“Thanks,” I say.
He nods. Words aren’t needed.
“I get that you two are having a moment, but are we going to open the fridge or what?” asks Buzz.
“Alright, let’s check it out,” I chuckle.
I stare at the gleaming silver fridge. The reflection of me and the two people closest to me look back at us. I still remember the first time I looked in the mirror after I had bought my green tunic. I see the little black axe that adorns the collar that just happened to spur me into buying my own axe. The silver wolf belt buckle that reminds me so much of my first day in the Mortican Mountains. Next to me is Buzz. No longer the debonair steampunker, but still the class clown. His black tunic and dented battle helm better represent the man he has become, a man of character. Behind us stands Grayson, the hardest worker I’ve ever known. A hard man, but also a caring one. His pirate garb reminds him of a life he once lived, and everything he lost.
I pull open the door and our figures distort.
Buzz laughs when he sees what is inside.
A tiny chest sits inside a green gelatinous blob.
“Oh man,” says Buzz. “I like your dad. He put your chest in Jell-o.” He bends over, clutching his stomach from laughing so hard.
“What is it?” I ask.
“It’s…a…dessert.” Buzz gasps for air. “He put your birthday present in a dessert.”
I notice a twitch of a smile as Grayson fakes a cough.
I pull out the plate of Jell-o and sit it on the table. The gelatinous food sways back and forth like a wave that refuses to crash. It’s cold and sticky as I dig my hands through and grab the chest. It’s small. A fraction of the size of the developer’s chest I found.
Congratulations, Esil! You have found a hidden chest. You know how this goes by now so just go ahead and open it.
-Dad
I open the chest and a piece of parchment hovers in the air before me.
Item: Spellbook. Requirements: N/A. Activate? Y/N
I focus on yes and the parchment disappears. My body vibrates all over and my vision flashes white.
Congratulations! You have learned the ability Firestorm. Ultimate Ability: Summons a tornado of fire that deals immense damage. Cost: 200 mana per second. Cooldown: 2 seconds.
Chapter 30
The long-lost son of Howard and Isabelle Allen finally resurfaces, playing a game his father helped create, in an attempt to win the prize and save his best friend’s dying mother.
I want to punch something. I don’t know how they found out about my story, but I have been badgered by reporters for the past few hours. Somehow, they are able to sneak by my spam filter and send me messages asking for interviews. They are bothering me on the eve of the biggest day of my life.
It had to be someone at the police station who let it leak that I was the son of Howard Allen. This must have led to someone else figuring out my promise to Buzz.
And it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Earlier in the day, the developers sent out a message telling us that the final stage of the tournament would be held tomorrow. I need a good night’s rest to make sure I’m firing on all cylinders, so that leaves me with only a couple of hours to do anything.
I elect to spend the time doing nothing.
There’s not much I can do to help my cause. I can spend the last few hours desperately trying to gain another level and one more stat point, or I can decompress and take stock of my situation. One more stat point isn’t going to win me the tournament. The only chance I have is if I follow my instincts, and they say sit tight.
By the time the quest starts tomorrow, I might be the most famous person in it. I’m also the least likely to win. According to the odds-makers, I’m ranked sixth because of my finishes in the first two challenges, but they don’t know that I lost my strength.
My story is plastered across every website I visit. It seems everyone loves an underdog.
I’m currently level twenty-four, half the level of all but one of the other thirty-one contestants.
From my home portal, I pull up my character sheet, taking stock of all the abilities I have learned since opening the developer’s chest.
Level 24:
Strength -14
Agility -4
Vitality -5
Intellect -6
Dexterity -5
Stamina -0
Lunging Strike. Effect: stuns opponent for .5 seconds. Cost: 50 mana. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Resilience. Resilience increases the attack speed of you or an ally for 20 seconds. Cost: 50 mana. 20 second cooldown.
Mud Pits. Cost 100 mana. Creates a field of mud pits, slowing your enemies attack and movement speed by 50% for 20 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds.
Inspire Resistance. NPCs in your party will fight with increased fervor.
Haunted Earth. Cost: 100 mana. Roots spring forth from the earth, rooting your opponent in place for two seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Waterfall. Cost: 200 mana. After a 2 second wait, water pours down from the sky, dealing immense damage to a singular location. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Firestorm. Ultimate Ability: Summons a tornado of fire that deals immense damage. Cost: 200 mana per second. Cooldown: 2 seconds.
Not too bad, I only wish I had a larger mana pool. I have enough mana to cast roughly ten spells per battle. Or use Firestorm for five seconds. With that kind of price to use the ability, I won’t be using it unless it’s a life or death moment.
Next, I sort through my inventory. Making sure I have all of my best items readily available. With my strength gone, some of them aren’t as useful as they once were.
Item: Meteoric Iron Axe, +10 strength. 10% armor penetration. This double-edged axe was forged from the heart of a meteorite.
Item: Elvish Battle Spear. +12 attack. +15% armor penetration. It’s long and strong and down to get the killing on.
Item: Vampiric Ring. Grants 2% lifesteal per attack. To hurt thy enemy is to heal thy self.
Item: The Grappler. +7 strength. Ability: Grapple, fires a grappling hook and attaches to the first object it hits. 30 second cooldown. “You’ll not get away that easy, Bucko.”
Item: Forgotten Chainmail. +12 armor. The relics of a ship lost at sea.
Item: Staff of the Water Ancients. +20% magic damage on elemental attacks.
Item: Benevolent Shield of Healing. +10% health. Unique ability: Double-edged shield. The next attack will be blocked and heal both attacker and defender for 5% health. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Item: Ring of Power. +15 attack. Unique ability: Double Ring of Power’s attack bonus for 30 seconds. After the bonus is up, Ring of Power offers no bonus for 60 seconds.
Most of my items are on the physical damage side of things. The truth is, for a normal level twenty-four player, I would be pretty strong. I have great items and most of my stat points are in Strength. The problem is I’m not a normal level twenty-four player. I’m out of my league. So far out of my league that I’m playing with people who do this for a living.
I check the Market, a screen visible from my home portal where I can purchase consumable items without having to go into a game world.
I fill my inventory with as many potions and buffs as I can fit. By the time I’m done, I can outfit a small army with what I’ve bought. Let’s just hope I stay alive long enough to use them.
For the rest of the evening, I lie in bed browsing through old articles about my father on the digital pad that VR Haptix sent me. He was very well respected for his age. Some of the ideas he created were responsible for Pangea’s success among gamers. He won numerous awards and was said to be pioneering a breakthrough in game design at the time of his death.
I wake up to a steadily increasing ding, telling me it’s time to get up. The pad is still in my hand, open on an article about my father.
After showering, I eat a modest breakfast and log into Pangea.
Today is the day.
A new portal waits for me inside of my
home portal. Merlin hops on my shoulder and I mount Fenrir, then we jump through.
You are now entering The Maze. Please wait for further instructions.
I stand in a small enclosure with stone walls on three sides. My map is disabled. A black circle with a dot showing my position is all that shows so I focus and it disappears. An invisible barrier blocks the entryway, preventing me from leaving. Fenrir has disappeared. I feel his presence in my inventory, but am unable to call him to my side. Mounts must be disabled here. Merlin tries to fly out, but an invisible force keeps him from escaping. It’s a cloudy day wherever we are. Thunder rolls in the distance, casting an ominous tone over everything. I can see glimpses of the alley in front of my enclosure. High walls run along each side, making it impossible for anyone to climb or jump over. Torches hang from the walls. My guess, it’s going to get dark soon.
If I know the developers, this is more than just a simple maze. There will be monsters and challenges and worst of all, other players.
A loud voice booms from the sky overhead. The voice is surprisingly chipper.
“Welcome, challengers! It’s me, Nancy, again. I can’t wait to get this show started. First off, let me tell you a little about The Maze. It was designed specifically for this tournament. There are thirty-two entry points along the outer wall of the maze. At its center, a portal awaits to take you to the crowning ceremony. There will be no mounts allowed within the maze. Contestants will be staggered entry, based upon the results of the last stage. Many challenges await you, depending on the path you take. This is a PvP stage, so be aware of your fellow competitors. In five minutes’ time, the first person will be allowed to enter the maze. Subsequent contestants will be permitted entry every ten seconds afterward. Your streams have been disabled and everyone across the world will be watching on the official Pangea Online stream. They can watch a montage or individual players as they choose. Good luck, challengers!”
I now see the importance of finishing high in the race. I’ll be over a minute behind the first entrant, and poor Ordin, he’ll be close to five minutes behind.
The timer in the top middle of my vision counts down from five minutes. I try to look out into the alley and see if there is any indication which way I should go. It all looks the same from my vantage point.
I pace back and forth across the small enclosure, waiting for my time to come.
A loud gong initiates the start of the final round.
Ten seconds later, another gong.
And another.
And another.
Feet scuffle down the alley and I catch a glimpse of the princess as she runs by to the right. Looks like that’s the way I’ll be going. If the princess sees me, will she take me out?
Before I know it, it’s my turn. I step out into the maze. It’s empty on both sides. The corridor goes in both directions for several hundred feet. A half-dozen entrances disappear further into the maze on each side of me. There is no way to know which way the princess went.
I go to the right and take a left into the first entrance.
When I turn the corner, my vision goes red and I can’t move.
A tiny blue lizard hisses at me from several feet away, an electric current running along its body.
Shocker Lizard. Level 35. These electric lizards are annoying alone, but when two or more group together, they can cause havoc.
Luckily for me, there is only one.
Merlin swoops down at the lizard and grabs it between his talons. The lizard sparks and forces Merlin to drop it.
The stun wears off and Merlin lands on my shoulder, hooting angrily, his feathers ruffled.
I equip my spear. The little bugger is small, he can’t put up that much of a fight. I use Lunging Strike and stun him in place. I pull back my spear, readying it for attack, when my vision goes red again and I freeze in place.
A second lizard appears from around the corner.
Just my luck.
Another gong makes me realize that several other people have entered the maze since this fight began.
I’m hit with a bolt of lightning and lose another chunk of health. These two reptilian rodents have brought me down to eighty percent health. I take a potion and a Fire Whiskey and force the attack. The two lizards stand side by side, taunting me. I use Haunted Earth and root them in place, immediately following it up with Waterfall. The combo takes out half their life.
The two lizards attack at the same time, their electric bolts hitting me in the chest. It doesn’t stun me, but I lose another twenty percent health.
Enough of this! I’m not going to die to the first mob I run into. They’re small with no armor and probably squishy as hell. I run at the first lizard, use Lunging Strike, and attack. I might have been able to kill him with one hit a few days ago, but I’m not much of a slouch against something near my level. The first one falls over dead. The second lizard turns to run, but I throw my spear like a javelin and make lizard kabobs.
I take a mana and health potion and continue. I also use a few buffs that increase my health and defense. Half of us are in the maze now and if I don’t get a move on, I stand a good chance of getting attacked from behind. Ryken won’t hesitate to put his sword in my back.
A pit awaits me around the next corner. It’s filled with spikes designed to impale anyone unlucky enough to fall into its trap. The pit is roughly thirty feet across to the next side, making it impossible to cross for all but the most agile of players. Lucky for me, I have just the tool for the job.
I equip Grappler and aim for the sconce holding the torch on the other side of the pit. The grappling hook catches and I hear movement around the corner behind me. There’s no time to waste. I run and jump out into the pit. As soon as I am in the air, I use Grappler’s retractable feature and it pulls me across. I land on the other side and slide to a stop.
On the other side, an elf mage looks back at me. His blood red cloak conceals a black staff. I give him a wave and disappear around the next corner. The maze splits again and I decide to go right.
I’ve been in the maze long enough that all the competitors have entered by now. Thunder roars and the patter of rain mimics the sound of a thousand footsteps. I need to watch my back. Anyone can be stealthy in this ruckus.
Rain puddles along the stone floor and I’m thankful to be away from the Shocker Lizards.
I make another right turn and I’m on the outer rim of the maze again.
“Dammit!” I yell. I have to start from the beginning with no way of knowing which path I have taken.
“Esil!” Ordin’s deep and lively voice echoes down the corridor. Rain has soaked his red beard to the core. He smiles and I return the gesture, happy to see a friendly face. “What are you still doing out here?”
“Wrong turn. You?”
“I was one of the last ones out. I was hoping to find a clue as to which path to take.” He looks over his shoulder. “I heard about you and the princess. Sorry for you, my friend.”
“It is what it is. This is all that matters right now. Do you want to stay together and watch each other’s backs?” I extend my arm to him.
“I’d be honored.” He clasps my forearm and we set off down the hallway.
We decide on an entrance where the stone is covered in moss. Several turns later, we come across a giant creature with light green skin, glowing white eyes, and dark black hair.
Ogre Mage. Level 51. Like an ogre, but with magic.
Its skin is covered in hundreds of warts, and two rough, broken horns protrude from its head. Unlike most ogres, which are covered in the pelts of fallen enemies, this one wears chainmail and leather. One hand holds a damaged sword. The other hand glows bright blue.
It unleashes a bolt of magic and I dodge out of the way just in time. The magical bolt smashes into the wall, sending stone debris scattering across the floor.
I equip Staff of the Ancients. Time to try and beat magic with magic.
“I’m going to snare him, then you rough him u
p,” I say. Ordin’s warhammer begins to glow.
I cast Haunted Earth, but the ogre uses some sort of fire spell to burn away the roots before they grab him. Next, I use Resilience on Ordin, increasing his attack speed. I cast Waterfall, hoping my plan works and the ogre will be where I predict in two seconds, then I run towards him. A magical blast catches me in the shoulder, reddening my vision and slowing me by a fraction. Once I’m close enough, I use Lunging Strike and stun the ogre in place. Waterfall crashes down on him just before Ordin connects with his imbued warhammer. The blow sends the ogre flying into the wall with a thud, the impact stunning it again. I switch to my axe and attack. Ordin’s blows take out far more than mine do, but we end the creature all the same.
My XP bar shoots up, nearly at level twenty-five. The ogre drops a few items and some gold, but nothing noteworthy. Merlin trails behind us on foot, the rain making it difficult for him to fly in such a small space.
We come to another split in the maze and go left. Someone screams from up ahead and we run to investigate. A black minotaur stands in the way, two gravestones at his feet.
Minotaur. Level 70. With a thick hide and a propensity for stunning its opponents, the minotaur is not to be trifled with.
No thanks.
“How about we take the other way?”
Ordin nods in agreement and we retrace our steps. At least we know two of our competitors are out of the game.
For what feels like hours, Ordin and I attempt to navigate the maze. We fight when we can and turn tail when we can’t. Sometimes, it’s better to take the long way around than die trying. We find several more tombstones along the way, making me thankful I have Ordin by my side for the moment.
The maze is full of traps, from tripwires that cause darts to shoot out to secret tiles that change the course of the maze before our eyes.
I try to keep thoughts of Buzz and his mother at the forefront, to remind me why I am here and what I am playing for. It keeps my energy high and my concentration sharp.
Pangea Online Book One: Death and Axes: A LitRPG Novel Page 22