Pangea Online 3: Vials and Tribulations

by S. L. Rowland

  As the circle approaches, we can hear the dull roar of the storm on the other side. We’re not that far from the next circle, but we need to get moving.

  I extend a hand and help Talia to her feet. “We’ve had our struggles, but we’ve definitely fared better than you two. Should we team up? At least until Ryken is dealt with?”

  She scrapes away a flake of blood on her nose. “That’s smart. It’ll increase both our odds of making it to the final circle.”

  “Good.” I shake her hand, cementing our temporary alliance. “Now, let’s get you some weapons you can actually use.”

  We follow our same tactics, creeping in along the edge of the circle as is shrinks. It moves a lot faster the smaller it gets so we practically run to keep from falling into the storm. We loot a few bolts for Talia off a downed samurai and find a bow for Chadwick. While we’re teamed up, they will be our range.

  Chadwick finds a water vial underneath a tree. When he drinks it, all the blood is cleansed from his skin, and the tears in his clothing instantly mend.

  He holds out his arms and inspects himself. “Good as new.”

  “Look what I found!” Talia walks over carrying a pair of red bracers and hands them to Chadwick. “You take these.”

  He grins as he removes the blue bracers and tosses them aside.

  There’s a slight thunk as an arrow pierces his neck. He gasps for air, and the red bracers fall from his hands. Blood pours from the wound, staining his freshly-cleaned clothing.

  Talia grabs him by the tunic, but the life has already left his eyes. Whoever did this waited until the precise moment when he removed his shield.

  A chill runs down my spine. How long have they been watching us?

  While Talia screams, head pressed against Chadwick’s chest, Dean and I search for the culprit.

  I spot the elven archer hovering in the air just as a second arrow hits Talia in the back. Her bracer shield drops by half.

  I grab her by the arm, but she jerks away. “We have to go. He’s gone, but you can still keep fighting. He’s not out of the running unless you quit.”

  She wipes tears from her eyes, but there is no sadness. Only rage. “Who did this?” she demands.

  “I saw an elven archer just over the hill.”

  She picks up the red bracers off the ground and marches in the direction of the archer.

  “Talia, don’t be crazy,” I call after her, but she doesn’t turn around.

  Dean looks at me expectantly.

  My eyes follow Talia as she disappears. “She can make her own decisions, but we’re not looking for fights, remember?”

  “I know.” He sighs.

  Talia is normally so level-headed. I’m surprised she would do something so reckless. Then again, I didn’t just watch my brother die in front of me. Even though we all know this isn’t real, she just got a glimpse of what it would be like to actually lose him.

  Hopefully, she can take a few enemies down on her path to revenge.

  The gong sounds once again as the circle stops. I check the players remaining.

  Teams: 31

  Players: 53

  A large portion of those fifty-three players have to be solos. Probably hiding out around the map, waiting for someone to make a mistake.

  I check the map to see what locations still remain inside the circle. The largest set of ruins left are from what used to be a castle. The moat surrounding it has long been empty and is now nothing more than a gorge. A fallen tree functions as a makeshift bridge across the moat.

  With its nooks and crannies, the moat functions well for hiding but attempting to climb out while someone has the high ground could prove challenging.

  The exterior walls of the castle are mostly crumbled, with the occasional section of wall standing by itself. All but one of the battlements has been destroyed, and the one remaining has gaping holes along the sides, offering little protection for the spiral staircase. The keep towers above it all, though without a roof and with one missing wall, it is easy to get in and out.

  While the ruins would offer little benefit to an actual army, it provides enough shelter and hiding places to make it a formidable setting for a battle royale.

  There’s also an old farmhouse, a thick copse of trees, and an assortment of stones that are hard to decipher what they used to be. I’d put my money on most people flocking to the castle.

  From our position at the edge of the circle, we can see the castle. Several times, we spot movement as solos or teams move into position. A wall of flame erupts inside the battlements. Occasionally, someone uses their wind magic to hover in the air to scout. We watch as someone is shot while in the air and tumbles to their death.

  Somewhere out there, Talia battles alone. Or maybe she’s already been eliminated.

  One by one, players continue to drop. By the time the circle starts to shrink again, we’re down to thirty players. The location of the final circle appears on the map: the castle ruins.

  Dean takes a deep breath. “We’re so close and there are still way too many players left to feel comfortable.”

  I feel the same way, but I need to keep him calm. “Don’t think about that. Focus on what is right in front of you. Take everything one moment at a time.”

  He nods, then crouches, slowly walking forward with his spear pointed ahead of him. I lower myself and keep my sword at the ready. We didn’t spot anyone clinging to the storm like us, so most of the remaining players have likely already established their positions.

  As we approach the castle, a gnome head peeks above the moat. Luckily, he’s not looking in our direction.

  Dean spots him too and immediately raises his hand for an attack.

  I grab him by the wrist. “Wait. These are the gnomes that helped us in stage two. They aren’t stupid. This has to be some kind of trap.”

  A second gnome peers over the edge nearest the castle. He climbs out and runs across the tree functioning as a drawbridge. He looks panicked as he zigs and zags through the empty courtyard.

  I’m certain he is up to something, because no one is that stupid.

  Then all hell breaks loose. Ice beams, fireballs, electric bolts, and a myriad of other offensive magic and weapons shoot out from every edge of the castle. The gnome downs a silvery vial and begins moving faster, using the bonus movement speed from wind magic to evade the attacks.

  My skin is suddenly on fire as the storm crackles past us. Dean groans and runs ahead. While we were watching the scene unfold, neither one of us kept an eye on the circle. It bypasses our armor, depleting our health directly. We hurry back into the circle and sprint toward the moat while all eyes are on the gnome.

  We run a safe distance from the gnomes and slide down the embankment into the depths of the empty moat. I down the only minor health potion I have. As I look around, the gnomes’ plan suddenly makes sense. Further down, the moat is covered in a sea of green gas. So much gas that they must have been planning this for a while. The second gnome drinks a green vial as he jumps down and disappears inside.

  Magical explosions carry from up above. His little charade revealed a lot of people’s positions and forced their hands.

  Two human rogues, one male and one female, peer down into the gas-filled gorge. They both pull a green vial from their pockets and chug them. Then they equip their daggers and leap into the pit.

  So much for luring someone into a gas trap.

  Dean and I are scaling the moat in order to sneak into the castle when a green updraft launches one of the gnomes out of the moat. A second later, the other gnome follows, a red vial in his hand. He downs the liquid and shoots a single fireball into the gas.

  The explosion is deafening. The ground shakes and rubble comes tumbling down on top of us, knocking us back to the bottom of the moat. My ears ring, and I cough as I inhale dust into my lungs.

  The gong sounds as the circle comes to a halt, its boundary humming with energy in the center of the moat. The roar of the storm makes it hard
to hear the fighting going on above.

  The location of the final circle appears on the map, directly in the center of the keep. In ten minutes, everything is going to come to a head.

  “You okay?” Dean extends a hand to help me up.

  I brush dirt off my shoulders and arms. “Yeah, I’m just glad they didn’t see us. That was a hell of an explosion.”

  “Yeah, usually the gas clouds dissipate after a few minutes, but I guess the gas had nowhere to go down here. Brilliant plan.”

  Grayson was right for us to worry about those two.

  We scale the moat for a second time and make it out. We take cover outside of the perimeter wall. If we keep a low profile, we can creep along the outer wall and enter the keep from behind.

  We stay low to the ground, the echoes of battle carrying from the other side. The clashing of metal, crackling of fire, crunching of ice, and crashing of boulders mixes with barbaric yells and painful screams as the death count rises.

  A halfling mage crouches against the wall up ahead watching the madness unfold. He peeks through a hole in the ancient wall. Everything is so loud that he doesn’t hear us approaching.

  Dean and I attack at the same time, hitting him with fire and electricity. We follow up with melee attacks, and he dies almost instantly.

  I let his body fall into the moat and take his position. The hole in the wall is big enough to see the front side of the keep. On the far wall, Ryken battles with a mace against a shirtless orc. He uses wind magic to jump between higher and lower levels with ease, making him hard to hit for someone so bulky.

  Dawn hits the orc with electricity, stunning him, and Ryken finishes him with a kick into a gas cloud below. The remaining players continue to tick down. Twenty. Fifteen. Ten.

  We’re so close.

  There’s a loud whoosh as someone casts Updraft nearby. I look up to see the elven archer who killed Chadwick shooting arrows at those fighting below. She nocks her arrows with great speed, letting them fly with abandon.

  A dark figure emerges from the shadows of the stairwell and sprints toward the archer. They step into the light and I realize it’s Talia.

  She charges like a lioness, crossbow draped over her shoulder and hand outstretched. Red energy flares in her palm as she casts fireball.

  “Burn, you bitch!” She launches the fireball, and it mixes with Updraft, creating a cone of flame that burns the archer from beneath. The archer screams as she tries to take aim at Talia, but the constant burning must have her aim off.

  Talia drops to one knee, aiming her crossbow as she slides, and pulls the trigger. The archer’s shield cracks from the fire damage, and the bolt hits her in the neck. The same spot where Chadwick was shot. She clutches her throat, and a moment later falls to the earth with a thud.

  “Talia, behind you!” Dean yells.

  And then I see it. Ryken is a good thirty yards away, but his ember eyes are focused on Talia. He casts Updraft and uses the force to launch him forward. Just as he is about to hit the ground, he points his palm down and uses Gale. The air pressure extends his fall for a few feet and he lands in front of Talia.

  She turns around but not quickly enough. He hits Talia with the mace, knocking her to the ground and nearly cracking her shield.

  Before I know what’s happening, Dean is climbing over the wall. I call for him, but he doesn’t hear me. He shoots a fireball at Ryken, but the death knight uses Gale to deflect it.

  While lying on her back, Talia summons a flame wall in front of Ryken, but Dawn extinguishes it with a water blast. Considering Dean and Talia are both using fire, this is not a good matchup.

  Ryken swings his mace again, but Talia rolls to the side and his weapon smashes into the earth.

  I climb the wall and follow Dean into battle. Ryken notices me, and his glowing eyes flare from within his helm.

  The momentary lapse gives Talia a moment to escape, and she leaps through a hole in the wall. Ryken curses and casts Updraft, rejoining Dawn up along the wall.

  “I should have known you would be here. Did you have to cheat to get this far too?” Ryken’s voice carries over the sudden silence.

  I ignore his jab and deliver one of my own. “At least I’m not doing all of this because I have daddy issues.”

  Ryken laughs. “Right, because you don’t have a father, do you?”

  His comments don’t bother me. Maybe if I remembered my father they would, but all I see before me is a spoiled brat looking for attention any way he can get it.

  Dean hurls another fireball, which Ryken nonchalantly deflects with Gale.

  “Let’s kill this jerk.” Dean’s lips curl up in anger.

  I hold my hand out in front of his chest. “Easy. Patience is what got us here. He has height at the moment so we can’t push. We need to wait for him to make a mistake.”

  For the moment, we’re in a standoff, neither one making the first move.

  A beam of ice hits Dawn in the back, and ice crystals erupt across her body. Her movement slows for a moment before she uses Cleanse and the ice melts away.

  A gnome soars through the air like he was launched off a ramp and lands in front of Dawn brandishing a dagger. He stabs at her, but she uses the end of her bow to parry the blow. The dagger cuts through the bowstring, making her weapon useless.

  Ryken pushes Dawn aside and lifts his mace. The gnome takes a step back and shoots ice at Ryken’s feet, coating the wall in a slick layer. Ryken and Dawn both steady themselves to keep from falling.

  “This is our chance,” I whisper.

  I run for the stairs. As I’m climbing them, Dean breaks off and heads straight for the wall. He jumps across two broken pillars, using his spear to vault himself into the air, and casts Flame Wall underneath Ryken and Dawn.

  Flames melt through the ice and eat at their shields before Dawn extinguishes them with her water blast.

  I use Chain Reaction at the puddle underneath their feet, shocking Ryken, Dawn, and the gnome all in one hit.

  Dean tries to tackle Ryken as he falls, but the death knight uses Updraft, launching himself into the air and sending Dean rolling off the wall and grabbing at air.

  A fireball shoots up from the ground below, setting Updraft ablaze. Talia emerges from inside the keep. I toss a bolt at Ryken, but he abandons Updraft and falls to the ground with a thud.

  The gnome presses on a weaponless Dawn, and Dean is nowhere to be found. Right now, I need to trust that he can handle himself.

  I look to Talia. “Help me with Ryken.”

  She nods.

  Ryken stands between me and Talia, but I finally have the high ground.

  The familiar sound of shattering glass rings like an alarm to my left as shields crack while Dawn and the gnome trade blows.

  It’s the perfect time to push them, but I can’t leave Talia alone with Ryken.

  She throws a fireball, and I use Bolt at the same time. Ryken casts Updraft to launch himself into the air. As he’s rising, he jumps off and lands behind Talia.

  The fireball and electricity are engulfed by the updraft, creating an electrical inferno. Before Talia can turn around, Ryken bludgeons her in the back with his mace, and her shield cracks. He kicks her forward and she flails into the inferno. She screams as she’s scorched and electrocuted simultaneously. Her health depletes by ninety percent before the spell fades away.

  She turns her back to me and raises a dagger at Ryken, but it’s no match for his mace.

  To my left, Dawn has somehow managed to defeat the gnome. She sways as she walks, like she can barely stand. Dean is still nowhere to be found, and I have no idea if he is dead or alive. As far as I know, all his hopes and dreams are resting on me.

  Dawn jumps down from the ledge. “I did it, Ryken. Let’s finish him, and we win.”

  She stumbles over next to Ryken.

  “Silly girl. Like I need your help. The only reason you are here is because of me. Now go home and watch me take care of business with the rest of the
world.”

  Before Dawn can comprehend what is happening, Ryken smashes her in the head with his mace.

  He laughs coldly. “I guess it was always going to be me and you. Only this time, my sister isn’t here to protect you. Time to fight your own battles.”

  A red vial soars through the air over Ryken’s head, and I catch it with one hand.

  “Wrong!” Dean climbs on top of a stone arch and summons a gas cloud where Ryken is standing.

  I down the fire vial like my life depends on it, letting the spicy cinnamon liquid warm my insides. As soon as it takes effect, I throw a fireball at the gas cloud and brace for what comes next. It explodes like a bomb, sending out a shockwave and cracking Ryken’s shield as he disappears within gas and smoke.

  The cloud fades, and Ryken kneels on the ground. His armor groans, and he uses his mace as a crutch to climb to his feet.

  Dean pulls a flail from his waistband and jumps. He whips the spiked head of the flail in a circle as he falls, and the ball rings out like a gong when it connects with Ryken’s helm.

  The death knight stumbles forward, dazed. He attempts to lift his mace, but it falls from his hands. Dean delivers the final blow and trumpets sound all around us.

  “Jerk.” Dean tosses the flail to the ground.

  I turn around, ready for our next opponent, when I finally process what the trumpets mean.