by Shawn Wyatt
My thoughts wandered until movement at the door broke my reverie. Bell lifted the fabric that separated the room from the outside and peeked in. I waved, then held a finger to my mouth. He nodded and disappeared back outside. I joined him a few seconds later. “The others are still sleeping,” I said. “I didn’t want to disturb them.”
“I understand. Here, I have something for you.” Bell held out a package wrapped in cloth.
He had fashioned a new weapon out of the Hamadryad fang and turned it into a functional pistol for a Marauder.
Serpent’s Fang (Flintlock)
Unique Item
22-27 Damage Per Second
This hard-won gun is fashioned from the poisoned fangs of a giant serpent. The poison gland still resides within the fang, granting each shot a 5% chance to inflict the “Poison” debuff on targets.
I turned the gun over and over in my hands and admired the ivory sheen of the barrel. “Thank you,” I said. “This is a major improvement from the one I lost. How did you create such a powerful item?”
“As I said, I am a deft hand at craftsmanship,” Bell said with a wink. “And I would ask that you be well-armed if you set on a quest for the sake of Nyfed. Also, I have one more request.”
“What is it?”
“If it is not a problem, take Wish with you.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I’ll never say no to powerful allies, but she doesn’t seem inclined to stick close to us.”
Bell shook his head. “I know, but the girl needs to be around more of her kind. Though I do not yet understand the full extent of the differences, it is clear that adventurers and NPCs are markedly different from one another. She has more in common with you and your friends than she does with us and our ancient traditions.”
“She didn’t come with us earlier,” I said. “Do you know where she is?”
“She spent most of the afternoon begging our leave to remain here in Nyfed and to continue clearing the forest of taint. She doesn’t understand that she could best serve that purpose by going with you.”
“A lot of others struggled to accept this world when we first arrived here.” I thought back to those in Grenay. Even though many players had begun to level up and grow stronger, equally as many still struggled. “Let me talk to her.”
“You’ll find her on the second level.” Bell pointed to one of the rope bridges that swayed in the breeze. I could just make out her silhouette.
“Okay. I’ll see if I can convince her to come with us.”
I made my way up to the bridge, along a spiral staircase that wound around the massive trunk of one of the trees. A few sprites flew close to me, eager to get a closer look at one of the strange adventurers that had come to their lands. I smiled and waved. The sprites gave me a surprised look, giggled, and flew away.
Wish glanced my way and grimaced. “Let me guess. Bell sent you.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“To what? Tell me what to do? Tell me where to go?”
“Well, yeah. He wants me to convince you to come with us.”
“And you aren’t going to do that?”
“Nope.”
I leaned against the rope beside her and stared out at the view. Nyfed truly was a gorgeous place. From this higher angle, I could see how the treehouses had been carved into the trunks. The rope bridges were not hung with rope, but rather with vines—living connections between the trees. Everything in Nyfed lived and grew in synchrony with everything else.
“So if you aren’t going to convince me, what do you want?” Wish made no attempt to hide the disdain in her voice, not that I blamed her. I would hate to be forced into a group I didn’t want to be part of.
“To invite you. If you say no, I won’t pressure you. You’re free to join up with us if you want, but everyone in our party did so out of their own free will. And they’re welcome to leave at any time, too.”
Wish turned, and I counted that as a victory. She hadn’t even looked in my direction so far. “So you guys all hang around campfires and sing Kumbaya together? That sounds miserable.”
I laughed. “No, no. Trust me. We don’t always get along. Bastion and I actually brawled when we first met. But don’t worry, I won.” I paused. "Come to think of it, he made the same Kumbaya comment you did."
She just looked annoyed. “Enough with the jokes. You aren’t half as funny as you think you are. What’s the point of your group? Why do you guys even bother to fight?”
“I want to go home,” I said. “I don’t want to stay here, and I certainly don’t want to die here. I refuse to give up.”
“And if it proves to be pointless? What if you can’t get out, even if you beat the game?”
“I can’t think about that. I’ll cling to what hope I have, no matter how small it might be.” I noticed the tremble of her lip, but looked away. I never could handle when girls cried. “We could use your power. You’re strong, and we need strong. But if you don’t want to join up with us, like I said, I understand. There were a lot of players in the capital city right at the start of this nightmare that struggled to accept what happened. They were scared, and did whatever they could to survive.”
Wish looked away again. “Whatever.”
“Just think about it. If you decide to come with us, well, we set out in the morning. If I don’t see you, I’ll understand.”
There seemed to be nothing more to say, so I descended back down the spiral staircase and found Bell waiting at the bottom. He shot me an expectant look. “How did your conversation go?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know if I got through to her or not, but I extended the offer. Will she be able to stay here if she doesn’t want to come with us?”
Bell nodded. “We would never cast out someone that needs aid.”
“Then we let her decide. She has to come to terms with this world herself.” I fought back the urge to yawn. “Is there anything else I can do?”
“Not that comes to mind at the moment. Go, rest some more. You can depart in the morning.”
I left Bell and returned to the temporary quarters that had been set up, my new pistol in its holster. The ivory would soon darken from the gunpowder, but for the moment, it gleamed like it was brand new.
We gathered at the eastern border of Nyfed the next morning. Our packs had grown mysteriously heavier during the night with fresh fruit and trail rations, but when asked, Bell only gave us a genuine look of confusion and suggested it might have been the sprites. The party had slept well and hard. Evey and Boris were in high spirits, although Boris’ had been dampened somewhat by Evey’s refusal to let him have more honeycomb. “You aren’t much good in combat if you get fat,” she said.
He whined, but she would not be moved.
“The pathway to Sloziar’s home will be clear,” Bell said. “He is not fond of creatures encroaching on his territory, so you have little to worry. Even under the influence of the corruption, I have no doubt Sloziar maintains his policy of isolation.”
I nodded. “Thank you,” I said. “We will do everything we can to free him of the corruption.” Gaia’s Stem hung from my belt. I had moved it there this morning with the thought it would be better to have a powerful relic fast at hand. Though the stem weighed little, the weight of what it represented hung heavy. I had a hard time imagining a solution that did not involve slaying Sloziar.
The gaze of the Seers did not help. Glenndiril and Althea had come to see us off. “Do you have everything you need?” he asked.
Bastion and Evey nodded. The sprites had ensured our supplies were well stocked.
“Not everything.” The voice came from behind me. I turned around, and Wish stood with a hand on her hip. “Don’t look so surprised. You three would die without help. But I’m only here for the bear.”
Boris cocked his head to the side and huffed.
“Welcome aboard,” I said. So now our little party numbered five. “Glad to see you decided to come.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m still not
singing Kumbaya with you.”
Bastion looked confused, and Evey just looked annoyed. I hoped they would warm up to Wish in time. We needed all the help we could get.
I gave Nyfed one last look, not eager to leave the safety and warmth of the grove. “We will return as soon as possible. Wish us luck.”
Althea bowed her head. “The voices of the forest go with you.”
I nodded. With nothing more to say, I turned and stepped through the shimmering border. The dark gloom of the forest closed around me like a massive hand closing into a fist. I shivered, more from the eerie sensation than the cold—-even though outside the boundaries of Nyfed, a chill wind blew through the forest.
The others had a similar reaction. Bastion stepped forward to raise his sword, but Wish stopped. “Honor your pact, imp. Come out and be useful," she said.
When she spoke the words, the little demon we had seen in the fight against the Hamadryad popped into existence in front of us. It shot her a look and yawned. “You called?”
“Carry this torch,” Wish said. “And walk in front of us.”
“Fine, fine. Don’t remember this being part of the contract I made with you.”
“Should have read the fine print.”
I bit back a laugh. The demon’s high-pitched voice fit its appearance to a tee. “You’re an Invoker, right?” I asked.
“Yeah. It’s a subclass of the Oracle. Invokers summon creatures to fight alongside them, and can aid those creatures with spells. Spellweavers, the other subclass, are basically glass cannons.” Wish glared at the back of the demon’s head. “Sometimes I wish I had chosen that subclass.”
“So how long will your friend stay with us?”
“Five minutes at a time, though I can just resummon him when he despawns.”
The demon let out an audible sigh. “So I’ll be working all day? I hoped to nap.”
Evey tapped a finger to her chin. “So you have to say an incantation to summon it?”
“Yup.”
“I thought an incantation for summoning a demon would be more...terrifying, I guess.”
“Nah. I can make them sound however I want. Depends on my mood. It’s all about focusing on the desire for the creature to appear, more so than the words. Next time I’ll try saying ‘rainbows and unicorns, la la la.’”
Bastion laughed, and the demon stomped its feet. “Hey, bucko. Keep laughing and I’ll use this torch on you.”
We continued into the forest. True to what Bell had said, we encountered no creatures. Insects croaked just out of sight, and birdsong could be heard from far above, but there seemed to be no wildlife larger than a squirrel in this part of the wood. As the day wore on, the reason became apparent.
The demon stopped in his tracks. “Hey. Look.”
On the other side of a tree lay a clearing. Roots thrust up through the ground and craters pockmarked the area. No foliage remained in the clearing. A snake lay dead in the middle of one of the craters, its body flattened, its entrails scattered around.
My stomach turned. “What happened here?”
“That is a very dead snake. Looks like Sloziar’s work.” Wish sighed. “I met him once, you know. Just after I got stuck in the game.”
“And he could do this?”
“His weapon of choice is a club the size of a tree trunk. Yeah. He could do this.”
No one else spoke. The attack hinted at a level of violence I had never before seen. The Seers had requested we weaken Sloziar, but if he could flatten a serpent it took five of us to take down, he would be nearly impossible to defeat. Our group paused for a moment and looked around, but then continued forward.
Conversation lagged after that. We walked in silence, once more too aware of the darkness that lurked under the thick canopy. The hours ticked by until acrid smoke filled the air and choked the forest. With the smoke came silence, except for the crackle of flames.
“Hold on,” I said. “Is that a forest fire?”
“Not thick enough. Forest fires produce a lot more smoke. This looks like a bonfire,” Bastion said. At our surprised looks, he shrugged. “I worked as a fire spotter one summer.”
“Bonfire, or campfire for a giant?” Evey asked.
“We’re close,” I said.
“Stay here,” Evey said. “Let me go first.” She stepped ahead of the group and activated her Forest Walk ability. This let her move through the foliage without sound. Not quite as useless as a full stealth ability, but it paid off in the here and now. I tried to watch, but I lost sight of her in the thick underbrush. A few minutes later, she appeared beside us again. “I found him. You need to see this.”
Evey led the way through the forest to the edge of a large clearing. In the center of the clearing, a fire blazed in a fire pit ringed with large stones. A giant sat beside the fire on the truck of a downed tree. In the real world, this tree might have been king of the redwood forest. In Perla Online, it was about average.
“Wish, is that Sloziar?”
The Invoker nodded. “Yeah.”
The giant muttered to himself, but I couldn’t make out the words. His eyes sat sunken back into his skull, and heavy dark circles denoted sleepless nights. Behind Sloziar, the largest tree I’d ever seen lay on its side. Its roots had been torn from the ground when it feel, and they created a cave-like structure. The inside of the tree had been hollowed out. A dark mist hung around the tree that not even the proximity of the fire made dissipate.
“He doesn’t look so good,” I said.
Wish tapped her finger to her chin. “Althea said he was strong. Is it possible he’s still fighting the corruption?”
“If he is, then we have an advantage. We can surprise attack him. What’s our strategy?”
We huddled on the edge of the clearing and decided our next course of action. A circle drawn in the dirt at our feet represented the clearing. A rock in the center represented Sloziar. “We attack from three sides,” I said. “Boris makes the initial charge to distract and taunt him, and then we each attack from a different direction. If he aggros to you, stop attacking and let someone else pull. With luck, we can keep him running between us. Bastion, you stay beside Evey in the center of the triangle so you can heal.”
He nodded. “Make sure none of you get out of range of my spells, and maintain line of sight. If I can’t see you,I can’t heal you.”
“And don’t get hit,” I said. “If he does any AoE, that’s fine. Projectiles are fine. But if Sloziar lands a hit with that club, there’s no hope. Remember those corpses we saw in the forest?”
Everyone nodded at that.
“I don’t want to see any of you end up that way. Are we ready?”
Another nod.
“Then let’s go. Boris?”
He growled and charged into the clearing. I went north, Wish went south, and Bastion and Evey stayed where they were. Attacks from different directions would keep Sloziar distracted and give us the edge we needed to overcome his strength.
The giant raised his head as Boris charged, but gave the bear a half-hearted wave. “Go away, bear. I don’t want to hurt you.” The sound of his voice was like gravel being dumped from a truck. Boris didn’t slow his advance. Sloziar grimaced in pain and staggered to his feet, his arm reaching for his club. “Go away, I said. Get out of here.”
His limbs jerked as he readied himself for attack. Sloziar looked like a marionette controlled by an unskilled puppet master. He seemed to fight against the movements of his own body. He swung his club, but it lacked the force I expected. Boris dove out of the way and pivoted back to face the giant.
Doubt had begun to creep into my mind about this plan. Sloziar once more shouted at Boris to get away. When he caught sight of Bastion and Evey at the edge of the forest, his voice rose again. “Get out of here, adventurers! Leave before I hurt you!”
His grasped his club in two hands and raised it high above his head, then brought it down with tremendous force on the ground. A shockwave emerged from the
point of impact that flipped Boris end-over-end. I saw my HP drop by 10%.
“Hold your attacks!” I shouted. “Bastion, cast a healing spell on Sloziar!”
“On Sloziar?” Bastion looked at me like I had lost my mind.
“Just do it. I have an idea.”
His annoyed groan answered me even as he readied the spell. “Coming here was your idea, too!”
I loaded two Vine Bombs into my pistols, took aim, and fired. Serpent’s Fang was the most balanced gun I had used so far, and the trigger offered almost no resistance as I squeezed it. Both shots found their mark, and dozens of vines sprung into existence around the giant.
I holstered both pistols and stepped into the clearing, my hands held up in front of me. “Sloziar, I just want to talk.”
“Ren, what are you doing?” The concern in Evey’s voice was clear.
“Just trust me,” I called back.
“Little human, pray these vines hold,” Sloziar said.
“They won’t last forever, but they should last long enough to have a conversation with you. You’re sick. The Withering’s influence is clear.”
The giant thrashed against the vines and his eyes narrowed when I mentioned the Withering, but he said nothing.
“Can you break it on your own?” Bastion’s spell landed at the same time I asked my question. The soothing light of the spell seemed to relax Sloziar, but agitated the darkness that swirled around him. The giant’s eyes widened.
“I have tried,” he said. Each word was a hard-won victory. “I have failed.”
“What if we healed you through the process?
Sloziar thought for a moment, then nodded. I beckoned Bastion out of the forest. “Heal him. Focus all of your efforts on him.”
“Wait,” Sloziar said. “The darkness will not let you act unimpeded. Be wary of the forest while we do this.”
Wish and Evey both emerged from the forest and took up defensive positions. “Let us worry about the forest. You focus on expelling the corruption." Wish said.