by Paul Bellow
“Stop him!” Leena shouted.
My eyes widened as three streams of flame shout out of the necromancer’s palm. One shot toward Leena. The second headed full-speed at Raven. I fell to the ground as the third hit me dead in the chest.
The ray of fire WOUNDS you for 18 damage.
You have [46/170] health remaining.
You’re slightly fatigued.
Josh ran past me, heading for the necromancer while yelling something in an orcish dialect I didn’t understand. He stopped and swung at the orc, but just before his sword connected, the necromancer blinked away again.
The orc appeared and moved his hands to cast another spell. I ran toward him, tightly gripping my sword’s hilt just as he finished casting and flew into the air. I stopped, looking up and wishing I had a decent ranged weapon on me.
Raven shot another two arrows at the necromancer as he flew behind us and out of harm’s way. Bernard and Derringer and they trudged up as I turned.
“Combat’s not over yet” the dark knight asked, breathing heavy in his full armor.
“Necro’s still alive,” I said, pointing into the air.
The flying necromancer landed in the distance behind a huge pile of mammoth bones.
“Can you heal me first?” I asked.
“Didn’t you grab any of the healing potions?” Derringer asked.
I shook my head. “No, but I have the Everlast ones. I resisted taking them.”
“Good,” Leena said as she walked past us.
“Something’s moving,” Bernard said.
The pile of bones in front of the necromancer flew together, creating a colossal skeletal creature with four legs. I gulped one of Derringer’s healing potions as the dinosaur-looking beast galloped toward us at a fast pace.
You feel better.
You have [127/170] health remaining.
“Battle positions!” I yelled.
Josh ran forward, throwing any sense of tactics or strategy out the window as he yelled. Derringer stayed next to me on my left. Bernard stood to my right. Leena cast a dark-green lightning spell I’d never seen before. After her electrical magic shot through the air, Raven fired an arrow. Both the lightning bolt and the arrow hit the skeletal colossus.
The undead beast kept barreling forward as if we hadn’t hit it. Easily twenty-feet high and constructed from the bones of two mammoths and countless humanoid skeletons, the thing was impressive. Josh appeared small as he reached it and swung his sword. His blade chipped a leg bone but didn’t stop the creature.
“I’ve got the necromancer,” Bernard said then ran to the right of the huge skeleton.
With Derringer, Josh, and Leena attacking the skeletal monstrosity, I ran to the left of the creature. Swords in both my hands, I kept my eyes on the necromancer. He noticed me as I approached.
Before he could cast a spell, an arrow whizzed past me and buried itself in his throat. The orc clutched at the arrow while struggling to breathe.
I ran faster.
Your slash INJURES the orc necromancer for 14 damage.
Your pierce HITS the orc necromancer for 10 damage.
You slash INJURES the orc necromancer for 12 damage.
The orc necromancer is dead!
I heard clicking and snapping sounds behind me. Turning, I saw Derringer and Josh still fighting the skeletal creature. Raven’s arrows weren’t doing much damage against the skeleton, but Leena got its attention with another lightning spell—a rainbow of colors.
All four bony legs of the beast moved as it rushed past the dark knight and barbarian. It knocked them both to the ground as it scrambled toward Leena, the source of most of its pain. I ran toward the skeleton from behind, hoping to finally kill it.
Leena threw up some sort of force field. The galloping skeleton crashed into it, stopping instantly. That gave me enough time to catch up and attack.
Your slash GRAZES the skeletal beast for 5 damage.
Your pierce HITS the skeletal beast for 8 damage.
You slash GRAZES the skeletal beast for 6 damage.
The skeletal beast is not concerned.
I saw Leena, palms up and her face strained, struggling to keep the undead beast at bay with her force field. Both Derringer and Josh ran up from the other side and attacked. Where’s Bernard? I stopped and scanned the area just as he ran into view, followed by four headless riders who had somehow survived. Raven noticed them too.
While the skeletal beast pressed against the invisible magic barrier, I ran around it and toward the oncoming riders. Raven fired several arrows, all of them hitting one of the headless bodies riding on top of the horses. The other three split up.
One headed toward me while another rode at Raven. Bernard had another one still chasing him too. I stopped and dug my feet into the dirt, waiting for the headless rider to go by. When it neared me, I dodged to the side at the last moment and attacked twice while it turned.
Your slash INJURES the headless rider for 15 damage.
Your slash HITS the headless rider for 9 damage.
Your slash MISSES the headless rider.
The headless rider has noticed you.
Your slash INJURES the headless rider for 15 damage.
Your pierce INJURES the headless rider for 12 damage.
Your slash GRAZES the headless rider for 9 damage.
The headless rider is dead!
I looked around for my next target. Bernard and Raven had the advantage against the riders, but Josh and the others might be in trouble against the skeletal beast.
“Where’s Razzo?” I yelled, glancing around.
“Right here,” he said next to me.
I whipped around, not seeing anything. He appeared as he took a ring off his right hand.
“Calm down, man. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it already.”
I stared into his eyes, not seeing any deception in them.
“Watch this,” he said.
Razzo moved his arms while muttering arcane words. Over a dozen golden bolts of energy shot from his palms, hitting the skeletal beast and getting its attention. I grinned then ran toward the creature as it slowly turned.
“Keep helping!” I shouted over my shoulder. “This thing’s huge!”
The skeletal beast finished turned as I approached. At the last moment, I veered to the left to attack the huge creature on from the side.
Your slash HITS the skeletal beast for 9 damage.
Your pierce HITS the skeletal beast for 8 damage.
You slash GRAZES the skeletal beast for 6 damage.
The skeletal beast has noticed you.
About time. I dodged as it charged forward. Razzo sent another round of golden bolts into the creature. They all hit, stopping it in its tracks, and all the bones fell apart into a lifeless pile once again. The notification I loved popped up.
Combat is Over!
You get 69,900 xp
You have 6 party members.
You get 11,650 xp
You have 175,678 xp
You need 44,322 xp for
Level 12 Rogue -> Bounty Hunter
“Level up!” Bernard shouted.
I smiled and glanced around at all the devastation.
“We need to find a safe place to camp,” Raven said. “The sun is setting.”
“She’s right,” I said.
We needed rest. I walked over to Razzo and held out my hand.
“Thanks,” I said. “Good job.”
“Can I join your party now?” he asked.
“Not yet,” Bernard replied quickly.
I grinned, remembering how we’d given him so many problems about joining the party until we realized that was the only way to escape being an NPC.
“Fine,” Razzo said. “I’m alive, and I no longer have a master in this game.”
“Magi Inyontoo will come after you, and he’s powerful,” Leena said.
A new, strange notification popped up.
**) EVERLAST (**
&
nbsp; If you do not take another Everlast potion within 2 weeks, you will permanently lose 1d20 in all stats, including health.
“Hey,” I said.
Everyone turned.
“What is it?” Bernard asked.
“I got a notification about the Everlast potion,” I said.
“Let me guess,” Leena said. “You have to take one in two weeks or permanently lose stats.”
I nodded.
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“We warned you,” Derringer said.
“I know, I know,” I muttered.
“We should get going,” Raven said. “I know a good place to camp nearby.”
“You know where we are?” Josh asked.
She nodded. I glanced around at all the rotting corpses and piles of bones scattered everywhere, wondering about loot.
“We should check the bodies of the necromancers,” I said.
“Already done,” Razzo said. “When I was invisible, I went around and checked.”
“Is that where you got the ring of invisibility?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“No,” he said. “I brought it with me.”
I stared into his eyes, trying to discern if he was lying or not.
“Raven’s leaving,” Bernard said. “We should go.”
“What about Sylvax?” I asked. “Surely he has something.”
“Nope,” Razzo said. “Magi Inyontoo told us to attack you without any equipment because we’ve lost so many times against you before.”
Josh laughed then said, “Sounds about right.”
Leena stepped past me and headed toward Raven. The rest of us followed the two most powerful members of our party—both female. As I walked, I thought about the Everlast potions. If I needed to take one every two weeks and I had three left, I only had six weeks to find more of them before I suffered permanent consequences.
My own personal side quest.
Chapter 18
King of the Orcs
Eric
When I woke the next morning, I instinctively reached for my pouch with the Everlast potions. Feeling them, I calmed down as I sat up and stretched. Leena sat across the fire, staring into the flames. I wondered exactly how she knew my father in the real world.
“That smells good,” I said.
Bernard, standing next to a pot over the fire, turned and smiled.
“Razzo’s recipe,” he said. “He’s not actually a bad guy.”
“Where is he?” I asked.
“He and Derringer went foraging,” Bernard replied, stirring something a few times. “I’ll be right back.”
Josh peered into the pot as Bernard left.
“What is it?” I asked, standing.
“Heck if I know,” Josh replied. “I think they got the recipe from the brownies.”
“Smells awful,” Raven noted. “It might attract wasteland creatures.”
“Or keep them away.” I grinned. “Where are we going next?”
Raven continued staring off into the distance, hands at her sides.
“East,” she said. “There’s an orc city nearby.”
“Will we be welcome?” I asked.
“If you’re with me, you will be,” Josh said.
“We should go soon,” Raven said. “We shouldn’t stay in one place too long.”
Bernard returned and tossed a root into the pot.
“Razzo messed up the recipe, but that should fix it,” he said.
“I didn’t mess anything up,” the mage in red robes said as he and Derringer walked up. “You need to cook the rats before you put them in the stew. That way they’re crunchy and crispy. It helps with the smell too.”
“No.” Derringer shook his head. “There shouldn’t be any rats in it at all.”
“We’re not traveling with that smell,” Raven said. “No way.”
I wandered over and peered in at the murky rat stew.
“To be honest, fellas, I don’t think I’m very hungry either,” I said. “We should get the platform ready and get going.”
“On it,” Josh said, walking over to our supplies.
After Bernard, Derringer, and Razzo disposed of their awful stew, we climbed aboard the floating platform. Josh took us ten feet up before moving easy.
I turned to Raven and asked, “How far is the city?”
“Not far,” she said. “I saw the lights in the distance last night when I was out scouting.”
“Glad you’re with us,” I said.
She nodded silently as we flew eastward.
* * *
What felt like a few hours later, a weathered sign with red writing on the side of the road came into view. Further ahead, wooden palisades surrounded a city smaller than any we’d visited so far on the level. Everything gave off a primitive, tribal vibe.
I poked Josh with my elbow.
“What’s that say?” I asked.
“It’s the name of the city,” he said. “Organaar.”
“Have you been here before, Raven?” I asked.
She nodded, not offering any other information.
“We can’t stay here long,” Leena said. “I hate orcs.”
Josh tossed her a dirty look, and she ignored him as usual.
“Land,” Raven said. “We don’t want to show off our magic.”
“Good idea,” I turned to Josh. “Bring us down.”
He tapped his foot near the edge. The floating platform stopped then gently descended to the ground. We all grabbed our belongings before Josh shrunk our magical transportation. I glanced toward Organaar, hoping we didn’t have to take on an entire orcish city.
“Let Josh do the talking,” Raven said. “We want to get in then out quickly.”
“What should I talk about?” Josh asked.
“Yeah,” I added. “Do you think Sarah is here?”
“We need to find out whether all those undead we battled came from those two necromancers or if there are more of them.” Raven paused then added, “We’ll find Sarah eventually.”
“Can I join the party now,” Razzo asked. “I’d feel better.”
“No,” Bernard said.
I smiled then walked down the dirt road toward the city in the distance. The others in our group followed on either side or behind me. As we neared the single-gate in the palisades, I saw it move. Several orcs lifted it up then carried it off to the side. Dozens of other orcs dressed in all kinds of makeshift armor rushed out in formation.
They grunted in unison as they stopped, blocking the road. Josh drew his weapon, holding it in front of himself with both hands. I took a deep breath as he inched forward. An orc larger than the others with sharp, pointy ears stepped to meet him. He and Josh approached each other as the rest of us watched, weapons at the ready.
Josh yelled something in orc I couldn’t understand. I need magic to learn more languages. Soon. The orc guard captain stopped and grunted a few words in reply.
“Can anyone speak orc?” I asked in a low voice.
“I can,” Raven said. “He’s questioning Josh and trying to put him in his place. Now Josh is explaining he’s the ancestor of a great chieftain in the lands further to the east.”
The pure-bred orc made Josh look small in comparison. The other orc growled and pulled a sword, his brow furrowed and eyes squinting. Raven stepped forward and said something in orc, getting the guard captain’s attention. He turned toward her with a scowl.
Josh followed her statement with one of his own then raised the sword over his head in a menacing fashion. I resisted the urge to unsheathe my swords. The larger orc lowered his rusty broadsword and laughed before turning to his troops. All of them also started laughing. My ears hurt from the sound of their orcish mirth.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
Raven nodded as Josh snickered.
“What’d you say?” Leena asked.
Raven stepped forward, frowning.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “They’re
taking us to see the town elders.”
“And to receive my reward,” Josh said.
The orc captain barked orders at the other soldiers. After turning around, they marched back inside the gate. The smell of swine and mud filled my nostrils.
“Follow me,” Josh said, walking toward the stench.
The rest of us followed him inside the palisades. We continued down a muddy path leading through the center of the city. Several single-story adobe buildings made with mud, sticks, and straw lined each side of the road.
Orcs of all sizes and genders glared as we passed by. I held my breath as much as possible, trying not to let the stench get to me. The street led to a clearing in the center of the orcish city. I glanced around after we stopped. .
A well-used fire pit took up the very center of the plaza. Next to it sat a pair of older orcs, one male and one female. They both lifted their heads as we walked closer. The orc captain grunted something then raised his fist in the air. Josh and Raven walked over to the two elders, speaking to them. I waited anxiously as they talked.
The female orc smiled and waved us over.
We joined Josh and Raven by the two elders. They both continued talking to the older orcs as the rest of us watched and waited. Josh laughed at something the woman said, Raven even cracked a smile. The two elders also grinned, showing what little remained of their teeth. I glanced at Bernard as he stepped over. He just shrugged.
“I hope they found out something,” I whispered. “Sarah’s been away too long.”
“I know what you mean,” Bernard said, nodding.
Josh and Raven turned to us, both smiling.
“What’d they say?” Derringer asked.
“The undead are coming from a tower constructed completely of bones,” Josh said.
“It’s two days from here,” Raven added. “We need to go clear it.”