Definitely the tankiest of all the options. Ten percent damage reduction on full health and a red shield pretty much grants an extra twenty health. In a fight to the death, it could make all the difference.
The final vial is neon green. The contents are so sour that I pucker my mouth after each sip.
You have activated poison magic. Available spells:
Acid: Shoots a spray of acid in a cone that does 1 damage per second for 5 seconds. Cost: 10 mana.
Gas Cloud: Covers an area in toxic gas that deals 5 damage per second. Enemies trapped in the gas lose visibility. Cost: 20 mana.
Immunity (passive): Poison mages take no damage from enemy gas clouds and only take flat damage from acid.
I like the ability to bombard an area with gas and then hide inside. This could be both offensive and defensive if done correctly.
All in all, each class has its perks, not to mention how they all might interact with one another. The elements are similar to what we used in Raceworld, and I’m sure it’s no coincidence. If I had to guess, I bet some of them synergize in a similar way, too.
With the vials and bracers tested, I move onto the weapons. There are plenty to choose from, each with advantages and disadvantages. Spears, swords, daggers, battle-axes, warhammers, halberds, maces, bows, arrows, crossbows, and flails lay scattered on the stone.
With so many options, it’s hard to choose which one to start with. The battle-axe is a natural fit. I equip it and take a few swings when a boulder crashes against the stone in front of me. Shards explode in all directions, damaging the shield from my bracers.
I duck and turn around. “What the hell was that?” I ask, more shocked than anything.
Dean wears a mischievous grin as he walks over. “Check this out.”
He downs a vial of earth magic and fires a boulder into the air. It goes about ten feet up before gravity takes hold. Dean then chugs a vial of air magic and shoots a gale at the boulder. The gust of wind carries the boulder another twenty feet before it sinks into the stream.
“Nice!” I didn’t even think about using it in that way.
He shrugs. “It’s not the most economical use of our items. We’re pretty much wasting a full vial of the first magic, and it goes through mana twice as fast, but it does open up some interesting possibilities depending on how common the loot pool is.”
“True, but if we had a good stockpile, we could get some really good synergy going. Any of them you’re particularly fond of?”
His eyes light up. “Fire. I know it’s pretty basic, but it’s all attack-focused and the burn damage is too good to pass up. What about you?”
“I’m not sure yet. I see a lot of possibility with poison, but if other people are using it too then it won’t be as effective. The mobility of wind is great, but it doesn’t really have the firepower on its own. I like ice and electrical because of their crowd control abilities.”
“So, everything.” He laughs. “You really are a jack of all trades.”
I shrug. “And master of none. Have you looked at the weapons yet?”
He narrows his eyes. “Who needs weapons when you can cast magic?”
“Considering how small our mana pool is, you might want to rethink that strategy.”
He smirks. “I’m kidding. I like the bow and arrow for range, but I’m also digging the spear. The halberd is cool, but I don’t think it has as many uses.”
I nod. “Those are good choices. I was thinking along the same lines. Pick a weapon that can be useful in the most situations. I’m going to try and keep it simple and use a sword whenever I can. Not knowing what awaits, I want to have some practice with everything, though.”
Over the next couple of hours, we scout the landscape, locating ruins and areas where we can make our best stand. Not knowing which way the map will shrink means we need to have multiple options available so that we can find them quickly.
Once we have a handful of places marked, it’s time to test out combat.
I down an ice potion and let the cold course through my body. “Ready to get your first taste of full-immersion?”
Dean cocks his head. “What do you mean? We’re already in—”
I shoot him with Freeze and then Ice Dagger. The combo is enough damage to crack his shield. I follow it up with Freeze, and he loses a chunk of health from the attack. He yelps when the ice blast hits him.
“Ouch! Okay, I get it!” He lifts his hands up. “It hurts.”
I fight to hold back my amusement. “Better you experience it now for the first time instead of when we’re in the actual match. Now do me.”
“You’re insane, you know that?” He pulls out several vials attached around his waist. “Which one do you want me to hit you with?”
I turn my back to him. This is going to suck, but I might as well embrace it. “Surprise me.”
After a moment of silence, a massive object hits me in the back, knocking my breath out and sending me sprawling to the ground. Half of my shield vanishes as I suck for air. The pain is manageable at twenty-five percent, but it still feels like someone punched me in the kidneys.
Dean rushes over and kneels next to me. “Are you okay? I didn’t think it would hit that hard.”
“What…did…you use?” I manage to get out between breaths.
“Boulder.” He grimaces. “At least we know it hits like a truck.”
Dean extends a hand and helps me to my feet.
I dust myself off and my breathing finally returns to normal. “Alright, on to the next one.”
Dean groans. “Do we really have to test them all out?”
I grab him by the shoulder and look him in the eye. “If we want a chance at winning, then we need to be prepared for everything. We need to know how every ability feels and affects us so that we can plan how to react to it. Understanding how much ice slows us or poison obscures our vision will mean we know how to respond when they hit us. Offensive tactics are important, but defense is what will keep us alive. We can only attack a small number of people at a time, but there will be ninety-nine other teams who have marked us as the enemy.”
“Ninety-eight.” Dean shakes his head. “Talia and Chadwick are on our side.”
“They are our friends, yes, but they want to win just as much as we do. When it comes down to it, nobody else is on our side because there can only be one winner.” I pull out another vial. “Now get ready.”
Dean nods. I think he might finally understand that for this stage, we’re all we’ve got.
I down a poison potion, and my mouth puckers from how sour it is. Dean looks at me like a puppy dog as I prepare to attack him. This is going to be a long day.
Chapter Twenty-Four
By the end of the day, Dean and I have probably killed one another at least a hundred times. Thank goodness for only experiencing pain at twenty-five percent, otherwise we might both be permanently scarred.
One thing we’ve learned is that even though weapons and abilities deal flat damage, this doesn’t affect critical strikes. The bracer shields function as a thin energy barrier that surrounds the entire body. Decapitation and other fatal blows can kill instantly once the bracer shields have been broken. So getting an early jump on someone who hasn’t yet picked up shield bracers could prove beneficial.
My vision flashes red and a notification pops up for the second time today.
Warning! You are approaching the time limit for full-immersion play. Log out within the next thirty minutes or the machine will automatically shut down.
Every six hours, users must log out for at least one hour. That’s the biggest difference between these helmets and the pods originally used. While the nanites in the full-immersion tanks and pods are capable of keeping the body in stasis and preventing users from experiencing muscle and brain fatigue, the helmets have no such effect.
Dean and I use the mandatory breaks to eat and walk around the headquarters.
For our evening walk, we stop by Buzz’s apartment.
He opens the door with a grin. “Well, if it isn’t the gruesome twosome. How’s training going?”
“I think Esil is getting some kind of twisted enjoyment from all the pain he is inflicting on me.” Dean points at me.
“I wouldn’t put it past him.” Buzz winks.
We step inside. Grayson and Maria are playing cards at the dinner table.
“I’m surprised you aren’t glued to a tablet.” I squeeze Grayson on the shoulder and take a seat next to him.
He lays a card into the center pile before turning his gaze to me. “My work here is done. I helped you as much as I could in the first two stages, but you’re on your own for this one. Besides, no one can stream their full-immersion training so there’s not much for me to look at. Pangea has it all blocked out.”
“We believe in you.” Maria offers us a warm smile. “I have leftovers if you boys are hungry.”
“Thanks, but we already ate. Dean and I are on our mandatory logout time, so we thought we would see a few friendly faces.” I turn to Buzz. “I can’t believe you were able to keep your mouth shut about the battle royale.”
He grins. “I’m a man of many talents. Honorable deception is one of them.”
I roll my eyes. “Right. So what happens to the rest of the Broken Lands during all of this? Is the battle royale going to stay or is just for the tournament?”
He shrugs. “Can’t say for sure. That’s a bit above my paygrade. From what I’ve heard, the rest of the Broken Lands isn’t changing, and this is some kind of regional event for the NPCs that will play into the story going forward.”
Grayson nods. “Time will tell.”
We sit and talk with them for half an hour. It’s nice to talk about things other than the tournament for a bit. I think it’s good for Dean to experience what it’s like to have the kind of relationship that I have with Buzz and the others. That even if he doesn’t have a family in the traditional sense, he can still make his own.
We say our good-byes, so that we can get in one more round of training for the night.
Grayson pulls me aside before we leave. “Remember what I said. Dean is a great asset. I’ve watched the replays, and he has natural instincts, probably better than any other apprentice in the tournament. Don’t be afraid to rely on him when you need to. Treat him like a partner.”
“I know. We’ll give it our best shot.” I clear my throat, realizing that my mouth is suddenly dry. “I just hope it’s enough.”
We head back to my place and log back in. Now that we’ve dealt with the pain of testing out all the abilities and weapons, we can finally move on to tactics.
For the next two days, we’re going to grind like our future depends on it, because for Dean, it does.
“Time flies like an arrow.” Dean smirks as he attempts to hold in his laughter. “Fruit flies like bananas.”
I shake my head. “I don’t care how many times you say it, it’s still not funny. Now get ready, the tournament starts in an hour.”
He rolls his eyes as he picks up his immersion helmet. “Oh, come on, it is funny. Show a little excitement. This is what we’ve been working towards this entire time. Everything up to this moment doesn’t matter, and we have as good of a shot as anyone at winning it all.”
I force a smile. Honestly, I’m not sure how he is the calm one when it’s his future on the line. But if he can enjoy the moment, I need to do my best to do the same. I take a deep breath and grab my full-immersion helmet.
We’ve spent the past two days training nonstop, aside from the scheduled interviews we’ve had to do for the Pangea stream. If the forums are any indication, Dean has grown quite a following even without us being able to stream full-immersion. So much so that he might be able to get a streaming contract when this is all over.
The days passed quicker than I would have liked, but we’re as ready as we’re ever gonna be. We know the items. We know the terrain. The only part we’re not prepared for is what the other challengers will do.
I’m pacing around my home portal waiting for The Vacuum to open when I receive a message. Notifications are muted for everyone except a few special people, so I pull it up.
Hey, mind if I stop by for a minute?
-Aleesia
I quickly respond, telling her to come to my home portal. Seeing her will keep me from stressing during the time between now and the start of the tournament. Honestly, I would have been better sleeping in and getting ready at the last second, but of course I set five alarms to make sure we didn’t oversleep.
Aleesia arrives wearing a black robe with flames embroidered down the sleeves. The outfit brings out her red eyes, setting them ablaze against the charcoal skin of her dark elf.
She wraps her arms around me. Without the haptic suit, I can’t feel the embrace, but memory does a good job of filling in the details.
I can immediately tell something is wrong by the look in her eyes. “What’s going on?”
“I thought you would have already seen it.” She sighs. “It’s Ryken. He put up a video this morning. He called out my father in front of everyone. Then he attacked me, and of course he had to throw in a few jabs at you.”
Ryken always has been a first-class jerk. “It doesn’t surprise me. What did he say?”
“It’s probably just better if you watch the video.”
I find the video and pull it up on the far wall.
Ryken sits on the obsidian throne in his home portal. His eyes are a menacing orange behind his hellish helm. When he speaks, his voice sounds distorted and demonic.
“Today, I will claim what is rightfully mine and prove once and for all that I am the greatest competitor Pangea has ever seen. Before I go in, I have a few things to say. First, to my father. You thought kicking me out would teach me a lesson. In a way, I guess it did. It taught me that I had the strength not only to survive without you, but to thrive. Your constant lectures and lessons did nothing but hold me back. Once I no longer had you to keep me on a leash, well, we see how well I’ve done. And to my stupid sister and her cheating boyfriend, you robbed a tournament from me once by cheating. It won’t happen again. You better hope that someone finds you before I do, Esil Allen. My sister can’t save you this time. And neither can your dead daddy.”
“What a piece of trash!” Dean is on his feet, face contorted in anger. “I don’t care if we win. I’m going to hunt down that jerk and make him pay.”
I push my own anger aside to focus on keeping Dean calm. “Don’t worry about it. He’s just trying to get under our skin. He knows we have a shot at winning this thing and wants to throw us off our game. We stick to the plan and deal with Ryken only if we have to.”
Dean clenches his fist. “I hope we run into him.”
Aleesia puts her head in her hands. “I’m sorry. I was certain you would have seen it, or I wouldn’t have brought it up. The video has been circulating all over since he posted it.”
“Hey.” I pull her hands away and look her in the eyes. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll take a lot more than a spoiled brat with daddy issues to get under my skin.” I point to the portal that just appeared in the middle of the room. “Looks like we can finally go to The Vacuum now. We’ll see you later. You should go watch the tournament with Buzz and Grayson.”
She wipes away a tear from one eye before kissing me on the cheek. “Okay, I will. Go give them hell.”
When we arrive at The Vacuum, it’s much quieter than before stage two. Everyone stands further apart, and very few teams are talking to one another. Ryken towers over most of the people around him. The two gnomes nod at us, more of an acknowledgement than an invitation.
Talia materializes next to them and looks around. I wave to gather her attention.
Her eyes light up when she sees me, and she runs over, Chadwick following close behind.
“Well, this is ominous.” She frowns.
People stare at us since we’re one of the few teams talking to one another.
I grasp Talia and Chadwick around the forearm in turn. “I agree. I think we’re all just wondering what to expect.”
“You guys have a plan?” asks Chadwick.
Dean nods. “Yep. You?”
“Yep.”
Even though we’re friends, there’s still tension in the air. We all know what’s coming.
We stare at one another awkwardly and I have never been so relieved to hear Nancy’s voice booming from above.
She soars in on her pegasus and hovers in the air wearing her Valkyrie armor. “Greetings, adventures, and welcome to the final stage of the Pro-Am Tournament! This is the match you’ve all been waiting for. One hundred champions. One hundred apprentices. All fighting for glory in front of Pangea.
“Over the past three days, we’ve introduced the world to the Broken Lands, Pangea’s revolutionary new game world where users can finally experience deep-dive full-immersion. A world where you can taste the meat pie at the local tavern, feel the heat from the fireball before you incinerate your foes, and experience pain and pleasure at your desired comfort level. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but believe me when I say that the whole world is watching. More people are tuning into the Pangea stream than ever before. Before we get started, here’s a message from Benjamin, President of Pangea Online Entertainment.”
Benjamin’s face appears in the sky like some god peering down from the heavens. Everything about him is perfectly manicured, and his eyes radiate with energy.
He smiles and his teeth sparkle. “First, I want to say thank you to each and every one of you. To the champions who continue to inspire countless others through your streams and competitions, you show the world the heights they can rise to if they choose to apply themselves. I hope you have enjoyed being a part of the first public showing of our full-immersion technology. And to the many apprentices, you are the future of Pangea. Your desire and drive to put in the grueling hours required for a shot at this internship are inspiring. It’s proof that no matter one’s background, they can still reach great heights across our many game worlds. For without the people, Pangea would be nothing. Good luck out there. I’ll be waiting to crown our victor. Nancy, back to you.”
Pangea Online 3: Vials and Tribulations Page 24