Bataar spun the greataxe between his hands. “So they did send players after us!” He was about to swing his weapon at poor Guud when the Dwarfish boy put up both hands in a sign of surrender.
“Please!” he cried. “I didn’t intend to bring this Tracker! But, he… well… he tracked me! I was just coming to find you two! I want to come with you!”
Bataar and I looked over at Chirosh. A Level 26 Tracker. They must have sent a low level thinking he would be enough to take us. He was trying to get to his knees.
Warning. You have been targeted by a Light Faction Player with Blood Lust.
Bataar turned to Chirosh, raised the axe over his head and looked at me. Not really knowing what to do at this moment, I nodded my head.
I had just given my first order to attack another player.
24
Bataar brought down his greataxe on Chirosh’s head. I didn’t need to see the combat logs to know that must have been a critical hit.
Chirosh’s Health: 92%
Chirosh didn’t cry out like Bataar and I would have if we’d been struck in the head. He merely shook it off and stood quickly to his feet.
“I was ordered to bring you two back alive, but now…” said the Tracker. “But now, I don’t think that’s goanna be possible.” He was a human and was wearing a dark green tunic that covered his head, arms, back, and went past his feet. Beneath that, I could see pieces of leather armor with the Golden Alliance emblem which was a golden apple being held up by a perfect hand.
With great agility, the Tracker jumped from where he stood and onto the slimy walls of the snake. Bataar heard the sudden movement but couldn’t see much with the dim light of the heart.
“What was that? Where’d he go?”
“Over there!” I yelled, grabbing his shoulders and turning him to the ribcage.
“It’s so bloody hard to see in here!”
“Here, I can help,” said Guud, pulling out his bag and sorting through it.
An arrow pierced my thigh right above my knee shooting pain throughout my body and making my vision go red for a second.
“Better hurry!” I said.
Health: 89%
Chirosh changed targets and shot an arrow at the blind Bataar who was moving his head in every direction that he heard a sound. I unsheathed my shield a little too late. The arrow hit Bataar in the gut forcing him to fold over.
“Bataar! Hold on!”
“I got it!” cried Guud, holding up two rocks and a stick.
Two more arrows were shot from the wall and aimed at Guud. This time, I was ready. I hoisted the shield just above the boy’s head and knocked them away. It was my time to fight. I searched through my memory of my abilities. Coward’s Badge grabbed my attention and, before I even knew what it was, I casted the ability on Chirosh.
A bright smoke in the shape of a jester’s head appeared above the player. It was a bright purple neon color and its mouthed moved as it actually made an audible laugh. It was creepy.
Chirosh’s name suddenly changed.
Chirosh the Coward.
Chirosh looked up at the laughing jester above his head. Then, he looked straight and must have noticed the change to his title because his mouth was gaping. “What? What have you done to me?”
Bataar focused on the player. “Ha!” he cried. “Serves you right, you coward! How do you like fighting a blind dragon? I bet you that your levels were just handed to you!”
Chirosh leapt from the wall, unequipping his bow and pulling out two daggers. He targeted Bataar. I knew with just one strike of those daggers, he would PK Bataar instantly. I tried moving my shield but knew I wouldn’t make it in time. The Tracker’s agility was too high.
“I got it!” cried Guud, a fire bursting between his hands as he struck the rock against the flint, the wooden stick taking the flame.
The flash of the fire took Chirosh off guard just in time for me to brandish my shield in front of his strike.
BANG!
Now he just stood there like an idiot in front of me, shaking his head and wondering why his strike hadn’t gone through. With quick thinking I used my Lion’s Impact.
Chirosh was sent straight up into the air with the swipe of my shield.
“Whuh!” he said, as I slashed at his back with my sword.
Bataar, now able to see, was laughing at this sight. Guud just stayed there knelt by his fire, his eyes wide with awe.
Chirosh landed hard on the ground with a hard “oomph”. Bataar was the next to strike, using his Pierce ability. It was good thinking. Bataar was pretty low level for this enemy but at least Pierce ignored armor. I chose to do the same and brought down my sword, sticking it in his gut.
I looked over at Guud to see him holding a crazed smile. He slipped the torch closer and closer to the Tracker’s dying body. Then, he pushed it all the way and Chirosh caught on fire.
The Tracker stood and screamed. I didn’t know whether if it was from pain or if his controller was making him do it out of panic. Either way, the coward ran straight into the pit of stomach acid.
Chirosh’s Health: 12%
Chirosh’s Health: 8%
Chirosh’s Health: 2%
The Tracker turned around one more time and gave us a one-fingered salute before falling backwards into his permanent snake gut grave.
You have killed another player of your faction in self-defense. You have gained no honor points. You have not lost any honor points. You have gained XP.
A light shone over both Guud and Bataar. They both had big grins on their faces. I checked my chat log.
Congratulate Bataar! He has acquired 12!
Congratulate Guud! He has acquired 12!
“Well,” Bataar said, sheathing his greataxe and picking up the torch, “that was a mighty violent first player kill.”
“Yeah,” I said, still staring at where Chirosh had disappeared, “it was.”
Bataar slapped Guud hard on the back and gave a big laugh. “What the hell’s wrong with you, boy? That was pretty intense. And what a good idea. Where’d you come up with that anyway?”
Guud shrugged and looked down. “Ugh, I don’t know. It just seemed like fire would do the trick.”
“Ha! Well, it sure did! Say, how were you able to see where to strike the flint and stuff? Can you see in the dark?”
“Yeah,” he said. “All dwarves can. Well, I’m half-dwarf, but still.”
“Well, that’s good. Wish I could see in the dark. You would think humanoids of the dragon variety would be able to but no… hey, Tharis, what’s up? You ok?”
I shook myself out of my thoughts and turned to them. “Oh, yeah, it’s just…”
“Kinda tough, I know. But hey, listen, he wasn’t Enlightened, man. He didn’t feel a thing, I’m sure.”
“Enlightened?” asked Guud. “What’s that?”
“Well, you see,” Bataar started but I held a hand up to him to get him to stop.
“Hold up, let’s get out of here first. I’m afraid this acid will rise and kill us, too, if we stay here too long.
Bataar nodded. “Good point. Now, back to the heart.”
We all turned and looked at the hanging fruit. It was beating faster now as if it could actually feel the mini-battle going on within its belly. Or, did it know what we were plotting?
“Well, we see the target but can’t get to it,” Bataar said, pointing to the pool of acid below the heart. “And I have nothing to throw.”
I checked my bag to see if I had anything, anything at all that could kill the heart but it was to no avail. “Yeah, neither do I. Looks like we will just have to wait and see if the acid level goes down or…”
“Or what? Die?” asked Bataar.
“No! I mean, we could try and find another way.”
“Hey, guys!” interrupted Guud. He extended his hand and in his palm was a crudely crafted iron ball with a fuse sticking out of it.
“Is that… what I think it is?” asked Bataar.
Guud nodded, but looked away. He was obviously shy with all the attention he was getting.
“You son of a bitch! Come here you!” Bataar grabbed the kid and ruffled his hair. “I forgot Artisans could make bombs! Good thinking, son!”
“Well, don’t thank me too soon,” Guud said, cupping the bomb to his chest. “I don’t have the strength levels to throw it that far.”
“Aye! No worries!” said Bataar, cracking his knuckles. “I can take it from here.”
Bataar reached for the bomb.
“Wait,” I said. “Guud, do some sort of damage to this Swamp Serpent that way you can get XP, too.”
“Right! Good Idea,” Guud said. But then he just stood there trying to figure out what he could do. After a long moment, he pulled back a foot and kicked the inside of the snake’s stomach.
“Can I kill it now?” asked Bataar, his arms crossed and tapping one foot.
I nodded.
Bataar snatched the bomb from Guud and turned to the meaty, beating heart. He spun his arm in its joint, bent low, and chucked the bomb with all his might. It made it halfway before falling into the acid. Bataar quickly bent low and covered his ears.
We all waited but nothing happened.
“Ugh, you have to light it first,” Guud said, pulling out another bomb. “Right here. You light it right-”
“I know, dammit! It’s a fuse. Every fool knows that… I just, ugh… forgot. That’s all.”
I walked up to Guud and gestured for the bomb. “Here, let me try.”
Guud plopped the heavy ball into my hand and Bataar used his torch to light the fuse. I did not do any sort of wind up, but just targeted the heart and threw with about half of my strength. The bomb smacked the meat sack and exploded.
The noise was caught in the small belly of the beast and all three of us fell to our knees covering our ears. There was black smoke in the air as the heart burned into a shriveled, little chunk. Air flew past us as the beast screamed with all its might. A final cry for help before we felt its body go limp underneath our feet.
25
One second we were standing on the pink, fleshy insides of the Swamp Serpent and the next thing we all knew we were back in the gross, murky water of the swamp. I accidently opened my mouth and a bit of the disgusting water made its way in. I quickly spit it out before turning to look for the others but saw nothing as a large prompt popped up in my user interface.
Congratulations! You have acquired Level 21! You have been given your very first skill points. Skill points are used to acquire different skills as you level up. Please, refer to your skill tree in order to pick your first skill.
I didn’t have time to celebrate because I was more than ready to get out of this swamp water. Where the Swamp Serpent had been was now a giant floating bag. I swam with the other two towards it, reached out, and took my reward.
You have acquired Swamp Serpent Dagger!
You have acquired a Vial of Swamp Serpent Venom!
You have acquired a Bone Fragment from the Swamp Serpent!
You have acquired a Skeleton Key!
None of these items in particular excited me but at least I had leveled up. I looked down at my chat to see if the other two had said anything. They hadn’t but what I did see made me stop my dog peddling for a second to do a silent clap.
Congratulate Bataar! He has acquired 14!
Congratulate Guud! He has acquired 14!
They both gave me the thumbs up and I returned it. Then, my cheeks puffed out with air, I pointed to the shore. They both nodded and we swam.
Once we could touch ground we all three at the same time started to spit out the vile water that had leaked into our mouths.
I fell onto my back and looked up at the sky. I couldn’t help but laugh at how much sheer luck taking that beast down had been. We had just killed a freaking demi-boss all by ourselves! Sure, it wasn’t that hard to figure out once you were inside the thing’s stomach, but still.
Putting my mind back on the task at hand, I checked my map to see where we were. I did a little dance with my feet as our luck had not yet run out. My marker on the map was hovering right above Hondren’s Cavern!
However, what I saw when I stood and turned zapped all the excitement out of me. Before us was the mouth of a large, stone cave filled with nothing but blackness. Above the mouth, two eyes had been carved out of the stone in a very crude manner which made it look even more devious. No part of me wanted to enter that horrible-looking place. I shook my head at myself. Some Lionheart I was being.
“By God, that is some nasty shit,” said Bataar, hacking up a giant wad of spit.
Guud seemed to be in the same agony as us. He was on all fours, a line of drool hanging from his mouth. I bent down and helped him up. Then, something hit me.
“Hey, Guud, could you taste that water?”
He looked at me with a confused expression. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, could you taste the water? Was it disgusting to you?”
“Yeah?” he said, looking over at Bataar for help. But Bataar actually chimed in on my side.
“Oh, yeah! Only us Enlightened can really taste to such a degree. Or, at least I think that’s true. How bad did it taste?”
Guud backed away from us a little bit, his hand going behind his back. “You guys are scaring me.”
I put up both hands to calm him. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just, I know this is going to sound weird. But…”
“We can think for ourselves!” yelled Bataar. “We are our own selves now! Our minds are ours!”
I let out a big breath of air and sunk my shoulders. Bataar wasn’t helping our situation.
However, Guud looked more interested now than scared. He walked a bit closer and mumbled something I couldn’t hear. His eyes were shifting left and right.
“What? What did you say?” I asked him.
“I said, I thought there was a reason I needed to be with you guys. You just, I don’t know… seemed different. I’m different, you know. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“I just did, boy. You can taste things, can’t you? Then you’re probably Enlightened!”
“How do we know for sure though?” I asked Bataar. “I mean, when I was first born, er, created, I think I remember being able to taste to a certain degree. Maybe the water is so nasty that even un-Enlightened players can taste it.”
“What do you mean by Enlightened?” asked Guud.
Bataar was about ready to speak up but I spoke first in order to keep him from confusing the boy any more.
“Bataar and I have a hypothesis. We believe that once you wake up, wherever it is you wake up, that you are controlled by some outside being or source. Did you ever feel that way?”
Guud neither nodded nor shook his head.
“Well, we did. And we started asking questions, see? And then… well… we kinda just broke free of it.”
Guud looked down at his feet and kicked a pebble. “No,” is all he said.
“What do you mean by ‘no’, boy? That isn’t helping us.”
Guud looked back at the swamp and fiddled with his hands a bit. “I mean, I never felt like I was ever controlled but-”
“But what?” interrupted Bataar.
“Please, let him finish,” I said. “Please, go on, Guud.”
“Well, I just never really fit in with any of the other players. Maybe it’s like what you said. Maybe I could sense that they were um… being controlled? I guess… I don’t know. But, I just never felt like I fit in. I always felt. Yeah! That’s it! I’ve always felt!”
I looked over at Bataar, I could sense his curiosity trying to erupt from his mouth, but he kept quiet. He knew I was doing a lot better at getting information out of the boy than he was.
I was just about to ask another question when a pop up took over my vision. However, this time it was different. This time, I didn’t have to read because the writer of the words was speaking to me.
26
Hello
there, young Lionheart. I applaud you for making it this far through the dreadful bog. I wish you had come the other way rather than taking the most difficult of paths. But, I see that is why you have been granted the Legendary title of Lionheart for only one who is truly Lionhearted would have taken such a treacherous journey to meet me.
I am going to be honest with you, young Lionheart. I am Ronin, King of the White Plains, and I am in dire need of your aid. You see, I and my son have been waiting a very long time. We have been captured by this horrible Orc named Hondren and he was kept us here against our will for so long that I cannot remember. To make an epic story short, Hondren poisoned my son and me through his false kindness and I, like a fool, fell for it. He then drug us into his horrid cave of horrors as if we were hunting prizes.
I implore you to find the time to step foot into this hell and retrieve us. I will make sure that you are compensated. The reward will be justly reflected on how you complete the quest, mind you.
You will find us in the deepest and darkest part of the cave.
Oh, and one last warning. Stealth is your beast weapon in Hondren’s Cavern.
-Ronin
Both Bataar and Guud were yelling at me but both of their voices had been muted during Ronin’s monologue. I shook my head and sound came back to my ears.
“What’s gotten into you, Tharis!” yelled Bataar, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me. “I HATE being ignored!”
“Are you okay?” asked Guud. “Something spoke to you, didn’t it?”
Bataar looked back at Guud and I removed his hands from me. “I wasn’t ignoring you. Guud’s right. I just got some sort of special quest from some NPC named Ronin. This is the quest Muzuhlan wants us to complete, I’m sure of it.”
“Us?” squeaked Guud.
“Yes, us,” I said. “Well, unless you don’t want to party up.”
Guud shook his head violently and actually was bouncing up on his heels. “Oh, no! Please! I want to… ugh… join you guys. Please.”
“Well, what about your guild?” asked Bataar. “Aren’t they going be kind of angry that you deserted them to hang out with some fugitives?”
The Lionheart_a LitRPG Novel Page 13