by Matt Moss
But he’s also given me everything with this mark, and the world is at my fingertips. I can shape it to my will. I know I can.
Should I be grateful? I don’t know. Maybe the old man’s not so crazy. Whoever he is…
I quit thinking and go back to work.
I call my wife later that night. To cover my tracks, I tell her that the job site doesn’t have cell phone service and is up on a distant mountain somewhere in western North Carolina, further outside the city of Asheville than I thought. I’m staying in a camper at the job site with one of the guys to save money and I’ll call her on the weekend when we go into town.
“Okay, baby, I will. Say hi to the kids for me and give them a kiss. Alright, I will. You know I’m always safe. I love you, too. Bye.”
I place the phone beside me on the toilet, and log back in.
I continue the grind and move on to the lair of the Elder Gazers. At first, they’re far too much to handle with melee, so I stay high on a ledge and pick them off with a bow and arrows. After three hours, and with the Amulet increasing every one of my skills, my archery skill has already progressed to Adept. I figure within another day or so, I’ll be a Master. Maybe another two or three days to reach the maximum skill of Grandmaster.
Maybe that’s wishful thinking. Still, Thal’s Amulet is, by far, the most useful item in the game, I’m sure.
Why did it remain with me after dying? I’ve thought about it many times, and have no answer. I don’t really care why it did. I’m just glad it did.
Killing gazers from afar takes too much time, not to mention I have to run down there and collect the loot without getting killed by the others that are prowling the temple chamber. I’m strong enough now that I can take more than a couple hits from them, but I don’t want to take any chances on dying again.
There’s only been a few other players that I’ve noticed here in the gazers’ lair, and they, like me, stick to themselves and prefer to hunt alone.
Another hour of picking the monsters off from afar goes by and I feel the need to speed things up, as it’s taking too much time to kill even one.
I use a teleport, that I bought before leaving the last town, that transports me to any town or city that I’ve been to. They’re very expensive, so I only bought two. But I’ve got around twenty thousand gold on me right now that needs to go into the bank in case I die, because I can’t afford to lose that much money.
Not again.
I can’t believe I just made eight months worth of wages in the last fifty hours or so.
I pull the Amulet from underneath my armor to admire it’s green, glowing gem, set in the middle of the gold cage that surrounds it. I press it to my lips. “And I couldn’t have done it without you.”
After I store everything in the bank, I make a quick trip to restock supplies. Arrows, healing and stamina potions, and repairs on my weapons and armor. The portal is still open only to me, and, after I’m set and ready, I step back in.
Back inside the temple, I find the spawn to be minimal; which is good because I only want to take on one at a time up close. I equip myself with a Dragon Glass Shield and a well-crafted Ebony War Spear, which grants plus-ten percent to my damage. I also make sure to have my potions ready.
On the cave floor, it seems darker than what it appeared to be from above, and there’s a slight mist that lies thick, which I didn’t notice before. I approach the Elder Gazer, creeping behind it as it doesn’t yet see me. Closer now, I prepare for a surprise attack. Just before I do, it turns and locks onto me.
Being this close to one… it’s the stuff nightmares are made of. One giant, straining eye in the middle of a pink body that looks kind of like a brain. Tentacles jutting from all sides as it levitates off the ground by the power of its magic.
I attack and block, keeping wary of my stamina. It casts a drain spell in return that narrowly misses, but still saps a good deal of my dexterity. Momentarily sluggish, I fight on and can see my one-handed melee and blocking skills soaring off the charts due to the power of the beast and the Amulet increasing my experience points. After a hard fight, and a few health potions to stay alive, I slay the beast.
Before I can even loot the body, another one locks onto me and charges, sending blasts of damaging magic my way. Each time I’m hit, my Resistance goes up, which allows me to withstand magical spells. But Gazers don’t simply rely on their spell-casting abilities; they’re proficient with melee attacks as well. I can see my armor’s durability go down as I’m engaged with the beast. I’m forced to use more potions, and make a quick note to pick up more the next time I’m in town. A short span later, I find this one is easier to kill, but still very challenging. Looking around the chamber, I see no more Gazers and feel that I can now safely loot both.
Another five hundred gold apiece. A few mana potions, Gazer skins, and some respectable weapons and armor that would fetch a nice price in town.
Some very nice loot. And well worth the time.
I wonder why nobody else takes advantage of hunting Gazers? Are most people not powerful enough to hunt them? Too scared to die?
Maybe most people don’t know about them. I got a tip from a guy in town after paying him handsomely for any information about the best hunting grounds, and he acted like this temple is a hidden gem that not a lot of people know about.
At the far side of the chamber, another player teleports back in and starts hacking away at a Gazer. Within moments, he dies—another bed sheet running around.
His ghost runs to me and begs for help in a soft language I can’t understand.
“I’m sorry. I can’t resurrect you. I don’t have enough skill and I don’t have a potion.”
The ghost stands there for another moment, mumbles something that sounds like a curse, turns, and runs away.
Sorry, buddy. The cheapest Res potion I’ve found costs fifty thousand gold. Not something you want to waste.
I attack the Gazer that killed the man and, after a minute, defeat it with much more ease than the last ones—my skills all increasing at an unbelievable rate. I loot the Gazer, then bend down to inspect the man’s corpse.
The man’s ghost appears out of nowhere and runs up to me, frantic.
“I thought you’d left,” I tell him.
“oOOoOo OOo,” he says.
I’m no expert in communicating with the afterlife, but I’m pretty sure he’s doesn’t want me to loot his corpse. I wonder why?
“Look, you’re a long ways from town, and your body will decay before you can resurrect and come back to get your things. That would be a waste. How about I keep it for you so it doesn’t get lost, okay?”
The ghost cocks his head in apprehension, then gives a reluctant nod.
“Now go on and run to town. I’ll be here when you get back. And I’ll give your things back. Go on, now.” I shoo him away with my hands.
I shake my head as I watch Casper run away, mumbling incomprehensible things to himself. I go to his corpse and take his things, which isn’t much. Funny how some people treasure things that other people would consider invaluable.
He should have never been here. Too weak.
Scanning the chamber, I find myself alone again and there are no Gazers in sight. Deeper into the temple I go, rounding sharp corners, sandstone sides closing in tighter as the path leads on. A light ahead flickers on a wall. I turn the last corner and enter a great room with fires lit all around in sacramental pits. Five Elder Gazers all turn from whatever ritual they’re performing and lock onto me.
“Shit.”
I turn and run back down the narrow corridor as fast as I can. But Gazers move fast, as fast as a player does, and all five are hot on my heels. And unlike a player, they don’t lose stamina while moving.
Spells narrowly miss me, and my Resistance protects against the ones that do manage to hit. I take only minimal damage.
I’ve got to get out of here, fast. Could I use the last portal and escape in time? Probably not, as they take lo
nger to conjure than I would like. The only way out is to run. And hope that I have enough stamina potions to outrun them. If I could make it outside of their domain, they wouldn’t give chase, would they?
Damn. My cloak of invisibility would come in real handy right now.
My health bar depletes to half as a ferocious spell cuts through my Resistance. Fear begins to grip me.
The thought of fighting these things hits me for a moment. I know that I would die, but I also might get lucky. Maybe the Amulet would do something when faced with great peril, and would destroy the enemies before it let me fall.
It let you fall before.
True.
I round the last corner, back into the chamber, and see two people at the far end of the cave.
I wave my arms. “Help!”
As if the five Gazers hot on my heels isn’t enough to see that I need help.
An arrow zips by my head, narrowly missing. For a moment, I thought it was meant for me. But it drives into one of the Gazers and I turn my head while running to see its health drop by a sizable amount.
Two more arrows hiss by and hit their marks.
As I draw closer, the two Warriors trade their bows for melee weapons.
“Ace!” the female calls out and stands ready to fight.
Deana?
Anger boils up inside me at the sight of her, but I haven’t the time for that right now. We’ll settle up after.
When I reach them, I turn around just in time to fight the Gazers. Deana and Gage fight beside me, but the Gazers concentrate all their attacks on me, as they are locked on.
“I’ll heal you while you fight,” Deana says and puts her weapons away.
I’m drinking health potions faster than an alcoholic can say Tennessee whiskey. And Deana’s magic increases my hit points, but against five Gazers, it’s not enough. Gage is smart and attacks the same Gazer I do. It falls, but only after I’ve used all of my potions.
“I’m out of heal pots!”
“Take mine,” Gage says and hands over all he has.
A Gazer shrieks, the sound deafening as it blasts through the cave. Ten seconds later, five more Gazers come barreling towards us from the far end of the chamber.
“Bloody hell,” Gage curses and keeps attacking. We drop three more Gazers by the time the other five show up.
“I’m out of potions again,” I tell them. “Just run. They’re locked on me. You two can still get out.”
“No,” Deana says and uses a mana potion to restore her magic pool as she continues to heal me.
Another Gazer falls, and so does my health. There’s no avoiding it now. Deana’s magic is slowing my death down, but it’s inevitable. I’m going to die… again.
Still, I fight on, and so do my companions.
They would give their lives to save mine. The thought touches me, and maybe I was wrong about Deana.
I see my health bar drop to fifty percent.
Forty.
Twenty five.
Fifteen. Suddenly, a burst of light comes from the Amulet around my chest and stuns the Gazers with blindness.
“Attack with all you got!” Gage shouts in response and unleashes a flurry of strikes.
Awestruck by the power of the Amulet, I recollect my senses and attack with everything I have. Deana does the same and we destroy the five remaining gazers before they can regain their senses.
When the dust settles, Deana turns to me. “Incredible. The Amulet… it saved you.”
I can’t believe it either. What a rush. I take the glowing pendant in my hand, thankful to still be alive. “I suppose so.”
“It has bound itself to you,” Gage tells me as he begins to loot the corpses. “I’ve seen other enchantments do the same, but never anything like that. It’s like the Amulet knew that you were about to die.”
I’m still at a loss for words. Partly by how I just cheated death, and partly by seeing Deana again.
“I see you’ve chosen your skill set,” Deana tells me and puts her weapons away.
“What’s that?”
“Warrior class,” she wipes the bangs from her face, bends down, and starts to loot the Gazers.
I partake in the spoils as well.
“Thanks for saving me,” I tell them, not knowing what else to say. Part of me is still convinced that Deana and, possibly, Gage were the ones who betrayed me. But if that were true, why would they save me now?
For the Amulet. They want it.
Maybe. “How’d you guys find me?”
Gage looks insulted. “I’m the best tracker in Alterlife. If I want to find someone, I find them.”
“Fair enough.” I’m careful not to overburden myself with loot from the Gazers, mindful of the weight limit I can carry.
“What happened to you?” Deana asks.
Seriously? You’re really going to ask me that? You know what happened. You were there.
“I was poisoned. Then locked up in the cells below the guild. You were there. Surprised you didn’t see it.”
Deana puts a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I’d heard, but thought it was a lie.”
I meet her gaze. “I lost everything. Everything except for Thal’s Amulet. I don’t know why, but it stayed with me after I died.”
“How did you escape the cells?” Gage asks.
It’s a long story.
“It’s a long story.”
“Well, I’m glad you made it out,” Deana says and puts her hand on my arm.
Let’s just see where you stand. “Are you? Why, so you can take me to the guild? I’m sure my head would fetch a nice price. Might even be able to pry this Amulet off of me.”
She steps back, appalled. “Ace, I would never. Seriously? You think I would do something like that?” She shakes her head, pain in her eyes. “You do. I can see it written all over you. You think that I betrayed you. Well, I didn’t.” She turns her back to me and takes a few steps.
“It wasn’t her,” Gage tells me.
“You then?” I ask. “You did try to kill me once before.”
He holds his hands up. “It wasn’t me, bucko. I’m a mercenary. But I’m an honest mercenary.”
“Those two things don’t go together.” Still, something about that man causes me to pause in search. For whatever reason, I don’t fully trust him. Definitely don’t trust him like I did before.
He finishes putting loot into his inventory and speaks. “You say you were poisoned?”
“Yeah. I had a couple drinks. Next thing I know, lights out.”
“Hmm.” He takes a moment to think. “You know anyone who dabbles in poisons? Potions and what not?”
“No.”
Yes you do.
Wait. I do. The Guildmaster. He showed a fondness for alchemy, and his chamber was littered with the likes. And he did say that he had been searching for Thal’s Sword of Eternity for quite some time. Did he want it bad enough to kill me?
But he just appointed me commander. It doesn’t make sense.
“Well, maybe.”
Gage raises an eyebrow. “Well, if you know of anyone who favors alchemy, I’d start my suspicions there. Especially if they knew you had valuables or, should I say, legendary items.”
The words slip out of my mouth. “The Guildmaster. Professor D.”
Deana snaps around. “The Guildmaster? Of the Black Knights?”
I nod.
She shakes her head. “You’re accusing one of the most renowned men in Alterlife of killing you with poison, just so he could take your sword?”
“And my cloak. Yes.”
She throws her arms out. “Well at least I’m not the only suspect. But you should know that nobody will believe you. He’s basically regarded as a saint. What are you going to do?” she asks, stepping towards me.
I look down.
Kill him.
I clutch the Amulet in my hand and look both of them in the eye. “I’m going to kill the Guildmaster, take my things back, and take control of
the Black Knights.” I step over one of the Gazers and make my way out of the temple.
I speak to them as I walk.
“And you two are going to help me.”
12
MYSTICS
7 DAYS REMAINING
Deana tells me that if I want to overthrow the Guildmaster and take control of the Black Knights, that I basically need to become a god.
So that’s what I’m going to do.
I’ve heard about the Mystics, or seers, in the overwatch tower outside of Condren, and how they can either act as your guide or eat you for supper. Bones of those brave enough to call upon them are littered about the grounds, unworthy of their summons—a testament to validate the rumors.
But despite the shroud of opinions about the place, I’ve felt the Amulet pull me towards the tower before, and, for that reason alone, I know that I must go.
The Mystics will be my seers and show me what to do, as they have no concern over the toils of a common man in Alterlife.
It would appear that they might be NPCs, but from their reputation, it seems that they are much more than that. GMs of some sort? I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.
On the outside of the slender tower, etched in stone are the words ‘Those Who Deem Themselves Worthy May Enter.’
Yeah, I’m worthy. The worthiest, by my judgement. And I’ve come to call my due.
If you don't believe in your own personal legend, then why should anyone else?
For nine minutes straight, I run up spiral stairs until I reach the top of the spire. Inside a dark room, the floor is layered with fog, though the top of the tower is exposed to the sun by many windows.
I step into the center of the room, and the Mystics appear.
From all sides, six of them manifest through the fog, and are part of the fog. They loom around eight feet tall, and they close in on me with ethereal weapons in hand.
“Who stands to be judged?” one of them speaks, the sound like a burst of wind through leaves on a tree.
“Ace the Great.”
Really?