by Rick Scott
“How’s your mom doing?” Gilly asks while I peruse.
“She’s okay,” I say, semi-distracted by the huge list of gear available to my new level. I have my eye on a couple Level 15 knives that are +1, and some cool-looking ring-mail armor. “She’s getting more and more worried about my brother, though.”
“Why? What’s up with him? Still sneaking out?”
“Yeah. He didn’t come home last night. Again.”
Gilly pulls her lips to the side in a frown. “You ever talk to him about it?”
“Talk?” I let out a scoff. “I don’t think I could talk to that guy about anything.”
I decide to go with the knives, but settle on a set of cool-looking leather armor instead of the ring-mail. I don’t plan on getting hit, after all, and the leather has some bonuses to Sneak and Hide. The total sets me back almost 8k, but I’m going to sell it right back when I unlock Ninja, so I’m not too concerned about the cost.
“Why don’t you just follow him?” Gilly says. “See where he goes.”
“Because I can’t wa—”
I stop mid-sentence, and look at Gilly like she’s just said the most profound thing in the world. I could. I could follow him. I could actually do that now.
“Plus, with all your sneaky Thief training, it’ll probably be a breeze!” Gilly laughs when she says it, but I’m seriously thinking of it now. Mike has no idea I can walk. If I order a big coat or something through the nano-processor, I could totally pass myself off as someone else. It’d be like the leather armor I just bought, a bonus to Hide. And even though it’s just in-game, I do feel like I know a bit more about sneaking around now, thanks to those dockworkers. Even if it’s only in principle. Maybe I could pull it off.
“Well, how cute. It looks like you’ve brought a friend along.”
Both Gilly and I look up to see Val Helena, in Warrior mode, standing behind us. Gilly’s face instantly wrinkles into a scowl, which only causes Val Helena to let out one of her goddess laughs. “Take it easy, sweetheart. I’m just pulling your chain.”
Gilly folds her arms in a huff and turns a shade of red that I match when Gilly catches me staring at Val Helena’s skin-baring Warrior outfit. I half wonder if she didn’t switch to Warrior for just that reason, just to tick Gilly off more.
“Normal people say hello as a greeting . . .” Gilly says sourly.
“Hello, Val,” I say as a joke.
Gilly then points to me as an example. “See?”
Val Helena just laughs and shakes her head. “You two really are cute. Come on, let’s get going. Time to make you a Ninja.”
She shoots out a party request, and we both join. We then follow her as she heads away from the markets.
“So, is the quest going to be hard?” I ask. “Do we need more people for it?”
“It’s Level 15, so probably not. Although, if you’re going as Thief, I wouldn’t go too crazy on the heals. You’ve got no War Cry to pull mobs off Gilly if she steals hate from you.”
Dang, I didn’t think of that.
“But you shouldn’t be trying to get hit, anyway. Just stand directly opposite one another. That way, you can Backstab the mob if it turns from you to face her. That should be enough damage to get its attention back on you again. Just don’t take on more than one at a time.”
“Wow,” Gilly says thoughtfully. “That’s actually kind of a good idea.”
Val Helena smiles at her. “I have my moments.”
We arrive at another pier, but instead of ships with sails, this one has ships that are fitted with hot-air balloons tethered along their sides.
“This is the real hard part about unlocking Ninja,” Val Helena says. “The quest is on a different continent. That’s what I’m going to help you with.”
“A different continent?” Gilly says.
“The Ninja class is part of an old expansion. When it was released, there were a bunch of quests you needed to complete just to unlock the sky-ship route to get there. But now, you can get a buddy pass that allows you to bring other players along.”
“Oh . . .” I say. “Cool.”
“The guild had to hunt down a legendary monster for this, so be appreciative.”
I don’t quite know what to say to that. “Wow. I’m . . . humbled. Thanks.”
“Yeah. A lot of people are counting on you now, Reece,” she says, and then she smiles and winks at me. “So don’t screw up, okay?”
* * *
We board after Val Helena grants us access through her buddy pass, and then we’re off into the sky. The sky-ship rolls and sways as it gains altitude, and from its sides, we get a gorgeous vantage of Nasgar as the ship soars a few hundred feet over the land and water.
“How long does this take?” Gilly asks, the wind blowing back her short black hair.
“About twenty minutes,” Val Helena says.
Gilly sort of grumbles. “Why didn’t the devs just make it instantaneous? Who wants to be stuck doing nothing for twenty minutes?”
“It’d be no different than fast-travel, then,” Val Helena says. “And that costs 1000 credits. This costs only 50.”
Whoa! “That much?”
“Don’t worry,” she says. “You should earn enough from your quest to cover it on the way back. Or you can just stay in Bangōr and level Ninja there.”
“I’m going to do some quick research on the quest while we’re traveling,” Gilly says. Her eyes go unfocused as she starts multitasking.
Val Helena and I are left to stare out over the edge of the sky-ship as it magically crosses the ocean far below us. Wispy clouds add to the setting, giving it quite an amazing feeling of freedom. I can tell from her expression that Val Helena has probably seen this a thousand times before, and I wonder if she hasn’t gone off to multitask herself.
I contemplate if I should tell her about what happened with Aiko. Part of me fears that I might get a similar outburst if I do. But with a million viewers, it’s bound to get back to her somehow. And if it did, it would probably better if she’d heard it from me first.
“Hey, Val?”
“Yeah?”
I pause a moment before blurting it all out: “Earlier today, I teamed up with Aiko. She showed me an area to level up my Thief really quickly. I wasn’t really thinking about how that might make you feel, but I just want you to know that I wasn’t trying to double-cross you or anything. I just accepted her party req—”
“It’s okay,” Val Helena says. “I already know what happened.”
My heart skips a beat. “You do?”
“Yes.”
I guess news travels faster than I thought. “Who told you? One of her subscribers?”
“No,” she said. “I am one of her subscribers.”
My mind does a double flip. “What? You are?”
“Of course. What better way to keep an eye on her and what she’s doing than to subscribe?”
Unbelievable. “So, you saw the whole thing?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Didn’t need to. I trusted you would keep your word to me. And you did. It just reinforced the fact that I made the right decision when I put my faith in you. But thanks for telling me, too. That tells me you’re a really good guy, Reece. I’m lucky to have found you. And to have you on my side.”
My insides go a little warm and mushy when she says that, and then again when she looks down at me and smiles. I feel like hugging her again. “Thanks, Val Helena. For trusting me like that. It means a lot. Really.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Why does she hate you so much?”
Val Helena lets out a long sigh before she replies. “I really don’t know if I can go into all that with you.”
Her sudden withdrawal has me feeling hurt for some reason. Even though I knew I was probably asking too much. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry like that. I
t’s just . . . her reaction was so extreme. It had me wondering, is all.”
A moment of silence passes between us.
“Tell you what,” she says. “There’s going to come a time when I’ll ask you to trust me with the same level of trust I do you. And when that happens, I promise, I will tell you everything you want to know about me and Aiko.”
“Seriously? When will that be?”
She looks away from me and out at the ocean. “When we kill the world boss.”
* * *
We land in the city of Kuze on the eastern continent of Bangōr. The region is modeled after feudal Japan, rather than a typical fantasy setting like Anderrun. Here, medieval stone buildings are replaced by elegantly crafted timber structures with ornate slate roofs. Japanese-like kanji adorns the shops and streets, but I’m able to read them just fine through my HUD. As we walk briskly through the city, Val Helena points out a few shops where I can buy gear specifically made for Ninja. I stop and get a couple of Level 1 katanas for 500 each. Technically, they’re called kunai—small dagger-like weapons—but the game refers to all the Ninja weapons as katanas; for ease, I suppose, since katana matches the skill name.
“This stuff is expensive,” Gilly says. I have to agree.
“Everything is over here,” Val Helena says. “Which is why you might to want spend the 1000 credits to go back and level in Anderrun. Most of the guild is back over there, as well.”
We leave the city, and Val Helena takes us through a few areas that look like peaceful countryside. I’m immediately taken aback by the beauty and newness of it all. Lush, forest-covered mountains surround us, and on their slopes lie terraced plots of farmland. Some grow rice in water-logged paddies. Others grow row upon row of beautiful tea bushes. It’s all so mesmerizing, serene. I wonder if this was how Japan really looked when it still existed.
We encounter a few monsters along the way, too—mainly aggressive wildlife, like wolves and foxes. Val Helena dispatches them easily with a single hit from her double-headed axe.
I take a peek at the combat log and nearly crap myself.
Val Helena hits the wolf for 3756 damage.
“Holy cow!” I say. “Remind me never to tick you off when you’re in Warrior mode.”
Val Helena gives me a chuckle, while Gilly just rolls her eyes.
She leads us off the main path and up a trail that dead ends at a massive boulder. The boulder is covered with etchings, and has a thick rope tied around its girth. I don’t know exactly what it is, but it gives me the impression of a shrine, or maybe a holy object of some kind.
“Here you go, kids,” Val Helena says. “Have fun. And when you get to the boss, be careful. It’s a little tricky.”
“Already got it covered,” Gilly says, tapping at her temple. “The plan is all laid out.”
“Right,” Val Helena says. “Research Girl. Got it.”
“Thanks for the ride,” I say. “I’ll do you proud.”
“You’d better.” With nothing more than that, Val Helena un-parties with us and fast-travels away.
“See?” I turn to Gilly. “She’s not so bad, is she?”
Gilly just smirks. “Whatever, fanboy. Come on. Let’s do this!”
I laugh at both her comment and her enthusiasm.
I approach the boulder. Instantly, it reacts to me. The etching glows to reveal kanji-like runes.
You have been found worthy to face the Trial of Shadows.
You have received a new Quest: Trial of Shadows.
[Once you enter, your home point will automatically be set to the entrance.]
Do you wish to enter now? (Y/N)
I hit yes, and Gilly and I both disappear as we’re transported to another world.
* * *
As we materialize in the new area, I pull up my character sheet.
Name: Reece
Class: Thief
Level: 15
Strength: 6
Dexterity: 20
Agility: 45
Intelligence: 4
Mind: 6
Vitality: 8
HP: 82/82
Stamina: 48/48
TP: 45/45
45 Agility already? Dang! Listening to Aiko really paid off on that one. A couple more levels, and I’ll double my attack speed. We find ourselves in an eerie forest, or perhaps garden. There’s a cobblestone path leading through the slender trees that bend toward one another, forming a sort of tunnel. I note that some of the trees have the same thick rope tied around them that the boulder did.
“So, what’s the scoop here, sweetie?”
“Sweetie?” Gilly says. “So I’m sweetie now that your boss has gone?”
“Gilly . . . come on. I—”
She shuts me up with a surprise hug from behind and a kiss on my cheek. “That’s to remind you that you still owe me a real date after this. But this will suffice for now.”
I chuckle. “So long as we don’t pick up another third wheel again.”
“No chance of that,” she says. “This is an instanced dungeon. It’s just you and me, hun.”
“Sounds like a date for real. So, where do we go?”
“It’s pretty straightforward. We stick to the path and kill stuff until we reach the boss at the end.”
“That’s it?”
“Pretty much. Oh! The guide said to look out for ambushes, too.”
“Ambushes. Got it.” Let’s hope my Awareness skill kicks in.
Gilly buffs us with Minor Favor and regen, and then we start down the cobblestone pathway. I get a weird feeling as we approach the circular clearing ahead. It has a fountain in the middle that’s been overgrown with vines and weeds.
“Wait here,” I tell Gilly, and then approach with Sneak engaged.
As I round the fountain, I see two creatures that look like frog people lying in wait behind it. They are about the size of a Halfling—around four feet tall, maybe—and stand on two legs. They have shells like turtles on their backs, but I can’t tell if it’s a part of them or just some kind of armor they’re wearing. They seem semi-intelligent, too. They have spears in their webbed hands. I focus on one of them to bring up what they are.
Shelled Kappa
Level: 15
These water spirits are tricksters who love to prey on small children! Their shells provide added protection and are very tough.
Affinity: Water
Nasty looking little dudes. They need to go. I circle behind one of them, and strike with a double-knifed Backstab. I aim for the exposed green skin on its flank, but somehow, I end up hitting its shell. My knives bounce off with a flurry of sparks.
Your Backstab failed to penetrate the shell!
Shelled Kappa takes 0 damage from your Backstab!
Great! Immune to Backstab? Both the frogmen burble at me as they turn about, licking their bulbous yellow eyes with long sticky tongues. They come at me with their spears. I duck and weave to avoid them. Their attacks seem surprisingly slow to me, and I’m able to avoid them with ease, but they scuttle about on their webbed feet with a speed that unnerves me. I lash out at the first one with my dual blades, quick stabs one after another. The creature burbles and croaks as I puncture its frog-skin chest, adding to my heebie-jeebies. I take its HP down 15% a hit and get it to half health with just a few quick strikes. Wow! Dual Wield rocks!
I’m so focused on how much damage I just did that I fail to sidestep a spear thrust from the second Kappa. My HP drops to half.
You take -46 damage!
Holy crap!
I hear Gilly casting behind me and she tops me up with a double heal. But the second Kappa immediately starts hopping toward her. “Gilly! No!”
I finish off the first Kappa with a couple more double attacks, dodging its spear thrusts in between.
You defeated the Shelled Kappa!
You gain 500 experience points.
You find a Poison Dart.
“Reece, help!” Gilly shouts, frozen in fear.
I go fr
om feeling invincible to feeling helpless. I have no way to stop it from killing her. I throw one of my knives in desperation and miraculously, the Kappa burbles as it stabs him through the leg.
You have unlocked a new ability: Weapon Toss.
Weapon Toss
Sacrifice your equipped weapon for a long-ranged attack.
The Kappa starts heading back my way, forgetting about Gilly. Yes! I swap my off hand knife into my main hand. Good thing I got two of these. I avoid its spear thrusts as it stabs at me by watching its movements. I don’t attack as often with only one weapon, but I eventually take it down.
You defeated the Shelled Kappa!
You gain 500 experience points.
Kill chain x 1. You gain 250 experience points.
Behind me, I hear Gilly level up.
“Gratz,” I say.
She catches up to me with a look of awe on her face. “Wow! That was so awesome . . . and so close! Thanks for saving me, babe!”
She wraps her arms around me and plants a big goofy kiss on my lips.
I blush a little, but smile. “You’re welcome.”
She leans away from me a bit. “Seriously, though, I thought for sure I was dead. How’d you do that?”
I shrug. “I dunno. I just tried it, and it worked.”
I reach down and collect my knife from the Kappa’s corpse.
Gilly grins. “Maybe you’re becoming a Ninja for real.”
I laugh. “Maybe. I couldn’t Backstab them through their shells, though.”
“Oh, right. I forgot to tell you about that.” She grins as an apology. “The mobs in here are immune to Backstab.”
“So I gathered.” I give her a playful roll of my eyes. “Anything else you’re forgetting?”
“Not that I can remember right now.”
“Okay, then let’s keep going.”