthed. Malkyr was down to 30 percent health and was left hanging from the oxsaurian’s spike. He didn’t have long to live.
Bek and I cast another volley of drilling arrows, bringing the beast down to 12 percent. We needed two more volleys to bring it down. We wouldn’t be able to save Malkyr in time.
Drilling Arrow spell level increased to 21.
Arrows per casting: 3
“Yes!” I shouted, casting the spell again.
This time, three rotating drilling arrows appeared, hovering in the air. I sent them flying at the beast, closely followed by Bek’s lone arrow. Our four arrows impacted one after the other, doing just enough damage to bring the monster’s health down to zero. It swayed on its legs then crashed to the ground.
We’d won.
Malkyr slid off the dead oxsaurian’s spike, slumping down to the ground. Critically injured and bleeding profusely, he had seconds to live.
“Bek!” I yelled.
The small goblin uttered a few words, bathing Malkyr in the telltale golden-yellow light. The big man’s bleeding ceased and his health stabilized.
“Phew, that was close!” Malkyr said, still on the ground, pale but smiling.
I shook my head. Damn traveler-born don’t know what real pain is.
Sure, sure, I said dismissively.
We were lucky my Drilling Arrow spell upgraded mid-fight. On a hunch I opened my character sheet, checking the Lucky Bastard skill. The skill had progressed by a whole 30 percent. Luck strikes again.
“Hey,” Malkyr said. “I leveled up!”
“Me too!”
The siblings beamed.
Level up! You have reached Character Level 21. You have 1 ability point to allocate.
I checked the oxsaurian’s body for loot. Jackpot! One hundred sixty-eight pieces of raw meat and one oxsaurian hide. That single beast had effectively financed two new, fully armored, hob soldiers with extra leftovers to spare. Not a bad haul. The twins didn’t mind me claiming the loot; Malkyr even offered to carry most of the meat, as it was too heavy for Bek and me alone.
Yes, Vic?
My cloak pulled at my right shoulder as I placed the last few pieces in my inventory
I looked in the direction he was aiming me at.
“Ohhhh, crap.”
The twins looked up and followed my gaze.
The herd was coming back.
“Run!” I yelled.
We started running frantically toward the mountains.
We just barely made it. The oxsaurians were puffing at our heels when we got to the rocky ground and pulled ourselves up onto some boulders.
“Phew, that was a close one!” Malkyr grinned boyishly. “Who’s up for another round?”
“Men!” Hoshisu rolled her eyes.
“What?” her brother asked defensively.
I intervened before they start arguing. “We shouldn’t be far now. Let’s keep going.”
We walked up the barren mountains, following a narrow path in the general direction of our target. The mountains were mostly made of cracked gray stone with jagged edges protruding in every direction. We had to be careful not to trip on the uneven ground or risk being skewered.
Night had fallen by the time we reached the top of the mountain and were able to check our surroundings. There were mountains in every direction, higher than the one we had just scaled. They all looked barren, jagged, and foreboding. It was a bleak place, which made a perfect habitat for Ogres.
“Malkyr, we’ve been playing for about two hours now. We should take a short break,” the woman said.
“Alright, sis,” her brother agreed. “I also need to check my emails. The university should reply today about that discovery I made back in the dungeon.”
My sharp goblin ears perked up. “Why would a real university be interested in a treasure found in an in-game dungeon?” I asked.
“No, man. Remember I told you a while back about a math problem we had to solve to escape a dungeon?”
I frowned. “You mean the one where you found Yeshlimashu?”
He nodded. “Yep. Well, it was a rather tough problem, and I couldn’t find a similar approach to what I came up with online. So I sent my solution to my uni’s math department. I’m waiting to hear from them.”
“That’s … weird.”
Hoshisu made a sour face. “You’re telling me. That’s just one of the unexplained experiences we’ve had since playing as monsters, but so far it seems to be worth the trouble. Malkyr is being modest though. His solution was nothing short of genius; it could make a few advanced algorithms obsolete.”
I looked at the big, brutish man with surprise. He didn’t seem to be much of a brainiac. But that was the thing with NEO; you never knew what other players were really like. Sometimes, you thought you knew someone, spent a few years with him on a daily basis, only to realize he coveted your position all along and gladly sacrificed you to achieve his desires.
I clenched my teeth. Vatras will pay for what he did! All travelers will pay! We goblins will show them who’s the real fodder around here!
“Fine, Vic,” I said and took a steadying breath, letting my anger drain away.
I looked around. The twins were gone.
Bek and I set up camp. We sat around the fire, eating some unsavory travel rations then lay down to rest against the cold, stony ground.
Bek fell asleep as soon as his head went down. I had to admit I felt like I could drop any moment. It had been hard keeping up with the pace the twins dictated. We goblins were better aligned with this world’s day cycle, so it was harder for us to keep on going for days on end.
I drifted off to sleep, Vic keeping watch over us.
I dreamt.
I was flying over the mountains, a disembodied spirit. Mountain ridges passed by in a blur and I came to a halt in front of the ruins of an abandoned fort set against a sheer cliff. The place was old and crumbly and the walls were the same color as the mountain, making it look like the fort had grown naturally out of the mountain itself. The fort was preceded by a walled courtyard, with a half-broken, giant-sized gatehouse at the front. The gatehouse walls were glowing with green fire.
I flew over the gate and hovered around the courtyard. Below me, the ground shook, cracks appearing in the earth. The cracks opened up into deep crevices and more green flames leapt up from below. Every time a wave of flame appeared, it left in its wake a horde of creatures. The creatures looked hazy, but from what I could see, they were made partly of the same rocky substance as the mountain and partly from the green flames.
My spirit form soared downward, into the open crevice, passing through the green flames unharmed. I descended, faster and faster, finally reaching a large chamber.
It looked like a naturally occurring cave, deep in the bowels of the castle. My eyes were immediately drawn to the center. A huge, green-flamed creature stood guard over a small structure. An altar. The creature spun on its heels as if hearing something. It was staring right at me. I felt a cold shiver run through my spine as a set of hungry, burning eyes focused on me. I was powerless to do anything but watch.
The monster reached toward me with one huge hand, then stopped. A single digit pointed directly at my chest. “BOUND MINION OF AN OLD GOD,” he spoke with a terrible voice, “YOU SHALL NOT CLAIM THIS UNHALLOWED PLACE, IT IS MINE. THROUGH IT, I SHALL FIND MY WAY INTO THE MORTAL WORLD.”
Its flaming finger touched my chest.
I woke up screaming. My chest felt like it was on fire. I clawed at my vest, ripping it open. The rune scar Nihilator had carved in my flesh was burning. Gre
en flame marked the lines of the rune, scorching, searing.
I got a hold of my pain and shoved it down deep into my chest, forcing myself to remain still, concentrating on regulating my breath, controlling the sensation. It took a full minute before the fire diminished, reducing my suffering, but not disappearing completely. I maintained my steady breath, slowly getting control back over my tortured flesh.
I could finally hear Vic trying to shout to me telepathically.
It sounded like he had been trying to get my attention for a while now. Bek was sitting up, staring wide-eyed at me.
I wiped sweat off my forehead. “I’m fine now, Vic.” My breathing was labored.
“What happened?” he demanded, standing before me in his purple goblin form.
“I don’t know exactly,” I admitted. “I dreamt another Totem vision. There’s something sinister waiting for us at our destination. Something as powerful as Nihilator, maybe even more.”
“Then we gotta get the hell outta here!” he exclaimed. “One big bad demigod that made you his bitch is quite enough. We don’t need another one.”
I shook my head, finally managing to breathe normally. “We can’t go back now. There’s too much riding on it. We need to find that Ogre lair and conquer it somehow. On the plus side, it looks like there’s an altar there as well, so that could help me complete the next part of Nihilator’s quest.”
“I don’t know … sounds like more than we bargained for. Maybe we should postpone this expedition. You know, get yourself into better shape before tackling whatever awaits us.”
I shook my head. “We can’t, Vic. The players are probably preparing their attack as we speak. We need to push every advantage we can get. We have to at least try.”
“But Boss, you can’t be serious, if that thing is as dangerous as –”
“Damn it, Vic!” I cut him off, feeling irrational anger flaring up deep inside me. “I am a goblin Totem and chief! You know what I endured, you know what I went through. I carved a place for myself with my bare hands and paid for it in blood. I will not throw it away at the first sign of danger!”
Vic stared at me, speechless.
“What’s wrong?” I frowned at him.
He shook his head.
“What?” I demanded.
He pointed at my bare chest. I looked down. The green flames had been replaced by tiny black ones.
I felt lightheaded as the blood drained from my face and I slumped to the ground, clutching my chest. The dark flames subsided, taking with them my momentary lapse.
“What was that?” Vic demanded.
“Nihilator,” I deadpanned. “He will not allow me to return without finishing this quest first. I … I could feel it. He wants that altar, so he exerted his influence over me, claiming his minion back from the green one.” I shuddered as I remembered the pain from mere moments ago and held my face in both hands. “I’m just a tool for them, Vic. A small piece they can toy around with as they please.”
I felt Vic’s hand on my back. “It’ll be okay, Oren. We’ll finish this quest together, and once we do, you’ll be even stronger than before.” His voice sounded weird suddenly, almost ancient. “That’s how the system works, it puts seemingly insurmountable challenges in front of you, but those who pass the test are rewarded for it. That is the game and the prison it creates in your mind.”
That was a weird way of putting it, but I got his meaning. The higher the challenge, the higher the reward. “Thanks, Vic. What would I do without you?”
He chuckled. “Run into walls, probably? Light your pants on fire?”
I chuckled as well. “Good one. I ran right into that.”
+200 reputation with Vic (The Awesome Companion).
Current rank: Friendly.
Points to next rank: 2,300
“So, what’s the deal with all the recent pyrotechnics in that rune on your chest?”
I looked down at my torso gloomily. “I think we now know what that whole ‘bound by Nihilator’ means. He can make me do things, even from far away.”
“Yeah, but I bet it’s limited,” Vic countered. “You had that on you for days now, and it didn’t make you do anything out of the ordinary. It only happened now, after that Totem dream of yours. I bet he can only influence you at critical junctions.”
“That’s not really making me feel better about it.”
“At least if you are being used as a tool, better to be a rook than a pawn.”
I found that mildly encouraging.
The twins returned a few hours later. They were both in good spirits as they received the confirmation they were waiting for. They were even rewarded for their findings, so they planned on a proper celebration after our raid.
Malkyr stretched. “So, what’s the plan, Chief?”
“We’re not far now. The Ogre lair is an old, beaten-down fort. We go in and take out any enemy we find.”
“Good plan, Boss,” Hoshisu said sarcastically.
“So we just go in, engage whatever looks like it wants to eat us, then go back out?”
I shrugged. “Pretty much. I saw you both fight back when you weren’t even level 10. I bet you can take on at least two Ogres by yourselves.”
“Ha!” Malkyr exclaimed. “Make that four! He’s got a point, sis. You saw how he took down that Ogre boss back at the valley. We’ll be fine.”
“Plus, we have Bek here.” I laid a reassuring hand on the small goblin’s shoulder. “He’ll keep us at peak condition through it all.”
Hoshisu nodded reluctantly. “Oh, alright. They’re just Ogres, I suppose.”
“However …” I hesitated, not sure how to tell them about my vision.
Hoshi raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“There … might be some complications once we hit the deeper level.”
She continued staring at me.
“I have it on good authority that the final boss is not a simple Ogre. I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s some sort of magical monster with green flames for eyes.”
“And just how did you find that out?” she asked, her tone clearly suspicious.
“It was hinted at by another quest I received. It just recently updated, letting me believe it’s connected with our destination.”
“How convenient.”
“Bah, green eyes, blue eyes, what’s the big deal?” Malkyr said. “It’s not like I’m looking to date them. Lead the way, Big Chief.”
We continued walking. An hour later we passed a bend in the trail, and another mountain came into view. This one’s peak was lower than where we stood. From our vantage point, we could clearly see the ruins of an old fort. A large courtyard surrounded by crumbling walls led to the main structure. As in my vision, the old walls looked to be made from the same stone as the mountain, blending with it seamlessly. A large, mostly intact gatehouse was just below us, leading into the courtyard. Unlike my vision, there was no green fire coming out of it.
Hoshisu squinted as she viewed the scene below us.
“What do you see?” I asked, knowing she had a skill that enhanced her eyesight.
“Nothing,” she said shortly. “Ruins and debris all over, but no Ogres. The fort itself looks like it could collapse at any moment.”
I felt a pang of worry. Could we have missed our destination? Have we arrived at the wrong place? No. I shook my head. The marker Bob placed on my map matched the location. “Come on, let’s check it out.”
We started making our way down the mountain. It was getting dark by the time we finally stood before the gatehouse. It was clear Hoshisu’s description was spot-on. The courtyard beyond the opening was visible. Fallen debris and large pieces of stone were scattered about, a testament to the buildings that once dotted the place. There was no movement, no life, no vegetation. This was a barren, dead place.
Everyone drew their weapons as we cautiously walked thro
ugh the gate that towered five meters above us. Four Ogres could have easily walked side by side below the massive opening.
The courtyard opened before us, with the main fort structure nearly a football-field length away.
Something didn’t look right to me. I squinted. “What’s that?” I pointed at a round shape ahead of us.
“Where?” Hoshisu asked sharply, following my finger. She peered intently at it then shook her head. “I can’t see very well in the dark.”
Shit, you’re right.
“I think the Ogres are there.” I looked at the twins. “When we surveyed the place from above it was still daylight. The Ogres are nocturnal creatures, so they were sleeping. It explains why Hoshisu didn’t notice them.”
Malkyr glanced upward. “It’s almost completely dark; they could wake any moment.”
“Then let’s hurry,” I urged. “If we take a few of them while they’re sleeping it’ll make our job a lot easier.”
We half-marched, half-ran forward, trying not to make too much noise. The shapes ahead remained motionless.
We closed in on our prey. They were all huddled together on the ground.
There were four Ogres. All dead.
***
New Era Online [Internal messaging service]:
From: Legal#298
Subject: Official notice
Mr. Berman, we would like to advise you that your settlement was deemed to fulfill the requirement of a starting area. As such, people who want to play as monsters and meet the minimum CPA requirement will be granted the option to select Goblin’s Gorge as their starting area. In order to avoid overtaxing current infrastructure, the number of players will be limited to a quarter of your clan’s population (60 at the time this message is written).
I would like to remind you again that per your signed NDA with the company, you ARE NOT TO INFORM the new players of your unique circumstances, including, but not limited to your inability to log out.
Life Reset: EvP (Environment vs. Player) (New Era Online Book 2) Page 14