by E A Hooper
This reminds me of that old VR horror game—damn, what was it called? The one where I had to use camera flashes to navigate a cave, but occasionally monsters would find you. I remember Monika made me stop playing it because I shouted at every jump scare. That game looked so realistic at the time, but I doubt it’d even make me flinch after playing World-Tree Online.
When Vincent used Darkeye again, he saw a silhouette moving along the back of the cavern. His body jerked back with fear, and he kept Darkeye activated for several seconds as he tried to find the figure.
Oh god, what was that? For goodness’ sake, why don’t I have an illumination rune in my inventory?
Vincent heard the echo of a footstep somewhere behind him, and he turned to find himself staring at a monster. The creature looked like a crocodile, although he stood on two legs like a person. Thick, protruding scales covered his large body, and he wore garb similar to a cowboy. At the monster’s sides, Vincent noticed two large hand cannons in holsters.
“I called it—I knew you’d be a cowboy!” Vincent said, Scanning the monster.
Warro the Western Wrangler (Exotic Boss) – Monster Class: S | Ageless | Sex: Male | Respawn Time: Ten In-Game Years | Personality: Friendly
Warro tipped his hat at Vincent.
Warro wants to know if—
Vincent pointed two fingers and fired Void Gun through Warro’s skull before the text could even finish. The boss’s head tilted back, and black smoke poured from the missing chunk of flesh and bone. Despite missing half his face, the boss flashed a toothy smile and drew his guns with lightning-fast speed.
Before Vincent could fire again, the boss bombarded him with over a dozen shots from the cannons. Each time he pulled the trigger, a shadowy wisp flew from the gun and struck Vincent with force similar to a basteel-armored punch. The attacks knocked him off his feet and sent him flying across the cavern.
Vincent gasped, having had the breath knocked out of him. He rose to his feet—and Warro blasted him away with another flurry of dark bullets. The Ranger tossed himself across the cavern with Zero Field, hoping to get away from the boss, but he still felt himself getting hit with attacks as he flew away. When he moved behind a large stalagmite, he finally had a brief reprieve.
Vincent took a few heavy breaths, then tried to quiet himself to listen for Warro’s movements. He heard steps growing closer, and when he leaned over to use Void Gun, he took several shots to the face. Vincent ducked back behind cover and popped his broken nose into place, then wiped away the blood.
Spell Upgrade: 1%
What’s that? Is getting my ass kicked starting a shield upgrade?
Before Vincent could shake off the confusion, Warro stepped around the corner and blasted him a few dozen times, sending Vincent tumbling across the cavern. The Ranger couldn’t even catch his footing, fire back, or roll away without taking shots to his arms and legs.
The attacks continued to pound away at Vincent until they knocked him against the cavern wall, pinning him there. Warro slowly walked toward him while continuing to fire a dozen shots a second, a crocodile grin on his face all the while.
Thinking fast, Vincent set his weight back to a hundred percent with his boots’ ability. He dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, even as Warro continued to batter his body with attacks. Vincent summoned Voidfire into his hand and hurled it at the relentless foe, but the monster leapt away before the spell exploded and disintegrated nearby stalagmites. Warro didn’t even come to a stop before firing on Vincent again.
The Ranger held up his arms, desperately trying to defend himself from the onslaught. He tried to hurry away, but Warro followed, shooting him in the kidneys forty or fifty times in a row. Vincent ducked behind cover, and then zigzagged past several larger stalagmites, losing Warro in the process.
Holy crap, this dude is insane. He never stops shooting, even for a tenth of a second. Void Gun didn’t kill him, and he’s fast enough to dodge Voidfire. I guess I should spend the extra mana on True Scan because I have no clue how to beat him.
Vincent listened for Warro’s footsteps, then took as quick a peek as needed to use True Scan. He managed to catch Warro with it, although he took half a dozen hits to the face before ducking back behind cover.
Warro the Western Wrangler (Exotic Boss) – Death Triggers: Heart (if 100% damaged), Lifeforce (if 100% lost). Scale Rating: 600 Total (500 Material | 100 Density) | Magical Protection: 500 (all other body parts) | Resistance: Breaker (40% less effective), Physical attacks (50% less effective), All elements (20% less effective). | Weakness: Mana (20% more effective).
Seriously? The only way to kill him is the total destruction of his heart or a complete loss of lifeforce? If Xan were here, this would be easy with her light draining spells, but I’ll have to go for the heart.
Vincent readied Void Guns in both hands, then stepped out from cover. Shadow bolts pounded him several times in the fraction of a second before he aimed left of center on Warro’s chest. Negative energy flew through the air, striking the monster before he leapt away. When the enemy landed and continued to fire on Vincent, the man thought he’d missed. However, when he looked closer, he saw a huge hole in Warro’s chest where the heart should have been.
A few dozen more shadow blasts knocked Vincent backward, and he scurried behind cover before wiping blood from his cheek. His entire body felt bruised and battered, and he was certain he’d have had internal bleeding long ago if not for his Density Shield.
Vincent chugged a mega-elixir as he tried to think, although the numerous head blows he had sustained made it hard to concentrate. His heart isn’t on the left? Does he have—what’s it called when your heart is on the other side—dextrocardia?
The Ranger ran to the other side of the stalagmite, then peeked around the corner. Between shadow bolts to the face, he glanced at the hole his Void Guns had made. Toward the center of Warro’s chest, he glimpsed the side of a beating heart that had been exposed by the disintegrated meat and bone.
Vincent pulled his battered face back behind cover, but this time he didn’t bother to wipe away all the blood. Warro’s attacks had torn skin off his cheeks and scalp, so he downed another mega-elixir to heal the more serious wounds.
Dang, I don’t even have the mana left for a Void Gun, and I’m out of ethers. Even if I had one shot left in me, I don’t know if it’d take out enough of his chest. Maybe if I got up close and sent it through the hole that’s already there. It’s really too bad I didn’t bring one of my hand cannons—
Vincent paused, remembering his soulbound World Core that he used to power his old hand cannons. Drawing mana directly from it had proved inefficient since it was designed as a power source for runes and enchantments, but he realized he might be able to siphon a little power from it if he could buy himself enough time.
Vincent equipped the glowing orb to his offhand as Warro rounded the corner and began bombarding him with more shadow bolts. The Ranger sprinted for more cover, but he tried to use his body to shield the core. Even though the soulbound item couldn’t be permanently destroyed, if it took any damage and stopped functioning, he knew the fight would be over.
Vincent dove behind another stalagmite, although he found it difficult to stand. His muscles strained from the relentless beating he’d taken over the last couple of minutes, and he knew Warro’s attacks had fractured many of his bones. Even with all his willpower focused on the World Core, he realized it would take several minutes to get enough mana for Void Gun, especially since he’d been using Darkeye repeatedly.
I’ll need to go blind for a bit, Vincent realized.
He glanced back at the nearest passage, trying to remember the layout as best he could, then disabled Darkeye. Vincent sprinted for the passage at full speed. A few more of Warro’s attacks struck him in the side, but when they stopped the Ranger guessed he’d escaped the monster’s line of sight.
Vincent used Darkeye for a moment every few seconds, just like he’d done when he first enter
ed the cavern, so he could get an idea of the surrounding area as he raced along the tunnel. As he turned a tight corner, he heard Warro blast the cave wall right behind him. Vincent gasped for breath and forced himself to keep running, but his speed started to slow as all of the damage he’d sustained started to take its toll.
The Ranger turned another corner into a large cavern, but the boss shot his right knee as he pivoted. Vincent stumbled, almost falling, and he tried to ignore the pain as he limped toward the massive stalagmites he’d seen during his brief use of Darkeye. With Warro’s footsteps echoing through the cave, the human prey wasted no time leaping for cover, only to find a huge drop-off in the darkness.
Vincent fell for about two seconds, bounced off a rocky surface, then fell two more seconds before crashing into shallow water. He’d cradled the World Core all the way down, protecting it from damage, and continued to siphon power from it despite his dizziness from the fall. When he stood, he blindly walked a few steps before falling past a smaller drop-off and landing on his shoulder against a jagged surface.
He used Darkeye and spotted an empty space behind a small waterfall where he could hide. Vincent covered the World Core with his body, shielding the tiny bit of light the item produced while hoping Warro wouldn’t see it.
Those were some big drops, and the cavern looks huge. It might take him a minute or two to find me.
Vincent tried to listen for movement, but he found it difficult to hear anything beyond the waterfall. The seconds ticked away, and his heart pounded with anticipation as he realized he almost had enough mana for Void Gun. Whenever the falling water splashed his face, he could taste his own blood, which made him wonder if Warro could smell it.
Oh god, he’s going to find me. Any second now. Even if I have the mana, I’ll only have one shot.
A large splash sounded in the shallow water up ahead. Vincent’s body tensed, expecting the shadow bolts to begin devastating him once more, but he tried not to make any sounds. After a few more seconds passed, his muscles eased up a bit.
Did he continue down the cavern?
Vincent used Darkeye for an instant, like taking a snapshot, and he saw Warro’s half-disintegrated face poke through the waterfall. For the first time that entire fight, Vincent reacted before his foe, leaping from his hiding spot. The boss hit him with two shadow bolts, but then Vincent reached a hand through the hole in Warro’s chest.
In one clean motion, Vincent ripped out the boss’s heart.
Warro gasped, collapsing back into the water, but his body didn’t disintegrate. He violently twitched as the Ranger pressed a finger against his exposed heart. Vincent cast Void Gun with the mana he’d gathered from his World Core, and the spell’s Weighted Shell upgrade caused it to expand, annihilating the entire heart in an instant.
Warro’s convulsing body became rigid for a moment, and then the crocodile crumbled to dust in the water.
Vitality Level Up: 376>379
Spirit Level Up: 404>407
Resolve Level Up: 377>380
Perception Level Up: 401>404
Agility Level Up: 375>378
Strength Level Up: 374>377
“Good lord, I never get tired of seeing that,” Vincent said, still slack jawed at the level increases.
Congratulations on defeating a boss on this Challenge World. You may choose one soulbound item as a reward.
Ol’ Lefty (Soulbound) – A special hand cannon that has several moving parts inside of it. There seem to be conflicting types of magic powering the weapon. | Shadeshot – You can spend a minuscule amount of mana to fire a shadow bolt from this weapon. The impact’s power is based on your Strength. This attack has zero cooldown time when Ol’ Lefty is held in your left hand.
Ol’ Righty (Soulbound) – A special hand cannon that has several moving parts inside of it. There seem to be conflicting types of magic powering the weapon. | Shadeshot – You can spend a minuscule amount of mana to fire a shadow bolt from this weapon. The impact’s power is based on your Agility. This attack has zero cooldown time when Ol’ Righty is held in your right hand.
Warro’s Necklace (Soulbound) – A necklace made of crocodile teeth, all of them tied together with 700-Rated iril wire. | Savage Heart – When this necklace is worn and the user sustains fatal damage to anywhere but their heart, they will remain alive. The necklace will siphon a low amount of mana per second to keep the user alive. If the user runs out of mana or the necklace is broken, the user will perish. If the user’s brain sustains damage, their consciousness will remain intact while this ability is in effect.
That necklace is seriously overpowered. If I were to keep drinking ethers to buy time, nothing short of getting stabbed in the heart or being totally blown up would kill me. It’s too bad I can’t give this to Jim—it’d make him almost unstoppable with how quickly he puts down potions.
Vincent chose the necklace and quickly equipped it, then checked his inventory for healing elixirs. When he realized he had none left, he went ahead and disabled his Density Shield, since it disabled his body’s natural healing process. At his level of Vitality, he figured the worst of his wounds would be gone by the time he made it back to the Garden.
I don’t want Monika to freak out when she sees all these injuries. I’d rather not have the image of my crying wife burned into my memory right before I leave this world. In fact, I should try to set things right with her before I leave.
Vincent spotted item crystals glimmering in the muddy water where Warro had died. He grabbed all the gild and fed it into his Builder’s Tome.
Builder Points: 162,501
“Yes!” Vincent cheered. “I’m so close—just one more boss should do it.”
His eyes swept across the darkness of the cavern, and Vincent realized he had no clue where he was or how to return to the surface. He equipped the World Core again, only to realize it’d been cracked when he dove toward Warro.
Vincent sighed and set his Density Shield back to default. He had nowhere near enough mana to recast it, but he knew the game would let him spawn with it already activated once he died.
He went and laid down under the waterfall with his mouth, then fought against his instincts until he finally drowned.
You’ve died. Respawning at Daiglass 0167.3076.0775.0729…
Unlike his last few respawns, Vincent found himself leaning against the nearby wall instead of in the bed. The sheets and blankets looked messy, which seemed odd to him considering Monika usually kept the room tidy. He grabbed items from the daiglass shard, then journeyed down the hall to find the baskets in the kitchen mostly empty. The few fruits and veggies inside of them looked like they had been rotting for days.
“Huh, weird,” he said. Vincent raised his voice to call throughout the house. “Monika?”
When he got no reply, he stepped outside and peered across the Garden. “You out here?” he shouted, walking toward the thickest group of trees, where she might’ve been hidden from view.
Once again, he got no response. Vincent jogged around the area for a few minutes, eventually heading past the well behind the house. He called out for the NPC a few more times, then walked back to the only building.
So she either went underground with the thralls, or she left the Garden. Either way, maybe this is for the best. I only have one boss left to defeat, and then I should have enough Builder Points to build a Jump Gate off this world. I’m sure she’ll be sad to see me leave. I could avoid a lot of heartbreak if I grab the daiglass shard now. I can keep respawning near the Viking until I defeat him, and then I won’t have to see her again.
The thought of leaving her without a proper goodbye made Vincent sick to his stomach, but he grabbed the daiglass shard anyway before heading out of the Garden.
She’s not Monika. Just some NPC that ARKUS will find another use for after I’m gone. I’m sure she’ll make a life for herself here on the World-Tree. Hopefully she’ll be happy.
By the time he saw the flashing light from Nodric’s b
lacksmithing, a hollow feeling had replaced his nausea. Even as he found a safe-looking dip in the petal to leave the daiglass shard, his heart continued to tug at him to go back and say goodbye to Monika.
It’s got to be this way, he assured himself. The more I’m around her, the harder it’ll be to leave. I have to press forward—I have to get back to my friends.
Vincent’s cold, determined eyes fixated on Nodric as he approached the boss.
The powerful monster lowered his hammer when he saw the man.
Nodric wants to know if you’re here to challenge him or to forge? (Challenge/Forge)
He’s the biggest of the four, Vincent noted. He also seems more like a tank than the others. If he’s all brawn and no speed, I might be able to finish this in one attack.
Vincent raised two hands, channeling Greater Voidfire between them.
Nodric reacted by flexing his muscles and roaring. Lightning raced from his body, then out in all directions, even knocking Vincent back a step. The boss’s many shields flashed over his body in a show of strength that shook the petal below their feet.
In terms of pure power output, Nodric might’ve been the strongest enemy Vincent had ever encountered. Hundreds of bolts continued to shoot from his body with each passing second, and when he raised his hammer it thrummed with such might it shook the entire quarter-hemisphere.
Vincent’s muscles strained and convulsed under the bombardment, but he forced himself to throw Greater Voidfire as Nodric brought down his hammer. For a split-second, the Ranger saw a tremendous wave of lightning and mana curling around each other like gargantuan serpents. However, his black flames split the massive attack in half, struck Nodric, and exploded.
The numerous lightning bolts that had filled the area disappeared in an instant, and the forge fell silent, save for the crackling flames. Vincent watched the black fire settle down, which had consumed most of the forge.