“Hey, what are you looking at?” Ethan asked as he reached the man’s side.
“Why don’t you mind your own business? I’m not interested in whatever scam or trap you’re planning. If I see you again, I’ll assume you’re a hostile spy and act accordingly,” the man replied as he gave Ethan a cold look. He then turned around and walked away.
“Wow, unfriendly,” Ethan remarked as he watched the man leave. That had gone even worse than his usual attempts to talk to random strangers. How did people do this?
The stall’s owner, an older Aknii woman, gave Ethan a cold look of her own. “Are you going to buy anything?”
Smiling awkwardly, Ethan checked the table over before quickly moving on. He wasn’t really interested in buying a dagger.
After checking out a few more stalls and not seeing anything all that interesting, Ethan walked into one of the smaller weapon shops that lay along the side of the road. It was a well-maintained stone building with a wooden sign above its door. The Aknii letters were indecipherable to Ethan, but his interface translated them for him. It read Fate’s Forge.
The inside of the shop was empty of customers but full of shelves holding various types of gear and weapons. Off to the side, there was an older Aknii man sitting behind a counter. He glanced at Ethan as he entered but didn’t get up.
Curious, Ethan browsed the shelves. It quickly became obvious that everything in sight was the work of a spellsmith. Runes and bits of crystal decorated the surface of every item. A few quick scans by Ethan also revealed that each of the items had power running through them.
“Hmm, interesting,” Ethan mused to himself as he wandered around the shop.
One shelf contained three beautifully made pistols. They were of a very different design than his own, sort of like steampunk with glowing lines, but they didn’t look primitive. Ethan was actually confused by their design, since he couldn’t see how you were supposed to load them.
“See something you like?” the man behind the counter remarked as he walked toward Ethan.
Ethan gave him a polite smile. “I was just wondering how these work.”
The man nodded sagely, as if he’d expected that response. “Yes, your people’s weapons are quite different from a spellsmith’s work. Confusion is common.”
“Yeah, I can’t even figure out how you’re supposed to load it.”
“Although some spell pistols are loaded in a similar way to your own weapons, these ones grow their own ammo and don’t need to be loaded at all.”
“What? How do they manage that?” Ethan asked in surprise. Did it mean they had unlimited ammo?
“They shoot crystal projectiles that are grown and propelled using power drawn from the Origin.”
“So you have to be an evoker to use them? What’s the point of the gun then?”
The man didn’t seem put off by the question. “The spell runes inscribed within the weapon do most the work. An evoker need only channel energy from the origin into the weapon, and it will do the rest.”
“Huh, I didn’t know you could create crystals using evoking.”
“You can’t, but you can feed crystals energy so that they grow. For these weapons, special spell runes are used to control the shape and size of the growth so you get useable bullets.”
That certainly was cool, but Ethan wasn’t really looking for a new gun. The ones he had worked for him just fine. Putting the pistol back down, Ethan noticed a strange metal tube lying to one side. There were several crystal spikes sticking out of the top of it. Or wait, maybe they were loose shards.
“What’s that?” he asked.
The man glanced over to see what Ethan was looking at. “It’s a spellworked javelin quiver. It functions in a similar way to the pistol. When you touch the metal part and pour energy into it, it will regrow all the crystal javelins you’ve thrown, so you have unlimited ammo. The different javelins also have different effects.”
“Oh, like what?”
The man shrugged. “One explodes, while another grows barbs after hitting its target. There’s also one that collapses and sticks to whatever it hits.”
“What’s the advantage over the gun?”
“It’s for warriors who are more confident in their evoking and throwing skills,” the man explained. “You can get more power and versatility out of a quiver like that if you know how to throw and push projectiles properly using evoking. Heavier projectiles hit harder too.”
“Can I try it out? The javelin-making part.”
The Aknii man smiled. “Go ahead. Just don’t wreck anything or try to draw one of the exploding javelins.”
“Ha ha, which one is that?” Ethan asked as he picked the quiver up.
The shopkeeper pointed out the basic javelin, so Ethan reached down and pulled it out. It came free easily. He then touched the quiver itself and reached for the Origin. Instantly, he could feel something new. It was like something was gently tugging at his mind, even though he hadn’t focused on a rune yet. Ethan frowned and let his grip on the Origin relax. At the same time, power surged from the Origin and into the quiver. Ethan almost flinched as a long red crystal spike burst into existence in the slot he’d drawn a javelin from.
“Huh, this is pretty cool,” Ethan remarked as he smiled at the weapon. “How much for the quiver?”
He could think of a few uses for this. It seemed like something that could work well with his hookshot and new evoking skills. After a bit of negotiating, Ethan managed to acquire the weapon by trading it for a bunch of local money and several other game items he’d brought with him into the tower. The shopkeeper had even thrown in a leather strap. Ethan smiled happily to himself as he left the shop with his new quiver on his back. Since he’d had no luck when it came to gathering information, Ethan found a spot in the city where he could practice with his new weapon, and he spent the rest of his time online there.
The next morning, after a good night’s rest, Ethan immediately logged back onto Worldshift. Before he’d gone to sleep last night, he’d gotten a lot of practice in with his new weapons. He couldn’t wait to show Kyle his new tricks. He’d even made some good progression when it came to evoking.
As soon as he was online, Ethan’s interface alerted him that he’d just received a message. He quickly opened it and read its contents. Michael was calling for another meeting at the tavern they’d used before.
Smiling and feeling excited, Ethan rushed there as fast as he could. He sure hoped someone else had made some progress and that this wouldn’t be another wasted day. When he got there, he found out he was one of the first to arrive, so he sat to wait with Michael. Thankfully, everyone was online, so it didn’t take long for them all to show up.
“I believe I have found our next goal!” Michael announced happily once Jude came in and sat. She had been the last to arrive.
“You found the temple?” Kyle asked.
Michael shook his head. “Not quite, but I was able to trade some of those crystals we found to get a special compass from a monk, and it should show us the way. It’s supposed to point toward a special temple that moves around in the forest.”
“That’s pretty suspicious,” Ethan remarked.
“It’s a better lead than we had before, but finding the temple isn’t the only challenge we need to face. From what I hear, the journey to the temple is usually dangerous, and not just because of monsters. Apparently, groups of violent players are known to lurk around it and attack people who approach.”
Jude grinned smugly. “Then we’ll just have to kill them first, won’t we?”
“Sounds like a plan!” Kyle agreed.
“You’re awfully quick to violence for someone who is always mentioning harmony,” Lily told Jude.
The woman in purple armor shrugged. “That’s the game. Besides, sometimes the only way to achieve harmony is to remove the selfish and the violent with violence.”
Lily sighed, but she didn’t comment further. Ethan kept his lips shut. It wasn’t
like he had a better idea, and they were rather good at killing things.
Once the team got up and headed outside, Ethan walked beside Kyle. “Hey, did you learn anything about evoking yesterday?”
Kyle stuck out his tongue and made a face. “Ugh, not really. I talked to some monks, but they just kept telling me to look for the Origin and meditate. I tried it for a while, but it might not be my thing after all.”
“No one said it was going to be easy,” Ethan replied. “Like anything else, practice makes perfect.”
“True, and I do really want to get psychic powers.” Kyle laughed. “Then I can blast people with my mind!”
After a brief stop to buy supplies at a merchant’s stall, the team headed out through the city gates and toward the looming wall of trees that marked the beginning of the forest. Michael led the way, with a small bronze compass in hand. It pointed them away from the path they usually took. Instead, they headed into some thicker trees to the left.
“It doesn’t look like anyone has ever been here before. Are we sure the temple is this way?” Ethan asked as he pushed through some thick bushes and jumped over a muddy sinkhole. His new quiver was resting on his back.
“I was assured that the compass is completely accurate. The crystal on the device’s needle is pulled toward a unique type of energy given off by the temple, and it’s certainly pointing toward something,” Michael replied.
Since they weren’t on a path, the going was tough and slow from the start. The ground was both uneven and wet, making it slippery. Everyone had to watch where they put their feet and keep an eye out for monsters or other attackers at the same time. The bushes and branches overhead were thick enough to allow any manner of creature to sneak in close. After an hour of tough slogging and a brief run-in with a giant snake that had fled as soon as they’d fired at it, the entire group began to get tired and grumpy.
“How sure are we that your compass isn’t just sending us out to the middle of nowhere?” Jude asked sourly as she stepped over a muddy puddle.
“I wouldn’t mind knowing when we’re getting anything like close,” Kyle said.
Michael sighed. “Like all compasses, it simply points in the right direction. We’re just going to have to keep moving.”
“It looks like we’re entering one of those purple parts of the forest. That might mean we’re getting close,” Ethan told them hopefully as he scanned the forest ahead. If he was being honest, it could also mean the exact opposite.
“I’m sure the temple isn’t too far now,” Lily suggested.
“And how would you know?” Jude asked her with a patronizing snort.
Sighing, Ethan decided to walk to the front of the group so he could avoid more comments by Jude. Once he was leading the way, they continued through the now-purple forest for several minutes. Ethan watched his surroundings carefully, and he was eventually rewarded when he noticed some leaves shift to his left. Without slowing, he tensed and eyed the area carefully. Was that a hint of grey he saw? Ethan quietly alerted his teammates over team speak but told them not to react.
A few moments later, the bushes rustled again and then a long grey shape burst out. It was a growler. The huge grey cat tore up the ground and screamed as it charged toward the players. Ethan was ready for it though. In one smooth motion, he reached to his quiver, drew a javelin, and spun around to throw the weapon. As he released the projectile, he grasped the Origin and dumped as much kinetic energy into the weapon as he could. He’d mastered that trick while he’d been practicing the night before.
The javelin tore through the air like a lightning bolt and slammed into the charging growler’s neck. There was a loud thud when it penetrated the beast’s flesh and sank deep into its torso. Countless small barbs then sprang from the crystal weapon, shredding more flesh. The beast’s momentum carried it forward for a moment, but then it coughed up blood and collapsed. Face first, it hit the ground and skidded across the dirt before coming to a complete stop.
The fight wasn’t over though. Three more growlers had burst out of the forest right after the first. They came at the players from both sides, but Ethan’s teammates were ready. They immediately opened fire on the giant ugly cats, and the beasts went down under a hail of fire. Only one got close to the players, and Kyle simply met its charge by jetting forward and slicing open its side with his energy blade as it ran past.
When the action was over, the team checked on each other. Kyle reloaded his weapon and then walked to where Ethan was admiring his fallen enemy.
“Wow, that’s a sweet new weapon! Where’d you get it?” Kyle asked as he grinned excitedly. It really didn’t take much to keep him happy.
Ethan grinned. “Oh, I just bought it in town.”
Jude huffed. “It’s basically cosplay. Use a rifle. That’s a real weapon.”
“This has its advantages, and it’s good evoking practice for me,” Ethan replied calmly. There was no point in getting offended. Jude was just Jude.
Once the team started moving again, Kyle volunteered to take point. Ethan let him and fell back next to Lily. They walked on for several minutes in the direction Michael’s compass pointed. None of them had any idea how long it would take to reach their destination, so they needed to keep moving.
Suddenly, a loud boom echoed out of the forest up ahead. It was swiftly followed by a mad chorus of bird screeches as the noise startled them. The entire team flinched and instinctively ducked.
“What was that?” Kyle asked as he pointed his pistol at the greenery ahead.
“Let’s find out,” Jude replied as she pressed onward.
Carefully, the red team followed her. After a few minutes, they encountered evidence of fighting. There was a huge blast crater in front of them. It was as wide as a small house and had torn up the ground and vegetation. Dozens of trees had been ripped in half or knocked over, and wisps of smoke were still rising from several spots as residue from the explosion burned, but there was no sign of anyone.
“Let’s go around this way, quietly,” Michael told everyone over team speak as he made a motion with one hand. Ethan nodded, and they all followed Michael as he stalked through the undamaged trees around the edge of the blast.
“Hey, I think that’s a body over there,” Kyle said, pointing at a spot on the far side of the crater.
Ethan glanced and saw a red spot under a fallen tree. Looking closer, it was obviously part of a player’s armor.
“So the blast did hit someone, and judging by the target, I’d say this was definitely player-on-player violence,” Michael remarked.
“Then let’s not stick around here,” Lily replied as she kept walking. “We don’t want to get drawn into someone else’s dispute.”
No one disagreed with her, so the entire team picked up their pace. However, before they got too far, the sudden sound of gunshots echoed from the forest up ahead. The steady gunfire sounded like it was getting closer.
“Hide yourselves,” Michael ordered everyone as he ducked behind a tree.
As Ethan hid in a clump of bushes, he saw his other teammates find similar hiding spots. They were just in time. Almost immediately, two unknown players burst into the clearing caused by the explosion. One was wearing dark green armor covered in camo patterns and was holding a rifle. The other’s armor was a muted grey, and he had a pistol in one hand and a sword at his waist. Both were running at full speed, although the green player slowed for a second and shot a clip of rounds at an unseen target in the forest behind them.
However, before the two fleeing players got far, their pursuer burst out of the forest. There was a flash of white light, and a menacing figure in jet-black armor appeared. His faceplate was the same black as the rest of his armor, giving him an inhuman robotic look. As he ran after his prey, a black drone of some sort flew beside him. However, his most noticeable feature was his weapon. He was holding some sort of extendible blade that crackled and glowed with white energy. With a flick of his arm, he swung the blade at the gree
n player, and it instantly extended into a long whip that slashed into the man’s back. There was a loud crack and a buzz as it cut through the armor and drew blood.
“Huh, I didn’t know energy whips were a thing…” Kyle remarked with a whistle of appreciation.
“Practically anything can be made in Worldshift if you’re a skilled-enough crafter, but it has to be usable,” Ethan replied.
Michael nodded in agreement. “That thing looks more dangerous to its user than anyone else. He must have practiced with it a lot.”
“He’d be better off with a proper gun,” Jude huffed in disapproval before glaring at the quiver on Ethan’s back. Ethan wasn’t sure if she was simply practical or had a thing for guns.
As the green player stumbled, his ally turned and opened fire with his pistol. All his bullets missed as the player in black armor suddenly jumped to the side using a jumpjet like Kyle’s. Before the grey player could adjust his aim, his opponent’s energy whip lashed out and knocked his pistol out of his hand. By this time, the green player had recovered somewhat. From on the ground, he turned and aimed his rifle at his assailant. The black player ignored him and lashed at the grey player again, but the man managed to jump back and dodge the energy whip.
However, the man in green armor didn’t get a shot off. Before he could, there was a flicker of light next to the player in black and then the air rippled as a blast of aether slammed into the green player’s chest. The blow knocked him backward and onto the ground. Seeing this, the grey player immediately turned tail and ran.
“That was evoking, without a doubt,” Ethan hissed in surprise. This player in all black seemed incredibly dangerous.
Kyle whistled. “Wow, let’s not fight him.”
“Agreed,” Michael said.
As they watched from hiding, the player in black stopped for a moment to kick the fallen green player in the head and then stab him through his chest with his retracted whip, which was now back in the shape of a blade. He then chased after the grey player and vanished into the forest.
“We should get out of here while the going is good,” Lily told everyone.
Worldshift- Virtual Revolution Page 25