Before I lay down for the night, I look out of the small window to my box. Most everything is dark, aside from the small lights of the drones as they fly by. They flicker like fireflies against the darkness. I can’t remember my life before I went to the orphanage, but sometimes I dream about living in a place with flowers and clear skies and a big fluffy black dog. There’s always a man, too. He picks me up and tosses me in the air and for a moment, I’m weightless. I’m not sure if the memories are real or not.
As I drift off to sleep, I keep replaying the day in my mind. It’s only been one day, but I feel like my life has completely changed.
***
I wear my starter rags to the mines. I don’t want to spoil the surprise before I have a chance to tell my story. Buzz is going to be pumped, maybe even Grayson, too.
When I make it to mine two-forty-six, where I am assigned for the day, Grayson is already hard at work. The trail of green ones and zeros glow past me as I walk down the tunnel. I wait for Buzz, but he never shows. When the alarm buzzes, telling us it’s time to work, I send him a quick message to ask if everything is okay.
Quietly, I equip my dwarven boots and get to work. I feel like I could swing my pickaxe forever as my stamina constantly replenishes.
Grayson and I work alone in silence for the first few hours. The only sounds we hear are the impact of our picks against the digital coal and the heavy breathing that goes along with manual labor.
My body moves mechanically, rhythmically swinging the pick and I lose myself in my thoughts. In just a few hours, I’ll be meeting up with the princess for a drink and a special surprise. What could it be? Maybe she’s decided to give me some of the loot from defeating the mountain troll.
“Hey, Grayson.” I have some burning questions I hope he can answer for me.
“What’s up, kid?” He takes a break from mining for a moment and leans on the end of his pickaxe. His gray beard is coated in soot.
“Have you ever heard of miners finding things in the mines?”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Treasure, items, things like that.” I can feel his eyes boring into me, searching for why I’m asking.
“What’s prompted your curiosity?” He knows something is up. Maybe I should just go ahead and tell him. I elect not to. I promised myself Buzz would be the first to know.
“Just wondering.”
“Hmmm. Well, every now and then something pops up. Usually, it’s a piece of clothing, armor, maybe a weapon. But every few years, something good shows up.”
“Is that how you got your Worldpass?” The question pops out before I have a chance to stop it. Could it be that Grayson got his Worldpass and diamond pickaxe from a treasure just like me?
“What did you find, Esil?” He stares at me and I know he knows I found something. Grayson is a smart man. If he found a chest too, then he never told anyone about it.
“I’d rather not say.” I expect him to probe me. To try and get to the bottom of my questioning.
“That’s smart. Play your cards close. But let’s say you did find something. Something valuable. Maybe even a little gold. I know you didn’t buy those boots off a miner’s wages. Be smart about it. Don’t go blabbing your mouth about whatever you found. There are so many people who will take, take, take and never give anything back. Many of them because they don’t know better. Some because they want to ride their way up, hanging on to your bootstraps. There is nothing worse than a man who has the means to improve his life for the long term and instead splurges on the now.”
I’m shocked. Grayson has given me a lot to think about. I’m almost certain he found a chest too. I wonder what happened to make him so wary. Did he blow a chunk of gold that could have set him up for life? Does he have the Worldpass Premium like me? I want to ask him a lot more, but the buzzer rings, signaling it’s time to go home. Grayson is out of the tunnel before I have a chance to catch up with him.
There will be plenty of time to talk tomorrow. For now, I need to get home. I have a date.
Chapter 5
The town square of the Mortican Mountains bustles around me just as it had the day before. I spot a few familiar faces on my way to the Lion’s Head Pub. The golden minotaur has set up shop at the trading post with several weapons he no doubt won in battle.
I feel a little nervous at the prospect of a few minutes alone with the princess. Yesterday, I kept my cool remarkably well, but that was mostly due to the intensity of fighting a level sixty mountain troll. Today will be different. I will be forced to hold my own in a conversation, something I am not all that great at.
The dwarves surround the entrance to the pub, barring entry to several people before me. Above the entrance, a bright yellow lion head is carved into the wood. Its mane is a dark red and it almost seems to jump out onto the cobbled streets below. I wave at the dwarves as I approach. When the dwarves spot me, Ordin, the one with the braided red beard and massive warhammer, raises his weapon, calling me in his direction. He clasps his hand around my forearm and I return the gesture.
“Good to see you again, Esil.” His voice is low and gravelly. “We owe you a great debt for your help yesterday. If you ever need anything, we will see that the debt is repaid.” Several of the other dwarves nod in agreement. The female with the twin warhammers winks at me. Ordin steps to the side and gestures for me to enter. “The princess is waiting.”
I walk into the pub. It’s almost completely empty but for the princess sitting at a table in the back and a bartender behind the bar obsessively polishing a glass. I wonder what could be so important that the dwarves aren’t letting anyone in.
The princess stands to greet me and I am momentarily taken aback by her beauty. For once, she isn’t dressed for battle, but wears a shimmering green dress with lacy sleeves. A long necklace dangles across her chest. An intricately designed leaf pendant with a bright green emerald attached seems to radiate its own light. Her pointed ears peek through her long blond hair.
“Princess.” I bow slightly.
“I actually prefer being called Aleesia. Please, have a seat.”
I take a seat on the large wooden booth. The Lion’s Head Pub is one of the most revered pubs in the Mortican Mountains. Many streamers come here to celebrate after a great victory or quest. Which makes it all the more impressive that the princess has the entire place to herself.
“Why do they call you princess?” I ask. As long as I’ve been following her, I’ve never been able to figure it out.
“My dad, he owns a castle on the other side of the mountains. Someone called me a princess once and it kind of stuck. It sounds a bit pretentious to me, don’t you think?”
I’m not sure if she wants me to answer, so I don’t.
The bartender approaches and asks for our order.
“Two Fire Whiskeys,” she answers.
He returns a moment later with two shots. A deep rusty orange liquid dances in the glass. Aleesia lifts her glass and we clink them together. I am unable to taste the fiery liquid, but a notification quickly pops across my vision.
Substance: Fire Whiskey. Buff: +2% attack for the next hour.
“Thanks.” My body feels stronger as the fiery liquid pumps through my veins.
“Don’t mention it. I wanted to thank you for your help yesterday. Myself and Glordin were the only two to survive the troll. I’m certain neither of us would have had you not been there. We both received a large amount of experience and rewards. I’ll have the bartender give you a couple more on your way out. They can be quite handy in a bind. I also have something else for you.”
She smiles at me and I can’t for the life of me make out what it means. I think she is trying to read me. She brushes her hair behind her ear and I wonder if the woman behind the avatar does the same thing. For the first time in over a year, I find myself questioning what the person controlling a character is like. Everyone in the mines has the same story. We’re all too poor and are
just trying to survive. Sometimes I forget that there are people out there who aren’t like us. That the people I watch stream every night are just as real as me and Buzz.
She pulls a leather pouch from her pocket and pushes it across the table.
“It dropped from the troll. I thought you might like it.” Her smile curls up on one side of her lip and my heart beats a little faster.
I open the pouch and a small ring falls out. It is a dark purple, almost black.
Item: Vampiric Ring. Grants 2% lifesteal per attack. To hurt thy enemy is to heal thyself.
“That’s amazing! Thank you.” I add the ring to my inventory and equip it.
“With as hard as you hit, I thought it might be useful for you. Which brings me to the real reason why I wanted to meet you. There is no way in hell you should have been able to do that kind of damage to that troll. He was so far out of your league, yet you hit him harder than any of our group. How?”
Her smile disappears and is replaced by a stony expression. It was stupid of me to think she wanted anything other than information. For a moment, I feel like I am back at the orphanage, where people only took an interest if you had something they wanted. What interest could a princess have in a lowly miner like me outside of curiosity?
I sit in silence for a moment, not knowing what to say.
“What’s wrong?” she asks. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“It’s fine. It’s stupid, really. I guess I thought you just wanted to hang out and talk.” I feel even stupider saying the words out loud.
“I did. I mean, I do. I just have never seen anyone so strong at your level. I was surprised is all.”
“I don’t have any answers for you. I’m just a poor boy who works in the mines. Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever explored anything outside of the mines. I put all of my stat points in Strength starting out, but aside from that, I don’t have any answers for you.”
“Wait—what?” Her mouth hangs open in shock. “You’re a miner? How they hell did you end up here? My dad says that the mines are for those who have no better options in life. He says that it’s the developers’ way of giving back to those less fortunate.”
I suddenly realized she might be streaming all of this. There is no way in hell I want my personal history broadcast to all of her fans. I will not be someone else’s source of amusement.
“Are you streaming this?” I whisper, leaning in close.
“No way. This is a private. Why do you think we have the place to ourselves? If you had some game-changing secret, I don’t want the whole world to know.”
I relax a little bit. Maybe she is just curious.
“There’s no secret. I got lucky is all. There is nothing special about me.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” She winks and I feel my stomach churn. “Do you have any free time today? I was hoping you might help me with something.”
“What is it?” And more importantly, why ask me instead of her band of dwarves.
“There is this dungeon I’ve been wanting to check out. I was hoping you might want to join me. I could help you level up, as a favor for yesterday.”
“I think the ring is more than enough.”
“Oh, come on. Let’s have a little fun.”
My inbox blinks and I check the notification.
Congratulations! You have received a new quest. The princess Aleesia has requested your services with clearing a local dungeon. Reward: increased alliance with elves and 50% of loot and treasure. Do you accept? Y/N?
She has a Cheshire grin on her face when I accept.
The bartender hands me two more Fire Whiskeys before I leave. I add them to my inventory and turn to walk out the entrance, but the princess grabs my hand.
“This way.” She leads me to a small exit in the back of the bar.
A white stallion is waiting outside the door. Aleesia gracefully climbs on its back.
“Where’s mine?” I ask.
“Oh, come on. Just hop on.” She smirks.
I’m not a prideful man, but something feels a bit off about riding on the back of a horse behind the princess. Nevertheless, I don’t have any other options at the moment, so I climb on.
I’ve never ridden a horse before, so the sensation is not something I am accustomed to. My haptic suit does a great job of mimicking the galloping and I find my stomach churning harder and harder the farther we go. We race down the cobbled streets, the large beast parting the crowd under fear of being trampled. We pass the guards at the city gate and the horse speeds up. Golden fields stretch for miles and the mountains tower in the distance. I wonder where exactly this hidden dungeon might be. Just when I think I might hurl, we come to a stop at the edge of the forest.
Large oak trees with sprawling branches reach out of the forest as if trying to grab at passersby. It takes a moment, but then I realize the trees are actually moving. Small branches curl like gnarled fingers. A bird flies by and is plucked out of the air. A few feathers flutter in the air before the tree tosses the bird to the ground.
“What is this place?” I ask.
“The Guardian Forest. Most people stay away because of how dangerous the trees are, but I know a way in.” She flashes me a devilish smile.
We climb off the horse and it takes off running back towards town.
“Do the dwarves know you left?” As long as I have been following her stream, I’ve never seen the princess traveling on her own.
“They do. The Angel Oaks have a terrible temper around dwarves. Even with my pendant, I’d never have a chance getting inside with them around.” Aleesia pulls out the pendant that had been tucked inside her dress and it seems to glow even more than it did at the pub. She walks toward the trees and I am certain that she is going to be crushed by one of their massive limbs. The closer she moves, the emerald glows brighter and the trees move less and less. She motions for me to follow.
I’m hesitant to approach, but the limbs seem held at bay as I walk between them. The forest is dark once we pass the first few trees. The glow from the emerald shines a path before us.
“How did you find out about this place?” I ask.
“I’ve known about it for a while. I’ve just needed someone I could trust who wasn’t a dwarf to help me get inside.”
She’s playing her cards close to her chest, but I can’t really complain since she is splitting all of the loot and paying me for my assistance. Even if I die, I’ll get paid if she completes the quest without me.
Small creatures scurry in the depths of the forest. The canopy is so dense that barely any light shines through. Occasionally, I see the glow of eyes in the distance. I focus on my axe and it appears in my hand. I hold it tight, ready to fight if the moment arises.
“There’s no need for that yet. We are almost to the entrance.” She puts her hand on my arm, gently pushing my axe down.
I still feel wary of the forest, but I follow her lead.
The glow from the pendant catches on something up ahead.
A bright white marble slab sticks out from the earth. It has Elvish runes engraved into it. The princess runs her hands over the runes and they begin to glow silver. They glow brighter and brighter until the slab begins to shake. Earth falls away and the slab rises higher into the air, pushed up by a large tunnel. I can see a set of stairs that lead underground. Into more darkness.
“How did you do that?”
“It’s an elvish dungeon. Only an elf can open it.”
“What did it say?” I feel like I am asking a million questions, but there is so much I don’t understand.
“It said, ‘Only two may enter. Only two may leave.’”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I don’t really know, but I’m guessing it means we both have to make it out alive. I hope you brought your big boy pants, Esil.”
Great. I’m going into a two-person dungeon with monsters designed for a level fifty-four elf. I’m toast.
We walk down th
e stairs. Torches light the way. The corridor is tight, not much bigger than the mines. Spiderwebs stretch across the corners of the ceiling. The dull gray stones writhe beneath the dancing flames.
At the bottom of the stairs, I receive a notification.
Would you like to bind your soul to the Guardian Forest Dungeon? Y/N?
I’ve already agreed to help. I might as well bind here for when I inevitably die. I focus on the yes and a small dot appears on my map, letting me know where I am bound. I can see the corridor we just passed, but the rest of the dungeon is a blur. It must fill in as we journey through.
“Are you ready?” Aleesia asks. She has replaced her fine linens with battle armor once again. The silver armor has faint green hues that move in the torchlight.
“Let’s do this.”
As soon as I step past the bind point, a flaming arrow catches me in the chest.
Chapter 6
My chest is tight and I find it hard to move. My vision goes red at the edges and heat pulsates around the wound where the flaming arrow struck me. My haptic suit is doing a great job of making me feel like shit. I yank the arrow from my chest. The arrowhead is coated in a thick layer of blood. I toss it to the ground just as another darts in my direction. I prepare to block it with my axe, but the air shimmers in front of me and the arrow comes to an abrupt halt and falls to the ground. I look to my right and see the princess with her arm extended, casting a shield spell where the arrow stopped.
“We need to find cover quick,” she orders. “So we can find out what we are dealing with.”
I pull a torch from the wall and attempt to cast light into the room. There is a small pillar not too far away. We both dive behind it, while flaming arrows whistle and clatter against the stone floor.
“Do you have any ranged weapons?” Aleesia asks.
“I have a rusty spear, but that’s about it.”
“It won’t do. Looks like I’ll have to take them out from this distance. Do you know any ranged spells?”
Pangea Online Book One: Death and Axes: A LitRPG Novel Page 4